Turkey Apple Breakfast Patties

This delicious recipe came from Katrina Runs for Food over at www.katrina-runs.com. She got it from Clean Eating magazine. Although the recipe calls these breakfast patties, we ate them for dinner and lunch! These are yummy, simple and healthy any time of day. I adapted the recipe to use more dried spices because that is what I had on hand and they were great! My favorite part was how the red pepper flakes gave them a little bit of heat with the sweet turkey and apple. Enjoy cooking and eating!!

TURKEY APPLE BREAKFAST PATTIES

Serves: 4 (2 patties each person)

1 lb lean ground turkey

3/4 cup finely chopped red apple (1 small apple)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp ground sage

1 tsp ground thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients with your hands. Form into 8 patties. 

2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp coconut oil. Cook patties in two batches for 4 minutes each side or until no longer pink in the center. 

Chocolate Cranberry Granola Bars

These are so delicious! I was going through my recipe box for inspiration and found this old recipe. I almost hate to call them granola bars because they are nothing like granola bars you would buy at the store. These are made mostly of healthy nuts and have no refined sugar. So, get in the kitchen, make a batch and feel good about eating them! Also, look for a cinnamon raisin version coming soon!

CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY GRANOLA BARS

Serves: 8

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 1/4 cups RAW nuts (I used a mixture of cashews, almonds and walnuts)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 Tbs flaxseed meal

1/2 cup raw honey

2 Tbs almond butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper

2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until desired consistency (approximately 30 seconds- 1 minute. I like mine where there are still chunks of nuts)

3. Pour mixture into pan. Wet your hands and then use them to mash mixture down evenly into pan. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into eight bars. Return pan to oven and cook 14 more minutes. Remove from oven and cut again where you previously cut the bars. Cool completely and wrap individually in plastic wrap.

Real Food at the Beach

We went to our favorite beach last week for our yearly beach trip. On trips we often eat a simple breakfast of eggs and fruit or fruit and nut butter, a raw lunch of vegetables, nuts and fruits and then go out for dinner. This trip we enjoyed yummy lunches of organic, non gmo corn chips, avocado, mango and organic salsa. I want to encourage you to take time this week to enjoy fresh, raw food each day, even if it is just one carrot as an afternoon snack. At the end of the week you will be healthier than you are today!

Baked Mustard Lime Chicken

I just have to share this chicken recipe from www.elanaspantry.com. It was simple, tangy and delicious and who is not always looking for new ways to cook chicken breasts? I made it exactly how she told me to. Enjoy!

BAKED MUSTARD LIME CHICEN

Serves: 6

• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

1. Combine lime juice, cilantro, mustard, olive oil, chili, salt and pepper in a food processor
2. Pulse until ingredients are well combined
3. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and place in a 7x11 inch Pyrex baking dish
4. Pour marinade over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 6 hours
5. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes uncovered, or until an instant read thermometer reads 165°
6. Serve with extra sauce spooned over top

Baked Salmon with Warm Mango Salsa

This salmon recipe is based off Whole Foods recipe and it is absolutely amazing! I only made enough for two people and both Evan and I wished we had more. It is a keeper:)

BAKED SALMON WITH WARM MANGO SALSA

Serves: 2

2 (6 ounce) fresh sockeye salmon fillets

1 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 medium mangoes, I used champagne mangoes, flesh diced

1/4 cup red pepper, diced small

2 Tbs red onion, minced

1 1/2 Tbs fresh lime juice 

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush salmon with coconut oil on both sides. Place fish skin side down in an 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 tsp sea salt. Bake for 6 minutes.

2. While salmon bakes, in a medium bowl combine all the other ingredients except the cilantro. Toss. 

3. Once salmon is done. Sprinkle mango mixture over salmon and return to oven. Bake for 15 more minutes. 

4. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Guacamole

Last summer I set out to learn to love two foods: raw tomatoes and avocados. Why? Because they are both so good for you! By the end of summer the mission was accomplished. I have been a big fresh, homemade guacamole fan ever since. We eat ours with Organic Corn chips that are made from real corn, not genetically modified corn. Just make sure you read your label and the ingredients are just corn, oil and salt to avoid wheat. 

