If I'm going to be completely honest with myself, I wasn't really sure how this whole recipe was going to come together. This was another one of those "throw a bunch of crap together and hope it tastes good in a limited amount of time" scenarios. My boyfriend said, "What's this called?" I told him it didn't have a name. If he liked it we'd name it, if he didn't we didn't need to because I wouldn't make it again.
Turned out it was nameable. Yey!
I really wanted to use coconut yogurt in this because I wanted a thicker, creamier dressing. But, I didn't have any, so I had to make do with the full-fat canned coconut milk. I did a similar dressing to the Pina Colada Salad - Zupas Style, but switched it up just a little. I'm not generally a huge fan of canned chicken. One, it's processed and I try to avoid processed foods. Two, it's pretty high in sodium. But, when you're in a hurry, it works for adding a lean protein to a dish. If you have any cooked chicken on hand, feel free to cube or shred it and use that instead of the canned.
Ingredients:
3 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped
1 can chunk chicken breast, drained (or 1 cup cooked boneless skinless breast)
1 pear, diced
1 can mandarine oranges in juice, drained
1/2 can pineapple in juice, drained
2 T. shredded unsweetened coconut
For the dressing:
2 T. full-fat canned coconut milk (or yogurt)
1 T. honey
1/2 to 1 T. rice vinegar
Few dashes cardamom (go gentle, the flavor is strong!)
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped eggs, chicken breast, diced pear, drained oranges, drained pineapple and coconut. Toss well to combine.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk or yogurt, honey, 1/2 T. rice vinegar and cardamom. If too sweet, add a little more vinegar, a few drops at a time, until the flavor balances.
Pour dressing over salad and toss well to combine. Serve at room temperature, or referigerate and serve cold. Will keep refrigerated for a couple of days.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tostadas
I promised this recipe a couple of days ago, and here it is. This is really fairly simple, comes together quickly, and is ultra yummy. I use pre-made tostada shells because, to be completely honest, I just can't seem to get corn tortillas crispy enough without the oil. Not only that, but it significantly cuts down on prep time. The calories are identical - 80 per shell - but obviously the processed ones are not going to be as good for you as the ones you make at home. I also use canned refried beans (if you buy vegetarian you won't get the lard), but it's still a processed food with additives. Because of the processed stuff this isn't going to be in the regular rotation, but it's sure nice as a treat once in a while!
You can either make these with cheddar cheese, or drizzle some of the cashew cheese sauce over the meat after it's done baking. The cashew cheese sauce has a bit of a kick to it, which I like better than plain cheese. You can top them with whatever you like - sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa - pretty much anything you'd put on a taco. They're a tad messy, though, so don't overload them with goodies or you'll have a hard time eating them. :)
Ingredients:
Drizzle olive oil and cooking spray
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey
Taco seasoning, to taste (recipe follows)
12 tostada shells
1 can vegetarian refried beans
Toppings as desired
Taco seasoning (I got this off the Food Network website)
2 T. chili powder
1 T. ground cumin
2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
Few dashes cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and shake to combine.
Directions:
Drizzle olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, then spray lightly with cooking spray. Add onion and saute until tender. Add ground turkey, cook and stir until no pink remains.
Add taco seasoning according to taste. I usually use all but about a teaspoon or two. Add hot water by the tablespoon as needed for desired consistency (remember the mix contains corn starch - it is designed to make a thick-ish sauce for the taco meat). When desired flavor and consistency is reached, set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat beans in the microwave on on the stove top until warm and spreadable. Spread beans over each tostada shell, and arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top beans with meat mixture, then add cheddar cheese if using. Bake for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges just start to brown, checking every minute or so after the initial 5 to prevent burning.
Remove from oven, add cashew cheese sauce (if using) and top as desired. Makes 6 servings (2 tostadas each).
Variation: Have you ever eaten the nachos at Chili's? They are seriously so delicious. My kids absolutely love them. If you want to replicate Chili's nachos at home, make this dish but omit the turkey. Spread out the beans, top with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted. Cut into fourths with a large knife while still hot and serve with salsa on the side. You could even make their Fajita Nachos by adding chunks of chicken or beef and sauteed onions and bell peppers before topping with cheese.
You can either make these with cheddar cheese, or drizzle some of the cashew cheese sauce over the meat after it's done baking. The cashew cheese sauce has a bit of a kick to it, which I like better than plain cheese. You can top them with whatever you like - sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa - pretty much anything you'd put on a taco. They're a tad messy, though, so don't overload them with goodies or you'll have a hard time eating them. :)
Ingredients:
Drizzle olive oil and cooking spray
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey
Taco seasoning, to taste (recipe follows)
12 tostada shells
1 can vegetarian refried beans
Toppings as desired
Taco seasoning (I got this off the Food Network website)
2 T. chili powder
1 T. ground cumin
2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
Few dashes cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and shake to combine.
Directions:
Drizzle olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, then spray lightly with cooking spray. Add onion and saute until tender. Add ground turkey, cook and stir until no pink remains.
