Recipe: Easy Chicken Coconut Curry (Paleo + dairy-free)

A great way to enjoy warming, comforting, hearty and healthy meals in the cooler months is to take advantage of energy-efficient and easy-to-use kitchen appliances like slow cookers!

 

One of my favourite dishes to make in my slow cooker is my Chicken Coconut Curry. It’s so easy to make, it’s really versatile, and it’s a great dish for those who don’t enjoy rich and spicy curries. I’ve actually given taste testers of my recipe to people who don’t normally eat curry and they’ve loved it!

 

It’s Autumn here in South East QLD right now so it’s cooling down and feeling like the right time to start making hearty soups, stews and curries. So here’s my Chicken Coconut Curry recipe for you to use and enjoy…

 

CHICKEN COCONUT CURRY

 

You’ll need:

4 organic chicken thighs or 2 breasts, chopped
1 tin Ayam coconut milk
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 carrots, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger (or more if you like), minced
2 fresh organic tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp organic curry powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
Himalayan salt, pepper to taste
Good cooking fat (ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, animal fat etc.)
Piece of fresh lemongrass
Up to 1 cup bone broth and/or water
Optional: Chili if you like heat, paprika, coriander leaves for flavour and garnish, other herbs and spices of choice, spinach leaves, celery

To do:

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on low, add onions and allow to cook gently
2. Add garlic and chicken and slowly increase the temp but watching onion and garlic don’t burn
3. Add carrot to the saucepan along with the spices, lemongrass, any other herbs, salt, pepper, tomato, broth/water and coconut milk to the saucepan and reduce heat to a gentle simmer
4. Once all ingredients are cooked through, the carrot is soft and the liquid has reduced slightly, remove the piece of lemongrass
5. Serve by spooning the curry mixture over a flattened heap of cauliflower or white rice on a plate. Garnish with coriander leaves

Easy!

 

Enjoy 🙂

Aimee

Food + Cooking Coach – Primal Influence

Advertisement

Recipe: Paleo Turkish Delight

Have you switched over to Paleo or generally cleaner eating and are missing certain ‘junk’ foods you used to eat regularly? Say, some particular chocolate bars? I sometimes do.

One of my old favourites was the Fry’s Turkish Delight! Or really good, authentic Turkish Delight pieces I’d find occasionally at cafe’s and foodie festivals/markets coated in sugar powder. <drool>

And would you agree a lot of Paleo/healthy swaps just don’t taste as good as the original version? I find it a lot; with breads and cakes, candy, all types of foods – often the taste or texture is off slightly, or even no where near. It’s not the end of the world of course, but it would be nice to get closer to the original version of some fave foods and memories.

Well.. I’m happy to announce my healthier version of Turkish Delight certainly comes very close to the Fry’s version I used to enjoy so much! Yay!

I’m giving you my recipe so you too can enjoy this yumminess, with both the way of coating it in chocolate (Paleo, or close to it, depending on what chocolate you use) like the Fry’s product, or in arrowroot (definitely Paleo) to replace the powdered sugar. Let me know what you think!

TURKISH DELIGHT

For the actual lolly you’ll need:

2 cups pomegranite juice (try to find one that’s organic or at least pure with nothing added)

2 tsbp rose water (check Asian stores and health food stores for this)

Raw honey to sweeten (quantity is up to you, with there being pomegranite juice in this recipe you may find you don’t wish to include honey at all)

4 tbsp pure grass-fed beef gelatin powder (grab some here)

The method:

