Recipes

Chicken-And-Egg Zoodles

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I started this meal thinking a nice simple plate of cacio e pepe sounded delicious. But, I don’t eat pasta – and I didn’t have any parmesan. What I *did* have was some CSA fresh zucchini, some bacon ends, a bit of leftover baked chicken and some farm fresh eggs.

A delicious, dead simple, quick-to-prepare dinner was born. And, without heating my apartment to 900 degrees, or filling it with seared meat smoke. #winning

Paleo, gluten-free, whole30 if you source your bacon right

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Chicken-And-Egg Zoodles

4 ounces bacon
4 ounces leftover cooked chicken
1 large zucchini
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. FOC (fat of choice)
2 eggs per person
More FOC
Salt & pepper

Heat a pan on medium. Chop your bacon and add. Brown. When the bacon is halfway browned, add the leftover chicken and 2 chopped cloves garlic.

Zoodle your zucchini however you accomplish this (I use a spiralizer that works like sharpening a pencil – there are a ton of ways to make noodles out of zucchini).

When the bacon is browned and the chicken is warm, add the zoodles to the pan and toss. Add 2 tsp. olive oil, a few cracks black pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Set aside while you fry the eggs.

Put your pan back over the fire and add more fat. Fry the eggs and use to top the “pasta”.

Serves 2

Pan-Roasted Chicken, Broccoli & Corn

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This is a simple to throw together one-skillet meal that’s as satisfying as it is easy.

Gluten-free

What the what kind of ridiculousness happened here? Sorry guys - the blurriness of this image hurts my eyes, but dinner was too good not to share.
What the what kind of ridiculousness happened here? Sorry guys – the blurriness of this image hurts my eyes, but dinner was too good not to share.

Pan-Roasted Chicken, Broccoli & Corn
Adapted from Pan-Roasted Rosemary Chicken from Bon Appetit

1/2 chicken or 2 quarters chicken, bone-in and skin on
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, divided
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 shallot
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1 small head broccoli
1 ear corn
1/4 to 1/2 cup stock
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Splash apple cider vinegar
Salt & pepper

Chop the rosemary and two of the garlic cloves. Mix together with 2 Tbsp. of the oil and spread over the flesh side of the chicken. Cover and chill 1 hour to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 F with a rack in the lower third. While the oven is heating, pat the skin side of your chicken dry and hit with salt and pepper. In a large cast iron (or other ovenproof) skillet, heat the last Tbsp. oil over medium-high and add the chicken skin side down. Let brown while you chop the veggies and the oven finishes heating.

Chop the broccoli, and de-cob the corn. Add to the sides of the chicken, hit with salt and pepper, and roast uncovered about 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 F.

While the chicken and veggies are cooking, prep your add-ins. Dice the shallot and remaining 2 cloves garlic. De-stem the thyme. Collect your broth, butter and vinegar.

Pull the chicken and let rest, skin side up, on a plate.

Sauté the shallot, thyme and garlic in the pan juices over medium heat until softened. Add the broth and vinegar, scraping up the browned bits, until the sauce reduces a bit and the vegetables are nice and coated. Add the butter and stir until combined.

Serves 2 for dinner, with enough chicken leftover for lunch 

 

Spicy Chard Salad with Sweet Miso Dressing

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This is one of those crowd-pleasing, light and refreshing salads that makes the perfect thing to bring to a potluck. It’s vegan, gluten-free (check your labels!) and paleo-adjacent. It’s also sweet and spicy and interesting enough to warrant seconds on a hot summer day.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free

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Spicy Chard Salad With Sweet Miso Dressing

1 bunch Swiss chard
1/2 head red cabbage
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 shallot
2 Tbsp. white miso (check your labels!)
1.5 Tbsp. tahini
1.5 Tbsp. coconut nectar
1.5 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 – 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
Few cracks black pepper
Big pinch Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Bare dusting ground ghost pepper

Wash and chop the chard, cabbage and peppers – add to a large bowl. Dice the shallot and add. Halve the tomatoes and add.

In a small bowl, whisk together the miso, tahini, coconut nectar, coconut amino, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, coriander and ghost pepper.

Pour over the salad and toss to combine.

Serves 6+, enough for a potluck

Blistered Lemon Green Beans

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Lemon! This is one of those bright, punchy side dishes that calls to mind hot summer evenings spent draped over the arms of furniture because it’s wilty outside, potluck barbecues with friends, and the bounty of an overflowing CSA box.

In short, it’s delicious and will wake your tastebuds up. Plus, it’s safe for pretty much everyone if you want to bring it somewhere.

