Tracy’s Chicken and Herbed Dumplings

Tracy’s Chicken and Herbed Dumplings

by | Jun 20, 2018 | Food, Recipe

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My Grandma’s Dumplings

The first dumplings I ever ate were my Grandma Jo’s. She was a woman of the South, born and bred just outside of Houston in a town her grandfather built called Splendora. Her chicken and dumplings were homey and comfortable, even delicious if she made an effort. Unfortunately, by the time she was making chicken and dumplings for me she was at the stage of her life where she more interested in ways to reduce her workload than in cooking. Her “dumplings” were flour tortillas cut into strips (that approach works better than you might expect.) On special occasions though, she hired a local cook and her friends to make them.

The Best Chicken and Dumplings I Ever Ate

Now, I know very little about these women. I think one was the grandmother of one of the girls I went to school with. My grandmother never introduced the group of ladies that would come over and transform her quiet kitchen into a busy, efficient space just humming with laughter and steaming pots of chicken. They would come into my Grandmother’s kitchen, full of laughter and loud conversation, reminding me of African-American versions of Lila, our cook in Honduras. They were so comfortable and at home in my Grandma’s kitchen. I couldn’t imagine ever being allowed such liberties. Those chicken and dumplings? They are the ones I dream about.

The chicken and dumplings they made began with a pale yellow broth that only comes from making stock from a whole chicken. They would pick all the meat off that chicken and shred it into strips. Then they would then drop flat, fat, floury noodles into the simple broth flavored only with some onion, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper. The dumplings cooked in the broth until they plumped up and floated to the top. Each dumpling slowly making the broth progressively thicker and more gravy-like. I would watch in fascination, hoping to be offered a dumpling to taste test or (even better!) a full bowl; hopefully, before my Grandma caught me begging.

Tracy’s Chicken and Dumplings

I have been trying to recreate these dumplings ever since! I think the ones I make are pretty darn good. I’ve learned how to make a classic chicken broth by reading every recipe I can get my hands on. A good broth is simple to make and well worth the extra time. You can use canned or boxed, but it’s basically the main flavor in this dish, so I think its worth it. I’ve kept my chicken and dumpling simple with just a few classic vegetables but I did fancy things up a bit with some herbs in the dumpling dough. I can’t remember a single Southern Granny doing this, so if you want to keep things classic, just skip ’em. (I won’t be mad, you do you!)

 

Tracy's Chicken and Herbed Dumplings

Chicken and Herb Dumplings

Yield: 8 people
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

This is a Texas style chicken and dumplings with a rich thick broth, a bit of celery and carrots and delicious plump dumplings studded with herbs. 

Ingredients

Chicken Broth

  • 1 tbsp Kosher Salt, Diamond Crystal
  • 1 tbsp Peppercorns, Tellicherry
  • 3 Carrots, whole
  • 2 Celery Stalks, whole
  • 1 Onion
  • 1/2 bunch Parsley
  • 6 sprigs Thyme
  • 4 Chicken thighs
  • 12 Chicken wings
  • 2 Chicken breasts

Herbed Dumplings

  • 3 cups Flour, All Purpose
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 cup Milk, whole
  • 1/3 cup Herbs: parsley, thyme and chives
  • 1/2 cup Lard or shortening

Chicken and Dumplings

  • 1 recipe Chicken broth
  • 3 Carrots, diced
  • 2 Celery stalks, diced
  • 1/2 Onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp Butter, unsalted

Instructions

Chicken Broth

  1. Fill soup pot with water a little more than halfway. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, all the vegetables, chicken (minus the breasts) and the herbs to the pot and boil gently. Skim the white foam off the top as it forms.
  2. Once you have skimmed the white foam off, reduce heat and simmer 2.5 hours. Taste intermittently while it simmers and add more salt if you think it needs it.
  3. After 2.5 hours of simmering add reserved chicken breasts and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Remove the breasts. At this point the chicken thighs and wings should be falling apart. Take out all the rest of the solids and discard. If the remaining chicken is not falling apart simmer a little longer 20 minutes or so. Remove the remaining chicken and set aside to cool. Remove the remaining solids and discard.
  4. Line a fine mesh colander with cheese cloth and place over a large bowl and strain the broth.
  5. Remove the skin from the chicken breasts, thighs and wings and discard (I personally give it to my pups, they love it!) Pick off all the meat and reserve for later. 

