For the past year or so I’ve been posting weekly recipes on my friend, Doug’s (aka DR) fitness site, HealthHabits. He’s a trainer in Canada that since doing the recipes, has been cyber-training me. He’s all about the Paleo way of eating so I’ve had to tailor his recipes to follow suit. This is one I made a couple weeks ago for his site. Though I’m still new to the Paleo diet (feel free to give ye a few suggestions) I think I’ve a good idea here. What I really try to do with food, besides creating easy healthy recipes is to shop and eat sustainably and seasonally, which sometimes results in using produce not very well known. With all my recipes you are encouraged to use what ever is in season in your area, which might be different than my area especially because I’m planted in sunny Southern California, as I often like to remind DR. (Better not make him too jealous or my next workout session might be brutal!)

Since the Paleo diet does not include potatoes (ouch says the Irishman) I wanted to show you an easy substitute using what I know as Celeriac, often called Celery Root. It is a kind of celery grown as a root vegetable that tastes like celery with a potato-like consistency. Common across the pond, we use as mash, in mash or even raw, grated in salads. Here’s how it stacks up against the potato:
Celery Root*   vs.   Potato*

Calories                 42             118
Carbohydrate        9g            27g
Dietary Fiber         2g              2g

*1 cup celery root (155g) boiled, drained with no salt
*1 potato (136g) boiled in skin with no salt

In California we can get celeriac all year round but the season runs about October through April. As for the tomatoes, I didn’t think it was tomato season yet we received these lovelies in our CSA box. Feel free to substitute any in-season veg for the tomatoes if you can’t get locally grown tomatoes this time of year.

RECIPE:
Serves 2

2 x 4-6 oz organic/grass fed chicken breasts

1 tbsp fresh marjoram
1 tbsp fresh oregano
1 large garlic clove – minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 lemon – zested

2 medium celery roots (you’ll probably have some left overs but that’s grand!)
low-sodium chicken broth
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by mixing all the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add chicken breasts and coat. To store, either place in a Zilpoc bag or cover in a bowl in the fridge. Turn occasionally to make sure all sides are marinating.
NOTE: This can and should be done ahead of time to get maximum flavor. I would suggest marinating for at least 4 – 24 hours.

To cook celeriac:

Top and tail celery root and using a small kitchen knife carefully peel the outer layer. (Top & tail is common chef lingo, which means trim the top and bottom.)

Once all peeled roughly chop root in equal size pieces and boil in salted water (maybe a couple of teaspoons) until fork tender. Drain and return to same pot. Mash, add broth, taste & season.

I made the little blistered cherry tomato thingy by sauteing some cherry tomatoes on medium heat in olive oil under they begin to break down. Once they soften add a drizzle of red wine vinegar and a pinch of S&P. These will add a nice contrast and burst of flavor with the chicken and celeriac.

Preheat grill pan or outdoor bbq and when hot sear chicken on both sides. Cook to internal temp. 160F, 8-12 minutes approx. Let rest for 3-4 minutes after cooking before cutting.

Tasty and easy! Let me know how you get on with the celeriac. Cheers!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

And now for something completely different! Need something other than turkey or ham to spice up the ol’ taste buds again after the holidays? Here’s something to tickle your fancy. This is a simple little healthy dish that takes just minutes to throw together. Of course you can use chicken instead of the shrimp if you prefer. No biggie. You can adapt this recipe all year round too to accommodate whatever veg is fresh and in season. Yet another beauty about my cooking (wink wink).

If you’re feeling adventurous and may even have gotten a pasta maker from Santa this year try making your own pasta. Having fresh homemade pasta will take this dish up a notch and will get you some serious kudos from your friends. In fact, have them help you make it! Making your own pasta is actually quite straight forward and boy will you notice the difference. Here’s how!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 lb local or wild medium shrimp (21-30’s- between 21 and 30 per pound), peeled & de-veined (P&D’s if you want the lingo)
1 cup Cannelini beans – drained
8oz Brussels sprouts – cook for 7-10 mins in boiling salted water. Drain and once cool enough to handle cut each sprout in half.
1 cup dry fusilli, penne, rigatoni pasta (2 cups cooked) or the fresh homemade stuff will work, too
1/2 lemon
chopped parsley

PESTO RECIPE
Makes 2 cups (extra for another time)

2 bunches fresh basil – packed
2 cups Italian parsley – packed
1 lemon – zested
1/2 lemon – juiced
2 tablespoons toasted walnuts – toast in a dry heated saute pan for 3-4 minutes tossing periodically until browned but not burned
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (low fat preferably)
1 1/2 cups olive oil
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Add all pesto ingredients in a food processor, except for olive oil. Blend and while blitzing gradually pour in olive oil. Season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Done.

