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Being half Japanese, I grew up eating Chinese take-out.  Wait. That doesn’t make sense. Oh man I’m tired tonight!  Okay, let’s try this again.  I use to love Chinese take out and was craving something with either peanuts or cashews in the meal. Since I don’t eat peanuts, I went with cashews and made Cashew Chicken.  It was really good and a nice change for us!
 
For the (cauliflower )”rice”, instead of sauteing it, I roasted it, trying to get a more rice like texture and it worked pretty well.   Just blend your cauliflower up into rice-sized pieces, place on greased cookie sheet, broil on 500 for 10 -12 (or until brown) minutes. Then stir it up so the rest of your “rice” can brown.  Then cook another 10 or so and set aside.
 

Okay, now we’re ready to make the Cashew Chicken.  Here is what you need:
 
  • 1 1/2 lb organic chicken, cut into pieces
  • shitake mushroom, 1 package
  • bok choy, 2-3 heads chopped
  • scallions, 2-3 chopped
  • 1/3 cup raw cashews, crushed (skip this or use sunflower seeds if nut allergies)
  • 2 tbsp organic coconut oil
For the sauce, you need:
 
  • 1 cup organic chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (Whole Foods/Publix)
  • 1 pack cashew butter (or 2 tbsp) or sunflower butter if nut allergy
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp minced garlic or 3-4 fresh cloves
  • 3 tbsp tamari (available at Whole Foods, Publix and most other grocery stores)
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
  • 5-10  drops stevia (depending on your preference for sweetness)
  • 1/2 tsp pepper or cayenne pepper
 
I bought this small package of cashew butter (Whole Foods)  since I was trying out this dish for the first time and I wanted to make sure we liked it before I spent $10 on a jar. I think it’s 2 tablespoons worth.  Next time, I will try 2 packages or 1/4 cup if I have a jar around.
 
 
Here is what you need to do:
 

1. In a large soup bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients (from above) and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil on medium heat in pan and cook chicken until it is mostly cooked through and set aside in a large bowl.  I used a chicken I slow cooked all day but either is fine.

3.  Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil  on medium heat in skillet and sautee mushrooms for a few minutes.

4.  Add (well stirred) sauce and chicken to the mushrooms and cook on high for a minute or two and then turn down to low and cook until the sauce starts to thicken.

5.  Just as the sauce is beginning to thinken, add in your bok choy (spinach would work well too) and scallions, stir and let cook on low for about 5 more minutes.

4. Stir in the cashews pieces, spoon over cauliflower “rice” and enjoy!

 
Mmmm, who needs Chinese take-out?
 
 
Night, night!
 

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  • April Ledom - Wow! This recipe is amazing. I was craving chinese food and this hit the spot.ReplyCancel

  • Mary - Made this tonight using sunbutter and sunflower seeds instead of cashew butter and cashew nuts. It was very tasty and satisfying. I did not eat the entire recipe this time so I’m looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow :-).ReplyCancel

  • Marcie Stammen - Yummy….everyone in the family loved this. We didn’t eat it with “cauli-rice”. It was awesome without.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - So happy everyone liked it Marcie!! Thanks for commenting! 🙂ReplyCancel

Have you ever tried Purely Elizabeth’s granola?  If not, don’t.  I’m not kidding.  This stuff is ridiculously addictive!  And at $8 a bag, that could be come an expensive habit.  The other day, I bought this at Whole Foods for Tate as a treat since we had not had it in awhile. Bad idea…turns out it’s as addictive as ever!  The sweet, salty, & cinnamon flavors are fantastic but I also love the simple and high quality ingredients.  They do have gluten free oats in them and yes, I know, oats are not Paleo.  But we all have to cheat once in awhile and as long as you can stick to the 90/10 general rule (paleo 90 percent of the time  –gluten free 100 percent for me, cheat 10 percent), I’m not affected by it physically. And this stuff is so worth it.

Tate took this picture.  Not too bad for my 4 year old huh?

But, it’s not always about me and I have no problem with my family eating this stuff once in awhile, other than the fact that it’s $8 a bag (and I have to hide it from myself!).  So…I thought I can figure out how to make something similar (and a little more paleo) but it would probably take many tries to get it right.  I have to brag and say, after the first time, it was really good!! So much so, we kept trying to put it in the oven, but everyone kept munching on it. I think we ate half the pan before we got to bake it! It’s that tasty!!

What else is so great about this is it take 5 minutes to make, 10 to cook and it’s not messy (without the honey and/or nut butters), and it’s nut free for those with nut allergies, or for those attending school’s with a nut free rule.

Here’s what you need:

  • 1/4 tsp celtic salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp, 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp flax seeds
  • 2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup gluten free quick cooking oats (Whole Foods — make sure to get the quick cooking)
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar 
  • 3 tbsp organic extra virgin coconut  oil
Mix it all together, place evenly on cookie sheet with parchment paper and cook on 350 for about 10 minutes, allow to cool for about 20, and enjoy! So easy you can get your kids to make it!!

Oh with all of the flax and chia seeds, this should be called Omega-3 Granola but it doesn’t sound very catchy, does it?  Any ideas so I can list it under my “recipes” section?

I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend!!

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  • Sophia Basurto - Wow! BEST granola ever. LOVE this recipe and my kids call it a “treat”. Thanks so much!ReplyCancel

Last Sunday, on our trip home from some really fun mountain biking, we were all dreaming of what we would eat (we were starved!) and someone came up with banana bread. Yum! Scott said he’d take George to his afternoon dog training class if I baked some. Done!

