tomato paste – Oven Love https://www.ovenloveblog.com from scratch, with love...and a little sass Tue, 21 Apr 2015 20:19:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.29 Mini Mexican Zucchini Boats (Grain-Free, GAPS/Paleo/Dairy-Free Option) https://www.ovenloveblog.com/mini-mexican-zucchini-boats-grain-free-gapspaleodairy-free-option/ Wed, 28 Aug 2013 04:54:49 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/?p=2897 zucchiniboats2

I made a real dinner, you guys.

I actually semi-meal-planned it and put thought into it and everything (say what??). Mom/wife of the year!

It’s tough for me to get my head on straight and focus on my every day responsibilities at the moment. The new house is just crazy and it’s consuming my thoughts. I sat down to write my market/grocery list and I reeeeally had to focus, but I got it done. And I actually bought the things on my list at the market without buying any extra stuff (except a strawberry popsicle for my little helper, couldn’t resist). Although.. we did go to Trader Joe’s afterwards and we have about 0.0% self control in that place.. so mission only semi-accomplished. Oops.

We will have to do a whole run down of our Trader Joe’s favorites soon.. I could talk about it all day. Love/hate relationship.

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Okay, so these are mini taco-stuffed zucchini boats. Cute, right? I made them smaller so they’d work nicely for kid portions. I actually thought about making them even smaller, but I thought the filling might fall out. After cooking them, I can say that they’d be perfect bite-sized appetizers if you cut them into 1-inch portions. I’d love to serve teeny tiny ones with some margs- GIANT margs.

If you are paleo or dairy-free, I still think these would be tasty without the cheese. We had some extra filling and we fried it up like a little taco burger, and it tasted great. Cheese not necessary.

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These little boats are a nice way to switch things up if you like tacos, but you’re getting tired of your typical tortilla or lettuce wrap. The zucchini is basically just another vehicle for getting that taco goodness in your mouth. It’s really all about the filling, isn’t it? It takes a little extra time, but it’s not as messy as a taco if you’re feeding them to your child. This is important at my house, since my daughter has crazy-dinner-mess-face every time she eats. Girl is serious about her food.

Hopefully, I can keep up this meal-planning streak for another few days. I think you probably know how that’s going to end..

Mini Mexican Zucchini Boats
 

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*To make things even quicker, you can substitute about 3-4T taco seasoning for the spices.
Author:
Recipe type: Main Course
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
  • 4 medium zucchinis, ends trimmed
  • 1 pound ground beef (I prefer grass-fed)
  • ½ onion, minced
  • ½ green bell pepper, minced
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced/pressed/grated
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional, not Paleo-approved)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • cracked pepper to taste (probably around 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (optional, I used a mixture of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease the bottom of a large baking dish.
  2. To prepare the zucchinis, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh to make a channel. Set aside.
  3. To prepare the filling, mix the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, tomato paste (if using) and spices in a medium bowl.
  4. To assemble, fill the zucchinis with the ground beef mixture. Then cut each zucchini in half (or smaller sections if you life). Place the mini zucchini boats in the greased dish.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes. Pull out of the oven, top with the shredded cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and the cheese is melted. If you’re not using cheese, bake about 30 minutes until the zucchini is soft and the filling is set.
  6. Serve warm and enjoy.

 

 

]]> Chicken, Coconut and Lentil Soup https://www.ovenloveblog.com/chicken-coconut-and-lentil-soup/ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:45:00 +0000 http://www.ovenloveblog.com/chicken-coconut-and-lentil-soup/
I’ve got a thing for soup lately.
Maybe because it’s getting cooler, maybe because I’m trying to include more bone broth in my diet, maybe because you can just throw anything you want into a pot and call it soup.
And this soup is really about just that- throwing a bunch of semi-related ingredients into a pot and waiting until they magically melt together into something delicious. How does it happen?? You wouldn’t think all of this stuff would go together, but it does. It really does.
If you set out to make this, I beg you- please put your thinking cap/game face on at the grocery store and DO NOT forget the naan. It is essential. You will be super sad if you forget it which will put you in no mood to whip up some naan from scratch. Trust me.
Get the naan and make your soup. And then save me a bowl.


Chicken, Coconut and Lentil Soup
 

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adapted from Scaling Back and 101 Cookbooks
Author:
Recipe type: soup
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper cut into ½ inch dice
  • 1 fresh jalapeno or serrano chili, finely chopped, including seeds (I used just ½ to keep the spice down)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh peeled and minced/grated ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped/grated
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ⅓ cup tomato paste
  • 7 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas (or about 2 cups pre-soaked)
  • 2 cups lentils (preferably red; I used green, which is what I had on hand)
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  • fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving

Instructions
  1. Heat the coconut oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan and add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables have softened and start to take on some color.
  2. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and tomato paste and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture is toasty and fragrant.
  3. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, chicken, lentils and chickpeas and cook uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how soft you like your lentils.
  4. At the end of cooking, add the lime juice to taste and adjust with more salt if desired. Serve the soup topped with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and some extra limes on the side.

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