Haaaaappy Fridaaaaay!

Two major news flashes for you on this fine Friday!

1. We finally got some snow here in the Sierra Nevada, puh-raaaaaaise the laaaaaaw! Our white capped mountains have me plastered with an ear-to-ear grin.
2. My friend, Becky Winkler, who writes A Calculated Whisk recently published her cookbook, Paleo Planet!

Becky sent me a copy of Paleo Planet to flip though slash drool over and I’m blown away by the thing. There are over 125 recipes for primal recipes, all designed to be gut-healthy energy boosting meals and treats. On top of being super healthful, the recipes are also mouth-watering and approachable for meal prep any night of the week. And of course, the photographs have me itching to make every last recipe.

The beginning of the book is an awesome guide to paleo cooking, and explains the nuances on how to make a nutritious meal that’s also super tasty and easy to digest. Becky also includes recipes for homemade spice blends and condiments, which for someone like me, who likes big, bold flavor without all the additives and sugar, this is very helpful. The book is broken into the following sections:

• Spice Blends, Pantry Staples, and Sauces
• Appetizers, Soups, Salads, and Snacks
• Poultry
• Beef, Pork, & Lamb
• Seafood
• Vegetables
• Breakfast & Brunch
• Desserts

As you can see, there is no shortage of meat-centric recipes, which all you carnivores out there will love. I tend to run out of ideas for meat dishes and end up making a few go tos on a regular basis, so I’m psyched to have all these new-to-me animal protein ideas at my disposal.

With the holidays coming up, I see this book as being an excellent gift for friends and family who just straight up enjoy healthy food. Specifically, it’s awesome for those who eat allergy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, and/or paleo, but you don’t have to follow a restricted diet to fall in love with this book.

Recipes I’m 200% Going to Make:

• Tortilla Espanola
• Spicy Pecan Chicken
• Honey Chipotle Short Ribs
• Date-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
• Lamb Meatballs
• Shrimp and Eggplant Curry
• Sweet Potato Latkes
• German Apple Pancake
• Gingerbread Blondies
• Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Becky was kind enough to allow me to share a recipe from her book. While it was difficult to choose, I settled on Indochinese Chile Chicken. We all know how I love a good skillet stir fry. While this recipe requires several steps, it comes together quickly. For how few ingredients go in, the flavor that comes out is mega! You can make the recipe in parts in order to break up the process. I made a few small adjustments to the recipe, doubling the sauce and adding a little extra liquid aminos.

The chicken portion of this recipe is grain-free and paleo-friendly. Becky uses an egg, almond flour, and tapioca flour for the batter to pan-fry the chicken, giving it a little crisp on the outside while keeping the inside super tender.  The sauce is so simple to prepare – you likely have most of the ingredients on-hand already. I do suggest making a little extra sauce if you’re wanting a little something special for your rice, quinoa, or whatever you’re eating with the rice. For those of you who eat a grain-free diet, you can eat this chicken with stir fry vegetables, cauliflower rice, and/or quinoa. I enjoyed it atop a steamy pile of brown rice with a little extra drizzle of liquid aminos (or soy sauce).

And that is all! You can purchase Becky’s book on Amazon, and in the meantime, enjoy yourself a heaping plate of Indochinese Chile Chicken! Huge congrats to the talented Becky Winkler and have yourselves a marvelous weekend!

Indochinese Chile Chicken + Paleo Planet Cookbook Review

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Author: Julia

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Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 1 teaspoon tapioca flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1-1/2 pounds to 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

For the Stir Fry:

• Coconut oil for frying
• 2 cayenne chiles or other red chilies chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 yellow onion thinly sliced

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons fruit jam I used fig preserves
• 1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek

Instructions

Prepare the Chicken:

1. Whisk together the egg, almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut aminos, garlic, sambal oelek, and sea salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

To Make the Stir Fry:

1. When you're ready to cook the chicken, heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat and add enough coconut oil to cover the bottom of the pan genrously. When the oil is hot, add as many chicken pieces as will fit in a single layer. After about 2 minutes, turn them over and continue to fry until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Continue frying in batches until all chicken is cooked, adding more oil as necessary.

Prepare the Stir Fry:

1. Wipe the oil out of the skillet and return it to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat and fry the chiles, garlic, and onion until fragrant and onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Prepare the Sauce:

1. While the onions are cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.

Bring it all together:

1. Return the fried chicken to the skillet with the onions. Add the sauce, and stir to coat. Saute until chicken is heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Serve hot over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.