Tomato, Chicken and Chickpea Casserole

It's 2012 and as mentioned in my previous post I am cooking Paleolithic meals for dinner which is basically no carbs and no dairy. So far it has been easy and I have not missed the carbs at all. It's summer time here and this is possibly making it easier to eat salads and vegetables as it's much lighter in the heat. All I do is add more vegetables / salads to our meals and think of clever ways to replace the starch, for example the other day I made bangers and mash but used gem squash instead of potato and I made Eggplant parmigiana but roasted the vegetables with no crumbs instead of crumbing and frying it. I will post these recipes in time as the festive season was a bit too crazy to take pictures with house guests and parties going on daily. Chickpeas and pulses are not supposed to be eaten on this diet as they are also seen as carbs but I really like them and think they are really good for the body so I add them in the diet along with sprouts occasionally.

Results so far are that I feel less bloated even after eating a whole plate of food, the dinner is digesting easier, I have lost a few kilos, I feel more energetic and keen to go to gym even after a busy day at work, I look forward to making dinner and thinking of something to make and it's a lot faster to cook and clean up afterwards.

I suggest giving it a try for a fresh start to the year, keep following this blog for suggestions.

Tomato, Chicken and Chickpea Casserole
Serves 4

1.2 kg Chicken pieces ( I had with the skin but would prefer without)
50ml oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped
4 young carrots, diced
1/2 punnet mushrooms, sliced
2 large baby marrows, sliced
1 tin whole peeled tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas, strained
1 bunch basil chiffonade
3 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp cornflour
lemon juice
salt and pepper
worcestershire
1 bag baby spinach, washed

Method:
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, fry for colour in a pan with a little oil.
Remove the chicken pieces to a casserole dish that has a lid.
Pour off some of the fat and fry the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms and courgettes.
Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes and break them up in the pan, add another 3/4 of the tin filled with water.
Bring to the boil, season the sauce with lemon juice, worcestershire, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken pieces.
Add the fresh herbs and cook for 50 minutes on 190 degrees C with the lid on.
Slake the cornflour in a little water and pour over the dish as well as the rinsed and drained chickpeas.
Place back in the oven for another 20 minutes at the same temperature with the lid on.
Remove from the oven and correct the seasoning.
To serve, rinse some baby spinach and place on the place, place the chicken pieces next to the spinach and spoon the chickpea sauce over the spinach to wilt it.


Recipe and picture Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

The Paleolithic Diet

I'm a chef so its almost impossible to diet and I never really have been on one as although being in a kitchen all day, my food choices are 90 percent healthy. I also suffer with a bit of lactose intolerance so I already have to cut dairy out of my diet which is tough enough. My boyfriend says he needs to watch what he eats.... well he blames me and all the goodies I make and the fact that he sits at a computer all day where I am running around at work most of the time. He asked me to check out the Paleolithic diet and see if I can try it with our meals at home. http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-diet-food-list/

It basically says we should eat food only of the Paleolithic period so this would be eating meat, fish, some vegetables, fruits, seeds and oils. Cut out, pulses, breads / grain products, starches, processed and sweetened foods and dairy.
Meats and fish should be organic where possible and the rule with the vegetables is that if you can eat it raw then you can eat it on this diet.

All fruits and nuts are fine however if you are trying to loose weight then cut them out. Above is an example of one of my dinners and below is a weeks menu.
I must say I am a bread and potato fan and have not even missed it with our meals yet. The meal above is seared Norwegian Salmon, sauteed baby spinach with sesame seeds, beetroot and a tomato and avocado salad.

Week 1

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Monday	Bowl of berries /w coconut milk	Salad /w roasted chicken, cherry tomatoes & olive oil / lemon juice vinaigrette	Paleo Spaghetti	Macadamia nuts
Tuesday	Leftover paleo spaghetti	Chicken & veggie soup /wliver pâté	Beef goulash	Beef jerky
Wednesday	Onion and spinach omelet /w leftover liver pâté	Tuna salad wrapped in lettuce /w almonds	Beef bourguignon Dessert:Coconut ice cream	Hard boiled eggs
Thursday	Bacon & eggs /w piece of fruit	Zucchini and sweet potato frittata	Grilled trout /wbutternut squash soup	Pork Rinds
Friday	Coconut milk smoothie	Citrus beef salad stir-fry	Citrus roast chicken /wsweet potato fries	Bowl of berries /w almonds
Saturday	Cold Leftover roast chicken /w mayo	Lemon & garlic scallops Dessert: Coconut ice cream	Bone marrow/w Waldorf salad Dessert:Baked apples	Dark chocolate covered bacon
Sunday	Tomato and egg stir-fry	Bacon, grape & broccoli salad	Butter chicken	Raw veggies /w guacamole

Picture and article Copyright by Tamsyn Wells