Green Paddy's Day Chicken

It's St. Paddy's Day so why not mix things up and make some ... Green Chicken? It's not as bad as it sounds, it's just a different way of having chicken salad with some yummy greens mixed in - give it a whirl. This is great on its own or paired with some salad greens - or even in a wrap!



Ingredients:

2 x 4oz Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless, cooked, chilled and cut into chunks
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, washed and stems removed
1 Large Ripe Avocado, flesh scooped out into a bowl
Juice of a lime (just in case you need more or less)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Place the chicken chunks in a large bowl for easy mixing.
2. In your food processor, place the basil, avocado, about 2 tbsps of the Olive Oil, a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground pepper. If you wish, you can add a bit of lime juice to keep the avocado from browning, plus it gives it a little tang. Blend until smooth.
3. Coat the chicken with the avocado dressing and toss thoroughly; taste it and see if you need to add a bit more salt or pepper.
4. Eat right away with some salad greens or chill in the fridge for a bit. I would not recommend holding it for more than a day as the avocado will start browning.

Las-egg-na?!

Eggplant Lasagna

Sometimes when you've made the choice to eat paleo,you think of all the things that you miss...like lasagna! This version will never be compared to a true, traditional lasagna,but it makes for a solid stand in! One of the key kitchen tools that can make this easier is a mandolin - it will get the eggplant slices nice and thin for layering...if not, a very sharp knife is your eggplant 'noodle' friend. The filling is something you can experiment with - adding in your favourite veg, or switching out the meat you are using to turkey or even chicken. This is also a perfect dish to make now and freeze for future, just make sure you pack it properly before popping it into your freezer.

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant, trim the top stem off, cut lengthwise thinly
1lb Grass-fed Ground Beef (or ground chicken or turkey if you wish)
1 Medium-size Onion, diced small
1 Cup Mushrooms, diced (use your favourite kinds)
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
30oz (approximately) Diced Tomatoes (if you can your own tomatoes, use them!)
6oz Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp Each Oregano and Basil
1 Tsp Thyme
Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

1. To help the speed of cooking the lasagna when built, you want to pre-cook the eggplant slices. Line a 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or as many trays required to cook all the eggplant slices at the same time.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375F and brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil and place on the tray without stacking them on each other so they cook evenly.
3. Place eggplant in the oven and bake for approximately 3-5 minutes each side, and remove any slices that are cooking faster than the others.
4. Remove the eggplant from the oven and allow to cool.
5. To make the sauce, brown the meat over medium-high heat and drain off any excess fat that accumulates. Add in the garlic, onions, and mushrooms. Cook out for about 8-10 minutes.
6. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste and herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook filling on a simmer for a further 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Layer out your lasagna starting with meat sauce on the bottom, followed by eggplant slices, and continue to until the eggplant slices are done and you cover the top with sauce to finish. If you are okay to eat dairy, as an option you can layer in mozzarella cheese if you wish.
8. Cover lasagna and refrigerate until you are ready to cook or cook immediately at 350 for approximately 20-30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and serve immediately, or you can allow to cool, portion and freeze servings for future meals!