Paleo "Corn"Bread

My mom made us some amazing chili this week and quite honestly I don't think chili is chili without corn bread. Having to stick with my Paleo guidelines for the food challenge we are doing, I found a recipe for some paleo muffins and I thought I had all the ingredients, but when I got home realized I only had 2 eggs instead of the 4 the recipe called for. I just improvised :) Here is what I did - it made about 8 cornbread muffins.

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tablespoons honey, warmed

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a bowl, add flour and salt. 
• In a food processor, add eggs, vinegar and applesauce and pulse for about 5 seconds. 
• Put honey and coconut oil in a bowl and put in the microwave for about 1 minute until everything is warmed and melted. 
• Add to the mix in the food processor and pulse about 5 seconds
• Then add the wet liquid to your dry ingredients and stir until it is all incorporated
• Line your cupcake pan with liners and fill the liners a little over 3/4 full with the mix. 
• Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes
• You want the tops to be starting to brown and be firm to the touch!

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

Stephen and I made these this weekend, they were delicious and savory. We didn't even miss the mayo and bread that typically comes with a tuna sandwich. This is a perfect lunch or a quick and simple dinner if you are in a rush!

2 cans of tuna in water, drained

1 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

1/4 cup cabbage, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard (make sure no sugar)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard (no sugar)

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon chopped capers

Romaine lettuce spears- or you can use butter lettuce

Directions: 

• Chop all your ingredients (Stephen did a pretty awesome job chopping, don't you think?!)
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and add extra mustard if you would like it a tad creamier. Also add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Fill your lettuce spears with the mix (Stephen had also spread a little hummus on the bottom and put some avocado on top, was pretty amazing!)

Paleo Bacon, Pancetta & Chicken Alfredo

Got this recipe from PaleOMG and OMG it is amazing. Seriously what I have been craving! Definitely a super easy must try. I made several modifications from the original, and I think it was pretty dang good, really I might even make this over normal alfredo from now on. One modification that I LOVED was my addition of Jalapeno Bacon!! We will see how it is for leftovers the next day! I made a BUNCH so I could have leftovers, plenty for dinner, and take a friend some for lunch too :)

2 spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1 larger acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

6 chicken thighs (or 3 chicken breasts)

6 slices of Jalapeno bacon, diced
1 small package of diced pancetta
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2 cans light coconut milk
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon oregano

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat your 450 degrees.
• Cut spaghetti squash & acorn squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and excess threads. 
• Place all squash open side down on a baking sheet (use aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean up) and cook for 20-25 minutes. 
• Just place chicken on a foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet, sprinkle some olive oil over the chicken (or other kind of fat), salt and pepper it and add some garlic powder. Cook about 15 minutes in the 450 degree oven, turning 1/2 way through. . 
• Once your squash is done cooking, pull it out of the oven, dethread the spaghetti squash into a large bowl with a fork. 
• Now throw your diced bacon and pancetta into a skillet and cook until done. Use a slotted spoon to pull out your cooked bacon, but leave behind the grease (remove some if it happens to be a lot.
• Take your acorn squash and hollow it out. Just use the insides and dump them into your warm skillet filled with bacon grease. Then add your coconut milk. You may need to add a little bit more coconut milk depending on how runny you like your sauce. Mix thoroughly with a ladle to break up the squash a bit.
• Add seasonings to the mix and salt and pepper as needed. Mix thoroughly and cook on low for about 5 minutes to simmer.
• Now dice up your cooked chicken and add the chicken and bacon back into the pan. 
• Pour sauce over spaghetti squash serve up!
• Next time I make this I will add some mushrooms too!

