Brilliant No-Salt Italian Chicken

I came up with this recipe this past weekend when company came to eat lunch. Neither member of the arriving party wanted to eat any salt due to health concerns, so I made a quick, salt-free Italian dish that took about a half hour to make, including prep time:

• 1 small organic yellow onion, skinned and chopped
• 2 sections (the small little bulbs from the clove) organic garlic, skinned and pressed
• 4 roma tomatos, sliced thinly
• 50 g (or about 2 ounces) fresh basil, chopped
• Organic olive oil (enough to lightly coat bottom of two medium-sized skillets)
• 3 organic chicken breasts

Heat skillet with oil over low-medium heat. Add chopped onion and pressed garlic and sautee for a few minutes. Add sliced roma tomatos and stir well to mix; gently sautee for around 10 minutes. Add chopped fresh basil (I used approx. half of a Trader Joe's container of fresh basil). Stir well and sautee for another several minutes, until you get a "stewed tomato" texture. Change to lower heat setting if mixture starts to look too dry. Keep a lid handy for use in between stirs.

While sauteeing the tomatos, rinse three organic skinless chicken breasts and tenderise using the bottom of a bottle (keep chicken in a plastic bag) or a meat tenderising tool. Tenderise both sides and slice in half lengthwise. Coat a second skillet with olive oil and sautee chicken until lightly browned on both sides.

Serve chicken with finished tomato mixture spooned on top. Optional: add garlic powder, oregano or other seasoning to taste.

My guests loved the dish without salt, and it was very flavourful without having to add salt or anything else!

Cheesy Broccoli Stalk Anti-Inflammatory Lasagna

Tired of wasting all those leftover broccoli stalks after eating the flowered parts off? Try this: boil the stalks and slice them up afterwards, then put them in the blender with some rice cheese, goat cheese, or whatever cheese you like.

Broccoli, along with cauliflower, bell peppers and cabbage are known as anti-inflammatory vegetables--in other words, very good for anyone with any sort of disease process going on. In addition, using the stalks in this manner can save money by stretching the cheese via the broccoli puree, which retains a ricotta-like texture. As well, the broccoli adds a significant amount of fibre, whereas cheese usually contains zero fibre.


First, we make the cheese mixture:

• 1 or 2 leftover broccoli stalks, sliced up for easy boiling
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 12 oz dairy cheese or rice cheese (can use cottage cheese, tofu, rice cheese, soy cheese, cream cheese, whatever suits)
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1 tsp sea salt

Next, you'll need these ingredients:

• 10 oz grated solid cheese (rice, soy, dairy, mixture, etc., whatever works for you)
• 6 or 7 lasagna noodles (I use the Tinkyada rice variety)
• 2 c or so Savory Meat and/or Veggie Sauce or your own favourite tomato sauce

First, boil lasagna noodles until tender, set aside. Next, boil sliced broccoli stalks until soft, but still bright green. Throw into blender and puree. Add all other ingredients except grated cheese, lasagna noodles and Savory Meat and/or Veggie Sauce. and puree. You'll have a thick, pale green veggie/cheese mixture to layer between lasagna noodles. To this mixture, add half the grated cheese and stir. This will give the veggie/cheese mixture a nice, gooey texture.

In large oven-safe baking pan (glass is best), pour a thin layer of sauce to start. Next, place a layer of wet noodles, then spread part of veggie/cheese mixture onto that. Keep layering per your preference, then top with sauce and remaining grated cheese, so it'll bake up all bubbly'n'nice.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until done (steam rises from knife cut in centre), in 375 degree oven. Let cool for 5 min., slice to desired portion size and serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers.

• Optional: try substituting cauliflower stalks for broccoli stalks in this recipe. All good.
  

Beautiful Kidney Beans

Here's another easy and flavourful recipe that is vegetarian/vegan, full of protein, complex carbs and natural sulfur, which is the beauty mineral known for building strong hair, nails and skin while detoxifying the liver and supporting a healthy pancreas. This recipe requires pre-preparation by soaking beans overnight.