1. Pour pomegranite juice into a saucepan on the stove withOUT turning the heat on
2. Gently sprinkle the gelatin powder over the surface of the juice, evenly
3. Let it sit for a couple of minutes so the gelatin granules absorb the liquid and soften, or “bloom”
4. Once softened turn the stove on to medium-high heat and use a whisk to stir until granules of gelatin have completely dissolved
5. Turn the heat off but while the liquid is still hot add honey if you’re using it, and rose water then stir to combine
6. Pour into a square or rectangle container, oven tray etc, something that’s flat and doesn’t have grooves or funny edges, so you can later on cut the set slice into squares or cubes. Or transfer liquid to a jug then pour into moulds. I used a long oven bread tin for mine which is non-stick and has flat sides and bottom, making it perfect for this type of recipe
7. Set in the fridge for a few hours until the mixture feels firm to touch
8. Gently remove from the mould/tray/container by pressing around the entire edge with your finger to seperate from the side of the container then turn upside down, hold close to your kitchen bench or chopping board then you should see the ‘jelly slice’ start to come out of the container. Watch it closely and guide it out as needed so it doesn’t break
9. Use a flat blade knife to cut to size (even-sized squares for example)

Now you have a basic Paleo Turkish Delight! Have a taste, do you get that nice, familar hit of rose water? It’s so good!

 

Here’s how you can create either a choc coated or powder coated version… 

Chocolate Coated

You’ll need:

1 block plain paleo/primal/healthy-as-possible chocolate (I used the new Coles brand 70% dark chocolate because it’s dairy and soy-free) melted

OR

Make your own chocolate using cacao butter, organic cocoa powder, raw honey to sweeten, pure vanilla and melted coconut oil

Method:

1. Let the chocolate mixture cool in a large container (large enough to get your hand into easily with some room to move around) but not to the point it’s becoming lumpy or re-setting then gently place Turkish Delight piece into the container to coat thinly with chocolate
2. Place each piece onto a sheet of baking paper that’s on a chilled board or flat plate of some kind that’s been in the fridge or freezer. This will help the underside of each piece set quicker and prevent you losing more chocolate coating than necessary on the baking paper!
3. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge (if it lasts that long!!)

This version may not be technically “Paleo” depending on the chocolate you use. Cane sugar isn’t classed as Paleo but I personally don’t mind consuming it occassionally. I’d rather use a chocolate that had coconut sugar though.

 

Powder Coated

You’ll need:

1/2 – 3/4 cup arrowroot powder

Optional: 1 tsp pure vanilla powder

Method:

1. Sprinkle half the arrowoot on a board or late plate
2. Gently place each piece of Turkish Delight on the board/plate then turn over. Use your fingers held out together and flat to pat each side to remove excess arrowroot leaving you with an even coating on each side. I find if you don’t try to pat the excess away and you coat each surface the taste overpowers the actual gummy; a thin layer on the top and bottom seems to be plenty
3. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge but keep in mind the moisture may absorb into the arrowroot, reducing it’s powdery-ness.

Now you have a version of Turkish Delight similar to that found in cafes and at markets with that classic and famililar powder coating!

You can probably store either in a container in the pantry, but keep in mind there is BEEF in there, it may not last long outside of the fridge before going ‘off’.

I hope you enjoy whichever version you make! Let me know how you go and what you think!

Oh and before I go, my message is never “you should eat strict Paleo all the time” because I certainly don’t! I believe we each need to find a happy balance with what we eat and how we live. So if you feel like having the ‘junk’ version of Turkish Delight.. then do it! Own it and enjoy it.

However, for those times you feel like a healthy option then now you have one 🙂

That’s all the wisdom I have for you for today..!

Aimee x

 

5 Things I’m Grateful for Today:

1. gelatin and how it helps me heal
2. getting sun today for over 30mins
3. a good catchup with Chris this morning
4. Eric Church songs
5. Spotting whales yesterday

Farm Tour Fun + Recipe for Paleo Mexican Pulled Beef Tacos

We had another amazingly fun Sunshine Coast Paleo Lifestyle Meetup Group event a couple of weeks ago when we held a Farm Tour & Picnic meetup with lovely local grass-feed cattle farmers Sue and Mark Menkens on their beautiful Bellthorpe property!

Maleny Black Angus Beef was the perfect spot for an enjoyable day out for both kids and adults alike. When we arrived we piled into the utes, some of us in the trays, some in the cabs, and off we went in convoy around the 600 acre farm.

