Cooking With Antonio From Healthy Urban Kitchen And A FREE Giveaway
Alright, we have two little fun things today. First, it’s recipe time. But I want to give you all something different than the regular old recipe in a PDF. So I talked to Antonio at Healthy Urban Kitchen about putting together a cooking video showing you all how to actually put together one of his recipes. He grabbed the beautiful Donna Sonkin to put together this video for you, exclusively for Fitness Spotlight readers. (The password is “cooking”.)
Fitness Spotlight Cooking Video from Antonio Valladares on Vimeo.
For those wanting a run-down, here are the things that Donna threw into the marinade: Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, pepper, hot sauce, olive oil, cumin, garlic, oregano, cloves, and sea salt. Some other ideas she threw out were capers, coconut butter, tamari, fruit concentrates, and maple syrup. I probably missed a few, but you can see that the possibilities are endless.
Now let me tell you what I really like about this video. It’s all about the art of cooking, rather than the science. It’s how I cook in my own kitchen most of the time. I basically say, “Okay, so I have a chicken, now what?” and then I just start grabbing things I have around…spices, herbs, tamari, capers, olives, brown mustard, apple cider vinegar. You name it, it’s fair game. I basically create most of my meals on the fly and even when I have a recipe, I end up doctoring, adding a bit more garlic or throwing in some cumin, swapping one herb for another. You get the idea.
You can tell that she’s having a good time putting together what looks like a killer, delicious, and very healthy meal. Lots of herbs, spices, vegetables, pastured meat, butter…just loads of good stuff without making it difficult. Who said cooking is hard?
Of course, if you’re just getting started with cooking healthier, you might not be sure of what flavors go well together and playing with the “art” of cooking might not be the best way to start. That’s where the science comes in…let someone that’s done the experimenting show you a few things. From there, you can start playing, adding, substracting, and substituting. Or if you’re looking for some more ideas, be sure to check out Antonio’s cookbook, Healthy Urban Kitchen. It’s loaded with plenty of easy, awesome recipes like this one.
Win Rachael Ray Cookware
I’ve been working on this with Tyler at Cookware.com for about a month or so, trying to put together a giveaway for you all. So what we came up with was a set of casserole dishes for one lucky person from their Rachael Ray Cookware line.
This is a really nice 3-piece stoneware set and I’ll be honest, I’m rather jealous that I can’t have it. Stoneware is great for roasting and baking due to its even heat distribution.
So here’s what I need you to do…leave a comment (be sure to include your email address as that’s how the winner will be contacted) and give a brief run-down of one of your favorite recipes. It doesn’t have to be exact, just like Donna wasn’t exact. Just throw out some ideas for others to use when they get in the kitchen and want to do some playing around. The winner gets their pick of the available colors.
You have until Monday, November 9th at 8pm to get a comment in. Remember, leave your email address…no email address, no win.
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i love that cookware!
korean marinade for flank or skirt steak.
soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger, garlic cloves, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar. let marinate for 2 hours. grill. delicious.
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These would be perfect for the paleo sausage and apple stuffing I make for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
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Wild Salmon – à la iron skillet or grilled (medium flame, butter; player’s choice seasoning – black pepper, lemon grass, et al.). Wait ’til it’s sashimi- ish (in the center to top half), now flip it. Throw it right on top of that a salad. Simple, fast.
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Agreed about the casserole – that is a nice set and I’m tired of cleaning the bombed-out old metal tray that I use for roasting.
Thanks for posting the recipe. Making marinades out of what you have in your kitchen is an art that we should all aspire to. Personally I really only ever cook out of cookbooks, but I’m starting to move beyond that now that I’m a little more experienced.
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Oh my! That cookware is amazing.
I like to slice up any and every vegetable (eggplants, peppers, and sweet potatoes are probably my favorite… oh but zuchini is good this way too…) throw it in a pan and let it roast for a while (sometimes as much as 40 min). I like my veggies to be slightly crispy when done this way. Then I throw on sea salt to taste.
Usually I try to economize on my oven use by also baking a chicken breast or fillet of fish.
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I love to make a baked whitefish like tilapia, which would be great in one of those dishes. I take a few fillets (I can usually sit down and eat 2 or 3 in a meal haha!), wash them and pat dry. I coat the bottom of the pan with some olive oil, lay down some fish, and dust them with un-herbed breadcrumbs. I know, i know, breadcrumbs aren’t on the Paleo plan, and I could probably use coarsely-ground almond flour, but the bread crumbs aren’t going to kill me. After the bread crumbs I grab the herbs: thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, anything I really have lying around. Improvisation, like the video said. After the herbs I grab a grated cheese like parmigiano, something that isn’t going to melt and get all oily, and give the fish a HEALTHY dose of it. Let it be said that I LOVE cheese. The point here is to have the cheese crisp up just as much as the bread crumbs are. The texture difference between the flaky fish and the coating on top is to die for. All this goes in the oven until it’s done. About 5 minutes before it comes out I hit the top with a squeeze of lemon on my side (the girl thinks the lemon destroys the flavor of the fish – what, like the rest of what we put on it didn’t?
) and serve with a heaping side of whatever the veggie of the day is.
Simple and DONE.
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Can I win since I didn’t write the article?
