OhYaGood

Whole Food Lover + Recipe Hacker

Sweet Potato Chicken

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Sweet Potato ChickenHello again!! My apologies for the lack of content over here these last few weeks. I’ve done a lot of cooking and baking but most of my recipes were flat and uninteresting. On thing I didn’t expect once I started a blog is just because I’m trying new recipes, doesn’t mean they are always going to work and when they don’t, you really want to just make stuff that you KNOW works. So my meatloaf, bolognese and broccoli all went into heavy rotation. Leaving less time for new rocking recipes.

This recipe is a modification on one I’ve been making for years. It’s a real simple recipes that I made with Mexican flavors of cumin, cilantro and lime. I know it’s not rocket science but I was happy with the results and my family enjoyed it too. More to come soon. Promise.

Sweet Potato Chicken
 
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Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 6 chicken thighs or 1.5 lbs of chicken
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 onion, cut into 1-in wedges
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • ½ teaspoon of lime zest
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • salt and pepper
  • (optional) a pinch of ground coriander
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400ºF
  2. Arrange thighs, sweet potatoes and onion in a large baking dish
  3. Drizzle with olive oil & syrup
  4. Add cumin, zest, coriander, salt and pepper to taste and stir to coat chicken
  5. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once half way
  6. Let rest for 5-10 minutes
  7. Garnish with cilantro leaves

 

Taco Salad

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Taco_SaladRemember when Taco Salads were considered the Big Mac of salads. Loaded with unhealthy ingredients fooling you into thinking you were eating something healthy because it was a salad. Yeah, I’m all for that. Why not really? You’re still eating vegetables whilst consuming the fats. It’s better than eating a burrito or sandwich in my opinion. So this version is my indulgent vegan salad. I can’t do cheese or sour cream obviously so why not load it up with stuff I can eat that’s not necessarily good for me. Insert- corn chips. A very under appreciated chip. They are so good and crunchy and really only three ingredients. Corn, oil and salt. I still haven’t reintroduced beans into my diet but if I could I’d add them to this bowl too. Or whatever meat you might like. I just wanted to keep this one vegan. To your health!

Taco Salad
 
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Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 1 serving
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups romaine, chopped
  • ½ bell pepper, julienne
  • ½ cup plantain chips (I used the trader joes brand)
  • 4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • ½ Tablespoon red onion, finely diced
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon salsa verde (I used a packaged guacamole mix from Fonterra)
  • ⅓ cup corn chips
  • Dash of hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
  1. Mix avocado with salsa verde
  2. Place romaine, peppers, tomatoes, and chips into bowl
  3. Top with the avocado mixture and onion
  4. Sprinkle salad with hot sauce

 

Sorta Healthy Cookie Dough

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Sorta_Healthy_Cookie_DoughIs it just a coincidence Valentine’s Day, the day of sweets and chocolate, lands in the middle of February when most of the New Year’s resolutions have gone by the wayside and the weather is craptastic? Probably not. I know I’ve been feeling the urge. The urge to bulk up and give into cravings. Which brings me to my next point…

Chocolate chip cookies are my weakness, or strength depending on how you look at it. I love making them just about as much as I like eating them. It’s the one thing I’ve cheated since going gluten free. However, gluten-free flours just don’t do it for me so that led me to the dough. Cookie dough makes me feel like a kid. Although it’s not the same as a warm cookie, it does satisfy a good craving. This recipe could probably use a little more tinkering but myself and my kids were quite happy with the results. Desperation? Perhaps. Either way, I think it’s worth sharing.

Sorta Healthy Cookie Dough
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 1½ dozen
Ingredients
  • ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • ⅛ cup non-dairy milk, I used cashew
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted, could sub nonhydrogenated margarine
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1¼ cup almond meal/flour
  • ¼ or less teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the syrup and milk
  2. Add the oil and vanilla until combined
  3. Add the salt and flour until dough like. You may need to add more if your almond meal is grainy
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips
  5. Place a sheet of parchment or wax paper onto a cookie sheet or flat surface
  6. Scoop balls of the dough onto the paper and freeze for at least one hour

 

BLT Cups

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blt_cupsAppetizers have always been hard for me. My go-to for parties usually consist of veggie and fruit trays, guacomole and the occasional meatball. When you don’t eat bread or cheese …and now beans (sad face), most dips are out of the question as are many vehicles. However, I’ve discovered endive to be very satisfying and have made this amazing Food and Wine recipe numerous times if you like shrimp. It inspired me to try a lettuce cup app since it is easier to find year round and has a lighter flavor. And because the super bowl is this weekend, why not an indulgent appetizer with plenty of bacon.