Dumplings

  1. In a large bowl add all your dry ingredients for the dumplings. Mix well until all the herbs are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
  2. Add the lard to your dry ingredients and combine with your hands until all the lard is worked in.
  3. Add milk and stir in until the dry mixture becomes a dough. Stir as little as you can. You want it to just come together, but the more your stir the tougher your dumplings will be.
  4. Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dumplings out. Kneed 6-7 times and cut into three sections.
  5. Roll the first section out to 1/16th inch and cut into 1.5 inch pieces. At this point you can refrigerate your dumplings up to 24 hours.

Chicken and Dumplings

  1. Melt butter in a soup pot and then add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until all ingredients have softened. 
  2. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Taste stock and add salt or pepper if needed.
  3. Drop in your dumplings one at a time, stirring as you go until all dumplings are in the stock. Bring stock back up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Taste again. Adjust seasoning if needed.
  4. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes stir and then cover and simmer an additional 15 minutes. 
  5. Time to eat!
© Tracy
Cuisine: American / Category: Main Course

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Beans and Greens Spring Salad

Beans and Greens Spring Salad

by | Apr 11, 2018 | Recipe, Vegetarian

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The Mr. and I have decided to focus a bit more on the vegetables in our diet and cut back on the animal proteins. We aren’t full-blown vegetarians, and we certainly are not vegans. However, we do want to eat more vegetables than we have. I think spring is a great time to start eating more veggies. There are so many delicious veggies just beginning to appear in the stores. This Beans and Greens Spring Salad is an homage to early spring. Lots of green vegetables for a light, fresh weeknight dinner! A couple of things about this salad. Make sure you season with salt every step of the way. The secret to a great salad is seasoning each of your ingredients along the way. Do this, and you will notice a big difference in all your salads.

The Beans

The first step in the process is to prep your beans. I know its easy to get them in a can, and you can certainly do that. Personally, I prefer to cook my own. It’s easy, and if you work a few days ahead. Soak your beans in heavily salted water for 12-24 hours. White beans soak pretty quick so you can do this for less time than you would a black bean. Then in the same pot with the same water bring your beans to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook until soft. I do think it is worth taking the time to make your beans. They aren’t hard to make yourself; it means you have to plan a tiny bit.

If you don’t want to make your beans, you can use a can of beans. They will taste EXACTLY the same. The only real benefit to making beans is that you avoid additives (which careful label-reading can also take care of). Well, that and a bag of white beans is $0.50 and it makes a TON more than you get in a can of beans. I used Great Northern Beans for this recipe because I love their creamy texture, but any white bean will do. These two reasons are enough for me, especially given how little effort it is to make them.

The Vinaigrette

I also recommend making your vinaigrette. Firstly, the vinaigrette is possibly the simplest thing you will ever make. Secondly, commercial dressings mostly have a ton of added chemicals and sugar. I try to avoid sugars like this; if I am going to eat sugar, I want it to be in ICE CREAM. (Have I mentioned my CoolHaus obsession?) Anyway, you can eyeball a dressing like this in a jam jar. The traditional proportion is 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 oil. I also add dijon for the extra flavor and to help with the emulsification. Add some salt and pepper, and you are good to go. Seriously, don’t buy commercial dressing. It is tastier and cheaper to make it yourself.

The Croutons

I recently discovered Central Market’s Savory Hazelnut bread. Ummmm…. I might be addicted. Holy cow, it’s so good. It is studded with hazelnut and little pieces of shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, and goodness knows what else. I don’t care. Its delicious. I know not everyone can get this bread, so if you are not in the DFW area with access to a Central Market try any nutty bread, you can find. I think Orowheat’s Health Nut Bread would be a great substitution, but any nutty bread that strikes your fancy will work.