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OK, she can come to Meatfest 2010. Can you pick her up, or should I fly the jet down to get her.
Jay
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I love a new find: short ribs in the crockpot. Beef short ribs, worchestershire (just a splash), soy sauce (another splash, wheat-free), olive oil, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper (I made this one up in my kitchen). I added some sweet potatoes and regular potatoes and about a 1/4 c water to the pot as well. Set that thing on low for about 8 hours and the ribs are tender and delicious.
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My favorite easy fall meal these days – take half a chicken, and put some fresh minced rosemary and a bit of salt under the skin. Preheat the oven to 400 for roasting. Chop 3 apples into quarters, slice two leeks in half, lengthwise. Toss the apples and leeks with a bit more of the minced rosemary and a little olive oil. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, and scatter the leeks and apples around the chicken. Roast for 40 minutes and serve.
Rosemary with apples is definitely my favorite new fall flavor combo!
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I LOVE me some roasted veggies! I cut yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, green peppers, and anything else I have handy into large chunks. Then I put them in a plastic bag (big one) with italian dressing and shake them around a bit to coat. My favorite way to prepare them is on the grill, in a grill basket! Cook until tender crisp and with tasty burnt edges!! Yum!!
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One of my favorite recipes: Pepperoncini Beef sandwiches. 3lb chuck roast, 1 jar of deli Pepperoncini, 1 cup beef stock….that’s it. Brown the roast, pour in jar of pepperoncini peppers (with juice) and add a cup of broth. Roast for about 2.5 hours, then shred. Toast buns, add meat and provolone and broil till cheese melts. TO DIE FOR!
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This cookware looks amazing. Unfortunately, I’ve never owned a casserole dish so Ive never gotten to try much with them. I’ll be sure to look into these ones- they look great. I’ve been wanting to try some paleo dishes for the holidays.
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I love baking potatoes and catfish, with vegetables like celery, carrots and green beans, salt, pepper, and lipton’s onion soup mix and bake it for a couple hours. It comes out so yummy.
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Cheryl – My friend has a slightly different version of your Pepperoncini Beef. She adds a packet of Good Seasonings Italian Salad Dressing (don’t know how healthy this is) and instead of beef stock, add a package of brown au jus.
My family loves this version but I prefer to be on the healthier side and use beef broth and my own herbs for seasoning.
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I have a great mushroom sauce to go along with that marinated and grilled flank steak.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, cremini, or portobello
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely sliced fresh chives
Melt the butter and saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, shallot, thyme, and rosemary, and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour the red wine into pan, scraping browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Add the cream, parsley, and chives and stir to combine.
This recipe (suppose to serve 4) never makes enough sauce for my husband’s liking so I always pad a little extra of all the ingredients and cook it to my taste. Bon a petite!
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My favorite recipe is rosemary herb pork. Lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, parsley, olive oil, marinated then roasted in the oven in a casserole dish until just tender. Throw it on the grill or in the crockpot for a changeup too!
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Blueberry Cheesecake!
Start by making the crust. You’ll need:
2 cups macadamia nuts (preferably raw & soaked for at least 6-8 hrs.)
1/2 cup dates, pitted
1/4 cup dried, shredded coconut
Blend the macadamia nuts and dates in a food processor to a fine consistency. Onto the bottom of the pie pan, place the dried coconut. The blended nut and date mixture will then be spread and pressed into the coconut shreddings.
Next, for the main “cheese” filling you’ll need:
3 cups cashews (soaked once more for ~6 hours)
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon authentic vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional for Paleo/Primal types)
You’ll want to blend all of this together in the method of your choice until it’s smooth and “creamy,” upon which this is poured into the pie plate, and also the crust, with a spatula until it’s evenly spread out and gaseous bubbles have been mitigated. Put the cheesecake in the freezer if wanting to later move it over to a separate plate, or just let it cool in the refrigerator.
Right before serving, or as it’s cooling in the refrigerator, prepare the blueberry topping to pour over the cheesecake. You’ll need:
1lbs of blueberries (raw or frozen)
1/2 cup dates, pitted
Blend these two things in the food processor until smooth. Again, you can put this over the cheesecake before serving, or as it’s cooling.
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That marinade is top shelf. Must remember the next time a recipe calls for one… Speaking of which, I had this on the weekend. Can’t get enough of it and posted this on my blog a couple of weeks back:
West Indian Chicken and Squash Recipe
Makes 6 servings
* 2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil – most recipes will call for vegetable oil
* 2 cups (500 mL) chopped onion
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
* 4 tsp (20 mL) mild curry powder
* 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves, nutmeg, or cinnamon (it’s completely optional, don’t worry)
* 3 cups (750 mL) chopped tomatoes
* 2 cups (500 mL) chopped sweet red and yellow pepper
* 1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken broth
* 2 1/2 lb (1.1 kg) chicken drumsticks and boneless chicken thighs (skinless of course)
* 4 cups (1 L) peeled squash (butternut is a great choice here), cut into 1/2-inch (1.2-cm) cubes
* Salt and pepper
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Great video! Reminds me of a roast lamb recipe I love (not 100% paleo as it contains white wine).
