Savory Mexican Meatballs...

Sometimes I crave something that is comforting and most foods that fall into that category are not very healthy but I decided I was going to find a way to make one of my favorite comfort foods into a healthier option.  Mexican Meatballs & Rice

So...I used ground turkey, dark and white combined instead of beef meatballs and opted for brown basmati rice cooked with coconut water to elevate the flavors and the combination of the sweetness of the rice with the savory tomato sauce the meatballs were cooked in was a perfect match!

Savory Mexican Meatballs

1/2 lb Ground Turkey, Dark Meat

1/2 lb Ground Turkey, White Meat

1 Tbsp Toasted Whole Cumin Seeds, Ground

1 Tbsp Toasted Whole Coriander Seeds, Ground

1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika

1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

In a bowl combine ground turkey, ground toasted cumin and coriander seeds, smoked paprika, chopped fresh cilantro and sea salt and black pepper.  Mix together gently not overworking it. 

Form into small balls, rolling in palms of hands.

In a skillet, melt coconut oil and fry balls on all sides until brown.  Transfer to paper towel and make sauce.

Meatball Sauce

1 Can Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes (DOP Certified)

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1/4 Cup Red Onion, Diced Fine

1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

1 Cup Organic Beef or Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp Toasted Whole Cumin Seeds, Ground

1 Tbsp Toasted Whole Coriander Seeds, Ground

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (to taste0

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper (to taste)

In a medium size pot, saute red onion until translucent, then add minced garlic, toasted and ground cumin and coriander seeds and stir together.

Add crushed tomatoes, beef or chicken broth and fresh cilantro.  Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.  

Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes covered and cracked lid. After 15 minutes, add the meatballs and simmer an additional hour for flavors to combine.

Coconut Brown Basmati Rice

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Divided)

1 Cup Brown Basmati Rice

1 3/4 Cup Coconut Water 

Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (to taste)

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper (to taste)

In a pot over medium high heat, add coconut oil and basmati rice.  Coat rice with hot oil then add coconut water.  Season with sea salt and black pepper.  Reduce heat to low simmer and cook for 45 minutes covered.  Fluff and add additional coconut oil, mix and serve.

To Serve:

Serve rice in base of bowl, cover with sauce and meatballs and garnish with fresh cilantro.

This hit the spot!

Stormy

Labor Day Breakfast

Lazy Monday for me...no work just working on my personal goals.  What a great time to just have a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee and enjoy the last weekend of summer.  Things will start getting really busy at work and I'm savoring every minute of this weekend, knowing that it will probably be the last full weekend off until after Christmas.

I love eggs and potatoes and now I swap regular potatoes with sweet potatoes as much as possible.  They have a great flavor, you can change it up with spices and herbs and they go great with a quick egg.

I cook my eggs in coconut oil and it gives them the best flavor.  Plus the oil is good fat and it makes a fried egg healthy!

Egg & Potatoes

Sweet Potato Hash

1 Sweet Potato, Diced Large

1/4 Cup Red Onion, Diced Large

1 tsp Cumin Seeds, Whole

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

Splash Sherry Vinegar

Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Cilantro, Garnish

In a small cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add Coconut Oil and saute Red Onions with Cumin Seeds.  Saute until onions are translucent.

Add diced Sweet Potatoes and saute until tender but mushy.  They should have a little bit of firmness to them.

Once the potatoes are cooked, add a splash of Sherry Vinegar and season with Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper.  Set aside on a plate.

Sunny Side Fried Egg

1 Whole Organic Free Range Egg

2 tsp Coconut Oil

Summer Salt Seasoning

In same cast iron skillet, add Coconut Oil and crack the Egg carefully not to break the yolk.

Season with Summer Salt Seasoning and turn on lower heat.  Cover with a lid and cook on a low simmer for 2 minutes, check it to make sure it's not over cooked in the middle and cook until yolk barely sets and is still a little runny.  

Serve on top of Sweet Potato Hash and garnish with freshly chopped Cilantro.

Now for some music...

Stormy

Homemade Coconut Creamer...For Coffee

Check out my new novel...(Take the journey!)

By far, the best tasting coffee is French Markets Chicory.  It's bold and rich, full of flavor, and a New Orleans tradition - Way better than Starbucks and every time I serve it to someone they always ask...

