Tag Archives: primal

Indian Spiced Cabbage

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Indian Spiced Cabbage
 

I love cabbage! I wish more people shared my love for it. I say that because, it’s rarely on menu at restaurant’s, and when I go to a friends house for dinner, it’s rarely served. I don’t quite understand that, because it’s one of the most soul fulfilling veggies I know, in the same league as collard greens, and kale. I would happily eat it any day of the week! This is one of my favorite ways to prepare and eat cabbage! If you’ve ever been to an Indian restaurant then you’ve probably had this. It’s so quick to make at home that it’s almost an afterthought!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 small head do cabbage, chopped finely
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Sea salt to taste

Directions:
In a cast iron skillet heat the oil along with the mustard seeds and turmeric, when the seeds begin to pop add in the the cabbage, cook for 10 minutes, allowing the cabbage to breakdown a bit. Add salt, toss, turn off fire, cover for 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!

What is your favorite cabbage recipe?
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Braised Chicken in Caper Sauce

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Braised Chicken in Caper Sauce

I love capers, something about their salty brininess speaks to my taste buds. This dish is so simple, and easy to make. All the work is in remembering that you’re cooking it, so that you don’t burn down the house!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1lb of chicken ( I used skinless, boneless thighs, you can use bone in with skin, but just be aware it will extend the cooking time a bit.)
1/3 cups white wine vinegar
1.5 cups of organic chicken broth
1/3 cup of capers drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
1 medium onion
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with sea salt and black pepper, then add the chicken and brown on both sides. Add in the  onion; cook, stirring often, until softened. Add the parsley, and capers to skillet; cook for 1 minute. 
     
     
    Stir in broth and vinegar.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until meat is tender and  cooked through falling off the bone, about 20 minutes.
  • Transfer chicken to a large platter. Spoon sauce over chicken; garnish with parsley.

Peruvian chicken soup

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Peruvian Chicken Soup


As a little girl I could count on my mom offering me 3 things when I was sick, saltines, ginger ale, and chicken noodle soup. Chicken soup is every moms go to meal when there is a sick little one in the house. It’s the perfect meal for almost any ailment, soothing for soar throats and upset tummies.  It is like a bowl of love, with the ability to heal anyone, one spoonful at a time. This particular recipe is my take on a chicken soup I have at my favorite Peruvian restaurant. It is everything that most people love about chicken soup, but the fresh cilantro brightens it up a bit. I use my pressure cooker to cut out spending hours in the kitchen making this. I am able to get a ton of flavor in this soup in half the time it takes to make this without the pressure cooker.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1lbs of chicken legs (I prefer making soup with the bones in, it lends more flavor to this)
8-10 cups of water
7 celery ribs chopped
3 medium potatoes cubed
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups of fresh or defrosted frozen spinach
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Handful of  cilantro

Directions:
Season the chicken with sea salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker. Add the chicken and brown on both sides.

Add in the onion and garlic, toss, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the water, make sure the chicken is fully covered with water. Bring to a boil, close and lock the pressure cooker according to the manufacturers instructions. Cook for 30 minutes undisturbed. Turn off the fire. Depressurize your pressure cooker according to the manufacturers instructions. Remove the bones and any skin on the chicken. This shouldn’t be hard to do, the meat should fall off the bone at this point. Turn on the fire, Add in the potatoes, and celery, close and lock the pressure cooker according to the manufacturers instructions. Cook for another 7 minutes undisturbed. Turn off the fire and depressurize the pressure cooker according to the manufacturers instructions. Remove the lid, add in the spinach and cilantro, mix well, then serve. You can add noodles to this if you’d like. You can also make this without the pressure cooker, just cook the chicken for 45 minutes to an hour, then add the potatoes and celery and cook for another 15-20 minutes, before adding in the cilantro and spinach.

What did your mom give you to comfort you when you were sick?

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No cream Creamed Corn

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Creamed Corn

One of my favorite things in the world is creamed corn. I remember at 5 years-old requesting it as a meal. My mom always bought the canned Del Monte brand, back then you could buy 4 cans for $1. While other kids were begging for cookies and their favorite brand of cereal, I was begging my mom for cans of creamed corn. I of course don’t eat the canned version any more, the preservatives alone keep me away from that stuff. Not to mention that it is extremely difficult now a days to find organic corn, let alone corn that is not genetically modified. Fortunately I’m lucky enough to have a local farm in my area, where I can buy organic and non GMO fresh corn. If you have never tried making fresh creamed corn without cream, then you’re in for a treat! It’s just as delicious as creamed corn with cream. The key to making this creamed corn, is a shallow cut.

Prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 raw fresh corn cobs husks removed
1 tablespoon of butter (optional)
1/4 cup of water

Directions:
Place the corn inside of a sauce pan, it helps to cut the bottom end of the corn so that you have a flat surface to work with. Cut down the sides of the corn, again the key here is to cut shallow, you really only want to cut the tops of the corn kernels. Once you have cut down all sides, slide the knife back up the cob in the opposite direction.

Be careful of splatter here, it can get messy. Continue to run the knife back up the cob until the cob is dry and all the corn and milk has been removed.

Place the pan over medium low heat, add the butter if using, and allow it to cook for 3 minutes.

Add the water, note if your corn had a lot of moisture you do not need to add all of the water, add as much as you’d like, lower the heat to simmer, and cook covered for another 7-10minutes. Serve and enjoy!

What was your favorite childhood food or snack?

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Amara’s Indian Fish Fry

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Amara’s Fish fry

I’ve had many Indian style fish fry’s in my life, but this particular one carries special meaning for me, because it is a recipe that was taught to me by my mother-in-law. Like many mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships ours didn’t begin easy. But our relationship turned into a relationship filled with deep love, admiration, and mutual respect. Our relationship was hard in the beginning because my mother-in-law had such a deep love for her son. It was hard for her to take a second seat to me, but the truth is she didn’t have to, my husbands heart is, and was, big enough for both of us to be in it. You could see the mutual love they had for each other upon every meeting. Every time my husband entered his moms presence, she would beam with joy! The whole room would light up from her smile when she saw him. I’ve never met a man who was as close to his mother as my husband was to his mom. He’s a better man, a better husband, and a better father because of that love. I will always be thankful to her for that. One of the things I loved doing most with my mother-in-law was cooking. We didn’t cook together that often, because she wanted to cook for me and my husband not with us. She especially loved cooking for my husband, and he loved eating her food. He would often call me to come over and have dinner with them, while we were dating, and when I arrived there would be this massive meal just for the 3 of us. This recipe is simple in every way, but it’s delicious, and more importantly dear to my heart.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1 lb of white cod, cut and cubed
2-3 teaspoons of ground turmeric
3 tablespoons of safflower oil for frying
Sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
4-6 Lemon wedges

Directions:
Heat the oil in a cast iron pan. Season the cod with sea salt, then lightly dust all sides of the cod with the turmeric, and place into the hot oil.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides, remove from oil, and serve with lemon wedges and cilantro, enjoy!

Parchment paper meals

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These last two weeks have been unbelievably busy for us. I’ve barely had time to think, let along blog and cook. In addition to that it has been extremely hot here, too hot to cook. Turning on my oven when my house is already 100 degrees in the shade is not my idea of fun. Luckily I have a countertop convection oven. I use it all the time, especially for hot days and quick meals like this one. Our staff Nutritionist Justice De La Torre is the queen of these Parchment paper meals. She sent me over a picture of one of her meals and so I had to try it out for myself. You can put any type of fish in this that you’d like! I have done this with fresh sardines, salmon, and tilapia with great success! You literally put every thing in, fold the parchment and bake for 10-12 minutes and dinner is done. This is perfect for a quick cook meal on a hot day.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time :10minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tilapia fillets
1-2 tablespoons of Olive oil
3-4 Onion rings per piece of fish
2-3 slices of Bell pepper per piece of fish
3 cloves of garlic sliced
Lemon or lime slices

Directions:
Place the fish on top of parchment paper, drizzle with oil and season with sea salt.

Top with onion, garlic, bell pepper and lemon or lime slices. Fold the parchment into an envelope, Bake on 425 F for 10-12 minutes.

 Serve with a nice green salad, or throw some squash in like Justice did and you have a complete meal.

What do you make for dinner when it’s too hot to cook?

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Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

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Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

I love to roast chicken whole.  It is the epitomy of lazy cooking in my opinion, however, the payoff is amazing! You marinate the chicken, stick it in the oven for an hour, and you’re done.  I’ve mastered the art of roast chicken.  My roast chicken is famous among my friends and family. Brining is the secret to perfectly roasted chicken, but I’ll save that for a another post.  For now I’ll just give you a recipe for perfectly roasted chicken.

Here’s what you need:
Ingredients
1 Whole Organic non-GMO Chicken
4 cloves of garlic, pasted
The juice of 1 lemon
The zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt
Black pepper
2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Servings: 4-6

Directions:
In a small bowl add the pasted garlic, lemon zest and oil.

