Chicken Tortilla Soup

One of my favorite things in the world is Mexican Food! So much so that I married a hispanic man to feed my need for Mexican Food because he's so handsome & sweet :) So when I came across a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup, I had to do a recipe makeover!!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion

1/2c green beans

2 large carrots
2 stalks celery
1 medium jalapeno
4 cloves garlic

1 lb. chicken breast
6c low sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
1 tsp oregano
½ tbsp cumin
1 medium lime
½ bunch cilantro, chopped

Dice the onion, green beans, carrots, celery, and jalapeno (scrape the seeds out of the jalapeno before dicing). Mince the garlic. Cook the onion, green beans, carrots, celery, jalapeno, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, canned tomatoes with chiles, oregano, and cumin to the pot. Bring the whole pot up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top, and let simmer for one hour.

After simmering for an hour with a lid on, carefully remove the chicken breast from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup. Get as much juice as possible from the lime by using a spoon to scrape the inside of the lime.
Rinse the cilantro and then roughly chop the leaves. Add to the pot, give it a quick stir, and serve.

Family Recipe: Baked Swedish Meatballs

The last several weeks I have been doing some genealogy research on my family and came across some cool information dating all the way back to the 1700's.  Tracing my ancestry back to Germany, Sweden and Norway, I found my mouth watering for my Grandmother's Swedish Meatballs!  With my diet restrictions in mind (dairy & gluten free) I decided to conquer her recipe while substituting my healthier options when necessary. To my surprise they turned out AMAZING!!  I really enjoy them with roasted veggies like carrots, asparagus and a few fingerling potatoes.  I hope that you enjoy the warmth of my favorite family comfort food as much as I have.

*Recipe Note: It's important to use 80/20 ground beef when making meatballs so they don't get dried out. We will be baking them on a rack to allow excess fat to drip off.)

Baked Swedish Meatballs

3 slices of gluten free bread (I use Udi's)
1/2c unsweetened almond milk
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp butter, divided
2 large eggs
handful of fresh parsley, chopped (you can use dried herbs too)
2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl, break apart the gluten free bread into large pieces.  Add almond milk and toss to coat. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, saute onions and butter until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook 2 minutes. 

Drain off excess almond milk from bread.  Add sauteed onions and garlic to bread.  Stir, then add eggs, parsley and salt & pepper.  With a handheld mixer, mix ingredients on low-med until well combined.  Add ground beef and continue mixing with handheld mixer until all ingredients are well combined.

Preheat oven to 400F. With a spoon, scoop mixture into your hands and roll all remaining mixture into meatballs.  Place meatballs on a rack that fits into a baking pan.  Place meatballs in the oven and bake 20 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Remove from oven and serve or refrigerate for up to 5 days.  These meatballs also freeze really well!

Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Peppered Honey

10 oz goat cheese
1/3c all-purpose gluten-free flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
1 ¼c gluten-free bread crumbs
¼c honey
¼ tsp hot pepper flakes, finely crushed
Vegetable oil, for frying

Cut the goat cheese into 16 even pieces. Roll into 1-inch sized balls. Place on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper and freeze for 20 minutes. Combine gluten-free flour and salt in a shallow bowl. Place egg and water mixture in another bowl, and the gluten-free bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl. Set aside. Stir together honey and hot pepper flakes- set aside. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F. Once the cheese is out of the freezer and is no longer sticky, roll the balls into the flour mixture and shake off excess. Dip into the egg mixture, and then coat evenly in the breadcrumbs. Working in batches, gently drop the coated goat cheese balls into the hot vegetable oil. Fry each ball for about 2 minutes, turning over once after 1 minute. The balls should be golden brown. Remove the balls with a slotted spoon, drain, and place on a plate with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Once all of the balls have been fried, place on a serving plate and drizzle the spicy honey mixture over the goat cheese. Serve immediately with toothpicks.

Eggs On A Cloud - Protein Packed!

This is a great protein packed breakfast that is quick, easy and absolutely delicious! You'll have your breakfast essentials - eggs, bacon & cheese - all in one yummy bite!

4 eggs
1/4 cup grated pecorino-romano
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup crumbled bacon
pepper

Separate eggs, putting whites in 1 large bowl and yolks in 4 separate small bowls. Whip whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in cheese, chives and bacon. Spoon into 4 mounds on parchment-lined baking sheet; make a deep well in center of each. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 3 minutes, then add 1 yolk to each well; season with pepper. Bake until yolks are just set, 2 to 3 minutes.

