Chicken Parmigiana (GF)

Serves 4

4 -6 Thinly flattened chicken breasts
2 eggs
1 cup almond flour (seasoning suggestions below)
4-6 slices fresh mozzarella
4-6 large fresh basil leaves
4-6 slices of heirloom tomatoes or fresh in-season tomatoes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup ground Parmesan cheese
14 oz of fresh tomato sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven 350 degrees

-season almond flour with salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, garlic powder and place on large flat plate
-crack two eggs and whip until blended in large flat bowl
-Salt and pepper chicken on both sides
 -Place chicken breast in egg on both sides and then dredge in seasoned almond flour
-When all 4-6 pieces are finished, place in hot skillet with olive oil and a tab of butter. Brown chicken, about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown
-Grease a large glass dish and place chicken breasts in a line. Top with fresh basil leaves, fresh tomato slices and then mozzarella cheese slices. Coat all chicken with homemade tomato sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.
-Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Check half-way through so chicken does not dry out.

Tomato Sauce Recipe : Add 1 tablespoon unsalted chicken bouillon, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried basil, sprinkle red pepper flakes, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder.

*Bread crumbs can be used as a substitute for almond flour

Simple Cauliflower Mash (GF)

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets (about 6 to 7 cups)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Fine sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain well and transfer cauliflower to a food processor. Add oil and reserved water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and purée until smooth. (Or, mash cauliflower with a potato masher). Season with salt and pepper and serve.

* Add a few crushed garlic cloves, or 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder; adding a few tablespoons of  parmesan cheese is also tasty.

* You can substitute the olive oil and reserved water for up to 1/4 cup of milk, cream or butter. Start will less and add. 

Cauliflower Rice (GF)

4 Tb. olive oil
1 medium onion diced or 2 shallots
1 cup finely diced celery
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. Sea salt

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat
Saute onion for 10 minutes or until soft
Add celery to skillet and saute for 5 minutes
Meanwhile place cauliflower in food processor until the texture of rice
Add cauliflower to skillet, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft then add salt.

Lemon and Garlic Dressing (GF)

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves minced
Sea salt

Directions:

Finely chop garlic, sprinkle with salt. Take side of knife blade and press garlic into cutting board. Continue to chop and smooth until garlic is wet. Place garlic into olive oil. Add salt for taste. Let sit in fridge until chilled, remove majority of garlic with a fork. Shake and serve. 

Hawaiian Chicken and Pineapple Skewers

Makes 14-16 skewers
Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos or Tamari( GF Soy sauce)
1 (15 oz) can of pineapple chunks in 100% juice, drained (reserve 1 cup of juice)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup honey
1 bunch of green onions, chopped (optional, reserve some for garnish)
1/2 large white onion, chopped
 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2-inch) chunk ginger, grated
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Bamboo skewers

Directions:
-Trim the chicken of any visible fat and cut into chunks about 2-inches in size.
-Mix remaining  ingredients, except drained pineapple chunks, a large bowl. If you find that your reserved juice doesn't quite measure a cup, just add water to yield the cup of liquid. Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours, but overnight would be ideal.
-An hour before you're ready to grill your chicken, soak your skewers. This will ensure they don't catch fire, or burn entirely.
-Grill your skewers at a medium-low heat so that the marinade does not burn. Turn once after 5-7 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can use a indoor grill pan or broil them.
-Serve and garnish with reserved green onions (optional)

* DO NOT USE FRESH PINEAPPLE

Goji Power Bars (GF)

Super High Energy Snack Bars. Great to substitute for cliff bars and processed energy bars.

1 cup raw almonds
1 cup date paste (about 12 large dates, I blend in food processor until it turns into a ball of paste)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3 Tb. goji berries
2 Tb. cacao nibs
1 tsp. vanilla

Line baking sheet( any size) with parchment paper. grind raw almonds into a powder. In a large bowl, mix together ground almonds, date paste, and salt. Add goji berries, cacao nibs and vanilla. Mix well. Press dough evenly into tray to desired thickness. Cut into bars. store in airtight container; no refrigerator needed but I prefer to store them there. Will keep for at least 1 week.

190 calories per serving. serves 8-10

Open Faced Bell Pepper "Sandwich" (GF)

1 bell pepper sliced in half
(microwave for 1-2 minutes prior to stuffing)

Mix in bowl:

1 can tuna or canned chicken, or use leftover roasted chicken, and chop into small pieces
2 celery sticks chopped up into bite size pieces
Chopped up marinated artichoke hearts
1 small roasted red pepper sliced into bite size pieces
1 Tablespoon mayo or Olive Oil (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced cheese for topping (optional)

Directions:
Place oven on Broil on Hi
Stuff bell pepper with mixture and place in oven. Broil for 5-10 minutes watching it carefully. You just want the pepper and mixture to warm up. Top with cheese (optional) and continue to broil until melted and toasty brown. Serve over bed of greens drizzled with Olive oil and salt and pepper

* If you do not enjoy bell peppers, tomatoes are a great substitute. Remove seeds, stuff tomato, but bake for a shorter time. Avocado can be used as a cheese substitute. Just add avocado after broil time is complete.