Tag Archives: Cooking

Pistachio Crusted Cod

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I love seafood (although I admit I used to be very intimidated by it-which is stupid as it’s one of the easiest things to cook), I could eat it every single day and is one of the things I miss not living on a coast right now-less fresh options. I happened to be at one of our new local grocery stores recently and they had some really decent looking wild caught cod so I decided to buy some. It was in week three of my Whole 30 and I wanted to do something different with the fish instead of just putting salt/pepper and citrus on it, so I decided I’d use my Vitamix to make a “breading.” I have this brand new Vitamix and for whatever reason I haven’t used it a whole lot since I got it (shame on me!), so I winged it and threw some shelled pistachios in to pulse into “bread crumb” consistency. Super easy and it made the perfect crumbs. I then dumped them out on a plate to dredge the cod in – what resulted was probably one of the (easiest – win!) best recipes I’ve ever made, and because I ate it all before hubby came home from business travel I will absolutely be making it again and soon! I couldn’t get enough of the nutty, rich flavor combined with some truffle ghee I dropped on top at the very end of baking.

Pistachio Crusted Cod

  • Pistachio crumbs (to whatever consistency you prefer)
  • Cod filets
  • Avocado oil
  • Salt/Pepp
  • White truffle salt ghee

Drizzle avocado oil on the cod and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge cod through the pistachio bread crumbs and bake in a glass baking dish at 400 degrees until cooked through (one end of my cod was really thick, so I used a meat thermometer to ensure it was thoroughly cooked to 145 degrees). Once the fish was cooked I turned the oven off and dropped about 4 TBSP of white truffle salt ghee (brand is 4th and Heart, and it’s my favorite thing ever) on top of the cod and let that melt into the fish. What resulted was the tastiest, flaky, rich, nutty dinner, and it reheated very well.

Italian Zoodle Alfredo

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I’ve been buying zoodles of all types to use in cooking lately – a way to eat more vegetables without the blood sugar spike of pasta, and the heaviness that comes with eating grains. I have a spiralizer, but for some reason buying them pre-spiraled just works better for me right now, plus they literally pack them in so tight there are a ton in each container! Currently in the fridge I have butternut squash, zucchini and beet zoodles!

I was wanting something warm and comforting the other night so I decided to make zoodles with marinara – simple, and tasty. I opened up my organic sugar free jar of marinara (good until August 2017), and there was what looked like a giant slimy booger on the inside of it…which later I think I determined was a “mother” that had grown? Still, not 100% sure what it was I tossed it and had to improvise. I ended up with an almost alfredo creamy garlic sauce with Italian flavors, and it was so good. Rich, hearty, full of healthy fats and there was none leftover.

Italian Zoodle Alfredo

  • 1/2 stick grassfed butter
  • 1 medium white onion, mince
  • 2 TBSP minced garlic
  • 6 oz heavy whipping cream
  • 8oz chicken broth
  • Butternut squash zoodles (eyeball it – maybe 2 cups?)
  • Zucchini zoodles (same as above, use as many as you’d like!)
  • 1 TBSP dried basil
  • 1 pkg crespone (or any uncured salami), cut up
  • 1 TBSP tapioca starch
  • Salt/black pepper

Full disclosure, I had random things in my fridge I wanted to use up which is how this came about (the heavy whipping cream leftover from the holidays – still if I have any dairy in my fridge it’s usually the full fat stuff). Add the 1/2 stick of butter to a pan and melt, saute the diced onion and two TBSP of minced garlic for about five minutes, then add the heavy whipping cream and stir. This thickened pretty quick, which is why I ended up adding the 8oz of broth. Add the butternut squash zoodles and saute for a couple minutes, then add the zucchini zoodles and saute for another five minutes. Sprinkle with the dried basil, cut the crespone with kitchen shears directly into pan, add the TBSP of tapioca starch (it was a little too thin after the 8 oz broth, so I thickened it back up – if you don’t mind more of a soup texture feel free to leave this out or use less broth) and season with salt and black pepper. Continue stirring until everything is well heated, serve!

