Recipe of the week: Moroccan Chicken Salad

I'm a big fan of California Pizza Kitchen, I've been eating there since the late 80's when they first opened in Beverly Hills.  I lived by the one in Marina del Rey when I was first married and it and The Cheesecake Factory were our go to places for dates.  One of my favorite items on their menu is the Moroccan chicken salad, it's full of rich flavors and hearty vegetables and very easy and affordable to make at home.  I used left over chicken tonight but if I were to make some for this I'd grill or bake 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with some Moroccan spices.  Or I'd use a little olive oil, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.  Just make sure the chicken is cooled off a bit when you add to the salad so it doesn't wilt.  I added the chicken and hard boiled egg after I served a plate to my hubby since he doesn't eat those....this is one of those recipes that's easy enough to modify for a vegetarian or a vegan.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 bag of mixed organic salad greens (most bags are 8oz)
1 large head of romaine, chopped
16 oz or 2 cups butternut squash, diced and roasted
2 -3 large beets, diced and roasted (or 1 can of beets drained and diced)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 to 2 avocados, diced (depending on size)
1 large carrot shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4-6 large dates chopped depending on size
1/3 cup toasted almonds
2 hard boiled eggs diced
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the dressing:
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper



Toss everything (minus the chicken and egg if you're making it vegan) in a very large bowl.  In a small bowl add the vinegar, mustard, and honey, drizzle in the oil add salt and pepper to taste.  Once the salad is toss you can add the dressing and toss or dress on your individual salads, that's what I usually do in case I have leftovers....I don't want it soggy.

Recipe of the week: Homemade apple chips

Panera Bread has a salad called the fuji apple chicken salad and I love it.  On the top it has fuji apple chips and it makes the salad.  Unfortunately most apple chips have sulfur dioxide, corn syrup, and some kind of oil in them.  Trust me, I've read all the labels.  So after the last time I had this lovely salad and Panera, I came home and tried making apple chips, they came out pretty good (they must have if they were gone in less the 24 hours).  The key to getting them crisp is slicing them really thin.  I have a mandolin slicer and set it to the thinnest setting.  Be careful with these, they are wicked sharp!  You could sprinkle a little sugar or drizzle a little honey on the apples if you like, I didn't and they were plenty sweet for me.  You can use any kind of apple you like, I used a couple of red delicious, granny smith, and fuji.  I sprayed my cookie sheets with coconut oil spray (available at Trader Joe's). Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

4-6 apples of your choice thinly sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 Tbsp sugar (optional)

In a large bowl toss the apples with lemon juice and cinnamon (sugar if you're using it).  Arrange the apple slices on cookie sheets without over lapping.  I used 2 cookie sheets, bake for one hour.  Flip the apples over and switch the cookie sheets so the top one is now on the bottom and the bottom one is on the top.  Bake for another hour.  Turn the oven off and let them cool in the oven, they will crisp up faster that at room temperature.  Take the apple chips off the cookie sheets and store in an airtight container (if they make it that far!)  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Lemony vegetable salad

I realize I've neglected my blog for the past couple of months.  I've been really busy and it's been a hard couple of months.  My daughter's best friend past away the end of April and we have all been devastated, plus it was the end of the school year and we moved.  Whew, finally trying to catch my breath here.  Anyway, I made this the other night, and it came out great.  It would make an easy and refreshing addition to your 4th of July celebration.  A Votre Sante!

1-2 peeled and thinly sliced cucumbers
1 zucchini thinly sliced (use 2 if yours is small)
2-3 thinly sliced tomatoes
2 thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 large basil leaves cut into tiny strips (Chiffonade)
salt
pepper

I used a mandolin slicer for the vegetables so they would all be the same thickness.  For a 1/2 cup of lemon juice I needed 3 lemons.  I put all the vegetables in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl stir the olive oil and lemon juice together, add salt, pepper, and basil.  Pour over vegetables and toss well.  The longer it sits the better it tastes.  Mine only sat about 30 minutes before we ate it.  Enjoy.

