Tag: dinner

Roasted Cabbage Steaks with Tangy Almond Butter Sauce

On October 28, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Vegetarian

When you hear the word “steak,” the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t cabbage.

We usually associate “steak” with beef or tuna fish or even beefsteak tomatoes (YUM!), but the concept can be applied to other foods as well. This past week, I tried my hand at cauliflower steaks (oh.my.goodness recipe to come!) and cabbage steaks.

First of all, this method of making vegetables is SO EASY. No teeny tiny chopping/dicing/mincing required! You can have the steak slices cut and ready to go in the oven in 5 quick minutes.

I’ve featured cabbage in other recipes including my “I Can’t Believe There’s No Mayo” Cole Slaw, Beauty Detox Salad and Beautifying Purple Cabbage Slaw. All of the anti-cancer benefits of cabbage are preserved best by those raw or minimally cooked preparations, but I decided to change things up a bit today by roasting it. It’s always good to add some variety to your meals!

A beautiful head of green cabbage!

When cabbage is roasted it takes on a sweet, buttery flavor and melt-in-your mouth texture. I can’t even think of anything I’d compare it, too, but the crispy leaves tasted a bit like the outer crunchy leaves of roasted Brussels sprouts – one of my absolutely favorite fall foods!

I drizzled a few spoonfuls of a homemade almond butter sauce on top.

The creamy, slightly tangy sauce seeped into the folds of the buttery cabbage leaves and made for an amazing bite!

If you’ve never had cabbage prepared this way before (I didn’t even eat cabbage at all until about 2 years ago!), then you have to try this 🙂

Cabbage steak with tangy almond butter sauce. YUM!

Ingredients

Cabbage Steaks

1 head green cabbage, sliced into 3/4″ steaks
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 cloves garlic, smashed (makes it easier to rub them on the steaks)
Sea salt & pepper, to taste

Tangy Almond Butter Sauce

1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk (I use this kind by Native Forest)
1/3 cup almond butter (I used raw almond butter from Trader Joe’s)
2 tablespoons tamari (or coconut aminos for a paleo version)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon raw honey
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Slice cabbage from top to bottom into 3/4" discs.

Preheat oven to 400F. Slice cabbage from top to bottom into 3/4″-thick steaks.

Rub smashed garlic clove on both sides of cabbage “steak”

Sprinkle both sides of steak with sea salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes per side (total of 50 minutes, flipping steaks halfway through)

Steaks are done when they’ve browned around the edges and can be pierced in the center with a fork.

Look how beautifully browned this is! Make sure to eat the outer edges. They are amazing!

Look how beautifully browned this is! Make sure to eat the crispy outer edges. They are amazing!

Eat them “as is” OR top with the Tangy Almond Butter Sauce (so worth it!)

Directions: To make the sauce, whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl or mason jar and pour several spoonfuls on top of the cabbage steak. I found that the sauce “set” a little bit after I left it in the fridge overnight, but you can use it right away, too. It will just thicken up a bit overnight. Adjust seasonings to your tastes.

You may end up licking this stuff off your plate. It’s that good 🙂

The almond butter sauce melting off the roasted cabbage steaks. SO good!

Better-Than-Takeout Chicken "Fried" Rice {Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On September 10, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Nourish, Recipes

Every now and then we stumble upon a recipe that becomes a staple in our house, and this stir fry is one of those recipes!

Whenever we’re in a pinch and don’t have anything else to make, we make this healthier version of a take-out favorite – chicken “fried” rice.

A few things are different about this version from the original, but it’s still FULL of flavor!

Brown rice vs. white rice (which has been stripped of all the good-for-you nutrients and fiber)
LOTS of veggies (You can use any variety you want, but our staples are carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Snow peas, broccoli, peppers, and green peas would work really well, too!)
Sauteed on the stove in a wok vs. fried
Tamari vs. soy sauce (Tamari is wheat-free soy sauce – make sure the label reads “gluten free” to be 100% sure. It has a milder yet richer taste than regular soy sauce.)
No MSG (monosodium glutamate)! A lot of Chinese restaurants use this additive as a “flavor enhancer” but it’s really harmful to our health. Read more about MSG and why we’re better off avoiding it here.

