Beet-y Smoothie Goodness

What? Beets in a smoothie? Hell yes. Beets in a smoothie.

I didn't taste a beet until I was probably 25 years old. Damn my mother for never giving them to me when I was little! But I guess if both your parents don't like something, there is no way they are going to be feeding it to their kids. Now that beets are a part of my daily life I enjoy them in all sorts of ways, including in my smoothies.

This recipe is a take on a smoothie, called the "Napa Valley Smoothie" that they serve at my gym. I decided to take it upon myself to create it at home, and save myself $7 a pop.

you can find these in the veg section of your grocery store - near pre-packaged salad items

It all starts with the beets. I either roast my own beets (with a little avocado oil for 50 minutes at 400 degrees, wrapped in tinfoil - usually I add salt and pepper, but not for ones going in the smoothie) or buy these bad boys at Whole Foods or Wegmans. Throw them in the blender with either a splash of water or OJ and puree. Basically you are making baby food, so when it is a smooth consistency that gives you flashbacks to sleepless nights, you know it is good to go. One of these packages yields three smoothies in my house. I keep the leftover puree in a little tupperware container in the fridge for next time. 

beet puree deliciousness. 

Next I add a handful of frozen strawberries and one banana. Then a scoop of organic vanilla protein powder, and a sprinkling of shredded, unsweetened coconut. I like the texture the coconut gives to the smoothie, but some people I know don't like "things" in their smoothies (my kids) so use your judgement. 

As for liquid I use a splash of organic OJ, and then some unsweetened vanilla almond milk. The final thing I add is two teaspoons of Fish Oil. Fish oil? And beets? Vomit you say? Well, I would say vomit too if fish oil actually had a fishy taste. I use this amazing product a few months ago and have been using it daily. 

It tastes like melted lemon ice cream, and it adds the perfect zing to my creation (well, my take on the gym's creation). 

So here it is: 

Beet puree

Handful of frozen strawberries

One banana

One scoop of vanilla protein powder

Unsweetened shredded coconut

Splash of organic OJ

Unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 tsp of Lemon Zest Fish Oil

And because I have been really into editing videos lately, I decided to create my own recipe video ala Tasty. Check it out!

Beet Smoothie from Jessica Trach on Vimeo.

Living Clean: Remastered Curry Chicken Salad

My mom is known for her chicken salad. Whenever friends would come over in high school they would ask for her chocolate chip cookies (that were just Nestle Tollhouse but for some reason were the best cookies ever) and her chicken salad. It is a pretty simple recipe, that I have made hundreds of times, and passed on to many a friend over the years: chicken, apples, raisins, walnuts, grapes, mayo, curry powder and salt and pepper.

The thing that makes it so delicious is the curry mayo, which is simply Hellman's Mayonnaise and curry powder. I could eat Hellman's mayo by the spoonful, and I have. I know some of you just threw up in your mouth, and the others are nodding in agreement at having eaten mayo like ice cream before (ok, not by the bowlful or anything - just a spoonful!).

When we started eating Paleo it was hard for me to give up the Hellmans - nothing you make at home compares. But I became accustom to my homemade mayo after I found the right mix of ingredients - one egg yolk, dash of salt, juice from half a lemon, a tablespoon of water (because I use one of those handheld immersion blenders) and one cup of walnut oil. I have tried using macadamia nut oil (most expensive and least flavorful), avocado oil (gave the mayo a green hue and tasted too much like avocados), almond (too nutty) and hazelnut oil (reminded me too much of coffee flavoring).

Now onto my remastered Curry Chicken Salad!

For the chicken I will either cook an entire free-range bird in the crockpot (sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook on low for 5 hours) or I will get the plain or brined rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods if I am lazy (which is most of the time). I decided to swap out walnuts for healthier almond slivers, and I added diced scallions for a delicious oniony crunch. And instead of raisins I used unsweetened dried cherries.

Let me just say, wow. This turned out even better than I had expected! I have also eaten it for breakfast and lunch the last two days it is so good. The scallions really add a new depth of flavor to an already simple but delicious salad (did that sound like a line out of Top Chef?)

Here is the crazy simple recipe (including the recipe for my mayo) for you to try yourself!:

Recipe of the Week: Nomnompaleo Asian Chicken Thighs

I actually got my act together this week and made something for dinner other than a grilled piece of meat and some veg (which is what we are having tonight for dinner, but whatever). I decided to go to my favorite source for all things paleo, Nonompaleo.com. One of my readers told me to try out the Asian Chicken Thighs, so that is exactly what I did.

I will be honest - I am a chicken breast kind of girl. I don't mine picking apart a rotisserie chicken, but I am not partial to eating chicken meat off the bone. Now ribs, I can handle, but there is something about little tiny chicken bones in my mouth which kind of gives me the willies. But I have never been disappointed by a Nomnompaleo recipe, so I figured I would put my feelings about tiny bones in my mouth (insert male member joke here :) aside and start cooking.

