Chicken Schwarma + Coconut Basmati + Cucumber Salad + Cauliflower Chickpea Curry

Here's a meal that you cannot forget. You know the ones... they stick with you. The smells, the textures, the memories. It has all the qualities of warmth, love, nostalgia even. It may just for me because it does remind me of my time of living overseas in Israel. It also reminds me of friends I have eaten it with. It is the kind of meal that you make for a crowd and sit around the table for hours and laugh and tell stories. So I shared this meal with a group of lovely women I cooked for at the most recent Women's Wellness Retreat. I got to share a piece of my story and my heart with these beautiful brave women. And now, I am sharing this meal with you. I hope you give a try and recreate this same nourishing and loving meal for all of your people.  It is the kind of meal that offers space for CONNECTION, LOVE and a shared LIFE together. ENJOY!

Chicken Schwarma Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, sugar and nut-free}

2-3 pounds of chicken thighs (I search down local, organic or all-natural meat for cooking)
2-3 TB of olive oil
2 fresh lemons-squeezed for 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
2-3 fresh garlic cloves finely minced
1-2 ts. of sea salt
1 ts. of ground black pepper
1 ts. of ground cumin
1 ts. of ground coriander
1 ts. of ground turmeric
1 ts. of ground paprika
1 ts. of ground cardamon
1/2 ts. of ground cloves
1/2 ts. of ground cinnamon
1/4 ts. of cayenne pepper

In a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish spread out the raw chicken thighs, drizzle some olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkle all the spices and salt and pepper over. Then use a fork or your hands to massage the spices into the meat. Then cover with foil and let it chill in the fridge over night or at least for an hour. Then bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes covered and 15-20 minutes uncovered until it is fully cooked. Let cool for a minute and then you can either serve as is or slice each piece into a few pieces and make it more easy to serve on rice or pita.

The meat is super flavorful, juicy, tender and full of goodness. I like how it has it's own sauce and can be easily put over rice, lettuce, in pita or on a flat bread. A flawless chicken dish!

Cucumber Salad or Israeli Salad
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, sugar and nut-free}
4 English cucumbers, sliced, quartered and halved again (1/8th of a circle piece)
2-4 small campari, cherry or Roma tomatoes (basically need 1/2 cup of tomatoes, diced)
1/3 cup of finely chopped onion, I used red onion for this recipe
1/2 cup of fresh finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup of fresh finely chopped mint
2 lemons squeezed for juice (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup of olive oil
big pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper

Chop all of the above in a large bowl and drizzle in the lemon and olive oil and herbs and viola, it is that easy. You can add more or less of all of the ingredients depending on what you got on hand or growing fresh or your preferences. It is a simple, but absolutely perfect salad. Crisp and cooling- delicious!

I make this curry recipe as a meat-alternative to this meal, but also it is good all mixed in with the meat and over the rice because it not only has all of the same spices but add textures and flavors you can not plan more perfectly! The recipe is here- Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry, but I will also put it below just to have them all in the same place :)


Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, and sugar-free, vegan if you use vegetable stock}

2 TB of avocado oil for sauteing
1 large onion finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves finely minced
1-2 TB of finely grated fresh ginger*
1-2 TB of finely grated fresh turmeric*

2 cups of raw washed, cut into bite sized pieces, cauliflower
2 cups of pealed and cut and cubed pieces of sweet potato

1 14 ounce can of diced organic tomatoes
1 can of full-fat coconut milk
2-3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1 14 ounce can of organic pre-cooked garbanzo beans
1 ts. of curry powder
1 ts. of ground paprika
1 ts. of ground cumin
1 ts. of ground coriander
1/2 ts. of ground cinnamon
pinch of cayenne
pinch of cloves
1 ts. of sea salt
hearty pinch of fresh ground black pepper
optional: 1-2 TB of tahini, or a nut butter like almond or peanut for extra thickness and flavor

2 cups of fresh finely chopped greens (spinach, kale or chard)
handful of fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 cup of raisins (I like a mix with golden raisins included ;)

for serving:
serve over prepared basmati or jasmine rice (or quinoa)
limes juice and wedges
sprinkle of fresh cilantro or parsley

In a large pot, saute the onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger with the oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, when it cooks down, add in the bite-sized cauliflower, sweet potato and spices and cook for another 5 minutes, then add in the coconut milk, tomatoes, beans and broth. Let cook, bubbling and covered for 15- 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the broth reduced. Then add in the raisins, fresh greens and herbs and let those get soft. It is ready for serving now, or you can turn off the heat and let it sit and cool a bit and thicken up. Then serve with prepared basmati rice. With a slice of lime and a sprinkle of some fresh herbs too. 

