Moroccan Chicken and Vegetable Stew (Paleo)

Moroccan Chicken and Vegetable Stew (Paleo)

by | Favorite Recipes, Meats, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables

paleo moroccan chicken and vegetable stew

After a traditional Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to make some aromatic, and spicy ethnic food. I pulled out a “somewhat Paleo” recipe book, written by Dr. Mark Hyman called “The 10-Day Detox Diet Cookbook“, based on his book “The Blood Sugar Solution“. It’s basically a healthy cookbook with a lot of Paleo recipes. This dish called out to me with all of the aromatic spices, like turmeric, cumin, and coriander. I made some slight modifications and spiced it up a bit. Warning: It did take a while to prep, approximately 40 minutes as I like to chop the ingredient a bit smaller than Dr. Hyman recommended, but was well worth it. I did not include the recommended eggplant, as my husband “claims” that he is allergic to it. (What REALLY happened: when he was in college, after a dinner of eggplant parmesan, and bit too much to drink, he threw up, and now claims it was the eggplant he was allergic to). Ha! Anyway, you can always add one chopped eggplant to this dish. Oh, and this dish is also called “Tagine”. Also, if you want to go vegan, substitute the chicken for firm tofu and reduce cooking time by 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp pureed ginger (I use this one)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground ginger (powder)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper (use 1/4 tsp for less heat)
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1″ pieces and trimmed of fat (if going vegan use firm Tofu)
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
  • 10 crimini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch half circles
  • 2 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth is going vegan)
  • 10 grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1/4 cup sliced green olives
  • chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

In a dutch oven or heavy stock pot (I used a cast iron dutch oven), heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and saute gently until the onions begin to caramelize, 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat to low, and add 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and all of the dried spices. Saute the spices and onions about 2 minutes. Salt the chicken (or tofu) with the remaining salt, and add to the pot. Turn heat up to medium, and saute for 3 minutes, until all of the chicken (or tofu) is well coated with spices. Add the cauliflower and mushrooms and saute about 5 minutes. Then Add the bell peppers and zucchini, and saute until they soften about 5 minutes. Add the chicken (or vegetable) stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer the stew gently, stirring occasionally, until all of the vegetables are tender and the liquid is thickened and reduce approximately 15-20 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in olives. Plate and serve with cilantro garnish. Serves 4

paleo moroccan chicken stew

Creamy Zucchini Pasta with Pecorino Cheese

Creamy Zucchini Pasta with Pecorino Cheese

by | Pastas, Vegetables

creamy-zucchini-pasta

Yes, another pasta dish. Here is a simple pasta dish to make with some zucchini and pecorino. Makes 4 “european” size portions.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 small yellow onion diced approximately ¾” cup
  • 5 cloves chopped garlic
  • 4 small-medium zucchini chopped in ¼” pieces
  • ½ cup pecorino cheese
  • ½ cup cream
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 4 servings of pasta – I used spaghetti but I think Fussili or Farfale would have been better

Preparation:

In large pot, boil pasta water. Add pasta to salted boiling water. Zucchini takes about 15 minutes to time your pasta accordingly. In a large sauce pan, on medium-high heat melt the butter. Add in the onions and garlic until translucent. Add in the zucchini and cook until zucchini start to brown slightly.  Add in the cream and cook until it thickens. (If sauce gets too thick you can add in some of the pasta water). Add salt to taste and parsley and basil. Drain pasta keeping some water for reserve (to thin out the sauce if too heavy for your liking). Plate pasta onto each bowl, add the zucchini mixture. Add in the cheese to each plate. Toss before eating.

Zucchini hummus with a kick

Zucchini hummus with a kick

by | Appetizers, Dips, Vegetables

Zucchini hummus

I have always loved hummus, but sometimes the chick peas or garbanzo beans can get a bit filling. So I looked around to see what else would pair well with tahini and found a great zucchini recipe. I have made some alterations to the one I found, as I thought it needed more tahini, added parsley and less cumin. So here are the ingredients:

  • 3 medium zucchinis
  • ⅓ cup chopped parsley leaves
  • 1- 16 oz. jar of tahini (I prefer organic)
  • ½ cup of lemon juice
  • ¼ cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 ½ tsp of salt
  • 1/2 tsp of cumin
  • ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper or add to taste

In a food processor with an “S-blade”, blend the zucchini, parsley, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cumin until smooth and creamy. Add in the cayenne slowly and taste to make sure it meats your preferred level of heat. Store in a container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This can be served with crackers or carrots sticks. Also great as a spread on a grilled chicken sandwich.

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