Simple Kale Salad with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette

This recipe is an original recipe but it was inspired by a friend who told me if you massaged kale with citrus juice it would soften it. I only can stomach kale cooked when chopped into very small pieces so I was hopeful I could learn to enjoy kale in abundance and raw. This salad did it for me. It's very simple so you are free to add whatever you like to it or eat it alone as a side. You could easily add some grilled chicken or fish with an assortment of fruit and other veggies.

This salad was so good I was even able to get my dog to eat kale!

Ingredients:
1 head of curly kale, washed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced, or 2 heaping tsp of garlic from a jar
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 tsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning
3 heaping tbsp of parmesan or romano cheese, finely grated
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Wash and tear the kale leaves off of the stems and discard the stems.
2. Chop the leaves into bite size pieces. Place in a large bowl.
3. Add lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper in a seperate bowl. Mix well with a fork or whisk until the ingredients are relatively combined.
4. Pour over the kale leaves and toss and massage the kale in the vinaigrette for 1 minute or so.
5. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to let the lemon juice tenderize the leaves.
6. When ready to eat, sprinkle parmesan over the kale and toss again. Enjoy!

Whole 30/Paleo Challenge: Easy "Spaghetti" and Meatballs

I found the recipe for the meatballs from a great blog linked below, but I added a few tweaks myself. My meatballs did not come out quite as firm as some would like but the flavor was great. It's not completely paleo but I am not one to be super strict. The spaghetti squash was perfect. When picking a spaghetti squash out, I recommend finding one that is not too large if possible with few blemishes and a firm shell. The secret to roasting spaghetti squash without it getting too watery is short cooking time with high heat. Check the squash often as you are roasting so it does not get over cooked.

http://easypeas-y.blogspot.com/2012/03/paleo-meatballs.html

Ingredients:
Meatballs
2 lbs of ground bison (or any meat you like)
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped spinach
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp of spicy mustard
2 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

"Spaghetti"
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half length wise
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
1 tsp italian seasoning herbs
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 F
2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise (use a large sharp knife) and scoop out the seeds and goop in the middle. Discard or clean and roast seeds later. :-)
3. Spray the inside of the squash with olive oil or drizzle a tsp on each half. Sprinkle red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning herbs evenly over the squash halves.
4. Flip the squash halves facing inside down on a baking sheet covered in parchment or foil (to help with clean up)
5. Roast the squash for 30 minutes. Skin should be tender enough to prick with a fork. If it is a large squash, leave it in for 35-40 minutes.
6. While the squash is roasting, combine ground meat, eggs, mustard, hoisin, thyme, parsley,
 basil,oregano,minced garlic, onion, spinach, salt and pepper in a bowl.
7. Mix and fold all ingredients together with hands until all items are well mixed.
8. Use your hands to form small meatballs or use an ice cream scoop to form into smooth balls and place on greased baking sheet.
9. When spaghetti squash is done, set aside to cool and turn the oven down to 375 F.
10. Place the meatballs into the oven for 20 minutes in the 375 F oven and turn over once. (I let mine bake through without turning though and they were fine.)
11. While meatballs are baking, use a fork to flake off the strings of the spaghetti squash to prepare them for serving.
12. When the meatballs are done, place the squash strings in a bowl, pour your heated favorite marinara sauce over the squash, and place meatballs on top. Enjoy!

Whole 30/Paleo Challenge Recipe: Balsamic brussel sprouts with bacon

This recipe is from the lovely Ina Garten from the food network. I did my recipe a little different than hers but mostly its a copy cat. This recipe was delicious, it was sweet, sour, and savory veggie goodness. I served it with bison meatloaf!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/balsamic-roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe.html

Ingredients:
2 cups of brussel sprouts, halved
2-3 slices of bacon
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, reduced to 1/8 cup
2 tsp of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F
2. Thinly slice core off the end of the brussel sprouts and then cut each in half.
3. Place on baking sheet.
4. Spray with olive oil to evenly coat the brussel sprouts then sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir on sheet. If you do not have an oil mister, drizzle 2 tsp of olive oil on the brussel sprouts
.
5. Chop up the raw bacon slices into small pieces and mix with the brussel sprouts on the sheet.
6. Set your oven timer to roast the brussel sprouts for 25 minutes.
7. While the brussel sprouts are initially roasting, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small pot. Let it simmer until it has reduced by about half. (10-15 minutes)
8. 10 minutes before your brussel sprouts are done add the balsamic reduction to your sprouts and stir. Place back into the oven to continue roasting.
9. Take out of the oven after the full 25 minutes and enjoy!

Greek Frittata

This recipe was inspired by a delicious Greek pizza Harley and I get from Lost Dog! I love the flavors so much but when trying to stay healthy I cant eat pizza all the time. I used a frittata recipe from WW as a base but this was mostly an original recipe.

