Spatchcock Pastured Chicken

One of the drawbacks of getting our own chickens, if you could call it that, is being able to see how happy chickens are when they get to be real chickens. Grazing in the yard, eating bugs, flying around and chasing each other. We've spent countless hours just sitting out back watching the chickens do their thing. Needless to say, it didn't take long before we decided there was no way we could ever eat another factory farmed chicken. We needed to find chickens that lived a natural chicken life, not stuck in a square foot cage never seeing the light of day. Enter Noah Patridge and Emily French of New Roots Farms. We found them through craigslist and were so impressed we purchased 10 of their pastured chickens. It was almost overwhelming trying to decide how we should prepare the first one. Typically our whole chickens get roasted in the oven, but this was a particularly warm day so grilling was the method of choice. To shorten the cooking time we "Spatchcocked" the chicken before grilling.

Spatchcocking:

Step 1

1. Use kitchen shears to cut on both sides of the backbone and remove the spine
2. Leaving the chicken on its belly, turn it so that the drumsticks point away from you.
3. Cut through the piece of white cartilage just below the skin at the base of the breastbone, on the end of the chicken nearest you.
4. Grab the outside edges of the chicken and bend down while pushing up in the middle like you're trying to break the chicken in half. Bend until you hear it crack.

Step 5

5. Run your finger down both sides of the breastbone to loosen it from the skin and pull it out. Mine came out in two pieces.

You have now spatchcocked a chicken and are ready to cook it. First turn it over then rub it down with olive oil or melted butter. Then choose your seasonings. Through much trial and error we've found that something simple like lemon pepper and salt, or garlic salt and cajun seasoning is best.

On the grill

Prepare the grill for indirect cooking by lighting the outside burners but not the middle, or just the burner on one side if your grill has only two. If you have a charcoal grill I'm going to assume you know how to apply this method to your BBQ. Throw the chicken over the unlit burner and cook until done (use a meat thermometer in the thigh or breast. I pull the chicken off when the thigh reads 165F but am not responsible if you get sick! Check the internet if you need more info). Pull it off the grill and let it rest for at least 5 minutes, preferably 10, then cut apart.  The wings make a good snack while carving the rest of the chicken.The legs (thigh and drumstick combo) come off easily as one piece and make a good size dinner portion for one person. In our situation the breasts are usually reserved for leftovers to go on a salad or in another recipe like Alfredo or Peanut Sauce Stir Fry.


Almost done, I promise...side dish time. We call this Salty Garlicky Vegetables. In this case it was Salty Garlicky Bok Choy but just as often happens with regular cabbage or green beans (a favorite). It's easy and delicious.


Chop 1 head of Bok Choy into bite sized pieces
Heat 1-2T cooking fat of your choice in a skillet (I prefer bacon fat for this dish but ghee works just as well) on medium heat
Add the cabbage
Cook until 75% done
Add 1T minced garlic (more or less depending on your taste but the point of this is to be borderline too garlicky)
Add about 2T of Tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos depending on your diet choices, but again the point is to be borderline too salty)
Cook for a few minutes until some of the liquid has evaporated/thickened
Serve immediately

Chicken update

Much like all living things, our cute, fuzzy baby chicks are almost all grown up. When I first mentioned our chickens, they were only a few weeks old and just experiencing what it was like to go outside for the first time. They’ve experienced even more big changes since then.

Around five weeks they got to spend their first night outside in the coop. It was difficult for everybody. They acted like they wanted to go back to the safety of the brooder and our living room, but we tried that the night before and it just wasn’t going to happen a second night. I’m also a sap so tough love isn’t really my thing. Thankfully we all got through the experience unharmed.

The flock at five weeks.
From left to right: Tina, Butters, Sara, Whitney.

Tina being held at 5 weeks.

A few weeks later they were moved to a new, more secure coop and run. They learn quickly, and it only took one night of us walking them up the ramp before they got the hang of it themselves. Of course, they were still sleeping in the nest box (a habit they kept from their old coop) which is a no-no. Teaching them to roost was a far lengthier process, but after a few evenings of me physically putting them repeatedly on the roost they eventually got the hang of it too.

