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Food, Savory

Paleo Sloppy Joes

I have never liked Sloppy Joes. We used to have a can of Manwich in the cabinet when I lived in Pennsylvania. I remember it vividly. I’m not sure who ever finally ended up eating it, but it wasn’t me. I couldn’t stand the idea of putting a sloppy mess of tomato-infused meat from a can on a hamburger bun.

But my boyfriend, Andy, does like Sloppy Joes. Which is how we came to try this recipe. I compromised, I’d make Sloppy Joes if I could make Paleo Sloppy Joes. And that just meant that I didn’t have to put the meat on a bun that would get all soggy and gross. I’d put it on a warm sweet potato, so much better.

And the bonus, we had most of the ingredients at home already!

Paleo Sloppy Joes

4 sweet potatoes, pre-baked (microwave for 8-10 minutes or until soft)
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/4 green onion, diced
1/2 cup of celery, diced
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes with liquid
1 6-oz can of tomato paste
1/4 cup of water
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large sauce pan, saute onions, celery, and green pepper in a skillet until tender. Add garlic powder and cook for another two minutes.

Add ground beef and cook until browned. Add chili powder and cumin, stir. Pour in can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut sweet potatoes in half, separate a bit so that the sweet potato makes a bowl. Spoon in sloppy Joe mixture, serve and enjoy.

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Food, Savory

Easy Crockpot Salsa Chicken

When I was little, my mom used to take me to Chi-Chi’s, a Mexican restaurant by our house in Pennsylvania. Today, I don’t think they still have actual restaurants. But back then, it was the typical Mexican restaurant, but they served what I as an elementary school kid thought was the world’s best salsa. It’s still good salsa, although now you can only get it in the grocery store.

So when Andy wanted taco salad again. I made a compromise. We could have it again, but not with ground beef, we’d have to have it with chicken. Now, this was probably one of the easiest “meals” that I’ve made in a long time. And it’s a multi-purpose recipe, it can be used for taco salads, eaten as is, or put in a flour tortilla. It would probably go really well on a potato hamburger bun with some cheese.

But believe me, it won’t disappoint.

Easy Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Gather
1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast
2.5 cups of Chi-Chi’s Medium Salsa

Plug in your crockpot, throw in the chicken and salsa, then cook on low for 5-8 hours. Chicken will easily fall apart. Using two forks, pull apart all the chicken so that it is shredded. Serve as is, on a taco salad, or in a flour tortilla shell.

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Food, Savory

Paleo Lettuce Wrapped Hamburgers

Lettuce Burger

 

The first thing I thought when I first started reading about Paleo food was that it was going to be bland. Everything processed had flavor, artificial flavor, but still flavor. And I worried without cheese, I’d miss creamy Alfredo sauces, cheese burgers, and fondue.

So when it comes to making even the simplest dish, I’ve made it my mission to make sure it’s flavorful. Make it something that even someone who is not eating Paleo, want to eat the meal I’ve made. For this burger, I added a few extra spices and a bit of a crunch. When you can’t have bread, you’ve got to take an extra step to make a hamburger more than a hamburger.

Paleo Lettuce Wrapped Hamburgers

Gather
1 pound of ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup of almond flour
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Black pepper, to taste
1-2 large beefsteak tomato
Head of iceberg lettuce

Heat a medium sized skillet on medium-high heat. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, egg, almond flour, and spices until combined. Create 1/2 inch thick beef patties and cook through, about 7 minutes a side, or until each side is browned and cooked through.

Slice tomato. Carefully unwrap layers of lettuce so that each piece is unbroken, you will use these as a your wrap. Place cooked hamburger in lettuce, top with tomato, and carefully wrap lettuce around burger. Enjoy.

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Food, Savory

Breaded Paleo Buffalo Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Paleo

 

Turns out I hate it when I don’t eat Paleo. As much as I love regular food – the bread, the butter, the desserts – I hate looking at the scale afterward. It seems that the best way to keep my weight at a manageable level is to make good eating decisions. So we’re making little changes and this recipe is one of them. Instead of dredging our chicken in flour and using butter, we made some substitutions, mainly using almond flour instead of regular flour.

Yes, almond flour is more expensive. No, you can’t really tell the difference. Yes, it’s better for you in the long run.

Breaded Paleo Buffalo Chicken

Gather
2 cups of almond flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened original coconut milk
3 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.

In a small bowl combine almond flour, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and coconut milk.

Cut chicken into small chunks or strips. Dredge chicken in wet egg mixture, then bread chicken with almond flour mix. Repeat the process so that each piece of chicken is double coated. Use tongs instead of your hands to avoid breading your fingers. Place chicken on a cookie sheet that has been lightly coated with olive oil.

Bake chicken for 8-10 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.

Turn the oven on to low broil and continue to cook the chicken for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the surface  is browned.

In a clean bowl, add hot sauce. Toss pieces of chicken in hot sauce, then serve.

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