"What kind of coffee is this?"  

Now that I'm changing my dairy intake and have fallen in love with the coconut products, from sugar, aminos, oil etc, I've now discovered how easy it is to make my own coffee creamer and it's a lot better flavor than the ones you can purchase at the market and a lot less expensive.

Plus, I control the ingredients which makes a big difference - because I know what goes in my body.  

So put on a pot, whip up some Homemade Coconut Coffee Creamer and enjoy this beautiful day on Labor Day Weekend.  The weather is perfect this year, not too hot and my creative mind is flowing with lots of ideas for the upcoming seasonal change.   Did I tell you I'm writing a novel?  Well I am and it's going to be a lovely weekend stirring up my story!

Homemade Coconut Coffee Creamer

2 Cups Coconut Milk (Not canned, I use unsweetened Original So Delicious Brand)

4 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup

1 Vanilla Bean, Seeds Removed

In a small sauce pan over a low heat, whisk together the coconut milk and maple syrup.  Then scrape the vanilla bean and remove the seeds, add to the coconut milk mixture.  Stir in and remove from heat.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the vanilla bean seeds.  Allow to cool and pour in a glass container.  Store in refrigerator.  Should keep about 10 days.  

Mix it up and add some additional flavors:

Hazelnut Creamer

2 teaspoons Hazelnut Extract

Mexican Coffee

1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder

Pinch Cinnamon

Coffee never tasted so good...Time to write!

Stormy

Lemon Artichoke Chicken

One day for lunch at work I created this simple dish for our staff and everyone went nuts for it so we decided to sell it in the retail specialty store where we offer fresh entrees to go.  It has been one of our best sellers along with Chicken Spaghetti.  

But since I've omitted wheat from my diet, I don't make it with linguini anymore, and I actually like more this way.

Now I make a salad or a vegetable dish like my Tuscan Green Beans to serve with it.  I've also changed up a few ingredients to make it a healthier option.

Fresh garlic, onion and frozen artichokes are sauteed in coconut oil, after I cook the seasoned chicken breasts on each side in a cast iron skillet.  A drizzle of fresh lemon juice and fresh basil make it complete. 

It's a very simple dish with a lot of flavor.

Lemon Artichoke Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts, Butterflied

2 tsp Summer Salt (Click here for recipe)

3 Cloves Garlic, Sliced

1/4 Cup Sliced Red Onions

8oz Frozen Artichoke Heart Quarters

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine

1 Fresh Lemon, Juiced and Zested
2 Tbsp Capers
Fresh Basil

Season each chicken breast with summer salt on both sides.

In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add the coconut oil. 

Add the chicken breasts and cook on each side approximately 3-4 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on a plate.

In the same cast iron skillet, add sliced garlic and onion and saute until onion is translucent.  Add the artichoke hearts and capers, saute an additional 2-3 minutes.  

Add the chicken breasts back in, add in the wine and simmer covered for 5 minutes on a lower heat.

To serve, squeeze fresh lemon juice and garnish with fresh basil and lemon zest.  Finish off with fresh cracked black pepper.

Easy, Elegant and Extraordinary!

Stormy

Gluten Free Grilled Pizza Project

Look at that beautiful grilled pizza.  Doesn't it look great?  My son loves grilled pizzas and it was always something we enjoyed doing on the weekend or when we had company because you can't get a pizza like that with take out.  They are super easy to make and when you use fresh dough, fresh mozzarella, sauce and basil you can't go wrong. 

   

This past weekend my son was begging me to make him some grilled pizza so I went my specialty store and bought the ingredients.  After being wheat free/gluten free for over 14 weeks, I have lost my interest in breads, pasta and pizza.  But they had some gluten free pizza crusts at the specialty Italian store I frequent and thought I would give it a try.  

It looks good on that grill but what a disappointment.  The crust was crispy from the grill but I had no interest in eating it after one bite.  Not that the crust was bad but because I have reprogrammed my body by eating healthier foods, that I didn't want the pizza, didn't care, didn't eat more than one piece.  

That would have not been the case prior my healthy changes.  So I just had to post this message to all of my peeps out there that are wondering...

