Red Thai curry, sticky rice, red peppers, carrots, and onions, roasted in coconut oil

Roasting the veggies in coconut oil brings out their sweetness.
Serves 4

Chicken
In a large baking dish, place and pour over:
     7-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
     Trader Joe's red Thai curry sauce
     1 cup coconut cream
Let sit in the fridge a few minutes or hours, per your schedule.

Rice
Begin cooking the rice per package instructions. I like Botan brand rice, which says to wash the rice, then soak 15 min, bring to a boil and simmer 20 min, then let sit 10 min; so that's 45 min all told.

Veggies
Chop into medium-sized pieces and place in a roasting pan:
     3 red peppers (I like to start skin-side up, then make sure they're all turned over in the next step.)
Chop into skinny pieces and place in another roasting pan:
     8 carrots
     1 red onion
Toss the veggies with:
     2 T coconut oil
     sprinkle of salt

Cook
Heat oven to 375 deg F. Put the racks at 1/3 and 2/3 up from the bottom. Put the chicken dish on the top rack, and put the veggies roasting pans on the bottom rack. It's ok to stack one slightly over the other, if needed.

Set a timer for 30 minutes for the chicken, and another timer for 10 minutes for the veggies.

After 10 min, use a spatula, also called a turner, to scrape the veggies off the bottom of the pan and stir them around. Flip red peppers to skin-side down, if you care to be so careful.

After 10 min more, repeat. Check for doneness: they should be tender and slightly browned, which indicates caramelization, and the sweetness is being brought out.

Serve
Plate the rice in the middle, then place the chicken and sauce partially over the rice, and the veggies around. Garnish with:
     Cilantro or basil

Rockfish in Coconut-Cream, Lime Sauce, w/ Sesame Spinach, Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Couscous-Grains

Serves about 4 people

Ingredients:

Rockfish, pan fried

               Rockfish filets, 1.5 lbs, cut into about 12  3x3-inch pieces

               Flour, ½ cup

               Salt, 1 t, and pepper 1/4 t

Coconut-cream, Lime, and Butter sauce

               Coconut cream, ½ cup (can from Trader Joe’s)

               Juice of 2 limes

               Butter, ½ stick = ¼ cup

               Salt, ½ t

Fresh spinach cooked in sesame

Spinach, one big bag, prewashed

               Sesame oil

Sesame seeds

               Soy sauce, one packet or about 2 teaspoons

Couscous-grain blend

               Couscous-grain blend, half bag (Trader Joe’s)

               Water or chicken broth, 1.75 cups

               Butter, 2 T

Slow-roasted cherry tomatoes

               Cherry tomatoes, one carton

Directions:

These are done simultaneously to end at about the same time.

Heat oven to 300 deg F.

Tomatoes. Cook in roasting pan, pierce each one, put in oven. Every 7 min, scrape them off the bottom and mix them around. Cook about 20-30 min total, until wrinkled.

Sauce. Squeeze 2 limes into a microwave safe container, like a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Heat for a min. Add coconut cream and salt and stir to blend. Heat 2 min at a time, until sauce reduces to about ½ or 1/3. Add half stick butter, cut into 1-T pieces, stir to blend, should have a thick consistency.

Couscous-grain blend. Cook per bag instructions, takes about 10 min.

Spinach. In medium-sized, thick pot, heat avocado oil over high heat, dump in a bag of fresh spinach, put on the lid. After 2 min, turn the spinach leaves around and over to heat other side of the pile. After 2 min more, they should be shrunk down, moisture released, and steaming. Add drizzle of sesame oil and generous shakes of sesame seeds. Cook until tender, a few more min, stirring every so often. Remove lid to let liquid evaporate, then turn off heat and cover with lid to keep hot.

Fish. Rinse the fish fillets, and cut them into about 12 3x3-inch pieces. Lay on paper towel to dry. On a plate, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in heavy skillet. Dredge half of the fish pieces in the flour mixture and place in the skillet, cook a few minutes on one side, then turn to cook the other side. Lay pieces on a plate. Scrape out crumbs in the pan, add a bit more oil, let it heat up, then repeat the steps to cook the rest of the fish. Should be light golden brown.