Gluten-free, paleo, Whole30, vegetarian, vegan

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Blistered Lemon Green Beans

1 lb. beans (I used a mix of yellow and green)
2-3 lemons
2 tsp. FOC (fat of choice)
4 cloves roasted garlic
1 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. chopped basil
Kosher salt & pepper
Water

First, tip your green beans and put your broiler on high. Add the green beans in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Slice one of the lemons in half, and then into thin rounds (peel and all). Pick out the seeds of the rounds and place on the cookie sheet with the green beans. Sprinkle with your fat of choice, salt and pepper.

Broil until the green beans are starting to blister and the lemons are starting to burn – roughly 5 mins., turn the pan and 3 mins. (at least in my oven) – start with 5 minutes and watch from there.

While your green beans are burning, make the dressing. Dice the garlic and add to a small bowl with 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, the tahini, and a shot of salt & pepper. Stir to combine and add a little water (about a Tablespoon) to loosen up a little if needed. Chop the basil and add to the dressing. Stir again.

When the beans and lemon slices are ready, remove from the pan. Dice the lemon (peel and all) and add to the dressing.

Toss the dressing with the beans well to combine (I massaged the dressing into the beans with my fingers).

Serves 2-3 as a dinner side

Thai Basil Chicken & Greens

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This was one of those providential ‘throw my CSA veggies at a recipe’ dishes that happened to work out well. I love it when that happens. This dinner was inspired by this recipe for three-cup chicken, but I didn’t have scallions – and I had carrots, beet greens and carrot greens to use up so those went in instead.

Gluten-free, paleo

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Thai Basil Chicken & Greens

3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1-2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
5 small carrots, cut into rounds
8 c. greens (I used a mixture of beet greens and carrot tops), chopped
1 tsp. coconut nectar (or other sweetener)
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 c. basil leaves, chopped

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over high in a wok or your largest skillet. Add the ginger, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes and stir-fry until fragrant (about 2 minutes).

When finished, scrape the aromatics to the side of the pan and add last Tablespoon of oil + the carrots. Toss. Add the chicken and stir-fry until browned (about 5-7 minutes).

Add the coconut nectar, vinegar, and coconut aminos – stir. Reduce the heat to medium and add the greens. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the greens are wilted and the stems (if you’re using something like chard or beet greens) are just tender (about 10 minutes).

Turn off the heat and add the basil. Stir.

Serves 2 for dinner

Broiled Peachy Chicken

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I love summer peaches. Like, eat them every day for lunch and dream about them during dinner love. My DH: not so much. So, I was happy to jump in the kitchen and make a riff on this NY Times roasted chicken recipe when he was out one night last week – and I must say, this dish worked out just fine.

Gluten-free, paleo

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Broiled Peachy Chicken

2 peaches, pitted and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 oz. double-smoked bacon, sliced into batons
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. vermouth
2 Tbsp. sliced garlic stalks (can sub regular garlic)
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
1 bunch baby spinach
2 radishes, sliced thin
2 Tbsp. fresh basil (optional: I didn’t have it, but it would have been lovely)
Kosher salt & black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Halve and slice the peaches, chop the chicken, slice the bacon and garlic stalks and grate the ginger – adding to an oven proof dish as you go. Sprinkle with the rice wine vinegar and vermouth. Toss to combine. Hit with salt and pepper. Toss. Hit with salt and pepper again.

Bake 20 – 30 minutes or until the chicken and bacon are cooked through.

Serve over a bed of baby spinach with sliced radishes.

Serves 2 for dinner

Updated: DH’s Green Smoothie

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This is an updated version of my Breakfast Of Champions green smoothie recipe from a couple of years ago. As was the case back then, I still drink this smoothie most weekdays for breakfast and still absolutely love it. I’d like to say I’ve tried umpteen recipes and settled on this one after extensive taste-testing, but that’s not the case. When we got our Vitamix, the DH did a little research on smoothie ingredients that weren’t just sugar and carb bombs (or worse: dessert) in disguise, and came up with this recipe. It was perhaps the second thing he made with the new blender, and we have been drinking it ever since. It’s evolved over the years (we used to add a banana, celery, cilantro and spirulina), but the nutrition and taste is still there – and this is still an absolutely satisfying breakfast and enough to carry me through my day from 8:30 – 12:30.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

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DH’s Green Smoothie (Updated)

1 Granny Smith apple
1 big hand full kale (we use pre-cut)
1 smallish hand full baby spinach (we use bagged)
1/2 of a large avocado (or 1 whole small)
3/4c. coconut water (we use Zico)
1/4c. orange juice (we like the not from concentrate kind)
1/2 inch ginger (peeled)
Optional add-in: protein powder (we use Nutiva hemp protein because it doesn’t have soy or whey and also doesn’t have a ton of added crap)

Core and chop the apple. Add to the blender carafe. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend, letting run on high until smooth and incorporated.

