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Roasted Red Pepper Fettuccine

May 13, 2016/0 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Elevated Mood, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Inflammation, Youthful Appearance pasta, paleo, grain-free, sauce, vegan, vegetarian Italian, vegan /by Stacey Isaacs

If you are looking for a comforting bowl of pasta, this roasted red pepper fettuccine will really hit the spot!

I would eat pasta every day if I could. There’s just something about it that’s so comforting to me. The bite and texture of perfectly cooked home made fettuccine just takes me to an awesome place. My favorite thing about visiting Italy is all of the amazing and simple pasta dishes… each time I go I dream about them for weeks to come. (And yes, I’m well aware that if this is what’s filling my dreams, I have a bit of a problem.)

For years, since I stopped eating most grains, I felt deprived (cue the sad-face emoji here). But now that I’ve found so many great grain-free pastas, I am doing the happy dance!

The fettuccine I used in this recipe is grain-free. It’s made from almonds (by Cappello’s) and it has the same texture and taste of homemade traditional fettuccine.

I’m a little out of control though. I’m making so many different sauces and condiments to put on my pasta dishes, that my freezer is overflowing and I’ve become a bit of a food pusher to anyone who comes near my kitchen. The sauce for this roasted red pepper fettuccine is so good that the leftover container didn’t even make it to the freezer; I ate it several days in a row. My intention was to use it as a sauce for vegetables during the week, but I ate it on pasta, again. And again.

I am not a big fan of jarred roasted red peppers for this recipe, but it’s so easy to roast your own that you really should do it this way. You can roast them in the oven, or if you have a gas stove, you can just plop the pepper right on the flame like I do.

This pasta and sauce combination is amazing:

Bell peppers help with indigestion. If you are feeling bloated and full from over-eating a lot lately, consuming bell peppers will help reduce this feeling. They are also good for blood circulation and research has shown that they are good for people with a low appetite or anorexia.

In Chinese medicine, we use tomatoes to aid in digestion and to help detoxify the body. They are also good to combat excess cholesterol, lessen inflammation and curb asthma. Tomatoes can also quench thirst, and they can help fight some kidney infections. This recipe contains sun dried tomatoes, which have the same great capabilities and also taste amazing!

Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house, you can toss a bunch in your bath water (I love to do this), or you can use an essential oil with basil to get some great calming effects.

In Asian medicine, nuts are known to be good for your brain, heart, skin and reproductive system. Almonds are particularly nutritious. They are a good source of protein and they give you energy. And, they are gluten-free. Almonds will help relieve a cough and asthma and are also good for constipation. So, if you use a grain-free pasta made from almonds, like I did, you get these amazing nutritional benefits too!

Roasted Red Pepper Fettuccine

Recipe type: pasta, paleo, grain-free, sauce, vegan, vegetarian

Cuisine: Italian, vegan

Author: Stacey @There's A Cook In My Kitchen

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 2-3

I used grain-free pasta and tossed it with the most amazing vegan sauce! This is easy, it's delicious, it's healthy... and it makes for awesome leftovers!

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers, roasted (you can do this in the oven or on top of a gas flame) and peeled
10 sun dried tomatoes, not packed in oil (soaked in hot water for about 10 minutes and then drained)
8 large basil leaves
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of dried hot red pepper flakes
1 pint multi-colored small tomatoes, halved or quartered
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
about ½ lb of your favorite pasta (try a grain-free one) (I used Cappello's fettuccine)
* Note: this recipe makes enough sauce for at least twice as much pasta as indicated, so if you have extra, be sure to store it in the fridge or freezer for another meal!

Instructions

Put the roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, oil, and hot red pepper flakes into a blender. Whiz it up until smooth.
Pour the sauce into a pot and place it over medium heat just until very warm.
Cook the pasta al dente.
Drain the pasta and toss it with sauce.
Gently mix in fresh tomatoes and cilantro.
Enjoy!

Orange Peel Chicken

May 5, 2016/0 Comments/in Boosting Energy, Boosting Immune System, Digestive Health, Weight Management chicken, poultry, main dish Asian /by Stacey Isaacs

Chicken and oranges pair so well together and orange peels are great for your digestion… enter: orange peel chicken!

