Quick chicken...and two fast veggie sides

This is a perfect Spring meal: it comes together in a snap when you've been sidetracked by the nice weather and forget to start dinner. I get the beets steaming first, then season the chicken. While my husband grills, I make the bok choy. Voila!

Sweet & spicy grilled chicken
2 ts paprika
1 ts thyme
1 ts oregano
1 ts minced dried onion
1/4 ts orange zest
1/4 ts salt
1/4 ts pepper
1/4 ts crushed red pepper
1 tb olive oil
1 ts lemon juice
1 ts honey
4 chicken breasts
Combine dry spices (first 8 ingredients) in a small dish and set aside. Whisk together liquids (next 3 ingredients). Coat both sides of chicken breasts with sauce and sprinkle with dry spice mix. Grill until done.

Golden goat beets
2-3 golden beets, peeled
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2 ts olive oil
Salt & pepper
Cut beets into bite sized pieces and steam 15 minutes in basket over boiling water. Toss with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, if you have it.

Garlic bok choy
1 tb olive oil
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 heads bok choy
2 tb white wine
Cut stem ends off of bok choy and remove any mangled outer leaves. Cut thick rib sections into 1-inch pieces; cut leafy parts into wide ribbons. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the garlic until fragrant but not burnt. Add the bok choy ribs and cook a few more minutes. Turn down the heat, add the bok choy leaves and toss to coat with garlic and oil. Add wine to steam and immediately remove from heat.

Salmon in Spring

Local it is not, but we found a place to bulk order wild caught salmon. That just leaves me with the task of figuring out some different ways to cook it. It turns out that one of the best things to do with a strong tasting - and delicious - fish, is to prepare it simply and match sides to it. Here is one example.

Leftover salmon served cold on top of slaw for lunch the next day.

Citrus Salmon with Sesame-Ginger Broccoli Slaw
1/4 c orange (or lemon) juice
1/4 c water
2 tb tamari
1 lb salmon (fillets or whole)
2 ts sesame seeds, divided
1 bag broccoli slaw
1/2 red pepper, cut into matchsticks
1/4 red onion, diced
2 tb chopped cilantro
2 tb sesame oil
1/4 c lime juice
2 ts ginger
1 ts orange (or lemon) zest
1 ts crushed dried red pepper

Whisk the first three ingredients together and marinate fish, skin side down, for one hour. Remove from marinade and place skin side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.
Dump slaw into a large serving bowl. Add pepper, onion and cilantro. Whisk together sesame oil through dried red pepper and pour over veggies. Toss to coat and sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. Chill until ready to serve.
This dish is also great the next day for lunch: top slaw with leftover salmon and enjoy cold!

Shrimp: A winter staple

As winter rolls on and our stored garden surplus - as well as our fall cow share - begins to dwindle, eating locally becomes tougher. In addition, the holidays (and their seemingly endless leftovers) have passed and left a need for frugality in their place.
We found a farm that direct-sells mushrooms in quantity, and there are still root vegatables to be had. When in need of good comfort food, to these staples I add shrimp. As much effort as I expend to get the best possible meats, vegetables and dairy products, shrimp is one place I slack. It comes in bulk, is frequently on sale at the grocery store and makes a great source of protein to go with whatever canned goods the pantry might hold.

Braised shrimp, leek and mushrooms with butternut squash puree. Served with sauteed spinach and bacon.

Shrimp and braised winter vegetables with pureed butternut squash
1 butternut squash
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 tb olive oil
1 lb shrimp, peeled
2 leeks, washed and trimmed
1 c white wine, divided
1/2 pound mushrooms (I used crimini)
1 can artichoke hearts (in water)
1/2 c milk
Peel and cube butternut squash and set in a steamer basket over boiling water for 30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, warm garlic and pepper flakes in oil on stove. When oil is hot, add leeks and shrimp and sautee until cooked. Deglaze pan with half of wine and add mushrooms and drained artichoke hearts. Add remaining wine, cover and remove from heat.
Drain squash and place in pan over burner on low heat. Add milk and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
Serves 2, with squash puree left over.

