Husband's Favorite Breakfast Potatoes

My husband loves every kind of potato but he especially likes crispy, fried breakfast potatoes. He would eat them every day if he could. They are a little bit of effort to make but they are so delicious! This recipe is a great addition to your weekend brunch. 

Ingredients:

3-4 large red skinned potatoes (2 potatoes are sufficient for 2 people, 4 will feed a family of 5)

1/2-1 onion, diced

 Coconut oil or butter (or a mixture of both)

A few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme, chopped finely

sea salt and pepper

The key to making amazing breakfast potatoes is cutting your potatoes very small. When the pieces are too big they tend to steam and get mushy in the pan and you want crispy potatoes. Cut each potato in half vertically. Then cut each half in half again vertically. Now, dice the long halves into small chunks. You will end up with really small pieces that crisp up nicely. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot and the oil is melted add a teaspoon of salt and pepper to the pan. Adding the salt to the oil will help draw the moisture out of the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the pan and fry for several minutes before you flip with a spatula. Add oil as needed and flip potatoes every few minutes. When the potatoes start to soften and turn slightly golden add your chopped herbs and onion. Continue to fry the potatoes until they are crispy and golden brown and your onions are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. We like to eat these with a little bit of ketchup and Sriracha. Yum! 

Vegan Artichoke Pesto

This makes a very creamy, dairy free sauce that is great over baked spaghetti squash or brown rice noodles.

Ingredients:
1 cup of basil
1/4 cup of raw cashews
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup of raw spinach leaves
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup of artichoke hearts (jarred)
1/2 cup of coconut milk (add more or less to make your sauce thick/thin)
1 splash of olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Combine basil, cashews, garlic, spinach, lemon juice, artichokes and olive oil in a food processor or blender and blend until the sauce is combined but still has a little texture. Transfer into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for several minutes to incorporate all of the flavors. Enjoy!

Chicken and Shrimp Fajita Salad

Ingredients:

Fajitas:
1lb of chicken breast (organic and free range if possible)
1 frozen bag of large prawns (mine were pre-cleaned)
1/2 cup of low sodium chicken stock
1 tsp of chili powder
2 Tbs of fajita seasoning (I buy mine from a spice shop and it does not contain MSG or gluten)
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbs of coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt and pepper
Salad greens

Slice chicken, bell peppers and onions into small strips and finely dice the garlic. Add the coconut oil to a large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is melted and hot add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Add the chicken and salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. When the outside of the chicken is seared, add the bell peppers, garlic, spices and chicken stock and let simmer for several minutes. When the chicken and veggies are almost ready add the shrimp and cover the pan for 3-4 minutes. This will steam your shrimp perfectly. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp! When they turn bright pink the dish is ready. Spoon over mixed greens and add as many toppings as you like!

Toppings: grated sharp cheddar cheese, cilantro, salsa and guacamole

Salsa:
1/2-1 jalapeno (seeds removed)
1/2 red onion
1 cup of cherry tomatoes (or 3 roma tomatoes)
large handful of cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
1 Tbs of olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients except for salt and pepper in a food processor and chop until salsa reaches desired chunkiness. Season to taste.

Guacamole: (for 2 people)
1 large avocado
1 clove of garlic, minced
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 jalapeno (optional)
2 Tbs of yogurt (optional)
dash of cayenne (optional)
Sea salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients except for salt and pepper in a bowl or food processor and mash or chop to combine. I like my guacamole with a little bit of texture so I don't process it for very long. Season to taste.

Whitefish with Mediterranean Salsa

This fish and salsa recipe is great over baby greens or you can throw it in a corn tortilla and you have fish tacos!

Ingredients:

Fish and Marinade:

1 lb of a white fish (I use tilapia but any light tasting white fish would be great)

Juice from 2 lemons

1 Tbs Olive oil

2 Tbs Coconut Oil

Sea salt and pepper

Olive Salsa:

 

1 cup of kalamata olives chopped in half

1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes chopped in half

A handful of fresh basil and dill coarsely chopped

1 red chili

1 Tbs olive oil

1 lemon

Sea salt and pepper

For Mexican flavors substitute cilantro for the basil and a jalapeno for the red chili and use limes instead of lemons. 

