Category: Paleo

Spice-Crusted Chicken

There is no one on this earth that cannot make this recipe. It’s that easy. Well maybe not no one – you’ve got to have an oven, chicken, and a few basic spices. If you’ve got that, and you’ve never cooked anything other than eggs in your life, you can do this.

This has to be my #1 go-to recipe for a quick weekday dinner. It’s got tons of flavor with minimal effort, and it pleases even the most discriminating palette. I like to make this recipe when I’m cooking dinner for our local Bikur Cholim because I’m pretty sure anyone who will eat chicken will eat it.

What makes this chicken so good? Well for one, it’s baked in it’s skin, keeping the chicken nice and moist. Baking it on a high temperature (400 degrees), with the help of some olive oil, makes the skin super crispy, and all those spices get toasted to perfection.

Here’s the best part. If you’re on one of those low-carb or no-sugar diets like atkins or south beach, you can make yourself a super flavorful dinner without store-bought BBQ sauce that is so full of carbs. If you are watching your fat intake as well, don’t eat the skin, but feel free to scrape off the yummy spices and spread it on your chicken. If dieting is not on your agenda, go ahead and sop up all the drippings from the bottom of the pan, they are seriously delicious!

Quick & Easy Chicken

1 package chicken, quartered
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean chickens (do not remove the skin) and pat dry. Sprinkle generously with spices (but go light on the pepper). Drizzle with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for one hour.

Post a Comment

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

In keeping with last weeks theme of cooking in season, strawberries are an all time favorite in the spring. They are packed with vitamins, fiber, and high levels of antioxidants and are low in calories, as well as low GI, with a value of 40 on the glycemic index. Strawberries are also a good source of manganese and potassium. Just one serving (about 8 strawberries) provides more vitamin C than an orange!

Regardless of their nutritional value, we love strawberries simply because they are fresh, light, sweet and delicious. Pair them with your breakfast cereal or yogurt, dip them in chocolate for dessert, or throw them into a salad. They compliment dishes in every course with a versatility all their own.

I came up with this salad to please everyone at the Shabbos table. I love spinach. My husband loves hearts of palm, and my daughter loves strawberries. I threw in some avocado for good measure, and some candied walnuts for crunch. The dressing complements the salad perfectly, with a fresh, light taste that is mildy sweet.

This salad will round off your dairy Shavuous meal perfectly!

Spinach Stawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

1 bag baby spinach
1 container strawberries, leaves trimmed, cleaned and diced into circles
1 can hearts of palm, cut into circles
1 avocado, cubed
candied walnuts or honey roasted pecans

Dressing:

1/2 c light olive or grapeseed oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp strawberry jam
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Method:

Prepare salad ingredients. Start with spinach, top with strawberries, hearts of palm, avocado and finish with nuts. Prepare dressing in a blender, or whisk well to incorporate (I like to use a blender to smooth out the lumps of jelly. If you don’t have one, you can heat up the jelly in the microwave, it is easier to mix in once it is melted). Pour dressing over salad and serve immediately.

Post a Comment

Sundried Tomato Olive Tapenade


After tasting a delicious olive tapenade at a restaurant a few years ago, I started playing around with different olive dip recipes to serve on Shabbos, alongside the fish. I tried the typical spanish olives with mayo, green olives with garlic and olive oil, and finally this recipe, which proved to be by favorite. The sundried tomatoes add a delicious flavor and color to the dip. When I was plating this for photographing, my two year old daughter asked if she could have some in a sandwich. I put two pieces of crostini together, and she ate the whole thing! If a two year old can appreciate its deliciousness, imagine how much you, and your guests, will!

Sundried Tomato Olive Tapenade

1 19oz can black olives (I use manzanilla)
1/2 jar of sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, about 10
4 tbsp oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes (or extra virgin olive oil)
3 garlic cloves

Method:

Add olives, sundried tomatoes, garlic and oil to a food processor. Pulse until it reaches desired consistency (I like it a bit chopped and piecey otherwise it will have a sandy/grainy texture).

Post a Comment

6-Spice Moroccan Stew

This stew is really chock full of flavor. All the warm earthy spices complement the naturally sweet vegetables for a satisfying meal, when served over couscous. If you wish, you can add beef or chicken as well. The stew freezes very well so I like to freeze single-serving containers that I can eat for lunch. I just cook up some fresh couscous, which takes no time at all.

To view the reel on Instagram click here.

6-Spice Morrocan Stew

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp coriander
1 32oz. container vegetable stock
bottom half of butternut squash (I reserve the top for butternut squash fries), diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 small carrots, diced
1 small sweet potato, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lg handful golden raisins
1 1/2 tsp salt
slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish
Couscous, prepared according to package directions

How to:

Saute garlic until fragrant but not brown. Add diced onion, saute for 3 minutes. Add turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, chilli and coriander. saute for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add stock, vegetables, salt, chic peas and raisins. Cook on high heat until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Ladle stew on top of couscous and top with slivered almonds.

NOTE: If desired, add stew beef or chicken with the vegetables and cook for an additional 30 minutes (or longer for the meat).

Post a Comment

Roasted Beet & Orange Salad

This salad is delicious and refreshing, and a nice change from the typical shredded beets or vinaigrette made on Pesach. It is usually made using mixed greens (bitter ones work best) but if you don’t use them on Pesach, it can be made without as well.

Beets have a delicious robust flavor when roasted. Many people boil their beets in water, but that releases the flavor into the water. When you roast the beets, the flavor just intensifies (this is true for boiling vs roasting all vegetables).

For a nice presentation, you can use both red and golden beets (just roast and cut them separately because the red ones will bleed), and serve them sliced on a bed of greens. Top it off with regular and/or blood oranges.

Roasted Beet & Orange Salad

3 medium beets
3 medium oranges segmented (do this over a bowl to catch the juices, which you can add to the dressing)
1/2 cup thinly slice red onion
bitter greens such as arugula, mesclun or radicchio
3 tbsp walnut oil
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar, if you use during pesach)
pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste (if you use during pesach)

How to:

Wash beets well and dry. Wrap in foil. Roast at 400 degrees for 1-2 hours (depending on the size of the beets, check with a fork, if they are soft enough for you to pierce easily, they are done).  Leave the beets to cool. When they are done cooling, the peel can be easily removed using your hands. They just slide off. If you’d like, you can use a paring knife. I like to do this with gloves over an aluminum pan, because it can be quite messy (and your hands will definitely turn purple if you don’t)! Slice beets. Segment oranges. Arrange on top of mixed greens, or alone. Garnish with red onion and drizzle over with dressing.

Alternatively, you can shred roasted beets in the food processor, or by hand, using a grater. Dress with oil, lemon juice and salt.

Another popular beet dish uses potatoes, carrots and beets, all cooked and cubed. Mix with oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt and some thinly sliced red onion.

Post a Comment