Crispy Baked Wings Oh My

I found this recipe on a Facebook group I follow, in the format of a photograph of a typed up sheet of paper, complete with oil stains and the works.  I'm not at all surprised, given how many times I've turned to this seasoning blend in the last 3 months.  Originally I posted that I wish I knew who to attribute this little dose of yummmmmm to ... and then found out that this photo is Shelli Buractaon's ... who found it herself somewhere on the internet but wasn't sure where.  There was general agreement though that this can't really be beat.

I've started making up large quantities so I can use this on an as needed basis without having to blend spices every time.  In addition, I'm planning to mix and gift it to some friends this holiday season.   So far I've found I can use it for:
* Wings
* Grilled chicken drumsticks & thighs
* Roasted whole chicken
* Bone Broth (after you've roasted that chicken) - the flavors are A-Ma-Zing

Chicken Rub
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chili powder (I really like Penzeys!!)
2 tsp. black pepper

Crispy Baked Wings1.5 lb. chicken wings
1 tbsp. ghee (or butter), melted

Buffalo Sauce
2 tbsp. ghee (or butter), melted
1/4 C. Frank's Original Hot Sauce
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss wings in 1 tbsp melted ghee.

Place a wire rack on top of a parchment-covered baking sheet.  Evenly space the wings on the wire rack.  Sprinkle the rub on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, flip, and bake for 15-20 more minutes.

While wings are in the oven, whisk the buffalo sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Remove wings from oven, toss in sauce, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.  Drizzle wings with remaining sauce.

Serve hot with celery and blue cheese dressing if you like.

Goldilocks Chili Con Carne

This is hands down my *favorite* chili recipe, and we enjoyed it for dinner today.  I stumbled across it on the web a year or so ago, and I've probably been half of Ulla's page views for this recipe since then.

I've modified it to my tastes and encourage you to do the same.  Don't like beans?  Leave 'em out.  Like things spicier?  Add extra chipotle.  Make it yours!

If you leave out the beans, this is Whole30 compliant.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground grass-fed beef, or a blend of beef & turkey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons Penzey's regular chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican Oregano
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 4 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 red, orange or yellow pepper, diced
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and lightly rinsed  (OPTIONAL - OMIT FOR W30)
• Salt, chipotle powder, and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown meat in large heavy pot at a medium high heat, drain excess fat if desired.
2. Add onions and garlic; sauté until soft about ten minutes.
3. Reduce heat add tomatoes, beans, peppers, and spices. Salt and pepper to taste!
4. Simmer as long as you have time for, or dig in right away.

Spicy Queso

Coming off of R's first Whole30, yesterday was Dairy Reintroduction Day.  I was searching for a great cheese dip for our first firepit lighting and BBQ of the season, and came across this.  It got RAVE reviews from our friends, and thus is the inaugural entry.

If you like it spicier, bump it up to 2 jalapeños - I found this was just about right for us.  We dipped veggies or Tostito scoops in it, but it would be terrific poured over nacho chips, perhaps with chili as well.

Source:  Sommer from A Spicy Perspective

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 2 chipotle chiles, diced (canned in adobo sauce - don't wipe it off!)
• 1 1/2 cups half & half
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 ounce cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
• 2 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 8 ounce smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Prepare the vegetables - I found the Pampered Chef chopper works magic to get all the bits and pieces to the right size.  You want everything pretty small for this one.
2. Saute the butter, shallots, garlic and jalapeño in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat for 3-4 minutes to soften, then add the half & half and chipotle peppers.
3. Whisk in the cornstarch. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, so the half & half can scald then lower the temperature to medium-low. Stir in the cream cheese and mustard.
4. Slowly start adding the shredded cheese. Stir and add by the handful, until the sauce comes together. If you prefer your cheese sauce a little thinner, add an extra splash of half & half. 
5. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a slow cooker or fondue pot.

NOTE: If you don't like smoky flavor, use all sharp cheddar.

Sweet Potato Paprikash - let's have seconds ... and thirds!

Yet another huge win on the whole food journey with my dear husband.  He took a huge food step with me in February with his own Whole30 and I couldn't be prouder of him for branching out from his culinary comfort zone.  He started out disliking sweet potatoes and after several weeks has voluntarily included them in his food repertoire. 

This was a surprise win.  The first few times I made it, I made half a pan with yukon golds for him and half with sweet potatoes for me ... now I just do the sweets but you can go either way.  They both were delish.

Sweet Potato Beef Paprikash

 Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 TBSP olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
3 sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and slice to about 1/4″ thickness. Lay a single layer in a 9×13 pan. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add in the meat, browning it, then draining off extra fat.  Stir in tomato paste, 1/2 C. water, and seasonings and cook for a few minutes, stirring until everything is well combined. Pour a layer of meat over the sweet potatoes in the dish. Layer another layer of sweet potatoes, then meat, then potatoes, then meat, until everything is used up. For best results, a meat layer should be last.  Sprinkle another 1/4 C. of water over top.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until sweet potatoes are cooked through. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

If you need to make more - you can easily bump this whole recipe up by 50% and it will still fit in the pan.  Amounts aren't precise - I've made it with as little as a pound and as much as three pounds of beef ... the seasonings flex nicely either way.

