Creamy Primal Chicken and Sweet Potato Bake

Fall is here and it's my favorite time of year. The weather is perfect for rich and hearty dishes that taste of comfort. This is a quick and delicious chicken bake that combines hearty vegetables with creamy goodness. Perfect for a cold night or when you are in need of comfort food, this primal chicken recipe will do the trick.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds of fresh chicken breast diced
2 medium Japanese purple sweet potatoes (or any sweet potato) diced
1 cup fresh button mushrooms sliced
2 1/2 cups fresh green beans diced (steamed in microwave for 2 minutes)
1 tablespoon diced sweet pimento pepper
1 sweet onion diced and caramelized in grass fed butter
1 can Amy's organic gluten free soup (vegetable)
8 oz all natural sour cream (Daisy brand)
1 teaspoon Kame Fish Sauce
1 cup grated grass fed cheese (Mozzarella)
Seasoning (garlic powder, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning, red pepper flakes)

Method:
1.) Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. In a 9x13 glass baking dish, place diced sweet potatoes evenly on the bottom.
2.) Place diced chicken in large bowl and season with 1/2 teaspoon of each spice. Next add in mushrooms, green beans, pimento pepper, onion, soup, sour cream, and fish sauce. Stir together until all ingredients are mixed.
3.) Pour chicken mixture evenly over sweet potatoes in baking dish. Top with cheese and cover with foil.
4.) Cook for 45-1 hour, or until chicken is done and sweet potatoes are tender. Remove foil for last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Deconstructed Shepard's Pie

If you are craving easy and delicious comfort food, grass fed beef simmered with vegetables in a rich sauce is it! When topped with fried sweet potatoes, this is a Paleo remake of traditional Shepard's pie that will be your new go to week night fix.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground grass fed beef
1 sweet onion chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 cup carrots diced
1/2 cup celery diced
2 cups fresh green beans cut into pieces
1 can organic gluten free non-condensed vegetable soup (Amy's brand)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon basil
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 large sweet potato (peeled and diced)

Method:
1.) In a large Dutch oven (or pot) heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO over medium high heat. Add in ground beef, onions, and garlic. Cook until beef is browned and drain fat if desired.
2.) Add in carrots, celery green beans, soup, fish sauce, basil, black pepper, and sea salt to taste.
3.) Bring to a simmer stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid and continue simmering for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes while sweet potatoes are cooking.
4.) In a cast iron skillet, cook diced sweet potato in coconut oil until crisp and golden brown. Serve sweet potatoes over Shepard's pie.

French Country Pork Chops

French country cooking favors wholesome, locally grown produce, farm fresh meats and straight from the earth ingredients. It's no wonder why this style of cooking goes hand in hand with most Paleo recipes. This recipe is an adaptation of a traditional savory French one pot dish. Feel free to experiment with a variety of Paleo sides to truly make this dish your own.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh center cut boneless pork chops
1 large sweet onion chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 (15oz) can all natural diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh sliced carrots
1 tablespoon all natural tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup all natural gluten free chicken stock
3 tablespoons gluten and preservative free Dijon mustard
Herbs de Provence (3-4 tablespoons)
1 large sweet potato
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Method:
1.) Place onions, carrots, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and chicken stock in a large cooking pot. Cover and turn heat to medium high.
2.) Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry and season generously with herbs de provence (about 3 tablespoons), sea salt and black pepper.
3.) Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Sear pork chops on each side until lightly brown (about 4 minutes per side). Remove from skillet and place in large cooking pot with onions and vegetables.
4.) Once pork chops are cooked, add minced garlic to skillet and cook for 2 minutes or until lightly brown. Add wine to skillet and continue cooking for 2 more minutes, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add wine and garlic sauce to large pot with pork chops. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes or until pork chops are very tender.
5.) Serve with skillet coconut oil fried sweet potatoes. (*See previous recipe).

Bunless Burgers with Cole Slaw & Sweet Potato Fries

Burgers, cole slaw and fries are the perfect comfort food combination any time of the year. Burgers are especially great in the summer when the weather is hot and grilling season is in full swing. Paired with creamy cole slaw and sweet potatoes fries, this is the perfect summer entertaining meal. Experiment with different toppings and flavor combinations. BBQ burgers with caramelized onions are my personal favorite!

BBQ Bunless Burgers

Ingredients:
1-2 pounds grass fed ground beef
4 pieces of nitrate free bacon
1/2 sweet onion sliced
Seasoning: garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 sliced Roma tomato
All natural gluten/preservative free BBQ sauce

Method:
1.) Pre-heat grill.  Season ground beef and form into hamburger patties.  Lay patties on plate at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
2.) Add bacon to cast iron skillet and cook until crisp. Remove and add onions to bacon fat.  Cook over medium to medium high heat until onions are caramelized. Remove from heat.
3.) Grill burgers for 5 minutes per side or until desired temperature is reached.
4.) Serve burger on iceberg lettuce "bun" and top with BBQ sauce, tomato, onions and bacon or any condiment you prefer.
*Try a fried egg on top for a 2 a.m. burger. Amazing!

Paleo Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 bag cole slaw mix
1 cup Paleo mayo
1/2 tablespoon organic Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method:
1.) Add cole slaw to large glass bowl. Season with vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper.
2.) Fold in Paleo mayo until completely mixed. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato or 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into fries.
1 tablespoon EV coconut oil
Garlic powder
Sea salt

Method:
1.) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat sweet potato fries in melted coconut oil and spread out on baking sheet. Season with garlic powder and sea salt to taste.
2.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping half way, until fries are golden brown and slightly crisp.  Be careful not to burn fries.

Coconut Oil Skillet Sweet Potatoes

Nothing is better than a sweet potato peeled, diced, and sautéed in extra virgin coconut oil (a.k.a Paleo fried potatoes).  This is a great go to side for almost every Paleo dish from breakfast to dinner.  Try it as a topping for soups, salads, or mixed into a skillet dinner for a complete meal.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato peeled and diced
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
Sea salt to taste

Method:
1.) Add coconut oil and sweet potatoes to a large cast iron skillet.
2.) Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until crispy and lightly browned.
3.) Remove from skillet and sprinkle with sea salt.