Category Archives: Dinner

New England Clam Chowder

With a big snow storm in town and temperatures low, it is a great time for a big pot of a good creamy soup. New England clam chowder is a great classic very easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes (peeled and chopped)

8oz clam juice

4 stalks celery (chopped)

3 medium carrots (peeled and cut into rounds)

1 onion

2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup flour

32 oz chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoon garlic powder

38oz chopped clams with juice

1 1/2 cup half & half

In a small pot start by boiling potatoes in clam juice. In a large pot melt butter and cook carrot, celery and onion. Once onion starts to become translucent add pepper and flour. Mix until combined. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Now, add wine, bay leaf, garlic and half&half. Continue to cook for 5 minutes and then add clams with juice. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes until soup is at a low boil. Serve hot.

La Brea Bakery Bread

A good, sliced gluten-free bread is the hardest thing to find in the gluten-free world. Many of us just stick to one of the few name brands we see in stores but most of them are never that great. I recently received samples from La Brea Bakery. This is an outstanding product and available to buy online!

 La Brea Bakery is the #1 selling artisan bread company in the country. La Brea Bakery created award-winning gluten free breads that taste different than most other options available.

They offer two outstanding flavors.  A classic white that is soft with a thin crust. Also a multi-grain that is soft on the inside with a nutty crust. You can find more about each option here . 

I have sampled a great number of gluten free sliced bread and this product clearly stands out. Has all the characters a gluten-free eater is looking for. The flavor of both option is spot on tasting clean and full of fresh baked flavor. Quality is spot on, clearly coming from an artisan company and not a mass produced item. Slice size is nice, not to big or small, great for toast or sandwich. No air holes in the slices which is always important and hard to find. Both options have an actual crust that has its own character and is part of the loaf. Texture soft, smooth, fluffy and not chewy at all. Toast’s up great and hold’s up to anything I have put on it yet. 

Where to buy:

Amazon Fresh 

Find Store Locations Here

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Light Buffalo Chick Dip 

With football season in full swing it’s time for some great snacks. Buffalo dip is normally loaded with some calorie heavy ingredients. This version is much lighter and no one with ever know. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 roasted whole chicken 

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

8oz light cream cheese (softened)

4oz crumbled blue cheese

3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (look for a brand that is 5 calories a serving)

1/2 cup grated light cheese (Colby jack, mozzarella or cheddar) 

Start by shredding the meat of the whole chicken. Make sure to remove all skin and bones. Place the shredded meat into a large bowl. Add yogurt, cream cheese, blue cheese, buffalo sauce and 1/4 of the grated cheese. Mix together well. Pour mixture into round baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Broil for an additional 1-2 more minutes to make the top golden. Serve hot with celery and carrot sticks. 

  

Brussel Sprout Salad

I am always coming up with new slaw recipes. I was making a big fancy fish dinner and needed a fun side to go with it. The whole thing came out crunchy, sweet and sour. 

Ingredients

2 Cups Brussel Sprout

1 Head Fennel

1 Lemon

1 Sugar Cane Vinegar

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 Pepper

2 Tbs Orange Marmalade

 

Start by shredding brussel sprout and fennel in a large bowl. Do this carefully. Using a micro planner makes this much easier. Pour the juice of the lemon and vinegar in the bowl and mix well. Add salt, pepper and orange marmalade. Mix well and serve cold.

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Spicy Watermelon Salad

Watermelon salad is a wonderful side on a hot day. The texture sweetness of watermelon makes it fun to get creative.

Ingredients-

4 cups cubed watermelon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 jalapeño pepper
1/3 cup goat cheese (optional)

In a large bowl mix watermelon and lemon juice. On the side remove the seeds of the jalapeño and then slice into thin strips. Add half of the jalapeño to the bowl and mix well. Serve cold with optional cheese crumbled on top.

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Stir Fry Chinese Eggplant

Eggplant works great in many dishes. This is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:
4 Long Chinese Eggplants
1/4 Cup Gluten- Free Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce
1 Tablespoon Oil

Start by cutting the eggplant up into rounds. Add eggplant into a large heated pan with oil. Heat over medium high heat for a few minutes until eggplant begins to brown and then add soy and hoisin sauce. Lower heat and continue to cook and toss until eggplant begins to get soft. Enjoy hot!

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Paleo Health Salad

Health salad is one of those classic deli sides. A cross between slaw and a quick pickle. Goes great as a side to any sandwich or BBQ dish.

Ingredients:
1/2 green cabbage
2 medium carrots
1 large cucumber
2 bell peppers
1 cup vinegar (apple cider or red
wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoon honey

A mandolin is key to cutting all the veggies to a consistent size. Start by cutting veggies into thin long slices. Next, place all sliced veggies into a glass or plastic container. Break cabbage up and mix veggies together. Then add vinegar, pepper, salt, oregano and honey. Mix together well. Cover container well with lid or plastic wrap. Set in fridge for 12-24 hours shaking container a bit a few times along the way. Serve cold.

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Fancy Salted Citrus Fish

I make whole fish for dinner normally once a week. A few weeks ago we went fishing and got a bunch of wonderful trout. I wanted to do something new and decided to try a salt bake. It worked out great!

Ingredients:
1 3 lbs whole trout or branzino (tail and head one, no scales and insides removed)
1 lime (zest and juice separate)
1/2 bunch cilantro + 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp pepper
2 cup sea salt
2 cup fine sea salt
1 egg
Water

Rinse and pat dry the fish well. Place the fish on a large baking sheet lined with wax paper. Coat the fish with half the lime juice, olive oil and pepper. Stuff the fish with the half bunch of cilantro into the cavity of the fish. Now, in a separate bowl mix together all the salt, chopped cilantro, egg and lime zest. Then add small bits of water at time while continuing to mix. Your looking for a wet sand consistence. Place a 1/2 inch layer of salt under the fish. Pour the rest of the salt on top leaving the tail and head out. Bake the whole thing for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Once cooked, meat will fall off the bones making it easy to serve.

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Quick Paleo Glazed Carrots

Quick sides are key to week night dinners. This dish takes a few minutes and will make everyone happy.

Ingredients:
1 Lb baby carrots
2 Tablespoons honey
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon coconut butter

Start by steaming carrots. Frozen baby carrots in a steamer bag will also work. Once carrots are cooked place in a large bowl with honey, salt and coconut butter. Toss everything together until carrots are fully coated. Serve warm.

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Italian Sweet and Sour Eggplant

Eggplant is such a wonderful veggie. There are a million options on how to prepare it. This recipe will go great with any dish.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup salt
1 large eggplant
3 tablespoons balsamic
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoon butter or coconut butter

Start by cutting the eggplant up into cubes. Mix the eggplant well with the salt in a large bowl. Let the eggplant and salt sit for 20 minutes then rinse salt well with water and pat dry. Next, place eggplant in a large well sprayed pan over medium heat. Add balsamic vinegar and sauté for a minute or two. Cover pan and allow it to cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Now, add honey and butter then toss together. Sauté for a few more minutes of medium heat and serve.

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