Garlicky Sauted Kale

Ingredients
2 Tbsp bacon grease or butter
6 cloves of garlic
bunch of fresh kale
1/2 lime
sea salt
black pepper

Directions
Rinse kale, remove ribs, and tear into chip-sized pieces.

Melt grease in cast iron skillet at medium to medium-high heat. Chop garlic and saute in hot grease for about a minute, until starting to turn golden

Add as much kale into pan as will fit, and use tongs to lift and turn the kale, coating it in the grease as it starts to cook down. When it cooks down enough, add another layer of kale and do the same. Just keep turning it as it wilts and adding more to the pan.

Cook kale a few more minutes until desired tenderness. Then squeeze the lime juice right into the pan, salt and pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Lime Butter Salmon

Ingredients½ cup butter (melted)
1 large garlic clove (chopped)
1 ½ tsp. fresh lime zest (for garnish)
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp. sea salt (plus more for salmon)
½ tsp. black pepper (plus more for salmon)
olive oil to mist on salmon
6 (6-oz.) salmon fillets

Directions
Choose cooking method for salmon, either grill or bake. Grilling results in dryer fish and can be easy to over-cook. Heat gas grill to moderate temperature. Season salmon all over with sea salt and pepper, then grill flesh side down on oiled grill, 3-4 minutes. Turn and grill for another 3 minutes. Baking in oven results in fish that is more moist. Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking dish with olive oil. Place salmon skin down, mist with olive oil, and lightly season with sea salt and pepper. Bake for about 18 minutes until salmon flakes with fork.

Puree garlic with lime juice, salt and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter until emulsified, about 30 seconds. Set aside until salmon is finished cooking.

Sprinkle salmon with lime zest and top with 1-2 Tbsp of the lime butter sauce and serve!

Pad Thai

My version is adapted from a recipe posted at Health-Bent. I toned down the heat for the children by doubling the "noodles" and meat, while keeping the sauce the same. The recipe serves four people as a main dish, accompanied tonight by shredded savory sweet potatoes and an impromptu vegetable soup.

Ingredients
4 zucchinis
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
4-5 boneless chicken thighs (~2-3 lbs)
1/4 c. coconut oil (or other traditional fat)
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. almond butter
1 Tbsp. chili-pepper water (or chili garlic sauce)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 lime, juiced
Sliced green onions (optional garnish)
Garlic salt and black pepper

Directions

• Prepare zucchini "noodles" in advance by slicing with a spiral slicer, mandoline, or use a knife to slice the zucchini as thinly as you can (lengthwise). Then slice them into thin strips, similar to fettuccine and set aside. Chop the onion, mince garlic, and peel/grate ginger; combine and set aside. Measure out the following wet ingredients, combine, and set aside: vinegar, almond butter, chili-pepper water, fish sauce, and lime juice.
• Melt fat in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with garlic salt and black pepper. Add to pan and sear skin side down (if skin is present) until you get a nice, crispy crust, about 8 minutes. Flip it over and sear on the other side, about another 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, let it rest and drain the rendered fat from the pan, until you have about 1/2 c. left in the pan. 
• In the reserved fat, saute the onion, garlic and ginger, until soft. Add the wet ingredient mixture and stir to combine. Add the zucchini noodles to the saute pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes, until zucchini has an "al dente" texture.
• While zucchini is cooking, slice chicken thinly. Serve zucchini, topped with slices of chicken and garnished with sliced green onions if desired.

Parsley-Lime Salmon

This dish was a perfect summer treat ... a light and bright flavor without being too spicy for the kids!

Ingredients
6 (8oz) wild salmon steaks
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
6 Tbsp. lime juice
1/3 onion, diced
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
(or 1.5 Tbsp. dried)
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place salmon in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Combine parsley, garlic salt and lemon-pepper; rub mixture onto salmon. Whisk melted butter and lime juice together; gently pour over the salmon. Sprinkle the minced onions on top. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Balsamic Walnuts

We stumbled onto this idea when making 8 Ball Zucchini Pockets. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a cake pan. Toss in enough nuts (I used walnut halves) to lay in a single layer on the bottom. Shake the pan to coat the nuts. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with desired amount of salt. Cook at 350 until sweet and crispy. YUM!

