After Mr. Charming and I spent the day Dating Our City, we knew we wanted to end it with a lovely evening at home with a delicious meal.  And we wanted to try something new. 

There seems to be a new phenomenon in the Paleo world in the form of a new book. Being a part of the Paleo community, I'm probably more exposed to things of this nature than most, but I couldn't deny that a certain title kept coming up again and again and again. Paleo Takeout by Russ Crandall. 

Russ Crandall, like many of us in the Paleo world, suffered health ailments that brought him to the realization that food can heal. Except he struggled with much more than the average 20-something. At the young age of twenty-five, Crandall suffered a stroke and has since used his struggles and his story to inspire others through food. A concept very near & dear to my heart. 

Not only is his story inspiring, but he is hands on with his readers. Answering questions, helping to tweak recipes and touring to meet his fans and readers face to face. In the day and age we live in, it's so refreshing to still see that since of connection & community. And aside from all of the RAVE food reviews after people trying out his recipes, it was something endearing that made me RUSH out to pick up my own copy.

Now, here on Nosh & Nurture, I try to infuse a lot of "comfort" food and easy recipes here, to show you that you CAN cook healthy and fast at home. Russ shows us that delicious take-out doesn't have to be a thing of our past. With a background in food, he put together a curated collection of a delicious mix of foods from around the world that are typical 'fast food' eats - and then made them Paleo. 

The first one I tried was a dish I've missed for nearly five years. Honey Sesame Chicken. I altered the recipe slightly to my specifications and needs, (ie: no sesame seeds pictured on mine) but I can tell you hands down that 1. It was 100% satisfying. 2. It was 1000% delicious and 3. I will be serving this at a dinner party in the very near future. 

That third statement is huge. When it comes to hosting dinner parties I only ever serve food that is not only Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free, but I serve food that will pass off as the "real deal". Food that kids will not only eat but enjoy and foods that make people ask, "where can I get more of this?" 

Mr. Charming and I will be trying many more of Mr. Crandall's recipes and I can tell you it's the best $20 I've spent in a long time.

For more information on  Paleo Takeout visit his website here, or the facebook group here, where you can connect with all of us foodies who are trying out his book, page by delicious page.

P.S. this is not a sponsored post. Just a post by a fan who wants to hug this man for bringing crispy honey chicken back into my life. 

These little things are so good.  We eat a lot of baked chicken and grilled chicken with veggies and on salads.  But one night I was craving CRUNCHY chicken.  Like fried chicken, but healthy.  I can't handle grease anymore, and of course it needed to be gluten free.  So I came up with these little fingers and they were so delectable when paired with the Nature's Hollow BBQ Sauce.

They ARE dry without sauce, because of the coating, (inside they are super juicy though!) so you will want a good dipping sauce whether it be a paleo BBQ sauce, honey mustard or ketchup. 

I did a review of the sauce here. And you can buy it online.  Sprout's use to carry it, and still carries the ketchup at some locations, but I can only find the BBQ sauce through their website now.   Read on for the recipe. 

P.S. mine got a little crispy, because it was my first attempt, and I left them in a little long. I have adjusted the recipe below.  Also, the crackers I used DO contain egg, but you could use a gluten-free cracker without to make these also egg-free. 

Ingredients:
1 C. Gluten Free BBQ Sauce (I use Nature's Hollow) (divided)
1/2 C. Honey (divided)
1-2 Lbs. Free-Range Organic Chicken Tenders
Olive Oil or Coconut Oil Cooking Spray
2 Cups Gluten-Free Crackers (I used Yahuda's Gluten-Free Matza)


Directions: 
Mix 1/2 c. BBQ Sauce and 1/4 honey to create marinade and put in low dish or ziploc bag.  Add chicken tenders and shake or mix well.  Put in fridge for 1 to 4 hours.  

Take a box of Yahuda's gluten free matza crackers or something similar and crush until you have fine crumbs.  Pour into a bowl and cover chicken tenders until coated completely. (the marinade will allow the cracker crumbs to adhere nicely.)

*They DO make gluten-free bread crumbs you could use to make a breaded chicken, however those contain yeast and other preservatives that I cannot have, and I LOVED the crunch these crackers provided. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Place in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet (I used organic olive oil cooking spray)

Bake for 20-30 minutes until cooked through.  My crackers got a little too done at 35 minutes, so I altered the recipe to a shorter time. Make SURE your chicken is cooked all the way through. You could also alter it to a lower temp at the longer time. Each cracker/cooking spray is different for how it cooks the gluten-free cracker because they are so dry. 

Combine remaining BBQ sauce and honey to make a dipping sauce & enjoy! 

The possibilities for this veggie stir-fry are endless, however I kept it to veggies that are safe for Auto-Immune Paleo, as I was using a lot of peppers/tomatoes in my dinners lately and I havn't been feeling as well, so I thought I'd omit them with this tasty dish.    There is also a  meat option, and if you eat tofu you may add that as well.  I do not promote the consumption of soy products due to so much soy being GMO, and the way it messes with my hormones. The beauty of this dish is you can alter it to your specifications anyway you like. 

Ingredients:
Vegetables -
1 Medium Size Organic Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
Olive Oil
6 Leaves of Organic Kale

Base -
1 C. Brown Rice
or
1 C. Quinoa
or
Zucchini or Sweet Potato Noodles (For Grain Free)

Toppings -
Chicken Breast (optional)
or
Non-GMO Soy Tofu (optional)


Instructions:
Sauté 1 diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add 6 leaves of cleaned, diced kale.  Kale cleanse the blood as well as the intestines.  Add additional veggies of choicem,  1 package of cooked tofu for protein or grilled chicken, and serve over 1 cup brown rice, quinoa or vegetable noodles.