One Skillet Salmon with Spinach Artichoke Sauce, by Cheryl

Another salmon recipe! Sorry Diane! This meal was delicious. I love Paleo Running Momma (recipe link here). Her recipes can be enjoyed by everyone and are healthy, easy to make, and so good! I used nutritional yeast for the first time and it was good! I didn't even tell Jon it was in there haha. I would definitely make this again. Yum!

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

1 tsp smoked paprika

Mix of onion powder and dried chives

Sea salt and black pepper

1/2 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tbsp. fresh parsley and thyme

Crushed red pepper flakes, optional

2 tsp arrowroot or tapioca flour

1 14oz can full fat coconut milk

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

4-5 cups fresh spinach

1 12 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375. Season salmon on all sides with onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

2) Sear the salmon before baking. Add one tbsp. of ghee in large skillet over medium high heat. Add the salmon, skin side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet to a plate for later.

3) Lower the heat to medium low and add more ghee, onions, and garlic. Cook about 2-3 minutes. Add the fresh herbs and cook for another 203 minutes. 

4) Add the crushed pepper, flour, coconut milk, mustard, and nutritional yeast. Whisk and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until smooth and creamy. Add the spinach and artichokes and cook until spinach is wilted. Stir the lemon juice to combine and remove from heat. 

5) Return the salmon to the skillet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve alone or with cauliflower rice, or grain of choice. 

Artichoke Heart Poppers, by Diane

 

Holy moly these rocked!! What a quick and delicious snack! I saw inspiration for these on a few recipes, and I had some leftover dry batter from my pickle chicken nuggets. Next time I want to try some pizza seasonings on them. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 egg yolk, whisked

1/4 cups arrowroot powder

1/2 tsp each black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dill

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Pat the artichoke hearts dry and toss in the bowl with the egg, coat well.

2. Transfer to the dry ingredients, coat well.

3. Spray the pan of an air fryer with oil, dump the artichokes in, spread out. Cook at 370 for 12-15 min or until crispy.

Antipasto Salad, by Diane

Last night it felt like summer, and all I wanted was a fresh and light dinner. I created this mix of deliciousness and afterwards I realized it kind of reminded me of an antipasto salad- but way better! To make it whole30 compliant, just check the meat doesn’t have any sugars in it. This was delicious, quick, and exactly what I wanted after a hot day in the sun.


Ingredients:

30 baby multicolor heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup black or kalamata olives
1 14.5 oz can hearts of palm, sliced into inch rings
1 14.5 oz can artichoke hearts, cut into bite size pieces
1 package prosciutto, rough chopped
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
A splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar


Directions:

Toss everything together and adjust seasonings/oils/vinegars to taste. Eat fresh!

Non-dairy Broccoli Vegetable and Cheese Soup, by Diane

I came across this recipe from a blog I love, Oh She Glows. This blog takes comfort foods and remixes them into healthy, nutritious options. So when I found this recipe to mimic broccoli and cheese soup, and then saw it incorporated fall's amazing squash, I was hooked. This recipe could not be easier, or healthier, or more delicious for that matter! It makes a ton (10 cups), keeps in the fridge (it gets better with time!) or freezer, and is very filling as a meal itself.

A note on the non-dairy part of this recipe: it is made with nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast with a bunch of B vitamins added to it. It is also packed with protein (it is a complete protein), fiber, potassium, and selenium. It has a creamy, cheesy flavor and therefore can be added to anything in place of cheese. Now, let me be the first to say that a cheesy-tasting yeast made me want to gag and therefore I have avoided using this product until recently. On accident I ate it in the form of cheesy kale chips from Whole Foods, and it was only until after I finished amazing said kale chips that I thought to read the ingredients and lo and behold- it was nutritional yeast instead of what I thought was delicious cheddar. So, I decided to try it out in a recipe, and this seemed like a great time to do so! There is also no use of cream or dairy like in traditional broccoli cheese soup- the soup is thick and creamy enough on it's own from the pureed vegetables.

