New Flavors for New Diet

I successfully completed the 21 Day Sugar Detox! Hurray!! While I'm feeling better, I'm still having some health issues. I ended up getting a second opinion from a naturopath, as my faith in conventional medicine is fading. She believes that I have a problem with my thyroid. Exactly what? No idea... All I know is that I still have a leaky gut and an enlarged thyroid.

One of the ways to treat this medical conundrum as naturally as possible is to adopt the Paleo Auto-Immune Protocol. This means: no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no eggs (which makes me extremely sad!), no nuts, none of the nightshades (IE- eggplant, all peppers, paprika, chili powder and tomatoes), very little fruits and no coffee. Yup... coffee's the other bad one. Yes, it's restrictive... but it's only for 30 days. After that, I can try to add some things back in and hope that they don't affect me.

Anyways, this new dietary commitment makes dinner choices a little more difficult. I am determined use this as an opportunity to create some auto-immune friendly culinary masterpieces! Take, for instance, this goodie:

AIP Smokey Roasted Chicken Legs

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken leg quarters
• 1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tbsp salt 
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano

Method:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a gallon sized, sealable plastic bag. Seal and massage everything until the chicken legs are completely covered. Refrigerate and let marinade for at least a  few hours or overnight. (Overnight is the best option. Also, I guesstimated on the amounts of seasonings/olive oil/vinegar I used. Use your judgement and adjust to suit your tastes. You basically want the chicken covered in juicy goodness.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Place the juiced up chicken legs on the baking sheet and pour on the excess marinade. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 165 when inserted into the center of a chicken thigh. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes.
• Enjoy with your favorite side!

This recipe turned out fantastic! I think letting the chicken soak overnight is really the key here. You end up with a nicely smoky, slightly herby flavor that absolutely rocks! I may be on a restricted diet, but I am not restricting flavor.