"How do you do it without eating bread or pasta?" 

That's the beauty of eating better and how your body will crave the right foods and not the wrong foods.  It's taken me a long time to get this right.  Slowly but surely, its coming off - and I know it will take some time but I feel so much better and when I don't want to eat more than one piece of pizza, I know I must be doing something right.

Most people try to replace their breads, pasta, cereals and pizzas with gluten free products that are made with poor substitutes.  It's not worth it.  

Gluten free pasta...Yuk  I would rather have an eggplant lasagna than substitute pasta with quinoa, rice or corn pasta.  It's Gross!  I don't care how much sauce you put on it, it sucks.  Really

Ever thought about cutting wheat from your diet?  Try it for 2 weeks and replace it with greens, fruits and more vegetables.  Eat organic meats and eggs.  Don't try to eat Gluten Free processed foods, they are not worth the trade out and it won't bring any value to your meals. 

So...the moral of the story is...I didn't need the pizza

Eat Fresh - Not Gluten Free Processed Substitutes

Stormy

The Golden Goddess...Turmeric Spice of Life

Praise the power of the energetic and spiritual qualities of Turmeric.  As I always say…Energy runs through all living things with specific purpose and the healing properties of turmeric are worth taking note.

Most are familiar with this spice used in South Asia and Middle Eastern cooking.  But this herbaceous plant’s inner powers make it the most powerful healing botanical in herbal pharmacopeia.

 

The Arya Culture; a group of people that worshipped the solar system and the sun as a God, believe that turmeric was a sacred spice and its golden color like the sun had special protective properties.  An ancient talisman, turmeric rhizome bead is worn to ward off evil and grant the wearer healing and protection.  Believed that turmeric contains the energy of the Divine Mother, it will help grant prosperity, cleanse the chakras energy centers in the body and purify the channels of the body.

Turmeric has been used for centuries in Ayurveda medicine; a 5,000 year old natural healing system of India Ayurveda especially recommends turmeric for cancers of the female reproductive system, specifically breast and uterine cancer.   

Ayurveda uses turmeric to purify and move the blood; it helps to remove stagnant blood while stimulating the formation of new blood tissue.  Turmeric regulates and decreases the intensity and pain of menstrual periods, and of uterine tumors.  It is well recognized as the best anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant and antiseptic and wound healer.

Curcumin is the chemical ingredient in turmeric root that gives it it’s bright orange color the essential oil called Turmerones can slow the progress of Alzheimer disease; assist with preventing the spread of prostate, breast and colon cancer; it promotes healing in wounds, will alleviate inflammation and arthritis plus detox the liver.  

Native to India, this herb’s goldenrod root is also known as Indian Saffron.  In the ginger family and its botanical name is Curcuma Longa.  Curcuma comes from the Arabic name Kurkum meaning saffron.  But saffron comes from a crocus, which is not even a member of the ginger family so I’m guessing it’s because of the brilliant yellow that comes from the root which is the same color as saffron.

Scientists are beginning to realize the importance of turmeric in treating modern disease. So expect to see more on this incredible ancient spice to be incorporated into modern life.   

 

In India the pre-wedding ceremony of the bride is smeared with turmeric paste to enhance their skin and give a golden glow and ward off the evil eye.  At the wedding it is applied to the forehead (third eye chakra) by the bride and the groom.  

But to me, one of the most fascinating qualities of turmeric is its healing properties for the treatment of all kinds of wounds, burns, sun-damaged skin, skin conditions with inflammatory issues such as eczema and psoriasis.  

Having a long suffering of psoriasis myself, I’m seeking all natural ways to improve my skin and cure this terrible debilitating skin problem…PSORIASIS.  

I’m turning away from the harsh, expensive and sometimes dangerous psoriasis treatments and I’m turning to natural treatments as a long term solution for this troublesome condition.   

I mean, I can only throw this spice in so many foods and I need to harness the power of it in larger doses.  So…I’m heading off to Whole Foods Market to purchase some Turmeric Capsules for my daily dose of turmeric.

Interested in what I'm saying...Then here is some recommended reading for you to learn more about this Spice of Life...

 

I pray that a capsule a day will light the way.

Stormy