Thai Chicken Stirfry

 Ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 chopped carrot

½ inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 stalk lemongrass, white part finely chopped

1 small bird’s eye chili, sliced thinly

1 scallion, white part thinly sliced. Reserve the green top for garnish.

8oz of chicken breast cut into strips

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup salted water

Juice of half a lime

Handful of cilantro

Handful of Thai basil

Method

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, carrot, ginger, lemongrass, bird’s eye chili, scallion, and cook for 1 minute. Put chicken into skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Add broccoli into skillet and stir fry for 4 minutes. Add coconut milk, saltwater, and black pepper and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add lime, cilantro, and basil. Serve on top of yellow squash spirals. Garnish with the sliced green parts of the scallion. Serves 4-6.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 lb broccoli

1 can coconut milk

32 fl. oz. chicken broth

Method

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in large pot. Add broccoli and place lid on. Bring back to the boil and boil until broccoli is very tender, but still green. Remove from heat. Drain water and keep broccoli in pot. Let it cool. Add coconut milk & chicken broth and blend until well blended with a stick blender. Serve warm with a piece of roast chicken and a side salad of your choice to make it a complete meal. Serves 6 to 8.

Tip: This soup is delicious served chilled on a hot summer’s day.

Salmon Cakes with Capers & Dill

Ingredients

1/2 pound wild caught Alaskan salmon, skin on

2 small red skinned potatoes, peeled & cubed or sliced

Salt to taste

1 egg beaten

2 tbsp capers, chopped

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp dried dill

2 tbsp sweet onion, finely chopped

1 tsp hot sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

Method

Steam salmon in food steamer, skin side down, until it flakes easily, about 15 to 20 minutes. Put potatoes in pot and cover with water. Add salt. (To get the right balance of salt to food, the water should taste like sea water) Boil until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add more water if the water boils down too quickly. Let all of the above cool. Mash the potatoes and flake the fish and mix both together until well mixed. Add the rest of the ingredients to the fish mixture and mix well. Shape the cakes by hand and place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F on convection bake and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Turn out on cooling rack. Makes 6 fish cakes. This is my favorite way to eat the fabulously heart and brain healthy salmon.

Larb In Lettuce Wraps

(Larb is unofficially regarded as the national dish of Laos)

Ingredients

2 small chicken breasts

salt & pepper to taste

1 green onion, chopped + green part of another green onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 cup mint

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp minced lemon grass

1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 tsp soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 tsp sesame oil

4 large butter lettuce leaves

Method

Season chicken with salt & pepper. Place in food steamer & steam until cooked, approximately 30 minutes. Let chicken cool. Finely chop until it represents ground chicken. Mix together the rest of the ingredients with the chicken, except the butter lettuce. Place lettuce leaves on plates & place chicken mix inside leaves. Garnish with the green part of the other green onion. Serves 2

Pan Seared Plum Tomatoes with Prosciutto

Ingredients

1 plum (Roma) tomato, halved

2 slices of Prosciutto (I use Del Duca Prosciutto. It is minimally processed with not artificial ingredients and no added sugar)

2 large leaves of basil.

1 tsp grapeseed oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Heat skillet on medium high heat until hot, about two minutes when using a gas range. Brush tomato on flat side with grapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place tomato flat side down in heated skillet and sear until browned and soft, approximately 4 minutes. Place Prosciutto slices on top of tomato halves and place basil leaves on top of Prosciutto. Serve with two boiled eggs as a breakfast dish. Serves 1. Tip: If you don’t eat pork, substitute with shaved roast beef or turkey breast.

Eggplant “Bruschetta”

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds

3 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint

3/4 cup seeded and diced ripe tomato

1 scallion

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush eggplant with 2 tbsp of oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn eggplant over and bake other side for another 15 minutes. Remove eggplant from oven. While eggplant is baking, mix garlic, mint, scallion, tomato & remaining 1 tsp olive oil in bowl. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Spoon tomato mixture on top of eggplant rounds. Garnish with sliced scallions & mint. Serves 4

Roast Chicken Asparagus Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus tips
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Olive oil & balsamic to drizzle

Method

Preheat oven to 350 on convection roast. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, slice into strips. Place asparagus into food steamer and steam for 15 minutes or until al dente, but still green. Let cool. In a large bowl, mix chicken, asparagus, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper. Drizzle with good quality olive oil & balsamic. Serves 4

Spiced Turkey Veggie Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil + 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 small zucchini grated
• 1 small yellow squash grated
• 1 large carrot grated
• 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 1/4 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• handful fresh cilantro finely chopped
• 1/4 cup capers (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease an 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish with 1 tsp coconut oil. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add veggies and cook for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. In a large mixing bowl, mix together turkey, sea salt, black pepper, soy sauce, ground cumin, ground coriander, onion powder, curry powder, garlic powder, cilantro and capers until well combined. Press the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until completely cooked through. Serve with the Everything Salad (Recipe above) Serves 8

Avocado Toad in a Hole

Ingredients

• 1 avocado halved and pitted
• garlic powder to taste
• sea salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 2 small eggs

Method

Preheat oven on convection bake to 375 degrees F. Scoop out a third of the avocado, eat the scooped out part and sprinkle remainder with garlic, sea salt and pepper. Arrange each avocado half so it sits on top of the holes of a muffin tin. Gently crack an egg into each half. Bake for 15 minutes or until the white is set. Let them cool and remove from muffin pan. (Cooking times may vary, depending on appliance strength) Serves 1. Tip: If you’d like, you can peel the avo skin off and place on plate. This makes the dish easier to eat with a knife and fork.

Strawberry Feta Salad

A friend once asked me, “What is it about food & cooking that lights you up?” It made me think long and hard about the passion behind my cooking and I came to the realization that food is the only form of art that can sustain life. It can also end life. This makes it incredibly powerful. I am hoping to regularly update this section with holistic health tips and a few recipes, so come back regularly for updates.

Here is an easy to make strawberry feta salad. It has mixed baby greens, radishes, olives, strawberries and feta in it. If you’re lactose intolerant, omit the feta and be sure that you’re not allergic to any of the other ingredients. If you can tolerate the feta, keep it in your salad. Simply drizzle with olive oil before serving. Make a large bowl full to keep in the refrigerator to dip into as often as you like.

Healthy Nutrition will not be complete without a good exercise routine. Here is the link to the best fitness instructor I’ve ever come across. She makes great DVD’s that you can use in the comfort of your own home. My personal favorite DVD is Total Workout in Ten http://www.amydixonfitness.com/