Almond Chicken and Braised Kale

This chicken and kale were so delicious.  Definitely my new favorite way to eat kale and I can't wait to make this chicken again.  Both were just a variation of food we eat often, but so worth it to keep dinner interesting.  I made this meal for my family before heading to the gym (I'm so nice, right? lol) and then came home to eat it within a matter of minutes.  Yeah, it was that good.  There were leftover toasted almonds in the pan from the chicken, so I put those on top of the kale to make it even better.  Yum!

Almond Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. dry white wine
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 T. olive oil
1 c. sliced almonds, chopped
Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on plate.  Drizzle with lemon juice and wine.  Coat chicken with chopped almonds.  Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.  When hot, add chicken and saute until browned on both sides and cooked through.  Enjoy!
(Glutenfreeda)


Braised Kale
2 T. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
pinch dried red chile flakes
red russian kale, stems removed, leaves roughly torn
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground pepper, to taste
In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, red chile flakes; saute until onion is soft - about 5 minutes.  Add kale, toss to coat leaves with oil.  Add chicken broth and bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until leaves are tender - about 10 minutes.  Stir in minced garlic, raise heat to high and boil uncovered until pan is dry.  Sprinkle with pepper to taste.  Serve.
(got idea for this recipe from finecooking.com)

Egg and Potato Casserole

I made this recipe up for MOPS this morning.  I wanted to make something that I would enjoy eating with hope that other moms would enjoy eating it, too - all while clearing out my fridge of some veggies.  And it worked - my mom friends actually liked it (including me)!  Every MOPS meeting a "best recipe" is picked by one of the groups and mine won!  I was totally shocked and super excited.  I made this one up all on my own and it was healthy.  :)

I made the sweet potato hash browns the day before.  They taste just as amazing the next day - cold or warmed up.  Ok, so I usually cook these in a pan just like the Sweet Potato Chips.  So, instead of slicing them in my food processor, I use the shredding blade.  This time I thought I would save some time and bake them instead.  Guess I didn't realize it really isn't faster, but I didn't have to stand at the stove the whole time like I do when I cook them in a pan.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns
6 small yams (3 medium/large yams), peeled and shredded
coconut oil, liquefied
grapeseed oil
sea salt
Mix the 2 oils.  Put shredded yams in a resealable bag.  Add enough oil to coat.  Seal bag.  Work oil around in bag to coat yams.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread yams out evenly on baking sheet.  Add sea salt to taste.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350º.  Remove from oven, flip yams.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are little crispy and cooked through.

Egg and Potato Casserole
6 eggs
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 zucchini, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
prepared sweet potato hash browns
garlic powder to taste
sea salt/pepper to taste
Grease 9x13 pan.  Line bottom of pan with hash browns.  Warm skillet over medium heat.  Coat pan with oil of choice.  Add onion and pepper - cook until soft.  Add zucchini - cook for about 1 minute. In bowl, whisk eggs, veggies, garlic powder, salt/pepper.  Pour egg mixture over potatoes.  Cover pan with foil.  Bake at 350º for 25 minutes.  Remove foil.  Bake an additional 5 minutes.

Salad Dressings

My husband is always telling me I need to eat more salad.  It is such an easy option for lunch, right?  I just can't find a store-bought salad dressing I like, which then prevents me from eating salads at home.  I have learned the only way I will make and eat a salad is if I make my own dressing.  I like the way they taste and I know what is in them.  I have several that I love and are so easy to make.  What works best for me is to double one of these dressing recipes on Sunday evening to have ready for salads for the week for both me and Dean.  They all come from the cookbooks from The Junior League of Denver.  I don't have pictures to share, but am going to post the recipes for my favorite salad dressings.  

Balsamic Vinaigrette
2/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. balsamic vinaigrette
2 T. dijon mustard
1/2 t. dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
In small bowl, combine ingredients.  Whisk to blend.


Mustard Vinegar Dressing
2 cloves garlic
1/4 t. salt
1 t. dijon mustard
2 T. white wine vinegar
1/2 c. virgin olive oil
Mash garlic and salt to a paste in small bowl.  Whisk in mustard and vinegar. Add oil in a stream, whisking dressing until oil is emulsified.


Zesty Dressing
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. finely chopped green onions
2 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. honey
2-3 t. Tabasco sauce
Mix all ingredients together.  Shake well.


Balsamic Dressing
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 t. dijon mustard
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
Whisk vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper until smooth.  Slowly whisk in oil until smooth.

Easy Roasted Chicken and Carrots

I must be busy because I find myself going to the easy recipes lately.  This one required such little preparation, I was able to spend some time out of the kitchen getting other things done.  Yay!  :)  And we still got to enjoy a very tasty dinner.  Thanks for the great recipe idea thespunkycoconut.com!

Easy Roasted Chicken and Carrots

6 chicken thighs

5 carrots, peeled and sliced

sea salt

rosemary

herbes de provence (The Spice Hunter)

olive oil

Grease 9x13 dish with olive oil.  Fill with sliced carrots.  Sprinkle carrots with rosemary and drizzle little olive oil on top.  Season chicken with sea salt, rosemary, herbes de provence.  Top carrots with chicken. Roast at 450º for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cake

I figured we were due for a baked good and I came across this recipe from "The Spunky Coconut Cookbook."  This cake is soooo tasty!  My girls absolutely loved it and kept asking for more.  It is so fluffy, moist and satisfying!  Delicious!!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cake

1/4 c. coconut flour

2 c. shredded coconut

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/4 c. dairy-free chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips)

6 egg whites

2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. honey

2 t. coconut oil, liquefied

pinch of sea salt

In one bowl mix: coconut flour, shredded coconut, baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips.  In separate bowl beat egg whites to form soft peaks.  While beating eggs add: vanilla, honey, coconut oil, sea salt.  Add whites to dry ingredients and gently fold together.  Pour into 8x8 greased dish.  Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top.  Bake at 325º for 25 minutes.