So far one of the most surprising parts of owning chickens is learning how each of them have their own personalities. Some of this is breed specific (for example the Ameraucana’s are far friendlier than the Barnevelders), but not all of it. Tina just wants attention, and even hung out on my husband’s lap for a few minutes last weekend. Butters seems generally confused a lot of the time, and loves to take dust baths more than anybody. Whitney is extremely food driven (then again, so is Tina). Sara is very independent, and far more likely to wander around the yard on her own than in the herd. All of them, however, love to be let out of their run. Exploring is their favorite activity, but we have to keep a watchful eye on them. It’s all downhill once they discover the garden has delicious veggies.

Speaking of food, it’s entertaining to see how receptive they are to new treats. So far dried mealworms are the biggest hit, but they also love corn, cauliflower, yogurt, and heads of cabbage. They also enjoy loose leaves of cabbage and spinach as well as fruit, but they aren’t favorites. The only food they haven’t really liked yet is lettuce.

We’re still a month away from getting any eggs, but I’ll be sure to update when we get our first one!

The flock at 12 weeks. Left to right: Sara, Butters, Tina, Whitney.

Tina being held at 12 weeks.

Sloppy Bobs

Now that we've been eating on our half a cow for six months, some of the usual meals are becoming a bit tiresome, particularly in the ground beef department. While perusing the internet for recipe ideas I was reminded of the classic Sloppy Joe. Except there's no can of Manwich involved, and most importantly it's not over a bun. To avoid confusion, we've affectionately renamed this dish Sloppy Bob.

It's common for us to adapt recipes, but rarely do they come out perfect on the first try. Usually it takes a few tweaks to get it just right. This time we got it dead on. It has the perfect amount of spice, sweetness and tanginess. 

If you want you can serve it over a bed of spinach or other greens, or perhaps a paleo coconut bun. But frankly, there's no need. It's just that good.

Sloppy Bobs

Adapted from Paleo Perfect

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (or other ground meat of your choice)

1 T bacon grease (ghee or coconut oil would also work)

1 medium shredded carrot

1/2 large onion, minced

1 jalepeno, diced

8 oz can tomato sauce

3 T tomato paste

2 T cider vinegar

1/2 T garlic, minced

1/2 t onion powder

Pinch of ground cloves

1/8 t ground all spice

1 T honey

1/2 t salt

1/2 t paprika

1/4 t black pepper

1/4 t dry mustard

1/4 t chili powder

1 t balsamic vinegar

1 t tamari

2 T ketchup

Directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat bacon grease until melted. Add in ground beef, and cook until halfway done. Add the vegetables and cook until they are about 80% done. Next, add in the dry spices and wet ingredients. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

400 Calories; 26g Fat; 19g Carbohydrates; 3g Fiber; 22g Protein.

Sl

Peanut Sauce Stir Fry

Back when we ate fairly unhealthy, stir fry was a great way to ensure we got our vegetables in for the day. Of course it was the standard soy-based sauce, but it still made for a tasty, veggie-filled meal.

Thanks to our current eating habits, we don't exactly need to force the veggies down. However, stir fry has remained a popular item on the weekly menu rotation. One day to change things up, we experimented with a peanut sauce. Both of us had eaten it at least once before, but it wasn't anything special. But oh man. We both love it now. In fact, I couldn't even tell you the last time we had a soy-based stir fry.

If you avoid peanuts for dietary or allergy reasons, you can still make this with alternative nut butters. We've only replaced it with almond butter, though I'm sure others are equally fine.

Peanut Sauce Stir Fy
An All Meat and No Potatoes Original
Serves 5

Ingredients
One pound chicken breast
One pound of veggies. The frozen bags of stir fry veggies are great, or you can create your own with any combination. We like bean sprouts, water chestnuts, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, etc.
1/2 cup peanut butter or alternative nut butter
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce

Directions
In a large skillet, saute chicken until mostly cooked through and add vegetables of your choosing.
Meanwhile, mix the peanut butter, tamari, rice vinegar, ketchup and chili-garlic into a small bowl. Once the chicken and vegetables are cooked thoroughly, add the sauce mixture and stir until the chicken and veggies are fully coated.

Nutrition Information
359 Calories; 49g Fat; 12.2g Carbs; 3.28g Fiber; 26g Protein

Mexican Casserole

Thanks to the 100-plus pounds of ground beef from "Bessie" we're always looking for new recipes. While this Mexican Casserole isn't drastically different than just eating a taco, it's just different enough that it has earned a spot in our meal plan on a couple of occasions now. It may not look particularly appetizing, but it's definitely tasty.

