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! 

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