8-Ball Zucchini Pockets

When two wholefoodigans get together, creative food events are going to happen. Melanie and myself (Holly), got to spend two days together this week with our children happily entertaining one another. I discovered 8-Ball zucchini at the local farmers market and decided I had to try the new vegetable but it was even more exciting knowing I'd get to share the experience with another whole foodie. I bought all the zucchini she had left with only the knowledge they taste like regular zucchini and people tend to stuff and bake them.

Melanie and I started brainstorming and together we came up with the recipe below. I cooked, she took pics and we had a great time except that my 40 lb daughter was feeling sick and I had to stop and wrap her sweet self on my back while we finished.

2.5 cups walnuts halves
6-8 8-ball zucchini
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 fuji apple, coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil (plus some for the pan)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup of rice flour
balsamic vinegar

Chop nuts finely. (I used the vita-mix). Reserve 1/2 cup for topping.

Slice the tops off the zucchini, and hollow out. Add scooped zucchini, celery, apple, onion, garlic, and all but the reserved nuts to the vita-mix or food processor. Add the seasonings and the rice flour and fill zucchini with mixture. Grease pan with olive oil and arrange the 8 balls inside. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes. I think a little longer might have been better.

Some notes after dinner: I think blending the mixture up too finely in the vitamix was a mistake. I think something more the texture of salsa would improve the texture of the dish. The stuffing was a little thin, I'm thinking adding eggs, chia seeds, and/or more rice flour would do the trick. The flavor was divine.

The best part was my new favorite snack (balsamic glazed nuts) that we inadvertently created while making this meal.

Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks

They may not be pretty, but they're delicious!

If you can have dairy, you must make these. RIGHT NOW. Go ahead and get the ingredients, I'll wait. Back? ok, here you go.

The original recipe came from here, but, as the Whole Foodigans are wont to do, I tweaked it a bit, but I'm still not calling myself a "tweaker". ;)

Mozzarella cheese, cut into sticks or chunks or whatever strikes your fancy
bread crumbs mixed with Italian seasoning and salt (I made my own bread crumbs by toasting pieces of my bread)
eggs
fine flour like rice or sorghum (I used sorghum)
coconut oil (what else?)
Marinara

While making cheese sticks, heat marinara or your cheese sticks will get cold. Ask me how I know.

Heat coconut oil to cover bottom of pan about 1/4".
Dip cheese in flour, egg, bread crumbs and then if you want, back in the egg and breadcrumbs.
Put in oil.
PAY attention! Don't forget to turn them, they cook very quickly.

Eat. Die of deliciousness.
You're welcome.

Mary

Elk Sausage Spring Pasta

It's spring!

Our local Food Co-op (Seward Market) makes their own sausages with locally sourced meat and other ingredients. They're pricey, but so delicious you'll go back for more. This month, the special was Elk Sausage with Mushrooms and Cranberries.

We decided to mix it up with other spring offerings that we were so glad to see after our extra long Minnesota winter.

In a large pan, cook sausages until almost done (any fine sausage will do).

To the pan, add:

1 bunch of chard, one bunch of ramps (yay spring!), a head of cauliflower, some minced garlic, and any other green vegetable you might be so inclined to add, in the large pan with a little added butter and olive oil.

We had planned to have slices of sausage in this, but the casings fell apart, so it looks more like ground meat, but the sausage juices added all the extra flavoring we needed.

Once the vegetables are soft, de-glaze the pan with a little white wine to make a nice sauce.

Serve over the pasta of your choice and top with Parmesan cheese.

Broiled Cod Steaks

This sauce is so good I was literally licking the pan. Adapted from a James Beard recipe. Makes me hungry just reading the recipe!

4 cod steaks (or other firm white fish), about 1 inch thick

Basting mixture:

1/2 c melted butter

2 T grated onion

2 T lemon juice

1/4 chili sauce (homemade ketchup)

1 t tarragon

1 t paprika

2 T chopped parsley

Rub the steaks well with salt. Combine remaining ingredients and brush the mixture on one side of each steak. Place the steaks on a well-oiled broiler rack and broil about 4 inches away from the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn, brush well with the butter mixture, and broil another five minutes, basting once more during the cooking period. Transfer to a hot platter. Serve with tiny boiled new potatoes and chopped buttered spinach, and if you like, drink a pleasant Pinot Blanc.