How coffee and hot cocoa can improve your health

Let me start off by saying I don't want to necessarily talk about the benefits of coffee or chocolate (there are plenty, I'll let you look that up on your own).  I want to talk about using coffee or hot cocoa as a delivery system for an amazing supplement called Ganoderma Lucidum.

Ganoderma Lucidum is a rare red mushroom that has been used for centuries with all kinds of amazing properties.  There is a ton of research proving that Ganoderma Lucidum supports the immune system, oxygenates the body, boosts energy (who doesn't need that!), supports blood circulation.  Ganoderma provides more than 200 phytonutrients, 150 of which are antioxidants, it promotes cell rejuvenation, detoxifies the body and also promotes restful sleep.

Back in March a good friend of mine invited me to an event out in Ontario.  It was the launch party of a company called GanoLife.  GanoLife has come up with a line of coffees and hot cocoa that are enriched by Ganoderma.  These beverages are all delicious and are a fraction of the cost of Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or whatever your favorite place is.

Did you know that coffee is second only to water as the most consumed beverage on the planet.  (Something like 2 Billion cups of coffee are consumed every day!)  It's also second only to oil as the most traded commodity.

I know that there are other coffee companies out there, why is this one different?  GanoLife is 100% pesticide free, certified Kosher, and 100% USDA Organic (certified).  GanoLife is also in complete control of all manufacturing, has an in-house distribution process and has total vertical integration.  Since the launch my husband and I visited the home office and were taken on a private tour of the facilities and we were both very impressed.  Erskien has never been a coffee drinker and even he loves these products, you can read his experience here.

I have a new website www.coffeenculture.com you can order products to try there or if you're in the area I'd love to have you over to sample the coffees.  We're looking for people who want to get healthy, save money, make friends, and make a fantastic living, all while drinking coffee, let me know if I can help you with any of those things.

Until next time, Ciao!

Recipe of the week: Grain Free Almond Bread

For Lent I gave up gluten and it's been harder than I thought.  I've been tweeking this recipe for a few weeks now and I think I've finally got a good one.  Be aware that the texture isn't exactly like bread, it's a bit more spongey because of the eggs.  You can use melted coconut oil instead of the olive oil if you like, I tried it that way and didn't care for it.  You can also add herbs or seeds, I've made it once with Italian seasoning and once with flaxseeds, poppyseeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds....one Tbsp of each.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Grain Free Almond Bread
1 ½ cups almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp honey, optional
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard loaf pan.  Set aside.
Mix almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal of salt, baking soda in a bowl, set aside.  Add in eggs, oil, honey, and vinegar.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Blood Orange Julius

As a kid I loved Orange Julius, every time we went to the mall I would beg my mom to get me one.  I heard you can still get them at Dairy Queen but now as a health conscious adult I would rather make my own, so I know what's in it.  We had a bunch of blood oranges off of someone's tree so I thought I'd make my version with those.  I used almond milk in mine but you could use regular milk or coconut milk.  You could also use sugar (about 1/4 cup) instead of the stevia.  A Votre Sante!

1 -1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 packets stevia
a handful of ice

Blend in the blender and enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Blood Orange and Beet Salad

I've seen a couple of beet and orange salad recipes lately so I decided to come up with my own.  I'm not a big fan of raw onions but if you are, red onions might be nice in this.  I blanched my beets but you could also roast them like I did here.  If you can't find blood oranges you can always use regular ones or tangerines.  I made my own dressing but you can easily use any prepared dressing you like.  This salad had a hearty feeling to it but was also light and refreshing if that makes sense.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Blood Orange and Beet Salad

1 medium to large bowl of spinach and mixed greens

1 beets, blanched and sliced

2-3 blood oranges, depending on the size

2-3 sprigs of fresh parsley

1 Tbsp honey mustard

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

freshly ground pepper

In a pan with a steamer basket, steam beets for 4-5 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water (that will stop them from continuing to cook).  While the beets are cooking, remove the stems from the spinach leaves,   peel and section the oranges, set aside.  Slice the beets.  In a small bowl add your honey mustard, olive oil, and vinegar, whisk together, add freshly ground pepper to taste.  Add oranges, beets, and parsley to your greens and toss.  Drizzle with dressing and serve.  If you're not serving it right away, wait on the dressing, no one likes soggy salad.  Enjoy.  

