I'm a nutritionist, not a chef!

Goodbye A1...A1 beta casein that is, not the steak sauce.

2011-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

I hit the lottery- my cow share officially begins tomorrow!!! Ruth Ann (she's a heritage breed Golden Guernsey cow) had her baby (Buttercup, I love that name for a baby cow) a few weeks ago and now I get to pick up a jar (glass, yay!) of fresh A2 casein milk each week. I love that my son and I can (and will) say hi to Ruth Ann and Buttercup each week and tour the farm whenever we want. To me this is a dream come true. I love knowing exactly where my food comes from, who grows it and cares for it and especially what my food is eating (cows eat grass...not grains and definitely not SOY or ground up animal parts!) If you suffer from sinus issues, allergies, skin rashes, asthma and a host of other related issues, your dairy might be the culprit. (just Google A2 casein milk) I gave it up for a while, but boy did I miss yogurt, cheese, butter and ice cream. We have been buying fresh, lightly pasteurized local milk awaiting our turn on the long list. Because I noticed some skin and digestive issues with my son when we introduced dairy at age two, I have really limited his consumption to goat yogurt and grass-fed butter. So I really do feel like we hit the lottery. I plan to make cheese, yogurt and in warmer months some ice cream from our fresh milk. Stay tuned....

Mmmm...mushrooms

2011-06-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

SO what will you be serving along side of your grilled steak or burger this summer? How about one of nature's high antioxident, immune boosting, belly satisfying foods. Mushrooms! For years I avoided them like the plague but in my adulthood I have come to love these yummy fungi. They fill you up and are loaded with good nutrition. They make a great side or topping for a meat dish or for those who are vegetarian, they provide a savory meat-like, sink your teeth into substitute.

Here is a basic recipe for a mushroom saute, play with the measurements based on how much you need to serve.

Ingredients:
- EVOO and grass-fed butter
- assorted mushrooms
- some white wine or substitute a tablespoon of white wine vinegar diluted in a little water
- minced garlic to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional
- sea salt and pepper to taste

Add some butter and a little olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Add the wine or substitute and let it cook off for about 1 minute. Turn down the heat and add garlic and cook for one minute. Garnish with parsley, remove from heat and serve.

Super seaweed salads!

2011-05-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Here are two yummy ways to try and incorporate seaweed into your diet. Currently I have a group of ladies from Flow Yoga in Leesburg doing a 7-day raw vegan detox! This is a great way to get a little more "bite" in your days of juices and smoothies. Pictured here is the first salad (sans vegetables, added those later) tossed with some cut up chicken for my two year old- he loves his chicken with "noodles"!

SESAME SEAWEED SALAD
A handful of arame(I have Eden brand)- soak 10 minutes in warm water, drain
Coconut aminos to taste
sesame oil to taste
toasted sesame seeds- just sprinkle as much as you like
squeeze of fresh citrus (I like orange)
diced cucumbers
shredded carrots
any other raw veggie
*optional fresh grated ginger

Use as much of the veggies as you prefer, taste after you add each ingredient.
Enjoy by itself or served over greens.

ARAME SPROUT SALAD
1/2 bag arame- soaked 10-15 minutes and rinsed
1 box sunflower sprouts
add a handful of any other sprouts you want: broccoli, alfalfa etc.
1 large handful mung bean sprouts
1 large tbsp tahini
1 tbsp South River Co. chickpea miso
water (dependent upon how thick you want the sauce)
optional: add a handful of greens

Whisk together tahini, miso and water (if you want a thicker sauce add less water)
Place arame and sprouts in bowl and mix with dressing.

You could also add spirulina to the dressing or sprinkle it on top of the salad!

Enjoy this salad by itself, on dehydrated crackers, wrapped in romaine or collard leaves, wrapped in nori or place it on green salads or sprout salads. It's also yummy with raw fermented sauerkraut.

Sea vegetables are one of nature’s best sources of iodine. Iodine is essential for proper thyroid function. Including seaweed in your diet can relieve menopausal symptoms, help prevent PMS and reduce your risk of breast cancer. Sea vegetables promote optimal health because they are a source of fucans which reduce the body’s inflammatory response. They have antithrombotic activity (ability to inhibit blood clots), are antiviral and may inhibit the development of tumors. Sea vegetables are filled with nutrients including energy-producing iron, bone-building calcium and magnesium, heart-healthy folate and sleep- promoting tryptophan. Sea vegetables are also filled with other vitamins and minerals including Vitamins A, B and K, potassium, iron, phosphorous, manganese, selenium and zinc. Many varieties contain up to 50% soluble fiber, which helps regulate cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Sea Vegetables contain approximately 9 calories per 1⁄4 cup serving so they are an ideal food for weight loss and maintenance. And if you need one final reason to give this super green(ish) stuff a try- how about shiny, glossy hair and clear skin...now who doesn't want that?!

