Tag: carrots

Recipe: Loaded Salad

Loaded salads are baaack!

I remember planning for a vegan pregnancy. 2 months into the pregnancy and I craved a hamburger. I still ate a lot of #veggies and fruit, but meat was back on the menu. Salads weren’t satisfying anymore, which totally bummed me out. Any of you who’ve dealt with pregnancy cravings KNOWS what I’m talking about when I say, “What baby wants, baby gets!” Now I’m past breastfeeding and starting to feel more in control of my eating. Enter stage left, the grand and ggloriousLOADED SALAD!! This salad tastes great and fills my belly.
Ingredients per salad:
5 oz lettuce
1 roma tomato, diced
3 sweet mini bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup hummus
3 tablespoons spicy nut mixture
1/4 cup salsa for salad dressing
5-6 kalamata olives, pitted

Directions:
🍅Using large bowl, layer in this order
🍅Lettuce
🍅Salsa sprinkled on lettuce
🍅Hummus in corner with kalamatas on top
🍅 Tomatoes in 2nd corner
🍅Bell peppers in 3rd corner
🍅Peanut mixture in 4th corner

Optional toppings:
Radishes
Avocado
Celery
Carrots
Seeds – chia, sunflower, and/or #pumpkin

Fill your belly and feel great! I’ll see you at the table!

Whole Baked Chicken

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I love baking a whole chicken because it looks great on the dinner table, tastes great and the left overs are great for making chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
  • 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with onion slices, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic.
  3. Lift the skin of the chicken and using your fingers, rub butter on the chicken meat. Try to get this all over the breast, thigh and leg meat. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper on the outside.
  4. Place the whole chicken upside down in the baking pan – that way the juices flow to the breast and keep it moist.
  5. Place the onions and carrots around the chicken in a roasting pan. Place any extra onion slices on top of the chicken.
  6. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.
  7. Carefully pour juices from pan into gravy boat and serve as well – nice alternative to gravy if you serve with potatoes too.

I’ll see you at the table!

Beef Stew with Canned Beef

I love a good stew, especially when it’s cold outside. This stew is on the lighter side because there’s a small ratio of beef to other ingredients, no oil and no added salt.

Ingredients:
2 12 ounce canned beef
1 small onion, diced. Or use 1/4 cup dehydrated onion
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
4 large potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes with skin still on
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 lb tomatoes, rough cut or 1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 cup frozen peas (See Note 1)
1 14 ounce can corn, or 2 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons organic no-salt seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions:
1. Using large pot, water saute the onion for 2 minutes then add the carrots and celery and saute another 2 minutes
2. In a separate pot, boil the potato cubes for 10 minutes, then add the potatoes to the rest of the stew.
3. Add corn, tomatoes, canned beef with juice and black pepper, organic no-salt seasoning, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, stir to combine.
4. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. If you want it thicker, make a rue using 2 ladles of hot liquid into bowl. Add 1 tablespoon flour and whisk thoroughly, then add corn starch one tablespoon at a time to thicken – I usually use 2 tablespoons. Add rue to high powered blender with 10 cooked potato pieces and blend until pureed. Pour mixture into stew and mix thoroughly; heat through.

Serve stew with a yummy crusty bread. Freeze left overs for quick meal another day. Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

Note 1: Peas cook quickly, so I add the peas when I reheat the stew so that they’re still firm and sweet, a nice contrast to the heartiness of the rest of the stew.

Slow Cooker Chicken with Honey and Garlic

I originally found this recipe on Damn Delicious. It really is *damn* delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved
  • 16 ounces baby carrots
  • 16 ounces green beans, trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

For the sauce

  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper.
  2. Place chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots and soy sauce mixture into a 6-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, basting every hour. Add green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
  3. OPTIONAL: Preheat oven to broil. Place chicken thighs onto a baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until crisp, about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Serve chicken immediately with potatoes, carrots and green beans, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Recipe: Smoothies

smoothiesA week of green smoothies! One of the things I missed the most while gone to Seattle was my Blendtec… Should’ve just packed it along with me!

greens
collard greens
kale
spinach
berries
juice
banana
grapes
mango
cherries
ice
carrots
apple

Recipe: Minestrone Soup

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Minestrone soup is one of my all-time favorites! As with most of my soups, I love to make a big pot, eat for few meals and freeze extra in individual serving size containers to enjoy later. That way I don’t get bored with a good thing but also to have quick and healthy meals for reheating later.

Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1-14.5 ounce canned diced tomatoes
1-10 ounce mild Rotel
2 cups elbow noodles
1 cup frozen fresh corn
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cubed carrots
1 tablespoon black pepper (use less if you don’t like the spice kick)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (may be omitted if you’re a spice wimp)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons organic no-salt seasoning
1-15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed (red or white)
4 cups water

Directions:
Boil elbow noodles for 5 minutes, drain. Don’t wash the pot, just put empty pot back on the stove on medium-high heat.
Water sautee onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add water as needed, then add carrots and continue water sauteeing for 3 more minutes.
Add tomatoes, Rotel, and spices. Stir and heat together for 2 minutes.
Add water, corn, peas, beans and noodles. Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes, turn down heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Serve warm with fresh local bakery bread – ask the baker for something unique. For those family members who want traditional minestrone, serve individual servings with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Avoid those two ingredients and you have a wonderful vegan soup that’s much healthier!

Note: Minestrone always tastes better the second day, so if you plan well cook the soup the day before you want to eat. When reheating, make sure to not over boil, just slow bubble. Avoid microwave too!

I’ll see you at the table!