Category: Meat

Lime Marinated Grilled Free Range Chicken with Kale Salad

Remember, if you are going to grill your food, you should marinate it first.  (See prior post about the dangers of grilling) This is a simple, tasty marinade that everyone will love.

Summer Dinner Menu: Grilled Chicken with "Fresh from the Garden" Green Beans, Kale, Lettuce, and Tomatoes

Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken

4 boneless organic chicken breasts
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Let marinate at least 30 minutes but the longer the better.  Grill on medium heat, flipping frequently.

Marinated Kale Salad

1 bunch raw kale, chopped and de-stemmed
1/4 cup flax seed oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons liquid aminos or tamari
sea salt and pepper to taste

Massage the liquid ingredients into the kale.

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Grilled Grass Fed Sirloin with Caprese Salad

Nothing beats grilling out in the summer.  However, grilling can add unwanted carcinogens to your meal.  Smoke from the grill contains carcinogenic substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which can coat your food.  In addition, heterocyclic amines(HCAs), can develop in meat that is cooked over high heat.  However, there are ways to mitigate these dangers.  The best way is to marinate your meat.  In fact, the American Institute of Cancer Research says marinating can reduce carcinogenic activity by 92-99%.

Some other tips are to cook at lower temperatures, flip often, never char your meat, and keep away from direct flame.

Marinating grass fed beef also makes it much more tender (as it is not as marbled) and gives it much more flavor.

Basic Grass Fed Beef Grilling Marinade 

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Let marinate for at least 30 minutes but the longer the better.

This is one of my favorite summer salads.  These tomatoes and basil came fresh from my garden which made them even more delightful.

Caprese Salad

Fresh garden roma tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil
Fresh, raw mozzerella
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Slice the tomatoes and mozzerella.  Stack a tomato slice, a basil leaf, and a mozzerella slice.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Kimberly Roberto1 Comment

Boneless Buffalo Tenders (w/ Flourless Breading)

I love taking American favorites and upgrading them to a healthier version.  Typically these are fried in damaged oils (bad fats), loaded with refined flours, additives, and of course conventionally raised chicken.  This recipe actually has organic chicken, good fats, extra nutrients in the breading and nothing artificial!

2 packages organic chicken tenderloins
2 organic eggs
1/2 cup finely ground almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
sea salt
pepper
granulated garlic
hot sauce (check ingredients- no MSG, no sugar, no additives)
coconut oil (about 1/2 jar)

sprinkle chicken tenderloins with salt and pepper.  Dip into egg and then almond / coconut flour mixture.  For best results, refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil to medium/high heat in a non-teflon pan (stainless steel, cast iron or thermalon).  Gently place chicken tenders in the pan in batches, doing only 4-5 at a time.  Do not crowd the pan.  When brown around the edges, flip and brown the other side.  (Breading will be very fragile to be careful).  Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until no longer pink in the middle.

When done, they can be eaten plain or made into buffalo tenders.  Simply sprinkle with garlic powder and drizzle with hot sauce on both sides.

Here is the plain chicken finger version – great for kids or on a salad.

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Shepard’s Pie

ADVANCED PLAN OR CORE PLAN

Serves 4

This version of shepard’s pie is made without the traditional starchy potatoes and uses mashed cauliflower instead.  It also contains grass fed beef, making it an ultra-healthy alternative to traditional shepard’s pie.  It tastes very close to the original.  It also makes for a great presentation.

1  head cauliflower
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp organic butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 organic egg yolk

Steam cauliflower until soft then transer to a food processor or blender, puree the cauliflower with the garlic, butter, salt, pepper, and egg yolk.

1tbsp coconut oil or grapeseed oil
2 pounds grass fed ground beef
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp organic butter
1 tsp xanthan gum (thickener)
1 cup organic vegetable broth
1 tsp wheat free Tamari (soy sauce)
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)

While the cauliflower is steaming, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to pan with beef.  Season meat with salt and pepper. and brown with carrot and onion until the meat is no longer pink.  In a separate saucepan cook butter and xanthan gum together combining well. Whisk in broth and tamari.  Thicken gravy about 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. and stir in the peas.

NOTE:  For Advanced Plan, leave out carrots and peas

Preheat broiler to high. Put meat mixture into a rectangular or round baking dish and spread cauliflower over the meat as evenly as possible being careful not to let meat show through.   Broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned.

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Oven Baked Teriyaki Wings

Everyone loves chicken wings as an appetizer, a snack, or to feed a crowd.  Most restaurant wings are fried in damaged oils and therefore can be far from nutritious.  This recipe was very easy to make

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons spoonable stevia
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1/2 cup liquid aminos or organic tamari
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 – 1/4 cup  hot sauce (adjust to your taste)
4-5 pounds organic chicken wings (tips cut then separated into “drumstick” and “wing”)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Melt butter in a small-medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the stevia, wine, tamari, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt ,pepper, and garlic powder and mix.  In a large bowl, mix the chicken wings with the sauce

Arrange chicken wings on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake wings at 350° F for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is done. For even more tender wings with a further reduced sauce, reduce heat to 250° F and continue cooking for 3-4 hours, flipping about every 30 minutes.

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Cabbage Rolls Deconstructed

My mother in law is a tremendous cook and always made interesting ethnic dishes.  Cabbage rolls are one of my favorites but they were very labor intensive.  Today, I tried my hand at a speedy, unstuffed, unrolled version.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, grated or finely diced
1 green or red bell pepper, diced
2 lbs. organic ground turkey
1/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1 medium head green cabbage, roughly chopped
2 cans organic tomato sauce (no sugar!)
1 c. water
ground black pepper and sea salt (about 1 teaspoon) to taste

1/2 – 1 cup sauerkraut, drained (optional)

Preheat over to 350° F.

Heat oil in a large skillet, and saute onion and green pepper until they soften. Add ground turkey, cooking over medium heat until it is nicely browned . Stir in uncooked rice and remaining ingredients.

Spread cabbage in an even layer in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with the turkey, tomato, rice mixture.

Cover with foil (don’t let it touch the food) and bake at 350° for about an hour to an hour and a half.

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