Holistic Nutrition Bytes » recipe

Dinner in 20 Minutes

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 03:56:29 +0000

OK, so I stole this recipe from Diane over at Balanced Bites. She has some very creative & delicious quick recipes. Tonight I boiled some kale (5 minutes) and drizzled it with sesame oil & sea salt while the chicken was cooking. Done in 20!

Chicken Thighs with Honey-Mustard Sauce
Ingredients

6 Organic Free-Range Chicken Thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1-2 Tbsp Gluten-Free Stone Ground Mustard
1 Tbsp Raw Honey (buying it locally is ideal)
1/2 Tsp Paprika
Celtic/Sea Salt, to taste

Preparation
* Pre- heat the oven to 375 degrees.
* Combine melted butter, mustard, honey paprika and salt in a small bowl to create a sauce for the chicken.
* Dredge each chicken thigh in the sauce, spreading it evenly onto the skin and bottom side. Use a brush if you find it helpful.
* When the skillet is heated, place the thighs skin side down into the pan. Allow the thighs to cook for approximately 2-4 minutes until golden brown on the skin side.
* Flip the thighs over for about 2 minutes in the skillet, then transfer to a cookie sheet and place into the oven until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. (Approx 20 minutes).
* Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to cool before eating or storing.
Note: upon cooling, the butter and sauce will become hardened. Scoop a portion of it out when you re-heat the chicken to eat later. Place it on top of the meat and it will melt back into a delicious sauce!

Sunday Dinner

admin — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:33:38 +0000

I made this the other day, and it was delicious and easy! Would be suitable for any time of year around the Bay Area, where it’s pretty cool all year round (and downright cold in the summer), but probably best for fall/winter-pre-spring anywhere else. This will feed 4 comfortably, or cook for yourself and your mate and have leftovers (cook once; eat thrice!).

Menu:
sage & garlic crusted pork tenderloin
braised purple cabbage
root vegetable mash

Garlic Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4.
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 organic pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds), tied with kitchen twine if you have it
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

Directions
1. Process together garlic, sage, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Rub mixture all over pork. You can do this up to several hours before roasting, if you have the time.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Heat a large, heavy saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil. Add pork, and brown all over, about 4 minutes.
4. Transfer pan to oven. Roast pork, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 145 degrees to 150 degrees, about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board; tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

While the pork is roasting, skin 2 sweet potatoes, 2 red potatoes, and 2 parsnips (can use turnips, carrots, other root veggies). Put in large pot and fill with just enough water to cover. Bring to boil, and simmer til tender, about 12-15 minutes. Drain, return root veggies to pot, add olive oil or butter to taste and about 1 cup of coconut milk. Mash or whip, add salt to taste. Sprinkle on nutmeg before serving.

While the root veggies are coming to a boil, chop the purple cabbage. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in skillet. Add cabbage and stir-fry for about 10 minutes until tender, adding chicken broth to prevent sticking if needed. Salt lightly to taste.

Slice pork in medallions and serve everything. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Side Dish

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:43:02 +0000

As promised, here is my one of my tried & true Thanksgiving side dish recipes. Kale, Brussels sprouts, and bacon hash. Delicious, easy, healthy, and will delight even the most begrudging vegetable eaters. Many turn up their noses at kale, but it’s such a wonderful and versatile superfood, made better here by the addition of bacon. If you want to make the dish vegetarian, you can easily leave bacon out and it will still be delicious.

Yep, bacon does make everything better. I can entice kale haters to eat this dish, so it’s definitely good for a crowd. Both Brussels sprouts and kale contain the phytochemical indole-3-carbinol which protects against cancer and offers potent detoxification capabilities.

Make sure you choose organic bacon that is nitrite and nitrate free. I use thick cut. This dish pairs so well with other Thanksgiving dishes: turkey, yams, cranberries. Can be easily doubled. Enjoy.

Kale-Brussels-Bacon Hash
3 strips bacon (optional)
1/2 medium yellow onion or 1 leek, small diced
1 teaspoon garlic, fine chopped
Pinch or 2 thyme (to taste)
15 Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and cut in half
1 bunch lacinato kale
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Chicken or veggie broth as needed

Cooking the bacon: Put the bacon strips in a large cast iron skillet that has been lightly coated with coconut oil. Cook it until the fat has rendered and the bacon has reached the crispiness you desire. Take the bacon out of the pan and leave the fat.

Sautéing the vegetables: Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook on low heat until translucent. Throw in the thyme. Toss in the Brussels sprouts halves and sauté for about 5 minutes, adding chicken broth as needed to prevent sticking. Keep skillet covered to aid in softening. Add the kale. Toss and cook the entire batch until the kale has wilted. Continue adding broth to prevent sticking, cover, and cook until flavors meld and veggies are soft.

