Quinoa and Cucumber Noodle Salad

INGREDIENTS

• cucumber, spiralized or julienned

• chopped tomatoes

• 1/4 avocado, diced

• 1 red onion, sliced

• 2/3 cup cooked quinoa

• chopped parsley (or cilantro)

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Makes 1 serving

For the dressing: (or use Bolthouse Cilantro Avocado dressing)

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• Juice of one lime

• Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

• 3/4 cup olive oil

Dressing Makes 4 -5 servings

DIRECTIONS

The salad:

In a large bowl combine cucumber, tomato, avocado, onion, quinoa and parsley.

The dressing:

In a blender or food processor, combine avocado, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Add in olive oil progressively until just combined. Transfer to a jar and drizzle over the salad before serving.

To balance this meal:

1. Add 3-4 oz of any protein

2. For vegan add tempeh or chickpeas (1/2 cup)

Spicy Shrimp and Broccoli Mash

Spicy Shrimp & Broccoli Mash

Ingredients

For the Broccoli Mash

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 6 cups)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon full fat yogurt

• ½ cup parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast (keeps it with less dairy)

• 1 teaspoon salt

For the spicy shrimp

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 lb. (450g) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or dried garlic

• 1 teaspoon crushed chili pepper flakes

• 1 knob fresh ginger, grated (optional)

• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions

1. For the broccoli: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the broccoli and garlic. Saute for a minute or two, until the garlic is really fragrant. Add 2 cups broth and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until soft.

2. Drain broccoli florets and garlic and transfer to a food processor or blender. Add a tablespoon heavy cream or yogurt and pulse until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding few tablespoons of broth if needed. Stir in the salt and parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast , pulse once more and set aside.

3. For the shrimp: In a large skillet, add the olive oil over medium heat. Make sure to pat the shrimp dry. Add shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, chili pepper flakes, to taste. Cook for a few minutes on both sides, then add 2 tablespoons water or broth to the pan to deglaze the browned bits and spices to coat the shrimp.

4. Serve the spicy garlic shrimp with broccoli mash over a couple of spoonfuls of broccoli mash and garnish with lemon wedges.

Makes 5 servings

Easy Kale, White Bean and Chicken Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cups sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 2 medium/large onions)

• 1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)

• 2 to 3 cups green cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons (about 1/2 small head of cabbage)

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

• 64 ounces (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth

• 3 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (use about 1 whole store bought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet)

• two 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste

• 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

• leaves from 4 large stalks of kale, torn into bite-sized pieces (discard the center thick rib)

• 1 cup zucchini, diced small (from about 1 medium zucchini)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional (brightens up the flavor)

DIRECTIONS:

1. To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil, onion, celery, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.

2. Add the cabbage and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until cabbage wilts and softens. Stir intermittently.

3. Add the agarlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add the chicken broth, shredded chicken, cannellini beans, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and boil about 5 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through.

5. Add the kale, zucchini, optional lemon juice, and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until kale has wilted and zucchini has softened.

6. Taste soup and add salt or herbs, to taste. Amount of salt will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. At any time while making the soup, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of water is okay because at the end you will adjust the salt level. Serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Makes 8, 2 cup servings.

Notes:

1. This is a great meal to make and freeze.

2. If you want to have a sweet treat with this, have half a serving (1 cup ) and then add a reasonable sized, healthier sweet treat.

Garlic Butter Turkey Meatballs and Lemony Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients

• 1 lb (220g) ground turkey meat

• 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (mozzarella, cheddar, provolone…) Use good quality and if you have a dairy issue, use goat cheese

• 4 cloves garlic, grated + 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon red crushed chili pepper flakes, optional

• 1 crumbled bouillon cube, optional

• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

• 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley), divided

• 3 tablespoons grass fed butter

• 4 medium zucchini, spiralized

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 tablespoon hot sauce of your choice (we used Sriracha)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, cheese, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, red chili pepper flakes, chopped cilantro and black pepper. Mix well with your hands or fork and form medium balls. Arrange on a plate and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the meatballs for 8 – 10 minutes on all sides, until browned and cooked through. While cooking, baste the meatballs with the mix of butter and juices. Remove to a clean plate and set aside.

3. In the same skillet melt remaining tablespoon butter; then add lemon juice, hot sauce, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes (if you want). Add the zucchini noodles and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring regularly, until zucchini is done but still crisp and juices have reduced a bit. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and garnish with more cilantro or parsley if you like.

4. Push zucchini on one side of the skillet and add the meatballs back to the pan and reheat for a minute or two. Serve immediately with a lemon slice on the side. Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings. (divide everything in equal 4 portions)

Note:

• Zucchini tends to render some water when cooking, so you can sprinkle with salt after spiralizing and allow to sit for a couple of minutes to take off excess water. Rinse well to get rid of salt and drain thoroughly in a colander before cooking.

• Make sure to cook the meatballs on medium fire to avoid burning them while still raw in the inside.

• This recipe is also perfect for a meal prep lunch on the next day. Check this meatball meal prep recipe for a variant with chicken.

• THIS MEAL IS HIGHER IN FAT. so if you want to change it up, here are some options:

  1. cut out the cheese and mix 1/2 cup cooked rice noodles in with the zucchini

  2. You can use avocado oil or coconut oil instead of grass fed butter

  3. If you want to have a sweet treat with this meal like the banana peanut butter frozen dessert, take out cheese and lower amount of butter. Avoid the rice noodles. Have one serving of the sweetness and you have yourself a balanced meal.