This past weekend I was at my son’s college graduation. I’m such a proud mom and I just love that kid so much that of course now in the days past the graduation all I’m doing is thinking about him. He likes to cook, so I love to come up with recipes that I think he would like and that are easy to prepare. This one fits the bill — but when he makes it I’m sure a lot of hot peppers will go into the sauce.

I love chicken dishes with fruit. A great friend of mine once made me his version of Caribbean chicken with lots or oranges and lemons and cherries. This was many years ago, and I still think about that dish today. So, these things had me thinking…

I know, I really should get a life. All I do is think about food…

My favorite lemonade is made with whole lemons (here’s that recipe) — peel and everything. And I absolutely love grating lime zest on everything! So, when I was making orange chicken the other day, I figured why not use the whole orange. Yup, this orange peel chicken uses the entire orange — peel and everything.

All I did was put all of my orange sauce ingredients into my Vitamix, whiz it up and cook the chicken in it. Not only is this recipe delicious, but I underestimated the amount of sauce my ingredients would make and I had enough sauce to freeze half of it for another time… which is definitely a really good thing! There’s nothing better than a freezer stocked with awesome sauces…

Nutritionally speaking, this chicken is awesome:

Oranges will help boost your levels of vitamins A, B and C. In Chinese medicine oranges have been used for many years to help coughs, colds and anorexia. Lately, oranges have been widely touted for their ability to help heal colon cancer. I peel my oranges and lay the rinds in the sun to dry, and save them for tea or for cooking because the orange rinds are an actual Chinese herb. I dry out the peels of oranges, tangerines, clementines… whatever I have. Dried tangerine peel, or “chen pi” as it’s known in Chinese medicine, is one of the greatest and most easily accessible herbs around. It’s especially good for digestive issues like abdominal discomfort, distention, fullness, bloating, belching, and nausea. It’s also great if you have a cough with a heavy or stuffy chest.

Ginger is a Chinese herb (Gan Jiang) that warms the body. It’s especially good during cold weather and also during seasonal changes. So, when it’s winter or when winter is trying to turn into spring, and we (those of us on the east coast) get some of these cold, raw, damp days, ginger will make you feel better and will help boost your immune system. Old folklore shows that ginger was rubbed on scalps to stop baldness. And, in some circles, a ginger paste is still rubbed on arthritic joints to stop pain (don’t try this at home unless you are diagnosed with a cold-condition by an acupuncturist).

Chicken is something I push people to buy organic if possible. Organic chicken is a great, healthy protein to give you energy, lessen the pain of some types of arthritis, and boost your system when you are particularly weak — like after surgery or childbirth. People who have some conditions that we consider “excess heat” conditions should limit the amount of chicken they eat. So, if you have an illness that gives you a bright red tongue or severe dryness in your body, check with your doctor first. For example, if you have a lot of burning stomach acid, you should avoid chicken for awhile…

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc….

Orange Peel Chicken

Recipe type: chicken, poultry, main dish

Cuisine: Asian

Author: Stacey @There's A Cook In My Kitchen

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Toss some whole oranges into your blender (peel and all), add a few more ingredients, cook the chicken in this delicious mixture, and you will have a delicious and healthy dinner.

Ingredients

8 boneless chicken thighs (about 2-1/4 lb)
sea salt and black pepper
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 large oranges (organic if possible), washed, unpeeled, cut into quarters
1 Tbs sliced fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves
¾ cup coconut sugar
½ cup plum sauce or hoisin sauce or korean bbq sauce (use whatever healthy version is available)
1 -1/2 tsp sriracha
¾ cup chicken broth
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp five spice powder

Instructions

Preheat your broiler.
Heat oil in a large sautee pan over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Brown the chicken on both sides in the oil, about 5 minutes on each side.
Place all of the remaining ingredients into a blender and whiz it up until it's really smooth. (I used my Vitamix so this didn't take too long.)
When the chicken is browned, pour enough of your blended orange sauce into the pan so that the chicken is mostly covered. Stir to coat the chicken.
Cover the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the chicken, shaking off excess sauce, to a baking sheet.
(I saved my extra sauce and put it in the freezer for another time!)
Place the sheet under the broiler until the sauced chicken starts to char a bit (about 3 minutes).
Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Spaghetti Marinara

May 2, 2016/3 Comments/in Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance pasta, grain-free, paleo vegan, vegetarian, Italian /by Stacey Isaacs

Sweet potato spaghetti marinara is a great alternative to traditional pasta!