Thai coconut shrimp stew over spaghetti squash
2 spaghetti squash
1 tb olive oil
1 tb minced garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and sliced thinly
2 tb ginger, grated
1/4 c vegetable or chicken broth
1 ts red curry paste
1 lb shrimp, peeled
1 can coconut milk
8 oz shiitake mushrooms
4 oz carrots, julienned
fresh cilantro
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and bake cut side down at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
In a heavy saucepan, heat olive oil and sautee garlic, lemongrass and ginger. When browned and fragrant, deglaze pan with broth. Whisk in curry and add shrimp, stirring to coat with sauce. When shrimp is cooked, stir in coconut milk and add mushrooms and carrots. Simmer on low 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile chop cilantro and scoop spaghetti squash out of shell and into shallow bowls. Stir in cilantro before ladling shrimp and sauce over squash.
I like to garnish this with diced avocado and serve with a spinach salad on the side. Serves 4.

Take out, topped

Beef with broccoli is one of my favorite Chinese dishes, but I am pretty sure the local take out joint loads theirs up with sugar, MSG and other things that don't belong in me. My version adds extra veggies and is a good way to use the chip steak that comes in our cow share (since we don't each steak sandwiches!). Instead of the chip steak, you could use beef cubes or thin slices of london broil. I love one-pot dishes in winter and this is a great one for being able to disguise veggies that aren't garden-fresh.

Ingredients for Beef with broccoli plus.

Beef with broccoli plus
1 lb chip steak
1/4 c tamari
2 tb sesame oil
2 tb minced garlic
1 tb grated ginger
1/2 tsp five spice powder
1 bell pepper
1 onion
6 oz crimini mushrooms
1 lb broccoli florets
2 ts sesame seeds
Whish together tamari, oil and seasonings and pour over meat, ensuring all surfaces are covered. Let meat soak up marinade for a few minutes while cutting the pepper, onion and mushrooms into strips. Heat a large pan on the stovetop and add meat and marinade. Cook until browned while stirring and separating. Move meat to the edges and add onions, top with broccoli and cover a few minutes longer. Stir in pepper strips and mushrooms to coat with sauce and heat through. Top with sesame seeds.

The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 3

Meat is neat, but side dishes are delicious!

Side dishes
Someone brought the mashed white potatoes - some consider the feast lacking without them - but I made three additional accompaniments: holiday sweet potatoes (not bad), cranberry sauce (rocked!) and spinach and gruyere casserole (not gonna lie - took it right from Real Simple). All were successful, although I did get distracted and over baked the casserole.

Cranberry sauce
1 tb butter
2 tb honey
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 tb ginger
1/2 jar St. Dalfour apricot conserve
2 tb apple juice (more as needed)
Melt butter with honey in saucepan. Add berries and stir to coat. When berries burst, reduce heat to low, stirring frequently and add ginger and conserve. When sauce becomes thick, stir in apple juice, adding more to reach your preference.
Use St. Dalfour peach conserve if you prefer a thinner, sweeter sauce. This is the only 100% natural, no added sugar brand I have found. If you aren't so picky, feel free to substitute whatever you like.

Holiday sweet potatoes
3 large sweet potatoes, sliced into rounds
2 tb walnut oil
1 c pecans, chopped
1 tb honey
2 ts thyme or rosemary
1/2 ts nutmeg
1/2 ts cayenne
1/2 ts coarse ground pepper
Toss potatoes with oil and bake, covered, in 13x9 dish 45 minutes at 375. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients. When potatoes have baked, top with nut mixture and return to oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 1

The family Christmas dinner is at my house every year. And every year, I spend weeks beforehand with recipes spread all over the place trying to plan, fine-tune and test an innovative menu that will wow everyone. But guess what? Nobody is wowed, nobody is disappointed. Everybody just eats and enjoys. Every year. I guess it truly isn't the food, it's the family. So this year I decided to simplify: no intricate recipes, no mounds of leftovers, no three days of cooking for 30 minutes of eating and 3 hours of cleaning. The rules: Yummy, Easy, Primal. Yep!

