Sauces

Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce

Whole 30 compliant, commercially prepared sauces are sometimes difficult to find. I like a fair amount of sauces for my food so I often just make my own. I came up with some delicious teriyaki sauce to go on some chicken thighs. I love this chicken teriyaki served with Thai Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice.

Begin by preparing the the sauce:

Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce
8 ounces 100% pineapple juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup coconut aminos
1 clove garlic- crushed
1/2 sweet onion diced
4 dates soaked
2 Tablespoons red boat fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ghee

1. Melt the ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sweet onion for 2-3 minutes until translucent and softened but not browned.

2. Add all the ingredients, including the onion, to a blender and blend well into a smooth sauce.

3. Place blended sauce in a small sauce pan over medium heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken.

Once the sauce is made you can prepare the chicken:

Preparing the chicken
4-6 Bone in and skin on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper for sprinkling
2 teaspoons ghee
Sesame seeds for sprinkling- optional

1. Start by removing the bones from the chicken thighs. Start at one end, and begin to cut out the bone being careful that you do not cut through the meat. Stay as close to the bone as possible to reserve the most meat on the thighs.

2. Season the thighs with salt and pepper.

3. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the ghee.

4. Cook the thighs for approximately 4-5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

5. Add in a few scoops of the teryaki sauce to coat the sauce and thicken a bit more.

6. Slice the chicken into strips, add a little sauce from the pan to the chicken and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds.

7. Serve with Thai Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice.

Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Whole 30

30

Grilled Artichokes

I absolutely love artichokes. In the past I’ve simply steamed the artichokes whole and then removed the undesired parts as I ate it. Since we are coming up on summer I wanted to play around with grilling artichokes.I didn’t want to grill them whole because I’m sure it would take forever. I found this great video from Gourmet Magazine on how to trim artichokes.

Here is what you will need:
1/2 to 1 artichoke per person.
1 recipe of Roasted Garlic and Bacon Aioli
To make it vegetarian serve it with Roasted Garlic Aioli instead

1. Simply trim the artichokes as shown on the video (linked above) then cut them in half.

2. Steam the artichokes for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process then pat them dry.

3. Drizzle the artichokes with olive oil, salt, & pepper.

4. Grill the artichokes on heated grill for 3-5 minutes each side to char slightly.

5. Serve them with aioli.

Make it vegetarian, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Tips and tricks, Vegetarian, Whole 30

24

Bacon and Roasted Garlic Aioli

Alicia Hamilton2

Bacon and Roasted Garlic aioli
6 cloves of garlic
3 slices of compliant bacon
Olive oil for drizzling
1 egg yolk from a large egg
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard- make sure it is compliant!
1 cup extra light tasting olive oil
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
Kitchen supplies needed:
A small sheet of foil
Stick blender with immersion blender cup or a wide mouth mason jar
Measuring spoons
1 cup, spouted measuring cup- I like Pyrex- for measuring the olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place 6 cloves of garlic (peels still on) on the foil and drizzle with a little olive oil and a small sprinkle of kosher salt. Fold the foil into a packet and place in the preheated oven. Roast the garlic in the oven for approximately 35 minutes or until the garlic is soft and slightly browned. Let the garlic cool for a little while before removing the cloves from the peels and smashing and chopping until the garlic is in small pieces.

Fry the bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and reserve the bacon grease. Once cool enough to handle break the bacon into small pieces.

Place egg yolk, water, lemon juice, mustard, and salt at the bottom of the cup.

Pour the bacon grease into the spouted measuring cup and then pour in the olive oil until 1 cup of oil is reached. Pour the oil on top of other ingredients in the blending cup.

Let all the ingredients settle for 45 seconds.

Place head of the stick blender all the way at the bottom of the cup. Switch the blender on and slowly lift the head of blender and tilt as necessary until all the oil has been emulsified.

Mix in the garlic and bacon pieces into the mayonnaise until well combined.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Whole 30

24

Roasted Garlic Aioli

Alicia Hamilton3

Roasted Garlic Aioli

6 cloves of garlic
Olive oil for drizzling
1 egg yolk from a large egg
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard- make sure it is compliant!
1 cup extra light olive oil
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt

Kitchen supplies needed:
A small sheet of foil
Stick blender with immersion blender cup or a wide mouth mason jar
Measuring spoons
1 cup, spouted measuring cup- I like Pyrex
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place 6 cloves of garlic (peels still on) on the foil and drizzle with a little olive oil and a small sprinkle of kosher salt. Fold the foil into a packet and place in the preheated oven. Roast the garlic in the oven for approximately 35 minutes or until the garlic is soft and slightly browned. Let the garlic cool for a little while before removing the cloves from the peels and smashing and chopping until the garlic is in small pieces.

3. Place egg yolk, water, lemon juice, mustard, and salt at the bottom of the cup.

4. Measure the oil using the measuring cup and pour the oil on top of other ingredients in the cup.

5. Let all the ingredients settle for 45 seconds.

6. Place head of the stick blender all the way at the bottom of the cup. Switch the blender on and slowly lift the head of blender and tilt as necessary until all the oil has been emulsified.

