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Steamed Sweet Chilli Chicken with Carrot, Squash and Coconut Mash paleo recipe dinner-min

Recipe: Steamed Sweet Chilli Chicken with Carrot, Squash and Coconut Mash

Who doesn’t love the taste of Sweet Chilli Chicken? Unfortunately, the majority of sweet chilli sauces on the market are either laden with sugar, artificial flavourings, or in most cases, both. Thankfully, it’s remarkably easy to make your own sweet chilli glaze that is just perfect for basting chicken with. The bold flavours of sweet chilli pair beautifully in this recipe with the creamy carrot, squash and coconut mash.

Recipe: Steamed Sweet Chilli Chicken with Carrot, Squash and Coconut Mash
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • For the chicken
  • 2 Chicken breasts
  • ⅔ red chillies, finely chopped and deseeded
  • A chunk fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Juice 1 lime
  • For the mash
  • 2 cups butternut squash, diced
  • 6 – 8 medium sized carrots, chopped
  • ½ can full fat coconut milk
  • Handful desiccated coconut (optional)
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat water in the base of a two tiered steamer. Line one of the steamer baskets with a little parchment paper, and lie the chicken breasts flat. Add the diced squash and carrots to the other basket. Place the vegetables on the first tier of the steamer, and the chicken on the second. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. Place the coconut milk in a saucepan on a separate hob, and heat gently.
  2. Meanwhile, make the sweet chilli glaze by mashing together the chilli and ginger in a mortar and pestle. Muddle in the coconut aminos, honey and lime. Taste, and adjust to make sweeter / spicier depending on your preference.
  3. When the 10 minutes are up, remove the vegetable basket from the steamer, whilst leaving the chicken on (now on the lower tier) for a further 3 or 4 minutes. Tip the carrots and squash into a large bowl, and mash well before adding the coconut milk. Keep mashing to make a creamy consistency, before seasoning and adding the desiccated coconut (if using)
  4. Check the chicken breasts are fully cooked through before removing from the steamer. Glaze with the sweet chilli, before serving in two separate bowls over the mash.

Steamed Sweet Chilli Chicken with Carrot, Squash and Coconut Mash paleo recipe dinner-min

paleo diet recipe quick easy coronation chicken creamy primal-min

Recipe: Quick and Easy Coronation Chicken

Countless times I have made a delicious roast dinner for friends, only to realise at the end that I’ve bought a chicken way too big for us to eat! Sometimes I get stuck with what to do with the leftovers, but this recipe for Paleo friendly Coronation Chicken is always a fail-safe option. It’s all the flavour of Coronation Chicken, minus the dairy, minus the sugar, minus the preservatives… just as it should be!

The best thing about this recipe is that it is easily adapted depending on how much leftover meat you have. When I shredded it, I had roughly 2 cups of chicken available. Feel free to adapt as you wish!

Coronation Chicken Ingredients:

  • 200g shredded roast chicken
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Juice ½ lime
  • ½ can thick coconut milk
  • Small handful flaked almonds
  • Small handful coconut shavings
  • Small handful sultanas
  • Small handful unsulphured dried apricots, finely chopped

Coronation Chicken How To:

In a saucepan, heat the coconut oil to a medium – low heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook for another 2.

Squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the spices. Leave to simmer gently for 2 – 3 minutes, adding extra coconut oil if necessary.

Add the coconut milk and honey, stir well, and simmer very gently for around 5 minutes.

Toss in the flaked almonds, coconut shavings and dried fruit. Pour over the shredded chicken and coat well. Enjoy straight away or leave in the fridge to cool before enjoying as part of a salad.

paleo diet recipe quick easy coronation chicken creamy primal-min

Recipe Coconut milk berries icy poles popsicles ice lollies lolly Paleo Network-min

Recipe: Coconut Icy Poles

What to do when you've made more coconut milk than you can possibly use? Make coconut ice lollies of course! I already had some moulds for icy poles and some wooden sticks, so it couldn't have been easier. This would work great with coconut yoghurt too, next time you make a batch.