The best part is that you can use whatever protein you want – from chicken and fish to tempeh – depending on your preference. Feel free to add in whatever veggies you like best – the more the merrier 🙂

I love dishes that give me lots of options to use a variety of vegetables, and this one is no exception. Try it for yourself!

Better-Than-Takeout Chicken “Fried” Rice

Better-than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice

This delicious recipe is a quick and easy go to meal. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, too, so let your creativity run wild!

1 chicken breast (diced and cooked)
2 tablepoons coconut oil or avocado oil
2 eggs beaten (try for free-range and pastured)
2 scallions (roughly chopped)
2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 cup carrots (diced)
1 cup celery (diced)
1.5 cups onion (diced)
2 cups brown rice (cooked)
2 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos (tamari is wheat-free soy sauce; find it in the Asian or health food section of the store)
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
salt & pepper (to taste)
sesame seeds (sprinkle on top)
1 teaspoon ginger root (peeled and minced (optional but delicious!))

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium/high heat.
Add garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds, then add eggs and scallions. Cook, breaking up the eggs with a spoon until they are lightly browned and combined with the scallions.
Stir in the rest of the vegetables and saute for 5 minutes. Add the brown rice and chicken, and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk the tamari and sesame oil with 2 tablespoons of water, and pour over the rice mixture. Turn heat up to high. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 2-3 minutes.
Season with the salt and pepper, and, if you prefer, additional tamari or sesame oil. Top with lightly toasted sesame seeds.

Notes*

We cooked the diced chicken in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat for 12-15 minutes. Internal temperature of the chicken should read 165F with a meat thermometer.

While it’s best to cook brown rice from scratch on the stove and avoid the microwave, an easy shortcut is to use the microwaveable bags of plain brown rice from the grocery store or Target.

Tamari is a wheat-free soy sauce found in the Asian or gluten-free section of the grocery store.

Crunchy Chicken Strips & Easy Honey Mustard Sauce (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On August 31, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Paleo, Recipes

Chicken tenders were ALWAYS my go-to food growing up. Just about every restaurant sold some variation of them, and it was pretty hard to mess them up.

In college, the best day in the cafeteria was chicken tender day when the dining staff served us 3 large crispy, breaded chicken fingers for lunch. Dipping them in a bowl of sweet, ooey gooey honey was just what I needed to round out the crunchy, saltiness of the tenders.

Pure food bliss.

I was talking to a blog follower the other day (Barb), and she asked for more dinner ideas.

That comment (along with my lifelong love of chicken tenders) motivated me to share this recipe for my favorite homemade version – one that happens to sneak in some honey AND turn out buttery, crunchy, salty and satisfying…

Oh, and healthy, of course 🙂

I LOVE the simplicity of this recipe...and how incredible it tastes.

It’s an easy go-to dinner option with fewer than 5 ingredients. If you have kids, involve them in the 2-step “breading” process. They’ll have fun with it.

Serve these chicken strips with a salad or veggie side dish. We’ve enjoyed them alongside some cauliflower mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables. YUM!

Crunchy Chicken Strips & Easy Honey Mustard Sauce

Chicken Tenders

1 package chicken breast strips OR skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips and patted dry with a paper towel
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey (I use raw honey, but any honey will work in this recipe)
1.5 cup pecans (Don’t have pecans? Try these with chopped walnuts or almonds instead…but I have to admit – using pecans is my favorite way to make this dish.)
Sea salt, to taste

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (basically 2 parts mustard to 1 part honey. Adjust the amount based on how much you want!)

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey (I used raw honey but any will work)

Honey mustard dipping sauce! Nomnomnom

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together the honey and mustard in a medium-sized bowl.
Toss the pecans in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Pour the chopped pecans onto a plate.
Use a paper towel to pat the chicken breasts dry. Taking one chicken breast at a time, place the chicken into the honey mustard mixture and coat on both sides. Roll chicken in chopped pecans.
Place coated chicken into a greased (or foil-lined or parchment-paper lined) glass baking dish. Sprinkle each chicken breast with sea salt.
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165 degrees F. (It is SO worth it to buy a meat thermometer, by the way. They’re cheap and take the guesswork out of cooking meat and seafood.).
While the chicken is cooking, stir the honey and mustard together in a dish for the dipping sauce.

Start dipping and eating. It’ll be hard to stop! 🙂