Lunch

Sweet Potato, Broccoli Chicken Bake

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(Gluten Free, Dairy Free | Whole30 & Paleo-Friendly) This dish is awesome for a lot of reasons. First, it is YUM-MY! I was really surprised what a fantastic flavour combo came out of the oven with this gem. Also, it is so, so simple. Chop everything and throw it into a baking dish?! Yes. It’s a one-dish wonder! Finally, because the dish has a healthy source of protein (chicken), carbs (sweet potato and veggies) and fat (olive oil and nuts), it means you really don’t need a side dish. Now that is a recipe I can get on-board with!

Ingredients

  • 450-500g (1 lb.) boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cubed
  • 1 large head of broccoli (stems and florets), chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato or yam, cubed in small pieces
  • ½ of a red onion, chopped (I actually had just run out of onions in my pantry so I skipped this, but I imagine it would add even more goodness!)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp raisins (I’m not a huge raisin fan so I don’t normally have them around, I diced up about 5 dates instead)
  • 2 tbsp chopped walnuts (or nuts of choice- I used walnuts)
  • 75 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning, dried
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup soft goat or feta cheese (optional- I skipped this to keep it dairy free)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
  2. Grease a large casserole dish with olive oil.
  3. Place cubed chicken on the bottom of casserole dish. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
  4. In a bowl combine broccoli, sweet potatoes, red onion, garlic, raisins, chopped walnuts, olive oil and herbs. Toss to coat.
  5. Top chicken with herb and vegetable mixture.
  6. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and sweet potatoes are soft. Top with optional cheese just before serving

sweet-potato-and-broccoli-chicken-bake-2

Source | The Real Food Dieticians

Tip: I put the leftovers on a bed of greens for my lunch the next day, and it was a tasty treat! See!

sweet-potato-and-broccoli-chicken-bake-lunch

 

Roasted Honey Balsamic Cabbage Chips

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(Gluten Free, Meat Free, Dairy Free | Paleo-Friendly) This week a savoy cabbage popped up in my Nature’s Window Veggie Box, which was a fantastic surprise since I don’t normally buy it in my weekly food shop. Although I had visions of making it into some elaborate dish, my week slipped away, and I needed a quick, tasty side. Savoy cabbage to the rescue! This dish is fast, easy and tastes more like you’re eating yummy crisps (chips) than getting a healthy serving of vegetables. Winning all around!

Ingredients

  • 1 small head savoy cabbage or green cabbage, chopped into chunky pieces
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • ¾ tsp coarse salt
  • ½ tsp ground white (or black) pepper
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme (or, I just used a tbsp of dried thyme)

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°F (400°C).
  2. Throw chopped cabbage into a baking dish and add olive oil, balsamic and honey.
  3. Toss cabbage in baking dish to spread balsamic, honey and olive oil mixture evenly.
  4. Season with coarse salt, ground pepper and fresh (or dried) thyme.
  5. Roast until cabbage chunks are tender and edges are golden, 25-30 minutes. They should come out of the oven looking something like this:

Roasted Savoy Cabbage

Tip: Try this side with my Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie.

Note | This recipe is a small twist on Balsamic, Honey Roasted Cabbage Steaks by Eatwell 101

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

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(Gluten Free, Dairy Free | Paleo-Friendly) Let’s be clear. This recipe should be titled something more like ‘A light guide to throwing yummy things in lettuce leaves,’ but that’s just too long (and not that alluring). I really love tacos -so substituting tortillas with lettuce leaves when I can’t find proper corn tortillas (or other gluten-free tortillas) is a great shout that also happens to be low-carb. Winning all around!

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (or butter)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, mashed and minced
  • 3 peppers (I used red and orange)
  • Whatever else is in your fridge- there are no rules here! (I had leftover roast chicken and sweet potatoes from my Rosemary Date Chicken recipe so I threw those in –it was awesome).
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
  • 2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 head of lettuce
  • Salsa, coriander (cilantro) and diced avocado to top lettuce wraps

Directions

  1. Heat coconut oil in skillet until melted.
  2. Sauté onion in skillet for 2 minutes; then add garlic.
  3. Add peppers and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they reach desired tenderness.
  4. Add cooked chicken and sweet potato until warm (or add whatever else you have to bulk up the wrap mix –like black beans).
  5. Season with salt, cumin and cayenne pepper.
  6. Cut off lettuce leaf and open. Put a few tablespoons of skillet mix into lettuce leaf and top with salsa, coriander (cilantro) and diced avocado.

Tip: I prefer just a simple head of lettuce to use for the wraps, since it has the most surface area, but I’ve been known to use romaine lettuce if that’s what I have around as well. Don’t have a green big enough to act as a wrap? Just throw the ingredients atop some kale/spinach/whatever you have about and make into a salad. The ideas are endless so go crazy! I mean, look how YUM it is for being so simple!?

Lettuce Wraps