Appetizers
Shrimp and cocktail sauce is a Christmas tradition for us. So there was one munchie out of the way already. I make my own sugar-free cocktail sauce with tomatoes from my garden, but my in-laws brought a jar of store-bought with them. Fine by me! Easy, remember.
I made two cheese appetizers, neither of which impressed me much, but both of which served their purpose. The first was a goat cheese log rolled in dried cranberries and crushed pistacios (get it...red and green...very festive). Not awesome, but I would make it again for the simplicity (ok, and the fact that I love goat cheese). The second was a hot ricotta dip. Bland, wouldn't do it again.
Finally, I made baked stuffed mushrooms. Yummy. A winner. I actually got asked for the recipe, meaning not only was it good, but someone actually paid attention to what they were eating :)

Baked stuffed mushrooms
24 large baby bella mushrooms (or white button if you prefer)
1 tb olive oil
1/4 c fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
1/2 c shredded parmesan
1/2 c almond meal
Remove stems from mushrooms and reserve. Bake caps, stem side down, for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small food processor, chop the reserved stems (and a couple of extra whole mushrooms if there are any) with garlic and parsley. Sautee in oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes until the oil is absorbed, the parsley is wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Combine parmesan and almond meal and add mushroom mixture. Stuff into mushroom caps and bake again, 15 minutes.

Happy Primal New Year

I have taken a break from blogging, but not from cooking!

This New Year's Day, my first as a primal eater, I was determined to come up with something that incorporated traditional "good luck" foods, but kept with the plan.

The Menu:
Appetizer - smoked salmon - fish scales resemble coins and symbol prosperity
Salad - mixed greens and veggies garnished with pomegranate seeds - the seeds represent fertility, but are also my take on lucky legumes
Entree - spaghetti squash with meat sauce - noodles symbolize a long life
Side dish - sauteed chard with bacon - greens symbolize money and pork symbolizes progress
Drink - wine - eating 12 grapes at midnight is considered lucky in Hispanic countries, I took a bit of liberty here!

Spaghetti squash with meat sauce
1 spaghetti squash
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (if using unseasoned, also add oregano, etc. to taste)
1 c broth or water
1 tb white wine vinegar
2 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Cut squash in half lengthwise and place cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. Add ground beef and crumble into chunks with spatula. When beef is browned, add vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes and juice and stir until heated through. To thicken sauce, I use a bit of arrowroot powder dissolved in water or broth. You could substitute tomato paste whisked into the broth instead. Scoop squash strands out of the shell lengthwise with a fork onto plates. Top with meat sauce. Serves 3.

Ingredients for spaghetti squash with meat sauce.

Sauteed chard with garlic and bacon
1 bunch swiss chard (or kale, spinach or other leafy green)
1 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 slices bacon or pancetta
2 tb apple cider vinegar

Chop chard leaves and stems and set aside. Cook bacon and garlic in sautee pan in olive oil. Add chard to pan by the tong-ful, turning to coat in oil and mix with bacon and garlic. As chard wilts from heat and moisture, continue to add tong-fuls of chard and mix around untill it is all in the pan. Splash with vinegar and cover with lid for 30 seconds or until fully wilted. Remove from heat and swirl around before serving immediately.

Ingredients for sauteed chard with bacon

Broccolicious

Except for asparagus, I feel like cooked vegs really need something done to them...just steaming really isn't enough. This combo dresses up broccoli, and puts this year's garden bonanza of shallots to good use.

Roasted broccoli
1 head broccoli
3 shallots, thinly sliced into rings
grapeseed oil (or olive)
1/4 c sliced almonds (or walnut pieces)
Pepper to taste
Trim broccoli and place in shallow baking dish. Top with shallots, drizzle with oil and use your hands to toss.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Top with nuts and bake 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with pepper.