I won't do a step by step on here, as Michelle of Nomnompaleo has ridiculous detailed (and beautifully photographed) step by step instructions on her website, so click here for the full recipe. 

I will say that if you don't eat a paleo diet, you will find that you have to but a lot of ingredients that you don't normally have in your pantry (toasted sesame oil, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, to name a few). Basically all you do is combine the ingredients in a food processer and pulse until they become a marinade. Put the chicken in a plastic bag, pour in the marinade, let it sit in the fridge for a few hours, and then cook. Very very simple.

And very very tasty.

Here are my only comments:
- I used only 3 pounds of thighs, and still felt like I didn't have enough marinade. Maybe when I marinate things I use more liquid than I need to though.
- I cooked the chicken for 40 minutes at 400 degrees and still didn't have that crispy skin like Michelle says you get in the recipe. I left it in there for 3 more minutes and a few got a little crispy, but I was looking for that fabulous crispy chicken skin you get on whole chickens. It is probably something to do with my oven though, which is fairly old and cooks thing pretty unevenly.
- The thighs are not as good the next day. As Michelle says in the recipe "eat immediately."
- There is definitely enough for 4-6 people in this recipe so if you are making it for only 2, I would half the amount of chicken, but use the same amount of marinade. As I said, the leftovers were good, but not great.

Overall I recommend giving this a try. I think it would be am amazing dish for a party, as they are really easy to eat with your hands (and not as messy as Michelle leads you to believe in the recipe).

Dinner Tonight: Salmon and Roasted Veg

I just made the simplest, most delicious dinner tonight and had to share for all you busy Mamas out there. Of course I thought about posting it after I ate it, so I didn't think to take a photo, but here is what I made...and M ate it all up!

For the veg (I say veg because Hubs loathes the word veggies :):
Two heads of broccoli
6 carrots, peeled and cut into "fry" shape (or sticks)
Avocado Oil
S&P

Put everything on a baking sheet, drizzle oil, add S&P and cook at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Check

In case you forgot what a piece of salmon looks like

it at the 20 minute mark, and give it a stir.

For the fish:
1 pound of wild Salmon (this was enough for me and M and to have a little leftover)
Avocado Oil
1 Lemon (1/2 sliced into somewhat thin pieces, 1/2 for squeezing)
Dill
S&P

Line a baking sheet with tin foil (enough foil so that you are able to wrap up the salmon like a present). Place salmon, skin down, on the foil. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with dill, salt and pepper. Squeeze half a lemon worth of juice over salmon. Place the sliced lemon on top of the salmon. Wrap up fish nice and tight in the tin foil so that it is totally covered and sealed.

At the 20 minute mark for your veg, place the salmon on the second rack in the oven and cook along with the veg for the remaining 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

And Voila! Everything is done at the same time...and is crazy delicious!!

Winter Quinoa Bowl

Quinoa is one of my favorite foods. It is versatile and you can include it in dishes either warm or cold. I have been eating quinoa since I was a child in Lima, Peru, but it has always mainly been a diet staple for the Andean people living in the mountains. I was lucky that my grandfather knew the nutritional value of quinoa and made sure it was served in our home regularly. Quinoa originated in the Andes thousands of years ago and it has since reached far out to our tables here in America. I am always still happily surprised when I hear about people eating quinoa or I see it served in a restaurant. I still can't believe my luck that quinoa has become such popular food. And rightfully so since quinoa is a powerful plant food packed with a balanced set of amino acids giving us a complete source of protein. Another advantage is that quinoa is a gluten-free grain and therefore accessible to people allergic to gluten or wheat. Quinoa can be cooked directly as you would cook rice or you can toast it first before cooking. The recipe today is an easy winter bowl that is crunchy, satisfying and delicious. You can have it as a main meal or as a side and it keeps great for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

You need:

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups of broccoli partly chopped
• 1 cup of edamame beans cooked
• 1/3 medium-sized red onion chopped into small pieces
• 1 large tomato chopped into small pieces
• 1/8 cup of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

In a 2 quart pan add two cups of water, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the quinoa. Stir and bring water to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and turn heat to the lowest setting. Give it 10-12 minutes and check to see if all water has evaporated. Turn heat off and let quinoa sit for two minutes. Fluff with a fork. In a separate bowl place edamame, broccoli, onions and olive oil. With your palms, rub oregano and let it fall into the mixture. This will allow the flavor of the dried oregano to be at its peak. Add the quinoa and mix everything together well. Add salt and pepper to taste and add more olive oil if needed. Enjoy and namaste! Serves 2 as a main dish. the foodini, aka Tabatha, at Kitchen to Nirvana