I don’t know about you, but when I see the words “french onion” preceding anything…my mouth instantly starts to water.
I’m a huge fan of sauteed onions and that sweetness that’s released from this precious veggie. Adding it to almost any savory dish or protein makes it so much better than before – maybe that’s just a personal opinion though.
This entree can easily be made in the pressure cooker or the slow cooker. It’s so versatile! You can pair it with rice, mashed potatoes, diced potatoes, top some baked potatoes or noodles, eat it all by itself, or put it on a roll or bun for a handheld sandwich – you name it!
This recipe DOES use a ton of onions. Trust me, they cook way down! You have to use this much if you want anything to be left and enjoyed when the dish is finished.
Note: SAVE THE BROTH and some onions. It is basically French Onion Soup – which is also one of the most amazing soups known to man. Top a bowl of it with some croutons, some shredded provolone or a big ol slice and broil that bad boy up! It’s incredible easy to get two meals out of this recipe!
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French Onion Shredded Beef {Instant Pot & Slow Cooker versions}
Let me preface this by saying, this recipe is NOT Paleo or Whole30 compliant. It contains chickpeas – well, technically, just the liquid from the can. Personally, chickpeas work for us, and since my husband is intolerant of soy and eggs, this mayo has been a lifesaver!!
Make sure to follow the directions and don’t make this like normal homemade mayo. It can liquefy if you do the steps too quickly. Have patience. It will pay off!
In a deep jar (wide enough to fit an immersion blender), add chickpea liquid, garlic, vinegar, salt, and mustard.
Blend for 45 seconds, ensuring that everything is blended up very smooth, slightly thickened, and emulsified. It will still be fairly runny at this point.
To the jar, drizzle in avocado oil - SO SLOW. You don't want to add more than 1-2 tsp at a time. Stop drizzling and blend for 20 seconds after every 2 tsp.
After 1/4 cup of the oil has been added, begin to add in 1-2 tbsp each time and blend for 20 seconds after each addition.
Repeat step 4 until all of the 1 cup of oil has been added. After 1/2-3/4 cup of oil has been added, you should start to see the consistency of mayo. If you don't, stop adding the oil and blend until it's thickened. (I like to stir the immersion blender around while it's blending. )
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Keeps for up to 7 days. It's even better the second day once the garlic has really had a chance to infuse the mayo!
Talk about flavor! This rice is filled with it! I don’t know about you, but I’m not usually a fan of plain food. I love spices, and this Dirty Cauliflower Rice uses quite a few of them! It’s a good way to pull that spice or two from the back of your cabinet that you haven’t used for months. We all have them! This Dirty Cauliflower Rice is packed with tons of spices and a little bit of heat from the hot sausage and added jalapeño that makes for a dish you just can’t stop eating!
Make it as a main dish, a side dish, or stuff bell peppers with it! It’s super versatile and couldn’t be easier to make!
Yea, you read that right – THREE minutes. This sauce can probably be made even faster if you have a powerful food processor and some quick hands.
Who doesn’t love some good pizza? …Actually, I know there are some crazies out there that just really don’t like it. I personally know a couple of them. That’s just unnecessary negativity, in my opinion. IT’S PIZZA! What’s not to love?!
Unfortunately, there’s actually a lot to dislike if you’re dairy, gluten, or grain free, OR just trying to eat clean. Pizza doesn’t typically fit into most “diets,” but if you look hard and put in a bit of effort, a good, guilt-free pizza can be made. This sauce makes it even easier! However, if you’re looking to treat yourself and you don’t have any dietary restrictions, by all means, TREAT YOURSELF! Pizza is definitely a meal that I treat myself to every now and then – gluten, grain, dairy, plenty of grease and all!
I usually go the classic route with a tomato-based sauce topped with sausage or pepperoni. However, if I ever visit a pizza place with a white garlic pizza on the menu, it’s hard to stick with the classic. I’m talking creamy garlic…not the plain pizza drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with minced garlic and veggies. NO, THANKS.
This sauce perfectly mimics that creamy, alfredo-like sauce on those white pizzas. It’s so good, I found myself “taste-testing” it way too much – to the point that I almost didn’t have enough. Whoops!
I love food that comes together quickly and easily. As a food blogger, that’s not always how it goes. Always testing and tweaking a new recipe. However, this sauce, with it’s minimal ingredients, takes the cake (or pie!) for quick and easy. It was effortless and needed minimal work and attention. I’ll take that any day!
A quick homemade sauce, pre-made crust, shredded rotisserie chicken, thinly sliced onions, some cheese (I used Kitehill dairy-free Ricotta for the pizza pictured), and you’ve got yourself a homemade pizza in no time at all!
If you do not have a good blender or food processor**, soak the cashews for 30 minutes in water.
Add all of your ingredients to your food processor or blender and combine until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a sauce pan over medium heat and whisk until thickened - about 1-2 minutes.
...and it's ready for pizza!
Recipe Notes
*Get the chicken bouillon paste that I use HERE. It's seriously THE BEST.
**I have used a Ninja blender, Vitamix, and a small KitchenAid food processor for this recipe. All have worked just fine. With that being said, some blenders out there just do not cut it. LITERALLY. You can take the chance and try it, even if you question it's power. If worse comes to worse, and the cashews do not blend into a smooth consistency, leave the mixture to hang out in the blender and soften. Come back a half-hour later and blend again! Easy peasy!
I try to not make every recipe in my Instant Pot – and that’s hard! Not everyone has been converted over just yet! However, after making General Tso’s Chicken in under 15 minutes…I’m pretty sure you will be!