To make the dish: Preheat large saute pan on high for 1 minute. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil. Add shrimp and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring to cook all sides. Add cooked Brussels sprouts and continue sauteing for another minute. As the shrimp begin to turn opaque and become firm add 1/2 cup pesto along with the cooked pasta and beans. Toss to coat.

Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley.

Ah yes, now we can sing our favourite song again, “We’re bringing healthy back. Yeah!”

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas….what to give this Christmas? In this economy many of us are scaling back on our spending, right?–but giving still feels good doesn’t it? A few years ago I started making homemade Christmas prezzies, which has been quite cool. Homemade = special, and who doesn’t like a special gift?

This year I haven’t quite decided what to do but if you need an idea try my homemade sugar-free cranberry orange relish. It’s really tasty and not expensive to make. Even my neighbors are jumping on the bandwagon and got a little fancy pants. They decided to make homemade hot sauce out of the chillies growing in their gardens. You’ve heard me talk about my lovely neighbours before: Erica & Chris, of our famous Urban Gardens series. It was a combined effort (even better I’d say) which was a lot of fun to document.

Adapted from Rick Bayless‘ recipe, let the homemade gift making begin:

A NOTE FROM CHRIS:
We used a mixture of dried arbol chilies, and fresh and dried chilies from our Tabasco chili plants (like 1/3 each). Unlike in the recipe, we didn’t remove the seeds, but other than that we pretty much followed the recipe. In retrospect, maybe removing the seeds would have been a good idea. Oh, we made a huge batch of it, like 7x’s what was in the recipe.

Let it be up to you if you want to remove the seeds or not. The seeds are the hottest part of the chillies so you can discard them for a more mild batch or add a few or go all out as did Chris & Erica. This batch came out guns-a-blazin’ (not kidding guys, my head nearly exploded). That would be a good name for their hot sauce: Venice Guns a Blazin’ (funny enough that’s quite à propos). You can make larger batches like C & E did so you’ll have plenty for gifts.

NOTE / TIP / DON’T DO WHAT I DID (ONCE) For the love of God wear some gloves if you’re de-seeding the chillies but if you don’t, be careful not to touch your eyes and my advice, don’t go to the toilet unless you can go hands free. Tink about it. Be there done that, no be fun!

ORIGINAL RECIPE:
Makes about 1¾ cups

1¼ ounces (about 50 to 60 mixed-size) dried chiles de arbol*
1½ tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds (or a generous ¼ teaspoon ground)
4 large allspice berries (or about 1/8 teaspoon ground)
2 cloves (or a big pinch ground)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 scant teaspoon salt
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
¾ cup cider vinegar

*NOTE FROM RICK:
Chiles de Àrbol are available in most Mexican markets. But if you can’t find them, a good sauce can be made with any small, dried hot pepper, like the Mexican chiles japoneses or the common little ones frequently labeled just “chile peppers” in the grocery store. For a milder hot sauce, replace ½ ounce of the chiles de àrbol with 2 chiles guajillos or 1 large California or New Mexico chile.

DIRECTIONS:

1. The chiles and seeds: Stem the chiles, then roll them between your thumb and fingers, pressing gently to loosen the seeds inside. Break in half, shake out as many seeds as possible, then place in a blender jar and blitz.

Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-low. Measure in the sesame seeds and stir for several minutes as they brown and pop; scoop into the blender jar and blitz. Add the pumpkin seeds to the skillet. When the first one pops, stir constantly for several minutes, until all are golden and have popped up into a round shape then blitz.

2. Blending the sauce: Pulverize the cumin, allspice and garlic cloves in a mortar or spice grinder, then add to the blender jar along with the oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. Blend for several minutes, until the mixture is orange-red and feels quite smooth when a drop is rubbed between your fingers.

3. Straining and ripening the sauce: Combine all batches together, stir well. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve, working the solids back and forth and pressing them firmly; there will be a fair amount of chile seeds, skins, sesame hulls and other debris to discard, but be careful that there is no liquid trapped within them.