Garlic Chili Turkey Meatballs

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Super Bowl Sunday, it’s tradition for Seth and I to make a bunch of yummy food and enjoy watching the game together, eating leftovers for the upcoming week – which we haven’t been able to do in several years because of his Sea Duty schedule. In keeping with tradition, with Seth on deployment for this year’s Super Bowl, I decided to make a bunch of yummy appetizer type foods, some old family recipes I paleo-fied and cleaned up the ingredients, and one recipe I created from ingredients I had on hand. I’ll post all of them, but this is the recipe I created, as I’m on a quest to use all food we have in the house, so we don’t have to waste any when we move. Freezer clean-out happening over here.

Garlic Chili Turkey Meatballs

  • 1 lb package ground turkey
  • Diced red onion
  • Sesame seeds
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 TBSP coconut flour
  • 1 can coconut milk (I use natural value)
  • 1 TBSP coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup garlic chili paste

Mix the ground turkey, diced red onion, sesame seeds, black pepper and coconut flour well with your hands to incorporate all of the ingredients. The texture of the ground turkey I had was a little different and needed something to dry it up a bit, hence the coconut flour. This may be an optional ingredient for you. Once everything is mixed, form into bit size meatballs and place directly into crockpot or slow cooker, turn to high heat and cover. Let the meatballs cook until clear juice is coming out of them, add the coconut milk, coconut oil and garlic chili paste, and reduce to medium heat. Let simmer, stirring occasionally to mix the sauce. People always ask if things I make with coconut milk/oil or flour taste “coco-nutty,” and the answer is always no.

They were really good plain, reheated well, and also very tasty paired with some blue cheese for breakfast one morning!

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Diabetes Blog Week 2013 Day 5-Freaky Friday

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Just like in the movie, today we’re doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you choose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while we’re considering other chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions?

Super easy question for me: I’d choose celiac disease. I am so incredibly passionate about health, overall wellness and food. I’m such a foodie, and I love finding new ways to reinvent staple dishes, create new ones, and experiment, using healthier, different and a variety of ingredients. I love cooking for friends and family. I have a bumper sticker on my fridge that says, “Love People, Cook them Tasty Food.” I’ve been living the Paleo lifestyle for almost 2 years now, so I am gluten free as a result of that. There is nothing that I love more (okay, maybe a couple things) than being in the kitchen cooking and having fun with food. I find it so utterly calming and relaxing-which is apparent in the way my blood sugar reacts, it plummets as soon as I start getting the ingredients out 🙂

It’s my thought that with anything chronic, it isn’t about what you can’t have, but what you can, and working with that.

Yes and no; I don’t think the DOC specifically has affected the way I treat friends or acquaintances living with other medical conditions. Are you familiar with the color personality tests, where someone is designated one of four colors based on certain characteristics? I’m blue to the core, and always have been. Nurturing, trusting, empathetic, sensitive and always put others above myself, so I have always been probably over-sensitive and extremely observant to others needs. However, what the DOC has provided me, is an appreciation that we all come from different backgrounds, with varying life experiences that help shape who we are. When I didn’t have healthcare at diagnosis-who was there? The DOC. Having a chronic medical condition isn’t something to be ashamed of, but something to fuel you to help others, network and connect. I have some friends in the DOC that I consider close friends, that I know are there if I need them, and I haven’t even met them in person. This is pure awesome.

Avocado Smash and Lemon Parsley Eggs

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Last night, I found myself in the kitchen from 5:50 when I got home from work, until 9pm  I am having to force myself to make the time to do this, because it makes me happy, and fuels my health and well-being. I’m realizing, it also does wonders for my mental health. I’ve been playing around with different filters on our camera too-so fun!

Anyway, I ended up with a fabulous dinner: Steamed cauliflower, Tomato Olive Avocado Smash and Lemon Parsley Eggs!

Tomato Olive Avocado Smash

  • 2 avocados
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 small can of sliced black olives
  • Kosher salt/pepp
  • Garlic powder
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • Drizzle of olive oil

Mix. Ha.DSCN0104DSCN0128

Lemon Parsley Eggs

  • 2 eggs (or however many you want)
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Dried parsley

I broke two eggs in a small saute pan, and let them cook over medium heat with a loose lid over top. When they were getting close to being done, I squeezed fresh lemon juice in the pan. HOLY SHMOLY. So good. I will be adding lemon to eggs more often for sure. Then I plated them and sprinkled parsley on top.DSCN0134

Simple, healthy, flavorful and filling!