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. 

Logan's White Chicken Chili

This recipe can be modified to use up any veggies you have too many of, and is great for the start of fall! It's guaranteed to warm you up and make the house smell great as it cooks!

- 16 oz navy beans, uncooked

- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

- 1 pack fajita mix*

- 1/2 c tequila

- 1/3 c olive oil

- Vegetables, chopped, enough to fill half a crockpot**

- 4 cloves garlic

- 1 qt chicken broth

- 2 packs white chicken chili seasoning***

- 1/4 c cilantro, chopped

- 1 box elbow macaroni

- Shredded cheese, as desired

- Sour cream, as desired

*For a homemade fajita mix: combine 2 Tbsp chili powder, 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp paprika, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp cumin

**Recommended: 1 large onion, 1 flying saucer squash, 4 poblano or bell peppers, 3 small jalapeños, 3 red tomatoes, 2 green tomatoes

***For a homemade seasoning mix (makes 1 packet): 2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp ground red pepper, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp coriander

1. Heat 6 - 8 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the navy beans. Bring the water dangerously close to a boil, then remove from heat. Let sit for one hour. Drain the water. Add another 6 - 8 cups of water to the beans and bring to a boil. Let simmer until beans are of desired consistency, roughly 1  - 1 1/2 hours. Drain the beans, keeping the water. Set aside. 

2. Preheat the oven to broil. 

3. In a large bowl, mix the fajita mix, tequila, and oil. Add the chicken, coating each side. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes per side, until the center of the chicken is cooked. Set aside. 

4. Oil the bottom of a crockpot. Add the onions and squash, and any other veggies that need a similar amount of time to cook. Cook on high until translucent, roughly 20 minutes. Add the garlic and remaining vegetables, 1 packet of seasoning, and 1 pint of broth. Cook on low for 2 hours.

5. Add the cooked beans and their water. Add remaining broth as necessary. Add the other pack of seasoning and cilantro. Mix well. Cook on low for 2 - 4 hours. 

6. Cook the pasta. Serve the macaroni in individual bowls, topped with chicken, then a layer of cheese. Spoon the chili on top and add another layer of cheese. Garnish with sour cream as desired. Serve hot.

Sunday Morning Coffeecake

This coffee cake is inspired by the Cafe Beaujolais Spicy Buttermilk Coffee cake, but it was adapted by my mom to be the best Sunday Morning Coffee cake out there! 

- 2 1/4c flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp ginger powder

- 1 1/2 c brown sugar

- 3/4 c oil (sunflower, walnut or coconut)

- 1 c chopped walnuts or pecans or rolled oats

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 c buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350. 

2. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2'' pan (or make a 2/3 recipe and put in a 8 x 8'' pan)

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, 1 tsp of the cinnamon, ginger powder, brown sugars, and the oil. 

4. Remove 3/4 cup of this mixture into another bowl and add the nuts and the other tsp of cinnamon. 

5. With remaining flour mixture, add the baking soda, baking powder, egg, and buttermilk. 

6. Place the buttermilk mixture in the pan. Put the nut mix evenly on top of it. Bake 40-45 minutes. Enjoy with coffee, tea, or milk!

Sriracha Peanut Tofu

This is a nice, simple recipe that uses only ingredients that anyone who cooks Asian food will already have on hand. It's quick to make and relatively foolproof- I like to serve it with the quinoa from the Sweet Chili Lime Tofu! My only criticism with this recipe is that it's a bit salty... I'm sure some more testing will help with that!!

- 16 oz extra firm tofu
- 2 Tbsp peanut oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, sliced
- 1-2'' ginger, sliced
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (preferably low sodium)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (can substitute red wine vinegar)
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (add or subtract as needed!)
- 3 scallions, sliced
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Recommended: Quinoa from Sweet Chili Lime Tofu

1. If serving with rice or quinoa, get that started so it can cook while the tofu is being prepared.

2. To prepare the tofu, slice into bite-sized pieces- I like to cut it into 36 pieces. Lay the tofu slices in a single layer onto a triple layer of paper towels. Cover the tofu in another triple layer of paper towels, and then cover the whole thing with a heavy (preferably cast iron) saucepan. Let them drain for at least 5 minutes.

3. Combine all the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, honey, water, and Sriracha. Set aside.

4. Place a large pan over high heat. After a minute, add peanut oil. After another minute, add the garlic and ginger. They will cook quickly, so remove them after 30 seconds to a minute, before they brown. You can throw them away or save them for use in another dish. Once the garlic and ginger are off, place the tofu into the saucepan and lower the heat to medium-high.

5. Once the first side of the tofu browns, flip them over. Once both sides are brown, lower the heat to low and add the peanut sauce. Stir the sauce over the tofu for a couple minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and serve the tofu on top of the quinoa. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

French Onion Soup

Photo- Zig Hampel

Now that it's getting a bit colder out, I've been craving French Onion Soup! I don't eat beef stock, so this is not quite as sweet as traditional French Onion Soups. I actually prefer the chicken stock, but I may be biased! The key here is the slow-cooked onions... they're a game changer!

- 6 onions, quartered and sliced
- olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 4 bay leaves, snapped in half
- 6 springs fresh thyme
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 bottle red wine
- 3 heaving tsp of flour
- 2 quarts chicken stock (or turkey, if available)
- 1 baguette, sliced
- 1/3 lb Gruyere, sliced

1. To caramelize the onions, grease the bottom of a slow cooker with olive oil. Add the onions, and drizzle roughly a 1/4 c of olive oil on top. Mix them around so the onions get nicely coated. Slow cook for 12 - 14 hours. I do this overnight, stirring the onions around every couple hours until I go to bed, and then stirring again first thing in the morning.

2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the caramelized onions, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the wine and boil the wine off for about 10 minutes, until it has all simmered off. Sprinkle flour around the mixture. Combine well.

3. Preheat the oven to broil.

4. Add the broth, one cup at a time, bringing to a boil after each cup. When it has all been added, let it simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and the thyme.

5. Broil the baguette slices topped with cheese until the cheese melts and the toast browns around the edges.

6. Serve in a bowl or mug topped with cheesy toasts. Pairs well with wine, both red and white.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

Z. Hampel

This delicious summer pie recipe was given to my mom from the produce guy at her grocery store as a teenager when strawberries were in season. It's amazing, and from personal experience I can verify that it is great for breakfast as well! I made this for the 4th of July, so I threw on some pie crust stars on top!

- 1 pie crust
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
- 3 pints strawberries
- 1 c sugar
- 1 pint whipped cream cheese

Z. Hampel

1. Bake the pie crust. Set aside and let cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, mash up 1.5 pints of strawberries. Add sugar and bring to a boil. The mixture will liquify. When it is at a boil, add the cornstarch mixture. Combine well, remove from heat, and set aside.
4. Cover the bottom of the cooled pie crust with cream cheese, as evenly as possible.

Z. Hampel

5. Cut up the remaining 1.5 pints of strawberries into small pieces. Place the cut strawberries over the cream cheese, as evenly as possible.

Z. Hampel

6. Pour the strawberry sauce on top of the pie filling, as evenly as possible.
7. Chill and serve cold. Enjoy!

Z. Hampel