Recipe of the week: Balsamic Roasted Beets

I haven't made a new recipe in a while because I've been busy.  With football season going until December 15th and working a lot during the holidays I just haven't had the time.  I even baked cookies from a mix for Santa on Christmas Eve!  (Hey it was after 8pm, who wants to make cookie dough at that hour?!)  The other day I made these beets and they were a hit, easy and only 5 ingredients.  You could definitely double or triple this easily but I only had the 2 beets, so I used what I had.  Let me know what you think.  A Vorte Sante!

2 large beets halved and sliced
2 Tbsp butter
2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice beets that you've rinsed, removed the tops of and halved (save the tops for juicing).  You'll need an oven proof pan for this.  In your pan, melt your butter on the stove, then add your beets and 2 Tbsp of the vinegar, I used about 1/2 tsp salt and a few turns of my pepper mill.  Stir and place in your preheated oven.  Bake until the beets are tender with a fork or knife.  Mine took about 6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add another splash of balsamic vinegar.  Serve warm.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Braised Brussels Sprouts with Shallots

A few weeks ago, a friend made this for a work party, they were amazing!  She didn't have the exact amounts of what she used (come to find out her boy friend who is a chef at The Salted Pig in Riverside helped her a bit), so I played with the ingredients a few times and the last time I nailed it.  People ate these that don't even like Brussels sprouts!  These are a bit on the Asian side but go well with most things.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts
2 shallots finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 bunch green onions finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

First, cut Brussels sprouts in half, then finely chop or mince the rest of your vegetables.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add Brussels sprouts flat side down.  Once they start to brown, about 5-8 minutes add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, coating the sprouts.  Add the shallots, green onions, and garlic, sauteing until translucent, (about another 5 minutes) add red chili flakes.  Pour into bowl and serve, enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie

This time of year pumpkin is in everything including smoothies.  I had some left over pumpkin after making this recipe for a crustless pumpkin pie.  I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies so I thought I'd try combining the two flavors in a smoothie and this is what I came up with.  It was a great after workout pick me up, let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie

1 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
1/4 canned pumpkin
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp chia seeds
dash of cinnamon
ice (optional)

Add everything to the blender until ice is blended and enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Roasted Eggplant Soup

Recipe of the week:  Roasted Eggplant Soup


We had our first fall rain yesterday, and it's chilly today so I decided to make soup.  Sadly, this lovely fall weather isn't supposed to last, it's going to be in the upper 80's again next week.  Jade and I had a soup similar to this in Seattle a couple of years ago, it's a little like eggplant Parmigiana in a bowl, serve with some bread, cheese, and a salad and you've got lunch or dinner.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

2 small eggplants chopped into about 1 inch pieces
3 small or 2 medium zucchini chopped slightly smaller than the eggplant
1 onion sliced
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil (or 1 tsp dried)
4 cups vegetable broth

Put the chopped vegetables in a 9X13 pan.  Add olive oil, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic.  Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a soup pot, add tomatoes, broth, sugar, basil, and add a little more salt, pepper, and red pepper if you want to.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 20 minutes.  You can stop right here if you want your soup really chunky.  I put mine in the blender on chop in batches until it was in very small chunks.  That's it, serve with some more basil and Parmesan cheese if you like.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Lemon Basil Brussels Sprouts

