TACO SOUP

ingredients

1. • 2 lbs. ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, etc.)
   • 1 large onion, chopped
   • 1 bell pepper, chopped
   • 2-3 zucchini or yellow squash, chopped in 1 inch cubes
   • 2 jalapeños, finely chopped or 4-7 oz can of chopped chilies (4 oz for mild spice, 7 oz for more)
   • 6 cloves garlic, crushed
   • 6 large tomatoes, diced or 28-32 oz of diced tomatoes
   • 4 cups homemade chicken stock
   • 1/4 cup Taco Seasoning (see below)
   • Juice of 2 limes
   • Extra taco seasoning and lime juice for serving
   *Optional Toppings: Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, lime wedges and Cheese Chips

instructions

1. Instant Pot Dirctions: Set to Saute and brown meat inside inner pot. Drain excess oil and return to pan. Add remaining ingredients and then lock lid and close vent. Cook for 15 minutes on "Stew" and then natural release for 5 minutes.
   Stove top method: Brown meat in large pan. Drain off excess grease and set aside. In same pot, sauté onions, bell pepper and zucchini for about 5-10 minutes or until soft. Add meat back to pan along with rest of ingredients. Cook on medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and add additional 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning and 1 extra tablespoon of lime juice just before serving. 
   Crock Pot Method: Add cooked meat to crock pot along with rest of ingredients. Cook on low for 6 hours or high heat for 3 hours.
   Creamy Taco Soup:  After soup if finished cooking, add 8 oz. cream cheese to soup and stir until melted.
   JUST BEFORE SERVING: If desired, stir in extra tablespoon of taco seasoning and 1 extra tablespoon of lime juice. 

CROCKPOT PORK SHANKS

Ingredients

• 1 - 1½ tbl avocado oil
• 3 lbs bone in pork shanks (about 9)
• 3 cups onion, diced (about 1 large onion)
• 2 cups carrot, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tbl fresh oregano leaves, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tbl fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 lemons, zest and juice, divided
• 14 oz chopped tomatoes (substitute 1 cup pumpkin puree for AIP)
• ¾ cup chicken or pork broth

Instructions

1. Pat the pork shanks dry with paper towel.
2. Add ½ tbl of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Brown half the pork shanks until golden brown, about 8 minutes per side. Set aside.
3. Repeat with the other ½ tbl of oil and the remaining pork shanks. Set aside with the other pork shanks.
4. Add the last ½ tbl oil to the skillet. Add the onion, carrot and garlic to the pan and soften, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the onion mixture to the bottom of a large slow cooker. Nestle the pork shanks on top.
6. Return the skillet to the stove over a low heat and use the juice of one lemon to deglaze the pan. Add the pan drippings to the slow cooker.
7. Add the mushrooms, oregano, thyme, basil, salt and lemon zest to the slow cooker.
8. Pour over both the chopped tomatoes and stock. Cook on high for 4 hours.
9. Remove pork shanks and set them aside, covered to keep them warm.
10. Remove all of the cooking liquid and half of the vegetables, adding them to a blender. Add the juice of the remaining lemon and puree until smooth. Check your seasoning here and add any extra salt if needed.
11. Return the vegetable puree to the slow cooker, stirring the remaining vegetables through the sauce. Add the pork shanks and cook for a further 30 minutes - 1 hour on low.

BUFFALO CHICKEN MUFFINS

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts (raw) or 1lb of ground chicken (cheaper to grind yourself in a food processor)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup of bleu cheese (you can omit this if you really, truly need to)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup of Frank’s RedHot Buffalo sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions: 

1) Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Chop up the raw chicken breast into large chunks. Then throw them in the food processor. Process for about 30 seconds until it is completely ground. Let it rest for a second.

3) In another bowl add the eggs, green onions, bleu cheese, baking soda, salt and pepper. Mix till blended.

4) Add the chicken, bleu cheese, and hot sauce to the bowl and mix until everything is incorporation.

5) Scoop into a silicone muffin pan (I love this one) or a heavily greased muffin pan.

6) Bake for 25 minutes till muffins are firm.

7) Serve with extra hot sauce, ranch, celery and carrots! Makes 12 muffins!

CROCKPOT PULLED BBQ CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds organic chicken breast

2 cups diced tomatoes

2-4 pitted dates

3 cloves garlic 

1 small yellow onion peeled and quartered or 1/2 a large yellow onion

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

6 oz tomato paste 

1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large slow cooker (I use a 6-quart slow cooker), arrange the chicken breasts and drizzle with the avocado oil.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until all of the ingredients are well chopped. Pour over the chicken, spooning the sauce over all exposed chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
4. After the chicken is done cooking, remove the breasts. Using two forks, shred the chicken.
5. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker with the remaining sauce, stirring it together to combine.
6. Enjoy warm over a salad, in large leaves of lettuce, as filling for baked potatoes, or simply on its own. 
7. Store leftovers in fridge for about 5 days.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN CHILE VERDE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 12-ounce jar Salsa Verde
• 1 4-ounce can fire roasted green chiles
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh cilantro, optional
• Cauli-rice 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine salsa, green chiles, cumin and oregano. Pour over chicken.
3. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on LOW heat for 4 – 6 hours.
4. Remove lid and allow chicken to cool slightly before shredding it with 2 forks right in the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Transfer to serving dish, top with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges, if desired.
6. Serve over cauli-rice or in lettuce wraps.

