Chicken Stuffed Bell Pepper Poppers

Another product of having random ingredients in my fridge and throwing them together! These are great served as an entree or as appetizers. In this case, I served them as an entree alongside kale sauteed in the bacon fat.

*Serves 2 (as entree)*

Ingredients:
8 Mini bell peppers, cut in half and seeded
8 strips Bacon
1 Chicken breast
2 Tbsp Cream cheese
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Unsalted butter
Garlic powder
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, cook the bacon on low so that it gets a little crispy but is still mobile. In a separate pan, melt the tablespoon of butter. Tenderize the chicken, season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper and add to the pan, cooking on one side until lightly browned. While the chicken is cooking, spread the cream cheese evenly on one side of each mini bell pepper. Flip the chicken and turn up the heat slightly, then add the balsamic vinegar. After about one minute, flip the chicken again, allowing to sit in the balsamic reduction for an additional minute. Remove from the heat, slice, and place into the halves of the bell peppers without cream cheese. Re-form the bell peppers by putting the sides back together, wrap each one in bacon, and place on a lined baking sheet (silpats work wonderfully). Bake at 350 for ten minutes, then broil on high for about three minutes (keep an eye on them so that they don't start burning). Serve immediately. Nobody likes soggy bacon.

Cherry Balsamic Chicken with Prosciutto Green Beans

Cherries are by far my favorite fruit. That's why every year I have a very hard time containing myself and sticking to one bag when they go on sale. As a result, I had way too many cherries. Time to make a new recipe!

*Serves 2*

Ingredients (chicken):
2 Chicken breasts
1/2 cup Chopped vidalia onions
1 cup Chopped pitted cherries
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Coconut oil
1 tsp Stevia
1 pinch Garlic powder
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pan, sauté the onions in coconut oil on medium heat until clear. Add the cherries and continue to sauté until the oil begins to turn red and the cherries begin to soften. Season the chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper and add to the pan. Allow to brown lightly on one side (approximately three minutes) before flipping. After both sides are lightly browned, add the balsamic vinegar and increase the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle the stevia over the sauce and stir around the chicken. After a minute on medium-high, flip the chicken one more time and reduce the heat back to medium. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, plate the chicken and pour the mixture on top. Serve with prosciutto green beans (recipe below).

Ingredients (green beans):
1 can Unsalted cut green beans
2 slices Prosciutto
1/2 Tbsp Unsalted butter
Coarse salt to taste

Directions:
Lay the prosciutto slices on a silpat or other nonstick liner on top of a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until crispy. Set aside to cool. Microwave the green beans in a bowl for one minute or until hot. Toss with the butter and any desired salt, then crumble the prosciutto on top. Serve with cherry balsamic chicken (recipe above).

Fiesta Lime Chicken with Spanish Cauliflower Rice

When I used to eat at Taco Bell, I would routinely order a side of "Mexican Rice." This is no longer on their menu, but it was basically Spanish rice with mild sauce, cheese, and green onions served in a little side dish. One of the most difficult parts of being primal for me was avoiding rice dishes like that one. Fortunately, there's a delicious and healthful alternative, and it pairs particularly well with chicken and avocado.

*Serves 2*

Ingredients (Cauliflower Rice):
1/2 head Cauliflower
3/4 can (12oz) Mild Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1/4 cup Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Butter
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Minced Onion
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Coarse Salt
1/4 cup Diced Green Onion
1/4 cup Shredded "Fiesta Blend" Cheese

Directions (Cauliflower Rice):
Using a food processor, shred the cauliflower into rice-size pieces. Melt the tablespoon of butter in a large pot on medium heat and add the riced cauliflower. Pour in the chicken broth and the diced tomatoes, stirring well. Mix in all spices and cover, reducing the heat slightly. Prepare the chicken (recipe below). When the liquid is mostly absorbed, increase to high heat for a minute while stirring. Plate and top with shredded cheese and green onions.