Brown a leg of lamb in a large pan and some oil. In an oven proof dish put in the leg of lamb, 50 cloves (unpeeled) garlic and a glass of white wine. Cover in aluminum foil and put in an oven on low heat – about 140 degrees Celsius / 280 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-7 hours, checking every now and then.
When ready, the meat falls off the bone and the roast garlic along with some fresh vegetables such as lightly steamed broccolini is delicious!
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beautiful pans — my favorite recipe is to toss cut vegetables with olive oil and salt and throw them in a 400 deegree oven until carmelized. Makes a great soup if blended with some stock and spices.
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Great recipe ideas here! I like to make soup using up leftovers. Start with sauteing an onion, add leftover roasted or steamed veggies and chicken stock. Heat it all together, then puree with a stick blender. If you have leftover meat to add, now is the time to dice it and add to soup. Taste to adjust seasonings and perhaps, add some cream or coconut milk. Soup goes together rather quickly and uses up odds and ends in refrigerator. It is also never quite the same each time!
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thanks everyone for all the great recipes/ideas. with the weather getting colder, i find im using my oven again (versus the grill). what great additions to my dinner recipes. and might i add my vote for roasted veggies – my favorite combination includes brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and whole cloves of garlic in olive oil and with copious sprigs of fresh rosemary. YUM!
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A fave recipe…DUCK! I love duck…I know a lot of people don’t but you can make goose the same way. Sooooooo tender and good!
2-4 picked ducks
Add stuffing: I like to stuff mine with a wild rice mixture. I split it about 1/2 and 1/2 brown rice to white rice. Saute a whole lot of fresh mushrooms to add to the rice. Now this is important, add a bunch of butter to the mixture and also add 2 whisked eggs. Really. Salt, pepper, etc…and then stuff all this in the duck.
Set the duck in a roaster. Add a couple cups of chicken broth. Then add cut up onions, carrots, etc for flavor. Now…take a WHOLE package of bacon and cover those ducks in uncooked bacon. This is what makes them tender. Cover, put in the oven at 325 for 1.5 – 2 hours. MmmmMMm.
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Hello All!
This is a great side dish or main dish if you add some protein (I’ve used chunks of chicken or shrimp)
1) Put 2-3 Tbsp ghee in a fry pan.
2) Add a 10 oz pkg of sliced mushrooms.
3) Sprinkle on to taste some Celtic Sea Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder.
4) Fry them mushrooms until they are nice and brown and have given up their juices. Remove from pan and put aside.
5) Add 1 to 2 10 oz pkg of frozen spinach to pan and cook on low/med heat until fully defrosted. Remove from pan and squeeze to drain well. ( I put it on a heavy duty paper plate, fold in half, and SQUEEZE over the sink)
6) Add another tbsp ghee ( or pastured butter) to pan, and add back mushrooms and spinach, mix together well until heated.
7) Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup Feta cheese. Mix well and you’re done!
At this point you can mix in chicken, shrimp, and I’ve even used ham to make it a meal instead of a side. VERY YUMMY!
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here’s my chance to win!
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Who doesn’t like wining stuff?
Do I have a chance to win as well?
But what about non-US people like me?
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As someone who is still learning to cook, I’m always impressed when I can take the drippings from the meat I cooked and add a little more fat (butter, olive or coco oil), something acidic (lime or lemon juice, vinegar, or wine), some seasonings to go with the kind of meat, and let it simmer for a bit, and you end up with a yummy reduction sauce. I still think that’s magic. It’s also fun to try different combinations to see what happens.
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I’ve been eating alot of tuna (canned) lately…I like mixing it with lemon juice, mayo, dijon mustard, chili powder, pepper, garlic salt, and almond meal. Great for a quick meal/snack after coming home from work.
Cooking in stoneware seems very Paleo/Primal to me…Grok would have loved stoneware if he could have made it himself.
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My favorite roast veggie is green beans. I coat them with olive oil, add salt and pepper, then roast them in the oven at 450 until they’re crispy. Yum!
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Not sure how healthy it is, but one of my favorite things to make is easy, Americanized enchiladas. A mixture of taco meat and green chilies inside the tortillas and cream of chicken and sour cream outside, topped with cheese and baked at 350 until the cheese melts and the “sauce” is gooey.
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What I like about the video is that it gives some new ideas for the Thanksgiving turkey.
My favorite recipe is roast duck. I do it in a ceramic bowl, placing the duck on top of a bed of carrots and celery. It’s elevated enough that the skin doesn’t get doused. I put it in a bit of water so that the fat drippings won’t burn, I capture them and re-use them later. (A bit high in omega-6 but otherwise healthy fat.) I stuff the duck with a sliced lemon and spices. Skin is coated with coconut oil, salt, pepper, and spices.
Simple but tasty, and the vegetables go well with it. Serve with plum sauce and scallions.
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Pumpkin Coconut Curry (adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Coconut-Curry/Detail.aspx)
Ingredients
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into small chunks
* 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 (2 pound) sugar pumpkin — peeled, seeded and cubed
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon ground coriander
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 pinch ground turmeric
* 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 can coconut milk
* 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
* salt to taste
Directions
1. Season the chicken pieces with poultry seasoning and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to the skillet; cook and stir until browned on the outside and cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger; cook and stir until onion is transparent. Season with coriander, cumin, turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook and stir until spices are fragrant. Add pumpkin, cooked chicken, coconut milk and chicken broth. Season with salt to taste. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat.