I feel as though I'm finally starting to come out of my funk, the proof is I've cooked 4 out of the last 5 days!  A few months ago my friend and I had lunch and PF Chang's and they'd recently put "lemon scented Brussels sprouts" on the menu, we both loved them.  This is my attempt at duplicating their recipe.  I used my food processor for this so if you don't have one, you'll have to slice everything.  Lots of people don't like Brussels sprouts, I'm not one of them.  This is going to become a regular recipe at my house.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Lemon Basil Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels sprouts
1 lemon (for zest and juice)
1 one inch piece of ginger peeled & grated
3 green onions
1 Tbsp Thai basil (or regular basil if you can't find Thai)
1 clove garlic
olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper

Using the slicing blade on the food processor, slice the Brussels sprouts and onion.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl and add the zest of the lemon, ginger, and salt.  Toss with the juice from the lemon.  In a large skillet heat about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, add garlic cook for about 2 minutes then add vegetable mixture.  Cook for about 6 to 7 minutes (half way through add the basil), add fresh ground pepper and more salt if needed.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Pina Colada Smoothie

I love pineapple, it's my favorite fruit, I could eat a whole one by myself.  Pineapple is high in digestive enzymes and has many health benefits, you can read about them here.  This smoothie has been my breakfast the past few days.

The few weeks have been really hot and humid here.   In this weather I have a hard time regulating my body temperature, I can't do anything about the weather but I can control my internal temperature.  I decided to eat mostly raw food for at least a couple of weeks.  (I seem to be easily susceptible to heat stroke, ever since the first time I had it at nine years old).

I use unsweetened coconut milk from Trader Joe's but you could use the canned if that's what you have.  It will add some fat and calories though.  You can always throw in some protein powder for a post workout drink, it's also good with some chia seeds and shredded coconut.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

8 oz coconut milk
1 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 banana
handful of ice

Blend the ingredients and enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Gazpacho

Last week I made this and my husband posted about it on Facebook saying how much he loved it but he called it martian salsa....silly.  I don't like cucumbers but after every one raved about it, I had to try some, it was actually pretty good.  I blended most of it, then chopped another cucumber and more tomatoes to give it some texture.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Gazpacho

2 large cucumbers, peeled
1 jalapeno
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 red onion
6 tomatoes
3 stalks of kale, woodsy part removed
2 limes
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper


Cut one cucumber and 3 of the tomatoes, jalapeno, kale,  and red onion into chunks, and 1/2 of the cilantro (stems removed) put them in the blender and blend on the chop setting  Pour into a large bowl.  Chop the other cucumber and remaining tomatoes and add to blended mixture.  Add the juice of the limes, the rest of the cilantro leaves.  Salt and pepper to tasted (I used about 1 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper).  Let sit for about an hour, serve with chips and avocado if you want or just eat it plain.  The longer it sits the spicier it seemed to get.  (Remove some of the jalapeno seeds if you don't like a lot of spice)  Enjoy.

Blackberry kale salsa

I get emails from Whole Foods and last week there was one saying they were having a berry recipe contest. Last fall I tried to enter one and there seemed to be a glitch on their end because mine didn't post, which was sad because it was a good one you can see it here.  So, with the berry contest they said no refined sugar and only 7 ingredients, not including things like oil or salt & pepper.  Seven ingredients isn't a lot, especially if you're baking, so I decided to remake my kale salsa but with berries.  I decided blackberries would hold up the best to the peppers and onions, I had it with grilled salmon and vegetables and it was delicious.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

                                                               My 7 ingredients


6 oz fresh blackberries
4 kale leaves, chopped (removed the middle woodsie piece)
4 green onions chopped, both green and white parts
3 tomatoes diced
juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno finely chopped (1/2 the seeds removed)
1/4 bunch cilantro, stems removed
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Chop your onions, tomatoes, kale, and jalapenos.  I halved some of the large blackberries.  Mix in a medium bowl.   Add the lime juice, blackberries and cilantro.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.   Let sit for a few minutes and serve.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Super foods smoothie

Most people are trying to find away to eat more vegetables, even Jamba Juice is now adding veggies to smoothies.  The darker the color of fruit and vegetables the better for you and we all know the benefits of dark chocolate.  Chia seeds and maca powder are nutritional power houses, if you want more information you can google them....you can always make it without them if you don't have any.  This ends up tasting like a chocolate covered cherry.  A Votre Sante!

