Cajun Jambalaya

I went through a weird phase recently (well, it actually lasted about six months) where I had a total aversion to shrimp. I mean the thought of eating it just didn't appeal to me AT ALL. And this was a bummer considering I have always loved shrimp.

I saw this recipe in a magazine recently and thought OMG...shrimp...delicious! So I credit this recipe for resurrecting my love of shrimp. The other "weird" phase I've been undergoing for, oh, three years now is avoiding grain whenever possible. For that reason I made my jambalaya grain free. But for the southerners who are horrified by this modification I have included rice in the preparation below.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1/2 lb raw shrimp, 26/30 size, peeled and deveined, tail on
4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch pieces
1 all-natural low-sodium turkey sausage, sliced
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and discarded, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 1/2 medium vine-ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp salt-free Cajun seasoning
1 cup all-natural instant brown rice
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a large mixing bowl, toss together all ingredients except cooking spray, mixing well until combined.
Prepare 2 foil pouches. Spray each piece of foil with cooking spray. Divide mixture evenly among both pieces of foil and seal.
Place pouches on a baking tray and slide onto middle rack of preheated oven for 25 minutes or until rice and proteins are fully cooked. (NOTE: When cooked, rice will be soft and proteins will be firm and opaque.) To test for doneness, carefully open 1 pouch and taste a few grains of rice from the center of the pouch. If necessary, close pouch and return to oven for 5 more minutes.
Carefully open pouch and pour mixture into a large serving bowl; serve immediately.

Plantain Chip Nachos

I've never been much of a nacho person, even in my grain eating days, so I certainly haven't made a habit out of eating them in recent years. However, there is a sports bar called Mo's Place or "Mo's" near our home in Playa Del Rey (rumor has it the Simpsons writers lived in PDR and were inspired by Mo's to create Moe's Tavern) that has the most AMAZING nachos. Thank god I'm not a college football or NFL fan or I would be in there a lot more often.

On that note, I recently heard the term "homegating" (I guess this is tailgating for lazy people?) and decided these nachos would be PERFECT for such an event. Like regular tortilla chips I imagine the plantain chips would get soggy in transport so best to serve them right out of the oven.
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 ounces plantain chips (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
1/4 cup chicken or beef taco meat
1/3 cup shredded cheese
2 tablespoons salsa
1/2 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons slice black olives
other toppings: guacamole

Instructions:
Set the oven to broil and position a rack in the center of the oven.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on the baking sheet and spread the plantain chips in a single layer on a top. Cover with meat and cheese.
Broil for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chips have slightly browned on the edges. If the cheese is not melting, close the oven door for a few seconds but watch it closely so the chips don’t burn.
Top with salsa, avocado, and olives.

Grilled Island Chicken Kabobs

I've been craving something like this lately with the surprisingly good weather (June in SoCal is usually a real bummer) and even though I'm not a fan of hot pineapple it was too pretty to forego! Plus Dave likes it so he got the skewers with hot pineapple and I got all the pieces that fell off on the way to the grill ;)

One thing to note is that the chicken should be marinated for several hours if not all day.  So please don't do what I did and excitedly return from the grocery store with all of the below ingredients expecting to make these kabobs for dinner an hour later. Also, wooden skewers should be soaked for 15-30 minutes.

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size pieces
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice (from about 1-2 lemons if want want to use fresh juice)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion and 1 large green pepper, cut into large chunks
1 pineapple, cut into large chunks


Directions:
Combine vegetable oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Place chicken in bag and make sure all pieces are covered. Put chicken in fridge and let marinate for at least 3 hours but as many as 8-12 hours
If using wooden skewers, let your skewers soak in water for at 15-30 minutes to prevent burning. Skewer chicken, onions, peppers, and pineapple on your sticks until you run out of ingredients.
Turn on grill to medium heat. Place skewers on grill and cook for 7-8 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle (if using a meat thermometer, make sure it registers 165 degrees).
Remove from grill and serve!

Banana Pecan Waffles

This was a little labor intensive but completely worth it for an indulgent holiday weekend breakfast :)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 small banana
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Toppings (optional): Butter, maple syrup, honey, sliced bananas, chopped pecans

Directions:
Heat nonstick Belgian or standard waffle iron.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in large bowl.
Beat together banana and eggs in medium-size bowl. Beat in butter, buttermilk, vanilla and pecans.
Make well in center of flour mixture. Add banana mixture to well, stirring quickly, just until blended
Coat waffle iron with cooking spray. Spoon slightly rounded 1/3 cup batter for each 4-inch waffle onto hot iron, quickly spreading to cover entire surface. Cook following manufacturer's instructions.
Serve waffles hot with an assortment of desired toppings.