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i can’t wait until i learn how to cook sans recipe. the cookware would help.
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Lamb Shanks
This is my favorite cold-weather, hearty recipe (though just a smidgen away from 100% because of the white wine…) using a lovely, cheap cut of lamb. I use lots of lemon as an acidifying agent, but some people might want to use less lemon juice and add a few cubed tomatoes instead:
preheat oven to 350
In a cast iron dutch oven, Sautee 5 mins on medium-high burner in 2 tbsp of ghee or butter, stirring frequently:
1 leek, roughly chopped
2 med. shallots, chopped
3-4 med. carrots, chopped into coins
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
(and any other veggie you might want to substitute or add– there’s definitely room for playing here)
add:
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup stock (I use the bone broth from my last roast chicken, but could be beef)
juice of 1 and 1/2 to 2 lemons, and zest from one lemon
10 pepper corns
3 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp sea salt (I love Himalayan)
any other spices to your taste (I find rosemary, sage, and thyme great here, but you could go in other, very spicy directions)
Bring to a boil, then nestle 4 lamb shanks into the mixture. You may want to ladle some of the liquid and veggies over top of the meat to make sure it is as covered as possible, then put on lid and transfer the dutch oven into the oven.
Roast for 90 mins to 2 hours to make the meat start to come off the bone.
What I really love about this recipe is that you can then save the flavorful leftover juices, bones, veggies, and any leftover meat to make a lamb soup. Just simmer bones is stock for an hour– maybe with some cubed squash– (then make sure to get the delicious marrow out), remove bones, then add leftovers and maybe some cut up kale.
I guess it ends up being kind of like 2 recipes in one…
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I do egg dishes in ramekins in the oven. One of my favorites is a layer of refried beans on the bottom, and eggs with green chiles (from a can) and cheese mixed into the eggs. I cook them at about 375 for 30 minutes or so.
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Terrific cookware. However, this is a truly annoying video, as are most cooking videos. Just give me the recipes — I don’t need to see the cleavage but was amused by the way the camera forgets to shoot the food.
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Cookware here I come!
A tasty and easy recipe:
chicken breasts cooked/grilled…whatever
pesto – I like the TJ’s brand
virgin olive oil
pine nuts
slice the chicken breasts into cooked slices and add the other ingrdients I usually like to do 1 tablespoon per chicken breast of each ingredient!
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One of my favorites is a chili I make – it’s mostly paleo, except for worschestchire and liquid smoke. I chop onions, peppers, top round steak, put in bowl with worstchechire and liquid smoke overnight. then brown in batches, throw in slow cooker with some beans and crushed tomatoes, chili power and cumin and cayenne. that’s about it and it is fantastic.
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Here’s one of my favorite (mostly) healthy, quick and easy meals.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 can black beans or kidney beans
Taco seasoning (your choice)
Mexican cheese
1 can black olives
Super duper easy, works well with the zone diet too.
Brown the beef and throw in the taco seasoing (I use old el paso w/ low sodium, but if you have a more healthy option, it will work just as well).
In a seperate pan, heat beans.
Combine beans and meat, add olives and cheese (both optional)
Let cheese melt and stir it up.
Cook time, maybe 10 minutes. Enjoyment time: forever.
david.croushore@gmail.com
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I love to slow cook up bunch of chicken thighs and sweat potatoes the oven.
-I slice up two sweet potatoes (~15 oz each) into thin-ish slices of arbitrary size.
-I lift up the skin on the chicken thighs and sprinkle salt and pepper onto the meat and then recover the meat with the skin.
-I heat up some coconut oil (4Table spoons) in a frying pan so it becomes liquid and then poor about 1/4th of it into the bottom of each casserole dish
-I evenly place 3 of the thighs into each of the two casserole dishes (6 thighs to a package from my butcher)
-I place the sweat potatoes around the thighs
-I pour the rest the coconut oil on the sweat potatoes only.
-I put this in the oven at 325 and cook for 30-40 minuets.
-When I take the dishes out, I take the thighs and place them on a separate plate and then I sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper on the sweat potatoes and mix them up.
I serve this with a big mixed green salad and I have never had any leftovers! Each time I make more but we somehow seem to always finish every last bite!
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Some great ideas in that video!
I love taking a nice grass-fed Flank, Sirloin, or even Skirt Steak and marinating it in Tamari, Balsamic and Red Vine Vinegars, Organic Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic, crushed red pepper, and fresh rosemary or thyme.
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This recession has left me flat broke… I almost have to resort to eating conventionally raised meat… I could really use some free cookware!
-B
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I just created my new favorite vegetable dish:
Curried Root Vegetables
Place chopped carrots, turnips, parsnips, and onion in a baking dish.
Add a cup or so of chicken stock.
Sprinkle generously with garam masala and your favorite curry powder.
Mix thoroughly.
Dot with butter, chicken fat, or similar.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Braise in the oven until tender, but not mushy.
Fantastic with roasted chicken.
