Paleo Quick Coq Au Vin

Oui. I know what you are thinking.  You are thinking, what kind of silly French dish is this?  Coq au vin?  Really? 

The original French concoction was a way for provincial French wives to make use of an old rooster and took a long time to prepare.

My version is quick and easy and best of all, fits into the paleo diet.

Note, I personally do not eat mushrooms.  I leave them out when I make this, but I will put them in the recipe for those of you who do enjoy them.

So, let’s get to the food!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

5-6 strips of thick cut bacon

Package frozen pearl onions (thawed)

2-3 carrots

Container of cremini or button mushrooms

¼ cup of almond flour

2 tbs of tomato paste

1 ½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

3-4 cloves garlic minced

Red wine of choice

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks and put in a zip top with almond flour.  Shake to coat.
2. Peel carrots and cut into ¼ inch slices.  Set aside.
3. If you choose to partake of the mushrooms, wash them and cut them into quarters.  Set aside.
4. Cut bacon into half inch strips (these little chunks of bacon are refered to as “lardons” by the French) Put into large skillet or stew pot over medium heat.  Brown.
5. Remove bacon.
6. Add onions and carrots and cook until they start to caramelize (get brown and release their sugars), about 5-10 minutes.  Remove the onions.
7. If you are a mushroom eater, now is the time to add them and brown them.  Pull them out and set them aside.
8. Add chicken to the pot.  Brown.  Pull chicken out.
9. Put garlic and tomato paste in the pot along with the rest of the almond flour from the chicken.  Cook for a couple of minutes (be careful not to burn the garlic)
10. Add in a little wine and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. (This is known as de-glazing)
11. Add in half to three quarters of the bottle of wine.  Add in spices, carrots, chicken, onions, and mushrooms. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the broth starts to thicken.
12. Sprinkle bacon over the top and serve hot.

I like to serve this over spaghetti squash or zucchini that has been sliced into strips and sautéed until soft in olive oil and garlic. 

Cauliflower Mash

To substitute for mashed potatoes, I’m making a cauliflower mash.  You can’t boil the cauliflower to make the mash or else it gets way too soggy and yuck. 

Here’s what I do:

Cut the head of cauliflower into florets.

Put into a microwave-safe dish with about 3-4 tbs of water. Cover.  Microwave for 3 minutes and stir.  Microwave another 2 minutes.  Check for softness. If not soft, microwave another minute or so.

Mash with a potato masher, or my favorite, the stick blender.

Add salt to taste and some coconut milk for creaminess.

Collard Greens

Collard greens have more calcium than milk and are really tasty to boot!

Ingredients:

head of collard greens

2 pieces Canadian bacon

 

Directions:

Cut greens along the stem to take out the tough spine from the center.   Toss away spines and cut greens into thirds.  Wash under water and set aside.

 

Dice up a couple of pieces of Canadian bacon.   Heat up a pot over medium high heat.  Toss in bacon and brown.  Fill pot halfway with water.  Add greens.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until greens are soft.  Pull greens out with tongs and serve.

Paleo Fried Chicken Fingers

I’m a good Southern girl.  We know comfort foods.  Usually when someone thinks of a Southern meal, it’s fried chicken with mashed potatoes.  I thought, why not?  It was my challenge to make it paleo.

I’ll separate it into three recipes so that you can mix and match with different proteins and sides.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

½ cup of almond flour

2 eggs

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

3 tbs olive oil

 Directions:

Cut chicken into long strips.  Make sure that they are equally thick.  You may need to use the flat part of the knife to pound some of the fatter pieces down a bit.

 

Put the chicken pieces in a zip top plastic bag with spices.  Shake to coat. 

 

Dredge in almond flour, then eggs, then flour again. 

 

Lay on a plate to set up for 10 minutes.  This will make sure the crust really sticks to the chicken. 

Pour olive oil in the bottom of a skillet.  Heat to medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook for about 3-5 minutes per side, turn only once.  Tongs work the best for turning the chicken.

Enjoy with mashed cauliflower and collard greens!