With the combination of being away for the holidays then catching a nasty flu, I've been a little M.I.A. on the recipe front. I swear my (probably misjudged) attendance at last nights crossfit class beat the flu right out of my body though because I woke up feeling great! So here's a recipe update...
Easiest Stuffed Mushroom Caps
you can substitute or add any other veggies for the spinach in the filler, so explore!
12 large mushrooms
1 egg
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup red onion, diced small
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
I had never made stuffed mushrooms before so I really just did what I thought made sense. First, wash mushrooms well and trim bottom ends off stems. Next, remove the stems for the caps and dice them up smallish (stems, not the caps.)
In an oiled pan, sautee onion and garlic until nearly translucent, add spinach and diced stems. Continue to cook until everything is cooked well through, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Let the filling cool slightly, beat the egg and add to cooled filling. Spoon into mushroom caps and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes depending on the mushroom size.
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| before baking |
Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
the only thing I ate when I was sick
1 medium butternut squash
4 stalks celery
2 carrots
1/2 red onion
3 cloves garlic
3 cups chicken or veggie stock
1/3 cup coconut milk
3 tbsps yellow curry paste
salt and pepper
My secret to any and every soup I make comes from a tip my gourmet chef sister gave me years back: dice the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook in 1 1/2 tbsp oil for about 20 minutes on low to medium heat. This is the base to awesomely flavourful soups, every time.
While thats going, cook the squash, I chose the lazy way and pierce the thing and microwaved it whole for 6-8 minutes. It doesn't need to be completely cooked, just soft enough to peel and dice up.
Once the celery mixture is cooked, add your diced squash, curry paste and coconut milk and continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently to avoid any burning. Add stock and allow to simmer, adding salt and pepper to taste. I left mine simmering for about 45 minutes. Next, transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until consistently smooth. Enjoy!
Coach Kevin's Spinach Meat Pie
basic, easy, and feeds two. Delicious!
1 lb ground venison or ground turkey
1 clove garlic
spinach
1 large tomato
cilantro
oregano
olive oil
Fry ground meat on stovetop in olive oil and a garlic clove.
Lay out a bed of spinach on baking sheet. Spread cooked ground meat on spinach bed. Slice one fresh tomato and layer.
Chop and add fresh cilantro and fresh oregano. Douse with olive oil.
Bake on 350 for 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
A great addition is to add fresh chopped jalepeno peppers, black olives, and a cured meat such as prosciutto or bacon prior to baking.
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| before cooking |
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| after cooking |
Coach Kevin's Paleo Crunch
straight from Kevin's kitchen
2 cups almonds
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
4-6 tbsp coconut oil
1/4-1/2 cup honey (the thicker the better)
1 cup unbleached and unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
All ingredients should be raw, in purest form as possible. There is some great local honey to be found at Choices. I found all of these ingredients at Choices Market.
Put wanuts and almonds in blender seperately and blend till fine. Place on baking sheet and put in oven at 300 to roast for about 15 minutes. You will have to turn and mix constantly so the nuts dont burn but this is the key step to give that roasted flavour.
On stovetop warm up honey and coconut oil in saucepan just until they melt together.
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. If mixture is dry add more honey..
Place mix on coockie sheet and press out firmly till its about 1/2 inch thick. You really have to pack it well. Put in fridge for one hour. Keeping it cool and serving it cool limits the amount it crumbles. Remove, cut into squares and enjoy!
I have expermented with this recipe a few different ways. The key is to get the mix to stick together with the proper amount of honey, and not too much coconut oil. Extra blended almonds will also help. I have also tried to bake the mix afterwards by adding two eggs but its very finicky to find a balance of not burnt, and cooked enough. I have made it four times and the above recipe has worked best for me.
