Dinner

Black Bean Cakes w/ Jalapeño, Cilantro Remoulade

Every once in a while I enjoy making a meatless dinner, especially with a recipe as packed with flavor as this one. I like to make these when I need to use up some veggies in my fridge, or for a meatless Monday dinner after the weekend. This recipe is gluten-free as well and the cakes can easily be made bigger for burgers. It’s a perfect dish for spring and summer, especially on those hot days when you don’t feel like eating a lot of meat. Did I mention that this remoulade goes great on just about anything? It’s delish. Eat up friends and enjoy food that makes you feel great! Jalapeno Cilantro Remoulade ½ C strained plain greek yogurt 2 tsp fresh lime juice 1 small jalapeoño, minced 1 T cilantro, chopped Salt to taste Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to eat Black Bean Cakes Ingredients: 2 T olive oil, divided 4 green onions, thinly sliced 1/2 red or orange bell pepper, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely diced 1 C shredded sweet potato 1 egg, lightly beaten ½ C almond meal ½ C chopped cilantro 1 T ground cumin 2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed salt and black pepper to taste Directions: 1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. 2. Saute green onions and bell peppers until softened, about 1 minute. 3. Stir in garlic, 2 diced jalapenos, and cumin; cook […]

Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl

  I don’t want you to be overwhelmed by all the steps it takes to make this dish.  None of the steps are difficult and there should be plenty of leftovers so that you can eat it the next day.  This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. I got the idea from a recipe that I saw in a recent Food and Wine magazine but it did not have all the healthy elements so of course, I had to make it my own.  The dressing is mine entirely and I think it makes the bowl. Give this a try!!! Serves 6 Ingredients: Marinade 3 T coarsely chopped lemongrass 2 T finely chopped shallots 2 T coconut sugar 1 ½ T olive oil 1 ½ T fish sauce (such as Red Door) 1 T finely minced garlic ¼ C Bragg’s Amino Acids ¼ tsp crushed Thai chilies (optional) or black pepper   Spicy Chili, Lime and Cilantro Dressing: Zest of 3 limes Juice of 2 limes 1 T brown rice vinegar 2 T raw honey 1 ½ T Bragg’s Amino Acids 3 T avocado oil 1 jalapeno, seeded 1 handful cilantro Salt & pepper to taste   Noodle Bowls:  2 lbs. Skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1 pkg. Vietnamese Brown Rice Noodles (such as Star Anise Foods or Annie Chun’s) 1 large seedless cucumber, shaved 4 cups Arugula 2 large carrots shaved or grated 4 green onions, chopped 1 red or yellow bell pepper sliced thinly ½ C torn […]

Spring Green Soup

  This soup turned out really good especially considering I just came up with it when I had some extra zucchini and dill lying around. It turned out so perfectly! Simple, healthy and absolutely delicious!  Now to top it off, (because you know I love a topping) I added a recipe for lemon-infused greek yogurt.  It’s no joke when I say a dollop of this makes the entire soup experience for me.  I hope you all love this recipe as much as I do.   Ingredients: 2 T ghee 3 spring onions/leeks, finely chopped  (spring onions are the size of leeks) 4 garlic cloves, finely minced 4 zucchini, halved then sliced 1 ½ C frozen peas, thawed 2 C swiss chard, finely chopped 4 C chicken or vegetable stock 1/2 C fresh dill  Salt & Pepper to taste 1 T Greek yogurt per bowl for creaminess   Lemon Infused Greek Yogurt Ingredients :  1 cup plain Greek yogurt 2 tsp. lemon zest ¼ tsp. sea salt     Directions for yogurt: Blend together yogurt, lemon zest and salt.  Let sit in the fridge for 6 hours to chill before using.   Directions for Soup: 1. In a dutch oven, melt ghee over medium heat.  Add in spring onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute.     2. Add zucchini to onions and saute until zucchini is soft and browning a bit. (This is where you get your depth of flavor)     3. Pour […]

Summer Market Grilled Chicken Salad Bowl

This salad is a great recipe to showcase how you can use both my grilled chicken and salsa verde recipes in your everyday life. These two are incredibly versatile! When you have all the “pieces” prepped in your fridge, this kind of goodness is so easy to throw together. I love all the colors in this salad, you can substitute any veggies you want, but I love this combination. If you ever don’t know where to start, just go for color! Eating the rainbow is a terrific rule of thumb for assembling a salad that’s both delicious and nourishing. In the summer especially I enjoy getting my produce from local farmers. Normally everything in this recipe, except for the pumpkin seeds, will come from my farmers market or local farm share. Ingredients: 3 grilled chicken breasts, see my recipe for grilled chicken here 4 hard-boiled eggs 4 sliced beets 6 sliced radishes 3 diced or shredded carrots 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved ¾  cup goat cheese, crumbled ½  cup toasted pumpkin seeds Dressing: 3 TBS. My salsa verde (find recipe here) 1 TBS. olive oil 1 TBS. white balsamic vinegar   Directions: 1. Follow directions for grilled chicken breasts recipe. 2. In a small saucepan add 4 eggs and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, bring the water down to a simmer by lowering the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove eggs and put in ice and water bath. Peel. 3. Place 4 bowls on your […]