1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen cherries, berries or a combination of both
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (optional)
1 Tbsp maca powder
1 scoop chia seeds
1/2 beet sliced


Blend in the blender until smooth.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Kale Salsa

I'm a big fan of using what you have for dinner or any other meal.  We were out of salsa and I was too lazy to go to the store to get some so this is what I came up with....basically cleaning out my frig.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


3-4 kale leaves, chopped
small handful of fresh basil leaves cut into small pieces or strips (Chiffonade)
3-4 green onions chopped, both green and white parts
2-3 tomatoes diced
1/2 cup fresh pineapple diced
juice of one lime
1 tsp olive oil
3-4 slices of pickled jalapenos (I had some in the frig)
1 tsp of pickled jalapeno juice
dash of cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Chop your vegetables, fruit, and jalapenos.  Mix in a medium bowl or larger if your doubling or tripling this...you might want to based on my families response!  Add the lime juice, spices, and jalapeno juice.  Let sit for a few minutes and serve.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Sweet potato hash

The other day I had a couple of left over sweet potatoes, I used them up by making a hash. We liked it so much I'm making it again tonight. This is a vegan recipe, if you want to make it Paleo, don't use the beans...you can always add meat to it. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante! Sweet Potato Hash 2-3 medium cooked sweet potatoes peeled and diced 1-2 Tbsp olive oil 5 oz mushrooms (I used Crimini) 1 large zucchini quartered and chopped 3-4 green onions chopped (white and green) 1 can black beans hand full of cilantro 1/2 tsp salt pinch of cumin pepper to taste In a large skillet, heat oil, saute mushrooms on medium heat for 2 minutes then add the zucchini. After 2-3 more minutes add the green onion and sweet potatoes. Drain the black beans and add salt, pepper, and cumin. After everything is heated thoroughly add the cilantro. Remove from heat and serve. Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Boneless Asian Short Ribs

I only have 2 other meat eaters in the house so I don't tend to buy a whole lot of meat these days. I think I bought a 1 pound package and sliced the pieces in half. Sadly, my grill is out of gas so I had to use a grill type pan in my broiler but the results were still great. The meat was nice and tender. I served mine with artichokes and green beans sauteed with mushrooms, onions, and olive oil. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!


Boneless Asian Short Ribs

1-2 lbs of boneless beef short ribs thinly sliced (if you have more than that double or triple the marinade)

2 cloves chopped garlic
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (if you don't have any use apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup coffee (optional if you have it, the caffeine helps make the meat tender)
2 Tbsp orange juice (about 1/2 of a large orange)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1 inch chunk of ginger peeled and finely chopped
1 Tbsp sesame oil (olive if you don't have it)
2 finely chopped scallions
1 Tsp black pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)


Combine all the ingredients. Place beef in a large bowl with a lid or a resealable zipper bag or two, squeeze the air out of the bag. Marinate 3-24 hours. The longer the better. Preheat your grill, or your broiler.

Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Place meat on grill. Close the lid and cook, without moving the meat, until it is well marked 5 to 7 minutes. Flip it over and repeat, the meat may need 1-2 minutes longer if it's on the thick side. Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Post workout smoothie

I love smoothies and tried this combo a couple of weeks ago when I had finished a monster leg workout at the gym followed by a Bodyrock.tv workout. Research suggests that chocolate milk is a better post workout drink than almost anything else. Last year when I was trying to help my son put on some weight for football every night after practice I made him something like this minus the nut butter and he gained 20lbs of muscle and 2 inches in about 8 weeks. Let me know what you think, I think this one tastes like everyone’s favorite candy…peanut butter cups. (I usually use almond milk but you can also use coconut milk, when I make them for my son I use 2% milk).

8 oz milk
1 scoop protein powder (whatever your favorite is)
1 Tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 Tbsp peanut butter (or almond butter)
a hand full of ice

Blend in the blender until its frothy and enjoy!