Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole

When I made this dish, it was requested that I make it again tomorrow night! We really liked this one and you can increase or decrease the hot sauce to suit the taste of the family. My husband and I added more at the dinner table while the children liked it just like it is. All around family hit though. You can increase the amount of potato to stretch this meal without having to add anything else. I used 8 potatoes and one small serving of leftovers. 

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
6 slices natural bacon, fried and crumbled
6-8 medium baking potatos, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 medium onion
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 T paprika
2 T garlic powder
1/4 c to 1/2 cup or more of hot sauce
2 large boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups Sharp Cheddar cheese



*Annies Organic Ranch dressing (or blue cheese)

The How To's:

Fry your bacon, drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop up your potatoes and onion and place in a large bowl. In a measuring cup, mix olive oil, hot sauce  and seasonings together. Pour over the potatoes and toss to coat well.
With a large slotted spoon, remove the potatoes to a 13x9 baking dish, allowing remaining marinade to drain back into the bowl. Spread the potatoes in the baking pan and place pan in the oven. Place the cubed raw chicken in the marinade and toss to coat well. Set aside. Allow the potatoes to cook until tender and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and pour the chicken over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the chopped bacon and cheese. Return to the oven and bake approximately 15 minutes until the chicken is done and cheese is bubbling.

Serve with ranch dressing and celery sticks. Serves 4.
*We use Annies because most ranch dressings contain MSG or some variation of it. If you research MSG you will find that it is not a chemical you want to knowingly feed your family. If you can't find an organic dressing, you could always make your own. That will also ensure that your dressing is gluten-free.

Monday, September 10, 2012

GF Thai Meatballs

These meatballs meet all the family dietary requirements in our house. Dairy free, gluten free, and the kids love them. They can easily be made Paleo friendly by changing the peanut butter to sun butter. They are easy to make ahead of time and they go fast, so you might want to double the recipe.

Thai Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 T lard
1/2 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup almond flour
1 t organic peanut butter
1 t texas pete hot sauce
1 T agave syrup
1 T fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 T lime juice
1 egg
1 T braggs liquid aminos
1 tsp sea salt

1 lb grass fed ground beef


How Tos:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat lard in a heavy skillet on  medium high heat. Add the chopped red pepper and saute until starting to brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook until garlic is brown and starts the caramelize. Remove to medium sized bowl. Add next 9(nine) ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Incorporate beef into this wet mixture, ensuring that the mixture is well combined. Form into 1" balls and place on baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate meatballs and bake 10 minutes more. Drain grease off to pot for cooking rice. Make your brown rice using the drippings as your oil/butter. Keep meatballs in a warming dish until rice is ready.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Easy Pumpkin Apple Spice Cake

This one is super easy and tastes so yummy. Smells just like fall!

1 box carrot cake mix
1 can cooked pumpkin(1 1/2 cups home canned)
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2" pieces(1/2 cup dried apples, chopped)
2 T sugar

Lightly grease a 9x13" pan. Mix carrot cake mix and cooked pumpkin until well combined. Mixture will be thick. Fold in apple pieces. Spread in baking pan. Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake 350 for about 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and then its ready to serve.