Lime Marinaded Chicken with Basil Lime Sauce

I'm almost obsessed with any food that incorporates limes, garlic or basil and this recipe has all three!  One thing I've learned about being processed free is that you can still pack a lot of flavor in your food using fresh ingredients and you'd never think twice about what your eliminating from your diet.  True, most processed food is high in flavor, but that's because it's chemically altered to be addictive to your senses.  However,  you'll find that good, fresh, healthy food can be every bit as satisfying if you learn how to use these ingredients.  At least this is what I'm finding as we go through the journey of becoming processed free.  Give this chicken a try and I think you'll find that it's quite versatile too.  Once it's finished it can be put with practically anything, for example: salads, burritos, brown rice, pitas, tacos, pasta, etc.

For the marinade:
3 lbs. chicken breasts or tenders
zest and juice of 2 limes
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (with clean ingredients)
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper

For the Sauce:
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 - 3 Tbsp. freshly chopped basil

Place all the ingredients for the marinade in a gallon size zip top bag.  Squeeze the air out, close it completely, and squish the ingredients until everything is well mixed and the chicken is evenly coated.  I like to put the bag in a bowl and then place it in my refrigerator - the bowl ensures that it won't leak if there's a hole.  Marinade for at least 1 hour.  Grill the chicken until fully cooked (you can see I just used my grill pan, sprayed with coconut oil and did two batches) and let the meat rest for 5 minutes.  Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces, put them into a bowl, and pour your finishing sauce over the top.  Now it's ready to serve.

The Best Baking Powder

If you look closely at the label on this baking powder, you will notice it says aluminum free.  Once I ran out of my old brand, I started purchasing only aluminium free for a couple of reasons.  One is for taste.  If you've ever experienced any of your baked goods tasting a little "tinny," this was the reason why.  So, the simple fix is to switch baking powders.  The other reason I chose to bake with this instead is that there are some possible health risks due to over consumption of aluminum (ex. greater risk for Alzheimer's) and I would rather just cut out as much aluminum as I can, where I can.  If you can't find this, you can make your own, just do this in small batches.

Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (organic)

Mix together and store in an air-tight container.  Moisture will reduce it's effectiveness.  

Coconut Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Do you like coconut?  Then you are going to love this cake!  I started to really love coconut when I spent an entire summer in Hawaii in my early twenties.  I couldn't seem to get enough of all things coconut.  As a result, I love all the products that come from this amazing plant.  This particular recipe calls for coconut flour, coconut oil, and shredded coconut to give it the rich coconut flavor without the need for artificial flavors.  I originally found this recipe here, and I didn't change it too much.  It has no refined sugar or flour and it's actually grain free.  It's super moist and tastes very sophisticated.  I promise you won't know this is processed free.

For the cake:

10 eggs

1 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup coconut flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sea salt

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Add the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt and continue to blend.  Once this is smooth, stir in the shredded coconut.  Grease two 9 inch cake pans with coconut oil and divide the batter between both pans.  You could add parchment paper to the bottom of the pan to make for easy removal, but it's not necessary.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely before removing from pans and frosting them.

For the frosting:
16 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Let the cream cheese soften to room temperature.  Using a hand mixer, combine the cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla and blend until smooth.  Stir in the shredded coconut.  You can spread this on the cake right away or refrigerate it for later. 

This makes enough frosting to cover the cake and fill the middle of the two cake layers.  If you want to cut each layer, making this into a four-layer cake, make more frosting.  I also like to sprinkle a little more of the shredded coconut on the top right after I frost it.  Delicious!!

Kale and Ricotta Crustless Quiche

I love a quiche!  The creamy, egg-y-ness is so appealing with all the savory fillings - I'm making my own mouth water just describing it.  At my house, I can get a quiche on the table pretty quickly if I make this crustless.  You could add a whole wheat crust (here's mine), but for speed, I like it without one, and to tell you the truth, I don't even really miss it.  You may feel like it's more of a cross between a quiche and a frittata.  No matter how you think of it, this processed free recipe is delicious.  In fact, my husband raves about this and I pretty much have to plan that he will eat about half of it by himself!

1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms (about a half a package)
2 tsp. chopped fresh garlic
3-5 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you like)
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (or mozzarella)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan with coconut oil.  In a large skillet add the coconut oil, kale, and mushrooms.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Cook until kale is wilted and mushrooms are softened, then add the garlic and bacon.  Cook for another minute or until the garlic gets a little color.  Remove from the heat. 