BLT Cups
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 6 medium sized leafy green lettuce leaves
  • 4 slices of bacon, cooked and sliced into ½ in strips
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
  • ½ an avocado, diced
  • ½ Tablespoon red onion, finely diced
  • 1 Tablespoons mayo (homemade for whole30 compliant)
  • ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
  • cracked pepper
Instructions
  1. Render bacon to your liking, I bake mine for 10 minutes at 375°F
  2. Mix bacon, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, mayo and lemon juice in a bowl
  3. Scoop about ¼ cup of the mixture into the lettuce leaves
  4. Serve with cracked peppercorn
  5. Contents will keep for two hours

 

Dairy-Free Creamy Scrambled Eggs

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Creamy Scrambled EggsWe eat eggs every other day for breakfast. Somedays fried, some scrambled. It just depends what we have for leftovers and what we are in the mood for. A creamy rich scramble tastes so good on those chilly mornings when you may or may not have had too much to drink the night before and there’s no bacon to be had.

Creamy Dairy Free Scrambled Eggs
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ Tablespoon coconut oil
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
  • 1 small shallot, diced or ⅛ cup diced onion
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons canned coconut cream
  • 1 sprig of thyme, remove leaves and discard stem
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat medium sauté pan and heat oil.
  2. Add mushrooms and shallot
  3. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften
  4. Whisk together eggs, coconut cream and thyme leaves
  5. Add egg mixture to the pan and stir occasionally
  6. Remove from heat once slightly firm
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste

 

Roasted Broccoli

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Roasted_Broccoli

I’ve been making this about every other day this last week. We finally joined costco and I have to say my favorite thing to buy are the large bags of already cut up fruits and veggies. So behold roasted broccoli. I can’t say it’s super kid friendly since only one of my kids will even touch it but that could be because the other kid won’t let hardly anything green touch her lips. This super easy recipe is derived from Nom Nom Paleo’s roasted green bean recipe. Derived… or maybe virtually the same but replacing the beans with broccoli. I use Red Boat fish sauce which is sugar-free and has wonderful flavor making it Whole30 complaint too.

Roasted Broccoli
 
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Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb of broccoli florets, trim stems and make the same size
  • 1 tablespoon oil, coconut or olive work great
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • a squeeze of one lemon wedge
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400ª F
  2. Spread your bone dry broccoli evenly onto an oven safe dish, cookie sheet works fine
  3. Drizzle the broccoli with olive oil and fish sauce
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until broccoli has a slight char, stirring once halfway
  5. Squeeze with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste

 

Chai Pear Sauce

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chai pear sauceI am totally jealous of all those east-coasters who were forced to stay home these last few days and get creative in the kitchen. Although I’m sure it sounds way more romantic than it probably is. I’ve just always loved being forced to take whatever I have in my cupboards and coming up with something enjoyable to eat.

This recipe came to me simply because I had almost an entire 5 lb bag of firm pears no one besides me was eating. I had never made apple sauce but always wanted to. This seemed like a perfect opportunity and a creative success, I might add. Apples can certainly be substituted but I’m not certain what varietals would work best. Let me know if you try one that works well.

