Coconut Chicken Recipe: Great for Dairy Intolerance

This recipe was created out of a need to make some substitutions for a client: She loves cream based sauces however upon a elimination diet by her doctor she found that dairy upset her stomach. She graciously shared this recipe with me. Lucky for me I had a few can left over from my sons birthday cake!

This recipe uses coconut milk instead of dairy. While it's not a foolproof substitution, it is quite delicious. Plus the saturated fats in the coconut milk are healthy, energy delivering medium-chain triglycerides, which are also incredibly valuable to the immune system.


Creamy Dreamy Coconut Chicken

3 good-sized chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
2 tsp. coconut oil
1 small apple, peeled and diced
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated or chopped fine
1 can organic coconut milk
1 tsp. ground sage
Unrefined sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add in one teaspoon of coconut oil and let it melt. Season chicken pieces with unrefined salt and pepper. Add to skillet allowing pieces to brown on each side. Once chicken pieces have browned, set aside in a bowl. Return skillet to heat.

Add second teaspoon of coconut oil and allow to melt. Add in diced onion and stir frequently, allowing onion to brown some. Season with some unrefined sea salt. When onion pieces have gone translucent and begun to brown on some of the edges, add garlic, apple and ginger. Stir well.

Turn heat down to medium and continue to cook ingredients for another minute or so. (Optional addition - here, you could deglaze the pan with a half cup or so of organic white wine and allow it to reduce for a couple of minutes before adding the coconut oil. This will make for a richer flavour to the sauce. If you don't have wine, you could also juice half a lemon). Add in coconut milk and stir until the sauce has an even consistency. Once sauce has come to a boil, add back chicken pieces and stir well.

Turn heat down to medium-low and allow to simmer for 5 - 10 minutes; until chicken has cooked through.

Spoon chicken with sauce over rice, rice pasta, quinoa or other grain.

Variation: Instead of adding sage, use curry powder and use this as a base for a delicious coconut curry.

Elimination Diet: Substitute citrus and vinegar with vegetable or chicken stock

Cucumber Avocado Soup

After Mondays post on the benefits of eating avocado...I hunted for more recipes to use this delicious fruit. If you love gazpacho, then you'll love this recipe. If you have any in your recipe box please share in the comments or email me!!!

The ingredients are reminiscent of a spa treatment – cucumber, avocado and yogurt... if you have extra why not use some for a facial?

By request of my doctor (due to several cluster migraines and painful acid reflux in the last few months) that I do an elimination diet to see if it is something in my diet that is triggering my migraines. This is one of many I will posted during the next few weeks as I embark on this new adventure. To learn more about the elimination diet refer to my previous post

Both cucumbers and avocado are health promoting foods. Avocados in particular are a source of good monounsaturated fat that's proven to help lower cholesterol. Adding healthy fat to a meal is essential to feeling satiated. I eat cucumbers for three skin-loving reasons: vitamin C, high water content and silica.

Cucumber Avocado Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups of cucumber, peeled and seeds removed and cut into small chunks
2-3 avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed
2/3 cup organic plain yogurt (non-fat is fine, but it will be much more delicious with full-fat)
Juice from 2 freshly squeezed limes
1 clove of minced garlic

Method:

Place the cucumbers in a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth. Add the avocados, yogurt, lime juice, garlic and blend until smooth. Place in fridge until completely cooled, season to your taste. Serve with a drizzle of EVOO.

ENJOY on a hot summer day!

Moroccan Chicken

Moroccan Chicken

Full of flavor this hearty meal will leave you satisfied! 

A tasty recipe that is Elimination Diet friendly.

 

 

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed
• salt to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 3/4 tsp cumin
• fresh oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 - 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• oil (optional)
• chickpeas

Instructions: 

1) Season chicken with salt and brown in large sauce pan. Set aside.
2) Saute onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in the same pan for about 5 minutes or until they become tender.
3) Stir in spices and herbs. Stir fry for 1 minute, then add in broth and tomatoes.
4) Add chicken back in. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
5) Add chickpeas and zucchini to pan. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in lemon. Serve.

Green Apple Salad with Dressing

 I made this for dinner a few nights ago and drizzled it over mixed organic greens, sliced avocado, roasted chicken and toasted pumpkin seeds. You can add more other toppings such as Strawberries or in place of Chicken, try Salmon!

This is appropriate for those of you trying the elimination diet, just refer to the Food Chart when selecting toppings.

Enjoy!

Salad Dressing Recipe


1 green apple, cored (Granny Smith)

1/2 cup filtered water

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 to 4 cloves garlic

1 to 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

Sea salt, to taste

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until very smooth and creamy. 

Add salt to taste and blend again.

Some interesting info. I recently read from a Cardio-Core colleague in Ontario regarding the benefits to eating avocado... not that I need an excuse to enjoy this creamy green fruit

--> Check out her blog http://allysonangus.blogspot.com/ for more interesting info.

As noted food writer Gaylor Hauser once said of it; "In this single delectable fruit are combined the protein of meat, the fat of butter (but much more wholesome!), the vitamins & minerals of green vegetables, the flavor of nuts... a six course meal!"

A creamy rich avocado is considered the world's healthiest fruit because of nutrient contents such as vitamin K, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C & copper. I start my day with a protein shake that includes 1 FULL avocado. I LOVE my morning shake! When I get the night time munchies I go to bed so my shake will come quicker. I'm not looking forward to the day the avocado is taken out of my diet (which is coming soon, I'm sure) but for now, I will enjoy!

Avocados are a WHOLE FOOD! They have more potassium than a banana, provide all 18 amino acids & 7 essential fatty acids including Omega 3 & 6. An avocado has more protein cow's milk & more usable protein than a large steak (cooked = denatured).

Avocados are a natural FAT BURNER! Containing monosaturated fat which speeds up the basil metabolic rate. Its high fat content gives a quicker feeling of satiation (fullness) which is also very beneficial and nice first thing in the morning, right before my training.

A note on potassium (which avocados are full of!). Potassium is critical to our cardiovascular and nerve functioning, regulating the transfer of nutrients into cells and facilitating muscle energy. Potassium enhances muscle control plus the growth and health of cells particularly through its importance in waste product removal**