Hoisin Sauce

I am addicted to Asian style food.  The seasonings make everything taste better.  And the juxtaposition of tender meat with crisp veggies makes me happy.  A lot of my favorite "Asain" recipes use Hoisin  Sauce as a base.  My problem is that hoisin is full of sugar and soy and other things I am currently eating.  The solution... Erica made Hoisin sauce.

I use this sauce on lettuce wraps, in Kung Pao chicken, and Cashew Chicken (recipe here) and even as a salad dressing.  This makes a large batch so you can use it in a couple different recipes.  Happy eating!

Hoisin Sauce
3/4 cup coconut aminos (you could use your favorite soy sauce)
1/3 cup almond butter
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix well to combine

Pumpkin Chili

No really it doesn't taste like pumpkin, I promise.  The pumpkin is an alternative thickener and adds body to the recipe.  Yup, this is another grain free recipe that I found and really like.  I modified this recipe from a friend to make it thicker and to suit my palate.  This makes a good size batch.  I double it and put it in jars in the fridge to eat for lunches each day.  (And, yes, I like it enough to eat it most days for lunch...)

This is a THICK chili, so if you want it thinner or you want to add beans to the recipe, increase the diced tomatoes to two 28 oz cans.

Pumpkin Chili
1 tsp coconut oil
2 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, your choice)
1 large onion, diced
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (optional for heat)
28 oz can tomato juice (lazy confession, I puree diced tomatoes)
28 oz diced tomato, undrianed
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for heat)
2 teaspoons salt

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Brown meat.  Add in chopped vegetables.  Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and seasonings.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.

Curried Chicken Salad

I modified this recipe from an old Pampered Chef cookbook.  The original recipe calls for a combination of mayonnaise and plain yogurt as a base for the dressing.  I switched it up for full fat (yum) coconut milk and a little bit of lemon juice for some tang.  The result was a definite hit for me.  It will become a lunchtime staple.

Check out the gorgeous picture from the cookbook.  Then mine.  Yeah, maybe I'll plate mine to look that good too.... or not.  It tastes great whether or not it looks amazing!

Curried Chicken Salad
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder (I like Madras)

1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, sliced in half
3/4 cup celery, sliced
1/3 cup green onion tops, thinly sliced
2 apples, chopped
1/3 cup chopped pecans, (I used almonds today)
1 medium cantaloupe
lettuce leaves

Combine the coconut milk with the lemon juice, salt and curry powder.  Set aside.  In  a large bowl combine the chicken, grapes, celery, green onion, apples and pecans.  Pour dressing over the top and toss to combine.  Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight to allow flavors to combine.

Serve on a bed of lettuce and cantaloupe.

No Bake Cookies... Healthier

So I have been eating sugar free for a while.  Meaning no sugar, no honey, no agave or stevia, no sweetener of any kind.  I've been branching out into different more "natural" sweeteners to see how they react to my body and this was the recipe I chose to try out honey.  I like it.  I liked it a lot.  Almost too much.  They are in the freezer hiding from me so I don't eat more today.  (So much for breaking my "sweet's addiction.")  I'll keep working on that one, while you enjoy this dessert.

Coconut No-Bake Cookies
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey (next time I'll reduce that to 1/3 cup, but I'm sensitive to sweet)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flaked unsweetened coconut

Melt honey and coconut oil together.  Add in the cocoa powder and almond butter and stir until smooth.  Add vanilla and coconut.  Scoop into small balls.  Freeze for a couple minutes to set.

What Is Up With Me

I happen to be a normal person.  Well almost.  Sort of.  Well, besides being "awesome," I have struggles, just like you.  Down days (months), health problems, annoyingly amazing children and the like.  We all have it.  It is part of being human.

I've mentioned before that I have struggled with depression for years.  I've actively sought help for that depression for the last 13 years with meds, counciling, exercise therapy, and light therapy.  You know I'm down, when I can't muster the energy, or motivation to write, dance and create.  (Oh did you notice that I didn't post anything here from November - mid January.   Well it was a tough time. Thanks for sticking around!)