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This is so good with eggs for breakfast-
Roasted Carrot with Avocado
1 pound carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into two-inch segments (I like to use a rolling cut)
3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
Juice of half a lemon or lime
Mix the carrots, coconut oil, cumin and a generous helping of salt and pepper on a metal roasting sheet. Spread on sheet, roast at 400 F for 20 or 30 min, until tender and browned.
Mix carrots with avocado, lemon juice, extra salt and pepper if necessary.
Yum!
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Great video and even better recipe. Can’t wait to try this at home. I think that Donna’s may have some talent – - and for some reason she reminds me a bit of Giada from the foodnetwork shows, but I can’t quite put my finger on it…
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WOW! That cookware would match my kitchen exactly. Not sure how much use it would be, but it sure would be purty!!
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Simple, quick and easy
Thick and juicy looking T-Bone
Chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)
Salt
Pepper
Red Wine Vinegar (i use a couple of tbsp, varies)
Let marinate for however long you want, a couple hours is probably good (i don’t wait that long)
Pan sear for about a minute on each side, then stick it in the oven and broil at around 375 for 4 minutes (I like mine medium rare so I leave it in for 4 minutes)
I love steak with brussels sprouts, broccoli works too
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I would love to have some decent cookware. I never tend to win these things, but I hope I win this one!
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When you said cookware, was thinking pots and pans, which I don’t need. But I been eyeing these on Rachael’s show. Nice!
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Oh, those are gorgeous, and I realized I don’t have *any* dishes like these. o_0
No wonder I keep cooking things on the stovetop. Almost ZERO of my pans are okay to put in the oven. *lol*
And now there’s an entire comment-thread of recipes for me to look over, also, thanks! ;D
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My fave recipe: Brussel Sprouts with egg, bacon salad.
Chop up brussel sprouts in half, boil or steam.
Hard boil 2 eggs, cut into slices
Cook bacon to desired crispiness and cut into small pieces.
Stirfy brussel sprouts with bacon fat and a create a nice carmelization. Add bacon bits and egg to the salad and maybe some oil and pepper. Season to taste.
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My favorite is chili in the crockpot – so easy!
Combine chopped cilantro, a diced sweet potato, 3 x diced apples, a diced sweet onion, 3 x diced tomatos, a jar of Bertolli’s spaghetti sauce which includes garlic, basil and olive oil, diced mushrooms, and a bit of oregano and chili powder.
Brown 2.5 lbs of ground beef (I like the high fat chuck!) in a pan then pour it all in, including the grease. Set the crock pot on low heat for ten hours – stirring every now and again. It’s delicious! I like a little sour cream on top when I dish up a bowl
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My favorite recipes are oddly enough the simple things like smoked jalapenos. While there aren’t many ingredients, it isn’t as simple as throwing them on a grill. I also like simple things like meats which are seasoned, although a good piece of meat doesn’t need the seasoning. Last, I love cooking scrambled eggs seasoned with purple basil and cayenne pepper. Mmmm!
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I tried a great new recipe recently: chili with sweet potatoes. Basically it’s a can of black beans, diced tomatoes, chop up some sweet potatoes and onions, add veg. broth, chili powder and any other spices you want and it turns out delicious! I added a dollop of sour cream on top, too. Perfect for autumn!
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Easy salmon:
1-1.5lbs salmon, skin on
EVOO
Rosemary
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Coat bottom of pyrex / other baking dish w/ EVOO and coat salmon with EVOO
Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally on salmon
spread crushed garlic cloves and rosemary on/under salmon (skin side down) and in the oil
Bake at 375 for about 15 mins
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i almost never follow recipes cause i never end up liking them. But I have often referred to them as a starting point and then altered to suit my personal preferences.
My cooking is really simple too. I generally just cook everything with a little bit of salt, pepper, olive oil or butter and just let the flavour of the food come through.
When I make fish though i sometimes like to make this tasty sauce.
Simply slice up some ginger-root into matchstick like pieces. Saute in olive oil. Add the juice of an orange. Simmer/cook till it thickens a little bit. (Just needs a few minutes.) Then pour over fish or whatever else you want.
That’s it.
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Here’s a recipe I made up a few weeks ago while playing around in the kitchen. It is for Chicken and Spinach Curry.
*1 white or yellow onion, thickly sliced.
*2 cloves minced garlic.
*Some oil.
*1 16-oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed.
*Curry powder (2-3 Tbsp) and cumin (about 1/2 Tbsp).
*Salt and pepper.
*2 chicken breasts, thawed.
*Brown basmati rice.
Heat a little oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring
occasionally, until tender. Start the rice in a separate pot.
While onion & garlic are cooking, heat some oil in a frying pan over
medium heat and add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Turn rarely.
Chicken is done when it is a deep golden color.
When onion and garlic are tender, add spinach and spices, and mix well.
Turn heat down to low and cook together while chicken is cooking.
When chicken is done, shred meat between two forks. Add to the pot. Stir
and cook together 5-10 minutes, until flavors blend together.
Serve with basmati rice.
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Here’s a “recipe” I played with this past week. I had pumpkin bread in mind but turned out more like a firm, crustless pumpkin pie. Warning: No amounts are exact! Do what seems right!