Pork Chops & Pear Quinoa Salad

This is a great weeknight meal - speedy & good! I made a lot of extra so we could have lunch the next day too (and we ended up with a little left for the next night)

1 1/2 cups quinoa

3 green onions

4 cups chicken stock (make sure no sugar added)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup spinach roughly chopped
1 cup kale roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped almonds

3 pears, cut up into small pieces
1/2 cup kale salad mix**

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup oil (whatever you prefer, I used coconut)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
salt and pepper

Directions: 

• Cook quinoa according to directions (I use the chicken stock instead of water to give it a lot more flavor). 
• Chop up onion, parsley, spinach and kale and put in a bowl. 
• Chop almonds, and in a dry pan, saute them for about 5 minutes. You will smell them when they are ready, you just want to get some heat on them to bring out their great flavor. Once they are done. Roughly chop them. 
• Mix all the ingredients of the dressing together
• Let the quinoa cool a big and then add the quinoa to the salad mix, then add cut up pear and dressing mix. 
• Serve up next to some amazing sauteed pork chops seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder!

** The kale salad mix is optional. It was a bagged kale mix that had Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and a couple different kale types!

Crock Pot Thai Chicken

I had been wanting Thai food, but wanted to make sure there wasn't a ton of sugars and other stuff I couldn't eat in it. So I came up with this recipe! Best thing about this recipe is that I pretty much always have all the ingredients on hand, just had to run to the store for some limes and fresh ginger!

Small jar salsa

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup light coconut milk

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon garlic chili paste (no sugar added)
2 teaspoons salt

3 chicken breasts 

chopped peanuts, green onion and cilantro as garnish

Red pepper cut very thin
bean sprouts

Brown rice or quinoa

Directions: 

• Mix all of the ingredients (minus the last 5) together in a bowl. 
• Put the chicken in the crock pot and cover with the sauce.
• Cook on low for 8 hours. 
• When it is done and you are about to eat, mix in the thinly cut red pepper and the bean sprouts. You want the pepper to be very fresh. You can also add other veggies at this point too if you want!
• Make some brown rice or quinoa to serve it over. 
• Garnish with chopped peanuts, green onion and cilantro. 
• Salt a little more if you need it. I also served it with more garlic chili sauce. 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

These were Stephen's idea last night, and they were bomb! We literally could have eaten wayyy more! I will definitely be making these again soon, especially since they are the easiest thing ever. We served them up with a roasted chicken and sauteed kale and broccoli!

2 sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons oregano

1 1/2 tablespoons dried minced onions

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon natures seasoning

Directions: 

• Cut the sweet potatoes into rounds and 1/2 rounds and lay out on a baking sheet.
• Drizzle with olive oil and all seasonings and mix up so that they are all coated.
• Roast in a 450 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until they are tender in the middle and crispy around the outside!

Skinny Gluten Free Banana Coconut Bread

Having a good friend over for brunch tomorrow and I wanted to make some homemade goodies that were still...eh sorta good for me? I decided to make some banana bread with some bananas I had on the counter and I found this recipe! I made a couple changes from the original, seriously, YUM. These are sugar free (besides honey), gluten free and packed with great stuff for you.  I love this bread!

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup honey

6 egg whites

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups mashed bananas

1 1/4 cup Gluten Free AP flour *

1 cup Gluten Free Oats (rolled oats), pulsed in food processor to make an oat flour

1/2 cup vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

• In a large bowl, cream the coconut oil and the honey. do not melt the coconut oil first, you want it to be solid so it acts like a butter mixing with the honey.
• Add the egg whites, vanilla and banana and mix completely. 
• Sift the flour, oats, protein powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. 
• Slowly add the flour mix, alternately with the coconut milk, to the banana mixture. Do not over mix. 
• Stir in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips by hand. Next time i make this recipe i will also add 1 cup chopped walnuts too!
• Divide the batter in the loaf pans and sprinkle with some additional mini chocolate chips.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. 
• Let cool in the pans before flipping out onto cooling racks. 
• Keep bread in sealed container for 5-7 days or freeze the loaves to have on hand later! Makes 4 mini loaves or 1 large loaf. 

* If you don't want to make it with Gluten Free flour, you can easily substitute 1-1 normal AP flour and rolled oats. 

