Tomato Bean Salad, by Cheryl

I've been slacking on new recipes lately. I used to make this recipe all the time while we were living in Italy and I just recently got a hankering for it and make it today. It's a super easy snack or side and can be eaten alone, on some crackers, or a be topping for bruschetta. Today I added diced red and yellow peppers to the mix and it added a nice crunch. Yum!

Ingredients:

A can of cannelini beans, rinsed
Tomatoes, diced
One small red onion
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions

1) Mix everything together!

The Best Italian Meatballs, by Diane

These are one of the best things I've ever made!! This recipe is Whole30 from @bazaarlazarr,  entitled Lazy Girl Whole30 meatballs. Meatballs are my favorite food, because they are quick and delicious and so this title caught my eye immediately! However, I quickly found there is nothing lazy about this recipe (you have to brown them individually which I hate bc it's so time consuming!), and my Speedy Weeknight Meatballs are way faster (just throw them in the oven). BUT- the recipe is so flippin' delicious that I'll make it over and over on repeat, it's definitely the best meatball recipe I've tried. What makes them so good is the flavors which taste incredibly authentic (Cheryl is our resident Italian judge and I think she'd agree?!) and the cooking process (turns out browning and baking is the way to go!). Not to mention the sauce I used, Rao's, is delicious. Hooray!

Note: The original recipe calls for half a pound of veal and half a pound of Italian sausage, but there is no compliant Italian sausage for Whole30 so I doubled the veal to one pound and added in paprika and onion powder (I didn't have fennel on hand or I would have added that too).


Ingredients:

1 lb grass fed beef
1 lb veal
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large egg, lightly whisked
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced (I used 4!)
Salt and pepper (use a pinch more salt than you'd think)
1/4 cup almond flour (sub in breadcrumbs if keeping it traditional)
1 24 oz. jar tomato sauce
Fresh basil, torn, for garnish


Directions:

1. Combine ingredients through almond flour and mix well, careful not to over mix so the meatballs stay tender. Form into balls, about 1.5 inches in diameter (this recipe yielded 20 for me).

2. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high, brown the meatballs on all sides and set on a paper towel lined plate.

3. Preheat oven to 325.

4. Drain the oil from the pan, place the meatballs back in and top with sauce. Spread evenly and bake for 30-40 min (I did 40).

5. Remove from oven and top with basil.

Rosemary Chicken Salad, by Diane

Wow!!!! I made this for lunches this week, another Whole30 week, and I have never had a better chicken salad recipe! This was the best lunch I've had in a very long time! I got this recipe from Instagram @therealfoodrds, it was originally for a blueberry chicken salad but the blueberries I got for this week went bad so I subbed in currants. I also subbed in pecans for walnuts since that's also what I had on hand. What makes this so delicious is the fresh rosemary – usually in recipes I use dried herbs since it's cheaper and that's what I have in my pantry but I am so glad that I picked to use fresh rosemary for this recipe because the flavor in combination with onions and sweetness of the currants makes this salad so addicting! Make this now.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup chopped pecans
4 tbsp currants
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayo
Bibb lettuce cups

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, place into lettuce cups to eat.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, by Diane

I made this for dinners this week, it is another Whole30 recipe from Instagram (@thewoodenskillet) but you could easily adapted if you didn't want to follow the rules. The recipe was for beef and broccoli, but I was already having burgers for lunches that week so I switched it up to chicken and added extra veggies. This was really good, pretty easy to throw together, and lasted a long time. I even turned it into a really good soup by adding broth and rice noodles the other night! My only complaint was that the ginger taste was very strong and there was not enough sauce, so I would make some extra sauce next time without adding extra ginger.

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp sesame oil
Pinch of salt

Chicken/Broccoli:

1.5 lbs cubed chicken
4 heaping cups broccoli florets
1 pint sliced mushrooms
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 shallot, sliced thinly
5 springs scallions, sliced (green and white parts)
Sesame oil, coconut aminos

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce with a whisk and set aside.

2. Heat a large pan over medium high heat, add in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and the chicken. Cook until white on all sides and cooked through, place in a bowl and set aside.

3. Add two more tablespoons of sesame oil and 1 tbsp of coconut aminos to the pan, then sauté carrots, shallots, and scallions until the shallots carmelize. Place in the bowl with the chicken and set aside.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos to the pan, add broccoli and mushrooms and cook through. If the ingredients start to burn you can cover the pan to expedite the cooking process of the broccoli.

5. Combine all ingredients back into the pan including the sauce, stir until the sauce starts to thicken about five more minutes.