To serve:

Plate the grain-couscous blend in the center, and lay the tomatoes, spinach, and fish around it. Pour sauce over fish. Garnish with black olives if desired.

Banana Bread w/Dried Cherries, Pecans, and Marmalade

Makes one loaf; adapted from the Joy of Cooking recipe for quick banana bread

Have all ingredients at about 70 deg F. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Sift together:

               1 ¾ cups flour (sifted all purpose, or blended with whole wheat, to taste)

               2 ¼ t baking powder

               ½ t salt

               2 T pumpkin spice blend, or 1 T cinnamon, 1 t ginger, ½ t nutmeg, 1 t all-spice, ½ t cloves

Blend until creamy:

               1/3 cup shortening or butter

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange marmalade

Beat in:

               3 beaten eggs

               1 to 1 ¼ cup ripe banana pulp

Add the sifted dry ingredients in 3 additions to the sugar mixture. Beat until smooth after each addition. Fold in:

               1/2 cup chopped dried cherries

               1/2 cup pecans

Do not overbeat between each addition. Fold in:

               12 oz bag chocolate chips, plus chopped up chocolate bar in larger pieces

Pour batter into a loaf pans lined with parchment paper. On top of each loaf, sprinkle to cover in a single layer:

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ stick (1/8^th cup) butter, cut into pieces

Bake for about an hour, until a butter knife inserted in the center pulls out clean. Cool in pan a few minutes, then turn out onto rack to finish cooling before slicing.

Pumpkin Bread w/Chocolate Chips and Pecan Topping

Makes two loaves; adapted from the Joy of Cooking recipe for quick pumpkin bread

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Sift together:

               2 ¼ cups flour (sifted all purpose, or blended with whole wheat, to taste)

               ½ t baking powder

               1 ½ t baking soda

               1 ½ t salt

               2 T pumpkin spice blend, or 1 T cinnamon, 1 t ginger, ½ t nutmeg, 1 t all-spice, ½ t cloves

In a large bowl, beat until light and fluffy:

               1 ¼ cup white sugar

               ¾ cup brown sugar

               1 T molasses

               3 eggs

               ½ cup butter (room temperature)

Add and beat in:

               1 15-oz  cooked or canned pumpkin

Now add the sifted dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with:

               ½ can evaporated milk

               ½ t vanilla

Do not overbeat between each addition. Fold in:

               12 oz bag chocolate chips, plus chopped up chocolate bar in larger pieces

Pour batter into 2 loaf pans lined with parchment paper. On top of each loaf, sprinkle to cover in a single layer:

½ cup pecan halves

¾ cup sugar

¼ stick (1/8^th cup) butter, cut into pieces

Bake for about an hour, until a butter knife inserted in the center pulls out clean of dough, with perhaps a smear of melted chocolate.

Serving tip: Heating a slice for about 18 sec in the microwave melts the chocolate nicely!

I Heart Juicing!

I just used my Christmas-present juicer for the first time, today, and I am so jazzed!!!

Here's my wonderful Omega J8004 masticating juicer:
http://www.amazon.com/Omega-J8004-Nutrition-Commercial-Masticating/dp/B001RLYOEE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3J318ZOMRNNI0&coliid=I1KY9MU1YBLPEB

LOVE IT SO MUCH!

Here's what I juiced:

Spinach, broccoli, oranges, apple

Here it is, doing its thing:

Here's what comes out -- juice and pulp.  This is what all those vegies and fruits became: 

And here is the (I'm not lyin') DELICIOUS juice!!!!

CHEERS!

Chicken Marinara, Spinach Linguine, and Roasted Asparagus

Use your favorite spaghetti sauce to create an EASY baked chicken dish, add your favorite pasta, and try this Re-DIQUE-ulously De-LISH-ious roasted asparagus! (Even my kids, who like the canned stuff dipped in mayo liked it!)  (A few pieces were sampled before the pic was taken.)

