3 Bean Chili: grain-free vegetarian

This is by far the best chili I have ever made. And that's saying something because I have always loved making chili, even back when I was making it with chemical laced ground beef from the supermarket aisle. Use well soaked and cooked beans instead of canned whenever possible.

1 cup lentils, soaked several hours
1 white or yellow onion
2 carrots
2 ribs celery
1 bell pepper
1 jalepeno pepper
2 1/2 cups vegetable or free range chicken stock
16 oz cooked black beans
16 oz cooked pinto beans
2 cups diced tomatoes
Sea salt and cayenne pepper or chili powder to taste

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a soup stock pot.  Chop onion, carrots, celery and peppers, then add chopped veggies and lentils to the stock and simmer about 15 minutes until lentils are tender.  Add cooked beans, diced tomatoes and season to taste.  Garnish with fresh cilantro, cheese or plain yogurt if desired.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday!

Nourishing Oatmeal

You are not doing your family any favors by feeding them instant oatmeal. Flavored varieties are loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients, and even plain quick oats have been over-processed and have lost their whole grain nutrients.

I want to show you how simple it is to make real oatmeal that your family will love!

Makes 2-3 servings (for a larger family, simply double the amounts)

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Optional additions to try:
1 diced apple or pear
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tbsp natural peanut or almond butter
Replace maple syrup with raw honey

For optimal digestion, soak oats in water overnight or for at least one hour before cooking.  Note:  When using soaked grains, drain the soak water before cooking and use half the amount of water for cooking.


Bring water to boil in saucepan. Add oats and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until oats are tender and water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and maple syrup.  Add the additional optional ingredients of your choice, and enjoy!

A hearty and healthy breakfast keeps him going all day!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday!

Easy Egg Drop Soup

Check out this link for a simple and delicious egg drop soup!  Makes a perfect side dish or quick lunch.  GAPS legal and grain free!

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/10/egg-drop-soup-gaps-legal-grain-free.html

Three Cheese Frittata

I love this recipe because there is so much room to experiment with different cheeses, and even different vegetables. Try a broccoli, cheddar and bacon version, for example, or red pepper, mushroom and onion with pepper jack.


6 pastured eggs
1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed (10oz aprox.)
4oz organic cottage cheese
2oz feta cheese
2oz shredded asiago cheese
Cooked uncured bacon, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square baking dish or pie pan with butter. Beat eggs in a medium bowl until fluffy, then add cottage and feta cheeses. Squeeze excess water from the spinach and mix it into the egg mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, and crumbled bacon if desired. Pour into baking dish and top with shredded asiago. Bake for about 20 minutes or until eggs are cooked through and cheese is starting to brown on top.

This post is linked to Real Food Wednesday.

Spicy Chicken with Dates and Butternut Squash

I received this email from my dear friend, Sarah.  I love her style, and this recipe!

 

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So I've made this recipe a 100 times and as I was making it tonight I thought, shit, Mel could make this for uprocessed october if she makes her own chicken stock. So I hop on rachelrayshow.com where I got the recipe off 3 years ago, but its no longer there. So that bitch is making me type it out to you.

Spicy Chicken with Dates and Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash seeded, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces.

4 TB Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs, chopped

1 large onion sliced

12 dried pitted dates, coursely chopped (1 cup)

1 TB ground cumin

1 TB ground coriander

1 TB ground turmeric

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

3 TB flour

3 cups chicken stock

 

Oven at 400, put butternut squash on baking sheet, drizzle 2 TB oil, salt, and pepper, roast for 1/2 hour.

 

While squash is cooking, place a large deep skillet over med high heat. 2 TB of oil. Add chicken, salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown and almost cooked through 6-7 minutes.

 

Add onion, dates, spices, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick. Cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the pan and cook for another minute. Then add chicken stock, bring to a bubble.

 

Reduce to medium and simmer until thickened.

 

Discard bayleaf and cinnamon stick. Add squash.

 

It says to serve with coucus, but I know you can't really eat that with the cleanse you are doing. Its good by itself. Or you could roast veggies and put it over that.

 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins - guilt and gluten free!

Thanks to Jeni Clark for posting this link on her Real Food Nutrition blog! I can't wait to make these this fall! Yum!

real food nutrition pumpkin muffins

Beet Greens with Garlic and Butter

One of my favorite foods in the fall is farm fresh beets with a big healthy bunch of greens on top. Beet greens contain an abundance of vitamins and antioxidants, and have a milder flavor and more tender texture than kale or chard. Definitely my favorite dark leafy green!

1 large bunch of beet greens, including the stalks, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet or wok melt butter over medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté for one minute until fragrant. Add chopped greens and stalks and sauté until dark green and tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with whole grain rice, quinoa, roasted vegetables or as a side dish with any meal.

This post is linked to Real Food Wednesday