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta and shredded cheese.  Add the kale/mushroom mixture and stir until well mixed.  Pour everything into the pie pan and bake until the eggs are set, about 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool a few minutes before serving.

Clean Glazed Carrots

My sister insists that if we eat carrots with her, they have to be sweet glazed carrots or she won't eat them.  To try and keep the peace at a large family meal, I decided I could swap out brown sugar with sucanat and pretty much have the same effect in terms of flavor.  And boy are these good!  I like just plain carrots, but these really do disappear quicker at a family gathering than any other way I prepare them.  Here is an easy, processed free version of a decadent side dish.

2 pounds baby carrots (organic if you can get them)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sucanat
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

Place the carrots in a pot and add enough water to cover them.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cover.  Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until they are tender.  Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, melt the butter, sucanat, salt, cinnamon, orange juice, and white pepper together until the sucanat and salt have dissolved.  Add the carrots back into the pot, stirring to coat evenly.  Cook for another few minutes in the sauce.  Now it's ready to  serve. 

This is the amount I would make for a large group, but for just my family, I would cut this in half.  Enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Fresh Strawberry Syrup

My friends with lemon trees are giving out lemons by the bag full right now.  I love it because I use lemons in my cooking all the time.  But, one of the best lemon recipes I have, has got to be these lemon ricotta pancakes!  They are amazing, fluffy, and flavorful with an incredible lemon undertone.  I like to pair them with my homemade fresh strawberry syrup for a delicious combo.  This recipe is one of my hero's, Dee McCaffrey - get her book "The Science of Skinny!"  I only made minor changes to it.  Here is clean eating and processed free cooking at it's finest.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup organic whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 egg white
the zest of two lemons
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. coconut nectar/honey/maple syrup
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, warmed to a liquid

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, egg white, zest, lemon juice, coconut nectar, and coconut oil.  Fold this wet mixture into the dry ingredients - it will be very thick, but don't over mix.  Spray a pan with coconut oil (I use my misto) and cook several at once - be sure your heat is set to medium low or they might burn before you can flip them.  You will have to spread the batter out a little.  They are thick, so wait until they are no longer glossy on top, then flip.  I like to place my pancakes on a plate that is covered with aluminum foil to keep them all warm until they are ready to serve.  They are fantastic with pure maple syrup, but for an additional treat, try my strawberry syrup.  

 Fresh Strawberry Syrup

1 cup cut-up strawberries (I prefer fresh, but you could use frozen that are thawed)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2-1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place everything in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  My mini food processor is perfect for this.  Not only is this great over pancakes, but use is as a topping for ice cream, cheesecake, waffles, french toast, anything chocolate, etc.

My husband and I literally fight over who gets the last pancake, and if I could get away with it, I would probably lick my plate clean from the strawberry syrup.  Give this recipe a try - I know you won't be disappointed.  My final thought... this would probably be just as amazing made with Meyer lemons - something to try next time!

Clean Vanilla Extract

Did you know that most vanilla extracts on the market have sugar in them!  I didn't until I started going processed free and now read EVERY label of the food I buy.  Why wasn't I reading more labels before?  It just goes to show you that on the whole we have no idea what we are putting in our bodies until we increase our awareness.  Because of this, I now look for pure vanilla extract that has NO sugar added.  I also try to get organic whenever possible too.  This is a brand that I like and can buy locally, but there are other brands out there with no sugar added as well.  In addition to cutting out sugar, I think pure vanilla makes your recipes taste better anyway.  It's a win-win.  Next time you run out of vanilla and need to buy more, purchase a better quality product and cut out the hidden sugar!

Easy Asian

 

I really like Asian inspired dishes, but sometimes they are a lot of work or they don't taste like what you had at the restaurant.  I really like this dish because it's super easy and has all the classic flavors I want that even my kids will eat.  Sometimes, foreign cuisine is the easiest to make processed free and I promise this will be a dinner you can get on the table in minutes, so don't order take out!

3 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 tsp. sesame oil
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 - 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 1/2 cups coleslaw mix (just shredded cabbage and carrots - I buy mine right at the regular grocery store)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Combine the water and soy sauce in a medium pan and heat then add the chicken.  Cover the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil.  In a separate bowl, combine the cooked rice, vinegar, coleslaw mix, cilantro, and sesame seeds.  Add the chicken with the sauce from the pan - you can add all the sauce or just as much as you like.  Stir everything together and serve.

You can have some optional lime wedges to squirt on top for those who would like that too.  I have to admit, this is pretty good cold as well.  I told you - easy Asian!