A few years ago I bought a spiralizer and I started spiralizing everything. I became one of those annoying people who forced new creations on anyone who came into my house. While some of them were excellent, some were… well… really, really bad. Just because you can make pasta ribbons and spaghetti out of lots of things, doesn’t mean you should.

So, I took a break from my spiralizer.

Now, let me tell you about this amazing marinara sauce. Because it is truly is amazing. A few weeks ago I spent 5 glorious days on vacation in Anguilla. I had the honor of being able to cook with a great chef from Italy and we made his favorite simple pasta sauce. This is my version of his recipe (I used parsley instead of basil because I wanted to try it and I had some great looking parsley in my fridge) — it’s simple and it’s delicious!

I walked into Whole Foods the other day, and in the produce department, there they were — containers of pre-cut sweet potato spaghetti. They called my name. So, I’m back at it again… and I’m excited to make these sweet potato noodles so many different ways. But for now, I wanted a vehicle for this great sauce.

This sweet potato spaghetti marinara is awesome. It was a great experiment (I’m sure there will be some more losers along the way, but this recipe is great) and it was even good cold out of the refrigerator during the week.

And here’s another vegetable spaghetti that’s a winner: Raw Spaghetti Zucchini Antipasto Salad.

Here are some of the reasons you should make this sweet potato spaghetti marinara recipe:

Sweet potatoes are good for your digestive system. They can be good for both constipation and diarrhea. These orange gems also help rid your body of excess water, are good for breast health, help people with diabetes and actually can help ease night blindness. In olden times, it was common in China to rub mashed sweet potatoes on poison insect bites to remove the toxins. I haven’t tried this, but if you see me looking a tad orange, this will be why…

Parsley has been shown to reduce tumors in the lungs and to neutralize the effects of carcinogens, including cigarette smoke. It is high in vitamins A and C, and is good for your heart. This herb is also a natural breath freshener. So, if you have a chance to use more than a few sprigs as a garnish, go for it.

Scallions, as I tell you often, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.

Sweet Potato Spaghetti Marinara

Recipe type: pasta, grain-free, paleo

Cuisine: vegan, vegetarian, Italian

Author: Stacey @There's A Cook In My Kitchen

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 2-3

Who doesn't like spaghetti marinara? Well, here's a great one, but the spaghetti here is made from sweet potatoes... awesome!

Ingredients

1 lb sweet potato spaghetti noodles (I was able to buy them pre-spiralized, but you can spiralize a few large peeled sweet potatoes yourself)
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
1 very large shallot, peeled and quartered (feel free to use an onion instead)
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup packed parsley (leaves and stems)
1 28-oz can tomatoes with basil (use whatever canned tomatoes you have on hand)
For topping:
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3 scallions, sliced
¼ cup parsley

Instructions

Blanch the sweet potato spaghetti in a pot of salted hot water for 20 seconds, then drain it and set it aside.
Make the sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the oil.
Add the shallot, garlic, and parsley.
Cook, over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Carefully pour the tomatoes into the pot, season generously with salt and pepper, and let the sauce cook for 45-minutes, stirring occasionally.
Let the sauce cook a little bit, and then blend it in a standard blender or use an immersion blender, until it's very smooth.
Pour the sauce back into the pot, add the sweet potato noodles, and cook over low heat about 5 minutes or until the noodles are cooked, but still al dente.
Meanwhile, sauce the scallions and ¼ cup parsley in 2 Tbs oil for about 1-min.
Top the spaghetti with the sautéed scallions and parsley,
Enjoy!

Raspberry Lavender Cranberry Sauce

November 23, 2015/1 Comment/in Digestive Health, Managing Illnesses, Managing Stress, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management condiment, side dish /by Stacey Isaacs

This raspberry lavender cranberry sauce is a great everyday condiment — it’s not just for Thanksgiving!

I was deciding which Thanksgiving recipe to post today, when all of a sudden I was famished. Really hungry. So hungry that I had to stop thinking about food (which I am always doing…) and eat something. So, I opened the fridge, took out some leftover soup, grabbed my just-made cranberry sauce, put a big scoop of it right in the center of my soup and I ate. And I smiled. The cranberry sauce made my delicious soup even better. Cranberry sauce post it is!