I made a few switches to this recipe that came out nicely. First, I added in a small butternut squash to take advantage of fall produce. Second, I used vegetable stock instead of broth (this is a recent tip I picked up that really makes a world of difference, and works with chicken or beef broth as well- I am never going back to broth again!). And third, since I didn't have smoked paprika and didn't want the cayenne, I used one of my favorite spices- hungarian sweet paprika. I used about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of this in place of her use of these two spices. Finally, I wanted more of a cheesy flavor so I wound up using around 8 tbsp of the nutritional yeast. Really, this recipe is great because you can customize it to what vegetables and spices you love or have on hand.

Another note on her technique- she uses a vitamix and purees the soup in batches after it cools. I have an immersion blender and therefore could blend the soup in it's pot in one batch while it was still hot- much easier and I am sure much less messy! If you don't have this handy gadget, follow along with her instructions- a blender will work fine as well.

Original recipe here: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/09/25/luxurious-7-vegetable-and-cheese-soup/


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cups chopped sweet onion (from 1 large onion)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped celery (from 2-3 stalks)
1 heaping cup peeled and chopped carrots (from 2 small carrots)
6 packed cups broccoli florets (from 1 large bunch broccoli)
2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potato (from 1 small sweet potato, about 320 g)
1.5-2 cups seeded and chopped Delicata squash (from 1 very small squash about 275 g)
6 cups vegetable broth
5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt)
For serving: toasted Pepita seeds, a pinch of cinnamon or smoked paprika, and toasted bread

Directions:

1. Grab a very large pot (about 6.5 qt) with a lid and set aside.
2. Add the onion and garlic with the oil into the pot and saute over medium heat for a few minutes. Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
3. Add the celery, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, and squash, one by one, as you chop them. Continue to saute over medium heat, stirring every once and a while so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and cook the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, reducing heat if necessary.
5. Remove lid and stir in the broth. Bring the soup to a low boil. Reduce heat to low/medium and cover with lid. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the squash and potato are fork tender.
6. Turn off heat and remove lid. Allow the soup to cool slightly for at least 10-20 minutes. After cooling, carefully scoop the soup into a blender (you'll have to do this in a few batches) and add in the nutritional yeast, optional cayenne, and cinnamon. Carefully blend the mixture with the lid ajar (to allow heat to escape) starting at a low speed and increasing the speed until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer pureed soup into another bowl or jar and repeat this step for the remaining soup.
7. Pour all of the pureed soup back into the original pot and stir to combine the seasonings. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
8. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with toasted pumpkin or Pepita seeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon or smoked paprika. Serve with toasted bread or croutons.
9. Transfer leftovers into jars and allow to cool before securing the lid and placing in the fridge. It should stay fresh for a week in the fridge and it can probably be frozen too.

Braised Artichokes with Lemon and Garlic, by Diane

I saw this recipe on a cooking show, Real Food. I've never had artichokes except when they are marinated, and I was curious as to how they would taste from this recipe. Although they came out looking delicious, I could not figure out how exactly to eat them once they were done. The leaves came out very stiff so that you couldn't bite through them despite being braised for an hour. I went online and found that you are only supposed to eat a small part of the leaf, which was soft and tasted good, but the amount on each leaf that was edible was so tiny that I wound up eating through one whole artichoke in a few seconds. I'm not sure if this was a bad recipe (although the host seemed to have no problems eating them) or if I just need more of an education on artichokes. Either way, I won't be making this again, I'll stick to the artichoke hearts in a jar.

Ingredients:

2-3 artichokes, depending on size
2 lemons
4-6 cloves garlic (one for each artichoke half)
EVOO
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Fill a bowl with cold water and the juice of 1 lemon, cut in half. Add in the lemon halves.

2. Cut and prepare artichokes: trim off 1 inch of the stem and bottom, cut artichokes lengthwise in half, scoop out the choke (all the hairy and purple part), and cut the stem off.

3. After each artichoke is cut place inside down into the bowl of water to prevent browning.

4. In a baking dish large enough for each artichoke to be in a single layer, layer the remaining lemon in slices. Place all artichokes inside up on top of lemons. Put a clove of garlic in each one, then drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Turn artichokes upside down on top of lemons, making sure garlic cloves stay in. Drizzle again with EVOO and sprinkle more salt and pepper.

6. Pour the chicken stock into the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.