ETHIOPIAN BERBERE CHICKEN CURRY

Ingredients

• 1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 4 or 1 pound, cut into ½" pieces
• 3 Tablespoons butter, or avocado oil for dairy free
• 1 medium onion, diced, 12 ounces
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons berbere spice mix, see notes
• 2 crowns broccoli, 1 pound 6 ounces, see notes
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, 14 ounces, or 1-14 ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 Teaspoon sea salt, or to your taste
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. If you're using fresh tomatoes, place them in a blender and blend into a chunky sauce, set aside. If you're using chopped canned tomatoes, they're all ready to go.
2. To prepare the broccoli, trim the end of the stems and peel away the tough outer layer. Then thinly slice the stems, and cut the florets into small bite sized pieces, set the prepared broccoli aside.
3. Preheat a large skillet, 15" over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 Tablespoon of the butter or avocado oil to the pan along with the cut up chicken thighs. Turn the heat to high and sauté until browned and mostly done, don't worry if there's a little pink in the chicken because it's going to finish cooking later. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan, and set them aside.
4. Lower the heat to medium high, and add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter or avocado oil to the pan along with the diced onion. Sauté until the onion is browned and beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and berbere spice mix and cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
5. Then add the prepped broccoli, blended tomatoes/canned chopped tomatoes, and the can of coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Then lower the heat to low, add the chicken back into the pan, and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender and the chicken is fully cooked.
6. Season to taste with sea salt, and stir in the chopped cilantro.
7. Serve immediately with rice or cauliflower rice.

Notes

I bought my berbere spice mix from The Silk Road in Missoula Montana where they handcraft all their mixes.
You can use any mix of veggie you'd like in this curry, zucchini, snap peas, and carrots are all great as well. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time if you're using snap peas as they cook faster than everything else

CHORIZO POTATO CHILI

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled and diced red potatoes
• 2 tbsp cooking fat - ghee coconut oil, bacon fat, etc.
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 4-6 slices uncured bacon cooked and drained
• 1 lb ground chorizo sausage I bought mine at Whole Foods
• 1/2 medium onion diced (or one small)
• 14.5 oz can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/2 of a 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder*
• Pinch cayenne pepper*
• Green onion and avocado for garnish

Instructions

1. Have your bacon cooked, drained, crumbled, and set aside
2. In a large skillet or saucepan, add cooking fat and melt over medium heat.
3. Add diced sweet potatoes and stir to coat in the fat, sprinkle with salt, then cover the pan and cook about 2 minutes. Uncover and stir again to brown evenly. Continue to cook 2-5 minutes until soft, adjusting the heat to avoid burning.
4. Once sweet potatoes are soft, add the diced onions and cook about a minute, stirring.
5. Next, add the chorizo to the pan, breaking up lumps and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir over medium heat until nicely browned.
6. Once the sausage and sweet potato mixture is browned, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and all the spices and stir to combine flavors.
7. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Once ready to serve, add the bacon to the chili. Serve over your favorite greens and garnish individual servings with sliced green onion and avocado.
9. Enjoy!

 

LEMON CHICKEN SKILLET

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil of choice - olive, avocado, coconut, etc. 
• Sea Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 lemon, quartered and juiced (about ¼ cup fresh juice)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon minced)
• 10 ounces fresh or frozen broccoli florets
• optional: 2 tablespoons butter or ghee

Instructions

1. Heat your oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle sea salt, pepper and Italian seasoning on each side of the chicken.
2. Once your skillet is hot, add your chicken breasts. Brown for about 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
3. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, minced garlic to the skillet. Stir and scrape up any brown bits that are stuck on the bottom.
4. Add your chicken back to the skillet, along with the used lemon quarters. Simmer the chicken in the sauce for about 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Add your broccoli to the skillet and cook until broccoli is bright green and tender and chicken is cooked through, about 5 additional minutes. Finally, stir in the butter or ghee and add additional sea salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy!

PALEO PIZZA SOUP

Ingredients

• 12 oz chicken sausage, sliced (check ingredients)
• 4 oz uncured pepperoni, cut into 4ths
• 1 25 oz jar marinara (check ingredients for no added sugar or oil)
• 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 16oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 3oz can sliced black olives (optional)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sausage, pepperoni, marinara, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, olives, oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
2. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until onions and mushrooms have softened.
3. Taste and add any additional salt.
4. Serve hot and makes great leftovers.

