Chicken Thigh Fruit & Veggie Salad

Chicken thigh salad: Arugula, tofu, beets, chickpeas, tomato, red onion raspberry, blueberry. With homemade sauce 

This bowl has a lot going on, but it’s still light while being satiating.

Chicken. Buy a pack of organic free range chicken thighs (pasture raised is best if you can get it). Preheat the oven to 425. Put the chicken thighs into a Pyrex. Coat them lightly in enough olive oil so they don’t stick to the dish. Add a pinch of salt to each one (each side), black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a touch of cayenne pepper. Add a little water to the dish. Leave them right side up. Cook at 425 for 20 minutes. 

Beets. Buy 3-4 loose organic beets. Remove the skin. Cut them into quarters (1/8s if they’re large). Place in a pot, add water so covered by 1-2 inches of water. Add two pinches of salt. 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 60 minutes. 

Chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 350. Drain and rinse one can of organic garbanzo beans. In a bowl mix beans, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 pinches of sea salt, generous amounts of black pepper, 2 - 3 pinches of cayenne pepper, and lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon if you have it. Line a tray with aluminum foil. Spread beans evenly, not on top of each other. Roast for 13-15 minutes (longer if you’d like a crunchier chickpea). 

Homemade Sauces. 1 tbsp Primal Buffalo sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tbsp fig balsamic vinegar, 2 pinches of sea salt.

Assemble. Add a handful of arugula, a handful of blueberries, a handful of raspberries, 1 small sliced tomato, 1 slice of tofu chopped into bite size pieces, and 1 slice of red onion chopped. Add 1 chicken thigh chopped into bite size pieces, 1 handful of beets, 1 handful of chickpeas. Drizzle homemade sauce over the top.

Buon Appetito!!

Meat and Purple Potatoes

Ground beef patty, with purple sweet potato, mushroom, zucchini and broccoli.

Ground Beef Patty. Bring a pan large enough to fit the meat to med-high heat, add a tbsp of olive oil. Use 1 lbs of 100% grass fed and finished or pasture raised ground beef. In a mixing bowl add the ground beef, 6 pinches of salt, 6 pinches of black pepper, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tbsp Primal Buffalo Sauce, 1 egg (beat it before adding it), and 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs. Mix it all together.  

Make 4 equal size meatballs using your hands. Add each meatball to the pan individually and flatten until each resembles a hamburger. Cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed and then flip for another 4-5.

Sweet Potato. Place a purple sweet potato in a microwaveable dish. Cover it in a wet paper towel. Add a 1/2 inch of water to the dish. Microwave for 8-10 minutes (or until done). Peel the potato and cut it up into small pieces. Mix in a bowl with two pinches of salt and a tbsp of ghee. 

Mushrooms. Organic baby bellas are good. Bring a pan to medium-high heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil. Slice the mushrooms, and add them to the preheated pan. Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes, then toss and let sit for another five. 

Zucchini. Bring a pan to medium heat. Chop one slice of yellow onion and two cloves of garlic. Add to the pan with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and two pinches of salt. Chop a zucchini in half down the middle. Then chop the halves in half length wise. Then cut into bite size (1 inch) pieces. Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and two pinches of salt. Once the garlic and onion are fragrant, add the zucchini to the pan. Add a splash of water and cover. Let cook for 3-5 minutes. Uncover and flip, then cover again and let cook for an additional 3-5 minutes (until done).

Broccoli. Chop two broccoli crowns into bite size pieces. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and let cook for 3 - 5 minutes (taste test before removing from water). Once strained, add the broccoli back to the pan, add two pinches of salt and a tbsp of grass-fed butter, and mix.

Assemble. Add 1/2 a sweet potato to the bowl. Add 1/2 a handful of each the mushrooms, zucchini and broccoli. Cut one ground beef patty into quarters and add that. Top with red wine vinegar, Ume plum vinegar and 2 - 3 pinches of sea salt.

Buon Appetito!!

Chicken, Broccoli, Peppers!

Baked chicken thighs, broccoli and peppers!

Chicken Thighs. Buy a pack of organic free range chicken thighs (pasture raised is best if you can get it). Preheat the oven to 425. Put the chicken thighs into a Pyrex. Coat them lightly in enough olive oil so they don’t stick to the dish. Add a pinch of salt to each one (each side), black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a touch of cayenne pepper. Add a little water to the dish. Leave them right side up. Cook at 425 for 20 minutes. Ume plum vinegar to serve. 

Broccoli. Chop one broccoli crown into bite size pieces. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and let cook for 3 - 5 minutes (taste test before removing from water). Once strained, add the broccoli back to the pan, add two pinches of salt and a tbsp of grass-fed butter, and mix.

Pepper. Bring a pan to medium-high heat. Chop 1 slice of onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 jalapeno pepper. Add to the pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and two pinches of salt. Cut out the core of three peppers (red, yellow and orange) and slice into 1/8 inch strips. Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 pinches of salt. Add to the pan once the onion, garlic, jalapeno combination starts to give off an aroma. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes depending on how you like your peppers, flipinng every 5 minutes.  

Assemble. Cut one chicken thigh (two if they are small) into bite size pieces and add them to the bowl. Add one handful of broccoli and garnish with fresh chopped onion and a splash of ume plum vinegar. Add a handful of peppers.

Buon appetito!

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Hamburger and Purple Sweet Potato

Hamburger. Bring a pan large enough to fit the meat to med-high heat, add a tbsp of olive oil. Use 1 lbs of 100% grass fed and finished or pasture raised ground beef. In a mixing bowl add the ground beef, 6 pinches of salt, 6 pinches of black pepper, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tbsp Primal Buffalo Sauce, 1 egg (beat it before adding it), and 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs. Mix it all together.