Ingredients:
6 whole eggs
1 cup of frozen chopped spinach (or fresh but I find baking with frozen spinach is actually better)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 heaping tbsp of minced garlic
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 cup of diced black olives (I used canned black olives, but kalmata olives would work well also)
1/2 cup of feta cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
Sprinkles of salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Put frozen spinach in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. Stirring to break up the frozen spinach until the spinach is thawed. Drain and set aside.
2. Add olive oil to saute pan and heat until shimmering.
3. Add garlic to saute pan and cook on medium heat until fragrant. Around 1 minute.
4. Add onions to the pan and saute until translucent. Around 3-5 minutes.
5. Add diced tomatoes, diced olives, oregano, thyme, and parsley to the onions and garlic. Cook for another few minutes.
6. Add drained spinach to the veggies. Continue to cook and mix for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. In a small bowl, crack the 6 eggs and whisk until mixed.
8. Pour eggs into a glass pie dish sprayed with cooking spray.
9. Pour veggies into the eggs and mix.
10. Sprinkle feta into the veggies and eggs mixture and mix. Sprinkle salt and pepper one more time.
11. Bake in the oven at 400 F for 20-25 minutes until the middle of the frittata is no longer jiggly and the outer edges turn a golden brown.
12. Serve and enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Lentil Chili

Made this recipe with my friend Megan last night and we both loved it! Those who are a fan of spicy and sweet main dishes will really like this. I used the recipe below as a guide but also made it my own a bit.

http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/recipes/recipe-sweet-potato-lentil-chili/

Ingredients:
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 very large sweet potato or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/4 cup of green or brown uncooked lentils
2.5 cups of vegetable broth
1 15 oz can of organic baked beans
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 large tomatoes diced or 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chipotle pepper flakes
1/2 tsp of cumin
2 tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of paprika or smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot until shimmering
2. Add diced onions, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno and saute on med-high heat until softened. About 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add in diced sweet potato and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, vinegar, can of baked beans, and lentils into the pot and stir.
5. Add cumin, chipotle pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Stir all ingredients until well mix.
7. Bring chili to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer.
8. Cover the chili and let cook for 25-30 minutes until sweet potatoes are softened and lentils are cooked through.
9. Serve by itself or add toppings like tortilla chips or sour cream and enjoy!

Note: To lower the spice factor, add only half a jalapeno and less chipotle pepper flakes

Semi-homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is an original recipe but is an easy recipe with homemade taste. Perfect for when you have a cold or for a snowy afternoon.This semi homemade chicken noodle soup makes 6-8 servings of soup.

Ingredients:
1 tsp of olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots or 1 cup of baby carrots, diced
3 ribs of celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 tbsp minced garlic in a jar
1 small store bought rotisserie chicken, carved and pulled apart
6 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of water
2 cups of dry egg noodles
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Before starting the soup, pull the skin off your rotisserie chicken and discard. Begin carving the meat of the breast first and pull it apart to make bite size pieces and set aside in a bowl. Pull meat of legs and wings and set in the bowl with breast meat.

1. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in large soup stock pot.
2. Add diced onions, garlic, diced carrots, and diced celery to olive oil when oil is shimmering.
3. Saute veggies on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Stirring frequently. If the veggies begin to brown too much, turn down the heat. You want to soften the vegetables not brown them. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the veggies while cooking.
4. Add the pre-prepared pulled rotisserie chicken meat to the veggies and stir. Cook for one minute.
5. Add chicken stock and water to the chicken and veggies. Turn up the heat to med-high.
6. Add sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
7. Bring the soup to a boil.
8. Lower the heat to bring the soup to a simmer.
9. Simmer the soup uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
10. While the soup is cooking, bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil in another medium pot. Add egg noodles and cook for 6-10 minutes until al dente.
11. Drain noodles and rinse with cool water.
12. Pour soup over egg noodles when done and enjoy!

Cold Veggie Asian Noodle Salad

This recipe was inspired by the recipe below but I made some unique tweaks as well. I brought this to a work potluck and it went over very well. Many people enjoyed it, especially the vegetarians!

http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/cool-off-today-with-last-minute-sesame-noodles-and-a-free-7-eleven-slurpee/

Ingredients:
2 cups of brown rice noodles (I used Annie Chun's)
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup of cabbage, sliced
1 cup of edamame beans
1 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of peas
2 tbsp of chopped cilantro
2 scallions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:
1 tbsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of hoison sauce
2 tsp of lime juice
1 tsp of powdered ginger or fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tsp of brown sugar

Directions:
1. Bring two quarts of water to a boil. Add half the box of rice noodles or around 2.5 oz to the boiling water. Cook for only 2-4 minutes. Taste the noodles while cooking as they cook very fast.
2. Drain noodles and place into a bowl and refrigerate until cool. About 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, add sliced cabbage, sliced red onion, diced green pepper, cooked and cooled edamame beans, shredded carrots, and cooked and cooled peas to a large bowl.
4. Once the noodles have cooled, add them to the bowl of veggies. Gently toss.
5. Begin making the sauce in a separate bowl.
6. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, hoison sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and brown sugar to the bowl.
7. Whisk sauce together until the oil has been immersed with the other ingredients.
8. Pour sauce over noodles and veggies. Toss well to coat noodles and veggies.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and chopped scallions over noodles.
11. I recommend letting the noodles and veggies sit in the refrigerator overnight, but you can enjoy right then as well!