5 Favorite Paleo Recipes So Far, Part 4: Daddy's TexMex Enchiladas

I live in the South. Mexican food is weird here. I'm from Texas. We know Mexican Food. And Tex-Mex, which is it's own delicious genre! My dad was a Fire Captain...which means when he wasn't busy saving lives, he was cooking for a crew of hungry men. Thankfully, that trickled over to the home front and he kept us well-fed!

These are my daddy's enchiladas...Paleo Style. I do dairy, but these are grain and legume free. I'm just going to give the basic recipe, but of course, use the best quality ingredients you can get your hands on. Our bodies and taste buds thank us!

Captain Jack's TexMex Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce
3-4 Dried Ancho Chiles (pictured above), stems removed (you'll find these in the Hispanic foods section of the grocery)
About 1 cup Tomato Sauce (If you're not going to use organic or homemade, try Del Fuerte which is BPA free. It's in a little TetraPak in the same section with the chiles)
2 cups Water
1/3 - 1/2 Yellow Onion chopped
1 T Minced Garlic
Salt to taste (about 1/2 t)

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly and puree and strain, or VitaMix the sauce when done cooking and skip the straining.

Filling
2 cups Chili Without Beans (Check the label if you're tempted to use canned, lots of it has grain and soy)
1 pound Ground Beef or Venison, cooked and seasoned to taste
2 -3 cups Finely Grated Cheese (Colby, Cheddar or "Mexican Blend")
Finely chopped onion


Tortillas
Here's the trick: Deli-Sliced chicken breast.
I've seen some Paleo-tortilla recipes online, but none looked like they could stand up to the filling and the baking, so here's my Paleo-friendly substitute. It may take some time to find a grain free version. Hormel Natural Choice Chicken Breast is nitrite, preservative, MSG and gluten free. The label says 0 carbs, but the ingredients list rice starch. Since I'm still eating (and blogging!) Paleo For the Rest of Us, that's gonna do today. I'm curious to see if I can find an even better version at Earthfare. The chicken has a mild flavor, but is sturdy enough to stand up to the enchilada goodness filling the inside.

Assembly and Cooking
Use 2-3 slices of chicken overlapped as your "tortilla." Spread 1 T of Enchilada Sauce and then 1 tablespoon chili on the sliced chicken. Sprinkle equal parts cooked ground beef/venison, and shredded cheese, about 1 tablespoon each. You can add the onions now, or sprinkle them on top at the end. Roll up in "enchilada fashion" and place seam down in a glass baking dish. I actually assemble mine in the baking dish, even though it gets crowded at the end. When your dish is full, mix the rest of the chili and enchilada sauce together and pour over the enchiladas, adding a little water if needed. Add remaining cheese, sprinkled on top. This makes 12-14 enchiladas, depending on how thick you make them. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (if you started with warm ingredients) until bubbly. These can be pre-assembled and refrigerated or frozen. No soggy tortillas! Don't you just love Paleo?

But what about the rice and beans? Well, what about them, right? Serve these with guacamole, sour cream and shredded lettuce tossed with lemon juice. That is a good meal. ¡Buen Provecho!

5 Favorite Paleo Recipes So Far, Part Three: Stewed Apples with Greek Yogurt

Here again, living up to my blog title. As hoped, I have found a nice alternative to eggs for breakfast. With the weather turning cooler (well, sort of), I have been missing a nice bowl of oatmeal, so I came up with an alternative that's not so low carb, but has a decent protein profile. And, well, it's yummy.

Stewed Apples with Greek Yogurt

2 small apples, large dice (Gala, Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, and Fuji are all nice)
2 t butter or coconut oil
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1-2 t sweetener of your choice (Hate to say it, but brown sugar is my favorite. Stevia in the Raw, Maple syrup, or honey work too)
1/2 c Greek Yogurt (Oikos is my favorite)

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat and add apples directly to pan as you wait for butter to melt. Turn down heat to medium low/low depending on your range. Add vanilla and spices and cover. You don't want to pan fry these babies. What you're looking for is a slow stewing so that the apples release their juice and caramelize. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I serve the apples over the yogurt in a teacup and enjoy these with coffee once a week or so.

5 Favorite Paleo Recipes So far, Part Two: Ratatouille Inspired Chicken Soup

Today it's finally cold. Finally. The South's not been good to me this year. But I digress. We celebrated with a pot of soup. Very Paleo-Friendly. And very yum. Enjoy. As with all things Paleo, use the best quality ingredients possible. Organic, cage-free, local, in-season, all-of-the above, whenever possible. For us today, it was none-of-the-above, but it was good, and we were thankful, nonetheless.

Ratatouille Inspired Chicken Soup

3 chicken breasts
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
2 zuchinni, sliced into 1/4 in. rounds
1/2 onion, very roughly chopped
3/4 cup whole baby carrots
1 T minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional ratatouille-like ingredients I didn't happen to have on hand: roughly chopped bell pepper and cubed eggplant

Add all ingredients to pot, cover with water (or part brewed black tea for a richer broth), and boil until the chicken is tender and able to be cut with a fork. That simple. If the chicken breasts are frozen to start with, bring them to a boil with the water on their own for at least 30 min.

We garnished with lemon juice, crushed red pepper and Provencal (or Italian seasoning), because we're Mexican and that's the way we eat soup. I also strained the broth and added the chicken back in for The Littles. They love their veggies. RAW. Thank you very much. But at least they got some of the nutrients, and a lot of the delicious flavor. It was delightful and we ate with the doors open just to feel the fall breeze. Very nice. Enjoy.

5 Favorite Paleo Recipes So far, Part One: Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Disclaimer: This is a Paleo for the Rest of Us Recipe. Which means it's not for the hard-core. Which means, it's fine for me. Sometimes my desire for something sweet (besides fruit) gets the best of me. This version of pumpkin pie fits under the category of Not For Everyday, but is still a whole heck of lot better than a package of cookies split between me and the fam for dinner.

Vita-Mix Paleo Pumpkin Pie

1 pie pumpkin, cooked
1 cup organic whipping cream
1/2 cup raw milk
3 cage- free chicken eggs
1 - 2 t ginger
1 - 2 t nutmeg
1 - 2 t cinnamon
2 t vanilla
1/2 to 1 cup sugar and/or your choice equivalent sweetener (maple syrup is great, but takes longer to bake and half Stevia in the Raw/half sugar is good too).

I just scooped out the pumpkin after cooking it, and threw it straight into the Vita-Mix. (Food processor owners could just process the pumpkin separately.) The first time I made it, I blended it first, and then added the other ingredients. I noticed no difference the second time when I just threw it all in and blended it with the stick. If you use less sugar/sweetener, I'd suggest using the upper range of spices. I poured this in a rather large buttered glass casserole and baked on 375 for 25-35 minutes, depending on the thickness. Alternately, if you want a traditionally shaped pie, this mixture will fill two pie plates. The pie should be soft, but not wet in the center when done, and should not brown. Another good hint for doneness is when it pulls away from the sides of the baking dish.

I've never been a fan of soggy pie crust anyway, so I probably prefer this version to the original. We eat it with homemade whipped cream, since we do dairy on special occasions and, after all, pumpkin pie is a special occasion.