Dijon Chicken Salad

This is one of those dishes that I came across online and just HAD to make. This is the perfect make-ahead salad to pack in your lunches for the week, or just for a healthy weeknight dinner.

A little warning, it's a little time consuming with the different steps to prepare, but if you buy pre-grilled chicken and pre-roasted peppers that will save you a lot of time. If you have time to make it by scratch you wont be disappointed! I fed this to my 10-month-old and he loved it! I ended up not adding all the dressing to the salad but I did just enough to coat it and get the flavor.

Dijon Chicken Salad
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOK: 30 minutes            READY IN: 50 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 quart fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or sliced raw almonds (optional)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, roasted and diced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 large bell peppers, roasted (or store bought works great too)
• salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

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1. To roast your peppers preheat oven to 450º. On a lined baking sheet, spray with coconut oil. Cut peppers into quarters and place skin-side up. Bake peppers for 15-20 minutes, or until the skin begins to blacken (its okay if its black--that's what you want). Once peppers are done transfer them to either a ziploc back or a covered bowl to allow them to steam. 
2. While peppers are roasting, mix asparagus with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When peppers have about 10 minutes left, throw asparagus on the baking sheet. Allow them to roast 5-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of asparagus). Allow asparagus to cool before chopping. 
3. For the salad add chicken broth and bay leaves in a large skillet with a lid and allow it to come to a simmer. 
4. Add chicken breasts to the skillet and bring broth to a boil. Cover pot. Allow chicken to cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on size of chicken. 
5. While chicken is cooking you can prepare the other salad ingredients. Chop garlic, onion, asparagus, basil and parsley and place them in a large bowl.
6. Take your peppers out of the bowl, or whatever you placed it in, and remove the skin. They should just slide right off. Chop peppers and add them to the salad mixture. 
7. Once chicken is cooked, shred it into bite size pieces and add it to your salad. 
8. To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a blender until combined. Add dressing to your salad and toss to combine. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving    120 calories  2g fat  6g carbs   16g protein   4g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from stiritup.me

Quick & Easy Salmon with Polenta and Warm Tomato Compote

Growing up, there were a couple of foods that I did not like: fish and tomatoes. And now, armed with that information take a good look at the picture of this recipe ... okay, now you can congratulate me on how mature my taste buds have become! I've learned to not only tolerate, but also appreciate and enjoy both fish and tomatoes, and the combination of the two in this dinner was surprisingly... well, perfect.

So, never fear, frustrated parents ... your children may whine and complain now when you put delicious food in front of them, but you can take hope that their taste buds will also someday mature as nicely as mine have! :)

Salmon with Polenta and Warm Tomato Compote
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 15 minutes            READY IN: 25 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 salmon fillets (4 oz.-6 oz. each)
• 1 cup dry polenta
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• freshly ground pepper for serving

DIRECTIONS

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1. In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. When it comes to a full boil, turn down the heat to low and whisk in the polenta. Cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes, occasionally whisking to prevent burning on the bottom. After about 15 minutes (when the polenta is becoming mostly soft and creamy), add in the butter for the last few minutes of cooking. Pull it off the heat when it is creamy and still slightly runny (you can add in more water while it is still heating if it starts to become too dry).
2. While the polenta is cooking, cut up the tomatoes, onion, and parsley. Combine the tomatoes, onion, two tablespoons of the olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. 
3. Pour the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into a medium skillet on the stovetop and heat to medium-high. Place the salmon fillets, skin side down, in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cook for 7 minutes, then turn the fillets over and let them cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until they are flaky and opaque.
4. Remove the salmon from the pan, and pour the tomato mixture into the still heated pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the tomatoes are warmed and starting to lose their shape. 
5. Serve the salmon over the polenta topped with the tomato compote, fresh parsley, and freshly ground pepper.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 cup polenta with a fillet and 1/2 cup tomato compote    551 calories   25.6 g fat   40.6 g carbs    40.6 g protein    9.2 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from I Can Cook That.

Holiday Pepper Jelly

I'm not a spicy person. Meaning - I don't ever eat spicy foods. I feel like too much spice masks the flavor of what I'm eating and just leaves my tongue and throat feeling a little bit sick for a few hours. BUT, this Holiday Pepper Jelly is the perfect amount of spice for these taste buds. A coworker made this pepper jelly for our staff a few days ago and it was gone before anyone could go back for seconds! Great to spread over some cream cheese and dip a few crackers in.

Holiday Pepper Jelly
6-8 HALF PINT JARS
PREP: 30 minutes           COOK: 15 minutes            READY IN: 45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 3 cups red pepper, finely chopped (appx. 4 peppers)
•  1 cup green pepper, finely chopped (appx. 1 1/2 pepper)
• 1/2 cup jalapeno, finely chopped (appx. 2 peppers)
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 packages pectin 
• 5 cups sugar

DIRECTIONS

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1. Combine chopped peppers, vinegar, and pectin in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.
3. Add sugar while still stirring. Return to a boil.
4. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Ladle into sterilized jars. Wipe off top lip of jars and put on boiled lids. Screw on rings.
6. Process in boiling canner for 5 minutes. Water needs to cover jars.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    2 TBSP serving    84 calories   0 g fat   21.4 g carbs    0.1 g protein    21.1 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Chili Lime Pork Chops

I have a secret. I have an odd obsession with cookbooks. But only the ones that have pictures to go along with the recipe, and I mean every recipe. Those are the only cookbooks I seem to buy, and I know I can't be the only one. This recipe grabbed me as I was looking through my new Paleo cookbook. I'm trying to cook a variety of foods these days and this was a nice break from the usual chicken or fish recipes. It's healthy, quick to prepare, and can easily be a freezer meal (freeze the sauce separately and add to pork in the skillet the day you'd like to cook it).

Chili Lime Pork Chops
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOK: 6 minutes            READY IN: 26 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2-3 lbs pork tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

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1. Cut pork tenderloin into thick cubes, about 3/4 inch thick.
2. To prepare the sauce, add all sauce ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. 
3. Heat skillet over medium heat with coconut oil. Sprinkle pork with sea salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until bottom starts to brown. Turn pork over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
4. Add sauce to skillet with pork and cook until pork is cooked through, about 4 minutes. 
5. Serve pork with sauce poured over it.

NUTRITION FACTS

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10 oz pork= 1 serving   460 calories  20.6g fat  6.5g carbs   59.6g protein   4.7g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Make Ahead Paleo by Tammy Credicott
Linking up here.