Tag Archives: lunch

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup

It’s been rainy and damp this past week, so this soup seemed like a great dish – the sweetness of the sausage and sweet potatoes balance out the kale in a delicious way. Hot steamy bowl anyone? This recipe makes a large batch and freezes very well!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lb sweet turkey or chicken Italian sausage
8 c. coarsely chopped peeled sweet potatoes (~2 lbs)
5 c. water
4 c. chicken broth
1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped
1 cup coconut milk
Salt / pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in large pot, add onion and sauté for 5 minutes
Add garlic, salt & pepper (if desired) and sauté for a minute
Remove casings from sausage and add sausage to pan
Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble
Add potato, water and broth and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer for ~8 minutes
Gradually add kale, cook another 10 minutes or until tender
Season with salt/pepper as needed
Makes 10 servings

Kale Salad with Chicken and Avocado

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This is a wonderful paleo salad with Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing – add chicken and avocado – and call it dinner!

Ingredients

large bunch of kale deveined and chopped finely
1/2c dried black current, raisins or cranberries
1/2c. toasted sunflower seeds
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
2-3 cups of chopped cooked chicken or turkey
One batch Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing

Thanks for the inspiration: http://cavemanstrong.com/2014/08/paleo-kale-salad/

Avocado Toast with a Soft Boiled Egg…

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Avocado toast is just about everywhere, and for good reason. It’s DELICIOUS and good for you too!! You can keep it pure, or mix it up. That’s one of the things I love about food and fashion. You can get inspired by others, and then make it your own. I got this idea from Frugal Feeding‘s Avocado Puff Tart recipe. My mouth started watering the minute I saw it…

We got some yummy artisan bread at the Sunday Farmer’s Market, and I just new I wanted to make a variation of his recipe using it. I had some tomatoes that were on their last legs, so I diced them up, soft boiled some eggs, and dinner was served! SO easy and delicious-total win!!Ingredients

Loaf of bread (any kind will do-can even use gluten free!)
Avocado (amount varies on how many people you are going to feed)
Tomatoes
Soft Boiled eggs (I did one per slice of toast)
Chili Pepper Flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Slice up some bread.
Mash up the avocado in a bowl and season with a little salt and pepper.
Dice up the tomotoes
Soft Boil the eggs. Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop eggs in and let them cook for 8 minutes. Drain water, and immediately cover with cold water to stop them from cooking further.
Pile everything on the bread and sprinkle with chili flakes (optional).Enjoy!

Greek Salad with Roasted Chicken

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Love greens, veggies and chicken! This is really a variation on the classic Greek Salad but adding chicken makes it a wonderful meal in and of itself! And paleo!

Dressing

1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tsps. tahini (sesame-seed paste)
1 tsp minced garlic (fresh or bottled)
salt & pepper, to taste

Salad

1 lb chicken breast, roasted & cubed
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup peeled chopped English cucumber
1 cup chopped tomatoes (grape tomatoes halved work well)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (minus the cheese for dairy free and paleo)

Grilled Chicken Salad on a Portobello Mushroom // Paleo // Whole30

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I saw these gorgeous Portobello mushrooms at Costco and had to make something with them. The Huz was out of town, and we didn’t have the boys, so I had my parents over for a taste test. I’m posting the recipe “as is”, but am noting things at the end I might do/add differently next time 🙂 All that said, I thought it was really good. Maya chowed it down and asked for more 🙂

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 Portobello Mushrooms
1 Large Sweet Onion (sliced into four 1″ thick slices)
4 Chicken Breasts
Handfull (about 8-10) cherry tomatoes
3-4 small sweet peppers or I used 1/3 of a yellow, red, and orange pepper
1 Shallot or thick slice of red onion diced
4 Bay leaves (or you could use cilantro)
1 large avocado
2-4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (basically whatever you need to marinate the chicken and drizzle on the onion and mushrooms)
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste (rosemary-optional)

Directions

You can do almost all of it in the Cuisinart if you are pressed for time (which I was). In my mind I did thicker chunks of everything, but I ran out of time and just threw it all in the food processor :{

Marinade the chicken in olive oil, salt and pepper, and dried rosemary (optional)
Drizzle a little olive oil on the onion and mushroom and salt/pepper
Grill the chicken for 8 minutes each side (can do it on BBQ or on a grill pan inside)
During the last 8 minutes of the chicken, put on the onion and the mushrooms-turning after 4 minutes.
Toss red onions/shallot, tomatoes, and peppers into a Cuisinart and pulse a few times (or cut into 1/4-1/2″ pieces if you want a more chunky salad)
Add in Avocado (salt and pepper to taste. I barely used any)
Once chicken is done, cut into 1/2″ cubes. Can toss them into the Cuisinart too (which is what I did), or fold into cubed mixture.
Layer one onion slice on top of each mushroom and then pile on the salad! I added Sriracha to mine for some added heat 🙂

What I might do/add next time…

I really liked it, but it was probably too healthy for the Huz and teenage boys… I think a few slices of diced bacon would be amazing!! Or some freshly grated Parmeson… Maybe some finely diced jalepenos (not in Maya’s though!)?

