Orange-Balsamic Glazed Chicken

A friend's daughter made some Calamondin Marmalade/Jam of which I was lucky to receive two jars. Calamondin Oranges are also known as "Acid" Oranges for their intense tart flavor.  So instead of making this dish with the typical orange marmalade I used what I got from her and was I ever happy so happy that I did.  The tartness was tempered by the other ingredients however it lent a pleasant tang not typically associated with the typical marmalade.

Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
2 pounds boneless skinless breasts or breast tenderloins
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 scallions, whites and greens, finely chopped

Directions
In a large pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high to high heat.
Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. 
When the oil is hot and ripples, add the chicken and brown for 5 minutes, then turn and sprinkle with rosemary. Cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
In a small bowl, stir together the marmalade, vinegar and stock and pour over the chicken. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and becomes a thin glaze. Add the scallions during the last minute of cooking time. Serve over Cauliflower Rice.


Serves 4-6

Pumpkin Chili

Do not curl up your nose at another pumpkin recipe.  This chili has a unique combination of heat and sweet (even though there is no sugar added) to make your taste buds dance.  Using my preferred beef, tomatoes and broth my calorie count came out to 136 calories per serving....and it was one heck of a healthy serving too.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Extra Lean Ground Beef (I like Maverick Grass Fed)
• 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil (or Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 large Green Pepper, diced
• 1 Jalapeno, minced
• 2 - 14.5 oz cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes (I prefer Muir's Fire Roasted)
• 1 cup Beef Broth (I use Swanson's as there is no added sugar)
• 1 tablespoon Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Salt 
• 1 - 15oz can organic Pumpkin Puree (do not confuse pie filling for puree)

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan or dutch oven crumble and brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain off any fat and set the ground beef aside.
2. In the same pan heat the Avocado oil then cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes until the onion are beginning to soften and the garlic is developing some color.
3. Add the bell pepper and jalapeno to the onions and garlic.  Cook until the peppers are soft.
4. Add the cooked beef back with the onion/pepper mixture.  Add in the tomatoes, broth and spices.
5. Allow the mixture to heat through and reduce heat to medium-low allowing the mixture to simmer 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
6. Add the pumpkin puree to the chili.  Cover the pan to allow the chili to come back to temperature and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Serves 6

Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash

Found this little gem online and it was so good I simply had to share.  I can not take any credit for the original recipe as the only modification I did was used Avocado Oil instead of EVOO.  This will definitely become a family favorite during the holidays.

Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 lbs), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Avocado Oil (or EVOO)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Place butternut squash cubes in a bowl. Drizzle evenly with oil then sprinkle with ground cinnamon, salt, pepper and maple syrup. Toss all the ingredients together, using your hands, ensuring all the cubes are coated.
4. Spread the seasoned butternut squash cubes evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Place in the oven and roast for 35 - 40 minutes (rotating pan if necessary half-way) until squash is tender. Remove from oven and serve immediately or allow to cool.

Easy Foil Baked Fish

Back in our restaurant days we used to love doing foil baked fish.  The best thing about cooking it in this manner is that the fish is always moist and the veggies end up with a different and wonderful flavor.  The combinations of fish and veggies is limited only by your imagination and will only take about 30-40 minutes from start to finish.  

Ingredients:

• 2 fillets of any white fish patted dry if previously frozen (cod, tilapia, perch however I've also done this with shark, tuna, and swordfish as well)
• 2 teaspoons Avocado or Grapeseed Oil
• 1 cup diced turnips or rutabaga
• 2 cups chopped vegetables (I used zucchini, carrots and some diced onions however you can also use any seasonal vegetable)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 lemon (or lime which I prefer or even orange)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Lay out two large pieces of foil
3. Combine oil with the vegetables, thyme, salt/pepper) in a bowl and mix until well mixed
4. Divide the vegetables in half between the two sheets of foil
5. Place one piece of fish on top of the vegetables
6. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto each fish fillet
7. Next create your foil packet by bringing up the two side of the foil together, crimping tightly at the top rolling it down leaving about 1" headroom.  Then roll the sides inward towards the center of the packet. 
8. Repeat on the other foil packet
9. Place both packets on baking sheet and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes depending on thickness of the fillet or to a temperature of 145 degrees.  Except for the "meat steak" fish any white fish will flake when done.
10. Fish may be eaten right out of the plated foil packet or you can simply lift the fish out and "pour" the veggies and the au jus on the plate.  Do not for that liquid at the bottom it's full of flavor.