Recommendations

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, 13 oz
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables

Tim’s Picks!

J. Lohr 2016 Wildflower Valdiguie - Red Wine

A perfect match for our beans and greens dish, this juicy red may also go by the name of Napa Gamay by old time wine aficionados. You will find cherry and pepper notes, lush berry fruit, and a soft herbal palate. This offering does best with a slight chill, it is best to refrigerate about 20 minutes before serving.

I will earn a small commision on some of the products on this page if you purchase through my link. I have only recommended products I know and love. I have not recieved anything from these companies for free.

Beans and Greens Spring Salad

Beans and Greens Spring Salad

This light but fulling spring salad covers all the bases. Protien, tons of veggies and TONS of flavor.

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 8 oz bag Great Norther White Beans
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1/2 box Baby Arugula
  • 2 Spring Onions
  • Parmesean Cheese

Pan Fried Croutons

  • 3-6 slices Nutty Bread
  • 2 tbs Olive Oil
  • Kosher Salt, Diamond Crystal
  • Black Pepper, Fresh ground tellicherry

Vinegarette

  • 6 tbs Olive Oil
  • 2 tbs Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • Kosher Salt, Diamon Crystal
  • Black Pepper, Fresh ground tellicherry

Roasted Carrots

  • 1 bunch Young Carrots (multi-color), with tops
  • 2 tsp Sumac
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • Kosher Salt, Diamon Crystal
  • Black Pepper, Fresh ground tellicherry

Instructions

Beans

  1. Soak your beans in heavily salted water for 12-18 hours. Taste your water to as you salt it. You want to to be very salty, like sea water. I like to use Diamond Crystal salt for this because I understand the quantities and it dissolves quickly. Any salt (other than table salt!) will work here, just make sure the water is not over or under salted.
  2. After your beans have finished soaking bring your beans to a boil in that same water and then reduce to a gentle simmer.
  3. Cook until beans are soft and creamy. The amount of time this takes depends on how old your beans are, the older they are the longer it will take. Most batches take between three and four hours. Start checking them at 2.5 hours.
  4. Once beans are done, turn off heat and allow beans to cool before storing

Crutons

  1. Cut up your bread slices into the cubes. It really does not matter what size, whatever YOU like. I think small-ish ones are nice because they are about the same size as the rest of the ingredients in the salad, which makes for nice balanced bites as you eat.
  2. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil and let it heat. Don't get things too hot here. You want the bread to toast not burn.
  3. Toss the bread cubes into the pan, season with salt and pepper and toss the bread cubes in the pan so they are evenly coated with oil.
  4. Allow the bread cubes to toast and then flip them over and around so they toast on all sides

Roasted Carrots

  1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees
  2. Peel the carrots and cut the leafy green parts off the carrots leaving a bit of the stem.
  3. Line a sheet pan in foil. Then toss your carrots with olive oil, sumac, salt and pepper. You can do this right on the sheet pan. No need to dirty another dish!
  4. Put the carrots on the oven and roast until the carrots are soft and the tips are a bit charred.

Vinegerette

  1. In a jam jar add all your ingredients and shake until well combined

Roasted Red Pepper

  1. Take a whole red pepper and place it directly onto the flame on your stove. Allow it to char to fully black and then turn until it is charred on all sides. Use your tongs for this, it will make it easier to maneuver your pepper so that its black all over.
  2. Put your pepper in a zip top bag and allow it to steam in there for 10-20 minutes
  3. Remove the pepper from the bag and peel off all the charred bits. Tear it open and remove the stem, seeds and white veins.

Assemble your Salad!

