Four More One Pot Wonder Dinners

I am making an exception to our "Wordless Wednesdays."  I have too many recipes to share with you, and I need to honor someone extra close to my heart...

Yesterday was my son Austin's first birthday!  I am in awe of our little man each and every day as he is growing up and learning so quickly.  Year one has been filled with SO MANY great laughs, hugs, snuggles, and joyful memories.  I am so grateful that God gave us this bright, healthy, spunky little boy.  Happy birthday Austin!

We celebrated with a simple Advanced Plan vanilla cupcake, recipe found in my Kids Birthday Party e-book.  The frosting is whipped avocado with powdered xylitol (for Austin's cupcake I used powdered sugar, because babies cannot digest sugar alcohols).  Sunday is Austin's big 1st birthday party!  I'm excited to show you the little crafts and new recipes I have been working on for his celebration.  It's going to be a fun day, I can't wait!  I'll give you a recap next week! :)


More Quick Meals Using Spice Mixes

I have more yummy and QUICK dinner recipes to share that use the spice mix ingredients from our Spice Mix Party last month.  I'm only sharing my top favorites.  There were some dishes that didn't make the cut, so please try the ones I'm including below and in yesterday's post.  They are winners!  They're now topping my go-to list!

Summer Squash Dressing
ADVANCED PLAN 
Makes 6 Servings

2 cups organic yellow or green zucchini/squash, diced
2 cups crumbled coconut bread
1/2 cup coconut oil or raw butter, melted
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups cream of mushroom soup
2 eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup organic unsweetened almond milk
Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish.  In a large bowl, stir together the squash, coconut bread, coconut oil, sage, garlic, cream of mushroom soup, egg, onion, almond milk, sea salt and black pepper.  Transfer to prepared baking dish.  Bake for 40 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Ranch Parmesan Chicken
CORE PLAN
Makes 6 Servings

6 free-range skinless chicken breasts (bone-in is okay)
1/2 cup organic sour cream
1/2 cup Healing Cuisine Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp homemade ranch dressing mix
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup raw Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp season salt (salt-free and MSG-free)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Wash and dry chicken breasts.  In a large bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing mix.  Add the chicken breasts and use your hands to coat the chicken in the ranch dressing.  Marinade chicken breasts in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a glass 9x13 inch pan and set aside.  In a separate 9x13 inch pan, combine almond meal, Parmesan cheese, season salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.  Dip marinaded chicken (remove any extra dressing) in the almond crumb mixture, covering both sides evenly.  Place crumb covered chicken in greased glass baking dish.  Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake for another 15 minutes,  until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F and almond crust is lightly browned.  We serve with steamed broccoli or roasted veggies.  P.S., this recipe also makes great chicken strips!

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken
ADVANCED PLAN
Makes 6 Servings

6 chicken breasts (bone-in is okay, you can slice or cube the raw chicken, too)
3 Tbsp homemade Italian dressing mix
8 oz organic cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups cream of mushroom soup
2 Tbsp garlic powder

Add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook on Low for 4-6 hours.  If sauce is too thick, thin it with a little vegetable broth or almond milk.  We served over spiral brown rice noodles, but I'd like it with zucchini noodles as well.

Beef Stroganoff
ADVANCED PLAN
Makes 4 Servings

1 1/2 lbs 100% grass fed top sirloin steak strips OR ground beef
4 Tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 Tbsp homemade dry onion soup mix
2 Tbsp organic tomato paste
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
2 cups organic sodium-free beef stock
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

In a skillet, heat the coconut oil over Medium-High heat.  Add the mushrooms and onion.  Saute until slightly softened and browned.  Remove to a plate.  Brown ground beef until no longer pink.  Return onion and mushrooms to pan.  Stir in garlic, dry onion soup mix, and tomato paste.  Reduce heat to Medium.  Sprinkle arrowroot powder over meat mixture and stir to combine until arrowroot is completely mixed in.  Add beef stock and  coconut milk, stirring thoroughly.  Sauce will begin to thicken as it comes to a simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool before spooning onto plates.  We serve over cooked smashed cauliflower, zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice or roasted spaghetti squash.

Reworked: Mediterranean Salmon-Quinoa Salad

Last night, my husband and I had a booth at a local Family Fun Festival where we put on our "Dr. Dave" and "Health Expert Elise" hats and greeted families in our community to create awareness for our wellness clinic.  A lovely couple, who as it turned out belong to our church (such a small world!), came over to say hello and tell me they are Healing Cuisine followers and their favorite recipe is my Mediterranean Chicken-Quinoa Salad.  I told them that is on the top 10 favorites list in our home, too.  And as I told them this suggestion to "rework" the recipe for a little something new, it reminded me I still needed to share it with all of you.  Introducing the One Pot Wonder:

Mediterranean Salmon-Quinoa Salad
Makes 4 Servings

1 cup dry white quinoa, rinsed
2 cups sodium-free vegetable stock
3 5-oz cans wild caught Alaskan salmon, drained and picked for bones
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3/4 cup organic sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup organic artichoke hearts, diced
1/3 cup organic capers, drained
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

1.)  Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a large pot.  Add rinsed quinoa to boiling stock.  Lower heat and cover at a simmer.  Let cook for about 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.