Seeing cattle, being raced by a couple, dams, rolling green hills, trees, birds..

  

.. what a start to the day!

We crossed a creek or too, stalled up a steep hill (the kids sure enjoyed that bit!) and ended up at a feeding area in one of the main paddocks where Farmer Mark treated the cattle to bucket loads of sweet molasses!

The kids enjoyed getting up close with the cattle with some experiencing this close proximity with farm animals for the very first time.

Clint received a few odd looks and giggles when people noticed his farm footwear were his two bare feet! He was careful not to stand in any cow pats lying around. And I just missed a fresh one, only wearing my minimalist Earth Runner sandals, that was pretty lucky!

After that long stop off we piled back in the utes and headed back toward the farm house, doing a full loop of the property and making another quick stop in a different paddock to give some other cattle a feed of molasses so they didn’t miss out on the day’s special treat.

I made a little friend who enjoyed sitting in my lap in the tray and holding my hand while chatting about the farm and cattle!

 

The shaded grassy area between the house and the large fig tree was a terrific spot for our picnic lunch.

Rugs were placed down, food was shared around and everyone chatted and relaxed as the afternoon went by.

Even the Farmers enjoyed the rare chance to have a break from work and enjoy the time-out! They were back to moving cattle as soon as we left, but that’s a farmer’s life I guess.

Clint, of course, went exploring and attempted to climb the fig tree. Then he kept himself and the kids entertained playing games such as Tiggy and Wrestling on the lawn. The parents were happy about that!

I served my Mexican Pulled Beef Tacos, using blade supplied by Sue and Mark, which were a massive hit! Mark cooked up some of their delicious steak for us on the BBQ which was just amazingly good.

Because the tacos were so well received I thought I’d share the recipe with you!

Here it is, enjoy 🙂

 

MEXICAN PULLED BEEF TACOS

BEEF:

1.5kg grass-fed beef blade
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 large brown onion, fine diced
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup bone broth*

– Place the beef in a slow cooker along with all other                                                                         ingredients
– Turn dial to Low and leave on all day or overnight
– It’s helpful to occasionally turn the meat around and spoon the liquid over the top to ensure the   whole cut of meat is flavoured well and cooked evenly
– The meat is cooked properly when you can easily pull some away using a fork. When it’s  reached this point remove the meat using tongs, place on a plate and use two forks to pull meat away into small, short strips
– The liquid in the slow cooker can be reduced to become a sauce by simmering it for about  10-15 mins in a saucepan on the stove on low heat. Pour the sauce over the pulled meat to store in a  container in the fridge or before serving.

SOFT SHELL TACOS:

1 pastured egg
4 tbsp pure coconut milk (Ayam is our preference)
3 tbsp filtered/spring water
3 tbsp arrowroot flour
3 tbsp green banana flour (available from the Products page on our website)
Himalayan salt to taste
Oil/cooking fat to fry in (you won’t need a lot)

– In a small bowl or container mix the arrowroot and water together until no lumps remain
– In a stick blender cup or a tall, thin container/jug add the arrowroot and water mixture along with all other ingredients and blend on high until well combined. Alternatively, use a regular blender
– Heat a non-stick pan on the stove to a medium temperature, add a smidge of oil/fat if needed then pour batter on the pan to form circles about 12-15cm in diameter (or more if you want larger tacos). Don’t move the pan around or you’ll end up with crepes.
– When the surface bubbles a little use a spatula to flip over and cook through (about 30 sec each side is all that’s needed). Place them on a plate when cooked then add a small amount of the beef and other fillings to each, hold underneath in one hand and eat like you would a regular taco!
– Filling suggestions: shredded lettuce, diced avocado, thinly sliced carrot

I hope you enjoy it!

And we hope all of our meetup group members who came to the farm tour had a really nice day out.

