Archives for posts with tag: carrots

AH! This past week has been crazy! So much has happened. I really did not come up with any new recipes until last night. I was supposed to grill some chicken. I had a new poultry rub idea ready to go. The potatoes were in the oven. Alexander suddenly decided he was starving and exhausted even though he had recently eaten. Babies, I tell ya! I had to halt my food prep and go nurse a sweet little almost 7 month old to sleep for a nappy nap. The potatoes were already cooking. I had to switch it up once I was done because I was short on time now. Pan chicken is always a quick dish for me to whip up. I thought of this on the fly. I was inspired by the snow peas we purchased. This is the very first time I have cooked with snow peas. I hate regular peas. They make me gag. I have tried and I just cannot enjoy the flavor of them. Snow peas taste a bit different though, so I decided to try them again. I really enjoyed this dish. It was light and fresh and very spring like! It looks like snow peas may become a more frequent veggie in our home. Jackson also enjoyed them. He said “Yum. They’re kind of like green beans!” Truth!

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Snow Pea Lime Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp orange blossom vinegar
  • 3 limes
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 orange pepper, diced
  • 3 carrots julienned
  • 1/2 lb snow peas
  • 3 green onions, chopped

Juice two of the limes. Set the 3rd one aside for later.

Combine the chicken, lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, white pepper, thyme, ground mustard, and sea salt in a large pan. Begin to cook. Once the chicken no longer looks pink add the orange peppers. Cook until they soften. Once the have softened, add the carrots and snow peas. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile juice the 3rd lime. Once chicken is cooked, turn off heat and add the remaining lime juice and green onions.

I really enjoyed the smokey flavors of this meal. I love the simplicity of it. There are not a ton of ingredients in it, yet it still has a lovely flavor.

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Spanish Steak

  • about 1.3lbs of steak, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced small
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • fresh black pepper to taste
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped

Cook the onions in the olive oil until they are tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the steak pieces, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, sea salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a bubble. Turn down the heat a bit and continue to stir and cook., until the tomatoes are soft, break apart, and partially become sauce like. You can cook a little longer or shorter depending on how well you like your steak pieces. Mine ended up medium well.

I served them over julienned rainbow carrots. I simply sautéed those in a drizzle of olive oil until slightly tender. Delicious together!

I wanted to make something with chicken and veggies. I also wanted to use a new vinegar I recently purchased. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. My 4 year old really wanted pasta. This creation came from those three factors. I then started thinking about how gorgeous all the blood oranges I bought are. I am just in love with their color. They are truly beautiful.

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Blood Orange Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 blood oranges. One juiced. One cut into pieces and set aside.
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp O Ginger Rice Vinegar
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 3 small carrots, julienned
  • 1 zucchini, julienned
  • Crushed red pepper (optional)

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, blood orange juice, lime juice, ginger rice vinegar, coriander, sea salt, and pepper. Cook chicken through. Add the honey and blood orange pieces. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and zucchini. Cook until the veggies are tender but still bright.

I served it over whole wheat spaghetti, but brown rice would be another great option. You can also sprinkle a little red pepper flakes over your bowl if you wanted a little kick.

Have I ever mentioned that I love rice? Ha! Forbidden rice is my favorite rice. I discovered it at a restaurant a couple years ago while we were away for the weekend celebrating our wedding anniversary. I then HAD to find it for my own kitchen. I use Lotus Foods Forbidden Rice. As usual, this dish comes with lots of veggies. I had a hankering for something with ginger. It was just sitting there looking lovely at Whole Foods, so I grabbed a knob of it. Then I combined all of these flavors for this light and spicy dish.
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Sesame Ginger Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots

  • 1 clove garlic, pressed/minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
  • 2 tsp coriander
  •  1tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp white ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 small limes juiced (or one large lime juiced)
  • 1/2 tbsp honey
  • Broccoli. I used 3 small heads of broccoli
  • Carrots, julienned. I used 4 small/medium carrots.
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1/4 c fresh coarsely chopped basil
  • Red pepper flakes optional and to taste. I recommend them!
  • Forbidden black rice, prepared

Cut chicken into chunks. Heat the sesame oil and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken, ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamom, white pepper, sea salt, vinegar, lime juice, and honey. Cook chicken through. Add the broccoli, carrots, and sesame seeds. I covered with a lid to help steam the veggies a bit.

Once the veggies are cooked to your liking add the basil and stir to combine. Serve over the black rice. Sprinkle each dish with red pepper flakes. This is optional but I really loved the kick it had. I sprinkled about 1/4 tsp on my bowl. I skipped it for my little guy. He isn’t so into spicy foods yet. Kid taste buds and all.

Note: I tend to cook my broccoli a little longer so that it is easier to digest. I LOVE broccoli but sometimes it doesn’t agree with me. I have found that if I make sure it is cooked through I have an easier time digesting it. Last night was no exception. I know there is debate over eating cruciferous veggies raw or steamed. As of late, the tide has been turning toward it still being very nutritional to eat them cooked. My take on it is, I want to eat them, but I simply cannot tolerate them raw. I would rather lose some nutrients than be unable to consume them at all.