RECIPE: Broccoli Salad

BROCCOLI AND BACON SALAD

Dressing:

1 cup Best Foods Real Mayonnaise or you can make your favorite homemade mayo
3 - tablespoons raw honey
1 - tablespoon real maple syrup
1 to 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Mix all ingredients above in a bowl add vinegar to taste starting with 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing, and adding more if your taste requires.  It should be a bit sweet and tart.

Cook 8 to 10 slices of bacon, cut into thin slices about 3/4" to 1" thick and fry until crisp. Set on paper towel to drain off all grease. Set aside

In a large mixing bowl add;
2 large or 3 medium size crowns of broccoli, cut into small florets, chop and peel stems.  (I personally, don't use that many stems, but if you like they can be used.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup almond slivers
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 fresh blueberries
1 large Fuji apple sliced in small to medium chunks ( before adding apples to salad drizzle with fresh lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning.)  then add to the rest of the ingredients.
Add cooked bacon pieces and mix.

Combine salad dressing with all the ingredients, refrigerate for a about 2 to 3 hours and serve.
It is delicious... Enjoy!

RECIPE: Green Soup

I saw a recipe for green soup that looked very healthy and easy, but there were several vegetables we don't care for in the list of ingredients, so I decided to improvise. I'm glad I did because this soup IS easy, healthy and VERY tasty!
GREEN SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 large bunches of Broccoli
1 large bunch of Asparagus
6 cups Spinach
6 cups organic Chicken Broth (I substituted Wildtree Chicken Bouillon Soup Base and water)
Sea Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash and chop vegetables.

2. Put olive oil in a large deep soup pot, turning heat to medium-high.
3. Put asparagus in the pot and allow the pieces to soften. Watch and stir often, as you don't want the asparagus to brown.

4. Add broccoli pieces all at one time. Allow them to soften - about 2 - 4 minutes. 

5. Add 2 cups of organic Chicken Broth and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add remaining chicken broth and cook another 5 minutes.
7. Add all the spinach and cook an additional 3 - 5 minutes.

8. Turn flame/heat off and add sea salt and pepper to taste. 

9. Transfer the soup into a blender (2 cups at a time) and puree soup. Pour pureed soup into a large pot and continue until all the soup has been pureed.
10. Taste. Season, as needed. Other seasonings may be added, but it's recommended to add any extra seasoning per bowl rather than seasoning the entire batch.
Serve and enjoy!

The photo below has been added since the original post. I just wanted to show the soup with our dinner the following evening. Left over Vegetable Breakfast Casserole, a baked acorn squash and a steamed artichoke. Yes, we're definitely eating our veggies! (Dessert was blueberry sorbet!)

**This soup freezes well and can be doubled. Be sure to cool completely before storing it in containers.

FOODS: FRESH PRODUCE - What We Eat

I decided to keep a running log of fresh organic produce that I pick up at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, Raley's/Belair, and California Certified Farmers' Markets. My plan is to post links to the recipes I use for each item. Sometimes there will be a use listed that's not a link ... such as used in a salad or eaten raw for a meal or a snack. 

Revised: January 27, 2012

HOW THEY ARE USED:
2 white sweet potatoes: 
3 red sweet potatoes: Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
1 acorn squash: 
baby spinach: Salads
2 broccoli crowns: 
4 tomatoes:   Guacamole
2 avocados:  Guacamole
2 peppers: roasted
cherry tomatoes: Salads
1 cauliflower: Mexican Cauliflower Rice
sliced white mushrooms: Pot Roast with Carrots and Mushrooms
carrots: Pot Roast with Carrots and Mushrooms

Fruit added January 20, 2012

HOW THEY ARE USED:
4 bananas: Pina Colada Smoothie, Fruity Power Smoothie, Tropical Energy Smoothie
1 pineapple: Pina Colada Smoothie, Tropical Energy Smoothie
2 home grown grapefruits: Breakfasts
6 home grown oranges: Breakfasts
2 large fuji apples: Breakfasts
4 small fuji apples: Fruity Power Smoothie, Breakfasts
2 peaches: breakfast, Fruity Power Smoothie

Revised January 21, 2012

 HOW THEY ARE USED:
2 white sweet potatoes: 
2 acorn squash: Acorn Squash with Pecans and Ginger
2 artichokes: Steamed Artichokes
2 red bell peppers: Roasted
4 avocados:  Fruity Power Smoothie, Tropical Energy Smoothie, Guacamole
1 crown broccoli: Roasted Broccoli,
5 tomatoes:  Mexican Cauliflower Rice, Guacamole
2 heirloom tomatoes: Salads
okra: Roasted Okra

January 20, 2012

HOW THEY ARE USED:
2 artichokes: Steamed Artichokes
5 tomatoes: Salads,  Guacamole
white mushrooms: Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant

January 14, 2012

HOW THEY ARE USED:
3 avocados: Paleo Chocolate Pudding, Bacon Egg Avocado Tomato Sandwich
1 eggplant: Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant
2 acorn squash: Acorn Squash with Pecans and Ginger
1 butternut squash: Italian Sausage & Butternut Squash Lasagna
1 bag of organic spinach: Frittata, Salads
3 roma tomatoes: Bacon, Egg, Avocado and Tomato Sandwich
1 onion: Italian Sausage & Butternut Squash Lasagna, Frittata
1 red bell pepper: Italian Sausage & Butternut Squash Lasagna, Frittata
5 heirloom tomatoes: Frittata, Salads
1 container of golden grape tomatoes: Salads
2 crowns broccoli: Roasted Broccoli, 
1 pound of okra: Roasted Okra

RECIPE: Roasted Vegetables - Broccoli

I had an "Ah-ha" moment yesterday afternoon. I had two huge crowns of broccoli and needed to prepare at least one of them for dinner last night. I'm rather tired of steaming them and I had seen several recipes for roasting broccoli, so I decided to give it a try. I'm VERY glad I did! We'll be eating roasted broccoli a lot more often, plus I will be trying LOTS more roasted vegetables now that I know it's so simple and so yummy!!

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Let me preface this recipe by telling you about a very cool gadget I bought the other day. It's a MISTO Olive Oil Sprayer. It's a spray can that you use the lid to pump the contents so it actually sprays! All you do is fill the container 1/2 way with olive oil, pump the lid a few times, and spray! I LOVE it!

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Here's my version of Roasted Broccoli - Plain and Simple
(You'll notice there's okra and a red bell pepper in the photo, too. More on that later.)
INGREDIENTS:
1 large crown fresh broccoli
olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
grated parmesan cheese (not pictured as this was an afterthought)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash broccoli, but it must be thoroughly dry before you cook it, so it's best to wash it well in advance and let it dry. Cut broccoli into large bite-sized pieces.
3. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep dish baking stone or whatever kind of dish you'd use for roasting.

 4. Place cut broccoli into pan and spray olive oil evenly on the broccoli. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Toss and repeat.

5. Bake in center of the oven for 15 minutes, then stir broccoli to expose bottom sides.
6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired. (We do!)
7. Continue roasting for another 10 minutes. Some of the broccoli will be golden brown. Most of what you see in this photo is the browned parmesan cheese.

**NOTE*** I wanted to try this with some okra, too. It worked very well! We still had some Mediterranean Eggplant Stuffing left, so I roasted a red bell pepper, too, with the intention of putting the stuffing in at the 15 minute mark. I also stuffed some large mushrooms. We preferred the mushrooms over the red peppers as the taste of the peppers over-powered the stuffing, in our opinion. Keep in mind I am not a pepper person.

RECIPE: Stir-Fry Chicken

I have experimented with ingredients for stir-fry for years. I finally decided the simpler the better. I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago. We liked it so well I stopped experimenting.

STIR-FRY CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. organic chicken breasts
2 crowns broccoli
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4 tsp curry (I use Trader Joe's)
Sea salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil
*Secret Ingredient #1*
*Secret Ingredient #2*

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut broccoli, mushrooms, and chicken into bite sized pieces. Be sure to keep raw chicken away from vegetables.
2. Heat wok to medium high and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. After one minute add chicken and 2 tsp curry, stir ring occasionally to cook evenly, but not burn.

3. Once chicken is done, remove from wok and place in a bowl.
4. Add more oil, if needed, and add broccoli. Cover and cook 2 minutes on medium. Add mushrooms and 1 tsp curry. Stirring occasionally for even cooking. Cover when not stirring.

5. Once vegetables are tender, but not mushy, add chicken back into the wok and stir until well mixed. Add secret ingredient. (See below)

Secret Ingredient #1 is "Soy-Vay Island Teriyaki" from Trader Joe's. I know, I know, it's not 100% Paleo, but I am going to attempt to make a version that is. This stuff tastes so good, and it does have a lot of good ingredients in  it, but it does have some sugar. I am going to attempt to make something similar with honey or agave. (Contents: Preservative free soy sauce, water, sugar, 100% pure pineapple juice, vinegar, soy oil, sesame seeds, fresh garlic, dried onions, fresh ginger, garlic granules, sesame oil, onion powder, and ginger powder.)

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SECRET SAUCE RECIPE: (Secret Ingredient #2)
1/2 cup Paleo mayo
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Curry
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Agave
water

1. Spoon mayonnaise into a bowl and add all ingredients except water.
2. Mix well.
3. Add only enough water to thin the mixture out a little - I'm guessing 1 Tbsp or so. The mixture should have the consistency of thick salad dressing.
4. Spoon onto stir-fry. Enjoy!

I made a small quantity of *gasp* brown rice for Conrad, however I plated mine with the remaining spaghetti squash from the night before. I added a dash of curry and a splash of secret ingredient #1 to add oriental flavor.

Here it is ... Stir-fry chicken with broccoli and mushrooms with a side of curried spaghetti squash drizzled with secret sauce!