Stir in ¾ cup water, then pour into a bottle, cover and let stand for 24 hours before serving.

Stored in the refrigerator, it will last indefinitely—even getting better after several weeks. Or pour it into sterilized canning jars, seal and process in a water bath; store indefinitely at room temperature.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

For the next week or so I’m going to be giving you guys some Christmasy recipes that are perfect for this time of year. A lot of the Christmas food I grew up eating is similar to the Thanksgiving food here as it seems the two holidays are very similar food-wise. You have all the usual suspects of turkey, ham, gravy, stuffing, spuds, veggies, cranberry sauce and whatever other family tradition you might have. With Thanksgiving done and dusted I’ve already made some great seasonal turkey recipes that are also interchangeable for the Crimbo, like my Persimmon & Couscous Stuffed Turkey or Rice n Herb Stuffed Turkey along with other seasonal bits n pieces like a delicious seasonal Persimmon Salad or Pumpkin Soup. I’ve got lots of ideas throughout the blog though I’m always on the lookout for some new variations of the old reliables and this green bean recipe is definitely a festive idea.

Although I’d love to take credit for this recipe…..I can’t because I saw it in Cooking Light Magazine. They used the dish as a salad but I’ve made it a few times now as a side dish at home. It’s not only delicious but the colours are vibrant and Christmasy yet most of all it’s also healthy.

Enjoy!

RECIPE:
Serves 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2  garlic cloves, minced
3  tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and divided
2  tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
16 large basil leaves (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2  pounds haricots verts
3 tablespoons chopped ready-to-use sun-dried tomatoes

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil and garlic in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine garlic mixture, 1 tablespoon nuts, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and basil in a food processor; pulse until well combined.
Cook beans in boiling water 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain. Place in a large bowl. Add basil mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nuts and tomatoes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Calories:              76
Fat:                       4.9g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:               2.3g
Carbohydrate:    7.6g
Fiber:                  3.3g
Cholesterol:       0.0mg
Iron:                    1.3mg
Sodium:              150mg
Calcium:             40mg

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Ah, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. By now you’re all probably completely and utterly over turkey. I wouldn’t blame you. With the size of turkeys nowadays there’s enough meat on there to feed a whole African village! We began our gorging with the actual turkey which lead into turkey sandwiches the next day and the next. Finally taking off whatever meat is left in order to make stock with the bones, the next obvious step is to make a delicious easy soup with the stock (and if you have turkey still left over–good luck!!)
Here’s how it’s done:

RECIPE:
Serves 4

2 cups leftover turkey – cubed
1 cup carrot- peeled, cubed
1 leek (white only) – sliced 1/4″, washed, drained
1 cup parsnip – peeled, cubed
1 cup white potatoes – peeled, cubed
2 bay leaves
1 quart (4 cups) turkey broth
1 tbsp parsley – chopped
S&P to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

This soup is as easy as opening a can but so much better.
Preheat soup pot for 30 seconds on medium heat. Add 2 tbsps olive oil. Saute leeks for 2 minutes, stirring so as not to brown. Next add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT chopped parsley. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and partially cover with lid.
Cook for 30 minutes or until veg are soft through but not braking apart.

Taste and season and add chopped parsley to garnish.

Booya!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

The countdown to turkey time is on, not to mention the nap that comes after it so I figured I’d give you guys a light healthy salad as well as an option for the veggies who might be headed your way. I’ve been doing a few things with persimmons recently (Persimmon stuffed turkey) since I got them in my CSA box. With my missus being a veggie I thought I’d make her a salad for lunch the last day so this is what the end result was. We grow our own lettuce so I have to say it’s quite cool being able to go out and just pick the lettuce from the back yard. The crunchiness of the persimmons are dynamite here as well and really work well with the other ingredients.

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 large head of butter lettuce, Boston lettuce or any lettuce from your garden as I used
3 medium-size firm but ripe Fuyu persimmons – peeled & diced
1 ripe avocado – peeled & diced
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon shallot – minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tsp agave
1/3 cup olive oil
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Combine vinegar, shallot, agave and mustard in small bowl or food processor. Gradually whisk in oil. Taste and season dressing with S&P.

Place lettuce in large bowl. Sprinkle with persimmons, cheese, nuts and avo. Drizzle champagne vinaigrette over the top and you’ve got yourself one gorgeous delicious Thanksgiving salad!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.