Eat this TONIGHT

I have to talk about some good food.  With the spring sports schedule in full throttle at our house, we've been eating a lot of meals out.  The schedule lightened just a miniscule amount this week, allowing me to stay in and make dinner - two days in a row!!!

The recipes are so good, I feel compelled to share them. All of the recipes are at the bottom of this post if you don't have the cookbooks.  They are not my own, although I tweaked each one a bit.  They come from the Well Fed cookbook by Melissa Joulwan, which has become Well Worn in my kitchen, covered in various splotches of coconut milk, tomato sauce, and chimichurri, and also from Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso, the first Paleo cookbook I bought over 2 years ago, and still one of my favorites.   

Tuesday night was Italian Sausage and Eggplant Strata from Well Fed.  Think homemade Eggplant Parm without the Parm.  No cheese or breading of course, but amazingly flavorful.  And, it gets better each day as the flavors soak together.  It was reminiscent of my lasagna making days, in that I had multiple bowls and pans going at once, so clean up was a little ongoing.  However, my 21 year old, definitely Non-Paleo neighbor came over to watch a movie with us, and had a plate of it.  She said, "This is so good it you could have made it for a really nice restaurant - that's where I would expect to eat something like this." What???!!!! But she's right - it's that good. This is an excellent one dish meal, that can be made in about 1.5 hrs start to finish.

Last night I opted for chicken and vegetables, so I chose The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat and Cocoa Cauliflower from Well Fed, and Brussels Sprouts 'n' Bacon from Everyday Paleo.  Had an extra teenage boy in the house who was skeptical about the vegetables, both choices far from his usual eating habits.  He tasted each, and along with my son, proceeded to devour both the cauliflower and brussels sprouts.  I can't believe I had to tell them, "Step away from the Brussels Sprouts with your hands up, and no one gets hurt."  The title of the chicken recipe is a dare.  She is daring me to disagree, and that's a lot to proclaim.  I will agree that it is in the top 5 chicken recipes I've had.  Putting a whole chicken on my grill's rotisserie after soaking it in lemon, garlic, and olive oil is among my favorites.  This is completely different and worth the adventure. 

The Cocoa Cauliflower has become a 1-2 times weekly side dish.  It's quick, easy, and blows people away with the flavor.  Here are all the recipes.  You're welcome.  De Nada.  Di Niente.  Now go make one of these for dinner!

The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat, from Well Fed
Brining: 2 hrs
2 garlic cloves, whole
8 c. water
3 Tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp coconut aminos (tastes like soy sauce)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cumin seeds (didn't have those, threw some ground cumin in)
1 tsp whole black peppercorn
2-3 lbs boneless chicken breasts

Spice Blend
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp ground allspice
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 Tbsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Secret #1: Brining
"You will think this step is not necessary.  You will, perhaps, find it too fussy.  Ignore those feelings and put the chicken in the salty spa.  Trust." Joulwan's words.  Very important step.

Place the garlic cloves on a cutting board, and place the flat side of a knife on top of them.  With your fist, lightly strike the knife to crack the cloves and discard the peel.

Place a 1 gallon ziplock inside a large bowl so it's standing up.  Pour the water into the bag, then add the garlic, salt, coconut aminos, bay leaf, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns.  Stir with your hand or squeeze the bag to dissolve the salt, then add chicken to the bag.  This will look a bit unappetizing.  Avert your eyes.

Seal the bag and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 2 hours, then rinse the chicken well and set it in a collander to dry while you move on to Secret #2.  If you want to want, you can stop here, wrap and refrigerate the chicken up to 2-3 days before continuing.

Secret #2: The Spice Blend
Preheat a gas grill on high heat, with the lid closed, 10 minutes. 
Place all the spice blend ingredients except the oil in a small bowl and mix with a fork.  Pour the melted oil into the spice blend and combine with a fork.

Coat the chicken pieces with the mixture, by hand or by tossing in a bowl.  Place the chicken smooth side down on the grill, close the lid, and cook for 4 minutes.  Flip the chicken, cook for additional 3-4 minutes with the lid closed, until the chicken is browned and cooked through. 

Serve with Moroccan Dipping Sauce
Juice of 2 lemons, 1/4 cup
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, minced (2 tbsp)
1/2 c fresh parsley leaves, minced (2 tbsp)

Whisk together all except last 3 ingredients.  Once combined, gradually whisk in oil, then stir in fresh cilantro and parsley. 

Brussels Sprouts n Bacon, Everyday Paleo
6 bacon strips, diced and cooked crispy in a skillet, bacon grease reserved
1 lb brussels sprouts, steamed for 4 minutes, then stems cut and quartered
1 tsp garlic powder - I added a Tbsp fresh chopped garlic
1 Tbsp dried thyme (didn't have any so I used marjoram, tasted good)
salt and pepper to taste

After the brussels sprouts are quartered, toss in a large bowl with bacon pieces and the grease.  Add the seasonings, then spread into a glass baking dish.  Bake 30 minutes at 350, stirring once during baking time. 

Cocoa-Toasted Cauliflower, Well Fed

1 head fresh cauliflower cut into florets or 1 bag frozen, thawed
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp unsweeted cocoa, I use Natural Zing raw organic from Common Market
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 400.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cauliflower florets in large mixing bowl. 

In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix the paprika, cocoa, salt, pepper and garlic and coconut oil.  Microwave 15-20 seconds until oil is melted and spices are fragrant.

Drizzle the oil mixture over the cauliflower, then mix for 2 minutes.  It's important to continue mixing to get into all the little cauliflower crevices.  Taste, and adjust seasonings as you like.

Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until tender with some brown spots.  Note: I've cooked it longer, until it gets a bit of a crunch, and it's delicious that way also.

Italian Sausage and Eggplant Strata, Well Fed (I've made a few measurement adjustments to her recipe)
3 1/2 lbs globe eggplants, about 2-3
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 lbs ground pork
3 tbsp Italian Sausage seasoning (4 tsp dried parsley, 1 Tbsp dried italian herbs, 2 tsp ground black pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp paprika, 4 tsp salt, 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds)
1 tbsp coconut oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 28 oz cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen is what she uses, and me too - low acidity)
8 large basil leaves, slivered (I used dried basil, worked fine)
5 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment and brush a 13 x 9 pan with some of the olive oil.  Slice the eggplant into rounds, about 1/2 inch thick and place on baking sheet.  Brush the eggplant with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

While the eggplant is roasting, crumble the ground pork into large mixing bowl, add the seasoning and blend well.  Heat a large saute pan over med high heat.  Crumble the pork into the pan, and break up large chunks.  Cook until the pork is nicely browned, about 7-10 minutes.  Remove the meat to a bowl and return pan to stove. 

Reduce the heat to medium, add 1 tbsp coconut oil and garlic to the pan.  Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add tomatoes and basil.  Stir to combine, increase heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  When the tomato sauce is cool, whisk the eggs in a small bowl then blend them into the sauce. Warning: this will look disgusting, but keep going. 

To assemble the strata, place a single layer of eggplant in the bottom of the greased 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle half the cooked pork on top of the eggplant, then top with half the sauce.  Create another layer, eggplant, pork, then sauce.  Build your final layer with eggplant, and spread the remaining sauce on top. 

Place in the center of oven, bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the pan from oven, let it set for 30 minutes.  Lightly brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh basil if you have it. 

Happy Eating - I had the chicken for breakfast this morning, with an apple.  For lunch, it will be brussels sprouts and eggplant strata. Enjoy!