Make 4 equal size meatballs using your hands. Add each meatball to the pan individually and flatten it until it resembles a hamburger. Cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed and then flip for another 4-5.

Purple Sweet Potato. Place a purple sweet potato in a microwaveable dish. Cover it in a wet paper towel. Add a 1/2 inch of water to the dish. Microwave for 8-10 minutes (or until done). Peel the potato and cut it up into small pieces. Mix in a bowl with two pinches of salt and a tbsp of ghee. 

Broccoli. Broccoli. Chop one broccoli crown into bite size pieces. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and let cook for 3 - 5 minutes (taste test before removing from water). Once strained, add the broccoli back to the pan, add two pinches of salt and a tbsp of grass-fed butter, and mix.

Mushrooms. Organic baby bellas are good. Bring a pan to medium-high heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil. Slice the mushrooms, and add them to the preheated pan. Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes, then toss and let sit for another five. 

Assemble. Add 1/2 of the sweet potato. A handful of broccoli. A handful of mushrooms. 1 burger patty. Sprinkle with a couple of pinches of sea salt.

Buon appetito!

Baked Chicken Thighs and 3 Bs

Baked Chicken thighs and three of my favorite B vegetables (beets, broccoli and brussels)!

Buy a pack of organic free range chicken thighs (pasture raised is best if you can get it). Preheat the oven to 425. Put the chicken thighs into a Pyrex. Coat them lightly in enough olive oil so they don’t stick to the dish. Add a pinch of salt to each one (each side), and some black pepper. Add a 1/4 cup of water to the dish. Leave them right side up. Cook at 425 for 20 minutes. 

Broccoli. Chop one broccoli crown into bite size pieces. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and let cook for 3 - 5 minutes (taste test before removing from water). Once strained, add the broccoli back to the pan, add two pinches of salt and a tbsp of grass-fed butter, and mix.

Brussels, cut the stems off and quarter or halve them (if bigger). Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp of olive oil and two pinches of salt. Dice half a poblano chile. Chop one slice of onion. Chop two gloves of garlic. Add onion, garlic and chile to a pan with olive oil, set to medium heat. Once the onions, garlic and poblano start letting off an aroma, add the Brussels. Add a splash of water to the pan and cover. Let cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Toss and cover for another 5. 

Beets. Remove the skin with a peeler or a knife (be careful). Cut medium size beets into quarters, larger beets in eighths. Put them in a small pot with enough water to cover the beets by an inch. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and allow to cook for 45 - 60 minutes (depending on preference). Try to pierce them with a fork. Remove them from water but keep the water you boiled them in. This water now contains all the nutrients that escaped the beets during the process. Put it in a jar in the fridge and enjoy it as a slightly sweet cold drink later in the day. 

In a bowl add a handful of the broccoli, a handful of brussels, and a handful of beets. Cut up a palm size piece of chicken and add it. Chop a few walnuts, add them. Throw on a few raisins for sweetness. Cover the dish with a few pinches of salt, ume plum vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Buon Appetito!!

Salmon Sweet Potato Mash

Sweet potato mash with salmon (mushrooms and brussel sprouts)

Place a sweet potato in a microwaveable dish. Cover it in a wet paper towel. Add a 1/2 inch of water to the dish. Microwave for 4-6 minutes per side (depending on size of potato).

Mushrooms. We like organic baby bellas. Bring a pan to medium-high heat. Add a 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Slice the mushrooms, add them to the preheated pan and mix with olive oil. Add a pinch of salt, 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and toss all together. Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes, then toss and let sit for another three to five.  

Salmon. Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly coat both sides of the filet with olive oil. Place the filet skin up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Add a pinch of salt (or two), black pepper and rosemary. Cook for 8-10 minutes (depending on preference). 

Brussels, cut the stems off and quarter or halve them (if bigger). Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp of olive oil and two pinches of salt. Dice half a poblano chile. Chop one slice of onion. Chop two gloves of garlic. Add onion, garlic and chile to a pan with olive oil, set to medium heat. Once the onions, garlic and poblano start letting off an aroma, add the Brussels. Add a splash of water to the pan and cover. Let cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Toss and cover for another 5. 

Carve out the inside of the sweet potato into a bowl. Add a tbsp of ghee, chopped yellow onion, a few chopped walnuts, 1/2 a handful of raisins, and salt. Mash and mix to your desired consistency.

Add the mushrooms. Add the brussels. Add the salmon. Add a few pinches of salt and ume vinegar and enjoy. 

Buon Appetito!

Swiss Style Birchermüsli Bowl!

Birchermüsli bowl (with blueberries, raspberries, sliced apple, walnuts, cocoa nibs, chia seeds and honey)

Start with the muesli. We got this recipe from our hotel in Meiringen, Switzerland where we stayed for one night this past fall on a through hike. The muesli at breakfast was so good we asked for the recipe. Here it is, modified to fit our dietary wants.

2 cups rolled oats (we used Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats),

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup ground hazelnuts

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups soy milk

1 cup coconut vanilla yogurt

1 cup orange juice

Mix everything and leave it overnight.

Assemble your bowl. Add the muesli (enough to cover the bottom of the bowl). Add a handful of blueberries, a handful of raspberries. Add half a sliced apple. Add a few chopped walnuts, a pinch of chia seeds, a pinch of cocoa nibs, and a drizzle with honey.

Buon Appetito!!