Cranberry sauce is an awesome condiment. It’s so much better than ketchup or mustard or mayonnaise on a sandwich. And, I’m not just talking about serving it at Thanksgiving or on those delicious leftover turkey sandwiches. You can put a dollop of a great cranberry sauce on top of your salad. You can’t do that with ketchup. You can stir it into soups — try a big scoop in your next bowl of butternut squash soup…

So many people just make cranberry sauce for holidays. Well, I’m here to tell you to respect the berry. It deserves to be seen all throughout the year. Start by making a bigger bowl than you’ll need for the Thanksgiving table, save the rest in the fridge, and put it on everything all week long. You’ll become a berry-believer, I’m sure of it.

Now, this particular version of cranberry sauce is really special. It’s got the usual amount of traditional tart beautiful cranberries, but it’s also filled with sweet tender raspberries. Then there’s the fresh lemon zest; the tart fresh lemony taste mingles with the sweet raspberries… OMG. But wait, we are not done yet, because we haven’t yet added the lavender. And, the lavender just takes this bowl of berry bliss to the next level.

Cranberry sauce is one of the easiest things to make. You just stir all the ingredient in a pot and cook. And all of a sudden, like magic, you go from the above picture to the finished product. Yum.

This cranberry sauce, aside from being mouthwateringly delicious, is really good for you.

Cranberries are known to most people as being good for the urinary tract and the bladder. They are also good at preventing kidney stones and can be eaten to increase fertility.

Raspberries are an anti-aging fruit. They are great for men who are experiencing frequent urination and for men and women with vision issues. They have anti-cancer and anti-inflammation properties. In Chinese medicine, raspberries are an herb called Fu Pen Zi that’s prescribed for impotence, premature ejaculation, poor vision, and frequent urination. Raspberries are great for you, but if you are experiencing difficulty urinating, that’s when this berry should be avoided.

Lavender and lemon are an amazing combination. They just taste great together. The floral taste of the lavender flowers plays perfectly with the tartness of the lemon zest in this cranberry sauce.

Lavender adds iron, calcium, and vitamin A to your diet. It’s good for eye-health and digestion. I absolutely love the taste of lavender — there’s something so clean and fresh about it.

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. I zest them in lots of foods to brighten the flavors…

Raspberry Lavender Cranberry Sauce

Recipe type: condiment, side dish

Author: Stacey Isaacs

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: about 2 cups

This recipe takes gorgeous traditional cranberries and pairs them with sweet raspberries, tart lemon zest, and flowery lavender. It's one you won't want to miss.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh cranberries
½ cup dark cherry juice (here's a concentrate I sometimes use)
6 oz fresh raspberries
zest of one lemon
½- to 1- tsp lavender flowers (you can get them here)(start with a little and add more if you like your sauce very lavender-like)
1 Tbs coconut sugar (I like this one)
1 Tbs pure maple syrup (here's one)

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a medium pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, about 40 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and the mixture is the consistency you like. It will thicken up more when it cools. Enjoy it on everything!

Lamb Meatballs With Herbs And Kale

November 19, 2015/2 Comments/in Boosting Immune System, Managing Illnesses, Reduced Aches & Pains, Reduced Inflammation, Weight Management, Youthful Appearance meatballs /by Stacey Isaacs

These lamb meatballs with herbs and kale are incredibly delicious and satisfying!

Who doesn’t love a good meatball? I mean, you can’t be unhappy while eating a meatball, right? I’ve kind of become a little obsessed with them… I’ve been making them out of beef, chicken, pork, veggies… and they’ve all been good. But these lamb meatballs… these are great. They are grain-free and paleo, they are healthy, and they have a slight Greek feel to them. And the tomato sauce is so aromatic and amazing (don’t tell my husband that I hid olives in the sauce…)

A few weeks ago I went to The Meatball Shop. It’s a restaurant that pretty much serves meatball everything. I ordered “The Kitchen Sink”. I got to choose they type of meat or veg I wanted my meatballs to be made from and which type of sauce I wanted. I got three big balls served on top of vegetables and salad, smothered in sauce. Can I tell you, I was in heaven. Anyway, that kind of inspired me to create some meatball dishes that didn’t need to be on top of pasta or in a sandwich. These delicious Greek meatballs are filled with kale and scallions and hemp seeds and almond flour. I know, it sounds a little weird, but trust me and try them. You will not be disappointed.