Mexican Casserole
An All Meat and No Potatoes Original
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 large jalapeno, diced
2 gloves garlic, minced
Taco seasoning of your choice
1 pint crushed tomatoes
1 (7.75 ounce) can of El Pato Jalapeno Salsa
3/4 cup sour cream
3 taco sized sprouted corn tortillas (or whichever corn-based tortilla you prefer)
8 oz mexican-blend cheese
Queso Fresco (optional)
Cilantro (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook ground beef. When it's approximately halfway done, add the onion, jalapeno, garlic and taco seasoning. When the veggies and beef are fully cooked, pour into a large mixing bowl. Add in tomatoes, jalapeno salsa and sour cream. Mix thoroughly.
In a deep casserole dish, place 1/3 of ground beef mixture as the bottom layer. Next add 1/3 of the cheese followed by 1/2 of the tortillas. We find it works best if these are ripped into smaller pieces. Repeat the layers once more. For the third and final layer, place the remaining ground beef and cheese. If you prefer, you can replace the mexican-blend cheese with queso fresco for the top layer.
Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 5 minutes. If desired, you can broil for an additional 3 minutes to get the cheese nice and golden.
Serve with freshly chopped cilantro if desired.

Nutritional information, per serving:
459 Calories; 33g Fat; 16g Carbohydrates; 2g Fiber; 24g Protein

Noodleless Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce

Back in the days when I gorged myself on carbs, Fettuccine Alfredo was one of my favorite dishes. Thankfully we've managed to come up with a great recipe that cures my pasta cravings without having to actually eat wheat-filled noodles.

This recipe is actually a combination of two recipes we've enjoyed. One uses cream rather than skim milk, while the other adds cream cheese which helps keep it together for leftovers. The biggest problem with standard Fettuccine Alfredo is that it all the oil separates when it's reheated the next day, making for a subpar lunch. This recipe doesn't have that problem.

While the sauce could be used over anything, they key to making it as a pasta substitute is the veggies. We use lots of onions and broccoli, but you could just as easily include zucchini noodles or your faux-noodle of choice.

Noodleless Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce
Adapted from MattWP10's alfredo sauce on Linda's Low Carb and Dinner and Dessert
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast, diced
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup half and half
2 tablespoons cream cheese
3 ounces parmesan cheese shredded
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
In a large skillet, add butter and chicken and cook over medium-high heat. When it's close to done, add the onion, garlic and broccoli and saute for 5 minutes.
Next, add in the pepper, heavy cream, half and half, and cream cheese. Stir for 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Add in the parmesan cheese, stirring with a whisk until fully melted. Finally, add in the mozzarella and also stir until melted. This can get very thick, so you may want to add a splash of water if it's too thick for your liking.

Nutritional information, per serving:
510 Calories; 35g Fat; 21g Carbohydrates; 5g Fiber; 30g Protein

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

As I mentioned last week, there's really only two meals I'm semi-responsible for putting on the table. The first being Spaghetti Sauce, and the other are these Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas.

We served these with fresh tomatoes and cilantro. And a Corona Light
because it was Cinco de Mayo and we're cliche like that.

I've been eating them for years, as this is another recipe that's been passed down to me from my mom. I again have no idea where they came from, although for some reason I feel like I've seen it in one of my cookbooks. Taste of Oregon rings a bell.

Regardless of where it originated, these enchiladas are delicious. In fact, because of these bad boys I no longer have a desire to ever eat the standard red-sauce variety ever again. It's not that the standard version is bad per say...these are just that good.

These do take a bit of time to make, so I recommend assembling them the night before if it's a week night.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
An All Meat and No Potatoes original

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup
1 can of diced green chilies
1 1/5 cups of Mexican blend cheese
9 soft taco size tortillas
2 jalapenos (optional)
1/2 medium onion (optional)
5 mushrooms (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized pot, boil the chicken until cooked thoroughly. Shred into small pieces and set aside.
While the chicken is cooking, saute jalapenos, onion, mushrooms or whatever veggies you like. Once cooked, set aside to let cool.
Meanwhile, combine sour cream, soup and green chilis. Add the vegetable mixture once cooled. Set aside approximately 1 cup of the sauce mixture. In the larger portion of sauce, add the chicken. Often times I don't quite use the full amount of chicken so use your judgement here.
In a tortilla shell take one or two spoonfuls of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with a pinch of cheese before rolling it up. Place in a 9 x 13 pan and repeat until you run out of the chicken mixture. This seems to be about 8 or 9 tortillas.
Once all the tortillas are in the pan, cover with the remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.