Category: Appetizers

Pesto – 4 Ways

Advanced Plan & Core Plan

Servings vary depending on use.
pestoPesto is very versatile and can be used to top eggs, whole grain pasta, quinoa or brown rice, chicken, fish, beef, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salad dressings, etc.  Feel free to get creative with the ingredients and make your own version of pesto.

Pesto can also be frozen into individual servings by using a bpa free ice cube tray.
Basil Pesto
4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed well
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden and cooled (watch closely and stir a few times) or walnuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste
optional, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

For spicy basil pesto add 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Place the basil in a food processor. Pour in about 1 tablespoon of the oil, and blend basil into a paste. Gradually add pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, chili powder(if using), and remaining oil. Continue to blend until smooth.

Arugula Pesto

1 cups arugula (packed)
1/2 cup raw almonds or walnuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Place arugula almonds, lemon juice, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the oil and pulse until blended into a paste.  Add the rest of the oil along with the salt and pepper.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto or Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

3 tablespoons pine nuts, roasted
2 cups sliced roasted red peppers or 12 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Spicy Option:  1/4 – 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Place the pine nuts red peppers, basil, garlic, parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a food processor. Process until smooth and thick, adding more oil as necessary to create a thick paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Avocado Pesto

http://selling-health.blogspot.com/2013/05/turkey-burgers-with-avocado-pesto.html

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Blasted Cauliflower – II

Core and Advanced Plan

Serves 4

Vegetables are often thought of as boring, bland, or tasteless.  This is far from the truth!  Vegetables can offer a great source of variety.  Cauliflower is an extremely versatile vegetable and this is just another example of how it can be used.  I will give you this warning:  THEY ARE ADDICTIVE!

photo1 head of cauliflower
1/8 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp granulated garlic + 1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast  (not to be confused with brewer’s yeast – this is a highly nutritious condiment)

Optional (these are great spicy):  1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and clean the cauliflower. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the cauliflower florets into small pieces.
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt and nutritional yeast. Add the cauliflower pieces and thoroughly coat each piece.
Place cauliflower pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for one hour turning a few times during cooking. You will want them to look browned.

Kimberly Roberto2 Comments

“Pigs” in a “Blanket”

I had to put pigs and blanket in parentheses because it is not the typical “pig” (our nutrition plans exclude pork) and uses beef or chicken instead.  The “blankets” which are usually packaged crescent rolls loaded with refined flours bad fats and lots of additives/preservatives are replaced with a fiber-rich, flourless dough.

This recipe comes from Maria Emmerich who is a nutrition/recipe enthusiast like me.

“Blanket”
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder (found in health food stores)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup grass fed organic butter
1 cup boiling water

“Pigs”
Organic chicken breakfast sausage or grass fed beef hot dogs (cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch sections)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine coconut flour, phsyllium husk powder and salt.  Start boiling water and melt butter.  Add melted butter to flour mix and stir continuously.  Pour in boiling water while stirring dough.  Once dough forms move quickly and pinch 1 tablespoon sized pieces of dough, using your fingers, flatten the dough and form it around the meat.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes until dough is puffy and golden.

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Lemon-Garlic Stuffed Baby Eggplant

Here is a great dish to make for company or as a nice appetizer or side dish.  It can be difficult to find baby eggplant at times so make sure you grab them up when you see them.

6 baby or small eggplants (about 3 pounds)
3 lemons
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Heat oven to 450°F. Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise, cutting only about 3/4 of the way through so that it remains attached at the top (you can even leave the stem on for a nicer presentation). Arrange the eggplants in a glass baking dish.

Thinly slice 1 of the lemons. Juice the other two lemons. Insert the lemon slices into the slit in each eggplant, then press some garlic and oregano into each slit. Season with the salt and pepper. Drizzle the eggplants with the lemon juice and oil. Cover with foil (make sure it doesn’t touch the eggplants) and roast, basting frequently with the juices in the dish, until the eggplants are very soft, about 40 minutes.

Remove foil and roast for 5 more minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with pan juices.

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Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Advanced & Core Plan

Serves 8-10

This is a great appetizer that tastes like a chicken wing but without being fried in damaged oils and with the added bonus of the ultra-healthy cabbage.  If your family likes buffalo chicken wings, they will love this recipe.  Make it for a party, while watching sports, or pack them in a lunchbox.

 
2-3 organic chicken breasts, poached and shredded (for a shortcut, you can use canned organic chicken)
1/4 head green cabbage, sliced very thin or shredded
Hot sauce (buffalo wing sauce) to taste (check ingredients)
1-2 tsp coconut oil
4 Coconut Wraps (Pure Wraps – http://improveat.com/howwherewhen.php)  OR small bibb lettuce leaves

Heat coconut oil in a non-toxic skillet.  Add cabbage and sautee until soft.  Add chicken and enough hot sauce to fully coat the mixture.

Take coconut wraps and cut them in fourths or small lettuce leaves and fill them with a tablespoon or two of the chicken mixture.

If using the coconut wraps, wrap and put seam side down in a baking dish and bake for about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven (watch them because the wraps can burn easily).  If using lettuce, just place them in a dish with the open side up (like a taco).

Kimberly Roberto1 Comment

Super Simple Flax Meal Pizza Crust

Advanced Plan & Core Plan

Serves 2-3 (makes 1 large or 2 small pizzas)

Here is a pizza crust that is completely grain free, gluten-free, and completely delicious.  It also doubles as crackers or as a bread alternative.  Experiment with spices for different tastes.

1 ¼ cups Almond Flour

¼ cup ground flax meal

¼ to ½ tsp. kosher or sea salt

¼ tsp. aluminum free baking powder

1 egg, beaten with a whisk

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. seasoning of choice – Italian seasoning; roasted garlic powder (optional)

Mix all ingredients together until they form a ball.

The preferred method is to break the dough in two equal pieces for “personal” sized pizzas.  The dough is easier to work with this way.  Roll the “dough” into a ¼ inch pizza crust between two sheets of parchment paper.  NOTE:  the dough will be sticky so it is best to press it out with your hands/fingers first then vocer with parchment paper to roll out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Top with your favorite pizza ingredients.

Return the pizza to the oven for another 10-15 minutes

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