Pour into two glasses and consume in the manner you prefer (I won’t drink mine without a straw; the DH drinks his straight from the glass).

Serves 2

 

Spring Broccoli and Pea Salad

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This is another great cookout salad. Quick to throw together, friendly for a whole host of dietary restrictions, clean and bright.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

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Spring Broccoli and Pea Salad

1 lb. snow or snap peas
3 large radishes
1 (9-10 oz.) bag broccoli slaw
Zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp. avocado or other neutral oil
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt & black pepper.

Tip, tail and snap your peas into a large bowl. Grate the radishes and add. Add the broccoli slaw. Hit with a generous pinch Kosher salt + a few grinds black pepper and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, oil, mustard, and vinegar.

Pour over the salad. Toss to combine and hit with another shot of salt and pepper.

I went back and forth regarding doubling the dressing for a more punchy taste, but ultimately opted for the more subtle route. If you want punchier dressing, try doubling the amount and playing with the mustard/acid content.

Makes a huge bowl – more than enough for a cookout. 

Spring Greens & Meatballs

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Picture it: Brooklyn, 2015. Obama is in the White House, Congress is ineffectual, the whole Northeast is tottering between Spring and Summer, and I forgot how to change gears rapidly when the grocery store is out of the ingredients I want for dinner.

This dinner was basically me playing Chopped the home game one night, when a Thursday hit and I realized I had only about half of the required items for the dinner I had planned on making, but had not really come up with a solid B plan. So I played. And it worked! Go, hours of watching cooking shows on television!

Gluten-free, paleo

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Spring Greens & Meatballs

1 lb. grass fed ground beef
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1.5 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic
Kosher salt & black pepper
1 wedge preserved lemon
2 tsp. aged balsamic vinegar
1.5 tsp. curry powder
1.5 tsp. baking soda mixed with 1 tsp. warm water
2 ounces double smoked bacon
1 leek
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. rosemary
1 c. frozen peas
1 Tbsp. unsalted grass fed butter
6 ounces baby spinach

First, make your meatballs. Add the ground beef to a large bowl. Pick and chop 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/5 tsp. rosemary. Add to the meat. Grate 1 clove garlic and add. Add 1 big pinch of Kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper. Dice the preserved lemon and add 2 tsp., reserving the rest. Add the balsamic vinegar, curry powder and baking soda slurry. Mix and form into ping pong ball sized meatballs. Add to a large pan over medium heat and brown on all sides.

While your meatballs are cooking, cook your greens. First, chop your bacon and add to a pan over medium heat. While the bacon is working, wash and halve the leek and cut into thin half moons. Slice the second clove of garlic and chop the last 1 tsp. thyme and 2 tsp. rosemary. Add to the pan when the bacon is half rendered. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is getting soft and browned in spots. Add the peas and stir, letting cook for a few minutes. Add the butter and stir, letting melt. Add the rest of the preserved lemon (about 1 tsp.) and half the spinach and stir until wilted. Add the rest of the spinach and wilt.

Serves 2 for a light dinner, with meatballs leftover for lunch

Stone Fruit Salad

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This salad is ridiculously delicious. Sweet, a little tart, a little savory – it’s got a great mix of flavors and is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your next group gathering.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

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Stone Fruit Salad

3 large plums
4 small peaches or nectarines
4 scallions
3 large radishes
1 red bell pepper
1 inch ginger
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. avocado oil (or other neutral oil)
1 tsp. sweetener (honey, coconut sugar, agave, maple syrup)
1 tsp. curry powder
1 clove garlic
Kosher salt & black pepper

First, break down your fruit, pepper, and radishes and add to a large bowl. I used a mandolin with large julienne teeth – this was good, but the plums got a bit pulpy; you may want to just thinly slice everything (resulting in more texture). Thinly slice the scallions and add to the bowl. Hit with a generous pinch salt and a few cracks black pepper. Toss.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, curry powder, ginger (grated), and garlic (grated). Add the dressing to the salad and toss to combine. Hit with another shot of salt and pepper.

I made this salad several hours before serving to allow the flavors a chance to marry a bit.

Makes a big bowl – enough to take to a cookout.