Finishing the dish. Toss in the bacon pieces and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Garnish with rosemary sprig. Serve.

Delicious Fall Recipe

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:34:04 +0000

I adapted this recipe from The Garden of Eating, one of my favorite cookbooks for nourishing recipes. Packed with tons of good lifestyle info, too! This is a great recipe for Fall; it has yummy root vegetables, and the addition of kombu seaweed makes it high in the trace minerals that are so lacking in American diets. These minerals are necessary for the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Always use organic, grass fed beef. Grain fed beef has an unfavorably altered fatty acid ratio, and let’s not even get into the devastation to the cows an the environment caused by factory farming.

She says in the book that the keys to a good stew are to brown the veggies before adding them and to deglaze the pan. I can attest that the broth was the best I’ve had in any stew, but the root veggies turned a bit mushy, so make sure you do not pre-brown them too long. I wouldn’t actually let the root veggies caramelize, but the onions and mushrooms turned out perfectly. This recipe freezes well.

Beef & Vegetable Stew
3-4 cups beef broth + big splash red wine
4 sheets of kombu, chopped or crumbled
2 lbs grass fed boneless chuck, cut into 1.5″ cubes (can also use bison)
1 large yellow onion, cubed
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, quartered
3 carrots, sliced
1 or 2 turnips, cut into chunks
1 large celery root bulb, peeled and cubed
2-3 parsnips, sliced
1 rutabaga, cut into chunks
(you should have about 6 cups of root vegetables. Use any combo you like)
6 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp coconut or olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cumin
1-2 tbsp tamari
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Rinse meat and pat dry. Chop vegetables and place onion, mushrooms, and garlic in one bowl and root veggies in another. Add 3 cups stock, wine, and seaweed to large dutch oven and bring to boil. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in large cast iron skillet. Add half of the meat and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes, then transfer meat to dutch oven with broth from browning. Add rest of meat, brown, repeat. Set to low simmer. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of broth and add to dutch oven.

Add 1 tbsp oil to skillet and saute mushrooms, onions, and garlic til tender; add to dutch oven. Deglaze pan again. Add more oil to skillet if needed and toss in root veggies. Let them soften a bit but don’t brown them (unless you like very soft veggies in stew). Add them to dutch oven. Add spices and everything else to the stew. Add more broth if desired (I like a very thick stew). Cover and let simmer 45 minutes to an hour. Taste to correct seasonings. Remove bay leaves before serving. Garnish with scallions if desired.

Summer Smoothie

admin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:34:26 +0000

Smoothies make a great breakfast or snack after a workout. For those who aren’t sensitive to dairy, whey protein powder is an excellent protein boost that will energize you for the day or help muscles recover after exercise. It’s always a good idea to add protein to fruit smoothies to balance out the sugar from the fruit. Summer is the best time to make smoothies because of the availability of the fresh berries and stone fruits! Here is a smoothie I’ve been enjoying lately. My basic recipe is one part fresh fruit to one part frozen fruit with a splash of juice, nut milk, or water.

1 ripe peach or nectarine, or a couple apricots
1 cup frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or combination. I like to buy the berries fresh from the market, wash, dry, then freeze them)
1 scoop protein powder (whey, hemp, or rice, NOT soy)
1/2 cup coconut milk or pomegranate juice
1 tbsp ground flax
optional add-ins: spirulina powder, cinnamon, grated ginger

Enjoy the summer fruits!

Vegan Ice Cream (sugar-free)

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:51:12 +0000

In honor of hot summer days (something we don’t get here in the San Francisco Bay Area), here is an ice cream recipe that is delicious, creamy, sugar-free, and does not require an ice cream maker! The frozen bananas make it creamy and provide potassium. Carob powder is wonderful for those who are sensitive to cocoa, and it is high in fiber, good for the stomach, and offers a hint of sweetness. You can use plain yogurt, kefir, or for a vegan option, use coconut milk to control how thick you like. I usually recommend nut butters other than peanut, because peanuts carry aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxic metabolite produced by certain fungi (Aspergillus flavis), a mold found on corn and peanuts and peanut butter. Many people have peanut sensitivities, and they may not even be aware.

Vegan Ice Cream (or pudding!)
4 ripe bananas, frozen for ice cream, room temp for pudding
1 cup cashew butter (can use almond)
1/2 to 1 cup plain yogurt OR coconut milk (for dairy-free)
2/3 cup carob powder
*OPTIONAL: dash of vanilla, almond extract, whatever flavoring you like

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree well til smooth and creamy. If you want to make pudding, use bananas that are not frozen. Refrigerate pudding; keep frozen for ice cream.

