health food shoppe's sweet potato salad

dressing:

1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt

2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh lime with zest

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

salad:

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup chopped pecans

directions:

For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a bowl. For the salad, peel and cube potatoes.  Roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 40 to 45 min. In a separate bowl, combine celery, pecans, cooled potatoes and dressing. 

s.s. chicken club - avocado boats

ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless free range chicken breast - cooked and cubed

2 avocados

5 strips of nitrate and nitrite-free bacon - cooked crispy and chopped

A few slices of red onion - diced

8 grape tomatoes - halved (You can use any kind of tomatoes - This is just what I had in the house) 

4 Tbs. of mayonnaise

1 Tbs of minced garlic 

salt and pepper

directions: 

Cook the chicken in any manner you desire. I cut the chicken breasts into tender size pieces and pan-seared them in butter. It made for a slightly crispy outside and an extremely juicy inside. Let cool and cut into cubes

Scoop out all 4 avocado halves. You will use three of them to make the guacamole and the other one - Cut into pieces to go into the chicken club salad. 

In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, bacon, tomato, red onions, avocado, mayo and salt and pepper. Stir until completely mixed

****For the guacamole**** I mashed up the remaining 3 avocado halves, 1 Tbs Minced garlic, a pinch of cayenne pepper, 1 Tsp minced onion flakes, kosher salt, pepper, lemon juice, and 1 Tbs of salsa. These are not included in the ingredient list above. If you mash up the avocados with some garlic and lemon or lime juice and salt, it will still taste really great under the chicken club salad.

Divide the guacamole among the 4 avocado shells, top each one with a heaping mound of the chicken salad.

focaccia-style flax bread

ingredients:

2 cups flax seed meal

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 Tablespoons natural sweetener (honey, agave, etc.)

5 beaten eggs

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup oil

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.

Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.

Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.) 

Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner). 

Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is. 

Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.

brussels sprouts with bacon, avocado, and lime

ingredients:

1lb brussels sprouts

2 slices nitrate and nitrite-free bacon 

1 garlic clove, minced

juice of 1 lime

1 avocado, sliced

a pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

olive oil

salt and pepper

directions:

While you are slicing your brussels, cook the bacon until crispy in a large skillet.

Remove from pan.

Add a little olive oil to the pan (depending on how much bacon drippings were left over), and add your shredded brussels, garlic, and crushed red pepper.

Cook for just a few minutes on medium heat, until brussels start to get tender.

Mix in lime juice and crumble bacon into the sprouts. s&p to taste.

Scoot your sprouts over to the side of the pan, and add avocado slices--just to quickly warm each side. You don't really want to stir them around into the sprouts or they will mash right in. 

When they are heated through, mix everything together and enjoy!

vegetable beef stew

ingredients:

1 can grass-fed beef chunks

5 potatoes, cubed

1/2 onion, chopped

6 cups water or broth (vegetable or beef)

1 bag (10 oz) frozen cabbage

1 bag (10 oz) frozen whole kernel corn

1 bag (10 oz) frozen peas and carrots

1 bag (10 oz) frozen green beans

1 bag (10 oz) frozen lima beans

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice

salt and pepper, to taste

1 bay leaf

herbs de Provence (mix of savory, thyme, rosemary, lavender and oregano)

directions:

Toss the potatoes and onions in a pot, cover them with water and a pinch of salt and boil away! Once they have softened add everything else and let it cook away for about 15 minutes and serve with some warm rice.  This heart warming soup has 26.6 grams of fiber per serving!