Turkey, Pear and Provolone Salad

I know I can get a little fancy with my time consuming recipes. Funny considering how little time I have to cook. But as I know that parents have even less and tend to resort to such things as microwaving "chicken" nuggets I thought I'd throw you a bone :)

Purchasing turkey breast filets will make this recipe even easier so I highly recommend it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 pound turkey tenderloin
  Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pears, cored (optional) and sliced
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
5 ounces arugula (8 cups)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Directions
Slice turkey crosswise in eight 1-inch slices. Flatten slightly with palm of hand, then season with salt and pepper. Brush with half of the honey mustard.
In a 12-inch skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Cook turkey in even layer in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Layer pears on turkey; top each with a half-slice of cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese is melted and pears are warm.
Divide arugula among serving dishes; top with turkey slices. For sauce, whisk remaining mustard and oil along with the vinegar into pan juices in skillet; cook for 30 seconds. Drizzle sauce on each serving. Sprinkle with additional pepper.

Kale, Chicken and Beet Salad

The kale fairy aka my coworker Alicia made another appearance at the office! I've now made kale chips, kale smoothies, and kale latkes and have come full circle back to kale salads.

I'll warn you that this one is a little time consuming so you may want to save it for a special occasion. (I should have known that it would be based on that "one time" I made chicken noodle soup and vowed never to do it again!)

However, if you have the time and patience to boil chicken, cook quinoa and chop kale leaves (I bought my beets precooked, something had to give) this is a fantastic choice.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 beets (precooked)
1 16 oz boneless, skinless chix breast
1/4 tsp course sea salt, divided
Juice of two lemons
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp honey
1 large bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted hazelnuts, chopped

Directions:
Cook quinoa according to package directions
Meanwhile fill a large pot with water. Add chicken and 1/8 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool slightly. With two forks shred chicken.
In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, oil, honey, 1 tsp water and remaining 1/8 tsp salt until combined, set aside.
Fill a large, deep skillet with 1/2 inch water and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add kale and cook, stirring until bright green and wilted, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, chicken, kale, and beets. Drizzle lemon mixture over top and toss to coat. Garnish with goat cheese and hazelnuts.

Kale and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Mushrooms

What once was a kale and onion grilled cheese sandwich has been transformed into one of my favorite grain free meals.... the stuffed porotbello mushroom.

This recipe also includes two of my favorite ingredients....cheese and, I can't believe I'm about to say this, kale. Something I once turned my nose up, then managed to choke down on an as needed basis, and now genuinely enjoy. (Cue the la cliche jokes.)

Ingredients:
4 portobello mushrooms, stemmed
4 medium kale leaves, stems removed
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium red onions, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 oz finely grated parmesan cheese,
divided (about 1/4 cup)
3.5 oz raclette or gruyere cheese



Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bring a small pot of water to a boil; add kale. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until kale is bright green. Drain; rinse kale under cold water until cool. Pat leaves dry.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion, pepper and salt. Cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender and browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, tossing to coat. Coarsely chop onion.
Spray each side of mushrooms and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip mushrooms and top each with 1 kale leaf, 1/4 onion mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese melts.

Anti-pasti with Zucchini Noodles

Also known as "anti-pasti anti-pasta." Hehe. I saw the original recipe which called for bow tie pasta in a "health" magazine. Grrrr. But with a few tweaks I was able to clean it up :)

To make zucchini noodles carefully run a Julienne peeler from one end of the zucchini to the other. which will create a half dozen long "noodles." (You can also start from the middle and work outwards to make shorter noodles.) When you get 1/4 way through the zucchini (when the noodles start to get soft) flip it over and peel the other side. You will end up with the middle of each zucchini left over which you can chop and steam or use in a smoothie like I did this morning.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
5-6 zucchini peeled with Julienne peeler
2 cups chopped fennel bulb
1 cup quartered artichoke hearts
1 cup diced bell pepper
1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed
1/2 cup salami, sliced
1/2 cup panchetta, cubed (TJ's)
1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons pepperoncinis, sliced

Dressing:
Whisk 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of oregano