Tahini Chicken Salad (Whole 30 )

I’m wildly excited to share this recipe for multiple reasons. 1. I’ve been meaning to develop a non-mayo chicken salad for a while. Spoiler alert - there is no mayo in this recipe #whole30approved! 2. I LOVE tahini, almost as much as almond butter. 3. I also love dates. 4. My family loves cooking from Yotam Ottolenghi cookbooks thanks to oldest sis and BIL Claire and Mike’s influence. We love his middle eastern style cooking and this recipe nods to those flavors.

Chicken salad is so easy to prepare and makes for a great tasting and filling lunch. However traditional chicken salads are typically loaded down with globs (yes globs, let’s all gag together now) of mayo (gag again). However once the mayo gets hidden, I truly love chicken salad. I love even more how this recipe ditches the mayo and adds in my fave - tahini. It makes for a killer Whole 30 meal too. I’m on day 21. The end is near, but this recipe will be in rotation post W30 for sure.

Whole 30 Tahini Chicken Salad
yields 3-4 servings

Rotisserie chicken, shredded - (should yield 21/2 - 3 cups)
1/4 cup tahini*
1 tbsp. aapple cider vinegar
3-5 tbsp warm water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped dates (about 3 large dates)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
dukkah, optional**

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk tahini, apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of warm water, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic powder and set aside. Shred your rotisserie chicken into a medium bowl. Add chopped dates, celery, green onion, and parsley. Pour tahini mixture over the top and stir to combine, add more water if necessary. Serve with extra celery on the side and top with parsley and dukkah.

*I love love love tahini, but I have a strong distaste for Trader Joe’s tahini. If you’ve ever tried tahini from TJ’s and didn’t like it, try buying at Whole Foods, Sprouts or a Mediterranean grocery store. TJ’s is much thicker than traditional tahini.
**Dukkah is an Egyptian seasoning made of nuts, seeds, and spices. It pairs perfectly with tahini and middle eastern dishes. You can find it in most Mediterranean grocery stores, but I actually found mine at Trader Joe’s!

I portioned the chicken salad into 3 of my favorite meal prep jars for lunches that I’ll have with celery on the side. Only about a week left of Whole 30!

Annie

Crock-Pot Chicken Curry over Cauliflower Rice

I did a little poll to see what kind of recipes you all were wanting. What I got back were things like easy, crock-pot, one dish, dinner, healthy, Super Bowl and Valentine's recipes. Minus the Super Bowl and Valentine's treats, I think I was able to combine all the other wants and needs into one dish! I mean you could totally make this and eat it during the Super Bowl or with your lovie on Vday, but we will come up with more "themed" recipes for those later.. 

With some inspo from The Food Charlaltan, I bring you my version of Crock-Pot Chicken Curry over Cauliflower Rice. It's comforting but still healthy and even Whole 30 approved. This was also my first time to make cauliflower rice, and I'm sold. I used this method.

You can definitely buy the pre-packaged cauliflower rice they sell in the stores, but the size and shape and look of it kind of weirds me out, so I made my own. You get a ton more and it's a lot cheaper to make your own. Hint, I use a box grater to achieve the rice look! But again, here is the how-to.

Do you guys ever use those crock-pot liners? If you don't, you're welcome for informing you. My good friend Sarah Beth showed them to me when we lived together our senior year of college. They are basically a big ziploc baggy that fits your crock-pot, but has magical powers to withstand the heat and not melt during the cooking process. So once your crock-pot has done all the work, and you get to enjoy a delicious meal, you simply lift the bag out of the pot and there is legit no clean up. Because how many times have you scraped and soaked and scraped and soaked crusted on velveta queso off your crock-pot?? Buy them and you'll never not line your crock-pot again. 

Crock-Pot Chicken Curry over Cauliflower Rice adapted from The Food Charlatan
makes 3-4 servings

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 tsp. oil
1 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk (full fat or light will work)
1 Tbsp. dried basil leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 red onion (large, or 1 small), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (almond meal, coconut flour, tapioca starch & arrowroot powder will work to make it Whole 30 approved)
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated or minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
*4 cups homemade or store bought cauliflower rice

Toppings:
chopped cilantro, red onion, cashews

Directions:
Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Salt and pepper your chicken thighs.

When the oil is hot, add your chicken thighs. Don't put them too close together. Depending on the size of your pan you may have to sear them in batches.

Cook for about 3 minutes until just browned on the bottom. Then flip the chicken over to brown the other side for about 2-3 minutes. You are not cooking them completely, you just want to get a good sear on them. They will finish cooking in the crock-pot. Remove the chicken to a plate.

In your crock-pot combine coconut milk, basil, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, yellow curry, and chili powder. Stir to combine. Add the chopped red onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Place the browned chicken into the curry mixture. 

Place the lid on and set your crock-pot to high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the chicken from the crock-pot and place on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken, it should be falling apart and so yummy.

Add the ginger to the slow cooker. Then a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Stir until it's not lumpy. Add this to the crock pot and stir. This will help thicken the curry. You may need to add more for your desired thickness, but give the cornstarch a little bit of time, it won't thicken immediately but will with time. 

Add the shredded chicken back to the crock-pot. Return the lid and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the cilantro.

For each serving I steam about 3/4 cup of homemade cauliflower rice in the microwave for a 1 minute and sprinkle a little bit of salt over it. Then spoon a generous amount of curry over the rice and top with more cilantro, red onion and my fav-chopped cashews! (This would be great with plain white or jasmine rice and some naan bread).

*If you have questions about making the cauliflower rice, comment below and I'd love to help you out!

