Paleo Vegetable Beef Curry

Paleo Vegetable Beef Curry
Adapted from Quick & Easy Paleo Comfort Foods

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 pound steak, diced
1 cup onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp green curry paste
2 cups broccoli florets, fresh/raw
¼ cup basil, diced
1 cup beef broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups cauliflower rice (cauliflower shredded through processor)
¼ cup water

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan. When oil begins to smoke, add meat and brown on all sides, 3 minutes. Add onions, peppers and curry paste; saute for 3 minutes. Add broccoli and basil; saute for 2 minutes. Add broth, milk, fish sauce, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes covered; stir; cook 10 more minutes uncovered. When curry is almost done, add cauliflower rice and water in a large microwave safe bowl. Cover with a paper towel and microwave on high for 2 minutes to steam. Plate rice and serve curry over top. Add red pepper flakes and salt to taste.

Review: We really enjoyed the flavors, but had to add a lot of red pepper flakes to give it some kick, so I added this to the recipe. Also, it was more soupy than we like, so I reduced the beef broth a bit and think that will make it even better next time. It was more like a soup than a curry to me and very thin, so know that going in! All in all, we did really enjoy this and I loved how packed it was with  yummy veggies.

Paleo Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Paleo Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Recipe adapted from Quick & Easy Paleo Comfort Foods

2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound chicken breasts, skinless boneless diced
1 pound chicken thighs, skinless boneless diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic, jarred
6 cups broccoli florets, fresh
5 cups cauliflower florets, fresh
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup organic chicken broth
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown and cook chicken for 5 minutes until no longer pink. drain and add to a rectangular baking dish. In same skillet, add onions and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli and 1/2 inch water. Cook broccoli 5 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, in a large pan, add cauliflower, coconut milk and broth. Bring to boil, then reduce to medium and cover for 10 minutes until fork tender. Add drained broccoli mixture to dish with chicken. Transfer cauliflower mixture in batches to food processor; add spices to processor and pulse until no lumps remain. Pour over chicken and broccoli in batches. Top with paprika and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly browned and bubbling.

Review: So creamy and fabulous! Tasted like a Thanksgiving creamy "bad" casserole. The curry spices definitely made the cauliflower taste especially like mashed potatoes. Next time I'm going to consider adding mushrooms - I believe the author of the recipe suggested spinach, too, but I don't love spinach so I probably won't try this. I haven't freezed it, but this is the recommendation for freezing: do not bake; instead, layer plastic over top then foil. Place in refrigerator to cool then move to freezer. When ready, thaw in refrigerator for 2 days, then bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes until heated through.

Pork Fried Rice

Pork Fried Rice
Recipe inspired by Nutmeg Notebook
Makes 4 Servings

2 tsp olive oil, divided
16 ounces pork, diced and seasoned with salt and pepper
¼ cup fat free chicken broth
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp dark sesame oil
¼ tsp salt and pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp garlic
2 cups microwavable white rice, cooked (and chilled in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours)
1 cup small broccoli florets, defrosted

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pork for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and set aside on plate. In the meantime, combine broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a measuring cup and stir with a whisk. Set aside. Also, add broccoli to a small covered microwavable dish, and steam for 1-2 minutes. In same pan, add remaining tsp of olive oil. Add eggs and stir for a minute; add onions and ginger; stir for 1 minute; add garlic, rice, pork and broccoli. Stir until heated through, about 3-4 minutes. Add broth mixture. Remove from heat, and stir well to combine.

Nutritional Information: 382 calories, 39 carbs, 10 fat grams and 31 protein grams.


Review: There is nothing better than fried rice to me, so this of course was awesome. I loved that it used chicken broth, which really cut down on the amount of soy sauce needed. Great, easy recipe, and the broccoli helped add some green! Could have also used carrots, peas, etc. - but I just used the veggie I had on hand. Great, easy recipe, ready in under 20 minutes (assuming you already had rice in the fridge of course - important to note that! We always have a tub of cold rice in the fridge - you're not surprised, right?:) ))

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Bake

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Bake
Found on Meet the Dubien’s
Makes 4 Servings

1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can water
3 oz. shredded cheddar cheese, plus additional for topping if desired
1 cup uncooked regular white long-grain rice
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped small
16 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, raw/defrosted
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Italian Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together soup and water in a large bowl until there are no lumps. Add shredded cheese, broccoli and rice and mix well. Stir in salt and pepper. Place raw chicken in a square baking dish and add soup/rice mixture. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Cover with foil. Bake for 55 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Nutritional Information: 435 calories, 48 carbs, 6 fat grams and 39 protein grams.