2.)  Remove from heat.  Fluff with a fork.  In a large bowl, add quinoa, salmon, onion, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke, and capers.

3.)  In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, sea salt, and pepper.  Pour over quinoa mixture and toss to coat.  Serve warm or cold.

I like to top my plate as the picture shows above: a few dashes of hot sauce (my favorite flavor is Shoot That's Hot!), a couple hefty pinches of nutritional yeast, grated Parmesan cheese, and half an avocado.  SO GOOD!  Enjoy this rework!

Product Review: Coconut Secret + Guest Recipe

Within the Maximized Living eating style, we strive to eat as cleanly as possible.  We make substitutions where needed, by cutting out food ingredients that will make us sick or make us fat, and replace with the most whole food alternative that will allow our bodies to thrive (e.g. stevia for sugar, coconut/almond flour for all purpose flour, fruits/veggies for food dyes, spiralized zucchini for pasta...).

Another area of substitution is soy.  The problem with soy-anything really is that most all of it throughout the world has been so tampered with by Man that it is very hard to find non-GMO soy and soy products.  On top of that, too much soy in our diet (and where isn't it in packaged foods these days?) can cause an overload of estrogen in the body for both men and women.  The body reads soy as a form of estrogen, and too much can throw your endocrine system into a downward spiral.

Whether you are part of Healing Cuisine because you are in the Maximized Living family, a raw foodie, gluten free eater, or simply interested in eating healthier, you should set a goal to limit, and optimally eliminate, soy consumption.  I have found a product from the company Coconut Secret to help us with the burden of soy.  Their product Raw Coconut Aminos is my new favorite and most trusted alternative to soy sauce!

In my kitchen, ever since Coconut Secret sent me a bottle of their Coconut Aminos to sample, it has replaced my Bragg's brand Liquid Aminos completely!  Two reasons for this:

1.)  Bragg's Liquid Aminos still come from soy.  Personally, I battled endocrine disruption in my body (what I think was PCOS but never had it "diagnosed" in a hospital, and infertility), so I avoid soy at all costs to not undo the hard work my body went through to get healthy again.  Bragg's Aminos was the only soy product left in our house, and while it is certified non-GMO and fermented, it still comes from soy.  I feel safer, personally, using the Coconut Aminos because the amino acids are fermented from organic coconut instead of soybeans.   

2.)  Coconut Aminos taste 10x better than Bragg's.  This is my personal opinion, so definitely come back and comment below letting me know what you all think after trying Coconut Aminos!  I didn't mind the taste of Bragg's too much, but did notice it had a super salty taste compared to traditional soy sauce.  I often had to water it down or use much less, which made it harder for me to perfect recipes to share with you!  I like the rich taste of the Coconut Aminos soooo much more!  It's not as salty and tastes very close to what I remember soy sauce tasting like.  And the proof is in the bottle!  Coconut Aminos has about 30% less sodium content than Braggs Aminos (113mg per teaspoon Coconut Secret to 160 mg per teaspoon Braggs).  In Bragg's brand, the sodium forms naturally through the fermentation process of the soy, and Coconut Secret adds sea salt, but either way it's a lot of sodium to be adding to one meal.  The less the better!  Also, Coconut Aminos are certified organic, raw, gluten-free, contain 17 of the essential amino acids, mineral rich, dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan, Advanced Plan friendly, and as I just said, soy-free.

I use these Coconut Aminos on everything -- stir fry, kale chips, zucchini noodles, meat marinade, soups and stews, salads, and anything savory that needs a little notch up in flavor.  Give it a try in your next recipe.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!  You can find Coconut Secret's Coconut Aminos at your local health food store, co-op, Whole Foods, by searching their database for a store near you, or on Amazon.com.

Here is a recipe from my friend Kim T. that I love to use the Coconut Aminos in.  She shared this frugal and nutritious side dish with me many months ago, and I have been saving it to share with my review of this product.  The recipe is called Broccoli Coins, and it is made from slicing the stalks of fresh broccoli into coin shapes.  Never waste the most nutritious part of the broccoli again!

Broccoli Coins
Makes 4 Servings

6 fresh broccoli stalks, florets removed
filtered water
ice
1-2 tsp Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos
1/3 cup raw hemp seeds
2 Tbsp raw sesame seeds
1/4 tsp pure liquid stevia (optional)

1.)  Fill a large pot with filtered water and bring to a boil.  With a vegetable peeler, peel the tough outer edge of the broccoli stems away.  Slice the broccoli stems into coins, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

2.)  Add the broccoli coins into the boiling water.  Boil for 3-5 minutes, just blanching to take away the raw taste.  Dump into strainer, draining the boiling water.  Then immediately submerge the strainer of broccoli coins into a bowl of ice water (to stop the cooking and leave nutrients intact).

3.)  Once cool, transfer to serving bowl and toss with Coconut Aminos, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds.  If you think it is too bitter, you can add  1/4 tsp stevia.  Serve cold or room temp.


You can find all products offered by Coconut Secret here at their website.  I hope you enjoy this new healthy find!