Your New Healthy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is only ONE WEEK AWAY .. crazy to think how fast this year has been flying by! I've been oogling over all the beautiful recipes out there in the world while working on this year's menu collab with Barre3, the Portland based studio and wellness magazine.

The flavors and traditions of this holiday are limitless, heart warming, nostalgic and .. usually, along with your gratitude, you leave you feeling utterly stuffed. Keeping in line with the Barre3 rules of balancing FAT, FIBER and PROTEIN I've created a menu that can help you avoid that feeling, while keep it healthy AND delicious.

If you recall, last year I created the Barre3 DIY Thanksgiving Pies and the Autumn Greens Panzanella Salad and due to them being such a hit on the table last year, we decided to keep them on the spread as a classic along with a few new staples. Mix a few of these new healthy recipes in with your family recipes passed down from generation to generation for a beautiful, timeless and healthy holiday.

Here is how we set our table this year .. perhaps it will ignite and inspire a bit of your holiday menu planning! 

Autumn Greens Panzanella Salad – The first thing you’ll notice about this nutrient-rich salad is that it’s absolutely stunning, thanks to the colorful pop of pomegranate seeds and sweet potatoes against the dark leafy greens. The next thing you’ll notice? That it’s absolutely delicious.

Savory Roasted Root Mash – One taste of this savory, creamy blend of parsnips and celery root, and you may never make mashed potatoes again.

Sausage, Kale + Pecan Stuffing – The sausage, kale, leeks, and onions make this stuffing gloriously hearty, while the pecans and dried cherries round it out with just the right amount of sweetness.  

B3 Skillet Cornbread – Made with stone ground cornmeal, almond flour and coconut milk, this cornbread is both gluten and dairy free. The slight sweetness of the cornmeal is the perfect complement to Thanksgiving’s savory flavors.

Honey-Orange Cranberry Sauce – Cranberries, one orange, and honey. That’s all that goes into this simple cranberry sauce, and yet the perfectly tangy flavor makes it one of the highlights of the meal. It needs to chill for at least six hours, so it’s the ideal make-ahead recipe.

DIY Pumpkin Pie – In the barre3 spirit of Make It Your Own, this recipe is designed so you can choose your own filling. It’s delicious as a traditional pumpkin pie, but the almond-oat crust works just as well with apples, chocolate—you name it! 

Adzuki Bean and Kabocha Squash Stew

Cozy up and enjoy this hearty combination of kabocha squash and adzuki beans in our immune-boosting stew. The squash and carrots are loaded with Vitamin A, while the garlic and onion have flu-fighting properties. This Asian-inspired stew also provides a delicious dose of protein, fiber, iron, magnesium and B vitamins.

Prep Time: 15 mins + overnight soak | Total Time: 75 mins  | Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c dried adzuki beans (or red beans), soaked overnight*

• 2” piece kombu (dried seaweed)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, mince

• 1 red onion, diced

• 4 celery stalks, diced

• 3 carrots, diced

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp sea salt

• generous pinch red pepper flakes

• 1 tsp cumin

• 32 oz can diced tomatoes

• one-half of a kabocha or butternut squash, diced

• 1 c mirin (or ½ c rice vinegar and 2 ½ Tbsp honey)

• 1 c water

• 2 Tbsp white miso

• 3 cups baby kale or chopped kale

• cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drain water from beans. Place beans in a pot, add kombu and cover with cold water. Cook on high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Crack the lid and leave beans to cook until tender, up to one hour. (* Alternatively, you can use 2 cans of adzuki beans or any white or red bean available an your local market and start at step 2.)

2. While beans cook, in a large dutch oven or soup pot, combine oil, garlic, onion and chili powder over medium high heat. Add a pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and cumin and sauté until translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook another 10 minutes.

3. Add diced tomatoes, squash, mirin (or vinegar/honey) and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until squash is tender, about 35 minutes. Once tender, remove a small amount of liquid and dilute miso and add back to stew. Add cooked beans and simmer until flavors meld together.

4. Remove from heat, add kale and stir to combine until wilted.

5. Garnish with cilantro.

The only frittata recipe you'll ever need

One pan, easy and fast, and packed with a bounty of nutrition. Frittatas are my go-to for eggs when I'm entertaining friends and also one of the easiest things for having healthy breakfast on hand in the morning. Make it on a Sunday and have a delicious go-to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – unless you have a giant family an big eaters and it might not even make it off the table – so worth it, regardless. These one pan winners are packed with protein and veg and ideal for using up any leftovers you might have in the fridge.

Master the basics and then get creative.  Here are my frittata rules:

• 1 dozen eggs : 1/2 c dairy

• well-seasoned 8-10 in cast iron skillet for a dozen eggs or more (less eggs for this size will result in a thin, dry frittata)

• well cook all ingredients first

• 350 degrees, 20-30 min

Here I made my favorite spring herb frittata.  We are starting to see more and more nutritious green vegetables which makes me want to put them in everything. And that's what I did here.

