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.

Broccoli Kale Fennel Soup

It's RAINING. In California! Which means it's finally time for some comfort food. Or at least the kale-infused California version.

This soup is delicious and looks beautiful too (much more beautiful in person.) Plus its one more way to prepare kale for which I'm always on the hunt.

So turn on the oven (poor/California man's heater) and curl up with a bowl of this healthy and delicious soup. You won't even have to unbutton your pants which makes it a much more "comfortable" option.

Ingredients:
1 small – medium head of broccoli
2 medium heads of fennel
2 – 3 heads of garlic
5 lacinato kale leaves, ribs removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
few heavy pinches sea salt
few heavy pinches ground black pepper
3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked for an hour (no worries if you don't have time to soak)
3 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
chopped fennel leaves to garnish
lemon zest to garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees + line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash and cut the broccoli and fennel into medium sized florets/slices. Spread them out evenly on the baking sheet, with the cloves of garlic (leave the skin on) and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes. flip the veggies and toss the kale leaves on top. Roast for about another 5 – 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cloves of garlic cool a bit and then pop them out of their skins.
Combine the raw cashews, filtered water, lemon juice and another heavy pinch of sea salt and black pepper in your blender. Blend until smooth. Then toss in the roasted broccoli, fennel, garlic + kale and blend until smooth again.*
To serve top with a dash of olive oil, chopped fennel leaves, lemon zest + black pepper.
*If your blender doesn’t have a soup setting you might want to heat the soup on the stove prior to plating and serving.

Quinoa Enchilada Bake

I'll eat just about anything with melted cheese on top. Add to that chicken, quinoa, onion and green chile and and this is one of the most scrumptous dishes I've had the pleasure of eating lately.

It's also fairly quick and easy, especially if you boil the chicken in advance. (about 15-20 minutes, then shred it with two forks.)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa, white or red
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/2 can (15 oz) black beans
3 tbsp canned chopped green chiles
1 1/2 cup enchilada sauce (from 19 oz can)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
Heat over to 350 degrees
Spray 8 inch square ceramic baking dish
Heat a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and onion; cook 5 minutes or until onion is soft
Reduce heat to low. Add quinoa, chicken, black beans, green chiles, and the enchilada sauce; stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Stir in cheddar cheese. Transfer quinoa mixture to prepared baking dish. Top evenly with pepper Mozzarella cheese.
Bake 10 to 15 minutes
Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage in Spicy Tomato Sauce

One of the highlights of the holiday season as a child was my Aunt Dolores's cabbage rolls. I never really thought about what was in them and didn't care. All that mattered is that they were delicious!
However, when I was in high school I went on a vegetarian kick and my mom informed me that I could no longer eat them because they had meat in them. What?! It's the only time I remember thinking "this whole vegetarian thing is bs." (Though I did stick it out for a few more years!)

These rolls are not the quickest or easiest thing to prepare so you may want to save them for a special occasion. The original recipe includes instructions for homemade tomato sauce but, trust me, you won't have time. If you do insist upon making your own feel free to google the recipe as I don't want to stress everyone else out!

They keep and reheat well so feel free to make the whole recipe even if you're cooking for one or two.


Ingredients:
1 large head of cabbage
12 oz ground chuck
12 oz ground pork
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp hot paprika
3 cups spicy tomato sauce

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage head and cook until outer leaves are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Peel outer layers of leaves and drain. Return remaining cabbage to water, and repeat until all leaves are cooked and removed. Pat each leaf dry with a kitchen towel. Select 12 large light green leaves.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using 2 forks, gently stir together beef, pork, rice, onion, parsley, paprika and 1 tbsp salt.
Working with one leaf at a time, slightly trim thick part of rib with a paring knife, leaving leaf intact. Arrange about 1/2 cup filling (less for smaller leaves) in center of each leaf. Fold stem end of cabbage over filling. Fold in sides of cabbage. Carefully roll cabbage over to form a package, overlapping ends to seal. Transfer each, seam side down, to a large, shallow baking dish.
Spread sauce over stuffed cabbage leaves. Cover with parchment-lined foil and bake until cooked through and cabbage is tender, about 1 hour.

Persimmon and Cinnamon Oatmeal

"What are persimmons?" ask my friends, particularly those from Southern California. Gasp! I grew up eating them right off the tree (along with pomegranates, apricots, tangerines, walnuts etc.) This was one of benefits of living in the agriculture heartland of central California:)

Eating it like an apple may be a little intense for someone who's never tried one though I have gotten several friends hooked on the dried persimmon slices sold at Trader Joes (or made in my food dehydrator). This oatmeal recipe is another great way to ease into persimmons and it couldn't be easier. Prep and cooking took all of about ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 medium fuyu persimmons, sliced or chopped
1-2 Tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup Oats ( quick or old fashioned uncooked)
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
For Oats: In 3-quart saucepan, bring water and salt to boil. Stir in the oats, then reduce heat to low heat, then cook for about 5 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed. For the quick oats, cook for about 1  minute.
In frying pan, add butter. Let butter melt, then add persimmons and cinnamon. Continues sauteeing persimmons for about 10 -15 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and stir in honey.
Dish out oatmeal in bowl, top with sauteed persimmons.

Lentil Salad with Garlic Balsamic

You wouldn't think this is a "hearty" meal just by looking at it. Afterall, it's a salad. But lentils are surprisingly filling and chock full of protein with a whopping 26% of their calories attributed to it. This makes them a great protein source for vegans, vegetarians and anyone who observes "meatless monday."

Lentils are also full of fiber and complex carbohydrates which give you energy. But unlike with starchy sources of fiber like bread, pasta and pizza the energy is slow releasing and won't lead to an insulin spike. However, perhaps the best thing about lentils is they have virtually no fat and very low calories (230 per cup as in this recipe) so they're great if you're watching your weight.

If you ask Dave for his favorite part of this recipe he will say garlic, garlic and garlic. The dressing absolutely makes the salad and I'm keeping it on hand for future recipes. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup dry brown lentils
3 roma tomatoes
2-3 oz. spinach
1/4 cup chives (or shallot or green onion)
2 Tbsp. capers

{For the dressing}
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced


 

Directions
Cook lentils according to package directions, leaving firm, not mushy.
While lentils are cooking, make the dressing: in a small bowl combine all ingredients and whisk.
Roughly chop the spinach and chives, and dice tomatoes. Place in a large bowl.
When lentils are done cooking, drain, and immediately add to large bowl with spinach and tomatoes. The heat from the lentils will slightly wilt the spinach.
Add the dressing and capers and stir to combine.