Tuesday, April 15th, 2014
Olive n Veggie Pasta (gluten free, paleo, raw vegan)
The first time I created this recipe both my husband and I knew it’d become a regular in our house, and it has been for years. The textures and flavors are refreshing and delicious (especially fantastic during the warm summer months), and it’s a pretty dish. Oh, it takes a maximum of 10-minutes to throw together – I love that.
Olive and Veggie Pasta (Gluten Free. Raw Vegan. Paleo.)
Yield 2 servings
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 medium to large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 avocado, pitted, scooped / peeled, and diced
- 6 raw olives, pitted and chopped*
- 4 to 5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh chives or 1 green onion, chopped
- fresh organic lemon or lime juice, a good squeeze’s worth
- drizzle high quality raw olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- Using a spiral vegetable slicer, spiralize the zucchini into noodles (if you have kids, have them help with this because they’ll love it). If you don’t have a spiral slicer, use a vegetable peeler to cut the zucchini into long, thin, ribbon-like slices.
- Put the zucchini in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
- Toss well with some fun bamboo hands and serve immediately.
* We really love Essential Living Foods Raw Peruvian Black Botija Olives. They are so unbelievably good… very juicy and meaty. The only ingredients are organic raw botija olives and sea salt.
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Red bell peppers
It’s time for a raw plant based recipe today. A fun one, too. Even though I eat a diet rich in high quality animal products, it doesn’t mean I don’t make my family raw plant-based recipes, too. I find value in raw vegan recipes for their diversity to my family’s diet and the phtyo-nutrients they offer. Whole-food, plant-based recipes have a place in all diets although I no longer subscribe to a 100% plant based diet anymore for us.
Apart from the soaking time of the sunflower seeds, this recipe can be whipped up in no time flat – that’s my kind of recipe. Or, use Go Raw sunflower seeds which are already sprouted and it’ll take even less effort. The texture of the final recipe will have some crunch since the seeds won’t be soaked but that’s totally cool, too.
Easy Stuffed Peppers (Gluten Free. Raw Vegan. Paleo.)
Yield 2 servings
- 3⁄4 cup raw organic sunflower seeds
- 1⁄2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons organic flax meal
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1⁄4 teaspoon himalayan crystal salt (or perhaps less, if using already salted seeds like these)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄8 teaspoon chipotle powder
- dash of freshly ground pepper
- 2 medium to large organic red, orange, or yellow bell peppers
- Put the sunflower seeds in a bowl and add filtered water to cover by about 1 inch. Let them soak at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight if that’s easier. Drain the sunflower seeds and rinse. Remember, if you use already soaked and sprouted raw sunflower seeds like Go Raw’s then you can skip this step.
- In a food processor, combine the sunflower seeds with celery, flax meal, chives, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Process the mixture until it’s a lightly coarse texture.
- Cut the top off each bell pepper, including the stem, and pull out the seeds. Stuff the bell peppers with the sunflower seed mixture. Serve immediately.
Image credit
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Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
Spicy Metabolic Vanilla C Tonic with grapefruit
Everyone has heard of the master cleanse right? I tried that diet / cleanse, among most others. I lasted almost 5 days before I was so hungry I was dreaming of lettuce to eat, desperate as I was. Well. I have to admit that the tonic you make on the Master Cleanse is pretty darn tasty and possibly has some nutritional value, but not nearly enough. That’s where my Spicy Metabolic Vanilla C Tonic comes into play. It’s my spin of the Master Cleanse tonic that is to be enjoyed whenever and where ever BUT not as a replacement for food! Note: I am not suggesting that you drink this as part of that cleanse, or any cleanse, that involves removing food because I am not a fan of cleanses – food is a good thing. I’m simply sharing a delicious and nutritious tonic that you can drink anytime.
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Ginger Cream Green Smoothie
Do you ever feel like you want more salad in your life but simply lack the motivation to get everything out, chop it up, make a dressing, and put it all together? I know I do, and that’s why I’m drawn to green smoothies, especially lately. By making green smoothies like the one I’m sharing with you today, I’m able to get light and fresh greens in my diet… and, it’s quick which is important to me. I’m a busy mama who home schools, reads, plays Words with Friends, socializes on play-dates at the park, and makes all of our meals from scratch. Oh and I clean the home on occasion. So, yeah. Busy.
Green smoothies are pretty regular in our house, but they’re probably not the same as the green smoothies you see so often on the web which are usually full of dark leafy greens like kale, chard, or even spinach. If I eat those, I cook them for proper nutrient import and export.
I also don’t feel drawn to a high sugar or carb-heavy diet these days, even if it is from fruits, so you won’t see many fruits in my smoothies. I do eat berries and some seasonal citrus, and I’m not opposed to fruit in general, but I find that I feel better if I’m not eating too much of it. So these days, I like to keep my smoothies sweet-fruit-free.
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Mexican Tuna Salad Paleo Gluten Free
Are you looking for a quick salad that is high in protein and nourishing fat but low in carbs? Want something that is also gluten free, paleo, and good for you? Look no more and try my Mexican Tuna Salad. This salad will keep you satisfied all afternoon and energized to boot.
We’re just coming off a trip to Mexico and I am still desiring those wonderful flavors. Here I have a low mercury tuna, by Wild Planet, along with fresh cilantro which is good for combating mercury anyway, plus crunchy fresh red bell pepper, savory green onion, and delicious creamy avocado. It’s like mashed up guacamole, salsa, and tuna basically.