Not Shepherd's Pie

2011-05-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

This recipe came about because I had ground beef that needed to be used so I scoured the pantry, fridge and freezer to see what I could cobble together. I had all the ingredients for a shepherd's pie but didn't quite have the time to make and bake one. So here is my little made up recipe for what I like to call "not shepherd's pie". It was filling and delicious and took about an hour to cook, eat and clean up!

1-2 T of butter
1 lb grass fed ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 carrots, chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 - 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
1 tsp dried thyme, rosemary and/or herbs de provence
1/2 -1 cup red wine
1 T organic tomato paste
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

herb smashed potatoes
3-4 small yukon gold potatoes
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T butter (or to taste)
sea salt to taste

peel and cut up potatoes, boil in a large pot of water until fork tender (about 20 minutes)
meanwhile, melt 1-2 T butter in a large saute pan or dutch oven over medium heat. add onions, carrots, celery and sprinkle with some sea salt. Saute for a few minutes to soften. Add garlic, saute a minute more. Add ground beef, brown. Add peas, dried herbs, tomato paste, wine and more salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low/medium-low for 10 minutes or more to deepen the flavor and reduce the wine to a thick sauce.
back to those potatoes... drain, add butter sea salt and parsley, mash to desired consistency...I like mine a little clumpy lumpy!
Serve potatoes over beef mixture...top with some fresh cracked pepper and finishing salt (course sea salt)
now EAT!

EASY & FAST!!!

2011-03-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

It's primal, it's gluten free, dairy free, grain free and more! Most importantly, it's fast and easy! I was hesitant as I have never cooked such giant steaks before. I had defrosted two giant grass-fed steaks that my husband was supposed to cook last night. Meetings ran late, plans for cooking were canceled and dinner was now going to be at a local restaurant. SO here we are the next night and no husband home, I MUST cook these steaks! I found this recipe and just happened to have a bunch of tomatoes and cilantro that needed to be used- couldn't have found a more perfect recipe for what I had on hand (thank you again epicurious.com)
I know I will definitely make this again, enjoy!
* I used a cast iron skillet and lard instead of olive oil, from the farm of course. The four minutes each side suggestion worked perfectly! Don't forget to let the meat rest before slicing into it. No pics this time, had to serve it super-fast for my super-hungry toddler "mommy, I want steak!" but it plates beautifully if you slice it just right.

Easy Thai Beef

2010-11-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the second time I have made this dish. It was cooked and eaten in under an hour. The first time I made it as is and this time I only had a regular onion (instead of a red one) and I added some broccoli. Both times I eliminated the peppers (I just don't like them) and served it in uncooked cabbage leaves (you could steam them if you prefer). My husband and the baby both loved it as much as I did, I hope you do too!

I am LOVING this!

2010-09-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

this was one banana, a perfect single serving

with organic chocolate syrup...not as yummy

One ingredient ice cream. So easy, so delicious. More delicious then you would think. When you first start the food processor you don't think it's actually going to look like the picture, and then all of the sudden it does. The one change I recommend is that I think you need to freeze the bananas longer than two hours. I added some chocolate syrup on top thinking it would be even more fabulous, but no, it was actually much better on it's own. It's gluten free, grain free, dairy free, egg free and sugar free. But definitely not taste free and very much like eating ice cream. Enjoy!

Lamb Curry

2010-07-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

So this is a dish we make pretty much once a week, I guess that makes it a staple in this house. It's fast, easy, delicious and I pretty much always have all of the ingredients on hand. I buy my ground lamb here, and usually stock up on four or five 1lb packages when I do. If you don't like lamb you can use any other ground meat in this recipe. But I find the flavors of this dish just perfect.
I start with this recipe, only I substitute ghee or coconut oil for the vegetable oil and use some garam masala (a blend of spices you can find in most Indian specialty stores, also in the international section of Wegmans) in place of some of the curry powder. I skip the broth and it still works fine, probably because I am not putting it over rice or sopping up the sauce with some bread. I feel the sweet potato and peas provide plenty of "carb" for this dish, no need for any more. Enjoy!

