Thursday, May 1, 2008

Going Nuts....

I just want to start out by saying I am really not a fan of Rachel Ray. Her cooking methods and products don't appeal to me. That being said, I was watching t.v the other day (on the 28th) and like always, flipped to the food network and 30 minute meals was on. Whatever, I leave it on and start reading. As the time passes I realize that she is making something that I might be able to eat! It sounds amazing....Almond Crusted Chicken with this creamy white sauce called Scallion Beurre Blanc. I love almonds and they are ok for me to eat, but what else is in it.....bread crumbs, crap! As I keep watching she is now using heavy cream and white wine for her sauce. Forget about it. But wait, I have an idea. Why couldn't I subsitute the bread crumbs for let's say...yeast-free Rye Wasa Crisps? And for the sauce, try a Scallion Yogurt sauce instead? I could do this...and I did. I did, I did, I did. And oh, I did it good! By doing this good deed, I transformed this into a low-carb dish, that the whole family loved! Fried chicken on a detox?! Who would have thought? Oh and if a yogurt sauce isn't your thing, keep an eye out for my hollandaise sauce. It goes beautiful with this as well! My version came out like this:

Almond Chicken



2 scallions, whites and greens, very finely chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice - eyeball it
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 tablespoons Greek-cheese style Yogurt
1 large egg
8 pieces organic chicken breast cutlets, 1 1/4 pounds
1/4 Raw almonds 
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup of brown rice flour 
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, eyeball it
sea salt and pepper
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 tablespoon of butter


Combine the scallions, lemon juice, garlic and whisk in 4 tablespoons yogurt seasoned with sea salt and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes.

While the sauce is working, beat egg and set chicken into it. Combine almonds, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a food processor and grind. combine almond mixture with brown rice flour and almond meal. Remove chicken from the egg and coat in the almond mixture.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add cutlets and cook 3 minutes on each side, transfer to a plate and cover with foil and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Place 2 cutlets on each dinner plate and spoon a bit of Yogurt sauce down over top of the cutlets. Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Soooo Good Organic Chicken Fajita's

 Happy Cinco de Mayo! I'm a little early I know, but this just gives us time to prepare! I found this recipe on the web awhile ago and just recently tried it with some modifications..... It came out so freakin' delicious that even Ocean and Hunter loved it. They even asked to have it again before they were finished. Score. The chicken came out sooo tender and when you add a spoonful of guacamole to the top of these it adds a coolness and cuts the spiciness perfectly. You will never miss the sour cream and cheese, trust me. If you would like, add some organic canned refried beans with it and a baby greens salad. If you are entertaining, why not add some all natural blue tortilla chips with fresh salsa for your peeps? Let's make this a fiesta! Happy eating. : )

Chicken fajita's:

What you will need
for the marinade:


1 Tbsp Chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Cumin
3 tsp garlic powder 
2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp Stevia powder
1/2 cup cilantro
juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/4 organic all natural vegi or chicken broth (Imagine is great)
2 or 3 Tbsp of canola or olive oil
4 organic skinless. boneless chicken breasts


What you will need
for the guacamole:


2 large avocado  
1 tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 of a jalapeno pepper, seeds and membrane removed, finely chopped 
1/2 lime  
sea salt to taste


What you will need for the peppers:


1 large red bell pepper
1 large green pepper
1 large orange or yellow pepper
1 large onion
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
sea salt to taste
Cut them all in julianne slices


Ok, so first you will want to get a medium to large bowl to add all the marinade ingredients. Mix them all up and set aside.


Now your going to pound the chicken and flatten to about 1/4 of an inch. (this really is important as it tenderizes the meat) I find it useful to use plastic wrap over the chicken while doing this.


Add the meat to the marinade. Poke holes in the meat with a fork and make sure all the chicken is covered with the marinade. Cover for about 2 to 3 hrs in the fridge, turning once. Don't exceed 4 hrs.


As the meat is marinading you can make the guacamole and store it in the fridge as well.


When you are finished marinading the meat, start the grill. Let it get hot and grill chicken for about 15 -20 minutes until cooked through.


As the chicken is on the grill, saute the peppers and onion with some olive oil and sea salt until they are soft.


Thinly slice the chicken and serve on top of the peppers with a spoonful of guacomole on each plate.  Yum, Yum, Yum!......

Thursday, April 17, 2008

My Warm Nutty Chopped Salad


This salad dish is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. I'm not exaggerating either! It is soooo damn good that even my carnivore Brian aka Puffin, craves it too. I use all organic produce in my recipes and you should too! :)
Ok, so here it goes:


Warm Nutty Chopped Salad:


2 cups of spring mix and spinach salad mix (I use the bagged 50/50 version)
1/2  avocado (large), diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste

1/4 of a lemon
hand full of raw almonds, chopped
1/4 cup cooked brown rice (optional)
1 tbsp whole roasted flax seeds (optional if nuts are not your thing)


First, chop salad greens and onion



Then heat oil in a small frying pan and add onion and almonds and sprinkle with sea salt (so onions don't sweat) heat until onion are opaque and almonds are slightly brown. Add brown rice if you want. Turn off heat and set aside. 



Now dice your red pepper, tomato, and avocado.


After your onion and almonds have cooled down a bit (you still want them warm to wilt the spinach ever so slightly) add to chopped greens and toss.


Add the diced tomato, red pepper, avocado and flax seed. Sprinkle with sea salt and squirt the lemon


Your salad you just created should look so good you will want to take a picture of it. Go ahead. Now enjoy, and let me know what you think of it!