They turned out great , super dense, and very similiar texture to the old school banana bread.  I didn’t actually have a loaf pan so I put them in a  muffin tin lined with paper.   While they worked out fine, I think because they were “muffins”, we expected them to be light and fluffy.  So, for the sake of setting expectations, I would use a loaf pan in the future.  But regardless, they were still yummy, super satisfying, and very filling!!

Here is what you need for your Banana Bread:

  • 1 cup almond
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup ground flax (or almond flour)
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar (optional)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp  cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • dark chocolate chips (optional)
We used walnuts and I thought that was a great addition. I did also use some dark chocolate chips on a few for my chocolate loving husband and of course, those were good too!

You know a banana is really ripe when it falls off of the stem.  These were just perfect for the bread…

Here’s what you need to do:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

3.  In a larger bowl, mix wet ingredients together and blend well.  I used my hand mixer to make sure the banana mixed up nice and smooth.

4.  Now, mix up all of the ingredients together. The dough will be thick so be sure to smooth the top of your loaf.

5.  Grease 2 small loaf pans (5 3/4 x 3 1/2) and cook for 35 min.  If you do muffin pans, cook for about 15-20 minutes checking with a butter knife.

 

The kids were super excited to help so I basically let them do all the work.  They’ve gotten really good from cracking eggs, to measuring and mixing, to making a huge mess!

What is it about boys and sticking out their tongue when trying to concentrate??  Do yours to that? Do girls ever do that?  So odd…

So someone was asking the other day if my kids ever get sick of being in pictures.  I was practically bragging saying, “oh, they’re so use to it”…whatever! Tate felt like he was done having his picture taken, so he hopped off his chair and hid. So then, when I asked him “how are people going to know that you ate and actually liked the bread?”, he did this….

I hope you all enjoy these as much as we did!

 

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  • Lindsey - Thanks for the easy & healthy recipe! I always have extra ripe bananas. Can’t wait to make these!ReplyCancel

  • Timley - Hi, my family and I are huge fans of your site. I make those wonderful chicken nuggets and your pancakesfor my 7 year old boy and he and my husband gobble them up. they are lovely on salads with homemade “ranch” dressing. I see your son is wear a baltimore orioles hat. my husband and I are originally from baltimore. just took william back there for his first game. thought his cap was adorable. have a lovely day!!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Timley, thank you so much for your sweet note!! That makes my day! 🙂 BTW, that was my son’s tball team. We are actually in Atlanta but use to live up that way (Philly). Bet your little guy loved the game!!ReplyCancel

  • Jen Rosenfeld - Sign me up for the contest. Your blog is inspirational and beautiful to see at the same time!ReplyCancel

And no, this post doesn’t actually have anything to do with bees or honey, but I just liked the picture of this little guy on our basil plant. So we have this massive plant in our yard and I have been wanting to make good use of it.  After reading about the “Green Goddess” on girl meets paleo, I decided I had to try this (with a few minor tweaks) and man, I am so glad we did.  Everyone loved this — especially Alice!

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1/2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
  • 1 ripe avocado (add an extra half if it’s a big cauliflower)
  • 3/4 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp celtic salt (I like salt so used about 1/2 tsp)
  • dash pepper

Here’s what you need to do:

Start by chopping cauliflower into chunks. Next, put the florets in the food processor and pulse until cauliflower is broken up into rice sized pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt ghee/oil. Pour cauli rice into the skillet, add salt  and some pepper, and sauté until cauliflower is cooked.  It should only take about 10 minutes.

While the cauliflower is cooking, place avocado, basil, olive oil, and lemon juice in food processor and puree until smooth. Next, add salt and pepper to taste.

Once cauliflower is cooked, remove from heat and pour avocado mixture into the pan.  Stir until the cauliflower is fully coated, serve warm and enjoy this amazing side!

Alice, hold this please. Just hold it…

Alice!!! Stop, Alice!!!!

The girl who eats our basil leaves right off the plant of course loved this new side and just couldn’t resist…

Well, I guess I’ll take this as a compliment.  We will be making this one again soon!

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  • Sharon Bowling - Excellent recipe. Love itReplyCancel

    • landriav - Thanks Sharon!! Glad you liked it! We are making it again tomorrow night!ReplyCancel

  • Randa - This is delicious!! Thank you – we made it today for the first time. Will definitely make it again. I assumed you meant 1/2 cup of lemon juice? That’s what I used, since there was no unit given with that ingredient measurement. I love lemony things, so I don’t mind that it’s quite lemony if that was more than you intended.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Sorry just meant 1/2 lemon, juiced. Glad you liked it though!!! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Randa - Ohhh… I get it. 🙂 i’ll try it that way next time. Thanks!ReplyCancel

The past few days I’ve had a couple of people ask about a ranch dressing recipe, but unfortunately I didn’t have one to share.  Since I was bringing a veggie tray to a party today, I thought last night would be the perfect time to figure one out.  I have never made ranch dressing before so I was a little nervous what the kids would think; especially since I had them try this after dinner last night, with full tummies, but they loved it! Yes! That makes me so happy, and, it was super easy to make.

Here’s what you need for the ranch dip/dressing:

  • individual container greek yogurt full fat (we used  7 oz. Fage )
  • 1-2 tsp fresh chives
  • 1 tsp fresh or dried parsley
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder or 2 fresh cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp EVOO
  • 1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Mix all together, add veggies and enjoy!

By the way, this is what was looking at me while I was getting the dip ready last night. How pitiful is this little guy??  I guess this ensures there won’t be any little Georges roaming the streets…

I think Alice actually felt worse than George did…

 

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