Worth the work

2010-06-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my slacking...I am working on figuring out how I can video my cooking therefore eliminating one step (the blogging after wards.) As most of my clients know, I am already pushing the clock in the evenings between cooking & cleaning, bath and bed for the toddler, client emails and prepping everything for the next day. Although I help others to balance their lives as my job, I am still working on my own balance, every day. The last two weeks included some delicious lamb burgers (made into a delicious salad for the next two days of lunches) and yummy taco salad! I will post those recipes, but tonight I share the recipe that was made in our house two times in under 24 hours. She is amazing! Gluten free, grain-free in fact and she uses no soy or refined sugars. I am always recommending her website for recipes, especially those looking to bake allergen free, but this recipe was for dinner. The only changes I made were that instead of the chilis, I used a little red pepper flakes. And I did not have arrowroot powder, so I used kudzu root starch which is a sea vegetable and another healthful alternative to corn starch as a thickener. It is a lot of prep; cutting the chicken, napa cabbage, six cloves of garlic, ginger and more...but it was soooo worth it and again, I wound up making it a second time less than 24 hours later. That time I doubled the amount of the chicken, so there would be leftovers for everyone. Oh, and we used chicken thighs instead of breast...much more tender and delicious. If you get your chicken from a farm where they are raised right, the dark meat is where all the flavor and nutrition is!
Make sure you leave a comment for those who give it a try- and like most Chinese food (which this is a spin off of a Chinese dish) it was even delicious cold the next day!

My "go to" easy meals...

2010-04-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

...always seem to start with poached chicken breast these days. Simply because it's easy, I don't have to turn on my oven or really even pay that much attention as I am cooking them (which is good because my eyes are on my ever-discovering, ever-wandering around every drawer and cabinet, toddler!)
So I have promised many of you that I'd post how I poach chicken, and perhaps a few ideas of what to do afterward...so here goes.

I take two boneless skinless FOA chicken breasts, rinse, place them in a large saute pan and cover with water. I will also add some leftover white wine (if it happens to be open in the fridge and needs finishing), lemon juice, garlic (unless I am really crunched for time, then it's organic garlic powder), herbs de Provence, perhaps a bay leaf or two, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and turn off the heat. Set a timer for about 10 minutes (this is trial and error based on number of breasts, thickness, etc...) I then remove the chicken and set on a plate to rest about 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, I cut it up into pieces for my little one to toss with some salad or cooked veggies with sea salt and EVOO. For me and my husband, I typically make chicken salad to put over greens. As of recent I am not using mayo (because of an egg white intolerance) and I have come up with some delicious alternatives. Today I was about to rush out the door, telling myself I would just pick up lunch at the Wine Kitchen but then that little voice said to me "walk your talk!" I knew I had one last chicken breast in the fridge and plenty of things to complete a quick meal. So I took five, yes only five, minutes and made myself a delicious lunch. I chopped the chicken into bite-sized cubes, coarsely chopped some pecans and dried cherries, sprinkled some sunflower seeds, cut up apple, all tossed with a good balsamic vinegar, sea salt, fresh pepper and good EVOO. In another bowl I threw some pre-washed organic spring mix. When it was time for lunch I tossed the chicken mixture with the greens, added a little more sea salt and EVOO and WOW! It was delicious, I just finished and had to write this post. So quick, so last minute, so random and sooooooo yummy!
Don't make the excuse of no time to cook or prepare your own foods...you just have to make a plan, shop for the right ingredients to have on hand and start!

Greens, grains and squash- it sounds delicious!

2010-03-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

I did not make this up, nor did I make it yet. But I can't wait to and I thought I'd share.

Let me know if anyone tries it first.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Quinoa Salad Recipe - Michael Symon | Food & Wine

***Update!
I made it. It was in fact delicious. A few changes, I didn't have delicata squash, so I used acorn squash. I love delicata squash and you can even eat the skin, but acorn is also one of my favorites and worked perfectly with the flavors of this dish. I also didn't have any fresh parsley, didn't miss it. And lastly, I tossed the arugula with a little EVOO and sea salt before plating the dish. It was wonderful!

Unchartered Territory

2010-02-18T18:44:00.000-08:00

I remembered to defrost something last night (a first for this week...it's been a crazy one since getting back to work after all the snow!) And because I have little experience cooking pork tenderloin, I decided to actually use a recipe. Well, my husband recommended I use a recipe (thanks honey, I get the hint.) I did not plan/shop well before the week began so I found a recipe that I already had all the ingredients for. A second dish in less than a week that includes cooked apples and onions, oh well, they do work really well together and it sure saves money on ingredients. I had exactly two apples left! So it's in the oven as I type and I will be done with the dishes before the timer goes off. It was fast, easy and smells delicious (I'll have to update once I actually taste the dish.)
So here is the recipe. For those who have never seared meat or cooked pork tenderloin, neither had I and voila! I did it and so can you.
Enjoy!