Good luck with leftovers - we seldom have any.  If you're lucky though - they reheat beautifully.

Props to Shanti Landon at LifeMadeFull for this winner!!!

Gambas Al Ajillo (Spicy Yummy Garlicky Oily Decadent Shrimp!!!)

There's a local Mediterranean cafe that has Gambas Al Ajillo to DIE for.  I tried to make it myself.  So far this is my best recipe (based on food.com) ... still looking for others with the magic though.  This can serve as an entrée, a tapas dish, or an appetizer.

I'm sure this goes without saying, but peel the darned shrimp.  For some stupid reason, the first time I made this I totally missed that step and of course the flavors didn't reach the meat.  Dooh!



Gambas Al Ajillo

Although I haven't tested other proteins yet, another commenter wrote:  The same dish can be made with squid, cut into rings, or scallops. Serve with lots of warm crusty bread to sop up the sauce…. You will not want to waste a drop! (Make sure you are "warming" the olive oil and the butter, not cooking it off..... cause you'll want every last bit of it for the sauce).  Great input, thanks :)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter or ghee (or use all olive oil - pick your fat!)
• 2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are a garlic lover)
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

In a wide, shallow sauté pan over high heat, warm the Olive Oil and the Butter; add the Shrimp, Garlic and Shallots and sauté quickly for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, paprika, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve at once.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:  1/4 lb.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 233 Calories from Fat 109

% Daily Value*

Total Fat   12.1g    19%

Saturated Fat 4.3g    22%

Cholesterol 251mg    84%

Sodium 310mg    13%

Potassium 245mg    7%

Total Carbohydrates 4.3g     1%

Dietary Fiber 0.5g     2%

Protein  26.3g

Vitamin A 17%       Vitamin C 13% Calcium 12% Iron 4%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in sugar
• High in phosphorus
• High in vitamin B12

Bad points

• Very high in cholesterol

Spicy Crockpot Minestrone ... without a crockpot, without pasta, without beans, and without rice

I stumbled upon this one during my first Whole30 and I think I've probably made it at least half a dozen times since then.  It was framed up as a crockpot Minestrone, but I've never actually made it that way.  It was an incredible inspiration though, for which I'll be eternally and deliciously grateful for.

What's shocking - and I mean SHOCKING - is that my husband really enjoys it.
A. He doesn't care for soups or stews.
B. He doesn't like zucchini, spinach, sweet potatoes. celery or most vegetables in general.

Stovetop "Crockpot Minestrone"

The funny thing to me about this (other than the fact that my husband devours it) is that it's both *totally* minestrone ... and so far from it.  Per my friend Wikipedia, "Minestrone is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes."  Well - we've got vegetables for sure ... but no pasta, no rice, and no beans.  Let's keep going ... "There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season <love this!!>. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth. Angelo Pellegrini, however, argued that the base of minestrone is bean broth, and that borlotti beans (also called Roman beans) "are the beans to use for genuine minestrone.""  Well - again, we're forgoing the magical fruit - but I'm so happy Kendra posted her version.  I've made it my own.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Sweet Potato, diced
• 1 cup Carrots, diced
• 2 Celery Stalks, diced
• 2 Shallots, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 28 oz Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 28 oz can Diced Tomatoes w/ Juice
• 4 oz can organic tomato paste
• 1/2 cup Frozen Spinach -or- 1 cup packed Fresh Spinach, chopped
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tbsp Turkish or Greek Oregano
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 tsp Parsley
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Zucchini Squash, diced
• 1-1/2 lb Sugar-free Ground Pork Chorizo Sausage
• Dash chipotle pepper - optional (the chorizo may add enough heat for you - taste it first)

Instructions

1. Put the prepared sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic in a large soup pot.
2. Pour in the chicken (or vegetable) broth.
3. Add the entire cans (including juice) of diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
4. Add the frozen spinach (no need to thaw and drain, just add it frozen).
5. Add in the oregano, basil, parsley, bay leaves, pepper, and salt.
6. Bring the whole pot to a boil, then reduce to simmer stirring occasionally.
7. While the pot is simmering, brown the chorizo, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon.
8. Once the pork is cooked through (no pink), drain the grease.  Add the meat to the pot and mix it all together.
9. Add the zucchini.  This is done last to prevent it from being totally mushy.
10. Cook until everything is done (the sweet potatoes are your tell tale).  
11. Check for seasoning and decide whether you want to add a dash of chipotle or cayenne.
12. Remove bay leaves before serving.  Makes great leftovers!

Super shout-out to Kendra Benson at OurPaleoLife who adapted it from the "Paleo Slow Cooking" book by Chrissy Gower!!  This is delicious.