I love the Internet.  Faster than cookbooks when you are looking for something to do with chicken….again!  I found this super easy recipe for Maple Mustard Chicken from Health-Bent, which is a great recipe site.  Thank you Health-Bent, your recipes are fool-proof!

I quickly threw the mustard (I used Trader Joe’s Whole Grain Dijon), maple syrup and dried rosemary into a big bowl, mixed, then threw about 2 lbs or 10 chicken thighs in.  I tossed to coat well, then baked on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for about 1/2 an hour.  The skin of the chicken got nice and crispy, but the chicken stayed moist.  The mustard seeds got kind of crunchy which added a nice touch.

Maple Mustard Chicken

• 2 lbs chicken thighs (or about 10 thighs)
• 1/3 cup Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (or any kind of mustard you have on hand)
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp dried rosemary

1. Mix mustard, syrup & rosemary in a large bowl.

2. Toss chicken to coat.

3. Bake on baking sheet for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

I was able to do all the chopping and cooking of the hash while the chicken baked in the oven.  No real method to my madness, here.  Just using up the veggies that I had in the fridge and seasonings/spices in the pantry.

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Hash

• 1 med sweet potato, peeled & diced small
• 1-2 cups Brussels sprouts, chopped
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Saute sweet potato and Brussels sprouts in coconut oil, till nearly as tender as you would like.

2.  Add vinegar, dried cherries, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve.

Catching up on some old recipes again here.  I have made this dish twice, once for a potluck and once for dinner.  The hubby doesn’t much like cauliflower, but he really like this one.  It seemed to go over pretty well at the potluck, also.  You are going to eat A LOT of veggies when you go paleo/primal, so you might as well stock up on recipes that make those same old veggies taste different! It goes a long way in getting your family to jump on board!

Other than the golden raisins and pine nuts, which we didn’t have and I had to search for a little in the grocery store, all the other ingredients were in my pantry.  There is no reason you couldn’t omit one of those things.  This would still be great just with the sauce.

Cauliflower Caponata (inspired by Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals)

• 1/4 cup olive or coconut oil
• 1 cauliflower head, broken into small pieces
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced (I used the stuff in the bottle. Gasp.)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• salt and pepper

On a baking sheet, spread out cauliflower and toss with oil.  Roast at 350 degrees until the edges start to turn a little brown.  You may have to toss it a couple of times in the meanwhile. (The recipe calls for sauteeing the cauliflower in a pan, but I like roasting it, do what you like.) 

While cauliflower is roasting, saute onion and shallots in some oil for a minute, add all other ingredients (except pine nuts) and simmer with a lid on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.  Stir a couple of times. 

Throw cauliflower into a big bowl, pour “sauce” over it and toss together.  Add pine nuts and salt/pepper to taste. 

Double or triple this and take it to a potluck! Made great leftovers.