Scrambled eggs and vegetables

One of the main questions I'm asked when I tell people  I don't eat cereal, bread, pasta, rice etc, is "What do you eat for breakfast then? Just eggs?!" Now, whilst I do eat a fair few eggs (free range only please!) I also eat a lot of vegetables, for breakfast! Yes, vegetables for breakfast, and they're delicious. Why people think veges have to be a night time only thing is beyond me. It's not like your body is going to freak out and not know what to do because all of a sudden there's a pile of veges hitting your intestines at 8am. Believe me, your intestines are going to thank you for swapping your cereal box for a meal of fresh veges.

So, here's a recipe that pleases all. Scrambled eggs and veges. You can add pretty much any vegetable you like to this. I use everything. Well, maybe not brussle sprouts because they'd just be wrong! But anything else is fair game when it comes to breakfast. Now, these pictures don't have the full compliment of vegetables in them, but given it's a scrambled mess it doesn't look much different anyway.

Ingredients

3 free range eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cups chopped veges
(broccoli, cauliflower, Mushrooms,
onions, spring onions, spinach leaves
capsicum, asparagus)
1tbsp coconut oil
pinch Celtic Sea salt
tsp curry powder*
1slc free range bacon (optional)

Method

Heat oil in frypan, throw in all veges, bacon and cook for a few minutes. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and coconut milk, add sea salt, curry powder and whisk until blended. Throw egg mix in with vegetablesand stir slowly with an egg flip. Toss lightly until cooked through. Plate up and enjoy! Serves 2 :)

*The store bought curry powder may contain traces of cereal and some varieties include ground rice. I'm not ceoliac so not too fussed but do check the lable before adding it. It's pretty tasty without the curry powder so no harm done if you can't find a fully Paleo curry powder.

Paleo Pancakes

These are awesome and just the thing when you really need something sweet or a dessert, and there's nothing Paleo in the house!! Now, the ingredients here are just a guess so you'll have to phaff about with it a bit to get it right. There are heaps of variations you can make so add any fruit you like. Remember though, they're quite dense and very moist. They don't have the same texture as regular flour pancake but they won't upset your blood sugars either ;) They do take longer to cook than regular pancakes, and you might find that they burn easily, just lower the heat and cook more slowly if this happens. Here's a pic of a larger one/

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups almond meal
2 free range eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 mashed banana (or half cup blue berries)
1tbsp coconut oil
1tsp baking powder

Optional

1tbsp slivered almonds
2tbsp extra coconut milk
1tbsp manuka honey.

Method

Whisk eggs together and add almond meal. Stir through mashed banana and coconut milk. If it's too thick or too runny adjust the almond meal/coconut milk ratio. Sprinkle in the baking powder and stir through thoroughly. If you're not a fan of banana just leave it out.

 In a non stick frying pan heat a little of the coconut oil. Poor or spoon some dollops of the mixture in the size you want. They're quite thick so you might need to use a spoon to disperse and flatten the mixture a little. Make sure you leave room to flip them! Cook on a low-medium heat until the top of the mixture appears to be turning solid. Flip, and cook for a further 4 or so minutes.

They're delicious like this, or you could add the optional ingredients for a more indulgent dessert ;)

Roast Chicken with three nut stuffing

Unfortunately I don't have a picture for this one but it was indeed a sexy bird when it was done! Next time I cook it I'll take pics :)

Roast chicken with three nut stuffing

Ingredients: Stuffing

1.5 cups almond meal
½ cup crushed walnuts
½ cup pine nuts
4-5 fresh sage leaves
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 egg
¼ cup chicken stock
2 slices free range bacon
½ cup dried cranberries
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp celtic sea salt
1tbs extra coconut oil

Method: For this recipe I used a 2kg free range chicken. Giblets were already removed.

Rinse chicken cavity in water, drain and pat dry. Heat coconut oil in fry pan. Chop onion, peel and crush garlic. Toss into coconut oil. Chop bacon and add to pan. Cook on med-high heat until bacon is almost cooked. Add walnuts and pine nuts. Cook until pinenuts start to brown. Remove from heat. Don’t let the nuts burn!


 In a mixing bowl add almond meal and egg. Mix together with wooden spoon. Add chicken stock. Add chopped sage leaves, cranberries, salt and combine. Add pan ingredients and mix. It may take a while for it to all come together however you can use your hands to help the ingredients to combine.  Roll it into a ball and stuff it into chicken cavity.

Place chicken into roasting dish. Secure cavity with string or toothpicks. Cover chicken in coconut oil (you can do this by melting the oil and drizzling it over the chicken or just get your hands into it and play pink belly chicken whilst slapping the coconut oil all over it). Turn chicken breast side down and cook for approximately 40 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and turn over, breast side up. Pour roasting juices over chicken and cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove again and pour roasting juices over chicken. Cook for a further 20 minutes and remove. Check that chicken is cooked and cover with foil. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Serve.