Baked Chicken
INGREDIENTS

• Chicken pieces, about 8 thighs or breasts, skinless
• Jar of spaghetti sauce*
• Seasonings to taste 

DIRECTIONS
Purchase or prepare skinless thighs or breasts, as you prefer -- if the pieces are very large, divide them so the sauce can permeate more easily. Simply rinse and place the chicken pieces in a casserole dish, cover with a jar of marinara or any flavor of spaghetti sauce, add extras of whatever you like -- garlic, Italian herbs, rosemary, basil -- and bake in 400 deg F oven for 45 minutes.  What could be easier?

*I have found that a very light marinara sauce gives less flavor than a full-on spaghetti sauce. I've also tried this with 3-cheese spaghetti sauce, and it was very good. Parmesan or Romano cheese at the table is a must for this dish.



Roasted Asparagus
INGREDIENTS

• Fresh asparagus, 1 bunch
• 2 T olive oil or other (I like avocado oil)
• 1 T fresh garlic from the jar (or mince your own)
• 1 or 2 T Parmesan and/or Romano cheese
• A few shakes of sea salt, pepper
• Lemon juice from one lemon

DIRECTIONS
After the chicken goes into the oven, wash the asparagus, and cut about 2 inches from the ends. Place on a (foiled-covered) tray, drizzle oil, sprinkle cheese, and shake seasonings (not lemon juice) over them and toss to coat thoroughly. Lay the pieces out in a single layer.

Bake for about 10 minutes in a 400 deg F oven -- check for roasted appearance and possibly cook another couple of minutes.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over them for a tasty symphony of flavors.

Spinach Linguine
INGREDIENTS

• Spinach linguine or other pasta, 4 to 6 servings
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Water 

DIRECTIONS
During the last 10 minutes that the chicken is baking, prepare pasta according to the package.  This one was a really nice 3-minute pasta with a light flavor that complemented the chicken dish well, but any pasta works, even reg'ol' spaghetti!

Powerhouse Salmon with Red Onions, Pesto, Lemon, Tomatoes

Healthy eating is a growing priority in my life, and I bet in yours, too!  Not only is this recipe delicious, fast, and easy, it combines super good-for-you ingredients. This whole meal was inspired by a list of the top foods to help the body fight those baddies of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and help you feel fabulous. And my family loved it -- thus earning its spot in my blog!

Here it is, ready to go in the oven for 12 minutes:

Here's what the whole meal looks like, if you were to come to dinner at our house -- help yourself!

Side dishes:

• Organic broccoli steamed in the microwave, drained, then tossed with olive oil, Trader Joe's 21 seasons blend, salt & pepper, and Parmesan
• A grain blend from Trader Joe's with orzo and other goodies (cooked like rice, it takes about 10 min)

And here's how to make the salmon:

INGREDIENTS

• Salmon -- about 6 oz per person -- I used two medium fillets for my family, and we had leftovers
• Red onion -- half -- sliced thinly, then roughly chopped
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Pesto sauce, 1/2 cup  (or a blend of basil, olive oil, salt & pepper, and Parmesan)
• Olive oil, 2 T (or avocado oil, or other healthy oil)
• Lemon juice, half or whole lemon, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Thaw salmon if frozen, either overnight in the fridge, or soaked in its package in a sink of cold water for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pull out all your ingredients, your chopping board, and knife.

Peel and cut the red onion in half and slice one of the halves very thinly, then chop the slices roughly -- see the photo.  (I chopped the other half up and stored it in the fridge for later use on salads, etc.)  It needs to be thinly sliced because it won't be cooked long

Remove salmon from packet and rinse in cold water; drip dry for a moment. Lay in a casserole dish of about 9 x 12 inches.

Blend pesto sauce, oil, and lemon juice, then pour over salmon.  Sprinkle onion over salmon. Add cherry tomatoes beside the salmon.

Bake for 12 minutes, test for desired doneness by checking the center -- my family prefers it just cooked, barely flaking, not dried out.

Enjoy!