Buffalo chicken cauliflower fried rice

I've been coveting this recipe since my last Whole30, if not the one before that.  There's just something so appealing about buffalo chicken and fried rice and the fact that it's Whole30 compliant.  Honestly, I'm not sure why I never made it before, but I can honestly say that I'll definitely be making it again soon!

My hubby and I both worked a little late tonight and I was able to throw this together in a matter of minutes with the help of a store bought (Whole30 compliant!) rotisserie chicken and frozen cauliflower rice.  Since I used the frozen rice, I had to doctor up the cooking directions a little, but it's totally worth it!  And of course I had to use my signature scallion in the cauliflower rice.  This dinner was so good that after we had finished our dinner, we were both eating directly out of the serving bowl -- until I hijacked the bowl and ran into the kitchen, so that I could save the remaining 1 cup of fried cauliflower rice for lunch tomorrow!

Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice
From Rachl Mansfield

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil (I needed just over 1 T, to coat the bottom of a large frying pan)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 head cauliflower, "riced" (I used 1 bag frozen cauliflower rice)
8-10 oz chicken (I shredded 1/2 a small organic rotisserie chicken - breast and thigh meat)
2 eggs
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Buffalo sauce (I used Tessemae's, but there are others ones, too)
Handful chopped cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
(Doctored a little by me)

Preheat a skillet on medium high and add the oil.
Add onion and cook until fragrant (about 5-7 minutes).

While the onions cook, mix together the buffalo sauce and chicken in a medium bowl.
Let it sit for a bit.

Crack the eggs in a bowl and mix.
Pour the eggs into the skillet and scramble around to cook for a few minutes.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the frozen cauliflower rice to the pan.
Cook cauliflower rice according to package directions.
Add in scallions and let cook for another minute or two.
Season with salt and pepper.

Add the eggs, onions, and buffalo chicken to the pan.
Add more buffalo sauce if needed.
Cook for a few minutes, mixing to incorporate all the flavors.

Remove from heat, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Serve.

This will last 5 days (but honestly, you'll be lucky if you have enough leftover for lunch tomorrow!)

Meatballs

On my previous Whole30s, I did indulge in a few meatballs.  My hubby made his delicious meatball recipe, and then made mine without the breadcrumbs.  Sure, we could've added some almond flour or potato starch, but I figured why mess with something good.  I'd toss them with homemade marinara sauce, and eat them as is, or serve on top of some spaghetti squash.

But when I saw a recipe for BBQ meatball stuffed sweet potatoes, I knew I had to try them!  They've been on my "to make" list since my last Whole30.  And truth be told, I will definitely make them!  But so far, I made the meatball part of the recipe and I cannot.  stop.  eating.  them!

I made my meatballs on the smaller side, since I generally prefer snack-sized foods.  I served them today with some cauliflower rice, and celery sticks (with Whole30-compliant (!!) Tessemae's Buffalo Sauce).  These would be great with sauce over spaghetti squash, on top of a salad, or -- as the recipe intended -- slathered in Whole30-complaint BBQ sauce!  Now I don't have an instant pot (I know, I know, what is wrong with me?!), so I made mine on the stove top and then finished them in the oven.  I've included my cooking directions below.

Meatballs
Recipe from this delicious looking recipe from Healthy Little Peach (And trust me, I'll be making the original recipe soon!), cooking instructions by yours truly

Makes 36 1-1.5 inch meatballs

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (the recipe recommends 90/10 but all I had was 85/15)
1/3 cup chopped sweet onions
2 Tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp garlic powder (I had granules on hand)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 large egg
3 Tbsp tapioca flour (I left this out)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Roll meatballs into 1-1.5 inch balls.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Rub a cast iron skillet with avocado or olive oil.  Just a thin layer is all you need.
Heat the pan over medium-high heat.
Put about 1/3 of the meatballs in the pan.
Turn every 2 minutes, ensuring that the majority of the meatball is seared (I flipped mine twice, 2 minutes on a side for 2 sides).
Remove from the pan and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Repeat with another 1/3 of the meatballs, removing them and placing them on the same baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining 1/3 of the meatballs.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 6 minutes.
Check a meatball to make sure they are cooked through.