We know some did, with this wonderful feedback we received on Facebook afterwards…

“Thank you Mark, Sue and Jesse for hosting us and thanks Aimee and Clint for organising it! Loved the scenery, the cattle and the conversations.” -Gypsy

“Thanks for a great day guys, the kids had a ball and were raving about it all the way home!” -Leanne

“It was great to have you all come and visit us on the weekend and to see you all having such a good time while you were here. We will have to do it again some time soon!!” -Farmers Mark, Sue and Jesse

If you’d like to contact Mark and Sue about purchasing their fantastic grass-fed beef products visit their website here

We really enjoy being able to connect consumers to quality local food producers, we’re really passionate about helping people find new sources of food to benefit themselves and their families, and helping support local farmers and producers doing good things.

If you know of a paleo-friendly food producer (or are one) in the Sunshine Coast region we should consider visiting for a meetup please contact us to let us know!

See you at the next meetup!

Aimee x

Recipe: Coconut Lime Curd Tart by Aussie Paleo Chef

Dan the Aussie Paleo Chef is a magician in the kitchen, that’s no secret, and he puts most of his amazing recipes up on his Facebook for all to see and re-create.

At our Paleo Camping Retreat on the weekend he mentioned one recipe in particular to our campers, and when I went to forward it onto them for him, I just  had to include it in a blog post so even more people can see it and give it a go.

I, for one, am definitely giving this one a go, and very soon!

Thanks Dan for your incredible kitchen creations, you’re my favourite paleo chef 😉

 

COCONUT & LIME CURD TART

 

Line a spring-form cake tin with non-stick baking paper and refrigerate

 

For the curd:

3 large eggs

180g raw honey or coconut syrup

Zest from 2.5 limes

180ml freshly squeezed lime juice

100g coconut oil

 

1. In a stainless bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, zest and juice

2. Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and cook

3. Continually stir, or whisk, the custard gently to ensure the eggs don’t cook

4. As the custard warms add the coconut oil in 4 or 5 batches, allowing each addition to incorporate before adding another

5. Continue to cook and stir until the curd becomes very thick (if you have a thermometer between 70 and 75 degrees Celsius). Be patient and vigilant with this process (anywhere from 10-30mins) as the curd is the hero of the tart

This recipe is refreshing, sharp and tart and isn’t very sweet so if you prefer more sweetness add another 50g or honey or coconut syrup to the recipe.

 

For the tart base:

100g shredded coconut

60g almond meal

160g dried white mulberries (or another kind of dried fruit)

40g coconut oil

 

1. Place the coconut, almond meal and mulberries in a food processor and blend until ‘crumb’ like.

2. Add the coconut oil and blend to incorporate

3. Press the crumb mixture into the base of the prepared cake tin and refrigerate

 

To assemble:

Spoon the curd over the chilled base and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours

 

Serve and enjoy!

Recipe: Paleo Pecan Biscuits

I attempted my own version of a paleo-friendly pecan biscuit recipe not long after we got home from our trip to Moree, because Tony at Three Apples Organics gave me 2 bags of organic pecans!

I’m not a huge fan of eating a lot of paleo baked sweets, especially when full of nuts and seeds (due to the unhealthy changes that happen when nuts and seeds are heated, and the typical nutrient overwhelm that occurs in these kinds foods, making it tough on the gut to digest) but because I very rarely get to use or eat pecans, and I had so many of them I thought… why not get experimenting in the kitchen to see what I could come up with?!

And of course, I wouldn’t recommend eating these every day, but as a treat now and then, why not?!

S0… at this time I was still pretty new to using banana flour, and I wanted to play around with it a bit more and decided to include it in this recipe because I’d read it’s great for creating a nice biscuity texture.

One day I had a go at making a batch of biccies using the banana flour, pecans and other basic paleo ingredients. But Clint and I both agreed that while the biscuity texture was in fact great, the flavour was lacking a little. Basically… they were too boring. I couldn’t have that now could I!

 

So this week I finally gave it another crack and I think I’ve nailed it! And I’d love to share my new recipe with you all!

PALEO PECAN BISCUITS

Makes 8 large biscuits

You’ll Need:

1 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/2 tbsp Great Lakes beef gelatin powder (grab some here!)

