Crab Cakes and Paleo - That's What Maryland Does?

Alright. I've come out of hiding. By request. And by force.

Lately, I've been hearing a lot of the question, "so what CAN you eat?!" Um... seriously?

ANYTHING I WANT! ...but prepared differently.

I said it. My hubby and I eat all the same foods those "regular" people eat, only we eat it grass-fed, free of antibiotics and growth hormones, and gluten/dairy free. Simple enough, right?

Here are a couple simple recipes to prove how easy it is to create a comfort meal that won't cause you to feel completely guilty after you eat it.

Fried Chicken - Paleo Style

The Colonel's got nothing on this recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Flour
Iodized Sea Salt
Dried Parsley
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Ground Mustard
Salt and Black Pepper
Coconut Oil (For Pan Frying)
1 Egg
2 lbs of Cage-free, Grass-fed Chicken Breasts (sliced thin)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put a dollop of coconut oil in a frying pan on the stove at medium-high heat. It should be enough to coat the bottom of the pan, so adjust your amount based on the pan size.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. I never measure the herbs and spices when I make this recipe; I just kind of wing it and season it to taste. The mixture should be slightly reddish if you like it with a little kick.
4. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl.
5. Dip a chicken breast in the egg.
6. Toss the chicken with the dry ingredients, taking care to completely coat with flour and spices.
7. Place the chicken in the hot oil, and cook for 2 minutes per side, until browning.
8. Remove the breasts (ooh la la) from the hot pan and place them on a cooling rack on a baking sheet.
9. Bake the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes to cook through.
10. Eat hot and crispy!

I served the fried chicken with some sugar snap peas, which I boiled on the stovetop, and some organic cinnamon apple sauce (with no sugar added, the apple is plenty sweet on its own!).

Maryland Crab Cakes
Ingredients:
1 lb Wild-Caught Crab Meat (I prefer lump)
1/3 cup Almond or Coconut Flour
2 tbsp dried Parsley
1 boat load of Old Bay Seasoning (to taste)
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Egg
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup of Spicy Brown Mustard
Juice of 1 Lemon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk the egg in the bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, excluding the crab meat.
4. Mix thoroughly.
5. Add the crab meat to the bowl, and use your hands to mix, careful not to break up the lumps!
6. Form cakes with your hands and place on a prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. When they begin to set, I like to turn on the broiler for a few minutes to brown the tops.
8. Sprinkle the tops with dried Parsley and Old Bay and serve!

I served the crab cakes with a side of sugar snap peas, boiled on the stovetop again, and some stovetop Butternut Squash. I put 1 tbsp of organic butter in a pan with some olive oil, tossed in the squash, and sprinkled with parsley and Old Bay Seasoning. I swear to promise you, it tasted like I was eating grilled cheese. Not sure what that was about, but it was delicious.