Recipe Coconut milk berries icy poles popsicles ice lollies Paleo Network-min

Recipe: Coconut Icy Poles
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Desserts
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Leftover coconut milk or yoghurt? Don't waster it - throw it in a popsicle mould instead!
Ingredients
  • coconut milk
  • handful of berries
  • handful of coconut flakes
Instructions
  1. Put some berries at the bottom of each mould
  2. Next add a pinch of coconut flakes to each section
  3. Finally top with the coconut milk (or yoghurt)
  4. Put in the sticks and freeze until solid

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Recipe homemade coconut yoghurt paleo network-min

Recipe: Homemade Coconut Yogurt

I think I've finally perfected my coconut yoghurt recipe – well, to be honest I actually bought a thermometer (mine is similar to this one). I tried to wing it without one, but really, if you want to do this properly, you've got to get the temperatures right.

Recipe Coconut Yoghurt Easy Probiotic Natural Homemade Paleo Network-min

Firstly, why coconut yogurt?

Well, if you haven't already tried it, it's so delicious! But so expensive to buy. I've found one really good brand, CoYo in some health food shops, but it's never going to be more than a very occasional treat.

The thing with coconut yoghurt is that it's great if you don't tolerate dairy well, given that it's made with coconut milk rather than dairy. It's also a great way to get some probiotics into your diet and of course, coconut is a great source of fat.

I love this yogurt on it's own, but it's great with fruit, or frozen as a paleo desert! It would be great with a paleo no-oatmeal for breakfast too.

So here's how I make it (trust me, it's easier than it looks)…

Recipe Coconut Yoghurt Probiotic Natural Homemade Paleo Network-min

Recipe: Homemade Coconut Yogurt
Prep time: 
Total time: 
This coconut yogurt make take a little time to prepare and wait for - but it's easy and oh so worth it!
Ingredients
  • 6 cups coconut milk (see my instructions to make this yourself)
  • 1 medium can of coconut milk
  • half a vanilla bean pod
  • 3 tablespoons of natural gelatin
  • a live yoghurt culture
  • You'll need:
  • glass mason jars with air tight lids
  • a candy thermometer
  • a whisk
Instructions
  1. Make the coconut milk the night before, following the instructions in my recipe
  2. The next day put the coconut milk in a pan, adding in the vanilla pod. This is where the temperature becomes crucial. Put in your thermometer and don’t take your eyes off until it hits 82 degrees C (180 degrees F). You’ll need to whisk the mixture constantly during the 15 minutes or so it takes to get to this temperature: burning and sticking to the pan does not make a good coconut yogurt!
  3. Once you reach 82C (180F) take the pan straight off the heat and alow it to cool naturally. But keep monitoring the temperature – you’re aiming for it to cool to 38C (100F).
  4. Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature and keep an eye on it – once it’s reached this temperature, turn it off.
  5. Once you hit 38C (100F) remove the vanilla pod, as it’s now served its purpose. Pour a big size dollop of the mixture into a bowl and add in your culture, whisk it in thoroughly until it’s completely mixed in. Now, add this bowl back into the main coconut mixture, and thoroughly mix in with your whisk.
  6. Mix the gelatin into the coconut mixture and keep whisking until you’re sure it’s totally dissolved and mixed through.
  7. Spoon the mixture into your air-tight jars or bottles and put them in your (now turned off) warm oven.
  8. Leave the jars in your oven overnight, to let the culture do their work. The following morning, put the jars in the fridge to allow them to thicken up (the gelatin will help make this happen)
  9. If you want to add a sweetener like honey, mix it in at this stage. Otherwise, all to sit in the fridge for about 4 hours.
  10. Serve and enjoy!

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recipe paleo coconut milk make your own homemade-min (1)

Recipe: DIY Coconut Milk

I've written a lot before about some of the dodgy coconut milk on the shelves of your local health food store. You really have to check the ingredients carefully, it's near impossible to find one without the mysterious “guar gum”, not to mention stabilizers, emulsifiers and a host of chemicals I'd rather not consume. If you want to learn more about some of the dodgy ingredients, you'll need to read this.

So whilst you can find the odd brand without all of the added nasties, it's surprisingly easy to make your own coconut milk. You just need a bit of time!