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

I wanted to bake today and Stephen requested I make something "healthy" (apparently my Snickerdoodle Bread last week wasn't his version of healthy :))  - something we could take easily for breakfasts. So after scouring the internet, I ended up making my own version of an oatmeal breakfast bar. It turned out pretty good. Not super sweet, great texture, and cut easily into perfect breakfast portions. They are also packed with fiber and protein and have NO added sugar. Since there is no sugar, like I mentioned they are not very sweet (which I really like), but you could add some agave to the wet ingredients to add some sweetness. I also think that next time I make these I will add some unsweetened shredded coconut too.  I will definitely be making this again!

3 cups Coaches Oats (can get this at Costco)*

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup chopped apricots

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons flax seeds

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cups pistachios, chopped

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups skim milk (can also use almond, rice, or coconut milk)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix dry ingredients together
• Mix wet ingredients together
• Combine both together and mix well. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper. 
• Bake for 40 minutes. The top will be browned and the bars will be set, yet still have some bounce when you touch them. 
• let them sit at least 15 minutes before cutting (30-45 min is best)
• Cut into bars. 
• I think these would actually do well in the freezer too if you are able to make a bunch in advance!

* note- a quick cook steel cut oats or oatmeal would work too :)

Crock Pot Pesto Chicken

I can't seem to get enough of my pesto. I thought it would be delicious to make it with a protein  so what better than chicken? I made the pesto the night before and then put it in a crock with the chicken and magic definitely happened! You can also just buy store bought pesto and add if you are pressed for time- but really- homemade pesto is SO good and actually very easy.

2 chicken breasts

1 cup pesto sauce

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 teaspoons dried minced onions

Pesto: 

Roughly 3 cups basil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (can be vegan or dairy free version)

1/4 cup walnuts

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper 

1 clove garlic

Directions:

• Put your chicken in the crock pot and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried minced onions. 
• Then put all of your pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor (minus the olive oil). 
• Pulse the ingredients until well mixed
• Slowly start to pour the olive oil into the blender or food processor until the pesto has the desired consistency. It should be somewhat liquid but still have some thickness to it. 
• Then add 1 cup of the pesto and the stock to the chicken breasts.
• Cook on low for 6 hours. 
• Shred the chicken in the crock pot and stir, let it sit about 15 minutes or up to an hour on warm. You can also just carefully pull the chicken out whole, but I like that the pesto gets all over every bit when you shred it!
• Serve over rice, pasta or just serve it with a side salad!

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Thank you thank you thank you SLO Veg (an awesome business in SLO County that deliveries fresh produce and veggies right to your door) for this delicious recipe. I replaced the normal butter for vegan butter, but to me it didn't change the flavor at all. It is SO good! I also made some little garlic toast crostini to go with it, you definitely don't have to do that though.

2 tablespoons vegan butter (original called for unsalted butter)

2 tablespoons good olive oil 

4 cups chopped yellow onions (2-3 large) 

2 tablespoons mild curry powder 

5 pounds butternut squash (2 large or 3 medium) 

1 1/2 pounds apples (4 apples) - I used Fuji

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

2 cups water 

2 cups good apple cider or juice 

Directions

• Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. 
• Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot. 
• Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks. 
• Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. 
• Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. 
• Process the soup in a blender. Pour the soup back into the pot. I liked to leave some small chucks in mine.
• Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. 
• The original recipe says to drizzle a little bit of heavy cream over the top to make a pretty display- I would LOVE this- but did without :) 
• Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.
• To do the garlic toast crostini, you just drizzle olive oil on a good baguette and put under the broiler until the edges turn brown. Then rub it with a piece of garlic to get it nice and garlicy- then sprinkle a little salt and pepper on it. 