GUACAMOLE

Serves: 4

3 avocados, mashed

1/2 large roma tomatoe, minced

pinch of sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

dash of red ground pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 tsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

Mix and enjoy!

Just in time for cookouts... Healthy Potato Salad

This is a healthier, and I think yummier, version of good old potato salad. The best part is that this can be served warm, room temperature or cold, so it is a great make ahead dish.

HEALTHY POTATO SALAD

Serves: 4

6 cups cubed red potatoes

1/4 cup minced onion

2 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 Tbs dijon mustard

 1 Tbs mayo

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or green onion

1.Place potatoes in a large pot of water so water covers potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes until fork tender. 

2. While potatoes cook, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, mayo, salt and pepper with a whisk. 

3. Drain potatoes. Place in a large bowl. Pour dressing over potatoes. Add parsley. Lightly toss so you do not break of the potatoes. 

4. Eat or refrigerate and serve cold!

Spinach Salad with Avocado and Strawberries

Spring is here! I know I keep yakking about this, but I just love spring. I also love my husband and the pictures I am going to share with you are a perfect example of one reason why I do. I came back from walking Mocha, our chocolate lab, on Monday and immediately told Evan, "Quick, grab the camera. You have to see something." So he did and we headed out the door. When he realized we were going to have to drive there, he did not get frustrated (even though I interrupted him from doing something very important) but was just amused at my delight regarding my surprise. He humors me.

So, 10 minutes later in traffic to get less than 1 mile down the road, we see it. Spring!

Isn't is beautiful!

And although Evan was not as childlike  mesmerized as I was by the flowers, He happily took lots of pictures as I told him all the different ways we could use them as art one day! Oh how I love that man

Moving on to food. I also have a spring recipe for you today. As the temperature increases I crave even more cold salads and this is a great one. It has vitamin packed spinach, healthy fat avocados and yummy fresh strawberries full of fiber and vitamins. The strawberries I used are from my mother in law which she got from a local farmer back home. Thanks Dorenda! The cheese in the recipe is by Organic Valley. The cheese is a raw mild cheddar that is allowed to age naturally and is not pasteurized. You could find it at your local whole foods or earth fare probably.

SPINACH SALAD WITH AVOCADO AND STRAWBERRIES

Serves: 2 

Recipe could easily be doubled or tripled for a family

4 cups spinach

1/2 avocado, sliced

1 cup strawberries, chopped

1/4 cup or about 1-2 ounces diced Organic Valley raw mild cheddar cheese

1. Divide spinach equally among two plates. Top each with half the avocado, strawberries and cheese. 

2. This recipe was so tasty, we ate it without any dressing but you could easily top it with a home made vinaigrette. 

Red Lentil Soup

We are back in Georgia and I am happy to be home and back in my kitchen. Our trip to colorado was for business purposes and was very busy. Of course, though,  we had to make time for one amazing hike up to the Royal Arch!

We ate out a lot which is hard because of my wheat and yeast allergies, but also it means some food that we are just not used to eating anymore. My tummy was happy to have food that fed my genes last night!

Since spring is officially here I am going to share one more kitchen heating soup recipe that I made a few weeks ago and it was delicious! Then on to lighter, less kitchen heating foods (those of you that live in a small apartment with poor insulation and a crummy exhaust fan know what I mean :) This recipe is quick and full of flavor. Oh yeah, and it is cheap! It uses red lentils and this is a place where I would not recommend substituting another color of lentil. Red lentils are more tender and give the soup a lighter, sweet note. I hope you enjoy and are enjoying this beautiful spring. There is nothing like a spring in the south; the azaleas alone keep me gazing for hours.

RED LENTIL SOUP

Serves: 4

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp tomato paste

1 whole tomato, diced (you can sub a 14 oz can diced tomatoes)

5 cups broth (chicken or veggie)

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 Tbs coconut oil. Add onions and carrots. Saute 5 minutes. Add garlic. Stir for 30 seconds. Add spices (salt through paprika) and stir 30 seconds.

2. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, broth and lentils. Gently stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. 

3. Using your immersion blender, puree soup. Serve warm!