Creamy tomato basil soup

I love soup.  I could eat it 365 days a year for at least lunch and dinner; I'd eat it for breakfast, too, if I could find a breakfast appropriate soup (as I'm typing it, I realize that I'm sure I could make egg drop soup breakfast appropriate).

On my last Whole30s, the soup I made was limited to chicken soup.  Good, old fashioned chicken soup, served with chunks of veggies and soup chicken for me; and with additional noodles for my hubby.  And this weird vegetable-turmeric-cashew soup, of which I was not a fan.  But I was craving a good, thick soup.  And so today, on a nearly 80 degree October day, I made creamy tomato basil soup!  Day one of Whole30 and I had this delicious soup to enjoy!

This soup gets its creaminess from coconut milk.  Absolutely no dairy.  So it's totally Whole30 acceptable -- and it happens to be vegan, too.  Full disclosure?  I made it with reduced fat coconut milk because that's what I had at home.  You might need to start with less of the regular fat stuff and then add to taste.

Whole30 Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Recipe by me

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oil (avocado, olive) -- I used avocado
1/2 cup of diced onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomato (make sure there's no sugar added)
1/2 cup coconut milk
4-6 large basil leaves, washed and chiffonaded, plus more for serving
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Directions:

Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Sautee onion in oil until transparent.
Add garlic and sautee, being sure not to burn it.

Add crushed tomato.
Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add coconut milk, starting with 1/4 cup, and mix well.
Continue adding coconut milk until desired level of creaminess.
Add more salt and/or pepper if needed.
Mix in basil.

Variations:

If you prefer a chunkier soup, serve as is.
If you prefer a slightly chunky soup, remove 3/4 cup of soup.  Puree remaining soup with an immersion blender.  Add the reserved 3/4 cup soup back into the pot.
If you prefer a creamier soup, puree the entire pot with an immersion blender.

Serve with basil.

Salmon Patties

I made these salmon patties last Whole30 and fell in love with them!  They're honestly a cinch to put together and they work for literally any meal!  I made a batch last night and am so excited to have them for lunch today!

I've had them hot out of the oven for dinner, served with sauteed spinach and some sweet potato.  They're great cold out of the fridge on top of a salad for lunch, or even next to some eggs for breakfast.  I know, I know....it might sound weird to have salmon for breakfast, but hell, I love lox and they're salmon, too!

I adapted these from a recipe I found online, and the first time I made them I made about 2/3 of the recipe.  There weren't enough and I was so sad when I ate the last one!  These are definitely a keeper, and like I said, they'll work for any meal.  Plus, I think they'd be a great appetizer if you made them smaller, perhaps along with my avocado "deviled" eggs?!

The other nice thing is that you can customize these for your taste.  Add some red pepper flakes; sub in almond flour (I ran out last time so I didn't make it with the flour; they were so good that I skipped it this time, too).


Salmon Patties
Adapted slightly from No Crumbs Left

Ingredients:

1 lb salmon, skinned and boned
3/4 cup celery, diced small
3/4 cup onion, diced small
1/2 red pepper, diced small
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning (I didn't have any, so I used a little garlic and onion powders, black pepper, and cayenne pepper)
1 egg, lightly beaten before adding to rest of ingredients
Olive oil or avocado oil, to brush pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place salmon in food processor and pulse for only 2 seconds, leaving some texture to the fish.
Place in a bowl and add the celery, onion, and red pepper.
Mix well.
Season with salt and Old Bay.

This mixture can sit in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to cook, mix in the egg.

Make patties in desired size.  I used an ice cream scooper for uniform size and then pat them so that they were flatter.
Place patties on a foil-lined pan, which has been lightly oiled.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Flip and bake for another 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool.