Roasted Asian Cabbage Salad, by Diane

 

I saw this recipe on @starinfinitefood and she makes really creative salads. I tried this and added rotisserie chicken to make it a meal. Overall, this was really good! I like the flavors, they tasted way better through the week, and it was good cold during this heatwave. The only changes I would make are roasting the carrots with the cabbage, and roasting the chickpeas longer because mine weren't dried out and then became chewy. Otherwise I loved this and would make it again!

Ingredients:

For the Cabbage:

1 medium cabbage, chopped

3 tbsp EVOO

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

For the dressing:

6 tbsp chopped peanuts

6 tbsp EVOO

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

2 cloves diced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

For the chickpeas:

1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed drained and patted dry

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tbsp EVOO

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sesame seeds

For the Salad:

3/4 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup scallions, white and green parts sliced

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 and add the cabbage and all cabbage ingredients to toss (I would add carrots too). Roast for 30-35 minutes, tossing again halfway.

2. Add just the chickpeas to a dry pan and roast with the cabbage on a separate tray for 20 minutes or until dry (I'd go longer). 

3. While these roast, add the salad ingredients and set aside, make the dressing and set aside, and make the chickpea sauce with the remaining ingredients and set aside.

4. Add the chickpea sauce to the chickpeas and cook another 8 min or until carmelized.

5. Toss the roasted cabbage mixture into the salad bowl and mix well with dressing. Top with crunchy chickpeas.

Classic Shepherd's Pie, by Diane

 

This is, as it turn out, our 6th shepherd's pie on the blog, but just so happens to be the only *normal* version which I find hilarious! I made this for dinners this week, and it turned out pretty well! The only thing I would change is that there was not really a gravy or sauce with this recipe once you drained the fat off, and so it was lacking in flavor and a bit dry. Once I made some gravy to go with it, it worked really well. I omitted the cheese in the potatoes here too, and kept it whole 30 except for the flour which easily could have been arrowroot. This recipe was adapted from NYT. This was also incredibly quick and easy to whip up for a weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb ground lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

1 package frozen peas and carrots

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 tbsp flour

3/4 cup beef broth

Salt and pepper 

1/4 tsp dried thyme and rosemary

4 tbsp butter (I used ghee)

1 cup milk (I used almond milk because that's what was on hand)

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes, boil until fork tender. Drain, mash, then add butter and milk until it becomes a thick consistency. Season as desired.

2. While the potatoes cook, brown the meat in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Drain and return to the pot, reserving 1-2 tbsp of the fat in the pot for cooking.

3. Add garlic, stirring for 2 minutes, then add peas and carrots.

4. Once the mixture heats back up about 5 min, add in tomato paste, herbs, and salt and pepper. 

5. Sprinkle flour over mixture, stirring for 2 min, then add broth and let simmer until sauce thickens (there was no sauce with mine so I would at least double this).

6. Adjust seasonings, then smooth the potato mixture over the top, forming peaks.

7. Bake at 375 for 30 min, until the liquid is bubbling on the sides and the potatoes are nice and golden (I stuck mine under a broiler for a few minutes because my top didn't brown after 35 min of cooking time).

Buttercup Squash and Carrot Soup, by Diane

 

Tonight I wanted to make a squash soup, and I came across a new type of squash I hadn't seen called buttercup. It's apparently sweeter than butternut, and so I created this recipe with some help from looking at other squash recipes from the internet. This is SO dang good. Really comforting, and fairly easy once you skin and cut the squash! 

Ingredients:

1 large buttercup squash, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 cups baby carrots

1 large shallot, cut in half and skins removed

EVOO

Salt

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

3-4 cups chicken bone broth

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp poultry seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 and grease two baking sheets. Place squash, carrots, and shallots on the baking sheets, drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with salt, toss, spread evenly, and roast for 45-60 minutes until browned and softened.

2. When the mixture is cooked, add butter and thyme to a soup pot over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. 

3. Add in squash mixture, broth (start with 2 cups and go from there to your desired consistency), and seasonings. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and adjust seasonings. 

Cauliflower Fried Rice, by Cheryl

The last time I made cauliflower rice I wasn't too impressed. But this was GOOD! There was a lot of flavor and it went really well with our tuna steaks. Yum! 

Ingredients (from here):

2 large eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

Avocado oil

5-6 scallions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh giner

2 lbs ready to cook cauliflower

4-5 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp sugar (I omitted this)

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp toasted Sesame oil

Directions:

1) Cook the eggs over medium heat and then set aside.

2) Add 3 tbsp of oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, and cook, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. 

3) Add the cauliflower, 4 tbsp soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar (if using) and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the peas and carrots and cook until the cauliflower is tender-crisp and vegetables are cooked through. Stir in the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and eggs. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.   

Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Lamb Soup), by Diane

 

When I was in Iceland I was obsessed with kjötsúpa, a comforting and filling lamb and root veggie soup that seemed to be served everywhere along with Icelandic butter and bread. So as part of my cooking through the countries in quarantine, I decided to try this for Iceland! I ordered this mix of Icelandic herbs (Villikrydd- go here to order!) for the soup, and I happened to have some salt I had brought back from my trip (you can buy it online- Nordur is the brand I had). I had never cooked with lamb meat before (only ground lamb), and so I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

HOLY MOLY was this out of this world amazing- and the best part is that it tastes EXACTLY like it did in Iceland! How often can you say that you can accurately recreate your favorite dish that you ate in a country from your own kitchen? This soup was easy to make as well, and I already am looking forward to dinners this week! The best part, aside from the delicious broth, is that the lamb literally melts on your tongue it’s so tender! I modified the recipe a little by adding some bone broth I had to use up (I figured a little extra flavor and nutrition couldn’t hurt) and skipping the cabbage since I didn’t have that in Iceland. I added a cup of barley to thicken it up (some recipes use this and others don’t- but this is how I had it most on the trip), but it just took all the broth away overnight and didn’t thicken it at all so I wouldn’t do this again. This will be on repeat this winter!!!

Ingredients:

2 lb lamb shoulder, bone in, cut into bite size pieces and trimmed of fat (save the bones)

8 cups water

2 cups bone broth

1 large leek, sliced 

2 tbsp Villikrydd

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp salt

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 medium rutabaga, chopped into bitesize pieces 

1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into bitesize pieces (I left the skin on)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, add lamb, bones, water, and broth and bring to a boil.

2. Skim the scum off the top and add in leeks, salt, pepper, and herbs. Simmer partially covered for 45 min.

3. Add in remaining veggies, stir and cook until veggies are soft.

4. Adjust seasonings, then refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to come together. 

Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, by Diane

 

This recipe looked so good, and since it’s been getting colder in the evenings I thought this would be a nice dinner. This recipe was just meh- I wouldn’t make it again. The seasonings and flavors were bland, and the onions never cooked. 

Ingredients:

1.5 lb chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1 can green beans

1 can sliced carrots

1 can white potatoes

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 can coconut milk

1 can chicken broth

3 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1.5 tbsp arrowroot powder 

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup ghee

1 tsp poultry seasoning

Directions:

1. Put chicken and veggies in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. 

2. Preheat oven to 350.

3. Mix coconut milk through salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until simmering. 

4. Add the arrowroot powder in a small bowl with 1 tbsp water and mix well, pour into pot.

5. Let simmer 10 min until thickened, pour over chicken mixture. 

6. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl until a dough is formed. Make small balls and put on top of the casserole. 

7. Bake for 35 min until the top is golden. 

Coq Au Vin, by Cheryl

We had a little French theme going on in our household this week. With an endless summer full of no possibilities I felt like I needed something to keep us entertained besides our backyard and afternoon movies. I suggested a learning about different countries theme and J was super into it. She picked France as the first country to learn more about since she was just there. The kids loved coloring rainbows with the French names for colors, learning that the rooster and iris are the country's animal and flower (who knew??), and making fun Eiffel Tower snow globes!

Ok, back to the food. I made a French dinner with the help of my sous chefs and this was fantastic. It didn't take nearly as much time as I thought it would and the sauce and chicken were heavenly. I have never made such a flavorful crispy skin! I love a crispy skin. I will definitely be making this again when the cooler months come rolling in. I forgot to make a side of mashed potatoes so I cooked up some pasta to go with it. It was delicious. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 slices bacon diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 6 small white onions cut in half or quartered depending upon size
• 2-3 cloves garlic mashed
• 2 carrots peeled and rough cut
• 1/2 bottle of full-body red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 8 ounces Chicken Stock 
• unsalted butter
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 large skin on, bone in chicken thighs

Directions:

• Add chicken to a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Pour in one cup red wine and seal bag, pressing out air. Let stand while you prepare the remaining ingredients or overnight for the best results.
• Preheat oven to 350°
• In a large Dutch oven or rondeau, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring and reducing heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until browned and fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Remove chicken from zipper-lock bag, discard wine, and pat dry.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Return Dutch oven with rendered bacon fat to medium-high heat.  Add chicken thighs skin-side down, and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, about 5 minutes.   Don't move the chicken around while cooking, allow it to sear in place.  Use a spatula to get under the chicken when turning being careful not to rip the skin.
• Remove Chicken from pan setting aside until needed
• Add mushrooms to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add bacon, the remainder of the wine, tomato paste, chicken stock, thyme and rosemary and bring to a simmer, stirring up any browned bits.
• Add chicken back to pan, leaving skin side up and not submerged if possible. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour.
• Remove pan from the oven and take the chicken out of the pan.
• Add in two tablespoons of unsalted butter that has been rolled in flour, getting as much flour into the butter as possible.  This is called a beurre manie and will thicken your sauce. Mix the beurre manie in well and allow to simmer over medium heat.
• Return chicken to pot, spooning sauce on top. Garnish with remaining sprig of thyme or rosemary.  Serve with potatoes, pasta, or rice.

Whole30 Pumpkin Carrot Cake Muffins, by Diane

During this time of insanity thus known as corona quarantine, I knew immediately I needed to switch my diet to a Whole30 lest I eat everything in the house (aka the 'quarantine 15'). But since this is a crazy week I wanted something a little sweet to have as a snack or quick breakfast. These are SO FREAKIN GOOD and I will continue to make my little 'quarantine muffins' for the whole duration of this mess and then some!! They are also so nutritious and packed with good ingredients.

The recipe was originally inspired by this article, but I found that the texture and flavors were way off. So I improvised and came out with this version, which I am posting below. I added in raisins for extra sweetness and decreased the original amount of sweetener, added shredded unsweetened coconut to mimic carrot cake, and added more pumpkin pie spices (the original called for just Chinese five spice powder which was too savory). These are best stored in the fridge for the week, but they also freeze well according to the original recipe (I wouldn't know as I have eaten them all by the end of the week!).

Do yourself a favor and make these stat- they are well worth the trip outside!!!

Ingredients:

3 eggs at room temperature
4 medium carrots, peeled
1.5 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder (if you don't have this on hand you can increase some of the spices below)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup date syrup (or other sweetener if you aren't doing whole30) (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup but I think 1/4 is sweet enough)
2 tbsp. almond butter
1 tsp melted coconut oil
2 small boxes (around 4 tbsp.) of dark raisins
2 tbsp. shredded unsweetened coconut
Garnish with slivered almonds and toasted pumpkin seeds


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin. I have found that foil liners sprayed with cooking spray work amazing for nonstick perfect muffins!

2. Sift together all dry ingredients (almond flour, five spice powder, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, tartar, and salt) until mixed finely. Don't skip this step as almond flour tends to form clumps.

3. Grate the carrots (or use a food processor) until ground small, then strain in a thick layer of papertowels or cheesecloth.

4. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, date syrup, almond butter, and coconut oil until smooth. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Add in carrots, raisins, and coconut and mix well.

6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins, you should have enough for all 12 filled to the top. Garnish with almonds and pumpkin seeds, making sure to press them lightly into the muffins so they bake in.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the tray 180 degrees halfway through cooking.

8. Remove and let sit for 1-2 minutes, then place the muffins in their liners on a baking rack to cool.

Healthy Veggie Chili, by Diane

3/4 of our family is on Whole 30 right now, so for last weekend's football playoffs we searched around for a chili recipe that didn't have beans in it. We found this recipe, which turned out to be a total dud. In short it didn't include any tomato sauce and was low on spice so it turned out to taste more like a really thick minestrone soup. We saved it with the ingredients I'm posting below though, so it turned out alright! Not pictured are the avocados some of us had with it as a topping.

Ingredients:

2 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 each red, yellow, and orange pepper, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp paprika
Salt to taste (We use Tony Chachere's b/c it adds just the best amount of salt and spice)
1 28oz can tomato sauce
Optional: diced avocado topping

Directions:

1. In a large pot, brown the meat along with onions and garlic. Drain and return to the pot.

2. Add in peppers, carrots, and sweet potatoes, cook 10 minutes stirring often to soften. Cover the pot while cooking so the steam speeds up to cooking.

3. Add in spices, stir well, then add in tomato sauce.

4. Simmer for 30-60 min until the veggies are soft. Note: this isn't a good chili to keep on the stove for a long period of time as the sweet potatoes will break down and thicken/sweeten the chili too much!

Filipino Shrimp Patties with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, by Diane

I saw a Whole 30 version of this Filipino recipe on @paleorookie's instragram, and was intrigued! Her recipe called for matchstick carrots combined with shrimp, scallions, and arrowroot flour that you pan fried. I know from experience that pan frying things like these fall apart, and sure enough a few people in the comments said this. So I wound up putting the mixture in a food processor and then air frying them (see last post- really trying to get the hang of this new appliance!).

I also changed the dipping sauce from the Filipino version with sugar to the Vietnamese version. I fell in love with this stuff during my time in Vietnam- it's on nearly every table in restaurants and its SO good. As it turns out it's also super easy to make and tastes just like in Vietnam! Plus it has no sugar which is good bc I'm on Whole 30. I had to use red pepper flakes bc I forgot to buy the small chilis they put in them, usually thai or bird's eye chilis, but next time will buy them for sure! Sauce recipe (both sugar and non sugar versions) from hungryhuy.com.


Ingredients:

3 cups shredded carrots
1 bunch scallions, green and white parts, sliced
1 cup shrimp, cooked and diced
1 egg
1/4 cup each almond flour and arrowroot flour
6 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. red boat fish sauce
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Optional: 2 tbsp. sugar and thai or bird's eye chilis


Directions:

1. Combine carrots through arrowroot flour in a large bowl. Add the mixture to a food processor just until the matchsticks become small bits, but don't overmix.

2. In an air fryer, make the mixture into patties and fry at 370 for 15 minutes, flipping halfway.

3. While the patties cook, combine remaining ingredients for the dipping sauce.

Orange Braised Carrots and Parsnips, by Cheryl

This is the second recipe I chose to make from the cookbook. I thought the orange flavor in the veggies was very tasty. I couldn't find my large Le Creuset because of the move so the only baking dish I had didn't have the vegetables lying flat, which caused the bottom veggies to become too tender. But this was a solid dish and went well with the chicken that we were having. Yum!

Ingredients:

1lb carrots with greens attached
1 lb thin parsnips
1/3 cup small-diced shallots
2 tsps grated orange zest
1.25 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, divided
1/3 cup olive oil
6 sprigs fresh thyme
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 275.

2) Trim and scrub or peeel the carrots and parsnips. If the parsnips are thick, slice them in half or quarters lengthwise so they are the same width as the carrots.

3) Place the carrots and parsnips in a pot or Dutch oven that's large enough for everything to lie flat. Add the shallots, orange zest, 3/4 cup orange juice, the olive oil, thyme, red pepper flakes, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

4) Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover tightly with a lid or heavy duty foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1.5 hours, until the carrots and parsnips are very tender. Discard the thyme. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of orange juice and parsley and season to taste.

Breakfast Casserole, by Diane

This recipe is from @realsimplegood on Instagram, and it was SO easy to make and lasted all week. I would eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I love how you can customize the veggies and meats easily too. One note, I put the recommended salt amount in here but it was WAY too salty because the sausage was so flavorful, so next time I'd put less (reflected below). The original recipe used bacon as well, but I didn't use it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. sausage (I used sweet Italian)
1 large yellow onion
1 medium zucchini
2 large carrots
3 cloves garlic
12 eggs
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbsp ground sage (I subbed poultry seasoning bc I didn't have this alone)
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. In a large pan, brown the sausage and crumble.

2. While the sausage cooks, place onion through garlic in a food processor until rough chopped.

3. Add the veggies to the pan with sausage and cook 4 minutes until the veggies soften.

4. Preheat oven to 375 and spray a large 9x13 baking dish.

5. Drain the sausage mixture and add to the bottom of the baking dish.

6. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and seasoning together and pour over sausage mixture. Mix well.

7. Bake for 30 min or until eggs are set in the center.

Beef and Veggie Patties, by Diane

This recipe was a riff off of my favorite staples, chicken and veggie patties. I swapped the chicken for beef, and added mushrooms/changed some spices to make it more savory. They came out a bit dry so I would cook them for less time, but they were easy and a great source of protein!

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach
2 small carrots
1 small white onion, quartered
2 cups Portobello mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
2 lbs ground beef
1 large egg
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a food processor, combine spinach through garlic until finely blended. Drain excess liquid, and add to a large bowl along with remaining ingredients.