Add taco seasoning according to taste. I usually use all but about a teaspoon or two. Add hot water by the tablespoon as needed for desired consistency (remember the mix contains corn starch - it is designed to make a thick-ish sauce for the taco meat). When desired flavor and consistency is reached, set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat beans in the microwave on on the stove top until warm and spreadable. Spread beans over each tostada shell, and arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top beans with meat mixture, then add cheddar cheese if using. Bake for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges just start to brown, checking every minute or so after the initial 5 to prevent burning.
Remove from oven, add cashew cheese sauce (if using) and top as desired. Makes 6 servings (2 tostadas each).
Variation: Have you ever eaten the nachos at Chili's? They are seriously so delicious. My kids absolutely love them. If you want to replicate Chili's nachos at home, make this dish but omit the turkey. Spread out the beans, top with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted. Cut into fourths with a large knife while still hot and serve with salsa on the side. You could even make their Fajita Nachos by adding chunks of chicken or beef and sauteed onions and bell peppers before topping with cheese.
French Toast
In health circles, there's a lot of buzz about that Ezekiel 4:9 bread. It's a sprouted wheat bread (so note that this is NOT a gluten-free recipe) and has no added sugar. I picked up a loaf a while back and really liked it. But taste isn't everything. It's 80 calories per slice, so you're not really saving anything over regular wheat or whole grain bread, so it got me wondering what the buzz was all about.
Apparently wheat is fairly difficult to digest even if you're not intolerant to it. By sprouting the wheat before milling it, the claim is that it increases the body's ability to absorb the nutrients, and all but eliminates the "anti-nutrients." It was written with a Darwin take: Nothing wants to be eaten, so organisms (including food, apparently) have built in defenses called anti-nutrients. Also, sprouting increases the protein and improves the quality of fiber.
Not only is Ezekiel a better bang for your nutritional buck, it makes incredible French Toast. It soaked that egg right up, and cooked through the center without getting that soggy mush I commonly associate with French Toast. The Ezekiel is the key to this recipe, though I suspect any brand of sprouted wheat bread would work.
I've been working really hard to keep my macro ratios at 40/30/30 (Carb, Fat and Protein, respectively). One serving of French Toast (2 slices) with 5 strawberries and a tablespoon of nut butter gets you right there. If you prefer, make a batch up ahead of time, then just heat it up when you're ready to eat.
Ingredients (for one serving):
2 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Wheat Bread (thawed if frozen)
6 T. liquid egg whites
Dash cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Directions:
Combine egg whites, cinnamon and nutmeg in a shallow dish. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. When it is up to temperature, coat lightly with cooking spray.
Dip one slice of bread at a time into the egg mixture. Don't let it sit too long - it will soak that egg right up. Cook a couple minutes on each side until golden brown. I flipped mine twice to ensure the egg cooked all the way through the middle. Serve immediately, or let cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Apparently wheat is fairly difficult to digest even if you're not intolerant to it. By sprouting the wheat before milling it, the claim is that it increases the body's ability to absorb the nutrients, and all but eliminates the "anti-nutrients." It was written with a Darwin take: Nothing wants to be eaten, so organisms (including food, apparently) have built in defenses called anti-nutrients. Also, sprouting increases the protein and improves the quality of fiber.
Not only is Ezekiel a better bang for your nutritional buck, it makes incredible French Toast. It soaked that egg right up, and cooked through the center without getting that soggy mush I commonly associate with French Toast. The Ezekiel is the key to this recipe, though I suspect any brand of sprouted wheat bread would work.
I've been working really hard to keep my macro ratios at 40/30/30 (Carb, Fat and Protein, respectively). One serving of French Toast (2 slices) with 5 strawberries and a tablespoon of nut butter gets you right there. If you prefer, make a batch up ahead of time, then just heat it up when you're ready to eat.
Ingredients (for one serving):
2 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Wheat Bread (thawed if frozen)
6 T. liquid egg whites
Dash cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Directions:
Combine egg whites, cinnamon and nutmeg in a shallow dish. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. When it is up to temperature, coat lightly with cooking spray.
Dip one slice of bread at a time into the egg mixture. Don't let it sit too long - it will soak that egg right up. Cook a couple minutes on each side until golden brown. I flipped mine twice to ensure the egg cooked all the way through the middle. Serve immediately, or let cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Cashew "Cheese" Sauce
A couple of nights ago I was craving some tostada action. I used to make these fairly often because the boys loved them, but I'd cut them into fourths and make nachos "Chili's Style." Since cheese was out of the question (for me, anyway) I didn't make them that often anymore. It's been a good few years, and the craving was getting stronger.
Back in my vegan days, I learned that cashews were an incredible substitute for anything "creamy." White beans work too, but they're not quite as good as the cashews. I have an Uncheese Cookbook, giving ideas for all sorts of cheese replacement recipes. In the whole book there are only a couple that I actually like, partly because it calls for some really obscure ingredients, and partly because the end product is nothing like what it claims to be. Now, granted, if you've never eaten cheese before I'm sure it's great because you wouldn't know the difference. But otherwise... anyway, cashews work great.