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Orange Chicken & Yams Slow Cooker Gluten Free
The easier and simpler a recipe is, the more attracted I am to it these days. Being a mom to a 3.5 year old is busy, but with easy recipes like this, then it’s a breeze.
Enter Orange Chicken & Yams. And, of course… ENTER: SLOW COOKER. I think my slow cooker will go from being my best friend to my bestest best friend. With a recipe as easy, delicious, and nutritious as this, I have so much time on my hands that I can read a book. ;) Speaking of books, I just finished Chris Kressers’ The Paleo Code, which is a good book detailing a Paleo diet with a Real Food spin which I like. I’m about to dive into Eat the Yolks (by funny gal Liz Wolfe) between chapters of one of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon. I’m on her 5th book in The Outlander Series, The Fiery Cross. The Outlander Series is soooooo fantastic and very popular (so popular that I believe a TV series is being made of it). I love to read. It’s one of my favorite things.
On to the recipe:
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Thursday, February 20th, 2014
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (Pizzooki) Gluten Free
Wow. I’m truly in heaven. My Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (gluten free) recipe is, officially, my favorite gluten free homemade dessert recipe. My second would be my Pumpkin Pie, but that’s a recipe I’ll share later. I can’t take all the credit for coming up with this masterpiece though. I was inspired by two things.
- Over a decade ago I ate a dessert at a local Italian restaurant where they had a “Pizzookie” which was a giant chocolate chip cookie served in a small cast iron pan with ice cream on top. I have longed for that for years, but I wouldn’t get it because it’s so unhealthy, obviously. Instead, I dreamt about it. For over a decade.
- Then, a few months ago, I was reading a fun blog, Cave Girl Eats. I saw that she made a giant paleo chocolate chip cookie in a pie dish. I thought to myself… THAT’S IT! I can recreate the Pizzookie! Now, mine isn’t strictly paleo like hers because grass fed butter belongs in this bad boy. Be sure to check out Cave Girl Eats’ blog. I call her “funny girl” because I’m frequently giggling when I read her work.
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Sunday, February 16th, 2014
All Clad – awesome pressure cooker
I originally found myself in the market for a pressure years ago when I was eating a plant based vegan diet (here’s why we stopped our vegan ways). We consumed a lot of beans in those days and I wanted a faster way to prepare them instead of watching them cook in a big pot on my stove all the time.
Fast forward to today… my pressure cooker was sitting on my counter not being used because we don’t fancy beans much these days. I was eager to make a meal quickly with a cut of meat that would usually take all day in the slow cooker. Hello, Pressure Cooker. This thing rocks for its speed and simplicity.
That’s my pressure cooker pictured above: All Clad (I bought it at Sur la Table). This gem was worth every penny because of its high quality. It’s stainless steel and I wanted something that wasn’t non-stick crap or aluminum. I also like this one because I don’t have to stand around the stove watching it (it plugs into the wall), so I feel safe using it. It’s basically a “set it and forget it” piece of kitchen equipment.
Pressure Cooker Beef Chuck Roast
You can get very creative here and add other flavors like a halved onion, a few cloves of crushed garlic, etc, especially if you’re using water as the liquid. I usually keep it extra simple though with just flavorful homemade broth and generously salted grass fed meat.
Put all of the ingredients in the pressure cooker. Cook at HIGH pressure for about 45 minutes. Voila! You’re done.
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Saturday, February 8th, 2014
Alderspring Ranch organic grass fed ribeye steak cooked sous vide – perfectly medium rare.
Dear Sous Vide Supreme,
I love you dearly. Thank you for coming into my life and making it so much easier. I call you my BFF in the kitchen because cooking steaks (and much more, like bone broth) is a piece of cake with you. I love my sous vide supreme so much that I even took it on our road trip from Arizona to Michigan.
Your raving fan,
Kristen
If it isn’t obvious, I love my sous vide supreme kitchen appliance. Thank you to my husband, Greg, for showing me it was an option after I turned too many expensive grass fed steaks into chewing-gum-shoe-leather. Not anymore now that I effortlessly prepare steaks with my sous vide, yielding beautiful steaks with even color and temperature throughout – every time. The best part is that it’s so easy. I don’t need any skills to cook the meat.
The sous vide is also called a water oven, which is similar to a slow cooker but the temperature is tightly controlled and the food is cooked in a vacuum sealed bag. It basically means that you can cook a steak (or any cut of meat, including beef tongue, chicken, turkey, fish and more), perfectly, every time. The meat is cooked through to the exact temperature you want and it will never overcook. I know, magic, right?
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Monday, February 3rd, 2014
Cinnamon Apple Chicken with Buttered Purple Cabbage
My Cinnamon Apple Chicken with Buttered Purple Cabbage is soooo good. It’s comfort, health, ease, and deliciousness all wrapped up in one meal and tied with a bow. Cabbage and apples are a great combo that everyone will love.
Most of my chicken dishes are made in a slow cooker, but once in a while, I want some golden (pasture raised organic) chicken skin to sink my teeth into, such as the gluten free recipe below (and also this staple in our house: Garam Masala Orange Chicken). I buy my pasture raised organic chickens here (also available soy-free, meaning they didn’t feed the chickens any soy). Good Earth Farms is also where we bought our pasture raised turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas. A testament to the quality and deliciousness of their poultry was when my mom, who is always extremely(!) honest, exclaimed three times how much she enjoyed the turkey and she’s never been a “turkey” person.
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Hi! I'm a chef, author, homeschooling mom, and I love to eat and cook super healthy food. I'm a former vegan, now real-food omnivore, who enjoys coffee(!), dark chocolate, rebounding, and researching the latest tips for optimal living. 