Spinach Potato casserole

I'm sorry I don't have a picture of these delicious potatoes, but they're a great make-ahead side dish that will be making an appearance at our next Thanksgiving dinner!

6 medium poataoes

2 t salt

1/4 t white pepper

1 c sour cream

1/4 lb butter

2 tsp chives

1/4 t dill

1 10 oz package frozen spinach, cooked and well drained

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Cook and mash potatoes. Add salt, pepper and a little milk. Add sour cream and butter. Beat until fluffy. Add chives, dill and spinach. Mix and place in a buttered casserole dish. Top with cheese and bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Can be made a day ahead, or frozen ... put cheese on top just before baking.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

These are the first pancakes I've had where I don't feel a huge blood-sugar rush right after eating. They're wonderful and filling. Recipe is adapted from one a friend gave us, but I don't have the original source.








My daughter likes the "Baby" version of everything:

3/4 c quick-cooking oats (regular are fine as well, just let them soak a bit longer)

1 1/2 c plus 2 T well-shaken buttermilk, divided

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

3/4 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/8 t nutmeg

1/2 t salt

1 lg egg

2 T butter melted

1 t packed brown sugar

Soak oats in 3/4 c buttermilk for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and slat in a large bowl. Stir egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining 3/4 c plus 2 T buttermilk and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just completed. Cook pancakes.

Lentil Curry

My family loves just about any dish served over rice, as you'll be able to see from a large majority of the recipes I post here. This one is a favorite of mine because I adore curry and lentils too! Lentil + curry... it just makes sense! It is very addicting and much tastier than you could ever imagine by looking at it so do yourself a favor and make it. Your welcome!

Lentil Curry

Rinse 2 cups of lentils and then soak them in cold water for 20 minutes. Then cook until soft. (About 40-60 minutes.) Strain and set aside.

1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, minced

Saute the above in a couple of tablespoons of healthy oil (EVOO, grapeseed or coconut) until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add:

2 Tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1 28 oz can Muir Glen Fire roasted diced tomatoes

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes and add lentils. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Add pre-cooked sausages if desired. Serve over jasmine rice.

Cucumber Basil Smoothie

Blender Magic.

2 handfuls of Basil leaves
1/2 large cucumber or 1 whole smallish cucumber
1 mango
1 cup green grapes
1/2 cup orange juice
Ice

Blend until smooth and add enough ice to make it the desired consistency and temperature.

Spicy Beef Pineapple Curry

I started out making Melanie's Coconut Pineapple Chicken Curry. It is delicious and I've eaten it made by Melanie herself. However, I decided to tweak a few things to fit our family's tastes and to match what I had on hand. Turns out that I changed enough of the recipe around it became something different, warranting its own recipe.

1 lb stew beef pieces
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons curry powder
One batch of almond milk leftover puree* or 1/4 cup of nut flour
1/2 cup of flour (I used sorghum flour)
1 Tablespoon Turmeric
cayenne to taste
Coconut oil for pan frying

1 onion chopped (chop small if you have children who aren't fans)
1 green pepper chopped (same as above applies)
4-7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 can of coconut milk
1 small package of frozen corn (optional, add whichever vegetables sound good to you)
1 small package of frozen peas (optional)
1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped (save the rest in the freezer for smoothies.)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 Tblsp corn starch


Mix spices and flours in a large container. Add meat and shake to coat the pieces evenly. Brown the coated meat in coconut oil on medium high. Remove from pan. Cook onion, pepper, garlic and ginger until browned. Return meat to pan. Add remaining ingredients except cornstarch. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Add some water to cornstarch and add to mixture to thicken.

Serve with brown rice.


*I make almond milk with my Vitamix. I use one cup of almonds and 4 cups of water. After it's blended, I strain the solids out to leave the milk. I then dehydrate the solids and granulate to use as a breading.

Tangy Mushrooms

1 container of fresh mushrooms, cleaned and left whole
2 cups beef or chicken stock
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 cup orange juice



Put clean mushrooms in a saucepan, add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Continue to simmer with the lid off until liquid has reduced, thickened slightly and has become tangy and slightly sweet. Fifteen to twenty minutes?