This version is an unbreaded version. I would not suggest trying to make the breaded version in your IP, as it will probably end up soggy and just not very appetizing. This is strictly a quick and clean version of a take-out favorite! Totally guilt free and delicious when paired with my Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice (which happens to be Whole30 compliant as well!) This recipe can be easily converted to Whole30 compliant by replacing the honey with pureed fruit – such as pineapple or peaches! (or omitting the honey altogether. Some find that the coconut aminos are sweet enough) Either alternative would still yield a yummy dish!
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Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken (Paleo with Whole30 option)
Add sesame oil and chicken to the pot and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until most of the chicken has some white on it. It does not that to be anywhere near cooked through! This step helps cut down on cooking time AND for the pot to come to pressure quicker!
After your chicken has cooked for those few minutes, combine your remaining ingredients in a separate bowl (except for the arrowroot powder and water) and pour over your chicken.
Place the lid on your pot, turn the valve to seal, press manual and set the time for 8 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, do a QR (quick release), and open it up! It will be bubbly and on the runny side. Now is the time to thicken!
Combine the arrowroot powder and water to make a slurry. Stir this mixture into your chicken until the sauce has thickened! This should only take a minute or so. If you find that it's not thick enough, you can always add a bit more arrowroot/water mixture until the desired consistency is reached.
Be sure to turn the pot off too! It automatically switches to "Keep Warm" mode after cooking. I have forgotten that a time or two!
ENJOY!!
Does anyone else always want Chinese food on Mondays – the day that every Chinese restaurant is closed? Or is that just me? I just love good Chinese food…which, honestly, is RARE! Good as in tasty AND healthy! This “rice” is all of the above. Jam-packed with protein and veggies, this dish is one you can feel good about eating!
If you can find all of the prepped ingredients in your grocery store’s freezer section and have leftover ham (or have a go-to clean, natural brand of already-cooked pork), this dish comes together in MINUTES, is made in one pan, tastes so similar to take-out, AND is Whole30 approved!
Make it a complete meal by pairing it with my Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken! That can also be Whole30 compliant and, the best part, it’s made in under 15 minutes with the help of that handy pressure cooker!
4-5Green onionschopped - use both the green and white parts!
Instructions
In a large sauce pan, add 1 tbsp cooking fat and chopped onion and sauté over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until onions become translucent.
Once the onions have softened, add your chopped ham, riced cauliflower, and remaining fat. I like to crank the heat up and get a nice char on the meat and cauliflower - so much flavor! (that's always my favorite rice - the stuff that has some charred bits in it!)
After about 3-4 minutes, add the remaining ingredients (except for the eggs), and cook until the vegetables are fork tender. This should take about 5 minutes. Note: I used all organic, frozen veggies that were already chopped and riced. HUGE TIME SAVER!
Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking, add your beaten eggs. I make a divet in the pan in the middle of my rice and pour the eggs in there. Once they begin to cook, I just keep stirring everything up until they're all the way cooked. This only takes a couple minutes! No need for another pan - in my opinion! We love eggs, so I add 3 to this recipe. Feel free to add more or less!
Taste now and adjust your seasonings and add more salt, coconut amines, or sesame oil. Just a bit though! You can always add more, but you can't take it out! Personally, I tend to go a bit heavier on the coconut aminos and salt. I love that soy sauce flavaaaa!
Finally, stir in your chopped green onions and you're done! I like them crunchy, but feel free to cook your rice a minute or two longer after stirring them in!
ENJOY!
In the past, whenever I would go out to eat, and Spinach Artichoke Dip was on the appetizer menu, I’d always order it! I loved all of that creamy, cheesy, goodness. Sometimes, I’d just make a meal out of it. However, I’d often leave the restaurant feeling overly stuffed, heavy, greasy, and just not so good. All of that cream and cheese can wreak havoc on one’s tummy – especially the dairy allergic or lactose intolerant tummies! Don’t get me wrong, the dip was always amazing…ALWAYS, but once I began paying more attention to my body and what I put into it, I really began noticing the effects food had on it. I consciously began asking myself, “Is it really worth it?” Now, I’m not saying to never order the spin-dip again. Just…maybe…try passing on it the next time, and going home and making this recipe the next day! (I know, it’s more work and definitely isn’t instantly gratifying. I promise though, it’s worth it!)
This version is packed with protein from the cashews and tons of flavor from onions and garlic – you won’t miss the cheese! (that much 😉 haha) If you’re someone that is lactose intolerant or has a dairy allergy, this is a great substitute to give you that fix!
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Spinach Artichoke Dip (dairy-free with vegan option)
In a sauce pan, saute onions in butter for 5 minutes or until they've become translucent and started browning.
While the onions are cooking, drain water off soaked cashews. In a food processor or high powered blender, combine cashews, broth, and coconut milk. Blend until the mixture has lightened and is very creamy. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a couple tablespoons more of broth until it begins to blend completely.
If your spinach is frozen, follow the cooking directions until it has thawed enough to squeeze the moisture out. You want VERY LITTLE moisture left. If your spinach is thawed, simply wring out the liquid using cheesecloth. You will be surprised with how little spinach you're left with!
Once you've completely pureed the cashews, add the mixture, drained spinach, and remaining ingredients to the cooked onions. Cook the dip over medium low heat for about 10 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasonings! If you want a cheesier flavor, you can add more nutritional yeast. If you want more garlic, (I ALWAYS WANT MORE GARLIC) add more chopped garlic or some garlic powder. I've found that when I add more nutritional yeast, I also have to add more salt amount as well. Use your own discretion! 🙂
Serve hot with tortilla (I like Siete brand chips! They're grain free and made with minimal ingredients!) or try some plantain chips! YUM!
Leftovers of this don't go to waste either. It's delicious when mixed with shredded chicken and cauliflower rice!