  1. About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve. Thinly slice your scallions, using both the white and green parts. Then place in a bowl of water and set aside
  2. Put your arugula into a salad bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside
  3. Cut your carrots into 1.5 inch pieces. I like to cut them at an angle because I think it looks prettier, but do whatever makes you happy! Set aside
  4. Cut your roasted pepper into 1-1.5 inch dice
  5. Add all the ingredients, half the salad dressing but not the croutons to the salad bowl and toss well so that the dressing is well incorporated into the salad and all the ingredients are well dressed. Taste. Add more dressing if needed, add more salt if needed, add more pepper if needed and toss again. Taste, adjust seasoning if needed. Repeat until the salad tastes good to you. Add the croutons and toss one last time. Top with big shavings of parmesan cheese!
© Tracy

Easy Tuna Nicoise-ish Dinner Salad

Easy Tuna Nicoise-ish Dinner Salad

by | Apr 9, 2018 | Paleo, Recipe, Whole30

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Looking for a Easy Weeknight Dinner?

Keeping dinner interesting, healthy and quick all week long, week after week can be challenging. Sometimes I just don’t want to stress about making something, I don’t want to go get that one ingredient I’m missing… I just don’t wanna! For nights like that, I think a nice dinner salad is the way to go!

Tips for Making a Great Salad Everytime!

Make Sure Your Salad Greens are 100% Dry

I think salad spinners are wonderful… but do that washing before you put your greens in the fridge. Wrap your washed lettuce in a paper towel and store. So when you are ready to make your dinner salad they are dry and ready to go. Washing your greens right before your make your salad will make your dinner salad a bit soggy no matter how much you spin those greens.

Season Your Greens

It is important in ALL your cooking to season every step of the way. There are several reasons for this, but the most important is flavor. When you season each step of the way you are adding layers of flavor to each ingredient. When you do this you will actually end up using LESS salt, because you are not trying to compensate for one under-seasoned ingredient. So step one of every single salad? Putting salt and pepper on your lettuce. Use a flaky sea salt or your favorite kosher salt (I always recommend Diamond Crystal). So, before you put any dressing on your dinner salad, season your lettuce with salt and pepper and toss. It does not have to be alot, just grab a pinch of salt and sprinkle it in. Then follow that up with a few grinds of a nice black pepper.

Make Your Own Dressing

Making salad dressing is soooooo easy. You don’t need special tools or ingredients. A simple dressing is just 1/3 acid, 2/3 oil and then you season it from there. You can make any dressing to suit your own preferences and tastes. You can use citrus or vinegar and you can use any oil you find delicious. There is an AMAZING flavor matrix in Samin Nosrat’s cookbook “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” that will help you match flavors if you aren’t exactly sure what to pair with what. I find homemade dressings have a cleaner flavor and are much healthier for you because they have none of the added chemicals and preservatives you almost always find in commercially made dressings. You will also use less salt because homecooks ALWAYS use less salt than food manufacturers. Don’t skimp of the fat though. You need it to really enhance the flavors of the salad.

Use the BIG Salad Bowl

A good dinner salad is really evenly dressed and that means tossing the salad in a really, really big bowl. You need lots of room in that bowl to toss that salad and get dressing all over every single leaf of lettuce. If you don’t have a big salad bowl, use your biggest mixing bowl… and use tongs or your hands to make sure you get best application of dressing on your dinner salad.

Season ALL Your Ingredients

Each element of your dinner salad should taste really good before you put it in your salad. If you are using roasted veggies, taste them and make sure they are well seasoned and yummy. Taste your proteins, make sure they taste really good on their own. Make sure each element is yummy and  ready to eat before adding it to the dinner salad

Super Heavy Ingredients Go on Top

The last thing you want in a salad is to have all the good stuff fall to the bottom. You can just lay your heavy ingredients on top of your greens after you have dressed the salad to make sure you aren’t fishing for the good stuff at the bottom of the bowl. You can try layering your salad as well, Use a plate instead of a bowl and lay your dressed greens on a thin layer on the plate, place your other ingredients on top, maybe drizzle them with a little more dressing so you have a pretty presentation and your ingredients are all evenly dispersed.

We Recommend

Diamond Crystal Salt

 

Tellicherry Peppercorns

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Tim’s Picks!

Chateau d'Esclans 2017 Whispering Angel Rose - Ros Ros Wine
An irresistible pink! Charming, refreshing, refined, and with plenty of juicy, enticing, strawberry and berry fruit. You might taste or smell tart Bing cherry, jasmine, pear blossom; papaya, melon and lemon. So refreshing! Drinkable is an understatement and you’ll keep on coming back for seconds… I bet you can’t resist.
I will earn a small commision on some of the products on this page if you purchase through my link. I have only recommended products I know and love. I have not recieved anything from these companies for free.

 

Tuna Nicoise-ish Dinner Salad

Tuna Nicoise-ish Dinner Salad

This delicious dinner salad is filling and quick and easy to make. Enjoy a healthy delicious salad any night of the week.

Ingredients

Vinegarette

  • 1/3 cup White wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Olive oil
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Paleo worcestershire sauce
  • 2 dashes Fish sauce, Red Boat
  • Salt, Crystal Diamond, Kosher
  • Pepper, Fresh ground

Salad

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tuna Steaks
  • 1/2 bag Mescelun or Spring Lettuce Mix
  • 1/2 Carrot, Grated
  • 1/2 cup Mixed olives
  • 1/4 bag Multi-color baby potatoes
  • 1 handful Pistachios, shelled , chopped
  • Salt, Crystal Diamond, Kosher
  • Pepper, Fresh ground
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1/4 cup Parsley leaves, chopped

Instructions

Prepare Your Salad Ingredients

  1. Heat a cast iron skillet on med high. Drizzle pan with one tablespoon olive oil. Season tuna steak with salt and pepper on one side and put into hot pan, seasoned side down. Cook on one side until nicely brown (about three minutes) flip, season with salt and pepper and cook equal amount of time on second side.
  2. Remove tuna from pan and set aside to cool. When it is cool to the touch flake the tuna into large pieces.
  3. Boil your baby potatoes in salted water. Make sure your water is salty like the sea. Boil until soft, drain and let them get cool enough to handle. Cut them in to quarters. (You can do this upto 5 days ahead)
  4. Place your red bell pepper directly on the flame of your stove until charred completely black on that side. Rotate until charred and black on all sides.  Place pepper into a ziplock bag and seal. Allow it to steam for 10 minutes or so. 
  5. Remove from bag and scrape off all the charred bits. Don't make yourself crazy with it. Just get it all off. Tear open the pepper and remove and discard the seeds, interior veins and stem so all you are left with is the red pepper flesh. (You can do this a few days ahead if you want)
  6. Dice the pepper into 1/4 or 1/2 inch dice. 
  7. If your olives have pits smash them with the back of your knife and remove the pit and seperate the olive into two pieces lengthwise. If they are already pitted just cut your olives in half lengthwise.

Make your Vinegartte

  1. In a measuring cup put juice your half a lemon, add enough vinegar to give you 1/3 cup.
  2. Then pour in your olive oil to fill to 3/4 mark. Add your dijon, fish sauce, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper and worcestershire sauce and whisk. Taste and adjust seasoning and fat and acid levels until you like it. I would recommending dipping a piece of lettuce in the dressing to taste it so you get the most accurate flavor.

Assemble Your Salad

  1. Pour your salad greens into the largest bowl you have. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Toss
  2. Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss.
  3. Pour on 1/4 of the dressing and toss thoroughly. Taste and add more dressing until you are happy with the balance. Serve!
© Tracy
Category: Main Course

Chilaquiles Paleo Style

Chilaquiles Paleo Style

by | Mar 21, 2018 | Featured Recipe, Paleo, Recipe

What Do You Mean… Paleo Chilaquiles?

One of my favorite Sunday brunch foods is Chilaquiles. Since the main ingredient for these babies is tortilla chips, it is 100% not an item you can eat when you are living that paleo life. However, since the wonderful people at Siete Foods developed a DELICIOUS corn free tortilla chip, these babies are BACK in my life. I’m so excited to share my paleo chilaquiles with you!

Fundamentally Chilaquiles are the MOST basic, simple food. It is creative repurposing of leftovers at its best. Tortilla chips bathed in warm salsa. That’s really all there is too it. I love the version using tomatillo salsa, but you can do this with any salsa you like. You need good salsa verde and you need chips. My version has wandered pretty far away from the classic with these paleo chilaquiles.

I was inspired by the wonderful Latin Deli here in Dallas, and decided I wanted to make my own spin on them. My version is topped with fried eggs, pollo pibil, sliced avocado, cilantro and even some pomegranate seeds. I am in deep, deep love with pomegranate right now, so of course I had to toss some on top for a bright sweet touch. Ya’ll, LOVE. It’s been fun developing this Paleo Chilaquiles Recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Pollo Pibil

The chicken for my paleo chilaquiles was inspired by my trip to Tulum, where you can find pollo pibil at pretty much all the local taco shops and chicken stands. I think I am most inspired by the food of the Yucatan Peninsula. As a matter of fact I flip, through David Sterling’s gigantic cookbook on the topic and dream of Mexico all the time.

The food in this part of the Mexico revolves around seasoning pastes called recados. One of the most common is Recado Rojo. If you visit a market during your trip to Mexico you are sure to discover a stall selling recados in all colors of the rainbow, red, black, green. Many of these recados are hard to find here in the US, but recado rojo can be found pretty easily. This achiote paste can be purchased at your local specialty grocer, your local latin grocer or online. While you are at it, go ahead and buy some banana leaves. You will end up with WAAAAY more banana leaves than you need, but don’t worry the whole darn bag is less than $2.00

While you don’t HAVE to have these, I think cooking the chicken in in the banana leaves gives a lovely flavor that can’t be replicated. Very much like the Honduran Skirt Steak, this marinade traditionally calls for naranja agria (sour orange). Since this particular ingredient is EXTREMELY difficult to find here in the US, we are using a combination of orange, lime and grapefruit juice to bring that lovely sour, sweet citrus flavor to the party. This might seem exotic and hard but, it is actually very simple to make. Don’t let the unfamiliar ingredients scare you away from make it!

Tomatillo Salsa

You can’t make chilaquiles of any kind, nevermind paleo chilaquiles without salsa. My preference for these paleo chilaquiles is a tomatillo salsa.This is one of my all time favorite salsas. Given a choice between green and red salsa I will almost always for for the green. This recipe is simple to make and not very hot at all. In the Yucatan this would include some habanero, but I prefer this version with serranos instead. If you have never made your own salsa, let me reassure you. You are basically chucking everything into a sauce pan to simmer and then you are chucking it all in the blender. It does not get much easier than this. I know its pretty easy to buy a jar, but this fresh version is tastier and as a bonus, you get to skip all the nasty preservatives they usually add to keep it shelf stable.

Cashew Crema

Along with the tangy tomatillos you will need something creamy to balance the paleo chilaquiles’ flavors out. If you are like me and passing on most things dairy I think you will appreciate this lovely creamy addition! I like creamy things… but dairy makes me stuffy as all get out. When I have dairy in my life to any significant degree I end up with a stuffy nose, and generally feel a little bloated, so I have been working to limit my dairy intake to really special cheeses and replace all the rest with something plant-based.

My dairy replacements vary by usage. For crema, I might use coconut cream with salt and lime, but it can add a level of sweetness that I don’t always want. In the case of my paleo chilaquiles I really want to add pomegranate to the party. Instead of the coconut sour cream, I use this cashew crema. It’s only a few steps and you can make it ahead so it’s ready to use when you need it. Do try and use it all up within seven days though. It won’t hold longer than that,

Perfect Fried Eggs

This is not a recipe, if you think fried eggs are challenging, rest assured, they are simple. You need either a non-stick skillet or a well seasoned cast iron skillet. For the sake of this post, lets assume you are cooking your eggs in cast iron. First things first though…. crack your eggs into a little bowl and pre-season them with salt and pepper.

