CSA Recipe #8 - Asparagus & Chicken Packages

This was SO good!  I found this recipe and modified so it would be soy free, egg free and gluten free.  Since it called for mayonnaise, which contains in all brands (even at whole foods) soy and eggs - I used the ONLY brand I can find in Nashville that doesn't contain either.  Also, I replaced panko bread crumbs with mashed up GF potato chips (look for GF potato chips because sometimes potato chips are not totally GF).

All that said, I am not usually a big asparagus gal and we got about two dozen of them in the last two weeks.  And Darren isn't a big saucy dish person.  However, I thought I would try this because it looked fancy, maybe a little French and not all that hard, which in the end it was all these things.

They came out DEE-LISH!  And this was an exclamation from both Darren and I, so I know it was a WIN!

It looks a little messy but SO GOOD!

Here you go:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Follow Your Heart Soy Free Veganaise)
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 16 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 1 cup Kettle brand low fat lightly salted kettle chips, mashed up to crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Take the provolone out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you prep - this way it won't crumble when you are working with it.  Grease a glass baking dish. In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper until the mixture is well combined. Cover and put in the fridge for 30minutes.
2. Cook asparagus in the microwave on High until bright green and just tender, 1 minutes (if using a steamer put 1T water in the bottom). Set the asparagus spears aside. Place a chicken breast between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken breast with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts.  The thinner the chicken the easier it is to roll up.
3. Place 1 slice of provolone on each chicken breast, and top the cheese with 4 asparagus spears per breast. Roll the chicken breasts around the asparagus and cheese, like a burrito.  Secure them with two toothpicks and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Salt and pepper the tops and then, with a pastry brush, schmear on the mayonnaise mixture to each chicken breast, and sprinkle each with potato chips.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the crumbs are browned and the chicken juices run clear, about 25 minutes.

SUPPER GOOD!  I served with boiled red potatoes dressed with ghee, s&p & parsley.

CSA Recipe #7 - Super Goldilocks Green Smoothie and under 300 calories!

I have been trying to figure out how to make a low cal healthy smoothie that isn't fruit overload because of the sugar content in the fruit. I am not big on super sugary smoothies and juices.  So I had some veggies from my CSA this week and thought - let me try this...

So I took the below, blended it all together and it came out pretty good!  Not too sweet and super filling!  Not too sweet, not too savory - Just right!

This recipe will make 2 servings - according to "Loseit.com" - 1 serving is 187 calories.

Ingredients (layer in your blender in this order):

2C Kale (or other leafy green)

1/2 cucumber - peeled and chunked

2T flax seed meal

1 granny smith apple - peeled and chuncked

2C water

(at this point cover and puree for 1-2minutes)

then add in:

1/2 banana chunked

1/2 C fresh pineapple chunks

1/2 avocado

blend again for 2minutes

You may want to add 2-3 ice cubes if you like it thicker.

I have read you can pre-make smoothies by leaving out the ice cubes, putting these in mason jars with 1T of lemon juice on top.  Close, shake and stick in the fridge.  I am going to try this this week and will let you know if it works.

Enjoy a dairy free raw food breakfast or snack!

CSA Recipe # 6 - Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies (Vegan and GF)

This is for all my new friends at the West End at Vine Farmer's Market that asked for the recipe so they could make their own.  If you'd like to save time and buy them, I will have them for sale at the Farmer's Market this coming Saturday by popular request!

I had some wicked GINORMOUS sweet taters in my first 2 CSA boxes.  I think I gave away four of them and still had a cool half dozen.  And what to do?  They are kind of a fall veggie and you can only eat so many oven fries or baked sweet potato…  So I looked around and found a recipe that I modified and VOILA sweet potato cookies! GLUTEN FREE!

And may I say, I love that I can cook and teach vocal lessons at the same time when it involves roasting things (i.e.: squashes and sweet potatoes) b/c they take about an hour and if I throw the squash or potato in at the beginning of a lesson it’s done by the time my student is ready to leave…but like last night, my one student kept asking, “What is that I smell?”  I say, “Sweet potato”.  And then they look longingly at my kitchen and say, “Oh I love sweet potato.  I am getting McDonalds on the way home…(sigh)”  I told her to drop by the Farmer’s Market Saturday if she wanted to try one of these cookies I was making with the sweet potatoes.

Anyway – here we go..