Review: Cheesy is right! The cheese soup with shredded cheese made a great sauce that went well with the rice and broccoli. I loved that this one pot meal cooked the chicken and the rice in the baking dish - awesome! The bread crumbs also added a nice crunchy kick. This was easy to put together, and great for pre-cooking as I could make other meals on the stovetop while this one baked! We'll be having this again for sure - it reheated well, too!

Whole pan of yumminess

Chinese Garlic Chicken

Chinese Garlic Chicken
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Blog Chef

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup water
¼ cup honey
4 tsp canola oil, divided
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp green onions, diced
2 ½ cups white rice, divided
Optional: 1 cup broccoli florets, fresh or frozen/defrosted

In a bowl combine garlic, soy sauce, water, honey, 2 tsp vegetable oil, cornstarch, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix well. Stir chicken into marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cook rice per microwave instructions. In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. With a slotted spoon remove chicken from marinade and add to the skillet (reserve marinade). Stirfry chicken for 3 minutes. Add green onions (and any other veggies) and stirfry for 2 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Add reserved marinade and cook until thickened.

Nutritional Information: 451 calories, 66 carbs, 6 fat grams and 28 protein grams.

Review: Seriously authentic! I'm SO excited. This is what I order at restaurants: "white rice, chicken and brown sauce." I never thought it was made with soy sauce, garlic and honey - go figure! And marinating the chicken overnight in this sauce made it extra tender - I may try this with other Asian-inspired recipes. Me and Austin were both really happy with this dish, didn't change a thing, and are excited about adding more veggies next time - I think broccoli and water chestnuts would be great. Even edamame - it would all taste great!

Breakfast Broccoli and Pasta Pie

Breakfast Broccoli and Pasta Pie
Makes 4 Servings

Recipe adapted from Cooking with My Kid

6 oz. angel hair (dry)
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli (200 grams)
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1 cup 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese (112 grams)
2 tsp minced garlic, jarred
2 tsp olive oil
3 large eggs
3/4 cup fat-free milk
¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
dash of paprika

Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta per package instructions. Sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Add broccoli, cheese and onions. Add pasta, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 9 inch pie dish and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 25 to 30 minute or until egg is set and top pieces of pasta are slightly crunchy and brown. Remove from oven and let rest before slicing.

Nutritional Information: 348 calories, 38 carbs, 11 fat grams and 24 protein grams.

Review: Yum!! SUCH a fun breakfast idea, and come on, who doesn't love pasta! I enjoyed it and think lots of variations would work (meat versions like ham & onions or sausage & basil; other veggie versions like tomato, feta & spinach, etc.). I can't wait to make it again - and what a cheap "quiche crust" - pasta! It stayed together well and cooked up perfectly. The original recipe didn't call for bread crumbs, but we agreed it needed something crunchy and landed on bread crumbs so I factored them into the nutrition above. YOU GUYS - I'm so excited I found this - bring on more breakfast pasta pies!

whole pie!

Cheesy Broccoli & Chicken

Cheesy Broccoli & Chicken
Recipe adapted from About.com recipe
Makes 4 Servings

1 can broccoli & cheese soup (not fat-free)
1 pound chicken, frozen
1 14-oz. bag frozen broccoli
½ cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, use more to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons parsley, dried
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups white rice, cooked per microwave instructions

Place chicken in crockpot. Cover with frozen veggies and soup. Add seasonings to taste. Cook on high 3 hours. Add milk and cook for another 30 minutes. Divide cooked rice into four servings, and spoon ¼ of the recipe onto each serving of rice.

Nutritional Information: 467 calories, 68 carbs, 4 fat grams and 32 protein grams.

Review: This tasted like Thanksgiving - for real! I loved how it tasted like cheesy broccoli, and the chicken just shredded right up and blended in to the mix. It tasted best fresh - super creamy and was great over the rice. Reheat wasn't bad, but I definitely had to add some water and salt to get it back up to par, so I'd suggest making this to eat that day (I would even bring this to a Thanksgiving pot luck - i'd just add cooked white rice at the end, stir, and turn it to warm! All in all, a recipe i'll make again.