3. Mix well and form into patties, place on baking tray.

4. Bake for 20 minutes, drain liquid and flip over, and cook another 10 minutes.

Roasted Vegetable and White Bean Salad, by Cheryl

As I was plating it... I wanted to show you the pretty veggies!

The finished version. Should have put more herbs on it!

Jon and I recently watched Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix. Have you seen it? The chef, Samin Nosrat, travels the world to explore the four basic keys to wonderful cooking and says if you can master these four things then you can master cooking! It was really interesting and I learned a lot from it. I'm really interested in getting her cookbook now since the recipes that she showcased on the series looked really good. One of them being this roasted vegetable and bean salad. The vinaigrette definitely makes the vegetables pop and the beans went wonderfully with it. The only thing I didn't include was the feta cheese since I felt like I didn't really need it. I heated some up the next day with a couple of poached eggs and it was delish! A great way to get some delicious fresh veggies in. Yum!

Ingredients (modified from here):

1 bunch carrots
1 small head cauliflower
1 pound brussel sprouts, halved
2 cups cooked white beans
4 oz French feta cheese
Cilantro leaves, dill, mint leaves
red wine vinaigrette
     - 1/8 cup diced shallot
     - 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
     - 1/4 cup olive oil
     - salt, pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425.

2) Toss Brussel sprouts with salt and olive oil. Place on baking sheet with flat sides down. Do the same with the other vegetables keeping enough space between the veggies so they have enough air to cook. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, checking after about 12 minutes.

3) Reserving the cooking liquid, drain beans and place in large bowl. Dress with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and season with salt and spices.

4) Layer the salad: cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, carrots on the bottom. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with zatar spices, the spoon beans over vegetables. Sprinkle with large spoonfuls of feta.

5) In another bowl dress the herbs with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. Place atop the salad and serve immediately.

For the vinaigrette:

1) Let the shallots sit in a bowl or jar for 15 minutes with the red wine vinegar. Then add olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir or shake to combine then taste and adjust as needed.

Sloppy Joes, by Cheryl

These are a family hit!!! The recipe is from 100 Days of Real Food and is a very tasty and very healthy version of an otherwise heavier dish. I also put spinach in the food processor and added it in so that not only is everyone getting some yummy carrots in there, but some greens as well. We ate these with whole wheat buns, but it can easily be eaten on it's own or on top of a salad. Yum!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can tomato sauce, 15 oz
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook 2-3 minutes.

2) Add the ground beef and garlic and cook. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat and then drain the excess fat.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat until it thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with whole wheat buns or on its own.

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.

Savory Chicken and Veggie Patties, by Diane

HOLY MOLY these are amazing. They are SO healthy, uber easy to put together, and literally so addictive I'm in danger of not having enough for lunches this week! I made these for lunches for week 4 of Whole30, and got the recipe from @thenourishinghome with a few adaptations (posted below). No more need for words- make these NOW!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup spinach
1 small zucchini, cut into sections
1 carrot, cut into sections
1 clove garlic
4 scallions, white and green parts
1 lb ground chicken (using dark and white meat will make this juicier than chicken breast)
1 egg
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
Red pepper flakes (I used a cajun seasoning here that is a house staple, Tony Chachere's)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a food processor, blend all ingredients through scallions until finely diced. Squeeze excess liquid and put in a large bowl.

3. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well, then form into patties (mine made 7!).

4. Bake for 20 minutes, flip over, and bake 20 more minutes.

Egg Roll in a Bowl, by Diane

Finally, after a long hiatus I'm back to making new recipes! This recipe is a combo of what I've seen on the internet, and it was easy and really really good! Looking forward to lunches this week already...


Ingredients:

Sesame oil
1 lb ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 medium yellow onion, sliced in thin rings
1.5 cups matchstick carrots
1 bunch scallions, chopped (green and white parts!)
1 box sliced mushrooms (I used shitake)
1 large head green cabbage, cut into strips
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce


Directions:

1. Heat a large pan on medium high and put appox. 1 tbsp of sesame oil in. Cook the chicken, crumbling with a spoon into smaller pieces, until fully cooked through and set aside in a large bowl after draining.

2. Add another 2 tbsp sesame oil into the pan, and add in the garlic, ginger, and onions. Cook until browned and fragrant. Add in the carrots, scallions, and mushrooms, and cook until softened. Add into the bowl with the chicken and set aside. If you have a big enough pan, you can add the cabbage in at this step and cook with the other ingredients. I didn't- hence step 3!

3. Add 2 tbsp more sesame oil into the pan, add the cabbage and salt, and cover. Uncover and stir until the cabbage is softened and brown. Add the cabbage to the bowl.

