Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)

My introduction to Arroz con Gandules was at a dinner party hosted by a Puerto Rican woman who had prepared her mother's recipe. I had never even heard of pigeon peas ("gandules") before, but they're similar to a bean or lentil. Arroz con Gandules relies on the use of "sofrito," which was also a new idea to me. Sofrito is an herb mix that is thrown into most Puerto Rican dishes. You make a ton of it, freeze it, and use as needed. Arroz con Gandules is not only tasty hot off the stove, but it only gets better as it sits. I throw in extra veggies that I want to use up - anything can get added here. You would have to really work to make this taste bad... Enjoy!

- olive oil
- 2 strips bacon (or 4 strips of turkey bacon)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 c sofrito (recipe below)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste or 1 can tomato sauce
- 2 c rice
- 1 can pigeon peas, drained
- 1/2 of a 7 oz. jar of pimento-stuffed olives
- 2 c chicken stock

1. Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Cook the bacon and onion until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the sofrito, tomato paste/sauce, and rice. Combine well and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add the pigeon peas, olives, and chicken stock. If you have extra veggies you want to throw in, do so now. Cover and lower the heat. Let simmer until the rice is tender,  30 - 45 minutes.

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To make sofrito (makes a lot!):
Do not worry about chopping very fine - it will all get blended anyways. Throw the following in a food processor and blend until well combined and a paste consistency. Freeze until use.
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 10 ajies dulces peppers
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 onions, chopped
- 3 heads garlic, peeled
- roughly 50 cilantro leaves and stems
- salt
- pepper

 

Thai Iced Tea

This is one of those recipes that I'm not sure if I should have because I can drink unbelievable amounts of Thai Iced Tea. The nice thing about making it yourself is that you can adjust the ratios to be just the way you like them - Thai Iced Tea from restaurants is usually so sickeningly sweet that I can barely drink it. But recipe is unbelievable... just make it when you have company or you WILL drink it all!!

- 4 bags Oolong tea
- 2 c boiling water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- 2 Tbsp evaporated milk
- ice

1. Fill a teapot with the sugar, tea bags, and water. Let steep for five minutes, until almost black. Remove the tea bags and add the condensed milk to the tea. Combine well.

2. Fill four glasses full of ice. Pour the tea over the ice, dividing it evenly among the glasses. Top off with evaporated milk. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash in Creamy Tomato Sauce

So... if you haven't yet tried spaghetti squash, you really need to - it will blow you away! I don't miss pasta at all!! Any pasta recipe can be served in an awesome squash bowl instead (with its awesome squash nutrients!). And this is the richest-tasting, tastiest Paleo tomato sauce I've come up with, and it's my favorite tomato sauce of any kind. Period. It's still frozen up here in the north, but I will definitely be making this sauce with garden tomatoes this summer! But back to spaghetti squash...

So spaghetti squash starts out looking like any other squash...

...until you cook it, and then it turns into awesome, tasty spaghetti!

- 2 spaghetti squash, halved
- 1/2 c quinoa, uncooked
- 1 c water
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1 large can diced tomatoes, in juice (tomato sauce would also work)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 white onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 handful of basil (I used a whole small pack), julienned
- green onion, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Cook the quinoa like you would cook rice (steam around 20 minutes in a stove pot or rice cooker).

3. Place the squash halves, cut side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until soft (easy to poke with a fork), around 30 minutes.

4. As the squash cooks, in medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Combine well and bring to a boil.

5. As the tomato sauce cooks, coat a saucepan with olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, around 4 minutes. Add them to the tomato sauce.

6. When the tomato sauce comes to a boil, combine the arrowroot flour and water in a small bowl until well combined, and add to the tomato sauce. Add the basil and cook for another 2 minutes, until it gets nice and thick. Remove from heat and set aside. I ran mine through my immersion blender to get it to a consistency that I like better, but that's optional.

7. When the squash are ready, remove their seeds with a spoon, then scrape the meat with a fork until you get nice spaghetti strands. If it's been cooked long enough, the meat should separate from the skin well. Divide the quinoa evenly among the squash, and mix to combine it with the spaghetti strands. Pour the tomato sauce over the squash and mix well into the spaghetti. Top with green onion and serve in the squash skins (no dishes!!). Enjoy!

Homemade Adobo Sauce

This. is. amazing. I never knew that Adobo sauce was so easy to make! And there's no sneaky added sugar in this recipe... It's way better than any canned version I've ever tried (adapted from Paleo Pot). You'll find yourself licking the spoon for sure!

- 6 medium-sized dried chipotle peppers
- 3 c water
- 1 c tomato sauce
- 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 fresh jalapeno, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, cut in half
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- couple pinches of salt

1. Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the chipotles and water. Let brew for at least 10 minutes, until the water is brown and the peppers are soft to the touch and nice and aromatic.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, combining well, and bring to a boil.