Combine the chopped olives, tomatoes and herbs and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the mixture. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and add a pinch of salt and pepper. You don't need a lot of salt because the olives are very salty. This is great if you can make it the night before and let the flavors combine. 

 

Marinate the fish for 30 minutes in the juice from 1 lemon, a good sprinkle of salt, pepper and the olive oil. Add the coconut oil and the remaining lemon juice to a large sauce pan and saute the fish over medium heat. When the fish is flaky in the middle it is ready to serve. Garnished with a little chopped dill if you wish and spoon the salsa over the fish. 

Easy Grilled Zucchini Boats

I studied in Vienna, Austria for a summer during college. My German teacher Karen had our class to her house for a BBQ one night and she made these yummy zucchini boats on the grill. They are so easy to make and so good! I make them in the oven in the winter and on the grill in the summer.

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis
2 oz of goat cheese or feta cheese
olive oil
sea salt and pepper
tin foil

Cut each zucchini in half and scrape out the seeds to create a little hollow. Lay each zucchini half on a square of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and fill with 1/2 of the cheese. Wrap up the zucchini in the foil and create a little pouch. Place the zucchini pouches on the grill or under the broiler for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Not Your Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

We all grew up with the traditional goopy green bean casserole. My mom never made green bean casserole for holidays but I remember an abundance of it at church potlucks. This Thanksgiving my sister was visiting from Michigan and we decided to make a nice Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to recreate the tasty flavors of green bean casserole without the canned green beans, cream soup base and the unhealthy trans-fat laden "onions." This recipe is fresh and tastes very decadent. (It can be adapted for vegans if you use coconut oil and non-diary milk.)

Ingredients:
3 shallots
1/2-1 pound fresh green beans
1 cup of mushrooms (I used shitake and cremini)
2 Tbs of butter or coconut oil
3-4 Tbs of cream or a creamy non-diary milk such as coconut milk
sea salt and pepper to taste

Wash your beans and snap the ends off of each one. Cut the shallots and mushrooms into thin slices. Add 1 Tbs butter or coconut oil to a large sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter or oil are melted and the pan is warm add the shallots and saute for a few minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with the rest of the butter or oil. You may have to add a little bit more oil if the mushrooms absorb all of the moisture. Saute until the mushrooms are soft and tender. Add the green beans and cream to the pan and continue to saute until the beans are cooked. The beans should be bright green and still a little crispy. Your sauce will thicken slightly as well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting (grain free, gluten free)

There is a small market in our neighborhood in Marde Loop that has a gluten free banana peanut butter bar in their bakery. I'm always tempted to get one when we go into the market but they are sooo sugary I feel sick after the first few bites. I decided to try my hand at my own version of the sinful snack and I must say, it turned out super yummy! It's perfect for a desert or a coffee break treat. The base of this cake recipe is from elanaspantry.com but I substituted a few ingredients to make it SCD friendly and added a few ingredients of my own.

Banana Cake:

3 cups of blanched almond flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
3 eggs beaten
1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
1/4 cup of raw honey warmed
2 mashed bananas
1Tbs of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips)

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting:

2 Tbs of coconut oil (room temperature)
3 Tbs of organic unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/3 cup of organic, natural peanut butter (I used chunky but smooth would work just as well)
3 Tbs of grade B maple syrup (grade B is slightly lower in sugar and has more nutrients)
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the almond flour, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, oil, honey, vanilla and bananas. Beat until bananas are completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Incorporate the nutmeg and chocolate chips into the batter. Pour into a 9" cake pan (greased if you're not using a non-stick pan) and bake for 30 minutes or until slightly browned and firm. Let cool.

Combine the coconut oil, butter, vanilla, peanut butter and maple syrup in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until combined and fluffy. Spread the buttercream over the cooled cake with a spatula. Lick spatula...and beaters and mixing bowl. Cut a piece of cake and enjoy!