Zoodles with Sunflower Seed Basil Pesto, Roast Chicken and Spinach

I was a pasta addict before the girls went grain free.  I followed the diet with them and found myself feeling more energized, thinner and more engaged in my health and well being.  I still love noodles and will occasionally eat rice noodles but I've really come to love Zoodles or zucchini noodles.  They have an excellent spring to them if you don't overcook them and are a great way to get extra vegetables in with a protein dense sauce or as a center of plate veg. 

Zucchini and basil were both at the Farmers Market this Saturday so this dinner resulted.  My girls are going light on the nuts right now because of oxalic acid so I subbed Go Raw's Sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds and they worked perfectly for the basil.  I had a few chicken legs in the freezer which I thawed and roasted for protein.  I usuall, roast whole chicken legs when I want to add the meat to something.  Keeping the skin on, keeps the meat from drying out and we love the crispy skin as a snack out of the oven while I'm getting the dinner ready. Plus, then you can freeze the bones for making bone broth later on.  

Everything came together pretty quickly and easily for this weeknight work and school day dinner (except roasting time for chicken) and was loved by all. 

This recipe serves 4.  You could easily make this for one or two. Just adjust the zucchini and chicken amounts.  Use about 1 medium zucchini per person and one chicken leg or thigh per person and about 3 cups of spinach per person. Make the whole batch of pesto and enjoy with eggs for breakfast or freeze some for later.  To make this you'll need a spiralizer. I don't have room in my small kitchen for a fancy one so I use a hand held one.  But I'm thinking of where I could stash a counter top version.  Hand cranking four zucchini's is a bit tiresome, if truth be told. 

Ingredients:

Basil Pesto
4 cups basil leaves
2 TBS Sprouted Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Mix
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
salt to taste

2 whole chicken legs
3-4 medium zucchini
12 cups spinach leaves, washed well
Extra virgin olive oil for sautéing

Preheat your oven to 350F. Place chicken in a pyrex or other roasting pan skin side up and roast until skin is crispy and meat is cooked through - about 40 minutes. Do something else for about 20 minutes and then start the pesto. You could wash your spinach or left over dishes etc. 

To make the pesto, place the basil leaves, seeds, garlic and olive oil and blitz until well combined.  Salt to taste. 

Spiralize your zucchini into a large bowl. When the chicken is done pull it out of the oven to cool. Remove the skin. We love the crispy chicken skin as a snack with a pinch of salt. I count this as an appetizer. 

 Over low to medium heat, coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil 2ish TBS. Add the zucchini and begin to sauté.  At the same time, multi task and pull the chicken from the bone.  Reserve the bones for bone broth. 

When the noodles are just starting to become tender but still have a decent bite to them add the spinach and sauté until wilted. When the zoodles are tender but still have spring, turn off the heat and toss in the chicken and pesto.  

Enjoy! 

Salmon Poached in Coconut Lime Ginger with Spinach & English Peas

This comes together very quickly and easily.  It also happens to be delicious and nutrient dense.  Wild Alaskan Salmon is rich in the Omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentanaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are only found in marine algae and seafood.  DHA and EPA are in short supply in the Standard American Diet despite the critical role they play in brain health and fighting inflammation and supporting heart health and staving off depression. A diet rich in DHA is recommended for people with ADHD since this nutrient is often deficient. I try to eat an Omega 3 rich fish at least two times per week. 

You can make this meal for one or more.  If you are making for one, you'll have extra coconut sauce. I like to freeze the coconut sauce for an even quicker and easier meal in the future. English peas are in season as I write this.  You can take the 5-10 minutes it requires to shell them for this ( you won't be disappointed if you do ) or skip it and add frozen or skip the peas all together and add another vegetable of your choice.  Carrots cut thinly on the bias would be lovely and tasty too. 

The ratios below are for 1-2 people except for the sauce, which would be enough for four people.  

Ingredients

1 four once fillet of salmon, skin on preferably
6 or 7 large handfuls fresh spinach, washed and drained
1/4 cup English peas

For the sauce
1 can full fat coconut milk
1.5 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thickly sliced
3 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp coconut sugar
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 Kafir lime leaves
2 TBS boiling water

Method

Place the two Kafir lime leaves in a small bowl and cover with the 2 TBS boiling water.  Let steep while you put all of your other sauce ingredients into a high powered blender.  Blend thoroughly until thick and creamy.   Add the Kafir water to the blender and reserve the leaves. Blend again briefly to incorporate. 

In a skillet add enough of the coconut sauce to cover the fillet of salmon about half way up. If you are making this for one, use a small skillet. Turn the stove onto medium heat and cover the skillet with a lid.  Simmer gently until the salmon is cooked through and will flake easily with a fork - about 5 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook. 

Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside. Add the spinach and sauce until just wilted. Remove the skillet with large tongs or a spoon and place t in the bottom of a bowl (from which you will eat). Add the English peas to the skillet and cook briefly until just tender tasting as you go - about 2-3 minutes. Place the salmon on top of the spinach, leave whole as a fillet or flake with a fork.  then pour the coconut sauce and English peas into the bowl. Serve with a little lime zest on top of the fish and a good quality flaky salt.  

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Grain Free Strawberry Ginger Scones

It's nice to have baked goods you can feel good about.  I served these along scrambled eggs for breakfast on a grumpy morning.  Mood always improves with food around here but it helps to have a treat :-). I used Zen Belly's scone dough base because I have yet to learn the alchemy of flour, fat, and binder ratios for baking. 

These are not dairy free but I used cold ghee that has been processed to be casein and lactose free. 

Ingredients
3/4 cup Cassava flour
1/4 cup Tapioca flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup coconut sugar
8 TBS cold ghee

2 eggs
1 TBS maple syrup
3-4 strawberries sliced

Method

Preheat your oven to 400 F.  Put parchment paper on a baking sheet and lightly grease. 

Place flours, baking soda, salt, ginger, coconut sugar, and ghee into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. 

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and maple syrup.  Add the flour mixture to the eggs and combine until a dough forms. Fold in the strawberries.  Form the dough into 6 equal size balls in your hand then place on baking sheet. Press down to flatten slightly.  

Bake for about 20 minutes until the edges begin to crisp and the middle is cooked through.  Eat straight out of the oven or cool on a wire rack. 

 

Thyme Garlic Burger with Cesar Salad

Dinner need not be overly complicated or time consuming to be nutritious and delicious. This meal comes together pretty quickly and is a go to when I don't know what else to cook. You can sub out different proteins for the burger, like hardboiled eggs, roasted chicken, or pan seared shrimp. 

I use Primal Kitchen mayo in lieu of raw egg in this dressing to give it the creaminess of a Cesar. Primal Kitchen mayo uses avocado oil instead of canola, soy or other inflammatory oils found in store bought mayonnaise. 

Ingredients & Method

For the salad dressing:
3 TBS Primal Kitchen mayo
4 anchovy fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
3 TSP apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:
1 1/2 head Romaine lettuce or 4-5 heads little gems, chopped roughly
2 carrots, diced
1 bunch radishes, sliced
any other vegetables you care to chop and put in 

Place all dressing ingredients in the blender and wiz until smooth and creamy.  Want it more tangy? Add more anchovies or some capers. 

Then make the burgers (see below). While the burgers cook assemble your salad. 

For the burgers:
1 egg beaten
1 lb. grass-fed and finished ground beef (you want Omega 3's which are higher in grass fed and finished beef) 
4 shakes garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
2 shakes salt (Himalayan or sea)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. (I use my hands to do this.) Form into four patties.  Over medium heat add enough solid cooking fat of choice (bacon fat, lard, butter, ghee etc.) or avocado oil to give the bottom of a skillet a sheen (about 1 tsp).  Place the patties on the skillet and flip when browned on one side.  Continue cooking until cooked through (about 7-10 minutes total) and both sides are browned. 

When the burgers are cooked through, toss the salad with the dressing in a large bowl until well coated. Plate or bowl your salad greens and place burger on the top.  Add slices of avocado and drizzle more dressing on the burger. 

Enjoy! 


 

Raspberry Chia Pudding

Chia pudding makes for a great snack or after dinner treat. 

If I'm using hemp or almond milk, I use milk I've made myself because making your own nut or seed milks is super easy, more economical, and there are no gut disrupting additives like carrageenan or inflammatory oils or other nasties you'll want to avoid.  If you buy store bought milk, I'd recommend looking at the ingredient label and find milks that are additive free. Three Trees is a good almond milk that is additive free.  I don't know of any additive free store bought hemp milks. Hemp milk tutorial coming soon. Stay tuned. Additive free plant milks will have the nut or seed of choice, water and maybe salt, vanilla extract etc.  You'll find additive free milks the refrigerated section.  For coconut milk, I use Natural Value brand.  It's organic and free of guar gum, which most coconut milks have. 

I love chia pudding made with all of the above milks, but if this is your first go with chia pudding, hemp milk may not be the milk to use first. It has a specific taste that not everyone favors on the first try. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond milk, light coconut milk, or hemp milk
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup chia seeds if using coconut or almond milk,  2/3 cup if using hemp milk
2-4 TBS  maple syrup depending on how sweet you want it
1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen powder

Method
Combine milk, raspberries, maple syrup and collagen in a blender and wiz until incorporated
Pour into a glass glass jar or a mixing bowl
Add chia seeds and stir (jar) or whisk (bowl) vigorously to incorporate seeds
Place in a glass storage jar or individual serving jars
Leave on counter for an hour and stir again to incorporate seeds
Place in fridge overnight or for several hours to set