3 cups roasted, chopped pumpkin
2 eggs
some cream
some water
molasses-a few tablespoons
half cup coconut flour
half teaspoon baking powder
the spices you like
half teaspoon salt
All that into the blender. Blend until smooth, adding liquids until the blender is nearly full and the pumpkin mix very thick but pourable. Add some chopped nuts. Pour into two prepared loaf pans. Bake at something around 375F (no telling for sure with my oven) until it seems done. Done is when it smells like it ought to be done. Pull out, let sit for a spell. Eat. Marvel that it isn’t bread and it isn’t pie but it is still good.
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Cookware looks great for my curry recipes.
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Golly, I take the lazy woman’s route and dehydrate grassfed beef for jerky. It’s dry rubbed in cumin, pepper, and powdered garlic.
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I enjoy the articles and want to try a recipe soon.
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Even roasting hey? I love roasted curried chicken! I cook 10 lb pasture raised chickens stuffed with crushed tomatoes, garlic, onions, curry, turmeric, parsley, EVOO, sea salt, black pepper, and honey. Sometimes I add zucchini and eggplant mixed with the seasoning on the outside to roast along with chicken. Curry is pretty amazing if you ask me.
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I enjoyed reading about the marinade ideas and am always looking for new ingredients and spices. I like sweeter types and typically use fruit ingredients like tamarind, mango, or orange juice. I use unsweetened rice vinegar, lite coconut milk, dried miso soup mix and frozen shredded lemongrass. I like to cook things as simply as possible but like bold flavors. Good cookware and not overcooking are always more important than spices, though!
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The cookware really is beautiful. I can see myself roasting a chicken in one. Put the outer stalks of celery maybe an old carrot and onion ends in the bottom and put the chicken on top. Raises the chicken just enough that the bottom doesn’t get soggy and makes for a great gravy when you are done. Yum!!
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This week I have been full steam making applebutter. I have the oven and the crockpot going. I cut up apples, throw in some raisins and top with brown sugar. Then pour in about a cup of raw apple juice. Should put in here I have more apples then I know what to do with…. everyone is tired of apple pie… apple crisps…. apple dressing and so on. Back to the apple butter. Then throw it in the crockpot for 12 hours or oven on 300 for 5 hours. Then I blend with a hand mixer when done. Now all that is left is to find a friend that doesn’t already have 5 jars already. LOL
Also wanted to say I enjoyed all the other recipes.
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I loved this!!!! There were so many little pieces of valuable information that Donna shared that are awesome…as an example, I love shitakes, but have never really been brave enough to cook with them. And I love how simply it all came together…not that it wasn’t a lot of work, but you know, it’s really not that hard to eat the healthy way…thank you so much for sharing this and I HOPE to see MORE like this!
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I’d like to share a simple yet scrumptious soup recipe from last night. In the spirit of the art of cooking, relative amounts are subject to personal taste:
Saute chopped onion, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, kale, and cooked sausage and bacon for a little while. Then add a quart of chicken stock and about a half cup of whipping cream, cover and simmer for an hour. Eat.
My version uses lots of hot Italian sausage and a whole bunch of kale. I’m sure there’s a million variations/substitute ingredients that would be just fine, it’s not rocket science.
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Great video and cookware.
Thanks
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I wan to win the cookware!
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This is so timely! I’ve been obtaining cookbooks in order to learn how to cook more healthily for me and my family of 6. I just made a roast chicken last night, stuffing the bird with a cut lemon, 4 T butter and garlic cloves, salting and peppering. I roasted it at 500* for 10 minutes then added some potato wedges and a whole onion. Every 15 minutes, you stir the potatoes; they get real crispy! It was done in about an hour. the last 15 minutes, i added rosemary to the potatoes. Yummy!
But i don’t have adequate roasting pans!
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What great timing – I’ve been shopping for great cookware like this but it’s too close to Christmas to be spending the money.
Great recipes here too!!
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This cookware is fab; i hope i win. thanks for a well-informed website…i enjoy it.
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Lemon Zest Tilapia
Coat tilapia fillets with almond meal or blended almonds. Fry in a skillet of coconut oil on medium heat for a few minutes on each side. Before flipping, toss on lemon zest, lime or lemon juice, and pepper. You can throw in some butter for taste as well.
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Here’s one for ya – mousakka hash.. you’re not going to impress anyone familiar with proper greek cooking by calling this a mousakka recipe, but i like to fry up some ground meat and then throw in tomatoes (and/or tomato paste), peppers, onions, garlic, eggplant (diced and soaked in salt water for 20 min), salt, pepper, and a lot of cinammon. then i add a little water and let it cook for long enough for most of the water to cook out. the longer it simmers the better. cant go wrong!
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I like to boil chicken breast that you can put into tortilla shells for easy chicken fajitas:
ground chili powder
cumin
dried oregano
dried cilantro
onion powder
garlic powder
sea salt
Just throw it all in a pot and simmer until the chicken falls apart.
I enjoyed the video, and learned something new about carrots (keeping the tops on!) I will be buying the fresh carrots with tops from now on!
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The cookware set looks cool. I just start imagining the possibilites with stuff like Boar meat.