Chez Panisse (recipe included)

admin — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:50:35 +0000

We went for lunch in the cafe. This is a real treat. If you don’t know, Chez Panisse has defined the “eat local, organic, and sustainable” food movement on the west coast and way, way beyond. Award-winning chef Alice Waters is, of course, a legend in sustainable and seasonal and local and a master at making simple food delicious. A blurb about the restaurant: Alice and Chez Panisse have become convinced that the best-tasting food is organically grown and harvested in ways that are ecologically sound, by people who are taking care of the land for future generations. The quest for such ingredients has largely determined the restaurant’s cuisine. Chez Panisse has tried for years to make diners here partake of the immediacy and excitement of vegetables just out of the garden, fruit right off the branch, and fish straight out of the sea.

There is a dinner served in two seatings with a fixed-price menu of three to four courses. The menu changes every night and showcases the season’s finest ingredients sourced from local purveyors. We had lunch in the cafe, which is less expensive and features a menu with apps and a few meat entrees.

We started with an avocado/citrus/beet salad, and this was my favorite item by far. It was perfection: beets and thinly sliced blood orange with the most delicious avocados salted and covered in cracked black pepper, with a simple olive oil citrus dressing. I found the recipe and want to share it here. You could also use walnut oil, which pairs well with beets.

Avocado & Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients
6 medium red or golden beets
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil
1 large shallot, diced fine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
Chervil sprigs
1/4 teaspoon chopped lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon chopped orange zest
2 firm ripe avocados

Whisk in 3/4 cup oil and stir in the chopped chervil, lemon zest, and orange zest. Taste for seasoning.

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Leaving the skin intact, cut the avocados lengthwise into 1/4″ slices. Scoop out the slices with a large spoon and arrange them on a platter or individual dishes. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the beets over the avocado slices and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Garnish with a few chervil sprigs.

What’s in Season? (recipe!)

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:37:59 +0000

Shopping local–farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture projects–and buying local and seasonal means you are reducing your carbon footprint and eating with the seasons, the way nature intended. Depending upon where in the world you are, blueberries from Chile in January taste bad because they’re not in season in the US, for example, and have been shipped thousands of miles to your grocery shelves. This is bad for the planet and your pocketbook. And we are basically an extension of the planet, so unhealthy earth = unhealthy humans. Food for thought.

So! What to look for out there? We’re on the cusp of stone fruit season, which means yummy peaches, apricots, plums, pluots, and cherries! Stone fruits and berries are seasonal in the summertime and will crop up very soon. Spring is coming to an end, but we still have asparagus, beets, fava beans, rhubarb, strawberries, artichokes, and greens (kale, chard, sorrel especially) are good pretty much all season. Lamb is in season now, too. Avoid the apples, pears, and citrus that you see at the grocery store – those are fall/winter fruits.

Asparagus is the star of the season, and I like it best in frittatas, or oven roasted with sea salt, cracked pepper, and olive oil. Or, if you don’t like avocados and want a fun variation on guacamole, try steamed asparagus pureed with salsa, cumin, garlic, onion, salt and pepper, and chile powder for a mock guacamole. Try it with sliced jicima instead of corn chips!

in season now at a market near you!

Here’s a good quick weeknight dinner after you grab a bunch of asparagus from the market.

Fish in Parchment
Four 15×15-inch squares parchment paper
Four 5-to 6-ounce fish fillets (such as halibut or cod; each about 1 inch thick)
12 fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons butter, or ghee, cut into 4 pieces, or olive oil
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
tablespoons meyer lemon or regular lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place parchment squares on work surface. Generously butter or olive oil half of each parchment square; top buttered half of each with 1 fish fillet. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; top each fillet with 3 tarragon leaves, then 1 piece of butter or dash of olive oil. Arrange asparagus around each fish fillet; pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice over each. Fold parchment over fish and asparagus, folding and crimping edges tightly to seal and enclose filling completely. Place on 2 rimmed baking sheets, spacing apart. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Chill.) Bake fish packets 17 minutes. Slide packets onto plates and serve.

Turmeric: Wonder Spice (recipe included)

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:14:52 +0000

Plants are medicine. Herbs and spices have healing properties and are easy to integrate into your diet. They can be used to boost antioxidant levels, relieve stress, enhance sleep and relaxation, improve female hormones levels, reduce PMS symptoms, enhance fertility, relieve pain, and improve organ function.

One of my favorite spices, especially in the midst of a liver cleanse, is turmeric. Used widely in Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric is a member of the ginger family and gives curry its vibrant yellow color. Curcumin is the particular constituent responsible for turmeric’s bright hue.

looks like ginger.