Serves 2

Cheesy Taco Zucchini Noodle Skillet

Prep can be a snap for this as the zucchini may be prepared the day before (leave wrapped in paper towel in a Ziploc bag for no more than 24 hours in your fridge) as well as combining the sauce ingredients in advance.

Cheesy Taco Zucchini Noodle Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 pound extra lean grass fed ground beef
• 1 (14.5 oz) can organic tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
• 1.5 tablespoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernel
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium zucchinis, spiralized and cut to about 1.5-2" in length
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Green onions or chives for garnish if desired
• Cheddar Cheese, for garnish if desired

Instructions:

1. Prepare the zucchini noodles.  Spiralize the zucchini using the ribbon blade or a vegetable peeler. Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the ground beef and cook until browned, making sure to crumble and break down into small pieces as it cooks.  Drain excess fat.
3. Reduce heat to medium.  Add the tomato sauce, tomato past, chili powder, cumin, onion power, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Stir well for full incorporate.
4. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until it thickens slightly.
5. Add the black beans, corn, cheddar cheese and cherry tomatoes.  Cook for 2 minutes or until almost heated through.
6. Add the zucchini noodles, cook for 5 minutes making sure you stir every 2 minutes or so to evenly cook.
7. Remove from the stove, top with sliced avocado and if desired sprinkle with green onion and more cheddar cheese if desired.

Serves 6
304 calories per serving (without the addition of green onions/chives/additional cheese)

Roasted Chicken Tenderloin & Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken tenderloins
• 6-8 pieces of bacon (regular cut)
• 1 pound brussel sprouts
• 1 leek
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 lemon slices
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 3 sprigs of thyme or 1-1.5 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil (you can use EVOO as well)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Prepare the brussel sprouts by cutting off the stem end then cutting each in half
3. Prepare the leek by cutting of the stem end, they slicing the leek into rounds (use white and light green parts only).  Add to a bowl of water to clean any dirt, then dry and transfer to a baking dish with the brussel sprouts.
4. Drizzle the vegetables with Avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. 
5. Wrap each tenderloin with one piece of regular cut bacon. Transfer bacon wrapped chicken to the dish with the vegetables.  
6. Add the garlic, lemon slice, thyme and chicken broth over the entire dish.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until your meat thermometer reaches 160.  If you want your bacon to be crispy turn on the broiler for the last few minutes of cooking.

Serves 4
Calories 425-450 depending on type of bacon used. I used Hormel Natural Choice Uncured Bacon which is 50 calories per slice.

Cranberry Zucchini Slaw

This is definitely a winner.  Get out that spiralizer if you have one to make it an easier prep.  Also, if you don't have SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia you can substitute sugar. SweetLeaf Stevia has NO additional sugars added to it (many of them do!)...it's just stevia extract and worth it.  Make sure you get true dried cranberries that have not be injected with additional sweetners as well.

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchinis, cut into 4 cups of noodles

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/4 cup salted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (no sugar added!)

1 tbl white vinegar

6-9 drops SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia (or 1 tbl sugar for non-Paleo)

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Cut the zucchinis into small matchstick pieces or shred with a hand shredder.  You can use a spiralizer to create noodles and then cut those into smaller pieces (much easier!)

Stir together all the ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour for the flavors to mix together.

Stir before serving.  Makes about 4 cups of slaw.