***update
The pork was cooked perfectly, a gentle pink in the middle and not dry at all (as some pork dishes can be.) My husband, the baby and I all enjoyed it. Highly recommended!

Monday Night Chicken

2010-02-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

Chicken with Onions & Apples
Fast, easy, completely made up (I'll do my best to recreate) and delicious!
You'll need the following...
2 boneless/skinless split chicken breasts, sliced into strips (whatever size you like)
1 can coconut milk
1-2 onions (depending on how much you are cooking, I'd say 1 onion per 2 people)
1-2 apples (peeled, cored and diced)
garam masala * or can simply use the spices that follow
cinnamon
corriander
cayanne
cumin
sea salt
ghee or coconut oil
Directions:
Coat chicken pieces in garam masala or a combination of spices
Heat oil in large pot on medium to medium/low heat (I used a Le Creuset cast iron oval french oven)
Cook onion and apples until tender (around 5-10 minutes) adding a few more spinkles of spices and salt.
Remove mixture from pot.
Add a little more oil/ghee to pot if necessary and add chicken, cook a few minutes until mostly done.
Add back in the onions and apples and 1 can of coconut milk.
Cook on medium to medium/low until chicken pieces are cooked through and sauce reduces and thickens a bit.
Serve alone or over some brown basmati rice.
I wish I had taken a picture but alas, it was gone to quickly!
The baby, my husband and I all enjoyed for dinner that evening and lunch the following day. I didn't even heat it up!

Steak and Eggs

2010-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Well, Korean steak and eggs to be precise. My husband made a delicious and different dinner on this snowed in Saturday night. I know this blog is about easy dinners I made, but I must share his recipe. It looked easy enough from my seat in the kitchen.
Ingredients:
2 chopped scallions
2 chopped shallots
coconut oil
2 cups cooked brown rice (ensure the rice is dry before you stir fry)
1 1/2- 2 cups Kim Chee chopped fine
2 Tbsp mirin
1 flank or skirt steak (ours was a grass-fed flank from Fields of Athenry)
Ghee or lard (we used pork lard we picked up from a farm market)
course sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1 egg per person
butter or ghee
Directions:
Rub steak with sea salt, pepper and set aside.
For the rice...
Saute scallions and shallots in coconut oil. Add cooked rice, stir for a minute or two. Then add Kim Chee and again, stir for a minute or two. Finally add mirin and scrape down the rice sticking to the pan.
In a hot cast iron skillet heat oil or lard and add steak. Cook until desired doneness and let rest before slicing. Be sure to slice across the grain of the steak.
In the hot skillet drop a bit of butter and fry an egg right on top of sizzling butter.
Plate the rice, then the sliced steak and top with the fried egg. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top and viola, a warm and filling meal for a cold wintery night.

Lentil Soup

2010-02-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful and hearty soup that has sustained the whole family (baby included) for the past three days (and two nights.) Great for the winter weather this soup includes protein (from the lentils) and plenty of nutrients from the vegetables and the turkey stock.

Ingredients:
1 c. red or green lentils
4-5 c. water, broth or a combination
(I used 2 cups homemade Turkey stock, frozen from my Thanksgiving turkey and 2 or so cups of water)
1 5" (spprox.) strip of Kombu (it's a seaweed, find at your local health food store, Whole Foods or MOM's)
a variety of chopped vegetables, use what you like.
I used...
celery (a few spears)
onions (1 large)
garlic (2-3 cloves, finely minced)
carrots (2-3)
parsnips (1-2)
brown button mushrooms (1 pint)
1 zucchini
chopped lucinda kale
1 can of organic diced tomatoes (I used the juice as well)
a splash of apple cider vinegar
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
cumin (1-2 tsp.)
a dash of cayenne (or to taste)
1-2 bay leaves
Any other fresh/dried herbs you enjoy

Cook lentils in water/broth according to directions with a strip of Kombu in the pot as well.
Add vegetables and cook until they are done to your liking.
Remove strip of kombu and bay leaves.
I like to add a swirl of EVOO and some coarse sea salt upon serving.
Enjoy!

Fish in a Flash

2009-11-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

SO I went from never cooking fish, to almost never cooking fish, to rarely cooking fish, to fish twice a week. I never used to even like fish...until I really tried. Little bites here and there and eventually I grew to enjoy certain fish. There are a lot of mild fishes out there for beginners. I like halibut, cod, mahi mahi and haddock. Salmon is still not my favorite (I'm a nutritionist, I KNOW it's good for me!) but I will have it on occasion with the right sauce. I choose to cook fish tonight simply because tomorrow is Thanksgiving (i.e. lot's of rich foods, and basically lots of food!) So in a pinch (nothing was defrosted) I ran into Target, yes Target, and bought some frozen wild-caught mahi mahi filets. They defrost in 20 minutes, or while you are bathing your baby and getting him to bed. Out of the package, a quick rinse, pat dry and here goes the rest...

