And the freezer cleanout continues! Isnt it weird how some of my favorite recipe creations simply come up from needing to make something work with ingredients I already have? I bought some of the Trader Joes Cauliflower gnocchi about 9 months ago simply out of peer pressure. Everyone kept saying how awesome they were, and then I got home and was like I have no idea what to do with these. So into the freezer they went. I know, you guys are all feeling shocked that Im intimidated by an ingredient. Hey, it happens to everyone at one time or another. Then I started on AIP to help manage my endometriosis, and since they had potato starch in them, they were forgotten about.
In comes Katrinas epic freezer cleanout! I had big plans to make a cauliflower rice, chicken and broccoli casserole, but thanks to my awesome brainfog lately, I managed to forget the cauliflower rice I had put in the freezer at work 3 days in a row. Seriously impressive forgetfulness right? Id already prepped my chicken, broccoli and some bacon, so I needed something else to make this casserole work. In comes the gnocchi. While not completely Paleo compliant due to the potato starch, its made up of about 75% cauliflower, and the rest consists of cassava flour, potato starch, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. I think its compliant enough for me to let it pass every once in awhile! If you want to be super strict about it, there are plenty of recipes out there where you can make your own pretty easily. If you want to make this AIP, youll just need to leave out the mustard and make your own compliant gnocchi)
Servings: 6-8
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes minutes
Hands on Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken thighs
2 C broccoli florets
2 T avocado oil
2 bags frozen Trader Joes Cauliflower Gnocchi (AIP reintro or use strict paleo recipe )
1/2 lb nitrate free bacon
1 med white onion, chopped
1 C chicken broth
1 C coconut cream
3 eggs
2 T nutritional yeast
3 tsp chopped garlic
2 T spicy brown mustard (omit for AIP)
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
4 T arrowroot powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425. Toss chicken and broccoli in avocado oil and season with salt and pepper, then evenly spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast until fully cooked, approx. 20-30 minutes. Make sure to flip the chicken half way through so that it cooks evenly.
- While the chicken and broccoli cook, make the sauce. Heat a large pan and cook the bacon.
- When bacon is done, remove and add onion and garlic into the grease. Cook until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
- Lower heat and add coconut milk, allowing for the heat to melt any delicious chunks. Stir thoroughly and set to the side to cool.
- In a medium bowl, add chicken broth, mustard, eggs and rosemary. Whisk in arrowroot powder . Add onion and garlic, stirring to mix thoroughly.
- Pull out broccoli and chicken. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces, and then layer both along the bottom of a 913 pan. Crumble bacon over broccoli and chicken.
- Layer frozen gnocchi on top of the bacon and then pour sauce evenly over the top.
- Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.