4. Add the soy sauce and hoisin sauce into the bowl and mix well. Enjoy!

Split Pea and Ham Soup, by Diane

If I've said this once on this blog I've said it a million times, it is incredibly hard to get a good photo of soup. Especially thick, green soup that isn't clear so you can't see the delicious ingredients below the surface (I tried putting some of them on top and they sank...). So you're going to have to trust me that this was amazing and total comfort food. I made it as part of my post-surgery recovery, and only 6 days out of surgery so you know it's super easy to make :)

What made this soup so good was the smoky ham flavor. Whenever I come across an occasion where there is a spiral ham, I save the bone and boil it in water for a few hours. After straining the broth and skimming the fat when it cools, I freeze it so I have it to add for soups just like this. The original recipe called for a ham bone, so I just used some old bone broth from a spiral ham that we had at Chrismukkah this year instead. For the ham in this soup, I would highly recommend using an actual spiral sliced ham in this, as it seriously enhances the flavor, but a store bought ham steak or two is also fine. I also added carrots and sweet potatoes to this for some extra veggies, and some bay leaf and garlic for extra comfort soup flavor.


Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil (I used coconut oil)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bag carrots, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, chopped
2-3 cups ham, cubed or shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1lb bag dried split peas
1 bay leaf
1 large ham bone (or leftover ham bone broth if you have that)
Water or broth (definitely recommend broth, I used chicken bone broth!) to cover all ingredients


Directions:

1. Add oil to a large soup pot, and cook the onion until translucent.

2. Add in the carrots and sweet potatoes, cover and cook until the veggies begin to soften- about 5-10 min. Stir often so they don't brown.

3. Add in the ham, garlic, peas, bay leaf, and ham bone. Add in enough liquids (water or broth) to cover all ingredients.

4. Cover and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally, until the peas dissolve and the soup becomes thick and green (approx. 2 hrs). Remove ham bone and bay leaf, and season if needed (mine didn't need a thing).

5. Remove from heat and let thicken until cool.

Healthy Chicken and Dumplings, by Diane

This Sunday I am going on day 13 of being sick with a devil cold, and I've been having a really hard time wanting to eat anything except broth, which I am frankly sick of by this point! So I created this version of chicken and dumplings in an attempt to convert what I would normally put in a healing chicken soup into an actual meal that I would be tempted to eat. I borrowed the dumpling idea from this website, but converted it into a quinoa flour dumpling boosted with fresh thyme to get some extra protein and healing herbs in here too! I used coconut oil throughout this recipe for it's antibacterial and antiviral effects, but other oils can be used as well. Finally, I used bone broth since it's renowned for it's healing properties, which I usually make but ran out of- and I was surprised to see that my grocery store carried a brand called Pacifica which makes it!

I can't write enough words in here to describe *just* how freaking amazing this turned out. I have never attempted chicken and dumplings before, and at the beginning before I let it simmer it looked like it was just going to be a clear, thin soup with lots of veggies and chicken in it with the occasional dumpling. But once I stirred it after an hour, I saw that it was transformed into a thick and creamy consistency very much like the chicken and dumplings I've had at restaurants in the past! I have no idea how this magic happened! The dumplings turned out to be soft, airy, herby pillows of goodness too! The combo of the texture and the flavors had me eating bowls of this stuff- my first real meals in weeks! Now if that isn't a testament to how good this is, I don't know what is. Make this NOW. Like, yesterday. Go!!!



Ingredients:

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 large carrots, sliced
2 large celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 small baby bella mushrooms, diced
1.5 cups frozen green peas

2 cups quinoa flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup milk (any type- I use unsweetened almond milk which accidentally was vanilla flavored but it still worked!)
1 tbsp dried thyme
3 chicken breasts, cubed
5 cups chicken broth (bone broth preferred)
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. In a large soup pot over medium high heat, add in 3 tbsp coconut oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and peas. Cook for 10-15 minutes until veggies are softened and onions are translucent.

2.  While the veggies are cooking, whisk together flour, soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add in 3 tsp melted coconut oil, milk, and thyme, and stir together well until combined. Set aside.

3. After the veggies are cooked, add in the chicken and stir well. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

4. When the soup is at a boil, drop in the dumplings by small spoonfuls (like making drop cookies or biscuits- they don't need to look nice!). Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, do not stir.

5. After 45 minutes, cover and cook for 15 more minutes.