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Gluten Free Oat Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3/4 teaspoon fine Sea Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (1 large) mashed Sweet Potato
• 1/2 cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
• 3/4 cup Light Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 1 ½ T coconut sugar
• 1/4 C Agave Maple Syrup

 

To deal with your Sweet Potato:

Preheat the oven to 400.  Wash and clean your sweet potato(s).  Then poke it a bunch of times with a fork (just like you do with a regular potato.)  Then line a cookie sheet with foil, place the potato(s) on there and bake for 45-60mins – until you can easily piece the potato with a fork.  Once done, let cool for 30mins.  Then peel and mash.  I will do a couple potatoes at a time and then freeze the mash for later use.

 

For the cookies:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or the bowl you will do the most work in) – mix together all dry ingredients.  In a 2^nd bowl blend together the wet ingredients.  Add wet to dry and then blend on low with your electric stand mixer (or a handheld) for about 2-3minutes.  Make sure it is mixed well.

 

Then using a cookie scoop or 2 teaspoons drop batter on to parchment lined or well grease baking sheets or a cooking stone.  Bake for 20mins and check.  If still wet bake in 2 min intervals until done.  Cool on foil or bakers racks.

CSA Recipe #5 - Ham & Sweet Potato Kabobs in Mustard Bourbon Marinade

I made this one up on the fly.  I am on CSA box number 2 and in both boxes I got about six ginormous sweet potatoes - I started giving them away!  I know they are good for me and all but there are only so many ways you can cook one - baked, oven fries, casserole - but it is getting to be summer and we want to grill out.  So I pondered...

Then I got my order from Peaceful Pastures, a farm that treats their animals well, produces pasture fed meats that are organic and dee-lish!  Plus you get a bar of homemade soap (not sure of the connection but it's quite nice) with each order.  Well, when we got home and went through our order - I found that I received ham cubes...  Not the pre-cooked small chopped ham from the grocery.  I am talking chunks of really good quality ham.  So I asked around what to do with these?  Then I thought we should skewer them and grill them!  What goes with ham better than sweet potatoes?!  And thus this recipe was born.


It is gluten and dairy free, as well as clean eating friendly!

For the meat maranade:

• 3T maple syrup
• 6T Dijon Mustard (the kind with the white wine worked well)
• 3T bourbon (Since I am in TN - we used good o'Jack Daniels!)
• 3T Coconut Aminos (if you are ok with gluten you can use reduced sodium soy sauce here)
• 1lb Ham cubes (or you can cut a pork tenderloin into bite sized cubes and use them.

Combine all of the above in either a tightly sealed plastic container or a zip top baggie.  Make sure everything is mixed and coated well and then pop it in the fridge for at least 2hrs.

For the Sweet taters:

• 1 large or 2 medium sweet taters - peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
• 2T Maple Syrup
• 2t ghee (if you are good with dairy use a table spoon of real butter)
• 1t cinnamon
• 3T water

In a microwave safe dish that has a lid, put your sweet taters and the water.  Cover and cook for 3mins. When done, drain them and then add the maple syrup, cinnamon and ghee - toss until well mixed and ghee is melted.

Whats left:

You will just need 1 can of pineapple chunks - in juice drained

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 5mins before putting your kabobs together.

When you're ready to assemble - alternate ham, sweet taters and pineapple - the grill them for about 10-15minutes - rotating half way through.

I served it all over rice and boy oh boy SO good!  I am probably going to soak a whole pork loin in the marinade next!

Recipes for Relaxation!

Hello My Little Maters!  I am still in the kitchen cooking up great grub but what I also found...you can cook up some great spa products in the kitchen too!  And I can make these "clean" too - so I have started making sugar scrubs and body butters.  I love these things.

They have three ingredients and you will recognize all of them!  In my scrubs are sugar, olive oil and either vanilla extract or organic peppermint oil.  In my whipped body butters, coconut oil, olive oil and either peppermint or organic lavender oil.

I have gotten my feet into summer sandal shape with the vanilla scrub and lavender whipped body butter and thought I should share with you!

Vanilla Sugar Scrub & Lavender Whipped Body Butter

I am offering them for $7 for an 8oz jar or 2 for $12.  If you'd like to order please email me at michelestans@yahoo.com.    Unless we have another weekend downpour, this Saturday I will be at the West End at Vine Farmer's Market this Saturday selling them.  Come down and treat your feet to a spa treatment or get a set for Mom if you need a last minute Mother's Day gift!

I will also be doing a cooking demo to share with you what to do with all those veggies in your CSA share!  We will be sampling a Roasted Beet and Feta salad and Gluten Free Vegan Sweet Potato Cookies!  FREE tastes and recipes will be given away!