Heat that beautiful cast iron skillet up, seriously get it hot… then add olive oil to the skillet and turn it down to medium. Add your eggs to the hot pan, and cover. Let them cook covered for 2 minutes and check them. You want the whites to be set and the yolks to be runny. (ok, well that’s what I want, if you agree do this) If it looks like the whites need a little more setting you can do one of two things. Spoon hot oil from the pan onto the whites that need finishing or put the lid back on for a little longer.

The amount of time this takes 100% depends on the heat of your stove and your preferences with regard to your eggs so play with it, pay attention to your eggs watch for the moment they are how you like them. These are quick so give them your undivided attention for the 5 or 6 minutes it takes to get them right.

Assembling Your Chilaquiles

To assemble your Paleo Chilaquiles layer your platter with your chips, pour hot tomatillo salsa over the chips, top with shredded chicken, fried eggs, and sliced avocado. Then add sprinkle chopped cilantro and pomegranate seeds all over the top and drizzle with the cashew crema.

ENJOY!

Recommendations

My Mexico

Yucatan

Achiote Paste

I will earn a small commision on some of the products on this page if you purchase through my link. I have only recommended products I know and love. I have not recieved anything from these companies for free.

Pollo Pibil

Pollo Pibil

This bright red chicken, is simple to make! Enjoy in your tacos. salads or on your chilaquiles!

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken Thighs, Bone in, skin on
  • 1 cup Orange juice
  • 1/2 cup Lime juice
  • 1/4 cup Grapefruit juice
  • 8 tbs Achiote Paste
  • salt, Kosher
  • 2-3 Banana Leaves

Instructions

  1. Two days before you are ready to cook salt your chicken liberally and refridgerate overnight
  2. One day before you are ready to cook. Combine your juices, achiote paste and salt and puree untill all the achiote paste is completly integrated into the liquid. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  3. In a large container with a lid or a zip top bag, add your chicken and pour in the marinde. Refrigerate 4-24 hours.
  4. Day you are ready to eat! In a dutch oven, place a layer of banana leaves in the bottom of the pan, with the leaves coming up the sides of the pot. Pour in your chicken and the marinade and top with banana leaves. 
  5. Put on the lid and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it begins to boil reduce heat to med-low and simmer the chicken 30-45 minutes until chicken is cooked through and shredable.
  6. Allow to cool, and shred chicken
© Tracy
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Main Course

Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

by | Mar 21, 2018 | Paleo, Recipe, Vegan, Whole30

Tomatillo Salsa

I love a green salsa. If I get to choose between red and green… I go for green everytime. I love the tart, herby, spiciness of them. Don’t get me wrong I love a tomato based salsa as much as the next girl, but tomatillo salsa… well that has my heart!  You can’t make chilaquiles of any kind, nevermind paleo chilaquiles without salsa. My preference is a  smooth tomatillo salsa made in the simplest way possible, just simmer and blend! This recipe is simple to make and not very hot at all (depending on your peppers of course!). In the Yucatan this would include some habanero, but I prefer this version with serranos instead.

If you have never made your own salsa, let me reassure you. You are basically chucking everything into a sauce pan to simmer and then you are chucking it all in the blender. It does not get much easier than this. I know its pretty easy to buy a jar of tomatillo salsa, but this fresh version is tastier and as a bonus, you get to skip all the nasty preservatives they usually add to keep it shelf stable.

Tomatillos and Serranos for Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

A simple and easy tomatillo salsa. Perfect for chilaquiles!

Ingredients

  • 4-6 Tomatillos
  • 1 Serrano pepper
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 1 Bunch Cilantro
  • 1/2 Onion, white or yellow
  • 2 tbs Avocado oil
  • Salt, Kosher

Instructions

  1. Remove the husk from your tomatillos and rinse to remove the sticky film
  2. Place the tomatillos, whole serrano, and garlic clove in a sauce pan full of water and simmer on low heat until the tomatillos and serrano are soft.