Recipe Coconut Milk Easy DIY Natural Homemade Paleo Network-min (1)

Recipe: DIY Coconut Milk
Prep time: 
Total time: 
This simple recipe makes about 4 cups of coconut milk, just scale as required. Whilst it's easy to make, it does need some time - so ideally make it the day before you're going to need it.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup coconut flakes
  • 4 cups distilled water
Instructions
  1. Soak the coconut flakes for about four hours in the water.
  2. Once the flakes have gone mushy in the water, put in your blender, and blend for a few minutes until it's a nice evenly mixed in texture.
  3. You'll then need to strain the mixture. I like to do this through a cheesecloth as it's much easier on the washing-up than using a sieve!
  4. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within three days or so.
  5. Oh - and the contents of the cheesecloth? Don't waste it! You can use the leftover coconut pulp in your paleo baking!

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Recipe paleo herbal Cardamom, Black Pepper and Coconut Milk Tea-min

Recipe: Cardamom, Black Pepper and Coconut Milk Tea

I'm a big fan of herbal tea, and one of my favourite blends is Chai. This is a twist on the classic that is slightly sweeter and creamier thanks to the coconut milk. It still retains all the spiced, warming goodness of standard chai though, so brew up a cup for everyone and unwind for the evening. If, like me, you're a former chai latte fan, but no longer consuming dairy, this could be exactly the alternative you've been searching for. If only my local coffee shop could put this on the menu…

Recipe: Cardamom, Black Pepper and Coconut Milk Tea
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Drinks
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 100ml full fat coconut milk
  • 8 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
Instructions
  1. Add the coconut milk to a saucepan with the cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg and honey. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, boil your kettle and pour 750ml hot water into a teapot over the cloves and cinnamon. Leave to infuse for a couple of minutes - or until it reaches your desired strength.
  3. Strain the tea into four cups, and pour in the milk. Taste, and adjust the sweetness if necessary.

I'd love to know what you drink during a typical (working?) day? Do you stick to water, or mix it up with some different types of teas and coffee?

So many people tell me that they really struggle with giving up soda when they make the transition to paleo. One thing that seems to help is making sure you have some good herbal teas to hand to help you get over the diet coke addiction! Another thing that I've seen recommended is soda water (or sparkling water) with some fresh lime.

Recipe paleo herbal Cardamom, Black Pepper and Coconut Milk Tea-min

Paleo Network Recipe Bacon Jalapeno Fritta Breakfast-min

Recipe: Bacon and Jalapeno Frittata

Does food get any more comforting and soul nourishing than a giant slab of frittata? It’s one of my favourite meals to have for breakfast, lunch, and even as a snack – so I always make a giant version (between 6 and 8 eggs!) and keep it in the fridge for sustenance throughout the week. Frittata flavour combinations are endless, but this one has to be my favourite; smoky, crisp bacon balanced beautifully by spicy-sweet jalapenos.

Paleo Network Recipe Bacon Jalapeno Fritta Breakfast-min

 Bacon and Jalapeno Frittata Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 6 rashers smoked organic streaky bacon, diced
  • 2 / 3 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and chopped
  • 8 – 10 button mushrooms, diced
  • 6 large free range eggs
  • ½ cup full fat coconut milk
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

 Bacon and Jalapeno Frittata How To:

1)    Preheat the oven to 375F / 180C. Grease an 8 inch round pie tin with some coconut oil and set aside.

2)    Heat 1tbsp of coconut oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon, jalapenos and mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the bacon begins to crisp up.

3)    Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat together. Whisk in the coconut milk until the mixture becomes light and air bubbles appear.

4)    Add the contents of the frying pan to the mixing bowl, and season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Pour the frittata mixture into the pie tin.

5)    Transfer the pie tin to the middle shelf of the oven, and bake for 25 – 30 minutes. To check if it is done, pop a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s done!

Curried Tilapia in Coconut Sauce fish paleo dinner recipe lunch-min

Recipe: Curried Tilapia in Coconut Sauce

I love Tilapia, but this recipe also works great with halibut, monkfish, mullet, or any other sustainably caught, meaty white fish. Serve with a heap of cauliflower rice and fresh veggies.