Mexican Lasagna

So this is a recipe, that like chicken enchiladas, I am sure everyone has their own. For this one, I am going to break some of my rules and use some ground turkey meat, but you can most definitely just leave that out and you have yourself a dairy free, sugar free and gluten free Mexican lasagna! If you do leave out the turkey, I would suggest adding an extra can of beans- and quite honestly, this dish doesn't even need the meat! It is delicious, give it a try!

1 lb lean ground turkey breast

1 can black beans

1 can vegetarian re-fried beans 

1 can corn
1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 bag soy cheese

8 blue corn (or regular corn) tortillas, cut in half

2 green onions, chopped

cilantro, chopped

1 medium jar of your fav enchilada sauce (or 1/2 a large can)

tomatillo sauce (optional)

1 orange pepper, chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons vegetable stock

Directions

• In a skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and add onion. Cook until tender.
• Then brown turkey meat in the same pot. Because the turkey breast is so incredibly lean, you likely will not have to drain it. 
• Then when it is browned, add your seasonings, beans, corn, veggie stock, and bell pepper. 
• Mix to incorporate. 
• Cut your tortillas in half so they are easier to assemble. 
• Spray your baking pan and layer 1 layer of tortillas
• Follow with 1/2 of the meat mixture
• Add 1/2 of the enchilada sauce
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Repeat the layers. 
• Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 375 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. The lasagna should be bubbling. 
• Remove the aluminum and let bake another 5-10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro and green onions. 
• Serve!

Spicy Garlic Chow Mein

I have been so lame with posting recipes the past few days. I keep forgetting to take pictures, or do a dish that is relatively similar to others so I haven't been posting. Sunday I made this yummmoo chow mein (as I am calling it). It had some heat, garlic and some sweet. Was so good!

Sauce: 

1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce (uses mushrooms rather than oysters)

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (optional- add more for more spice)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon thyme 

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Chow Mein: 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 8 oz package of asian rice noodles

1 onion, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 cup green beans, chopped

1 cup swiss chard, cut in thin pieces

2 pieces of dried seaweed, for garnish

2 green onions, chopped for garnish

Directions:

• Mix all the ingredients of the sauce in a small bowl and set aside. 
• Cook the noodles according to the packaging- drain and rinse with cold water. 
• In a pan, add the coconut oil and all the vegetables. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook about 3 minutes. 
• When the vegetables are starting to cook but are still firm, add the sauce and let it cook with the vegetables about 5-10 minutes. Until the veggies have soaked up some of the sauce, but they are still firm. 
• Then add the noodles and mix, making sure the noodles get covered in the sauce. 
• Plate it up and then sprinkle with green onions and seaweed pieces. 

Boxed Soup Night

I was on my own for dinner tonight, and I didn't want to dirty up my beautifully cleaned kitchen, so I grabbed a Trader Joe's soup I bought recently.

 It is gluten free and with the exception of honey (which isn't technically allowed on the cleanse- but hey, I am a rebel) it is sugar free and vegan. I am pretty picky with soups from the store, I usually stick with the "tomato basil bisque" type soups. But I mean who can go wrong with anything with cream? :)  Well, this soup from Traders is really really good! It is called "Creamy Corn and Roasted Pepper Soup."  I won't lie, it is not the most appetizing color coming out of the box, but it has great flavor. A good quick and easy (and pretty healthy) soup to incorporate into your diet on nights that you would typically want to grab something not so wonderful for you!

The soup has only 110 calories per serving. I added a can of corn to add some texture. I definitely recommend!

Green Packed Pasta

Tonight was a night I wish I could have just gone out to dinner. Stephen has been sick the whole week, I had to run a ton of errands after work and I just wanted to be lazy! Luckily I had a TON of greens from farmers' market I needed to use up. This was a dish I literally threw together in about 10 minutes. Was pretty darn good too!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon vegetable stock

1 cup Swiss chard, chopped

1 cup kale, chopped

1/2 cup spinach, chopped

5 tomatoes, diced very small

1 container of mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic

corn & quinoa pasta

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon dried minced onions

1 teaspoon oregano

Directions

• Boil and drain pasta according to the directions. 
• In a large saute pan, add your olive oil and garlic and let cook about 3 minutes. Then add tomatoes, seasonings, and vegetable stock and let the tomatoes cook about 5 minutes then add mushrooms. 
• Add all the greens and stir to get all of them mixed with the tomato garlic sauce. Then add cooked pasta right to the dish!
• Serve!

