by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Meats, Paleo
Here is a great light Thai inspired dish that I have made numerous times! And falls into the Paleo category. I have been trying to find other alternative recipes to red meat (beef), and honestly after watching “CowSpiracy” I have been avoiding red meat about 95% of the time. That movie was such an eye-opener! Surprisingly, Leonardo DiCaprio was the executive producer. Anyway, hope you enjoy this simple light recipe, it was inspired by a recipe I found in Women’s Health Magazine back in 2012.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp organic canola oil
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 small shallots, diced
- 1 piece of lemongrass (4″ long) minced
- 1 Thai or Serrano chili, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 lb of 99% fat-free ground turkey
- 2 tbsp of sriracha (optional for a bit more “kick”)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 head of organic butter lettuce
Directions:
- In a bowl, whisk lime juice, lemon juice, fish sauce, and honey.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, lemongrass, and chili. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add turkey to skillet and Siracha. Season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently and making sure turkey does not stay in large chunks. Cook until meat and vegetables are cooked through, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add dressing to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mint and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon turkey mixture onto lettuce leaves and serve.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes
With the holiday season quickly sneaking up on us, I thought I would share one of my essential tools and sources of inspiration in my kitchen. The Flavor Bible has changed my life, the way I cook, how I shop for ingredients and has saved my ass when trying to figure out what to make for our friends and family.
The title: The Flavor Bible, The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs, by Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg…really says it all! It is such a brilliantly organized resource which I truly think is essential for anyone who loves to cook. You simply look up any ingredient, (listed in alphabetical order), and it gives you the season, taste, weight, volume and recommended techniques, as well as a which flavors have the strongest affinities for one another. The book is peppered with tips, anecdotes, and signature dishes from the country’s most respected chefs and pastry chefs.
Also a great holiday present for anyone that enjoys spending creative time in the kitchen. (It does not have any recipes, so they should really be comfortable in the kitchen.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Pastas
Traditional “Pasta Alle Vongole”, spaghetti with clams, is almost impossible to make here is the US, as “vongole” (the small, Mediterranean Wedge Shell, also known as the Tellina or “bean clam”) are hard to come by in Boulder, CO. So, in this dish, I used little neck clams, which are slightly larger and have a thicker shell. My mother-in-law adds ginger to this dish, which makes it a little different than the traditional version. The following recipe serves 4 people.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 40 littleneck clams in the shell (scrubbed)
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 8 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp pureed ginger
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, soak clams in cold water and make sure they are scrubbed clean.
- Add spaghetti to boiling water, and cook until slightly underdone; pasta will finish cooking in sauce. Meanwhile, place a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and add olive oil, garlic and ginger. Sauté gently, reducing heat if necessary so garlic does not brown.
- Add wine and clams, and cover. Clams should open in about 2 minutes. (If pasta is ready first, drain it and toss with a small amount of olive oil.) Add hot drained pasta, cover, and shake pot gently. Allow to simmer for another 1 or 2 minutes until it is done to taste.
- Discard any clams that have not opened. Add half the parsley, and shake pan to distribute evenly. Transfer to bowls, and sprinkle with remaining parsley.
- Other versions add peperoncino flakes (1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes for a little kick). Serves 4
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes
Watermelon margaritas are a great summer cocktail! We made these on our girl’s trip in Mexico, but ironically it was hard to find fresh limes! Definitely start with 100% Agave Tequila, fresh limes and use seedless watermelon to save time. I always use Agave Nectar for my margaritas over sugar or simple syrup. My favorite tequila for margs, that won’t break the bank, is Espolon Silver Tequila. It’s a great value and perfect for mixing into a marg.
When it comes to measuring out my ingredients, I always start with the fresh squeezed lime, as it’s harder to squeeze limes than pour the tequila, or add the agave. Best to buy an entire seedless watermelon, and chop into pieces and place half into food processor. Save the other half to cut into wedges for garnishing the glasses. This recipe is a little different from the 1,2,4 margarita recipe I posted as we replace the soda water with the watermelon puree.
Measurements for a single Watermelon Marg:
- ½ oz. Agave nectar
- 1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice (not bottled – please!)
- 2 oz. 100% Agave Tequila
- 1 oz. fresh pureed watermelon (No seeds!)
- Salt for the rim, and sprig of mint or watermelon wedge for garnish
Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake for 30 seconds at least, then pour into glass, with or without salt or a mixture of salt and sugar. I also sometimes add a sprig of fresh mint.
Measurements for a Batch of Watermelon Margaritas:
- 1 cup Agave nectar
- 2 cups fresh squeezed lime juice (not bottled – please!)