Though some people have an inability to break down certain proteins found in beans, most people need only start to include beans on a regular basis in their diets for any problems with digesting them to subside. Some individuals, however, have a rare condition known as TMA (Trimethylaminuria), aka, "Fish Odor Syndrome", because the odor produced is like that of decaying fish. The odor consists of sulfur compounds, plus nitrogen compounds (amines). People with this condition must abstain from beans and other dense protein foods.

You will need:

• 3-4 c. soaked beans (soaked according to instructions below)
• 2 onions, chopped
  
• 6 small sections of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• Sea salt
  
• *Small piece of kombu seaweed (optional)

Rinse and place 3-4 cups of dried organic kidney beans into a deep bowl or metal pot and cover with at least an inch of clean water. Place lid over top of beans and refrigerate overnight.

Drain soaked beans and place in large boiling pot, with enough clean water to cover the beans by 1-2 inches. Sprinkle a couple of pinches of sea salt into the water, add optional kombu* and bring beans to a boil. Stir and turn heat down to produce a gentle simmer.

Allow beans to simmer for 30 minutes, then add chopped onions, garlic, scallions and pepper. Cook beans and veggies for another 30 minutes. Add chopped cilantro and parsley and cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Beans and veggies should have a very thick, soupy consistency. Serve in bowls with hot bread, rice or lo-carb crackers. Refrigerate any leftovers, or freeze for longer-term use.

These beans can also be used in bean tacos or burritos by adding taco seasoning, to taste, to any portion of cooked beans.

*Kombu is a seaweed that has many great minerals in it, and when added to beans as they cook, it helps to break down the fart-causing properties of said beans.

Chicken & Stray Veggies Pot Pie Roundup

Here's a cool recipe that rounds up all the stray, leftover veggies in your fridge so they don't go to waste. It is healthy, lo-carb without all the usual weird lo-carb ingredients, nutritious and takes only a few minutes to prepare for baking. You can size this meal for one or for an entire family.

Now for the sobering news: depending on how old your veggies are, you may only be getting 40% of their intended nutrients. Most store veggies are at least a week old, so try to get to farmer's markets or local co-ops as often as possible (better yet, get off yer ass and start growing something--even one thing--yourself!). But take heart--even if your veggies are old, they will still provide fiber--and the more veggies you eat, the better.

The way this dish is prepared, by adding the flour and butter directly to all the other ingredients, will result in a nice, thick sauce for the chicken and veggies during baking, without having to prepare it separately, so it not only saves time, but energy as well.

In mid-sized or large oven-proof pan (e.g., an iron skillet like the one you'd hit hubby over the head with that can go in the oven) or glass baking dish, place:

• Water, enough to come 1/3rd to halfway up the side of the pan or baking dish
• 2-3 pinches sea salt
• 1 tb organic butter or Organic Earth Balance
• 1 tb organic oat flour, spelt flour or other thickening agent

Now, stir all these ingredients together in the pan or baking dish. Don't worry about the butter not mixing in - it will melt when it heats up. Next, add:

• Sliced leftover organic veggies, leaving space in the liquid for 1 - 3 chicken breasts (without overflowing the pan or baking dish - onions, garlic, celery, carrots, greens, shallots, herbs, etc.)
• 1- 3 organic chicken breasts, arranged so they are at least halfway covered by the liquid while baking. (Add more water if necessary and note that if you want to veganize this, you can use the Earth balance instead of butter, leave the chicken out or cube some tofu into the mix to your taste.)
  

Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes or until chicken is bright white through the center of each breast. If chicken is done (or even very close), cut each breast with scissors to create small bite-sized chunks of chicken. Stir the whole chicken-veggie mixture around in the hot pan or baking dish for 1 to 2 minutes to encourage thickening of the liquid.

Next, cut one store-bought (or homemade--see my Quick Lo-Carb Pie Crust recipe) into long, thin strips and cover the chicken-veggie mixture in a lattice pattern and return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes until crust is cooked. Spoon into individual bowls.