Chai Pear Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Sweets
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4 cups
Ingredients
  • 6 bartlett pears, cored and sliced into 1-inch wedges
  • 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 star anise
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 clove or ⅛ teaspoon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup maple syrup (omit for whole30)
Instructions
  1. Prepare pears (I didn't remove the peal because I like mine slightly chunky and I'm lazy but if you prefer a smoother sauce, you'll have to peel the skin off)
  2. Add all ingredients into Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
  3. Slow cookers need about 4 hours on high
  4. Pressure cooker set to manual on high for 15 minutes (it'll take 10 minutes to let it get to high pressure)
  5. When cooking is finished, fish out the cinnamon sticks, star anise and clove
  6. Place remaining ingredients into a blender or use an immersion blender to mix into a smooth sauce
  7. Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 5 days

 

Cucumber Mint Smoothie

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pineapple_smoothieWell hey, we are over halfway thru January. Are you all tired of your smoothie recipes you adapted at the beginning of the year? I definitely get bored with mine and this recipe was my attempt at trying something new. I generally use the formula, two vegetables for every fruit but the ratio might be off a bit with this one due to the amount of fruit. Of course, that means it tastes perfectly sweet. Refreshing in fact.

Cucumber Mint Smoothie
 
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Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1 handful of greens
  • 6-7 mint leaves
  • 7 frozen cherries or about a half cup
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk
  • ½ water
  • ½ teaspoon chia seeds
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients but the chia seeds into blender and blend.
  2. Top with chia seeds.

 

Pizza Soup

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Pizza_SoupThis recipe might break the internet. Pizza Soup seems so wrong but I can attest, it is sooooo right. Oddly enough, it is derived from a recipe my Grandma used to make. However, don’t picture the kind of Grandma that spent hours in the kitchen perfecting beautiful, delicious dinners. No, my Grandpa was that person, but after he passed away, my Grandma was forced to get creative in the kitchen. I’m not sure where the recipe came from. She may have developed it on her own but she gave it to me typed on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of computer paper. Again, not the old tatter recipe card you might imagine.

The soup is a great alternative to chili and tastes just like pizza for all of your dairy-free, gluten-free’ers like me who are deprived. The girls had a sprinkle of mozzarella on theirs for good measure and devoured it. It’s also Whole30 compliant if you use meat and canned items without sugar or additives. So without further or do, make this tonight, with some stinky garlic bread if you can. 😉

Pizza Soup
 
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Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 cups italian sausage, I used a mild pork
  • 2½ cups water
  • 1 15 oz can pizza sauce, (Muir Glen is sugar-free)
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, (Muir Glen fire roasted is also sugar-free)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 cup button mushrooms, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced (I used half green, half red)
  • 1 medium zucchini, diced
  • 2 oz or about 12 slices, cut up pepperoni (Applegate is sugar-free)
  • ½ tsp oregano
Instructions
  1. Brown the sausage over medium heat in a dutch oven or soup kettle for about 10 minutes.
  2. While that is cooking, prepare the veggies
  3. Remove the sausage and let the oil drain on a paper towel lined plate
  4. If the sausage had high fat content, remove some of the oil from the pan so there is only a coating to sauté the vegetables
  5. Add onion, mushrooms, peppers and zuchinni to the oil and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or onions are transluscent
  6. Add the water, pizza sauce, tomatoes, sausage, pepperoni and oregano and bring to a boil.
  7. Turn heat down to a simmer for 20 minutes and serve

 

Bolognese Sauce

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Bolognese_sauceThis recipe is not super veggie-sentric but I do try to add as many veggies to it to make it healthier. I also use my favorite jarred organic mushroom spaghetti sauce from Trader Joes which doesn’t have any cheese or soy added. What’s even more awesome is this recipe can be done in under 30 minutes. It’s my quick go to when I don’t have a plan which usually happens about once a week. It goes great with my Monster Noodles.

Bolognese Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • 1 lb of ground meat, I use beef or pork sausage
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • ½ jar of tomato sauce or marinara
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 1 cup button mushroom, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano or basil
  • ½ cup dry red wine
Instructions
  1. Place meat in a large skillet to brown over medium heat, about 10 minutes
  2. While meat is cooking, prep and cut veggies
  3. Add onion, carrots, celery and bay leaves and cook for another 5 minutes
  4. Add mushrooms and tomato paste and cook for another 5
  5. Add tomato sauce, wine and herbs and let simmer and cook down the liquid for 5-10 minutes or longer if preferred.