SPRING HERB FRITTATA

Prep Time: 10 mins | Total Time: 40 mins | Serves: 6-8 

Ingredients:

• 12 farm eggs

• ½ c coconut milk (or heavy cream if ok with dairy)

• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium leek, halved and thinly sliced

• 1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced

• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 12 stalks asparagus, 1 inch pieces

• 3-4 Tbsp chopped parsley

• 2-3 Tbsp dill, chopped

• 2 Tbsp chives, thinly sliced

• ¾ c shredded fontina or dairy-free cheese such as daiya

• Salt and Pepper

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet or deep sauté pan or over medium high heat. Once hot, add leeks and a small pinch of sea salt and sauté until softened. Add mushrooms in a single layer and brown on each side. Once mushrooms are cooked through, add zucchini, asparagus and a small pinch of sea salt to season and cook until just softened.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, parsley, dill and chives. Stir ½ c cheese into egg/herb mixture and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

4. Pour egg/herb mixture over sautéed vegetables, shaking pan to distribute (do not stir) and sauté for 5 minutes until edges are just set. Sprinkle ¼ c shredded cheese over the eggs and place in oven for 20-30 minutes or until beginning to brown on top.

5. Remove from oven, let cook slightly and top with fresh spring herbs to serve.

Ain't No Spring Chicken!

Hello Spring. Hello Chicken. Hello Beautiful Spring Veg. And Hello YOU.

Whelp, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I've been chugging away over here recovering from the ACL surgery (which is finally going great, btw!), handling a slew of puppy emergencies (ruptured gall bladders are no joke!), organizing surprise trips for people and then turning around and having to cancel, sneaking bits of sun when it pokes its' head out from behind the clouds, and of course, working with my favorite people on changing their lives!!!! 

And in between it all, I've still been cooking, promise.  Here's a recipe I created just for Barre3, and its a good one! 

Easiest and most-perfect roasted chicken you can make - keep it on hand as a staple chicken recipe - and use any spring vegetables you prefer! And of course, you can use this recipe year round and swap out the veg that's in season that time of year!  

Enjoy the longer, sunnier days, my friends!

xx

Roasted Chicken with Braised Spring Vegetables

We love this juicy chicken combined with fresh spring veggies. The fennel, garlic, and lemon not only add loads of flavor, they also fight inflammation and support healthy digestion. Besides being light and totally satisfying, this recipe also makes plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day.

Prep Time: 15 mins  |  Total Time: 50 mins  |  Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 chicken pieces (thighs, legs and breasts)

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

• 1 Tbsp butter

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 6-8 radishes, halved

• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and quartered

• 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and chopped

• 12-15 stalks asparagus, roughly chopped

• 1 handful green beans, trimmed

• 1 handful sugar snap peas, diagonally sliced

• 1 small bunch of spring or green onions, trimmed and halved lengthwise

• juice of half a lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Season chicken pieces with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

3. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy oven-safe sauté pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add chicken pieces to pan, skin side down, and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and cook an additional 10 minutes.

4. Turn chicken over and continue cooking until juices run clear and skin is crisp, about 5 more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a large deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbsp butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add radishes cut side down and cook until golden brown on all sides, tossing occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside. Add fennel and garlic and sauté until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add zucchini, asparagus, green beans and snap peas, and cook, tossing occasionally until beginning to brown, about 2-4 minutes. Add green onions, lemon juice and 1/4 c chicken broth and season with sea salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Add radishes back in and season again if desired.

6. Serve chicken with spring vegetables and top with fresh cut herbs.

Summer Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad

You know that delicious groundbreaking salad that you start to see everywhere when the summer solstice hits? Yep, it deserves to shine.  So damn delicious, I am making it over and over again already, and maybe only forgetting the star of the show, basil, a handful of times.  (Gahhhh, without fail, I forget one ingredient - every. single. time.)

This salad is an incredibly simple and easy dish to throw together.  The perfect summer salad. Bring it to your next barbecue and eyes will light up, serve next to a simple grilled steak for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or serve straight up for lunch or a snack.  So worth it. 

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SUMMER HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND NECTARINE SALAD

Prep Time: 5 min  |  Total Time: 10 min  |  Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 mixed heirloom tomatoes

• 1/2 c baby heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 ripe nectarines, thinly sliced

• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

• 1/2 c pickled red onions

• 1/2 c fresh torn basil leaves or micro greens

• olive oil

• fresh cracked peppercorns

• maldon sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Thinly slice 2 of the large heirloom tomatoes and quarter 1 heirloom tomato.

2. On a platter, arrange tomatoes, mozzarella and nectarines.

3. Drizzle entire salad with olive oil, a generous sprinkle of maldon sea salt and fresh cracked peppercorns. Let sit 5 minutes

4. Arrange pickled red onions and basil on top and finish with additional salt and pepper. Voila, gorgeous!