1 tbsp coconut flour

3 tbsp Natural Evolution Foods banana flour

1 tsp each of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla powder

1/2 tsp each of aluminium-free bicarb soda, rice/gluten-free baking powder, Himalayan salt

1/2 cup crushed pecans, lightly toasted (organic if possible)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp ghee (or coconut oil)

2 tbsp pure Grade B maple syrup

2 pastured organic eggs

 

Do This:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius

2. Add all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well

3. In a tall, narrow jug add the wet ingredients and use a stick blender to mix well (or use a whisk or food processor but stick blenders are so quick and emulsify so well)

4. Next combine the wet and dry ingredients together and mix really well. It should be quite a thick batter, not runny at all

5. Place a sheet of baking paper on an oven tray and spoon dollops of batter onto the paper, spread out. I used about a tablespoon of mixture each biscuit which ended up in large biscuits because of how much the mixture rises and spreads while baking, so you can be quite minimal with how much you use so you have more biscuits to go around

6. Bake in the oven for around 20 mins, depending on your oven keep an eye on them (mine is not the best to go off unfortunately!), you’re wanting the biscuits to be dark brown on the bottom and edges but not as dark on top or they may be burnt underneath.

7. Once cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Then dish them out… but they won’t last long!

The texture should be slightly soft and moist inside while still crunchy and biscuity on the outside. Compared to the first attempt I did at making these, when the texture all the way through was dry, this recipe is much nicer and got the thumbs up from Clint when he tried them!

 

You don’t have to stick to this flavour combination. Especially if you can’t get a hold of quality raw pecans. How about swapping for macadamias and honey? Or walnuts and maple? If you stick to the base recipe and swap the nuts and sweetener around you can come up with some pretty unique biccies that the whole family can enjoy! 🙂

 

I appreciate the input of Dan the Aussie Paleo Chef, with the suggestion of toasting the pecans beforehand, and adding in the extra egg, as I’d used raw nuts and only 1 egg the first time. I’m happy to say though, the inclusion of arrowroot and gelatin was my idea and I’m so happy with the outcome!

I hope you enjoy making and devouring these biscuits!

Happy paleo baking 🙂

Aimee

 

5 Things I’m Grateful For:

1. Using quality ingredients to make healthy foods

2. My paleo journey which is leading me to better health

3. Sunny days

4. Going camping in the bush

5. Fluffy winter socks!

Paleo English Muffin recipe

Thanks kindly to Amanda McDonald for posting this recipe in our Sunshine Coast Paleo/Primal/Real Food Meetup Group Facebook Group recently!

Grab these:
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk of choice (pure coconut milk or almond milk, or half/half)
1 tbsp coconut flour*
½ tbsp melted grass-fed ghee or melted coconut oil*
⅛ tsp baking soda mixed with ¼ tsp Apple Cider Vinegar*
¼ tsp honey* (optional, can omit sweetener, but use full-fat canned coconut milk for milk of choice)
1 pinchsSea or Himalayan Salt*

* available in Primal Pantry

Do this:

-Melt the butter or oil in a round, glass or ceramic ramekin (can use a 3½ inch, 6 ounce ramekin).
-In a separate bowl, mix baking soda and apple cider vinegar together (it will be very fizzy and bubbly). Set aside.
-Add the remaining ingredients to the ramekin and whisk or stir with a fork briskly.
-Add the baking soda/ACV mixture to the ramekin and stir in well.
-Stir, scraping the sides until clump free, may have to stab at some stubborn clumps.
-Bake in the oven at 200°c for 12-15 minutes until the middle is firm.
-Take a knife between the bowl and muffin and slide around to loosen edges.
-When cool enough to handle, remove from bowl, and cut in half sideways.
-Toast in an oiled fry pan until lightly browned on each side (like a pancake). This is an important step, do not skip!
-Use a spatula to press the tops of muffins lightly down while pan toasting.

**Add zucchini and onion for a more savoury option or organic sultanas for a sweet version

Enjoy 🙂