Coconut Bars

Ever have one of those days where you are craving gooey brownies? Well fortunately, I found an awesome website that had this recipe for coconut bars that are vegan, sugar free and gluten free! They take about an hour to set up, but making them literally took me 5 minutes! Best part- they are no- bake too!! I found the original recipe way too sweet, so I made some adjustments below.  Also- if you are OK with having a small amount of caffiene, these would be EXCELLENT with some chopped dark (at least 60%) chocolate mixed in or drizzled on top! If you are making these for more than 2-3 people I would double the recipe to make more.

1 cup unsweetened coconut (make sure it is not sweetened)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 cup agave

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2  teaspoon vanilla (I used my homemade vanilla!)

Directions

• Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until all incorporated and no large lumps
• Push into a small Tupperware or dish, mine was like 4 x 5 inches. 
• Put in the refrigerator and let set up 45 mins to an hour. 

Get Better Soup

Stephen was super sick this weekend and asked for me to make him some chicken soup. I had every intention of not eating it, but it smelled SO dang good, I had to :) I think it was worth it though. We are at day 20 of the cleanse and it was still gluten & sugar free. Chicken soup just isn't the same without the chicken! I added a bunch of veggies to make it extra yummy and good for you. I watched my mom for years make this recipe and it was one of my favorites she made. I just added a couple little twists to make it mine. This is a must make soup for someone that isn't feeling very well, thanks mom :)

1 whole chicken, washed and innards removed

large pot of water

2-3 onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon Natures Seasoning

4 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

3 red potatoes, diced

2 large leaves kale, chopped

2 baby bok choy, chopped

1 cup split red lentils (my mom always does barley but I was out & got creative)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons oregano or parsley

Directions

• Put washed chicken in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Let it cook about 40 minutes. Sometimes there will be a foam that forms over the water, skim that off. 
• Add seasonings, onions and red lentils and let cook about 2 hours until chicken is cooked and stock is ready
• Remove chicken and separate the meat from the bones and add the chicken meat back into the broth
• Add the rest of the ingredients and let cook until vegetables are soft but still have a bite to them. 
• Sample the broth and see if it needs more seasonings
• Enjoy!! You can serve it with some noodles if desired. 

49er Spanish Rice

This rice is red, the 49er's won the NFC Championship today (actually yesterday by the time I am getting this post up) and we had left over bean dip so we decided to make some tacos with Spanish rice for dinner! This was super easy and tasted even better than any you would get at a restaurant or out of a box.

2 cups brown jasmine rice

4 cups vegetable stock

1 onion, chopped

5 onions, minced

1 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 tomato, diced

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons chili powder

Directions

• In a pan, put 1 tablespoon of olive oil and brown the rice. 
• Add the onion and garlic and saute until onion is tender
• In another sauce pan, bring vegetable stock to a simmer then add all the spices, tomato paste and tomato and stir to incorporate
• Add the brown rice to the simmering stock and let cook until tender. As it is cooking, continue to stir numerous times and add a little bit of water if the rice seems to not be getting cooked. 
• Enjoy!

49er's 9-layer dip (Vegan Style)

As you all know, we are big 49er's fans. Today (Sunday) they play the Falcons for the NFC Championship. My husband had one request- a 7 layer dip.  This was a little challenge because the 7-layer dips I love have some ground beef or turkey, sour cream, melted cheese, yum!  So I developed one that works for us, and of course is even BETTER than a 7 layer dip because it has 9 layers!

