Greek whole chicken

 

Ingredients

• 1 large whole chicken without giblets 
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine
• 4 floury potatoes such as Maris piper, peeled and chopped into large cubes
• 1 small red onion peeled and halved
• 4 large garlic cloves peeled and crushed
• 3-4 tbsp virgin olive oil or more, as needed
• 2 tsp dried oregano or more, as needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lemon
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 170C (325F).
• Pat the chicken dry with kitchen towels (see above) and then rub all over with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and place on a large roasting tin or casserole.
• Squeeze half the lemon over the chicken and place it in the chicken cavity together with the onion and one bay leaf. Sprinkle with the dried oregano and pour a third of the stock into the pan. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes.
• Take the pan out of the oven and arrange the potatoes, garlic and other bay around the chicken, drizzling with extra olive oil and seasoning with salt, pepper and more dried oregano. Squeeze the other lemon half over the potatoes, place in the pan, and add a bit more stock to the pan if it is dry. Cover with the foil and roast for another 40 minutes.
• Check the roast, turning the potatoes over. Add more stock if the pan is dry, cover and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and the chicken juices run clear. Increase the oven temperature to 220C (425F) and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until the chicken skin crisps up.
• Let the chicken rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving and serving with the potatoes and a Greek salad on the side.

Crack(er) Toffee

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

• optional 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with at least a 1/2 inch edge or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Line saltine crackers in a single layer on the cookie sheet.

2. In a small pot combine sugar and butter and bring to a boil. Once mixture is at a boil, continue boiling for 3 minutes. Mixture should be a deep caramel color. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. It will get all bubbly and the crackers will look like they are floating. Remove from oven and straighten any crackers that have gotten out of line. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and let sit a couple of minutes to melt. If your pan isn't hot enough you can even pop it back in the oven for a couple of minutes to melt them. Sometimes I melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for about 1 minute then spread it on. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts if desired. Cool completely. You can pop it in the fridge for a couple of minutes to help the chocolate set. Break into pieces and eat.

Recipe Notes

Note: You should either use salted butter or salted saltines but on or the other. You can also use one container of chocolate cake frosting and melt in inside the microwave for 40 seconds and once you get to the final step pout it all over the top 

Chickpea Taco (Meatless)

 

Ingredients

• 6 soft tortillas

Taco filling

• 1 avocado chopped into cubes
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 1/2 big onion finely sliced
• 6 tbsp red cabbage finely sliced
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (to roast the chickpeas)
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce gluten-free (to roast the chickpeas)
•  fresh cilantro to taste

Tahini dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/8 cup (or more) water (to thin out)
• 2-3 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1-2 tsp maple syrup or agave syrup
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/3 tsp salt or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper ground
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin (optional)
• 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

• Put the chickpeas in a pan/skillet together with the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Pan-fry at low-medium heat for about 5 minutes and stir frequently.
• Chop your veggies and the avocado. You can lightly sauté the veggies (onion, green pepper, red cabbage, tomatoes) in a pan/skillet for a few minutes with a little bit of oil or leave them raw (like I did).
• Mix the ingredients for the tahini dressing in a small bowl with a whisk. If you use a thick tahini paste then you might need more water to thin it out.
• Stuff your tortillas with the veggies, the roasted chickpeas and drizzle the tahini dressing on top. Enjoy hot or cold!

Air Fryer Brussels

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb  Brussels sprouts stems cut up and halved and any loose leaves removed
•  Calorie-controlled cooking spray
• Salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the air fryer to 350F 
• Place Brussels sprouts into a bowl, spray with cooking spray, add salt and black pepper and mix until well coated.
• Add Brussels sprouts to the air fryer basket and fry between 8-12 mins, removing and shaking the basket a couple of times when cooking for even crisping.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Air fryer cauliflower wings

 

Instructions

• Preheat air fryer to 400F / 200C
• Mix together hot sauce, almond flour, avocado oil and salt in a large bowl.
• Add the cauliflower and mix until coated.
• Add half the cauliflower into the air fryer and fry for 12-15 min (or until crisp at the edges with a little bite still, or it reaches your desired doneness).
• Make sure to open the air fryer and shake the frying basket half way thru to turn the cauliflower. Remove and set aside.
• Add in second batch, but cook it for 2-3 mins less.
• Serve warm (although they can also be served cold) with some extra hot sauce for dipping.

Oven Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

• No air fryer? No problem. Here's how to make your Buffalo cauliflower wings in the oven.
• Preheat oven to fan assisted  350F.
• Place the cauliflower in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 35-40 mins (until done and is crisp at the edges with a little bite still or until it reaches your desired doneness) turning a couple of times during baking.
• Serve warm, although can also be served cold with some extra hot sauce.

Blackened Salmon

 

Ingredients 

• 3 salmon fillets (6oz each)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• Lemon slices, for garnish

The lemon butter sauce

• 1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup – 4oz) softened to room temperature 
• 2 tablespoons parsley flakes 
• 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or Cayenne pepper 
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. To make the blackened salmon: Make a spice mix by mixing all of the spice ingredients together (paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil,Cayenne, salt, pepper, olive oil). Coat the salmon fillets with a small amount of oil. Generously sprinkle the fillets with the spice mix.

2. Add ingredients for the lemon herb butter to a bowl (butter, parsley, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, pepper, and lemon juice), then stir with a fork to combine. Refrigerate the lemon herbed butter while you are cooking the blackened salmon.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the salmon fillets and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until crispy and blackened. Flip the salmon fillets over and cook an additional 4-6 minutes. If your salmon fillets are browning too quickly, then turn down the heat.

4. Scoop a dollop of lemon herb butter to top each blackened salmon fillet, and allow to melt slowly. Garnish with lemon slices and serve the blackened salmon and lemon butter sauce with sauteed zucchini, asparagus or cauliflower rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups marinara
• 1 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup mozzarella
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• olive oil for cooking

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prep three dishes: one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley.
• Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thick. If necessary, you can cut large breasts in half. Place the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap to eliminate mess.
• Dip chicken in flour, then eggs, then bread crumb mix -- make sure it's well coated in each step. 
• Cook in olive oil in a large pan, browning on each side, which should take about four minutes per side. 
• Place one cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 dish, then lay the chicken on top. Divide the remaining marinara sauce across the top of each piece of chicken, then top with mozzarella cheese. 
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until internal chicken temperature reaches 165 degrees. You can top with fresh chopped basil before serving over spaghetti.
  

Muscle Spasm

 

Talk to your doctor. Your potassium may be low.