 Rub the the olive oil  mixture all over the Chicken, and season it generously with sea salt and pepper.

Place the chicken in a 450F degree oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove once the chicken has cooked through and the skin is crispy and golden brown. Pour the the lemon juice over the chicken, let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

Do you have any tips for roasting chicken? 
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Dandelion Greens with Sautéed Mushrooms

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Have you ever gone to the farmers market, and laid eyes on a vegetable and thought “that looks interesting let me try it?” We’ll that’s what happened to me this Sunday. I walked up to my favorite herb stand to get my usual arsenal of fresh herbs, and I stumbled upon some fresh dandelion greens. Sometimes I get so inspired by fresh veggies at the farmers market. I love trying new things. My love of trying new things can result in an amazing dish, as in this one, or a not so amazing dish. I had heard of dandelion greens before, but I had no clue how to cook them. So once the excitement of using this new leaf wore off, I was left to figure out what to do with these dandelion greens. I tasted the raw leaves…Big mistake! They are as my daughter would say “super duper, bitter.” They almost remind me of bitter gourd/melon.  But even these greens are not as bitter as bitter melon. I Googled them and found that dandelion leaves are actually weeds. You know those weeds that are growing in your vegetable garden? Yes those weeds, they’re edible…who knew? I decided I wanted to mellow out the bitterness, the best way to do that is to cook them. I got out some Crimini mushrooms, because mushrooms always make greens better, and some garlic and started my journey. I had no idea where I was going with this, but I can tell you that I ended up in taste bud heaven at the end of it all. Every element of this salad adds an additional flavor profile. This dish is filling, and gratifying on so many levels. I could eat it every day! If you can’t find dandelion greens, try substituting a hearty bitter green like beet greens, turnip greens or chard.

Here’s what you need:
1 bunch of organic Dandelion leaves, cut with bottom stems removed
10 ounces of Crimini Mushrooms sliced
2 Large cloves of garlic chopped finely
Handful of walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup of fresh cherry tomatoes sliced in half, I used fresh tomatoes from my garden
1/3 cup of goat cheese, or more if you are so inclined
1 teaspoon of butter
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/2 of a small lemon
2tablespoons of olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Warm the olive oil and garlic in a sauté pan:

Once you can smell the garlic (20 seconds), add in the mushrooms:

Salt the mushrooms and allow to cook until just before the water from the mushrooms evaporates(5-7 minutes). Add in the tab of butter, and allow the mushrooms to brown and take on a bit of color. This step is important don’t skip it! Browning releases Unami flavor.

After the mushrooms have taken on some color add in the dandelion greens.

Sauté until wilted, then add in the balsamic vinegar and lemon juice:

Mix well, add in the tomatoes, toss for about a minute, turn off the fire:

Add in walnuts, and cheese, toss, season with salt and pepper and serve. This would also be good cold, but served warm this salad is super comforting and satisfying!

What have been some interesting farmers market finds for you?

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Crab cakes with Mango Coulis! Gluten free and Paleo

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Nothing grates my nerves more than a crab cake that has everything in it but crab. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ordered a crab cake at a restaurant and been disappointed when I’m served a bread cake instead. I want crab in my crab cakes, and not just a little lump meat here and there! This recipe for crab cakes is for those of us who love crab, and not the breading you find in most crab cake recipes. This is a gluten free crab cake recipe. I use vegan mayo instead of regular to reduce the fat, but feel free to use your brand of mayo.

Here’s what you need:
1.5 lbs of fresh crabmeat
Zest of half a lemon
2 Tablespoons of Veganaise or the best-quality mayonnaise you can find
5 tablespoons of coconut flour
1 egg beaten
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1.5 teaspoons of Worcester sauce
1/4 teaspoon of chili pepper flakes
1/4 cup of green onion sliced thinly
1/4 cup of green or red bell pepper, finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 Tablespoons of oil, or butter for frying cakes

Mango coulis
1 large ripe mango,  cut and cubed
1/3 cup of water or more if you like it thinner

Directions for mango coulis:
Add mango to a blender. Blend while adding water until smooth and desired thickness has been reached. Set aside.

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients, except the oil, and mix lightly until ingredients come together. Form patties.

Heat oil in a skillet, add crab cakes, cook until brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes on each side,

Remove and serve with mango coulis and enjoy!

What does your favorite crab cake recipe have in it? Share, I’d love to try it!

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