Egg Free Paleo...

I suck at blogging. Seriously, I can't seem to keep up with writing blogs on a regular basis. I don't know how other people do it. I constantly think that I would like to start a blog, I started this one. I think, "I'm going to do better this time." I don't. I fail to open my laptop on nights I'm exhausted or the night gets away from me....or something really great is on TV or a good book keeps calling my name. I guess the fact that I am not a good blogger makes me a novice at that too. Wow...I really did well at picking my blog name.

Anyway, someone the other day told me I should start writing down my Paleo recipes. Many Paleo recipes contain eggs. My son is allergic to eggs so I am forced to modify most recipes pretty extensively and in many cases simply scratch the whole thing and figure it out on my own. There are probably many others like myself who love eating Paleo but have trouble with the mass quantity of eggs that seem to be consumed.  Don't get me wrong, I am not allergic to eggs. I will often have a hard cooked egg for breakfast on the go. But for dinner and weekend breakfasts and lunches...well...I gotta be able to feed my kiddo safely.

Tonight I will begin, hopefully, the journey of bringing you my novice approach to Paleo eating but more specifically, Paleo eating without the eggs. Let it be known, there are many occasions I have to "cheat" on the idea of Paleo for this to work - don't be a hater, I am doing the best I can. Also, as previously mentioned, I suck at blogging - there could be weeks between blogs - don't be a hater, I am doing the best I can.  Oh and yes, I know I am using other people's recipes - I will give credit where credit is due, promise. My inspiration recipes come from wonderfully creative people who are FAR better bloggers than me. I will attempt to do better just for you though. So, with no further ado, here is your first recipe and one of our favorites in my house.

Egg-Free Paleo Chicken Nuggets (with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce)
Modified from original recipe posted by: The Domestic Man

For the Chicken:

• 2-3 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1/2'-1' cubes (or the closest thing you can get - chicken breasts aren't square, I get it)
• 1/4 C. dill pickle juice
• 2 Tbsp (or 1/8 C) coconut milk (not the stuff from the can, the stuff from your fridge)
• 2 Tbsp (or 1/8 C) favorite egg-free mayo (I use Veganaise Soy-Free - light green top*)
• 1/4 C. Arrowroot flour/starch
• 2 Tbsp Almond/Coconut flour
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Dash of cayenne - to taste
• 1/2 - 3/4 C coconut oil or lard (or oil of choice - like bacon fat, for realz YUM - mix in some coconut oil to help the smoke level) for frying

1. Place chicken in a gallon ziplock bag and add the pickle juice. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. (I only did 1 hour and I was super impressed with the results but feel free to go longer if you want.)
2. After marinating, pour out excess liquid/pickle juice.
3. Add coconut milk and egg-free mayo to the bag and mix and squish around to coat the chicken. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
4. While it is resting, in a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients in a small bowl.
5. When your 5 minutes are up, pour out excess liquid. (I did a kind of squeeze action here over the sink so it wasn't too soupy but it should be wet and look creamy-ish.)
6. Add the dry ingredients to the bag and squish and mush and wiggle and massage and shake and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
7. Heat your oil/fat in a frying pan.
8. Fry the chicken pieces in batches - do not over crowd the pan - approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy.
9. Remove to a paper towel to drain excess oil.
10. ENJOY THE HELL OUT OF THESE!!! Dip in mustard sauce that follows!

For the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

• 2 Tbsp Favorite Honey Mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Veganaise

1. Mix together and enjoy!

*NOTE: Yes, I do realize that Veganaise contains rice syrup and pea protein.

And yes, I realize that rice is a grain and pea protein comes from a legume. And yes, I realize that grains, including rice, and legumes are no-nos in the Paleo lifestyle. Let me say a few things to this: 1) If you are looking for egg-free recipes, you likely already know how incredibly difficult it is to find and egg-free mayo that is truly Paleo safe...this one is the closest I have ever found. 2) If you have never tried to find an egg-free mayo that is Paleo safe and you are going to judge me for using this, I suggest you give it a go for yourself and let me know what you find. 3) If you have found a Paleo safe, egg-free mayo - FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD...SHARE!!!  

I would also like to point out that Veganaise is non-gmo...which to me is more important at this point than finding something that may be completely Paleo compliant but potentially has gmos. So there...be a hater if you like, but this is as good as I could get...but again, if you have found one better, please let me know what it is.

So there it is. Your first, egg-free Paleo recipe. Hopefully there will be many more to come! Enjoy! :)