Lamb Barbacoa Tacos

  I first came across a recipe by Rick Bayless who is one of my favorite chefs since he specializes in foods from Mexico.  I found that his recipe, although delicious, would be a bit challenging for most with all the specialized ingredients. I tried to make it a bit easier here although there are lots of ingredients.  If you have a difficult time locating the chilies and chili powders you can try an International store near you or just rely on good ole’ Amazon! Don’t let the ingredient list scare you because once you have purchased everything, you will have plenty of ingredients to make it over and over again.     Ingredients: 3 lb. lamb shoulder 1 TBS. Avocado Oil 1 cup chicken stock or beer Salt and pepper 1 large white onion sliced Rub: 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large pieces 1 tsp. Ancho Chili Powder 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped 1 ½ cups tomato puree 1 TBS. coconut sugar 1 ½ TBS. Apple Cider vinegar 1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. Cinnamon ½ tsp ground espresso powder ½ tsp. Smoked paprika 1 tsp. Oregano To Serve: Corn tortillas or Siete grain free tortillas Salsa Guacamole Feta Cheese   1. In a very large (12-inch) skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat.  Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Sear lamb on all sides. Make sure that each […]

Crunchy Walnut Tomato and Basil Chicken Tenders

Do you have any extra cherry tomatoes that need to be used up.  Candied Cherry tomatoes are absolutely delicious and are so easy to make.  If you don’t have the available time you can use olive oil marinated sun dried tomatoes which are just as delicious. This chicken tender recipe is really easy and so so good!!!  It was an impromptu discovery and it is now a family favorite!  I hope you enjoy it!     Ingredients: 4 chicken tenders 1/2 cup candied tomatoes (you can replace these with oil marinated sundried tomatoes) 14 large basil leaves 4 oz. goat cheese 2 egg whites 2/3 cup chopped walnuts 3 TBS. olive oil salt & pepper   Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice chicken tender in half but not all the way through. 3. Spread goat cheese in the center of the chicken tender, layering sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. 4. Chop walnuts into small pieces. 5. In a small bowl, beat egg whites with a fork until frothy.  Add salt and pepper. 6. Close chicken tender tightly around center ingredients.  Gently dip into egg whites and then roll to coat with the walnuts. 7.  Place on parchment covered sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. 8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is done (165 degrees using an Internal Read Thermometer) 9.  Serve alongside some brown rice pasta drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan!!!  

Shakshuka, Susan Style

I first came across this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, “Plenty” by Yotam Ottolenghi. I loved this recipe at first sight and wanted to make it while on vacation at the beach. My only problem was that I didn’t have everything the original called for. So, being me, I decided to wing it and make up my own version. It turned out fantastic! We gave it a little Italian twist and now, after some polishing, its a solid recipe I make often and wanted to share with you all. The warm weather temps have got me thinking of all the delicious dishes that I can make with beautiful, ripe, farm fresh tomatoes; this dish is definitely one of them. I would serve this as a brunch dish but it could also be a very satisfying dinner alongside a green salad and some whole grain bread. Yum, eat up and enjoy! Ingredients: 2 red bell peppers 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced 1 large or 2 medium onions, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 6 roma tomatoes, diced or 15 cherry tomatoes, halved 2 TBS. chopped rosemary 2 TBS. chopped basil 6 eggs 1 TBS. olive oil Salt and pepper to taste ½ tsp. crushed red pepper (optional) Crusty whole grain bread Directions: 1. Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. 2. Add 1 TBS. of olive oil and all the sliced peppers and onions and saute for 5-10 minutes or until you get a nice color […]

Kale and Toasted Pistachio Pesto

  Pesto is so delicious and I love making it so I challenged myself to try a vegan version and I have to say, I think it is the best I have made so far.  I removed all dairy by using nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan and also increased the nutritional value by adding Kale. I also added some toasted pistachios instead of pine nuts and wow!!!  What a difference it made. This pesto is so creamy and full of flavor that you are not missing a thing. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. You can use pesto for so many things, I enjoyed it mixed with some brown rice pasta and a few tomatoes for an energizing meal!     Ingredients:  4 C chopped kale 1 C fresh basil 2 garlic cloves ½ C roasted and salted pistachios ½ C nutritional yeast Juice of 1 ½ lemons Zest of 1 lemon ½ C of olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Brown rice pasta cooked according to box *check the box and make certain it is gluten-free if you are gluten intolerant.     Directions:  1. In a food processor, add kale, basil, garlic, pistachios, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, zest, and salt and pepper.     2. While processor is on the low speed, add in olive oil in a slow and steady stream until pesto comes together.  If you want a looser consistency you can add some additional olive oil or water […]

Pan Seared Chicken Breast

    Ingredients: 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Salt and pepper Avocado oil Herbs de Provence Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 and heat up some avocado oil in a cast iron skillet, (or oven proof skillet of choice) 2. Coat chicken breast with salt and Herbs de Provence 3. Sear chicken breast on both sides until nicely browned. 4. Pop into a 350 oven for 7-9 minutes (7 minutes for a small chicken breast and 8 to 9 for a large chicken breast.) 5. Remove chicken from skillet and allow to rest for 10 minutes on a plate covered in foil. Slice thinly and serve.