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I’ve been wanting something for roasting! I’ve been using pyrex glass cookware to roast chicken, carrots & potatoes. Oven to 450, chicken in first. Thighs or breast with skin, some melted coconut oil on top with sea salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for about 30 min, take out and put on plate, then put chopped yukon gold or sweet potatoes in same cooking dish and mix around in all the oil and add same spices, let cook for about 15 min then add chopped carrots and more spices, mix, and let cook about another 15 min, then put chicken on top and let cook another 15 min or so. Broil for a few minutes at the end for extra crispy chicken skin. Yummy!
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There are a million ways to cook eggplant.
My most recent (and new favorite) method was to slice either lengthwise or in rings, depending on the size. Arrange on top of a little bit of olive oil. Top with thinly sliced tomatoes and homemade pesto from fresh basil, then drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and throw in the oven….
YUM.
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Very cool cookware I want some like that! I have heard the eggplant makes a great replacment for noodles is that true?
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I like muffins in the morning and I use this great recipe for flax seed muffins.
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
* 3/4 cup ground flax seed
* 3/4 cup oat bran
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3/4 cup skim milk
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 cups shredded carrots
* 1 cup shredded coconut
* 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, flax seed, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla and oil; mix until just blended. Stir in the carrots, coconut, raisins or dates and nuts. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
3. Bake at 350 F (175 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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Recently, my favorite chicken has had a citrus base. I take a whole free-range chicken and cut it up (or buy it cut up) and marinate it for several hours to a day in a mix of crushed/minced garlic, onions, ginger root and chopped, roasted chilis with soy sauce, rice vinegar, a little sesame oil, mustard, lemon juice (1/2 – 1 cup), and orange extract. The marinade needs a sweetener, and for my diet I have to use something very low/noncaloric like Splenda or Truvia. When I’m in the fridge during the day I toss and turn the chicken around in the marinade. I heat the oven to 500 degrees, drain the marinade into a pot, brush the drained chicken with oil as I put it in a roasting pan, and roast for 25 minutes (check juices run clear). I use the marinade for a sauce by adding more chicken broth, more mustard, and reducing it while the chicken is cooking.
I vary this recipe (which I found in Dana Carpender’s 500 More Low Carb Recipes) by adding a variety of Indian spices (I roast the seeds eg, cummin, fennel, coriander, cinnamon stick in a dry pan, grind them and then add them with any powdered spices eg, turmeric, cardamom) to the marinade. I’ve also used a more Middle Eastern mix of spices. The cooked chicken is very moist and grandly delicious and all I need is a great green salad.
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I’m sure my wife will appreciate me reading up on how to cook better. Thanks for the tips.
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i make this every day of the week for me and my wife’s breakfast. it’s just a smoothie but it’s good good good:
equal parts orange juice and almond milk..i use about a half a cup each and sometimes i use rice milk if i’m out of almond milk
an apple..not a big one, i use red delicious, i’ll throw four or five strawberries and a handful of blueberries in if i’ve got them
a banana of course and a handful of almonds. flaxseeds are good in it too. i soak them overnight in a cup of water…which makes them soft and more digestible. i think your body can get more of the good stuff like omega 3’s out of them if they are soaked..otherwise they kind of just pass right through your system.
and either some cinnamon or some blackstrap molasses..i don’t do both. it doesn’t take much blackstrap..just a teaspoon or two.
put it in the blender and blend it..but not too much.. just enough to break the almonds into little pieces. the little almond chunks give you something to chew on. enjoy!
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I’m in such desperate need of nice cookware… I’m still using stuff from 1920!! lol.. and I’m only 27 (thanks grandma!)
I love cooking… but knowing that I’m gonna have all that “clean up” time is such a deterrant
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buckeheat
onions
butter
shitaki mushrooms
cooked together not dry but more juiucy
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I have a simple and quick recipe for you on the go moms and dads that I make quite often. serves 4-6.
cube or thin slice 5 medium washed potatoes
chopped green pepper
chopped small onion
shredded cheese of your favorite, or cut block cheese in small cubes
ketchup
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
combine all ingredients except cheese and ketchup into a medium deep sized frying pan and cook on medium-high heat. cook for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft and well done. Then, turn down to low heat and add cheese on top. When served add ketchup as desired! Serve with your favorite meat!
it’s that easy! enjoy! Ronda
rondamaclean@yahoo.com
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Please enter my name in the contest for the cookware. Thank you.
Here’s a recipe for you:
BEEF SOUP
Smash and chop lots of garlic (use as much garlic as you like; the more the better, in my opinion)
Cut beef (I have used flap steak; you can use any cut you wish, but the fattier the better) into small pieces.
Season beef with salt, thyme, marjoram. Set it aside.
Put butter in pot; let it melt.
Put garlic in butter; stir whilst cooking; don’t let it get brown!; let it get tender.
Put beef into pot with the garlic and butter; mix it all up; let the beef sit for a bit on one side, then turn the pieces over. The beef will cook quickly; try to keep it rare; you just want to brown it a bit.
Add beef stock. You can add water if your stock’s flavour is intense; also, add water to cover if you don’t have enough stock to cover. If you don’t have stock, you can combine a nice dry red wine and some water.
Turn up the heat; when bubbles start, turn it OFF.
Pour the soup into a bowl and add coconut cream (optional, but really, this is a good ingredient to add) and some lemon juice (which makes the flavour jump!). Add the lemon to taste and bit by bit, because too much will overpower the other flavours.