Mexican Salmon Burgers

Cilantro Lime Mayo

1/4c olive oil mayo
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Combine mayo ingredients in a small bowl; cover and chill.

Burgers
1 lb salmon fillet, skinned & chopped
1/4c gluten free breadcrumbs (I use glutino brand)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tbsp chopped jalapeño or serrano pepper
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
                                                                                 1/2 tsp salt
                                                                                 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

                                                                                 olive oil spray

Place salmon, breadcrumbs, cilantro, onion, peppers, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor; pulse until well blended. Divide salmon mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty.

Heat a grill or pan over medium-high heat. Spritz pan or grill with olive oil spray. Add patties; cook 2 minutes. Carefully turn patties over; cook 2 minutes or until done.

Spread about 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture over bottom half of each gluten free hamburger bun. Top each serving with 1 salmon patty, and whatever fixin's you like. I enjoy spinach, onion slices, tomato and pickle slices. Enjoy :)

Coconut Flour Pancakes with Strawberry "Syrup" & Whipped Goat Cheese

My daughter absolutely loves pancakes! And every Saturday morning she gives me this cute little look that screams..."Please mommy, make me pancakes." I on the other hand cannot eat pancakes every Saturday, the same texture, flavors - the same syrups. Ugh! Gotta change it up. I experimented today with using coconut flour instead of my typical oat flour or almond flour and WOW! The flavor was absolutely amazing! Topped with a Low Sugar Strawberry "Syrup" instead of maple syrup and then a zing of Whipped Goat Cheese... Well, this just might be a pancake recipe I can do every week! A recipe like that can't help but be shared! Enjoy!

Coconut Pancakes                                                     Strawberry "Syrup"
4 eggs (best at room temperature)                               1/2 lb of frozen strawberries               
1c almond milk                                                              2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp coconut oil                                                           1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla                                                                   2 packets of SweetLeaf Stevia
2 tsp honey                                                                   1 tsp honey
1/2c coconut flour                                                         1 tbsp ground flaxseed     
1 tsp baking soda                                                      
1/4 tsp sea salt                                                             In a small pot over low heat combine all ingredients.  
1/4 tsp cinnamon                                                          Mash strawberries with fork and cook until thickened 
1/4 tsp cardamom                                                         Remove from heat and serve.
1/4 tsp nutmeg

       

Preheat griddle over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix your eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla and honey.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Whisk together to combine evenly. Stir in wet ingredients until incorporated.

Test griddle to make sure it's not too hot. Do this by dropping 1-2 drops of water on the surface. If the water "dances" it's too hot. If it sizzles, but does not move around the surface, your griddle is ready.

Spoon a couple tablespoons of batter onto the griddle to make each pancake. You may need to spread them out slightly if the batter is thick. Try to make them small and be very mindful not to burn them (coconut flour browns quickly)

Once the bottoms are slightly browned and the tops look dried out, it's time to flip :) Cook an additional 2-3 minutes.  Top with Strawberry "Syrup" and Whipped Goat Cheese :)

Jess - Renew Health Coaching

Banana Bread Protein Muffins

Banana Bread Protein Muffins

3/4c ripe banana (about 1)
3/4c egg whites
1/2c plain low fat greek yogurt
3/4c oats (use gluten free if sensitive to gluten)
1/4c brown rice protein powder
1/4 cup baking stevia OR 1/2c sweetener of choice that measures like sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, or line with silicone or foil liners, (spray liners if using). (DO NOT USE PAPER LINERS)

Place all of the ingredients in a blender, (or food processor), and blend until mixture is smooth.  Divide mixture evenly between 12 muffin tins.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Homemade Vegetable Stock

Homemade Vegetable Stock

2 carrots, sliced
2 leeks
1 onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 handful of parsley
1 handful of broccoli stems
2 bay leaves

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 45 minutes or until tender.

Strain the stock & discard the vegetables. Cool, cover and refrigerate for all your favorite recipes!

Homemade Healthy Artichoke Dip

Homemade Healthy Artichoke Dip

8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/2c light olive oil mayo
1/2c Fage 0% greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, or to taste
3c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 small onion, diced

Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic. Purée until all ingredients are combined. Add mozzarella cheese, black pepper and cayenne, pulsing just until combined. Add artichoke hearts and pulse again just until combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the onion.

Bake in a 9-inch square glass baking dish for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Serve immediately.