Fruit Juice Jell.o

Made this with the kids today. Delicious! I wasn't expecting it to be so good! I only had a couple small bites, since I'm off sugar right now, even natural sugar like honey.

Creole with Chicken, Sausage or Shrimp

It's "Fat Tuesday" and to celebrate, we're having Creole. I lived in Louisiana for a few years as a kid and have returned several times for vacation and Gregg and I even went to New Orleans for our honeymoon. I really love the culture there. The music, the food, the people, the architecture, the food. My favorite Creole and Cajun foods are the spicy dishes. Gregg prefers the sweet though a nice pot of red beans and rice would satisfy him BEFORE the double serving of bread pudding. (He'll skip the crawfish every time though.)

Creole is a favorite spicy dish of mine. It can be made with chicken or shrimp as well. Tonight I was just really in the mood for some andouille. Now if I could only figure out how to make bread pudding with no gluten and no sugar. Shouldn't be TOO difficult, right?



Chicken/Shrimp/Sausage Creole

1 medium onion, chopped
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen organic fire roasted tomatoes)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp thyme
Cayenne pepper to taste (I like mine spicy!)
Sea salt
Plenty of fresh ground red pepper
2 bay leaves
1 pound of boned and skinned chicken breast, cooked and chopped OR one pound of cooked shrimp, OR one pound of andouille sausage. (I like Sausage by Amy brand andouille. Just enough spice without all the nitrates.)

Sauté first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes and the next 6 ingredients. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Remove half of the tomato mixture from the pan and process it in the blender until smooth. Add it back to pan and stir in chicken, sausage or shrimp and cook for 5-10 more minutes on medium heat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve over hot cooked brown rice.

Spicy Strawberry Mango Syrup

My daughter wanted crepes this morning. I decided I wanted something a little sweet to go in them. So I got creative.

Ingredients:

1 lb of strawberries, diced (minus what your four-year-old steals while you cut them)

1 mango, peeled and diced

Juice of one orange

3 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp black pepper

dash of sea salt

2 Tblsp corn starch (or other thickener)

Put strawberries and mango in a saucepan with just enough water to come to the same level. Bring to a boil. Add vinegar and orange juice, pepper and salt and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get too dry and stick to the pan. Stir frequently.

Continue to boil until it is reduced by about half. Combine corn starch with about a 1/2 cup of water. Stir to create a slurry and add to the pan. Stir and bring back to a boil for just a minute, until thick. Remove from heat and let cool.

It's just a little spicy on its own. You could add more or less pepper as you see fit. I also think a little bit more tanginess would be nice. I might try to add some orange zest and a little more balsamic vinegar next time.

We ate ours with some gluten-free dairy free crepes topped with coconut cream that my friend Mary introduced me to. She got the recipe from this blog.

Hannah said, "Mom, I can't lie. I'm a happy girl!"

Key Lime Smoothie

We just got a Vitamix and I've been on a blending spree ever since. We generally have a smoothie a day around here so that's nothing new but I'm much more creative with what I've been blending since this baby can handle so much more than any of our other dearly departed blenders could. We have a lot of our fruit and some of our veggies pre-washed, cut into large chunks and frozen so they're easily accessed and prepped for smoothies.

Yesterday I was brainstorming about a smoothie combo and it hit me. I love limes. I love coconut. LIGHT BULB!! The Key Lime smoothie was born.

This has a sweet taste off the bat and a slightly tart after taste which is perfect. The more fruit you have frozen before hand, the thicker and colder this will be.



1 small lime, peeled
1 whole ripe kiwi, wash well and cut off ends
1 slice of fresh pineapple (about 1 1/2 inches thick) peeled but NOT cored
1 cup of sweet green grapes
1 handful of fresh, washed spinach
2 tsp Dolomite (not necessary but adds calcium and dials down the tartness a tad)
1 can of quality coconut milk (I use organic 365/Whole Foods)
Ice

I make smoothies to taste. Add some ice and blend then taste it. Too sweet? Add more ice. Don't like the consistency? Add more ice or blend longer. Too tart? More grapes, pineapple or a piece of ripe pear will sweeten it up nicely.

Next time I promise to spice up my pictures with a little garnish. I was just overly anxious to drink this one. ENJOY!!

Refried Beans with Coconut Oil

Here is what I just did for refried beans :)