Preheat broiler with rack placed so fish will be 6-8 inches from heat*

Ingredients:
Wild caught mahi mahi filets (or any other wild mild fish you choose)
EVOO
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
herbs de Provence
zest and juice from half a lemon
Kale, washed in hot water, torn in pieces with stems removed
toasted pine nuts
a good aged parmesan cheese

Brush pan or foil with a little EVOO, place filets on pan also brushing with a little EVOO (I used my fingers, few utensils to clean)
sprinkle each filet with salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and herbs
broil 12-14 minutes or according to package

While the fish is broiling, wash and tear kale. Dry in a salad spinner or by hand.
Toast pine nuts over med/low heat being very careful not to burn (keep moving them around, they will burn very quickly.)
Shave pieces of parmesan, set aside for final plating.

In a bowl, toss the washed and dried kale leaves, EVOO, some lemon juice and lemon zest, salt and a little pepper.
Plate the kale leaves and top with a few pine nuts and some cheese shavings.
Slide next to that a piece of fish, garnish with a little more lemon zest and Viola! Dinner in 30 minutes or less.

*I used aluminum foil on my broil pan for a fast and easy clean up.

From start to finish this dinner took me less than an hour to cook, eat and then clean up.

Delicata delight

2009-11-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had a few friends over for some healthy Saturday night cookin'. Now I have tasted and cooked many seasonal squash (again, ask me a few years ago and I would've said I didn't like any squash) but that night I was trying a "new to me" squash that had showed up in my CSA box that week...the delicata. What I learned from one of my friends was that this is one winter squash that you can eat the skin- and boy is it delicious! It's actually an heirloom variety of squash that has only recently come back into the culinary world. For the first time trying the delicata, we simply sliced in half lengthwise, baked in a glass baking dish, flesh side down in about 1 cm of water (400 degrees, 30-45 minutes) removed from oven, topped with butter and sea salt and WOW, a perfect snack or side. I've been hooked on them ever since, always picking up a few each trip to the market. Pictured here is a last minute dinner idea using what I had on hand. I am changing the recipe from what I actually did, the chicken pieces and the onion needed to be chopped smaller. I chose boneless/skinless chicken breast from Fields of Athenry (my favorite source for chicken!) and... read below...
Chicken Delicata Delight
2 servings, with leftovers
Ingredients:
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch strips/pieces
butter
1 sweet onion (chopped small)
2 delicata squash (halved and seeds removed)
1 apple (peeled and cut into small pieces)
water or chicken broth
cumin
coriander
cinnamon
cayenne
sea salt
fresh pepper
honey* optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place squash halves flesh side down in a baking dish with about 1 cm of water and bake until a fork pierces the flesh easily (about 30-45 minutes)
While squash is baking...
Heat onions in butter in a large sauté pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and cook on low until they caramelize.
Once onions are a gooey brown, remove from pan and set aside.
Add more butter if necessary and cook chicken pieces thoroughly.
add cooked onions, chopped apple pieces, spices, honey (optional, I just used a little drizzle) cook a few minutes to let the spices soak in.
Then add enough water to create a sauce but not a soup (approx. 1 cm in pan).
Simmer liquid down until it reduces by half and the apples are tender.
Spoon chicken mixture into baked squash halves and enjoy!

Friday Night Fish

2009-11-21T07:46:00.001-08:00

Haddock and Asparagus with Caper/Lemon/Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
Haddock (or any other mild white fish such as halibut, cod, etc...)
Lemon juice (fresh if you have it)
Capers
Asparagus
Organic Butter
Cold Pressed EVOO
Sea salt
Fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 375
Rinse fish and pat dry.
Place in glass baking dish lined with parchment paper (I did this for faster clean up!)
drizzle EVOO and lemon juice over fish, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh pepper.
Bake until done (depends on how much fish, my 2 filets took around 10 minutes, just watch and poke for doneness)
While fish is baking heat 1T butter with a little EVOO over medium/low heat, toss in asparagus. Sprinkle with sea salt and continue to toss every few minutes until i has reached your desired doneness, I like it with a little crisp bite.) Remove asparagus from pan just before it has come to the bite you enjoy (I like it still a little crisp) This is done because it will continue to cook even when removed from heat. Add 2 more T of butter to pan, 1-2 tsp of lemon juice, 1-2 tsp of capers and some fresh pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for a minute or two. I plated the fish over a few asparagus spears and then spooned over the caper sauce...delish!