Once they are soft, add 1/3 cup of the water (reserve the rest for now) to the blender along with the peppers, tomatillos and garlic.

  1. Roughly chop onion and add to blender
  2. Add cilantro to blender, stems and all
  3. Put the cover of the blender on but leave the cap in the middle off, cover with a kitchen towel and blend until smooth. Be careful here, the ingredients are hot. Add more liquid if needed to get the consistency you want in the salsa.
  4. Taste and add salt until flavor is balanced
  5. Heat the avocado oil in a skillet and then add mixture from the blender into the pan and cook 5-10 minutes until the flavor of the salsa becomes less raw and more rounded. Add salt to taste if needed.
© Tracy
Cuisine: Mexican

Pollo Pibil

Pollo Pibil

by | Mar 21, 2018 | Paleo, Recipe, Whole30

Pollo Pibil

The chicken for my paleo chilaquiles was inspired by my trip to Tulum, where you can find pollo pibil at pretty much all the local taco shops and chicken stands. I think I am most inspired by the food of the Yucatan Peninsula. As a matter of fact I flip, through David Sterling’s gigantic cookbook on the topic and dream of Mexico all the time.

What are Recados?

The food in this part of the Mexico revolves around seasoning pastes called recados. One of the most common is Recado Rojo. If you visit a market during your trip to Mexico you are sure to discover a stall selling recados in all colors of the rainbow, red, black, green. Many of these recados are hard to find here in the US, but recado rojo can be found pretty easily.

Recado Rojo is an achiote paste mixed with spices can be purchased at any local specialty grocer, local latin grocer or online. If you buy your achiote paste at a latin grocery store go ahead and buy some banana leaves. You will end up with WAAAAY more banana leaves than you need, but don’t worry the whole darn bag is less than $2.00

Banana Leaves and Sour Orange

You don’t HAVE to use banana leaves but I think cooking the chicken in in the banana leaves gives a lovely flavor that can’t be replicated. Very much like the Honduran Skirt Steak, this marinade traditionally calls for naranja agria (sour orange). However, this particular ingredient is EXTREMELY difficult to find here in the US. So, we are using a combination of orange, lime and grapefruit juice to bring that lovely sour, sweet citrus flavor to the party. Naranja Agria might seem exotic and hard but, it is actually very simple to make. Don’t let the unfamiliar ingredients scare you away from make it!

Once you have made the pollo pibil you can use it all kinds of ways! Crisp it up in a pan and use it on tacos, in the morning with eggs, in a fitatta, buritto, a mexican inspired soup. There is no limit to what you can do… if it sounds good; try it!

My Recommendations

My Mexico

Yucatan

Achiote Paste

I will earn a small commision on some of the products on this page if you purchase through my link. I have only recommended products I know and love. I have not recieved anything from these companies for free.

Pollo Pibil

Pollo Pibil

This bright red chicken, is simple to make! Enjoy in your tacos. salads or on your chilaquiles!

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken Thighs, Bone in, skin on
  • 1 cup Orange juice
  • 1/2 cup Lime juice
  • 1/4 cup Grapefruit juice
  • 8 tbs Achiote Paste
  • salt, Kosher
  • 2-3 Banana Leaves

Instructions

  1. Two days before you are ready to cook salt your chicken liberally and refridgerate overnight
  2. One day before you are ready to cook. Combine your juices, achiote paste and salt and puree untill all the achiote paste is completly integrated into the liquid. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  3. In a large container with a lid or a zip top bag, add your chicken and pour in the marinde. Refrigerate 4-24 hours.
  4. Day you are ready to eat! In a dutch oven, place a layer of banana leaves in the bottom of the pan, with the leaves coming up the sides of the pot. Pour in your chicken and the marinade and top with banana leaves. 
  5. Put on the lid and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it begins to boil reduce heat to med-low and simmer the chicken 30-45 minutes until chicken is cooked through and shredable.
  6. Allow to cool, and shred chicken
© Tracy
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Main Course

 

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