Turmeric has been getting a lot of attention lately for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. It is particularly helpful for joint pain, making it very effective for arthritis since it reduces both the pain and swelling associated with arthritis. It’s also very high in antioxidants, helping your body fight free radical damage and therefore keeping you feeling and looking younger. Here are turmeric’s key benefits:

*helps maintain healthy digestion
*potent blood cleanser
*may be useful in combating allergies
*liver cleansing properties
*superior antioxidant – protects cells and DNA from oxidative damage
*good for immune health
*promotes healthy, radiant skin

I’m using turmeric quite a bit right now for its blood and liver cleansing properties (and, let’s face it, who doesn’t want glowing skin and protection against DNA damage?). You can fine it in capsule form at health food stores, but why not just use it fresh? I find it freshly ground in the bulk section of my local natural foods store. It’s fresh and organic (avoid irradiated spices). I’ll throw a teaspoon into smoothies, or add to stir-frys, eggs, salad dressings, soups or stews.

For therapeutic purposes, take 1-2 teaspoons per day, mixed with cow, goat, or nut milks (ayurvedic method), or in smoothies, soups, etc. Or if you just desire an extra super antioxidant dose of miracle spice (when free radical damage is heightened: during times of stress, or a bad hangover, for example), throw some into your cooking. It pairs especially well with indian cuisine and is also yummy with lentils.

Now, just in time for Easter, here is a DELICIOUS moroccan inspired spiced lamb dish. Enjoy!

SPICED LAMB WITH LEMON ZEST AND PRUNES

SPICES
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric (If fresh is available, even better. Grate or press about 1 to 2 tsps.)
1 tsp. cumin
cayenne pepper to taste
3 sticks of cinnamon
sea salt and pepper to taste
fresh ginger, 1 TBSP grated
fresh garlic, 4 cloves, pressed or chopped
fresh cilantro to taste
fresh parsley to taste
1 TBSP fresh lemon zest

OTHER MAIN INGREDIENTS
4 carrots, chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces or so (large dice)
1 onion, chopped
kalamata olives (maybe 10 or so)
prunes (around 6)
coconut oil for cooking
1 to 2 cups of chicken stock

Lamb loin, 1 -1/2 lbs for approximately 4 servings. Chop it into about 2″ size pieces to stew.
______________________________________________

*Mix all dry spices.

*Chop lamb and coat with dry spices, let sit or marinate for an hour to overnight. Do not put wet spices into dry mix.

*Cook chopped onions and carrots until mostly done, set aside.

*Use same pot, add more oil and cook lamb- browning it. To brown properly, make sure you have enough heat, but not too hot. Heat pan first, then add oil. Wait 20 seconds, to let oil heat, then add meat. Do not stir, let brown on one side, then another. Only put enough lamb in the pan at a time that you can brown. Use enough oil. Keep taking it out once browned and add to the bowl with the cooked carrot and onion.

*Add all lamb, carrot, onion, ginger, garlic, prunes and zest to pan with more oil. Add chicken stock to cover. Simmer until meat is tender, perhaps 45 mins, this will depend on the size you cut the meat. Add more stock if necessary. Season to taste.

*Last 5 to 10 mins of cooking add the cilantro, parsley, olives.

*Serve with brown rice, quinoa, or cous cous (if you are doing gluten.)

Make Your Own Nut Milk (recipe)

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:55:41 +0000

If you avoid dairy or are allergic, you’ve probably tried the alternatives: soy milk (avoid!! highly processed and may cause hormonal imbalance), rice milk, almond milk, even hazelnut or oat milk. I prefer almond milk, but most brands on the market are highly sweetened and fortified with artificial vitamins/minerals. And they just don’t taste very good.

Too sweet, too watery, and tastes processed. Just sayin.'

So I make my own. And it is DELICIOUS. I mean, this stuff is way better than even real cream, in my opinion. Ok, maybe almost better. Here is my recipe.

Begin by soaking 1 cup of almonds for 24 hours in filtered water and a dash of sea salt. when they are soaked, drain and discard soak water. Use 1 cup almonds to about 3 cups water. I like mine pretty thick, but you could use more water for a thinner milk.

Place soaked almonds in blender and pour in the 3 cups filtered water. Blend. Then add 1 tsp or so vanilla, and 1/2 – 1 tbsp agave nectar, depending on your desired level of sweetness. At times I’ve wanted completely unsweet and don’t add anything, at times, a dash sweet. You can use raw honey as well. Add more water if you want it thinner. Blend thoroughly til a bit frothy. Strain out almond residue through a fine sieve. Voila! So delicious. You can save the blended almond residue and use it in smoothies or oatmeal, or discard (read: compost).

You can use any nut: walnuts, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, peanuts. Or, try with seeds like pumpkin. I prefer almonds. You could also add carob powder and blend that, or add spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and/or cardamom.