*If you do not have access to fresh ginger or turmeric root, then you can for sure used dried spices. I would start at 1 ts. each and add in more if you desire a little more punch...

And lastly I will give my instructions for the BEST coconut oil infused basmati rice and the steps to make it flawless each and every time!

Coconut Basmati Rice 
{gluten, dairy, egg, nut, seed and soy-free}

2 TB of coconut oil
3 cups of basmati rice
6 cups of pure water
hearty pinch of sea salt

So this recipe depends on how much rice you want to make I would suggest to make at least 6 cups of cooked rice for 4 people- so that would be about 3 cups of dry rice. You can make more or less of that amount. The key is to always have double the water for the amount of rice you have. 

So first step is to melt coconut oil in a medium to large pot. Once the oil is melted over the heat, add in the dry rice and let it toast and saute for a few minutes. It will start to give off an amazing aroma and you will look to see it has almost changed it color to look more toasted. Then add in all the water and the hearty pinch of sea salt and cover. Let the water come to a boil and then turn off the heat to a low simmer. You will have to watch this so that the water does not overflow. Once you start the simmer it will cook for about 10-15 minutes and will start to soak up all the water and you will see little poke holes formed. When you see this- turn off the heat and let it continue its cook in the pot, covered but no more flame. In about 10 minutes it will be ready to removed the cover and fluff up. It will be just about PERFECT- not too sticky or wet! and the subtle sweetness from the coconut oil and sea salt is just the perfect touch for any curry dish!

Layer all of the above recipes to create the most perfect of meals! I hope you recreate this lovely meal and share in CONNECTION, LOVE and LIFE.

Much love as always, xoxo

Fresh Heirloom Salsa

Hey loves, I know it's supposed to be the 'first of fall' everything this week, but the weather is forcasted to be one of the hottest weeks of the summer (haha!),  well of what is left of summer. The forecast is upper 80's and even maybe 90's for the rest of the week. Soooooo my hopes of making some soups, stews and fall comfort food just doesn't seem appetizing anymore. And I don't feel like standing over a steaming pot in the steaming heat either! So, I re-worked the food plan for this week and made simple ingredients to basically make your own grain/salad/protein bowls. Kinda like the Abundance Bowls idea. They are easy, can please many types, and can be easy pull-out of the fridge and warm-up (or not) kind of food. So perfect for a busy and hot week of September!

So I made some baked chicken nuggets for the kids, turkey meatballs and even some BBQ beef too. I also made a large batch of smoky cumin and paprika kidney and black beans dish and a large batch of basmati rice. Basically make yourself a batch of a grain (rice, quinoa, millet, ect..) and a batch of meat protein, and a batch of legume protein and then chop up all the fresh veggies and herbs you got (basil, cilantro, lettuce, kale, ect)  and roast or saute some other veggies you got (beets, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes) and then layer it up and drizzle with dressings or salsa.

That is why this recipe came into play.  Last weekend at the farmer's market, I picked up a few pounds of heirloom tomatoes and some cute and spicy peppers. And that basically the base of any good garden blender salsa... so here's my recipe, and it's super wonderful this time of year while the tomatoes are absolute perfection! My bowl that included this salsa was a scoop of rice, meat, beans, lettuce, suated zucchini, cilantro, avocado, and this salsa- so basically a taco bowl, but you could add in and out what you got and what sounds good. It's my version of fast food ;) And now for the easy peasy wonderful fresh salsa...