Ingredients (Chicken):
2 Chicken Breasts
1/4 can Mild Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 tsp Lime juice
1/2 Tbsp Butter
Paprika
Cumin
Garlic Powder
Coarse Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp Water

Directions (Chicken):
In a shallow bowl, mix the lime juice with the remaining 1/4 can of diced tomatoes and chiles. Soak the chicken breasts in this mixture for 5-10 minutes. Melt the butter in a large pan. Meanwhile, remove the chicken breasts from the tomato mixture (do not discard the mixture) and season with a pinch of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, coarse salt, and pepper. Once the butter has lightly browned, place the chicken breasts in the pan, allowing to cook on one side for approximately three minutes (or until lightly browned) before flipping. After three minutes on the second side, pour in the juice only from the tomato mixture into the pan. Cook through, flipping as needed to adequately brown on both sides. Plate the chicken. Add the two tablespoons of water to the pan and deglaze. Once this thickens slightly, pour onto the chicken. Serve with cauliflower rice and sliced avocado.

Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry

To make stir-fry, you don't always need terryaki sauce, real noodles, or rice. In fact, I'll bet after you try this recipe that you'll prefer it without, especially if you serve it along with Melissa Joulwan's cold sesame cucumber noodles!

*Serves 2-4*

Ingredients:
1 lb Fresh Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped in strips)
1 bag (8 oz) Snow Peas
3/4 cup Chopped Yellow Onion
1 cup Chopped Fresh Pineapple
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 cup Gluten-Free Tamari
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Truvia

Directions:

Blend both oils together in a large pan or wok on medium heat. Add onions and sautee until translucent. Stir in the bell pepper, snow peas, pineapple, and shrimp. Once the shrimp have turned orange, add the tamari, ginger, garlic powder, and truvia. Increase the heat briefly, approximately three minutes, while continuing to stir. Lower the heat back to medium and allow to cook for an additional ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with cold sesame cucumber noodles.

Mango Shrimp Ceviche

It's almost Summer time, and I'm craving something refreshing. Nothing beats ceviche.

*Serves 2*

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Raw Shrimp
1 Mango
1/2 Cucumber
1/2 Sweet Onion
1 Avocado
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Lemon (DO NOT use fake squeeze bottle lemon juice...it won't work.)
1 Lime (Same goes with the lime...no bottled crap.)
1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Coarse salt to taste

Directions:
Peel and de-vein the raw shrimp and place in a shallow dish. Squeeze the juice of one whole lime and one half lemon on top of the shrimp and sprinkle with a pinch of coarse salt. Place this dish in the fridge for 2-3 hours, tossing as needed to "cook" the shrimp. While waiting on the shrimp, peel and chop the cucumber, mango, avocado, bell pepper, and onion into small cubes. Once the shrimp appear orange in color, remove them from the fridge and mix in all of the chopped ingredients, cilantro and spices. Add more cayenne pepper if you like more spice. Serve cold.

Pulled Pork Tenderloin with Avocado

The crockpot strikes again.

*Serves 2-8...with a ton of leftover pork.*

Ingredients:
1 Whole pork loin
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Dried minced onions
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Coarse salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup Orange juice
1 6oz can Tomato paste
1 tsp Honey
1 Tbsp Minced garlic
2 Avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced

Directions:
Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the orange juice, tomato paste, honey, and garlic until well blended. With your hands, rub the dry spice mixture all over the pork, making sure to cover it on all sides. Place the spiced tenderloin into your crockpot. Cover with the tomato sauce. Set the crockpot to low, then walk away for 8-10 hours. When you return, uncover the crock pot, pull the pork apart with a fork and stir so that the surrounding liquid becomes part of the sauce. Serve with fresh avocado slices.

Crab Cakes

I know what you're thinking. It's called a "cake." Totally not primal, right?

Wrong.

*Serves 4-6*

Ingredients:
1 can Crab meat (Claw and lump work equally well, but claw is much less expensive.)
2 Tbsp Tapioca or Coconut flour
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Lemon juice
1/4 cup Yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Large egg
1 Tbsp Fresh dill (1/2 Tbsp if using dried)
1 tsp Paprika
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Drain the crab meat well, then pour into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, the egg and the lemon juice. Mix well, ensuring that all of the crabmeat is covered. Add in the onion, bell pepper, dill, paprika, salt, pepper and tapioca flour. Stir until loosely mixed, then continue to toss with your hands until you can form small patties. These will seem unstable compared to normal crab cake mixes, but they stick together very nicely once in the pan. Do not make the patties too large, or they will fall apart. Size is key. You should have enough mix to form 6-8 patties. Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan on medium heat. Place each patty onto a spatula, gently sliding it into the oil. Allow to cook on one side until browned (approximately three minutes) before flipping. Garnish with extra fresh dill.