Annie

Zesty Chicken Salad

I'm coming in clutch for your lunch game. This chicken salad is zesty, fierce and Barre3 approved. I found the recipe in Barre3 founder, Sadie Lincoln's book, Love Your Lower Body. Not only is my lower body loving this recipe, so are my taste buds. 

It takes the traditional idea of chicken salad, but gives it a little kick in the tush. Pickles? I love. Paprika? Zesty. Apple? Why not. Best part is it only uses a little bit of greek yogurt and dijon mustard. Traditional chicken salad calls for mayonnaise, but mayonnaise gives me the heebie jeebies. I watched a video in 10th grade chemistry on how mayonnaise was made and that was pretty much it for me. 

One of my roommates and I got into a chat about chicken salad after I made this and we love how versatile it is. It can be a salad, a wrap, a sandwich, even a dip. Add some curry powder and you've got an Indian spin on. So many options with this zesty lunch!

Zesty Chicken Salad adapted from
yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups diced cooked chicken breasts*
1 cup diced dill pickles
1 Tbsp. finely diced onion
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 granny smith apple, chopped
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Spinach, kale, arugala, or whatever your favorite greens are; for serving

Directions:
In a medium size bowl, mix together all ingredients. Done, that's it. To serve, place about a cup of greens on a plate with equal portions of the chicken salad on top. 

*My favorite way to cook chicken breasts is by placing them in the crock pot with 1/2 cup of water, salt and pepper and let them go on low for 3-5 hours. You can even do this with frozen chicken breasts they will just take a little longer. 

Annie

Barre3 Chicken Tikka Masala

We are now halfway through week 2 of the Barre3 challenge. I'm feeling so good so far. Good food flowing inside my body and good vibes outside of it. Easily the best part of the Barre3 challenge is the "nourishment" component. The Barre3 website is full of amazing healthy recipes. I've always coveted this tikka masala recipe, so I knew I would be making it during the challenge. 

I have a soft spot for any kind of food outside American. Thai, Ethiopian, Latin, India etc. Tikka Masala is a traditional indian dish made with chunks of chicken in a creamy spicy sauce with tomatoes and indian spices. The original recipe was developed by Andrea of Dishing up the Dirt. No cream just coconut milk, brown rice instead of basmati and skipping the naan help to keep this version of masala a little more health friendly. 

There is no skimp on flavor and it's incredibly satisfying. The tikka masala was last week's B3 recipe, Kathleen made their pistachio crusted tilapia this week, and next week it's my turn again!  

Barre3 Chicken Tikka Masala
yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch piece of whole ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbs. garam masala
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
2 (14-oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup coconut milk (from the can)
1 Tbsp. corn starch (optional)
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups brown rice, cooked (1 cup dry)

Directions:
In a medium-size deep saute pan or heavy bottom pan, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the it is tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the chicken and cook until the it begins to brown on all sides, about 5-8 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, garam masala, paprika, salt, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, checking often to make sure the curry doesn't dry out (add water if necessary). Cook until chicken is cooked through and tender and the masala is thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. I struggled with my masala being really brothy and not thickening up properly so I added a corn starch slurry. Combine 1 Tbsp. corn starch and a 3 Tbsp. water then pour into your sauce. This thickened my dish perfectly!

Serve with cooked brown rice and garnish with cilantro.

Annie

Recipe Dump

Today I'm dumping five new recipes on you guys. Yes, five recipes, in one post. I love to come home after work and unwind by getting dinner together then plopping down on the couch to watch Scandal or Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives #guiltypleasures.

I've been cooking up some good stuff, but nothing that has quite formulated itself into a recipe post. Today is sort of a cheated recipe post. I'm sharing some great meals, but all recipes I've grabbed from other food bloggers of just thrown together. If you follow me on Instagram you'll recognize these meals. From shrimp stir fry to oatmeal, the gangs all here. Scroll through for five recipes, with links, notes and how-to's, to get a few great meal ideas!

Harvest Produce Salad with Sriracha Cider Dressing recipe via Love and Lemons

Changes I made: I did not roast the apple. These seemed strange to me and I like the crisp crunch of a fresh apple. I also used frozen corn and just roasted it on the same pan as the tomatoes and potatoes for the last 10 minutes. Instead of chipotle paste I used sriracha. I also used blue cheese instead of feta. 

Middle Eastern Chicken recipe via Camille Styles

Changes I made: I used fresh mint in the marinade instead of dried. I did not skewer the chicken, I cut it into small pieces and then grilled it. I added some cherry tomatoes to the dish by roasting with olive oil, salt and pepper at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. I also made white basmati rice and added turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and a little butter to serve the chicken and tomatoes on. Lastly, I topped the whole thing with a little garlic yogurt and lemon sauce I made and more fresh mint!

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry recipe via  Damn Delicious

Changes I made: I used tamari instead of soy sauce and didn't add oyster sauce, only because I didn't have any. I also almost ate the whole pan in one sitting, the recipe didn't say to do that...

Pumpkin Oatmeal recipe via Purely Elizabeth

Changes I made: I used water instead of milk and added in some nutmeg as well!

Acai Bowl recipe via me

Ingredients:
1  Sambazon frozen acai pack (Oklahomies you can find these at Sprouts)
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 to 1 cup almond milk or coconut water
toppings - granola, more fruit, cocoa nibs, coconut, gogi berries, hemp seeds etc.

Directions:
Starting with a half cup of liquid, blend everything in a blender. Add more liquid if needed but you want it to be thick! Pour into a bowl and load on the toppings. Extra granola recommended. 

Molly said it best yesterday when she described this stage of life as a wonderful whirlwind. Their are new adventures, new challenges and new ways to manage time. Just because I don't have the same amount of time to put together a legit recipe post doesn't mean I can't share some wonderful bites from this wonderful whirlwind!

Annie