Beet Greens Pesto

What to do with all those beet greens you have hanging around in your fridge? Make pesto! After I purchase beets from my local farmers market, I usually trim off all the greens, wash and store them in a gallon size ziplock in the fridge. I usually add them to juices throughout the week but wanted to try something different. I also didn't have much else to juice. I've also sauteed these greens with garlic and olive oil which makes a tasty alternative to sauteed kale or spinach. This pesto recipe is super quick and easy to make. You don't even need to dirty measuring cups.

What you will need:

About 4 handfuls of beet greens
2 handfuls of pumpkin seeds
2 cloves of garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
Olive oil (more or less depending on desired consistency)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor and enjoy! Your body will thank you as this recipe packs a punch in the nutrient department. Beet greens are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, which contain antioxidants that help protect your cells. They are also a good source of calcium, magnesium, folate, and iron. For those who are conscious of calories, 1 cup of cooked beet greens contains only 39 calories.

What are your favorite recipes using beet greens?

Tortilla Chip Crusted Chicken Tenders

What do you do with those last bits of crumbly tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag? Some may crumple up the bag and throw them away, but there are quite a few things that can be done with those tiny little highly seasoned pieces. I'm one who hates to waste so I try my best to use every last bit of what is left. Even more so now that I have been reading An Everlasting Meal from Tamar Adler. Her approach to cooking food is simple but elegant and rustic at the same time. Since starting her book, my desire to experiment in the kitchen has grown so much more than before. I can be baking all morning at work yet when I come home, I'm ready to continue spending my time in the kitchen. Yesterday was my day off and I spent the majority of it in my happy place. I love spending time preparing food. It's zen-like to me. Some people think I'm silly for taking the amount of time I do to prepare my meals but it's a process for me. A process I enjoy very much.
A process I don't enjoy very much is writing recipes. I've had people on Instagram ask for recipes but to me, the act of stopping my flow to write down measurements just ruins the experience. Hence, the reason why I haven't posted anything in six months. I understand that baking is a science and is deserving of a written recipe, but I want to try something new on this blog for non-"baking" items and simply talk through the process. Recipes have always been difficult for me to follow anyway. They just don't ever come out right. You have to take into account that all the variables are different for each person preparing the recipe. Altitude, heat of your oven, gas or electric range. Tamar Adler touches on this subject in her book and it's the first time I found someone else who gets it. "No matter how well a cookbook is written, the cooking time will be wrong. Ingredients don't take three or five or ten minutes to be done; it depends on the day and the stove. So you must simply pay attention, trust yourself, and decide" (64).
Now back to those tortilla chips, which is the whole purpose of this post. I decided to use them as the breading for chicken tenders. I had raw chicken in the fridge that needed to be cooked but I wanted more substance than just plain baked chicken for lunch. First things first, I preheated the oven to 350°F. For the breading, I took a glass jar (any heavy object will work) and smashed the leftover bag of chips to even tinier pieces. I poured the crumbs into a shallow bowl and added a little bit of cashew nut flower along with salt, pepper, red chili flakes, and smoked paprika. Everyone has different tastes so season to your liking. I was only coating about 6 pieces of chicken so adjust your ingredients as needed. (If you have a whole breast, slice into strips.) In another shallow bowl I added spelt flour for the initial coating of the tenders. In a third bowl, whisk one egg until combined. Use the spelt flour for the initial coating on the chicken. Dip into beaten egg and then coat in tortilla crumb mixture. Lay the breaded chicken down on a greased, foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes and then flip chicken pieces over. Change the oven temperature to broil and cook for about 4-5 more minutes. Watch out that you don't burn them. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

I created a simple spinach salad topped with the chicken tenders and homemade pickled vegetables (carrot, fennel, and swiss chard stems.) I attempted to make the mayonnaise recipe from Adler's book, but as I've said before, I'm not good with recipes. My mayonnaise was a fail but after adding more salt, pepper, spices, and a little apple cider vinegar, it was a delicious salad dressing.

Good For You Carrot and Raisin Muffins

It took me quite awhile to perfect my gluten free pancake recipe. Moving on to muffins was a little easier since I had a better knowledge of how these alternative flours work together. Three times is a charm because the last batch I made turned out great. These muffins are free of gluten and refined sugars. I used brown rice syrup and stevia. The raisins add a nice sweet bite but overall these muffins do not have an overly sweet taste. The flax, buckwheat, and oat bran provide a good source of fiber so these muffins will help keep you satisfied throughout the morning. They also contain a good source of protein from the eggs and Greek yogurt.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup oat bran

1/4 sorghum flour

2 Tbs tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 pure vanilla powder

4 packets stevia (I use NuNaturals)

Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 plain Greek yogurt (used 2%)

2 Tbs grapeseed oil

1 egg

1/4 egg whites

Add-Ins

3/4 cup grated carrot

1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350℉

In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients and gently mix until flour has a uniform color.

In another medium bowl, whisk together all of your wet ingredients.

Pour the wet into the dry and mix well until there are no lumps. 

Add in the carrots and raisins and mix well to distribute evenly.

Scoop into a greased or lined muffin pan and bake for about 20-23 minutes or until done.

Enjoy these muffins on their own or add a little butter (Earth Balance) or jam. I eat one with my eggs in the morning for a little treat.

Happy and healthy eating :)

Revised Gluten Free Pancakes

 If you are familiar with my Instagram, you know how much I love pancakes. It's almost become a tradition that every Tuesday (which is actually my Sunday) I make myself a batch along with a cappuccino. I just figured out how to use the machine we have at our house. I'm not the best with technology though I've mastered it and I'm now addicted to making myself a triple capp with almond milk.
Anyway, back to the pancakes. For the most part, I like to eat gluten free. I have purchased gluten free pancake mixes in the past and though they tasted yummy, I wasn't too keen on all the ingredients. I'm not in any way bashing these brands but I wanted something more nutrient dense than rice flour and potato starch as the main ingredients. I came across a recipe using garbanzo flour. After some test batches and altering, I ended up with a flour blend that I really like. Its the closest thing to real pancakes for me. I have been practicing for a while now, trying to come up with a good pancake recipe and I'm almost ashamed at what I used to think was tolerable for a gluten free mix.
Below is the recipe. It's free of gluten and sugar. Hopefully you will enjoy these just as much as I do for my "Sunday" brunch. Recipe yields 4 medium-sized pancakes.


Ingredients:

1/4 cup garbanzo/fava flour ( I think plain garbanzo would work just fine.)
2 tablespoons almond meal
1 tablespoon ground flax meal
1 tablespoon sorghum flour (sweet rice flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1-2 packets of stevia depending on how sweet you want them.
1/3 cup water
1 egg separated.

Instructions:

Mix together all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.
In a smaller bowl combine egg yolk and water. Keep egg white is separate bowl.
Add the egg yolk and water to dry ingredients and mix well.
Whisk the egg white for about a minute and then add to the rest of the mixture. Combine well.
At this stage I usually add blueberries to my batter. You can be creative by adding other fruit or carob/chocolate chips. Or be simple and keep them plain.
In a greased frying pan, add the batter in even scoops. I usually use my 1/4 cup measuring cup.
Cook for a few minutes on each side.
When pancakes are done stack on a plate a top with some more yummy fruit, yogurt, or maple syrup. I use a sugar free maple syrup that's sweetened with xylitol.