Celtic Sea Salt

Celtic Sea Salt is a fundamental element in all of my Paleo cooking. I don't really understand why it makes food taste so much better, but it probably has something to do with the fact that it still holds all 84 of its natural elements, whereas refined table salt holds only 2, sodium and chloride. Science has proven we need most of these minerals in our day to day lives, and most probably we also need the other half too. Celtic Sea Salt has many health giving properties, including helping to regulate our fluid levels. Quite the opposite of processed table salt!

It is essential that if you're cooking these recipes, you try them with Celtic sea salt, or any other naturally harvested, non refined salt. I get mine from a health food store however I do believe a lot of supermarkets also stock it. I don't find it to taste as salty as table salt however Husband of win does. He seems to use much less than me but with table salt we'd use about the same.

Here's a good read about the benefits of Celtic sea salt.

Chicken Stock

Chicken stock recipe (slow cooker)

Ingredients: Note. I used a mixture of raw and cooked chicken bones for this. Only because we had just had a roast chicken for dinner and I thought its bones would make better use as stock fodder, than garbage bin fodder. Really, you can throw in any herbs you want. I just have a thing for bay leaves and thyme :) The stock will be darker and more solid than store bought stock but that's a good thing. It means all the nutrients have been contained in it.

1 cooked chicken carcass (throw in any non used bits)
1kg raw chicken pieces (I just used necks but wings/backs are good)
3 large carrots
4 stalks celery
two onions
4-5 garlic cloves
½ cup spring onions, chopped
4 bay leaves
3-4 sprigs Thyme
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tbsp celtic sea salt

Method

Roughly chop all vegetables and place into slow cooker. Peel and crush garlic cloves and add with chopped onions and spring onion. Add chicken carcass and pieces. Place bay leaves and thyme on top. Add vinegar and celtic sea salt. Cover with cold water and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours. I cook it over night. Strain into heat proof dish and cool immediately. The bulk will have small chicken bones so will not be edible. You could blend it and give it to a lucky cat. Once cooled, place into separate containers and freeze. Makes about 2.2 litres.

Slow Cooked Beef Casserole

Recipe beef casserole (slow cooker)

OK, that's not a pretty picture but believe me, it tasted like awesomeville. 

Ingredients: please note, these are very rough estimates. I probably put more mushrooms and sweet potato in. If it looks like it doesn’t have enough once it’s all in the slow cooker, just throw a few more of your favourites in.

1kg round steak
800ml paleo beef stock
4 med carrots
4-5 stalks celery
3-4 Bay leaves
4-5 Thyme sprigs
1/2 cup continental parsley
1lge onion
4 garlic
4 fresh chopped tomatoes
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups diced sweet potato
2tbs apple cider vinegar
1tbs Celtic sea salt

Method

Pour stock into slow cooker and turn on to low setting. Chop all vegetables. Cube steak into bite sized pieces. Peel and crush garlic. Place vegetables, meat and garlic into slow cooker. Place bay leaves, parsley and thyme on top. Add vinegar and sea salt. Cook on low covered for 8 hours (I put it on early in the morning). Increase to high and cook uncovered for a further two hours. Stir every few minutes as this releases the steam and helps the liquid to reduce. Remove the Bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Serve. 

This recipe makes about 4 litres. Enough to feed a bloody big family or a few smaller ones.

Slow Cooked Beef Stock

All of my recipes are made using my own stock. There's just no point in cooking something Paleo, and using a store bought stock that is full of wheat, soy and preservatives. Plus, it just doesn't taste as good. So if you cook something using a recipe from this blog, and it tastes like hot crapola do not come whining to me if you didn't use a good quality paleo stock. If on the other hand you did use a good quality Paleo stock and the recipe still tastes like crap in a pan? I'm simply a much better cook than you ;) (Joke...maybe. No really)

Ingredients:Note, this is made for a large 6ltr slow cooker. You may need to increase orreduce the portions depending on the size of the cooker you’re using.

2kg beef soup bones (grass fed animal if you can)
4 large carrots
Top half of a full celery bunch, including leaves
2 onions
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1tbs Celtic sea salt
4 large bay leaves
5-6 sprigs thyme

Method

Wash chop/dice all vegetables. Place into slow cooker. Placebeef bones on top. Add bay leaves, thyme, vinegar and salt. Cover with coldwater. Cook on low setting covered for 10-12 hours. I put it on in the eveningand turn it off in the morning. Strain through a sieve. Pour into heat proofcontainer and cool immediately. Transfer into individual containers and freeze.The stock will seem very gelatinous and somewhat fatty. This is good! You caneat the bulk however most of the nutrients are now in the stock.

Stock can be kept in the fridge for about 5 days. Personally I don't use anything over three days however that's because I'm fussy and nothing more.