- 4 cups 100% Agave Tequila
- 2 cup Fresh pureed watermelon
- 2 large scoops of ice
Combine lime, agave, watermelon and tequila into a drink dispenser. Stir in the ice, making sure it is mixed well. Add a little bit of club soda at if you want to dilute it. Make sure to stir occasionally as the lime and watermelon tend to settle. Enjoy! And please drink responsibly!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Smoothies
I try and start most mornings off with a healthy antioxidant green smoothie that has a balance of veggies, fruits, and protein. As I get older, I realize my body is not recovering from exercise as quickly as it used to, so I make it a point of including antioxidants into my diet that have anti-inflammatory effects, It may help lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and brain function decline. Here is one of my favorites; not too sweet, and has a little bite to it.
INGREDIENTS:
Spinach: high nutritional value and is rich in antioxidants. It is a good source of vitamins A, B2, C and K, and also contains magnesium, manganese, folate, iron, calcium and potassium.
Green Apples: a great source of fiber, vitamin C as well as minerals – iron, zinc, copper, manganese & potassium and high in antioxidants.
Ginger: helps with inflammation and digestion.
Cinnamon: contains large amounts of highly potent polyphenol antioxidants. The antioxidants in cinnamon have anti-inflammatory effects, which may help lower the risk of disease.
Hydrolyzed Collagen: Great Lakes Gelatin has my favorite type of Collagen powder, it provides 11 grams of protein, is non-GMO, water soluble, and unflavored, so will not change the taste of your smoothie. It has claims that it “helps regulate the body’s metabolism by providing protein of low molecular weight that is quickly absorbed in the digestive tract. It contains amino acids such as glycine, lysine, and proline, which are important amino acids and can be used by the body to build connective tissue structures to support the functions of the cells. Collagen is important to nitrogen balance, and may prevent age related cartilage damage and collagen loss.”
Vanilla Stevia: Just 5 drops is as sweet as 1 tsp of sugar, with the added taste of real vanilla extract.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Salads, Vegetables
Kale Salad with Togarashi, Apples, Pecorino, Sweet Almonds and Dried Cranberries
This is one of my favorite salads. With Kale being one of the highest nutrient rich foods (and ANDI score of 1000), I try to squeeze this in my dinners as often as possible. The most important thing with kale is that you can’t have it dry, it really needs a lot of love, which translates to oil! First you needs to make sure your kale is washed, which sometimes, takes wiping down the front and back of every leaf. You then need to completely dry it, because as well all know, oil and water don’t mix. Next you have the remove larger ribs that run down the center. Then you cut all of the leafs off. Try to keep them in large pieces. You then stack a series of leaves and roll them, like rolling a cigar. You will have a tightly wound up spiral of leaves. You then cut ⅛” thick (or thin) so you have small strands of leaves, like in photo above. Once all of the leaves have been nicely cut into thin and long pieces, place them into a bowl. Now you give it some love, pour in the EVO Oil into a bowl and toss around so that all of the pieces get a nice coating of oil, this is what softens it up. Next add apples, dried cranberries, chopped sweet almonds, pecorino and toss well to cover all ingredients in oil. Your last step is to add the Japanese red pepper (Togarashi). I would add this slowly, then toss around and see how much is enough for your individual taste. Some people love the red pepper spice, others have less tolerance for hot foods (like my husband). It does contain a bit of salt, so just keep tasting to see if you need additional salt in your salad.
Ingredients:
- Large bunch of Curly Kale
- 2 tbsp EVOO (olive oil)
- 1 Gala Apple (thinly sliced)
- ⅓ cup Dried Cranberries
- ⅓ cup Sweet almonds (chopped)
- ½ cup of shredded pecorino cheese
- ½-1 tsp Togarashi (Japanese Spice)
- ¼ tsp salt (optional)
Curly Kale
Kale with ribs removed
Rolled Kale leaves rolled
I also found some interesting information about Kale from Dr. Perlmutter (author of Grain Brain). I have included it here, but you can also visit this link to read the rest.
Kale, a member of the cabbage family, is power packed with vitamins A, K, C, with meaningful amounts of B vitamins as well as trace minerals. It’s low in carbs and calories. Kale is rich in a chemical called sulforaphane, and this may be one of kale’s most important health attributes.
Sulforaphane is a sulfur-rich chemical that activates a gene pathway in animals as well as humans called Nrf2, and when Nrf2 is turned on by consuming sulforaphane rich foods, several important health-promoting mechanisms are accentuated. These include a reduction in inflammation, enhanced antioxidant protection, and powerful amplification of our ability to detoxify potential damaging chemicals.