3. When at a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for an hour, until at desired thickness.

4. Remove from heat. When cool enough, remove the chipotles. Open up three of them, remove the membranes and seeds, and return to the mixture. You can use six if you want it really spicy, but I think three is a good amount. You can discard of the remaining peppers.

5. Blend the mixture together - I prefer to use an immersion blender. Store refrigerated for about a week, or freeze if you want to keep it longer! Enjoy! You can use it for these Enchilada Zucchini Boats!

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

I was craving pumpkin all week - maybe because it's finally thawing outside, so it feels like fall! My first attempt at Paleo muffins was only semi-successful, but this recipe (adapted from Empowered Sustenance) is great! These aren't dry like most, and the pumpkin flavor is so tasty.

- 1/2 c coconut flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 c softened coconut oil or butter
- 6 Tbsp pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- maple syrup, for topping

*I make my own pumpkin spice:
- 3 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line 10 muffin cups (I tried all 12, but I didn't quite have enough!).

2. Combine the coconut flour and eggs until they make a thick, smooth paste. Stir in the coconut oil until well combined, then add the pumpkin and honey. Mix well, then add the spices, vanilla, vinegar and baking soda.

3. Pour into muffin tins. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until just golden on top. Serve topped with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Enchilada Zucchini Boats

Well it took a couple days of the Paleo Challenge to find a recipe that I actually really like, and here it is! These enchilada boats are just as tasty as normal enchiladas, and without the bad ingredients (which you really won't miss)! Plus, anything served in a boat is so fun!! At around a hundred calories each, you can feast away on these guys!

- Olive oil
- 8 oz chicken boneless, skinless chicken breast

Enchilada sauce: 
- olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 - 2 Tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (try my homemade version)
- 1 1/2 c tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2/3 c chicken broth
- salt
-pepper

Boats:
- 4 zucchini
- 1 tsp oil
- 3 medium green onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 c cilantro
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 3 Tbsp chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- salt
-pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 475.

2. Lightly brush both sides of the chicken breast with oil and place in a baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes/side, until cooked throughout. Remove from the oven, shred, and set aside. Lower the oven heat to 400.

3. Coat the bottom of a medium saucepan in olive oil, and add the garlic cloves. Let them saute for 1 minute, then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until it thickens up. Set aside.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While it heats, slice the zucchinis in half, the scoop out their insides with a small spoon, leaving roughly 1/4''. Drop them in the boiling water for one minute, then remove and set aside. You can dispose of the water.

5. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Chop the zucchini innards and add them with cilantro, salt, and pepper to the mix. Cook for 4 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, chili powder, broth, and tomato paste. Cook for 4 more minutes, then shred the chicken add it. Mix well and cook for three minutes.

6. Fill a large baking dish with the zucchini halves. Fill each zucchini boat with the chicken mixture, then lightly cover with enchilada sauce. Place the remaining enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, distributed as evenly as possible.

7. Cover the baking dish in foil and bake for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Stuffed Peppers

I. LOVE. STUFFED. PEPPERS. And these are the best I've ever had! They're almost foolproof to make, and they make great individual portions (which is probably the only thing that kept half of mine from being eaten by other people... they're that good!). 

- 3/4 c brown rice

- 4 bell peppers

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- ground pepper

- 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey breast (I prefer chicken)

- 30 oz tomato sauce

- 1/3 c cream

- 1/3 c chopped basil

- 3/4 c parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Cook the rice. 

2. Slice the tops off the peppers, leaving enough on the top that you can place it easily back on the rest of the pepper. Remove the seeds and membranes. 

3. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 2 of the 3 garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. 

4. Sprinkle ground pepper on both sides of the chicken. Add to the skillet and cook until brown all the way through, 10 - 15 minutes. Stir occasionally at first, and often at the end to keep the chicken from sticking. I like it best when the chicken has a few almost-burnt spots that sweeten up the flavor. 

5. As the chicken cooks, combine the tomato sauce, cream, remaining garlic, and basil in a saucepan over low heat. 

6. When the chicken is ready, add the rice and almost all of the parmesan (reserve a bit for garnish) to the chicken mixture. Combine well. Add 1/2 c of the tomato mixture, turn off the heat, and combine well. 

7. Fill the peppers with the chicken mixture. Place the peppers in a tall baking dish that allows them to stand up. Spoon some tomato mixture over the peppers, then pour the rest in the baking dish so that the peppers are sitting in the mixture. Place the tops back on the peppers. 

8. Bake for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for 30 more minutes. Serve hot.