Butter Chicken

My husband and I lived in Kathmandu, Nepal for 2 years. As I opened each of the spice jars while gathering the ingredients for this Butter Chicken recipe by My Heart Beets the aroma filled my kitchen with fond memories of our time in Nepal. Here are some photos for a little walk down memory lane...

These photos make me smile and bring joy to my heart. Time in Nepal had it's rough moments, but those moments are blown away by our fond memories like a gust of wind clears the leaves from a path. The bonds of friendship formed in this deep soulful rich place will forever be special gems stitched in the fabric of our journey overseas. Very much like the beautiful tapestries as the one displayed below. 

The goodness rises to the top and outweighs the difficulty. It helps us remember we are all in life together. To embrace, love, cherish, and take care of one another. Find the positive in the now and to not take life for granted. Nepal is truly a place like no other.

So back to the meal. Usually when trying a new recipe sometimes I don't have all the ingredients or I modify it to be a Paleo/Gluten Free friendly meal. This one...I followed to the "T" and it was absolutely delicious! If I were to do anything different I would add a bit more kick next time.

Click on Paleo Butter Chicken for the recipe and click on Paleo Nann Bread for a quick, simple, addition to this fabulous meal. 

Here are my photos during the prep and completion of this dreamy dish. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Making the Naan bread. Yes, I am messy in the kitchen.

It's whats for din din!

Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal. Enjoy!

Reverse Burger Experiment

Perusing through Pinterest awhile ago, I came across a post called "Meat Bagel." 

I made a few slight changes due to the type of ingredients I had on hand. It actually turned out pretty darn tasty and was a fun experiment. Who needs bread? Give it a try just for kicks. You might be surprised. Any type of ground meat would work. 

Heat oven to 350-400

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup diced onion OR 1/4 cup chopped daikon, 1/8 cup chopped leafy greens with the stock, and 1/4 of a yellow pepper diced

2 pound ground chicken

2 eggs

2/3 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt or herbamare

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup almond flour (if meat mixture is a little too moist add in a little more almond flour)

Turn oven to 400 degrees and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.

In a fry pan add the oil and saute the veggies over med/high heat until they are tender. 

Set aside to cool.

 Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Mix in the cooled veggies.

Divide the meat mixture into 6 portions. Roll into balls and set in the parchment paper lined dish. Flatten the ball just a bit and indent the middle. It should resemble a bagel.

(My mixture was a little runny so I had to plump them up by pulling the sides to the center of the bagel to keep the form while they cooked a bit. Next time I will add less tomato sauce).

Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until meat is fully cooked. Check meat and scoop out any liquid that forms in the hole of the bagel. Transfer the cooked bagels to a parchment paper lined pan and allow to cool a bit.

Slice the meat as you would a bagel.

Load it up with your favorite veggies and condiments.

There ya have it! A reverse bagel burger!

That was a fun experiment! Meaty goodness and fantastic flavor. The original recipe only called for diced onion. Add any extra veggie, cheese, or herbs you want to create the master piece that suites your taste buds.  Kind of like the variety of bread bagels out there. 

Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal. Enjoy!

Feel free to use Mrs. Dash as a salt substitute 

Inspired by: http://ditchthewheat.com/meat-bagels/

Paleo Eggplant Parma-goodness

Whenever my husband and I go out for Italian dinner we get the same thing. Every time. Not the same thing as each other, but the same thing we always get. He loves his Lasagna and I love my Eggplant Parmesan or Gnocchi. I have made lots of different versions of Lasagna for him over the years but I have never mastered how to make my own Eggplant Parmesan or Gnocchi. I finally found some inspiration from  What did you eat? to get me started on my quest for a beautiful Eggplant Parmesan. I have adapted the recipe to make it GF and Paleo friendly. It really was quite simple and fun to make.

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 eggplants sliced about 1/4 inch think
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp of salt or herbamare
1 tsp ground pepper
3/4 cup almond meal/flour
3 eggs beaten well (the original recipe calls for 4 eggs. I think 3 is sufficient)
Feta cheese (or cheese of choice)
Marinara sauce or pesto sauce
Turn oven to 350-400 degrees

In a medium mixing bowl combine the shredded parma, salt or herbamare, ground pepper, and almond meal.

Heat enough oil (about 1/8 inch deep) in a fry pan on med/high heat.

Take a slice of eggplant for a swim in egg mixture.

Dredge the egg covered eggplant slice in the parma goodness mixture, coating both sides of eggplant.

Gently add to hot oil (being careful to not splash yourself).

Repeat the eggplant dress up time until the pan is full of them.

Cook in oil for about 3-4 min per side. (until it is the desired toasted brown color).

Transfer the toasted eggplant to a paper towel lined cookie sheet to absorb oil.

Now, here is the tricky part. The oil in the pan will look pretty dark. Carefully pour dark oil into a glass container to cool. Clean off pan with a paper towel and return pan to the stove. Repeat the fry and absorb cycle until all eggplant has been cooked.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lay the beautifully toasted eggplant piece on it. Crumble feta cheese or cheese of choice on top. Place baking pan in oven and cook until cheese is soft melted.

Now, you can do lots of fun options with this eggplant parma goodness. For this recipe I topped the eggplant with feta cheese, a dollop of pesto sauce, served over fresh spinach leaves, and garnished with baby tomatoes. There is so much flavor in this simple meal.

Next time I make this I am going to toss pesto or marinara sauce with Zoodles (or regular pasta noodles) and place eggplant parma on top. Be creative and have fun. I am just so happy I know how to make eggplant parmesan! Now, how to make gnocchi? Enjoy!

Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal. Enjoy!

Feel free to use Mrs. Dash as a salt substitute

Adapted from:  What did you eat?