2 cans Trader Joe's re fried beans (vegan)

2 pasilla peppers, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cans black beans

1/4 cup vegetable stock

1 bag soy cheese

3-4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

3 green onions, chopped

3 avocados, mashed

1 tub of your favorite salsa

1 can black olives, sliced

1 tablespoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 cup homemade tomatillo sauce (or 1 can of green chili's)

Directions

• First, prepare your re-fried beans. Chop up the onion and pasilla pepper and add to a pan with 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Let saute until they are tender. 
• Add your beans to the pan and stir with the onions and peppers, then add the 1/4 cup vegetable stock. You want to add the stock slowly so you don't add to much and your beans end up watery. 
• Now prepare your guacamole. Mash up your avocados and season with salt and pepper and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.
• Put all the re-fried beans at the bottom of the pan, then layer the black beans and cheese on top. 
• Then add the following ingredients:
• Tomatillo sauce
• lettuce
• salsa
• guacamole
• sprinkle a little more soy cheese
• black olives & green onions

Baked Artichokes

Day 17 of the cleanse. Stephen asked for artichokes tonight and I didn't really know how I wanted to make them. I usually just love them steamed dipped in a little garlic mayo. That, I obviously couldn't do, so I had to get a little creative. Artichokes definitely take some time, but they are worth it!

2 artichokes

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons basil, chopped

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons vegetable stock

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons soy mozzarella (optional)

Directions

• Prepare artichokes by cutting off top 1/2 inch and trimming the tips of the artichoke leaves to remove sharp points. Also cut off the stem
• Place in a large pot of water and steam until the outer leaves remove easily from the artichoke. This will take 30-45 minutes. 
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Drain the artichokes and cut in half
• Remove the chokes and place heart up in a sprayed baking dish
• Drizzle olive oil and vegetable stock on top
• Sprinkle garlic, basil, salt and pepper and oregano on the top and in between the leaves
• Cover baking dish with aluminum foil for 25 minutes
• Remove from oven and sprinkle soy cheese on the top and put back into the oven for 5 minutes. 
• Remove and eat!

Roasted Golden Beets & Swiss Chard with Brussel Sprouts

There are two camps when it comes to Brussels sprouts, the lovers and the haters. I find myself posted up in the lovers camp for sure. I love Brussels, so when I found these little gems at farmers' market on Saturday, I knew I had to have them.  This evening, I stood and looked in my fridge trying to contemplate what I was going to do with them. I ended up LOVING what I came up with. The beets were sweet, Brussels tender and Swiss chard perfect! This is definitely a dish you have to try.

3 large golden beets

1 pint of Brussels sprouts 

10 leaves of Swiss chard

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 1/2 cups qunioa

3 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon agave

salt and pepper

3 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried minced onions

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 
• Wash, scrub and peel your beets and chop them into small cubes. Try to make them as uniform as possible and put them in a bowl.
• Mix beets with 1/2 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, minced onions and agave. Mix up so all the beets are covered in the oil mix. 
• Prepare your Brussels. Wash and remove stem and a few of the outer leaves. Chop in 1/2
• Now put your beets on a cookie sheet with sides, lined with aluminum and put in the 425 oven and cook for about 45 minutes. The beets will be soft all the way through and begin to brown on the edges when they are done. 
• I was able to do my quinoa and Brussels at the same time in my cooker. Put 1 1/2 cups qunioa and 3 cups of vegetable stock in a rice cooker. In the steamer attachment, put your Brussels sprouts. Season Brussels with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. 
• Cook until the qunioa is done, the Brussels will also be done, set aside.
• Now spray a pan lightly with cooking spray and then toast your chopped almonds for 3-5 minutes. 
• Remove from the pan and set aside. 
• Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil to the pan and add chopped Swiss chard. 
• Let Swiss chard cook about 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. 
• Add almonds and cook another 2 minutes. 
• Add steamed Brussels to Swiss chard and mix. 
• Serve it all over your quinoa!