Whole30 Approved Paella Recipe

To start 2019 on a high note, I decided to do the Whole30 diet during the month of January. You can find the rules here.

I went to the local green market they have every Saturday and saw some delicious looking Paella. Now, I couldn't have any because it contained rice and some other banned ingredients. So, naturally, I decided to make my own, Whole30 Approved Paella.

I took to the internet for some inspiration and found this Traditional Paella recipe by Cafe Delites. Perfect. I substituted some ingredients and added a few to make it my own. I primarily used the process / directions listed on Cafe Delites. I particularly like the strips of Fire Roasted Bell Pepper that you can see on top of the picture - it added a sort-of sweetness to the dish (in a way) - this was all Cafe Delite's doing, kudos to them!

I added Frozen Green Peas to this dish - BIG MISTAKE - these are not Whole30 friendly, so I omitted them from the directions below. They are, however, still seen in the image above. Guess I have to add 5 days to make it a Whole35 now.

If you don't like some of the ingredients below, no fear, feel free to exchange them for other ingredients you do like. This is Paella, so you can pretty much put together whatever hodgepodge of ingredients so long you get the flavor you desire. In my opinion, anyways :)

Ingredients:

- Avocado oil

- Chopped red onion

- Minced garlic - Chopped bell peppers

- Fire roasted bell pepper. - Bay leaf - Diced tomatoes

- Tomato paste (optional but I'd recommend) - Chicken bone broth - Boneless, skinless chicken thigh filet (cubed)

- Scallops (I used Faroe Island Scallops - they’re a lot smaller than your typical scallop)

- Mussels

- Jumbo shrimp (I left shell on but you can peel them)

- Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (I cut these into pieces before throwing them in) - Salt & pepper to taste

- Lemon

- Chopped parsley

- Chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Add Avocado Oil to a large pan (preferably non-stick) and heat over medium.

2. In the meantime, chop up your onion and bell pepper, and mince your garlic.

3. When the pan is hot enough, toss in the veggies and garlic and add your Bay Leaf.

4. Once the veggies are nearly tender (the onions will begin turning translucent), push them to one side of the pan to make room and add the Chicken (I couldn't find any at the local store so I just filleted a skinless chicken thigh myself) and brown on all 4 sides of each piece. Once browned, mix the in with the veggies.

5. Add the Scallops and brown on all sides. Once browned, mix with the chicken and veggies.

6. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Wait until the tomatoes start giving off some juice and creating a sauce. Then move on to the next step.

7. Add the Chicken Broth and bring to a boil. I used Organic Chicken Bone Broth from a local vendor named Red Splendor. Check out their website and Facebook page.

8. After the broth cooked down a bit, add the Mussels and Hot Italian Sausage, cover, and lower heat to simmer. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

9. Add the Cauliflower Rice and let soak & simmer (covered) for about 5 minutes. This assumes you already have made cauliflower rice in the first place. If you don't know where to get started, check out the cuban confusion cauliflower rice recipe.

10. Add the Shrimp, squeeze half a lemon's juices, cover, and turn the heat back up to medium! I used left the shells on to enhance that seafood flavor.

11. Once the Shrimp is finished cooking, take off the stove and voila, you're done! Just add the Fire Roasted Bell Pepper strips and sprinkle a little chopped parsley and green onion (scallion) on top.

12. Enjoy!

#Paella #Whole30 #breakfast