Curried Tilapia Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 4 curry leaves
  • 2 x 400ml cans coconut milk (or 1 can coconut milk and 400ml water)
  • 4 large tilapia fillets, each cut into 2 / 3 palm sized pieces

Curried Tilapia How To:

1) Heat the coconut oil in a large, heavy based pan. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 – 3 minutes. Turn the heat down low.

2) Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and cinnamon and fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the cardamom pods and lightly toast for 30 seconds, before pouring in the coconut milk. Add the curry leaves, and simmer for 15 minutes.

3) Add the tilapia to the pan and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the fish is completely cooked through. Serve with a heap of cauliflower rice.

Curried Tilapia in Coconut Sauce fish paleo dinner recipe lunch-min

primal smoothies paleo diet recipe juice juicing-min

Primal Smoothies

I've started to have smoothies some mornings when I'm in a particular rush, since they are so quick to make and can be packed with nutritionally dense Paleo foods.  I'm also going to start making up a smoothie to take to the gym with me – that way I'll be able to have something in the post work-out window – I often miss this valuable time, in my return from the gym.

Smoothie-Ingredients-primal-min

Today I tried a smoothie from Primal Toad's Toadally Primal Smoothies ebook, the “Clumsy Popeye”. I thought this one would be a good choice after an early morning gym session, as it is packed with antioxidants – and protein in the form of protein powder.

clumsy-popeye-primal_smoothie-min

I put water, frozen blueberries, cashew butter, Chocolate Primal Fuel, spinach coconut milk & ice in my blender for a few minutes – and then served, with some shredded coconut on top.  It doesn't get much easier than that!  I thought the spinach taste might not be to my liking, but the main tastes were the chocolate, coconut and cashews – I really enjoyed it and will definitely be making this one again.  There's a whole section on green smoothies, which I'm keen to try – it seems like a good way to get in lots of good nutrients.

Do you often have smoothies?  Are they something you have as a meal, or as a post workout recovery drink?

primal smoothies paleo diet recipe juice juicing-min

What's In Your Coconut Milk Ingrediants-min

Fancy a Serve of Polyoxethylene Sorbitan Monostearate With Your Coconut Milk?

Following on from yesterdays post on Coconut Milk & Coconut Cream, I’ve found out a few things about those added ingredients.  Seemingly innocuous names such as E435 hide chemicals I quite simply would rather not consume.  I’ll take the coconut milk with the huge layer of cream on top, thanks.

What's In Your Coconut Milk Ingrediants-min

Stabilizer E466 (or just 466):  Also known as Carboxymethyl Cellulose

This is used as a thicking agent, a filler, anti clumping agent and an emulsifier.  As well as its use in food, Carboxymethyl Cellulose is also used in ceramics, detergents & textiles.  It is derived from cellulose (as found in wood & plant structures) which is chemically modified.  It isn't possible to find out the source directly, but it could come from genetically engineered cotton plants.

Vegetable gum (412) or Emulsifier, E412:  More commonly known as Guar gum

Guar Gum is often added as a thickener to avoid the contents of the tin separating.  Guar Gum is made from the seed of the Cyamopsis tetragonoloba shrub, which is a legume  The seeds are dehusked, milled & screened to produce an off white powder. I think I’d rather deal with the natural separation of the coconut milk.

Emulsifier E435:  Also known as Polyoxethylene sorbitan monostearate, Polysorbate 60, or Tween 60
This chemical compound is created from ethylene oxide (a synthetic compound), sorbitol and palmitic acid.  One of the main issues appears to be that the origin of these components is not easy to find out, but may be include “vegetable” oils.   I’ve not been able to find any relevant studies, but there are lots of mentions of cancer when discussing this additive.

Thickener E415, also known as Xanthin gum

This thickener is created from fermenting corn sugar with a bacterium.  It may also use wheat, dairy or soy.  As with all of these additives it is very hard to determine exactly how the chemical was derived.

Do you know more about these additives?  Are you happy to consume a small amount of these additives to get coconut milk into your diet?  Let me know in the comments below.