My awesome doctor combines neurology and homeopathic care and suggested that one reason I might not doing as well may be because I have some underlying food intolerance causing my body to resist healing.  The suggested plan?  One month clean eating.... No dairy, No sugar, No grains (wheat, corn, rice, quinoa, chia...), No legumes.  No soy.  Really it is a "Paleo" diet designed to allow the body a period to heal and be well.

I'm not here to advocate or argue the merits of this "diet" but I do know how I feel.  My moods are stable for the first time in who knows how long-- I don't feel compelled yell and swear at the slightest problem.   I don't crave food-- I feel hungry and I eat, but that need to eat (fill in the blank) doesn't exist anymore.  The bonus is weight loss and inches lost-- my "holy schnikeees those pants are too tight to wear" jeans are now comfortably loose.  I recognize moments of irrationality, where before that irrationality was too real to argue with.  I feel good, balanced, healthy.

So take it for what it is worth.  You'll be seeing more Paleo style recipes here, although I will include substitutions for non-Paleo friends.

For my fiends who worry about my health and whether I am getting enough nutrients from the 4 basic food groups, I am not planing to live this way for life.  But if eating clean is the price I pay for my sanity, I am willing to make that sacrifice.  In the next few weeks I will be introducing foods back into my diet to see how they work in my body.   I'll let you know how it goes.

Pumpkin Apple Pancakes

These pancakes have become a go to on-the-go snack for me recently.  They boast a good balance of protein (from eggs), vitamins and fiber (from pumpkin) and natural sweetness (from apple slices).  They are sugar, grain, and dairy free too.  I can eat until I am full and not feel guilty about what I put in my mouth.

On the down side, they do take longer to cook than traditional pancakes and can be slightly temperamental when flipping-- reducing the heat and cooking a little longer solved the problem. Just warning you.

Apple Pumpkin Pancakes
1 apple thinly sliced
4 eggs beaten
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted

Heat a skillet to medium to medium low heat.  Grease the skillet.  Slice the apple.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, extract, spices, baking soda and melted oil.

When the skillet is hot, place apple slices directly on the skillet.  Let the apples cook for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften.  Spoon the batter over the apples covering them completely.  Allow to cook 2-3 minutes more or until bubbles begin to form and the surface is less shiny-- see pictures below.  Carefully flip the pancakes and cook 2 minutes more.

Serve warm (or cold), plain or with apple sauce for a yummy treat.  You could also smother these in almond butter and sliced bananas too.

Makes 12 pancakes.  For a sweeter pancake you can add 1 mashed banana to the batter.  Adding the banana will increase the yield.

Not ready to flip

Ready to flip

Margarita Chicken Wraps with Pineapple Salsa

I've been a little down recently.  I've had food failure after food failure.  I knew how to cook at one time, but my doctor had me switch up my diet to try to fix some health problems (read more about that here) and it has been like I am learning to cook all over again.

Fortunately, success is coming more often!!  I am feeling tremendously better-- especially when a recipe turns out.

Margarita Chicken wraps was a fusion between my craving for pineapple salsa and my daughter's request for lime chicken.  I've made the Margarita Chicken before for my divine Southwest Chicken Salad so you might remember it.  All  you do is chop the Margarita Chicken in small pieces, and load both the chicken and the pineapple salsa in a lettuce leaf and eat away.  Sweet, salty and sour in one mouthful.  YUMM!


Margarita Chicken Tequila Lime and Salt flavor this chicken (minus the tequila at my house...)
2 chicken breast halves
1/4 cup lime juice (lemon works well too)
2 Tablespoons salt
Splash of Tequila (optional)

Place the chicken breast on a cutting board.  Hold the chicken with one hand and slice the chicken horizontally to make thin breast pieces.  Toss the 4 breast pieces in a zip bag with the lime, salt and tequila.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 1/2 an hour.

Grill the chicken over medium high heat 10 minutes on each side or until the juices run clear.  Allow the chicken to sit for 10 minutes.  For the Chopped Chicken Salad, slice the chicken to cubes.  For the Lettuce wraps, I like the chicken finely chopped.


Pineapple Salsa

2 cups fresh chopped pineapple
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon lime juice (lemon will work in a pinch)
cilantro, salt, pepper, to taste

Mix all the ingredients and allow flavors to mix for 15 minutes before serving.

*** I tried this salsa the other day with ham wrapped up in lettuce and it was amazing too!!