So, let’s get to why these are so good for you:

In Chinese medicine, lamb is known to be the most warming meat. We recommend it for a lot of ailments caused by cold conditions. It’s great for some arthritic conditions, weakness, and back pain. Lamb also helps with insufficient lactation and impotence. By combining the lamb with all of the warming spices in this dish, you get a great winter-warming meal.

Kale is everywhere these days. I kind of got a little tired of just eating it in salads, so I now use it inside of different dishes, like here inside these meatballs. It is extremely nutritious, and because it to so popular you can find it already washed and prepared in lots of markets. I bought this kale already shredded and washed. If you are using a whole bunch of kale, make sure you clean the leaves thoroughly and remove the center thick stems if they bother you (me… I don’t really mind them if the kale is cooked). This dark leafy green is a great source of fiber and calcium. It’s also rich in many minerals, including magnesium, iron and potassium. One serving contains 200% of the daily requirements of Vitamin C and 180% of Vitamin A.

Scallions, if you know me, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion (Cong Bai) is considered an herb. With autumn coming, I implore you to always keep scallions on hand in your refrigerator so that you can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second you feel that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever. And, they give these meatballs a great flavor.

Hemp seeds are a superfood. They are high in protein, easily digestible, and contain a full complement of amino acids. They contain disease-fighting phytonutrients that are good for your blood, immune system, tissues and skin. Hemp contains a specific fatty acid that acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory. It also helps balance hormones, making it a great choice to fight the symptoms of PMS. This super seed is also good for your liver and your brain.

I used some almond meal in these meatballs. In Asian medicine, we eat nuts because they are good for the brain, heart, skin and reproductive system. Almonds are particularly nutritious. They are a good source of protein and they give you energy. And, they are gluten-free. Almonds will help relieve a cough and asthma and are also good for constipation.

I add Chinese herbs to everything I can. This time I added Chen Pi (dried tangerine peel) to the sauce. Tangerines are good for nausea, chest tightness, excess mucus, and some stomach pains. Dried tangerine peels are a Chinese herb (Chen Pi). At any given time, if you look on my kitchen counter, you will see a bowl filled with sun-dried tangerine peels. I make tea out of them, and I grind them up for some recipes. For this recipe, I simply dropped the whole dried rind into the sauce and let it work its magic.

I sprinkled some pomegranate seeds on top of the meatballs before I served them. Pomegranate seeds nourish the blood. In Chinese medicine, we know that many illnesses and conditions are caused by the body making poor quality blood. Pomegranate seeds are great at helping the body make good quality blood. They are also good to combat diarrhea, anemia and incontinence…. And they look like little jewels…

Lamb Meatballs With Herbs And Kale

5.0 from 1 reviews

Recipe type: meatballs

Author: Stacey Isaacs

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 15 meatballs

These lamb meatballs are grain-free and paleo friendly. They are filled with kale, scallions, hemp seeds and more amazing ingredients! And the tomato sauce is slightly Greek tasting... so good!

Ingredients

For meatballs:
1 lb ground lamb
2 scallions, sliced
¼ cup finely minced kale
¼ tsp sea salt
12 grinds of black pepper (or to taste)
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 egg
2 Tbs hemp seeds
2 Tbs almond meal
For sauce:
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
½ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
⅛ tsp cinnamon
sea salt and black pepper to taste
½ tsp dried oregano
1 Tbs coconut sugar
10 oil-cured, pitted black olives, chopped
Optional Chinese herb: Chen Pi (dried tangerine rind)
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
¼ cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl. Get in there with your hands and mush up just until mixed together.
Form the meat mixture into balls (I made mine like big golf balls and I got 15 balls out of it)
Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake the balls for 10 minutes, then carefully flip them over and bak an additional 8 minutes.
Remove from oven.
For the sauce:
Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
Lay some of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish or ovenproof skillet. Arrange the meatballs on top of the sauce.
Bake in the oven until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and drizzle the pomegranate molasses on top and sprinkle on the pomegranate seeds.
Enjoy!