Healthy Pulled Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 shallots (or 1 onion)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 free range chicken thighs. skinned
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cans organic tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Bragg's or soy sause
• 1 cup of dark beer

What to do:

• Chop onion and dice garlic finely. Throw in the slow cooker.
• Mix dried spices in a bowl and set aside.
• Season thighs with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a pan and gently brown chicken thighs over a medium heat. It should be about 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until the skin just starts to brown.
• Take thighs off the heat and put in slow cooker on top of the chopped garlic and onions. Add in tomatoes, maple syrup, vinegar and Bragg’s. Add beer if using.
• At this point you can either add half the spices and put the second half in an hour before the end (this is the best option for flavor, if you will be around then!) or you can put them all in at once, if you are going to be out.
• Turn the slow cooker on low for 7 – 8 hours or turn on high for 4 hours. If you use the beer and there is still liquid when you get home, just turn up to high and take the lid off for about 20 minutes.
• Once cooked, shred chicken with a fork and remove bones.

Nutritional Info: 260 calories, 29g protein, 20g carbohydrate (15g sugars), 7g fat.

Nutritional Highlights: A very good source of Niacin, Manganese and Selenium. 

Mango Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients needed:

• 1 roast chicken, or store bought hormone free rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 large mango, diced
• 1/2 C slivered almonds, toasted
• 10-12 chives, minced
• 1 T curry powder** (if unsalted, add 1/4 t sea salt 1/2 C organic mayonnaise or greek yogurt )
• Handful purple organic grapes, sliced in half Butter lettuce leaves, for serving

What to do:

1. Combine chicken, mango, grapes almonds and chives in a large bowl and give it a stir.

2. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, curry powder, and sea salt, if using.

3. Add the curry mayonnaise to the chicken mixture and gently stir to combine.

4. Serve in butter lettuce leaves.  

Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 pound organic turkey meat

• 1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 shallot, minced

• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 

• Pinch salt

• Pinch black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients with hands.
2. Wash hands, and form into patties.
3. Grill, fan sear, or bake in the oven until done throughout.
4. Top with, fresh greens, grilled onions and avocado!!

SLOW BAKED SALMON SALAD WITH BLACK KALE, MANDARIN ORANGE, ROASTED CARROTS & MEYER LEMON DRESSING

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients:

Serves 2

• 1 bunch baby rainbow carrots, cut into round slices
• 1/2 cup cold pressed olive oil
• 1 spring thyme
• 3 mandarin oranges
• 1 6-ounce wild salmon fillet
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch chives, chopped
• 2 shallots
• 3 Meyer lemons
• 2 T coconut milk
• Sea salt
• 1 bunch black kale, ribs removed, chopped

Instructions:

1. Toss round cut carrots with olive oil, thyme and juice of 1/2 orange (place rind in with carrots). Cover and roast in oven @350 for 25-30 minutes, until fork tender.
2. Prepare the salmon with chopped parsley, chives and 1 shallot. Mix with zest form one lemon and 1 T olive oil. Place salmon pan with mixture and bake in oven for 250 for 12-15 minutes or until just tender to touch.
3. For dressing, whisk together coconut milk, olive oil, 2 chopped shallots, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt.
4. Peel and slice remaining 2 1/2 oranges.
5. Place carrots, orange slices and kale in a bowl and drizzle with dressing. Toss and place on a plate with salmon.

775 calories, 50.2 g fat (9g saturated fat), 47 g CHO, 9 g fiber, 250 mg sodium, 43 g protein.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

• 2 small sweet potatoes 
• 3 oz. crumbled Feta or Goat
• 1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. olive oil/ ghee/ grass fed butter
• ground Sumac for serving or you can use smoked paprika)
• chives or cilantro to top
• sea salt to taste

What to do:

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350F.  Wash sweet potatoes, place in oven and bake 50-60 minutes, or until the sweet potato is easily pierced with a fork.
2. While sweet potatoes are cooking, crumble the cheese into a bowl.  Mix in minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil/butter and spices and let the feta mixture marinate in the fridge while the sweet potatoes bake.  (If you don’t have all those spices I would substitute anything that tastes good with feta such as a little dried oregano or some chopped fresh mint or basil.)
3. When you can stick a fork through the sweet potatoes, remove from oven and cut a section of the top off. Scoop out most of the inside of each sweet potato and add it to the cheese mixture. Use a spoon to fill the sweet potato skins with the mixture, then divide the rest of the cheese between the sweet potatoes, piling it on top.
4. Put sweet potatoes back in the roasting pan and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes more, just until the cheese has started to melt. Serve hot, sprinkled with Sumac and herbs if desired and with salt and fresh ground black pepper to season at the table.

Baked Egg in Avocado

Ingredients:

2 avocados

4 eggs

salt and pepper

Toppings: feta/goat cheese or pesto/salsa

Optional: fresh dill, smoked salmon, prosciutto  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the avocados in half and carefully remove the pit. Put avocados open side up in a large baking dish.

Crack an egg in each avocado half and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until egg reaches desired doneness.

Top with desired toppings while still hot.

Enjoy!!

Salsa Roja

I love hot things, especially salsa. I have always made all different types of fresh salsas. From tomatillo, habenero, roasted salsa, salsa fresca, etc.. This one is different, you can put it on anything.  I was just taught the exact proportions on my last trip to our place in Scorpion Bay by one of the locals. It is simple and you only need a couple ingredients.

View fullsize

·      6 tomatoes (medium size like Roma’s)

·      10-12 Serrano chilies

·      ½ white onion

·      3 garlic cloves

·      ½ bunch cilantro

·      salt and pepper to taste

Fill a saucepan with tomatoes, onion, jalapeños and cover with water. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. (tomatoes should look wilted)

Add raw garlic and all the boiled ingredients to a blender, (tomatoes, Serrano’s and onion) and blend until desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper. Finally, add cilantro at the end and pulse until chunky.

Try it on eggs, tacos, chips, or actually just drink it ;)