CROCKPOT CHIPOTLE CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 2 Teaspoons ground chipotle chili powder
• 2 Teaspoons onion powder
• ½ Teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ Teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 Teaspoons sea salt, or to your taste
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste, 10 Tablespoons
• 1 cup chicken stock, or water
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2½ pounds

Instructions

1. Whisk together the spices, sea salt, honey, and tomato paste in a slow cooker. Whisk in a small amount of chicken stock at a time until the mixture isn't quite as thick before adding the rest of the chicken stock. Whisk until completely combined.
2. Place the chicken breasts into the tomato/spice mixture and turn to coat both sides.
3. Top the slow cooker with the lid and set the program for 4 hours on high heat or 8 hours on low heat.
4. When the cooking time is done, use two forks to pull apart the meat into shreds.
5. Serve immediately with your choice of sides. Rice/cauliflower rice are great along with taco toppings, like tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and grated cheese.
6. Otherwise if you're not using the chipotle chicken right away, cool the meat completely in the refrigerator before packaging it into containers for the freezer. Freeze and use within 3 months. To defrost the meat, get the container out of the freezer the night before and place it in the refrigerator to thaw over the next 24 hours.

SPICE RUBBED CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. chicken pieces, skin on or off;
• 1 tsp. ground ginger;
• 1 tsp. ground chipotle pepper;
• 2 tsp. yellow curry powder;
• 1 tsp. paprika;
• 1 tsp. garlic powder;
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander;
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom;
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves;
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper;
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;
• Paleo cooking fat;

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. In a bowl, combine the ginger, chipotle pepper, curry powder, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cayenne, cumin, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Rub the chicken pieces all over with the spices.
4. Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish that’s been coated with some cooking fat.
5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 45 min (or until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear) and serve.

POTATO FRIES

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of potatoes cut in large wedges. You can leave the skin on or peal it.
• 1/4 cup of olive oil, coconut oil or ghee (clarified butter). You can also do something like 1/8 of a cup of olive oil and 1/8 of a cup of coconut oil, this way you make sure your olive oil doesn’t burn
• 2-3 tsp or your favorite fresh or dried herb (thyme and rosemary a well suited for baking because they won’t burn as easily as other herbs and will leave a great taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste. You can easily omit the salt, but it is a great addition if you don’t mind it.

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. In a bowl, coat evenly the sweet potato wedges with the oil and the herbs.
2. Add the salt and pepper
3. Place the wedges on a baking tray in a single layer so they cook evenly
4. Roast to sweet potato fries for about 20 minutes
5. Test with the tip of a knife and see if the knife easily slips in. If not, bake for another 5 minutes and test again

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken;
• 1 cup of cauliflower, cut into chunks;
• 1 bell pepper, diced;
• 1 leek , sliced;
• 1 medium onion, chopped;
• 2 small zucchinis, sliced;
• 3 medium carrots, sliced;
• 2 celery ribs, sliced;
• 1 cup diced tomatoes;
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped;
• 6 to 8 cups chicken stock ;
• 3 garlic cloves, minced;
• 2 tbsp. Paleo cooking fat;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. In a large stockpot, melt the cooking fat over a medium heat, and gently cook the onion, garlic, leek, and chicken for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is nice and tender.
2.  Add the rest of the vegetables, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and parsley, and cover it all with the 6 to 8 cups of chicken broth.
3. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

TURKEY CHILI

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 cups of shredded, cooked turkey meat;
• 2 cups of carrots, sliced or diced;
• 2 cups onions, chopped;
• 2 bell pepper, chopped;
• 2 cups diced tomatoes;
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste;
• 4 garlic cloves, minced;
• 1 cup chicken or turkey stock;
• 2 tbsp. chili powder or to taste;
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin;
• 1 tbsp. dried hot red pepper flakes;
• 1 tsp. dried oregano;
• Paleo cooking fat;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;
• Green onions, sliced (optional, for garnishing);

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan placed over a medium-high heat, melt some cooking fat and cook the onions, bell peppers and carrots until the onions are golden (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Stir well and cook for a minute.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken or turkey stock, cooked turkey meat, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Give everything a good stir.
4. Bring the chili to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Serve warm with freshly sliced green onions on top.

BABA GHANOUSH

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants;
• 2 garlic cloves, minced;
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice;
• 2 tbsp tahini (optional);
• 3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil;
• 1 tsp cumin (optional);
• Salt and pepper to taste;
• Fresh parsley, optional, for garnishing.

Preparation

1. To roast the eggplants, either use your grill, the open flame of a gas stove or your oven. If using an open flame, keep the eggplant near the flame and turn them often to darken the skin evenly. If using your stove, prick the skin with a fork and roast for about 35 minutes in a 400 F oven.
2. Put the roasted eggplants in a bowl of cold water, wait a bit and then peel off the skin.
3. Place the roasted eggplant, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, cumin in a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Cool in the refrigerator and serve with extra olive oil on top and fresh parsley.