Chicken & Pesto Rice

Chicken & Pesto Rice - 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
5 or 6 chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
salt and pepper
coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground oregano
5 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 1/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock or water
3-4 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 cup pesto 
3 cups rice
fresh Italian parsley, minced  and Kalmata olives for garish

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2.  Make your own pesto: I do not use exact measurements, but just dump and pour till the texture is right. Start with: (food process together: 3-4 cups fresh basil, 2 T olive oil, juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup tahini, 1/2 t salt) Add more olive oil or tahini if it is not runny enough, taste if you need more salt)
3.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Use Dutch oven, warm 1 Tb coconut oil. Brown chicken (7-8 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate and wipe the pan.
4.  In the same Dutch oven or pot on medium heat, warm 1 Tb coconut oil. Cook onion, red bell pepper, oregano  red pepper flakes for about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cooking wine and cook together for 1 minute. Add browned chicken, stock/water, tomatoes and pesto. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, covered.
5.  Add rice, salt and pepper then bring to a simmer. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Stirring halfway. (If you use brown rice it may take 40-50 minutes.) Let stand 10 minutes.
6.  Serve with parsley sprinkled on top. Garnish with Kalmata olives if desired. 

Kefta

(pre-cooked...a mini muffin pan makes meatballs easy)

ingredients:
1 lb ground beef/lamb
1 medium red onion - chopped very fine
2 t paprika
1 t cumin
1 t turmeric
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/8 t cayenne
1 t ground coriander
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t dried mint leaves* or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped
1 t dried parsley * or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped

directions:
Mix everything together.
Make into patties and grill or bake as meatballs (bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes)

Delicious with Tahini Sauce 

Black Bean and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients 

(These are approximate amounts...the recipe is still good if you have more/less of an ingredient)

1-2 Avocados, chopped

1 can shoepeg or sweet corn, drained (16 or 14 oz)

1 (16 oz) can or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1/2 bell pepper (red and/or green) chopped

3 green onions, chopped (optional)

2-3 Tb olive oil

1 Tb red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together: oil, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour dressing over and stir together. 

Sweet Chili Hummus

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup cooked chick peas (from dry beans or from a can)

1/4 to 1/2 cup tahini 

1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of one lemon or from concentrate)

1/4 cup water

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3/4 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp. sea salt

1 to 2 T sweet garlic chili sauce plus 1 tsp for drizzle (use something like: Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together in a high powered blender or food processor till smooth.Then drizzle with an additional tsp of chili sauce

Tex Mex Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef *grass fed if possible

2 T ground flax seed, ground *a coffee grinder works great to grind flax seeds

1 carrot or beet, grated
1 recipe of chorizo seasoning 

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Put into the refrigerator for 4-24 hours (Don't exceed 24 hours). The more time the meat sits in the seasoning refrigerated before cooking the more flavorful the meat will be!

Roll into balls and place a baking sheet with sides. Or use my favorite method...a mini muffin pan. Just plop the meat mixture into the muffin tin.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes....whenever they are done.

*Sometime I put a dab of ketchup on top of each meatball before baking for a "mini meatloaf" effect.

Green Rice

Inspired by: Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook - Recipe from the Mexican Region: Morelos

Ingredients:
2 cups long grain white rice (or brown rice)
5 oz fresh spinach (It will work with less if you don't have this much! This is a great way to use spinach that is close to going bad.)
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 T chopped onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup water
2 T oil
3 cups hot water
salt

Directions:
1.  Soak the rice for 5 minutes in warm water, rinse well and drain.
2.  Rinse the spinach well, place in a saucepan with no added water, cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to blender, add cilantro, onion, garlic and 1/2 cup water and puree. Set aside.
3.  Heat the oil in a skillet, add rice and saute for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When the grains begin to separate, remove from heat and drain off excess oil. Add the spinach-cilantro puree to the skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Add the hot water and salt to taste. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or till rice is tender. (It will take longer if you use brown rice.)

Baked Kale Chips

Tried this for the first time today. Everyone loved them...even the 2 year old!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale, cleaned and roughly chopped *also works well with kohlrabi or broccoli greens

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

about 1/4 tsp salt

about 1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.  Place kale on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper if you want). Drizzle oil over kale, sprinkle with garlic and salt. Mix together and bake for 10-15 minutes till crispy.