7. Mix in the garlic into the mayonnaise.

Here is the aioli on top of some Zesty salmon cakes.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Whole 30

24

Make your own ketchup

Alicia Hamilton0

I love ketchup. I was one of those kids who put it on everything. Fortunately, I don’t eat this way anymore but I still enjoy some ketchup with burgers or on home fries. Most commercial ketchups are filled with high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. Making homemade is always a good option if you want to know everything that is in your food. I enjoy the complexity of the flavors of this ketchup a lot. It has a subtle sweetness and has a good mixture of spices in it’s but not too sweet either.

Ketchup

1- 7 ounce jar of tomato paste
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground allspice
1 date coarsely chopped & soaked
3 Tablespoons water- or more to get the desired consistency

Start by soaking the date in some hot water. When it is a bit softened drain off the excess water. Add the date to a stick blender cup or a blender.
Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend for 30 seconds until the ingredients are well combined and make a smooth paste.
Store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Whole 30

03

Restaurant Style Salsa

During the summer, I make fresh pico de gallo. But when tomatoes are not in season I actually to use canned tomatoes to make salsa. I love the recipe for “restaurant style salsa” by the Pioneer Woman. It’s simple and delicious. She calls for adding a bit of sugar but I just leave it out to make it compliant. You can see the original recipe here. Just ignore the part where she says to eat the salsa with cheese nachos if you are doing whole 30 😛 I use this salsa on pretty much everything- eggs, carnitas, on plantain chips, or with grilled meats. It has definitely become a staple item in out home.

Restaurant Style Salsa– adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s recipe

Ingredients:
1 14.5 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
2 10 Ounce Rotel diced tomatoes with Green Chilies- any variety depending on your preferred spice level.
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole Jalapeno, quartered and sliced thinly- I leave the seeds in too.
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 whole lime juiced
Salt to taste

Kitchen equipment needed:
Food processor or blender

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like. Refrigerate salsa for 30 minutes.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian, Whole 30

20

Apr

Guacamole

Guacamole
Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
1 lime juiced
1 small red onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
2 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
A couple tablespoons of cilantro chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
A dash of ground cayenne pepper
A dash of ground cumin
Kitchen equipment needed:
Mixing bowl

Prepare the onion, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro as stated above and place in mixing bowl.
Cut the avocados in half, remove the seed then make 3-4 cuts with a knife lengthwise and widthwise on each half. Use a spoon to scoop the avocados into the mixing bowl with the other vegetables.
Add the lime juice, salt, cayenne and cumin. Mix everything together well. Use the back of the spoon to mash some of the avocado chunks. You can mash a lot if you want a smoother guacamole or leave chunkier if you prefer.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Sauces, Vegetarian, Whole 30

20

Apr

Smoky Apple BBQ Sauce

I made this BBQ sauce to go with some cast iron chicken legs but it really goes great with any grilled meat or on pulled pork.

Smoky apple BBQ sauce
1 can tomato paste
1/3 cup apple sauce- you can use unsweetened, already prepared applesauce or make your own by following the directions below
1 large, dried ancho pepper
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon ghee
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Kitchen equipment needed:
Small sauce pan
Garlic press
Stick blender or blender

Start by making applesauce- see below
While the applesauce is cooking, remove the stem from the ancho pepper and soak it with some boiling water until it is soft- about 5 minutes. Drain the water.
Blend the tomato paste, ancho pepper, applesauce, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and salt into a smooth paste.
Heat the ghee in the saucepan on medium-high heat. Crush the garlic and fry it in the ghee for 15-20 seconds.
Add in the tomato mixture into the sauce pan, mix well, turn the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.

For the applesauce:
1 gala apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup water
A dash of cinnamon

Rinse, peel, and dice the apple into small chunks. Place the apple in a small sauce pan with the lemon juice, water, and cinnamon. Simmer on medium-high heat for approximately 20 minutes. After the apples are tender use a stick blender or blender to make a smooth sauce.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian, Whole 30

20

Apr

Basic Marinara

Alicia Hamilton0

I’ve found a few whole 30 compliant marinara sauces at the store and use them occasionally when I am in a hurry to make a meal. One really has to study the ingredients on the jar because a ton of them are full of added sugar. If I have time, or have meal plan then l I try to make my own sauce. Here is the basic recipe I have been making.

Marinara

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 large cloves garlic – minced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2- 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6-8 large fresh basil leaves cut into a chiffonade

Kitchen equipment needed:
1 large sauce pan
1 large splatter guard
Wooden spoon for stirring

Heat the sauce pan over medium-heat. Add the olive oil and once warmed add in the minced garlic. Sautee the garlic for about a minute. You want the garlic to soften but not really browned.
Add the vinegar around to coat the garlic and scrape off any bits that have stuck to the pan. Continue to cook the simmer the vinegar until it is mostly thickened and reduced by at least half.
Add in the crushed tomatoes, kosher salt, and oregano and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover then pan with the splatter guard.
Simmer the sauce for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. The sauce will be thickened and the volume of the sauce will be reduced quite a bit.
Once sauce is at the desired consistency stir in the basil leaves. Adjust the salt if necessary.

I’ve used this basic marinara on top of spaghetti squash, zoodles, chicken pieces, or Italian sausages. It’s simple and versatile. Many times I add a variety of vegetables to the finished marinara before serving to make it a bit heartier. Here I added some spinach, kale, mushrooms, and onions.

Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian, Whole 30

28

Mar