Paleo//Gluten-Free

I am finally sold on zucchini “pasta.” I’ve tried it before, granted I was not the one cooking it, and I hated it. It was limp and soggy, more like a zucchini mush (If you’ve seen my recipe for Sweet Potato Pasta, you know this). I guess that’s what you get served when all your friends in your early 20’s are art school hipsters who never had to cook until they moved out…and now they are vegan…well at least when everyone is paying attention.

This recipe requires that, after spiralizing your veggie, you toss it with a little kosher salt and set it in a colander for about 20 minutes. Salt naturally draws out moisture-which zucchini is loaded with. Doing this will make your “pasta” have more body and be able to hold a sauce without dissolving into the dreaded mush that I was once served.

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Then there are the blistered cherry tomatoes. These little bad boys take hot minute to cook (well…actually low heat and 3 hours to be precise), but they are so worth it.  Slow-roasting, which caramelizes and intensifies the flavor tomatoes and gives them a meatier, more robust texture, is a perfect way to preserve these summer gems. Once you’ve roasted the tomatoes, they’ll keep in the freezer for months, that is if you don’t eat all the extras like candy.

I throw a small handful of garlic cloves in the pan as well. This way when it’s time to make the cashew pesto I have some perfectly roasted garlic to blend in!

*I’m so proud! The thyme I used in this recipe is from my patio garden with all my plants that I started from seed!

I bet you are thinking, “Wow, these photos sure look better than normal.” Well, you’re right. Alex came home from Romania last week-he was there for about a month and a half. So now it’s back to beautiful photo’s and someone to eat all this food besides myself! Though, in only a few short weeks he will be leaving again.

On to the recipes!

Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

• 2 pints Cherry tomatoes
• 6 whole gloves of garlic, unpeeled
• Olive oil
• 10-15 thyme sprigs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 225°F. Halve each cherry and arrange on a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Sprinkle herbs on and salt and pepper, though go easily on these because the finished product will be so flavorful you’ll need very little to help it along.
2. Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside–this could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.
3. Either use them right away or let them cool, cover them with some extra olive oil and keep them in the fridge.

Crispy Lemon Chicken

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 2 eggs
• 4 chicken breasts, butchered into cutlets (video here)
• Paleo approved oil for pan-frying (Lard or Ghee are best)
• Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
• 2 lemons, cut in half

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat with your oil-you should have enough to come up half way to your cutlets. Since they are thin you should not need much.
3. Place tapioca starch in a medium sized bowl (something that an individual chicken cutlet would fit into with plenty of space) in another equally-sized bowl place you eggs-using a fork scramble the eggs until the yolk and whites are well combined.
4. Season your chicken breasts with the salt & pepper.
5. Take one cutlet at a time, dip both sides into the tapioca starch so that it is completely dredged. Shake off excess.
6. Take same cutlet and dip in the egg bowl, shake off excess. Repeat with enough cutlets to fill your pan without them touching.
7. Cook on each side until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes per side)
8. As you finish each batch, place the cooked pieces on a plate lined with paper towels; put them in the oven to stay warm. You should be able to cook the chicken pieces in about 3 or 4 batches, depending upon the size of your skillet.
9. Serve with lemon.

 

Cashew Pesto

• 3 cups basil
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Wash the basil and dry with a clean tea towel to remove excess moisture
2. Place nuts in blender and blend until broken down to small pieces.
   Add the basil and oil and blend to combine
3. Add salt and pepper to taste

Zucchini “Pasta”

Serves 4

• 3 zucchini
• kosher salt

Method

1. Cut the ends of the zucchini off and discard. Place zucchini into spiralizer length-wise and turn! Or, if you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use a julienne peeler.
2. Place noodles into a colander/strainer and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Let sit in the sink for 20 minutes.
3. Place noodles in cheesecloth and squeeze out excess water. (Or you can place in a clean dish towel and squeeze)
4. Heat a medium saute pan on medium heat with a little olive oil. Cook until hot, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Toss with cashew pesto & blistered cherry tomatoes.