roasted sweet potatoes and onions

recipe:

2 sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch thick coins

1 onion, quartered then cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

1/2 tsp. sea salt (or more or less to taste)

lots of freshly ground black pepper

optional: additional seasonings (see note below)

directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss with a spoon until vegetables are evenly-coated.

Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.  Transfer vegetables to the baking sheet, and spread so that they are evenly spaced in a single layer.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until onions begin to crisp and brown, and sweet potatoes are cooked through.

Tip:

Here are some other fun variations to choose from:

• toss with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (when tossing with the olive oil)
• toss with various seasonings before roasting 
  • Italian seasonings (oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary, etc.)
  • smoked paprika
  • chipotle and/or chile powder and cumin

after roasting, top with… 

• chopped fresh parsley
• toasted slivered almonds
• freshly-grated Parmesan

Source: www.gimmesomeoven.com

kale and roasted vegetable soup

recipe:

3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered lenthwise

2 large tomatoes, quartered

1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges or 4 or 5 slices

1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick wedges

6 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp olive oil

6 cups or more of vegetable broth*

4 cups of finely chopped kale

3 large fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 15 oz can of Great Northern white beans, drained

directions:

1 Preheat oven to 400°F (reduce heat by 25°F if using convection oven). Brush rimmed baking sheet with a thin coat of olive oil. Arrange carrots, squash, tomatoes, onion, and garlic on sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast vegetables until they are brown and tender, stirring occassionally, about 45 minutes.

2 Cut squash and carrots into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic cloves; place in food processor. Add tomatoes and onion; puree until almost smooth. Pour 1/2 cup broth onto the baking sheet; scrape up any browned bits. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

3 Add carrots, beans, and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Can be made a day ahead. 

If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.

Serves 6

Source: www.simplyrecipes.com

chicken salad with roasted bell peppers and toasted almonds

recipe:

4 skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)

4 bay leaves

1 quart chicken stock

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup unsalted, toasted almonds, finely chopped

1/2 large red onion, chopped

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 or 2 large red peppers, roasted, blackened skin removed, stems and seeds removed)

3 Tbsp sherry vinegar (can sub apple cider vinegar)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1. Put the bay leaves and the chicken stock in a pot with a lid and bring the stock to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts to the pot. Return the stock to a simmer. Cover the pot. Turn off the heat. Let the chicken steep in the stock for 30 minutes to an hour.

2. While the chicken is cooking, chop the other ingredients—garlic, almonds, onion, parsley, roasted red bell peppers—and add to a large bowl. Sprinkle a little salt over the mixture and add the oil and vinegar. Toss to combine.

3. When the chicken breasts are cooked, remove them from the stock (which you can reuse if you bring it to a boil again) and let them cool. When they are cool enough to handle, shred the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces by hand. Mix the chicken pieces in with the rest of the ingredients and served chilled or at room temperature.

Yield: Serves 6.

Source: www.simplyrecipes.com

A Tasty Frittata

recipe:

Cilantro Chile Sauce

2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 small bunch cilantro
1 green (serrano) chile, seeds removed
2 pinches ground cumin
a couple big pinches of salt

Frittata

6 large organic eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 small potatoes, very very thinly sliced
1/2 cup yellow zucchini or cauliflower,1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
couple pinches of salt

directions:

Preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Make the cilantro chile sauce by pureeing the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro, chile, cumin, and salt until very smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt. Set aside. In a (small) 8 1/2-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onion, and another pinch of salt. Saute, stirring constantly, until the onion starts to brown, 5 - 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini (or cauliflower), cover, and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Slide everything out of the skillet onto a plate and set aside.

Turn down the heat a bit. Using the same skillet, add the eggs and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are just set and there isn't a lot of liquid running around the pan. To facilitate this, run a spatula underneath the sides of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside and cook. Drizzle the eggs with a few tablespoons of the cilantro chile sauce, now sprinkle the potato onion mixture over the top.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 9 minutes, or until well set and puffy. Add a crumble of goat cheese and the pumpkin seeds across the top of the frittata in the final 2 minutes of baking. Remove from oven (be careful the handle is hot!), cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 2 to 4.

Source: www.101cookbooks.com

chicken masala

recipe:

1 cup unsweetened almond or light coconut milk (I used almond milk)

1 tbsp. white vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. curry

1 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. garam masala

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. coriander

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 (15 oz.) cans light coconut milk, unsweetened

5 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (no sugar added)

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (no sugar added)

Fresh cilantro for garnish

directions:

Combine all ingredients (except the cilantro) in a 5 quart crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. Stir occasionally during cooking process to be sure the chicken gets submerged in the liquids.

NOTE: It will start out looking a bit thick and dry, but the liquids will release into the pot after about an hour or so of cooking. If this does not happen for some reason and you feel it will burn without more liquids, add 1/2 to 1 cup of clean, low-sodium chicken broth. But wait a full hour before doing so.