If anyone makes it, I’d love to hear what you did differently!

Enjoy!

Chicken, Avocado, Egg Salad in a Bell Pepper Cup // Paleo // Whole30

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I’ve been totally inspired by some Paleo and Whole30 recipes on Instagram (mostly @jennaskitchen and @the_clean_wife). Doing Whole30 would not be an option with our teenage boys (I tried cooking separate meals before, but let’s be honest, ONE meal feels like too much work sometimes!) I am all about making healthy meals that taste good though!! The boys and Huz were all gone the other night, so it was just me and Maya. She eats just about anything, so I figured it would be the perfect time to try something I’d been thinking of making. Basically a mix of a few things I’ve seen around, plus what I had in our fridge already 🙂

It was DELICIOUS! So light, yet filling, and unbelievably healthy!Ingredients (Would serve 4)

10 grape tomatoes (cut in half)
5 eggs (soft boiled)
1 and a half large avocados
1.5-2 cups shredded chicken breast (one or two large bone in breast depending on size) I like to BBQ bone in chicken breasts and make extra just to have on hand for a follow up meal like this! Super easy. I usually just dust with olive oil and a tiny bit of sea salt and pepper. Can even just throw it on the BBG plain though, since you peel the skin off!
1/2 and inch slice red onion diced
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
4 Bell Peppers (I like the orange and yellow ones :))

Directions

You can do almost all of it in the Cuisinart. One dish-easy clean up-WIN!!

Boil water and cook eggs for 7 minutes. Take off burner and add cold water and ice until they are cool. Very important to have them fully cool, in order to peel properly. Set aside while you make everything else.
Toss onions and tomatoes into a Cuisinart (or blender if you don’t have a Cuisinart) Pulse a few times until chopped.
Add in Avocado (salt and pepper to taste. I barely used any)
Add in chicken, and eggs
Pulse a few more times just to mix.
Slice the top off the peppers, deseed, and fill with mixture
Pick it up, get MESSY, and ENJOY! 🙂
Since it was just me and Maya for dinner, we had plenty left over. So, we took some over to my parents 🙂

Strawberry, Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad

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Celebrate the longer evenings and sunnier days with a hint of summer kind of dinner – spinach salad with strawberries, warm chicken and goat cheese! 🙂

Ingredients

Large bunch of spinach (~5 cups, washed & dried)
1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
3 oz goat cheese
1-2 cups cooked and shredded or diced chicken (GREAT use of a leftover roast chicken)
Dress with vinegar & olive oil, poppy seeds, salt & pepper
Slivered almonds (optional)

Directions

Toss the spinach and strawberries with the dressing
Lightly mix in goat cheese and almonds and chicken
Serve immediately – excellent with cold or still warm chicken!

Cream of Artichoke Soup

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Artichoke soup – yum! Full of veggies, delicate herbs, and rich with a splash of cream. This would be a great paleo soup if you substitute coconut milk for the dairy. 🙂

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence (found it at PCC in bulk – it’s basically a blend of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme oregano and sometimes lavender)
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less to adjust the heat)
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
3 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained
2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup cream
1 bay leaf

Directions

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Cook onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, Herbes de Provence, celery seed, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add artichoke hearts, vegetable stock, milk, cream and bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove bay leaf and carefully blend soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Thanks PCC!

Quick Quiche

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Make this basic quiche and get creative with the filling! You can do it with a premade crust or simply crust-less!

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 c. milk
ground pepper
Optional: 1 frozen pie shell (there are good gluten free options out there!)

Filling (Mix & match from the following options – my favorite combos include: just spinach & cheese! Or artichoke, spinach, ham, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese! 🙂

Spinach
Artichoke
Broccoli
Onion
Mushrooms
Ham (Canadian bacon), bacon, smoked salmon
Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, goat)

Assembly

Put the desired filling ingredients in your pie shell or directly in a greased pie pan (I use a 9″ deep dish round pan)
Put milk & eggs in a blender and mix it up, then pour over filling
Sprinkle with cheese

Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in middle shows firm (non-runny) center

Chicken Chilaquiles

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This is a wonderful and easy dinner to prepare! Not paleo, but gluten free and so yummy!

Ingredients

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 – 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (divided)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp chili powder
salt/pepper to taste
12 (6″) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
Sour cream for garnish

Tomatillo Sauce

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (11oz) can tomatillos, drained
1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chiles, drained (come in mild or hot varieties)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*
Combine chicken, green onions, half of the Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and toss well to combine
Place milk, cilantro, tomatillos, chiles in a food processor and blend until smooth
Spray 11×7 or larger baking dish with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup of the tomatillo sauce in bottom
Arrange layers of tortillas and chicken mixture ending with a tortilla layer and pouring the rest of the sauce over
Top with cheese
Bake at 375* for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden
Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro

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