If you eat grains, you can pour this over cooked rice.
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Please include me in the drawing.
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I have been playing with a pork chop recipe… I’ve been using chinese five spice, garlic, and coriander. I’m getting there!
susanLbridges at gmail dot com.
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That cookware would go nice in my kitchen!
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Great video. I look just like that. Whatever I can find.
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As the weather is getting colder, I am craving comfort foods from my childhood. One of my favorites is liver and onions. Saute 1-2 medium onions in olive oil until tender. Remove from pan. In the same pan, saute liver, seasoned with salt and lots and lots and LOTS of pepper, about 2 minutes on each side, medium heat. The inside should be medium rare. Don’t overcook or the liver will be tough.
Serve the onions over the liver with a baked potato on the side. I salt and drizzle olive oil over the potato.
The meal is quick, easy, and so tasty. No gravy, butter, or sour cream needed!
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Great video! I love this cookware. Thanks to all of those that posted recipes!
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My goto meal anytime is eggs. Fried, scrambled, poached or omelet style. Make sure to use plenty of real butter and coconut oil. My favorite seasoning is Tony Chashere’s (this stuff goes great on anything).
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I’m a big fan of scrambled eggs with sauted green peppers and tuna in olive oil. It’s a great meal that’s easy to throw together, very well balanced, and primal!
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Great information, please keep it coming. Cheers!
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Breakfast. 6 egg whites, 3 yolks, Canadian Bacon, Potato, onion and mushroom scramble in a flour tortilla. Ready for Commute.
Alternate day is Wheat Bagel, peanut butter, jam, cinnamon, honey, wheat germ. Toast bagel and mix all ingredients in small bowl and lather on. Top off with sliced banana. YUM!!!
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Bring on the cooking yo! Hmm favorite recipe… would probably have to be my nutty salad.
Pecans, almonds, cashews all thrown in with thin sliced mangos. It’s like a souped up mango salad for those who’ve ever had it. For some extra crunch, I throw on some Whey Crisps. Hmm… could go for some right now.
Peace
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The cookware looks great. The article about nightshade veggies is challenging, I love sweet peppers!
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The cookware looks awesome.
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“CRUSTLESS QUICHE”
I make this every Sunday so I have a Ready-To-Go-Breakfast everyday of the week…this is my most recent find, not to mention my most favorite and most easy thing to make!
——- IDEA ——- I’m going to try to make this as a DESSERT/SNACK by making it with fruits instead of meats/veggies: think I’ll try apple/strawberry/raspberry to start….and ADD in cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, maybe raisins, nuts???
After it’s cooked, I’ll serve it with Pure Maple Syrup or Honey……I’m trying this after work, I’m all excited, haha.
“CRUSTLESS QUICHE”
#1. Sauté and season any raw (organic) Meats (love it with bacon or sausage) and Vegetables (use whatever is in your fridge! Broccoli, carrots, onions, celery, etc).
#2. In a big bowl, whisk 8-10 eggs (organic, free-range, whatever!) with 1 can Coconut Milk (again, organic if you choose to).
#3. When it’s ready to go, throw the meat/veggies into the big bowl of eggs/coconut milk. (Add more seasoning if you want! I keep it simple with sea salt, pepper, garlic)
#4. Coat bottom of baking dish OR deep-dish pie pan OR even putting this in a muffin tin might be fun (for automatic individual servings) with oil – I use grapeseed oil.
#5 Toss the ‘big bowl of stuff’ into the dish of your choice and into the oven it goes, about 375 for 30-35 minutes.
Check on it after 20 minutes…then again at 30 minutes….You want the outside to be done (a knife inserted comes out clean), but the center will be soft. (It will continue to cook after removing from oven)
#6. Remove from the oven. The center will cook in a few minutes. You can eat it warm, cold, or room temperature.
Ps. You can add CHEESE to the ‘big bowl’ just before baking time if you want…I rather cut up some goat cheese or feta and have that on the side at the time of consumption.
ENJOY!
joelle_sabourin@hotmail.com
PS. That RR Cookware would be wonderful since I lost mine to a fire in my old apartment block a little while ago…fingers crossed.
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I like to eat.
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My favorite easy and tangy-delicious recipe:
Preheat oven to 385
Lay 6-8 chicken thighs skin-up in a casserole or baking dish (the stoneware would be great for this!!)
Grate the zest of one large lemon and set aside, then juice lemon
Drizzle the juice over the chicken
Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Sprinkle the lemon zest
(here you can add any fresh herbs like chives or thyme, but with just these ingredients it is still delicious)
Bake for 20-25 mins (you may want to drain some of the liquid before continuing)
Broil for 10-15 mins or until skin is dark and crispy all over
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I like to take a cheap can of black beans and dump a can of Rotel in it to add extra flavor. Perfect with fajitas. Simple and easy which is about all I’ll cook.
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Tons of great recipe ideas here. I think we have a freakin’ boatload of chefs in the Fitness Spotlight community.
And the winner is….Jenn S! Jenn, check your email for further instructions.
Thanks to everyone for participating and throwing out some great ideas. Hopefully we’ll get some more giveaways put together in the near future and we can have some more fun.
Cheers all,
Scott
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