Fresh Heirloom Salsa Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, seed and nut-free}

1-2 pounds of a mix of fresh heirloom tomatoes
(I choose a yellow, red, orange and green variety to add to my mixture...)
I like to add in the yellow and orange because they are less acidic and help balance it out
I usually just cut out the tops if they are overly tough or dried out

2 small jalapeno peppers (or you can use any favorite heirloom hot pepper)
If you are not into too much heat, then use a knife to cut and scrape out the seeds and do not use the seeds in the salsa. If you enjoy a little spice then I would just chop off the tops and throw in the pepper. If you use one large pepper- then you will want to chop up before you put in the blender to help it blend more evenly.

1 small sweet onion, roughly chopped

2 ts of ground dried garlic powder
2 ts. of sea salt
1/2 cup of coconut palm sugar
1-2 cups of fresh chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime squeezed
1 lemon squeezed

Put all of the above in a blender and blend well until thick and all equally chopped.

Serve over a taco bowl, salad, grain bowl, or just eat by the gallon-full with your favorite tortilla chips and guac. I don't eat corn, so my absolute favorite chip is the Beanfield's White or Black Bean chips with this salsa. These chips are my chip of choice!!! I could eat these every day :)

Hope you give it a try- Hope you eat and enjoy this beautiful food that can nourish you and show your body love. Enjoy and MUCH love to you as always, xoxo

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower with Dairy Free Ranch

Everyone needs a fun and easy app recipe in their back pocket when it comes to summer gatherings and picnic parties and such. I love the vibrant color and flavors of this dish and is a crowd-pleaser among most foodies :)

This recipe was inspired by Against All Grain's buffalo chicken wings and dairy free ranch. But I wanted to make a few substitutions- one of them being to make the "wings" out of cauliflower and not chicken :) And the other way using a vegan mayo so that it didn't have any eggs in it, so my following recipes reflect those options.

I made this appetizer for a gathering recently and explained how simply I made it because because I used a few already prepared sauces and spreads to make it easy. If I have some extra time up my sleeve in a month or so when eggplant and peppers come into season- I am going to make a spread of my own out of roasted eggplant and peppers. But the Trader Joe's spread is a great option and is made with clean ingredients and easy to use in a variety of ways. Check it out!

 

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, seed, nut, soy and refined-sugar-free}

1 large head of fresh cauliflower washed, and chopped up in easy to pick up pieces
1/3 cup of avocado (or olive) oil
1/2 cup of Trader Joe's Red Pepper Spread with eggplant and garlic
1 TB of apple cider vinegar
1 TB of maple syrup or honey
1 lemon squeezed and drizzled over
1/2 ts. of ground paprika
1/2 ts. of dried granulated garlic
1 ts. of sea salt
black pepper to taste

optional to make it spicy hot:
1 TB Arizona Pepper's Organic Harvest Hot Sauce 

Wash and chop the cauliflower and let it dry weel. Then in a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredeitns with the cauliflower and make sure each piece is spread well with the mixture. Then spread out each piece of cauliflower on a parchment papered baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until the pieces get a bit soft and crispy. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and put on your serving dish ready to serve. Serve with hot sauce on the side and fresh celery sticks and some of the dairy-free ranch dip below....


Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing or Dip Recipe
{gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut, seed, and refined -sugar-free}

1 cup Hampton Creek Just Mayo
1/2 cup coconut milk beverage
1/2 cup of fresh parsley leaves
1/2 ts. of dried chives (you can use fresh (1 TB) if you got it)
1/2 ts. of dried dill (you can use fresh (1 TB) if you got it)
1 ts. of dried Italian herb blend
1/2 -1 ts. of sea salt
1/4- 1/2 ts. of crack black pepper
1 ts. of dried garlic
1/2 ts. of dried onion
1 lemon juiced (1/4 cup) add some of the zest if you want


In a high powered blender, mix up the above ingredients for a few pulses, being carful to not overly blend so that the parley stays just finely chopped. Pour into a Ball jar and have it ready to dip veggies, cauliflower wings, and pour over salads. 

There you have it- I hope you give it a try if you are looking for a new fun appetizer!