Back to the tostadas. I decided to make a creamy cashew sauce to drizzle over my tostadas, but of course the guys would get real, honest to goodness cheese. I'll post the tostada recipe shortly, because they came out super tasty. The cashew cheese sauce was so freaking good. There was quite a bit left, so I saved it as a dip for chips and veggies. I think the possibilities with this are endless. I would recommend making a little on the thicker side, because you can always thin it down for whatever recipe you're using.
Ingredients:
1 cup cashews (raw, unsalted)
Approx.1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion power
3 T nutritional yeast
1 "squirt" Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Sea salt to taste (if needed)
Directions:
Soak cashews in hot water at least one hour and drain. This step is optional if you have a high powered blender.
Put all ingredients in a blender, starting with about half of the milk. Process on high until very creamy, adding more milk as necessary to reach desired consistency. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an air tight container.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Spicy Apricot Chicken
I can't even remember how I came across the original recipe for this dish. Seems like I've been making it for a couple of years now. I tried making it the other night, but I just couldn't get the flavors quite right. I threw in some chili powder and BAM! there it was. It was a huge hit. I thought it was a bit too spicy, but the guys really liked it. With the chili powder, my BF thought it was a new recipe.
My motto: there's nothing a little chili powder can't fix. Reaffirmed.
Chili powder is a umami. Other umamis include avocado and salt (but I'll use Bragg's if I'm going for a umami). Umami is a Japanese word that means something I can't remember. But! the concept is simple. When your dish is just "missing something," toss in a umami and it will usually fill the flavors right out.
You'll notice that I call for quite a bit of jam. In this recipe, it's a good idea to use no added sugar, all fruit preserves. Yes, I know they're much more expensive than the high fructose corn syrup ones, but it's totally worth it, I promise. You can use all apricot preserves if you like (that's how I used to do it), but I think the bitterness from the orange peel in the marmalade adds another layer of depth to the dish. Don't like it spicy? Just leave out the red pepper flakes and use about half of the chili powder. I would still recommend using the chili powder because, seriously, it was amazing, but you can reduce the amount if you have a sensitive palate.
BTW, did you know that certain flavors will counteract one another? For example, sweet counteracts spice. So if you accidentally put too much chili powder in, you can counter that with a little honey or agave. Soy milk counters nutritional yeast (had to use that one a few times). Too salty? Add something acidic (vinegar, lemon juice, etc). So, while it's best practice to start with less and add more, there are little things you can do to fix things if you goof.
Ingredients:
3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 c. apricot preserves
1/2 c. orange marmalade
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. chili powder
1 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or use slightly less soy sauce)
Directions:
Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts. Cut into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Drizzle olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. I usually add a little cooking spray here as well. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to caramelize. Add chicken chunks and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
While chicken is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
Drain off excess liquid from chicken mixture. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine. Bring back to a simmer. If sauce is too runny, combine a tablespoon of arrowroot powder and a little cold water and stir into sauce.
Serve over cooked brown rice or quinoa.
My motto: there's nothing a little chili powder can't fix. Reaffirmed.
Chili powder is a umami. Other umamis include avocado and salt (but I'll use Bragg's if I'm going for a umami). Umami is a Japanese word that means something I can't remember. But! the concept is simple. When your dish is just "missing something," toss in a umami and it will usually fill the flavors right out.
You'll notice that I call for quite a bit of jam. In this recipe, it's a good idea to use no added sugar, all fruit preserves. Yes, I know they're much more expensive than the high fructose corn syrup ones, but it's totally worth it, I promise. You can use all apricot preserves if you like (that's how I used to do it), but I think the bitterness from the orange peel in the marmalade adds another layer of depth to the dish. Don't like it spicy? Just leave out the red pepper flakes and use about half of the chili powder. I would still recommend using the chili powder because, seriously, it was amazing, but you can reduce the amount if you have a sensitive palate.
BTW, did you know that certain flavors will counteract one another? For example, sweet counteracts spice. So if you accidentally put too much chili powder in, you can counter that with a little honey or agave. Soy milk counters nutritional yeast (had to use that one a few times). Too salty? Add something acidic (vinegar, lemon juice, etc). So, while it's best practice to start with less and add more, there are little things you can do to fix things if you goof.
Ingredients:
3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 c. apricot preserves
1/2 c. orange marmalade
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. chili powder
1 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or use slightly less soy sauce)
Directions:
Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts. Cut into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Drizzle olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. I usually add a little cooking spray here as well. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to caramelize. Add chicken chunks and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
While chicken is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
Drain off excess liquid from chicken mixture. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine. Bring back to a simmer. If sauce is too runny, combine a tablespoon of arrowroot powder and a little cold water and stir into sauce.
Serve over cooked brown rice or quinoa.
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