Moroccan Chicken Salad

Moroccan Chicken Salad

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Don’t be turned off by the long list of ingredients. They all come together to create an intensely flavorful salad full of anti-inflammatory spices.

Ingredients (serves 4) For the Chicken 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon dried parsley For the Salad 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 cup red beets, peeled and cubed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 5 cups romaine lettuce 1 cup arugula 2 medjool dates pitted and chopped 1 avocado, cubed 1 carrot, shaved 2 tablespoons toasted almonds 2 tablespoons dried, unsweetened cranberries 1/4 cup Champagne Vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

Directions

Place all of the chicken ingredients in a ziploc bag or glass dish and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, flipping once, until it’s cooked thru. Let cool while you prepare the remainder of the salad. This can also be done the day before and stored in the refrigerator.

Toss the beets and butternut squash in the olive oil and sea salt, then roast at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until tender. Remove from oven, then let cool.

Toss together the butternut squash, beets, lettuce, dates, avocado, carrot, almonds, and cranberries. Slice the chicken and place it on top, then drizzle with Champagne Vinaigrette.

Champagne Vinaigrette

In a blender (I actually used a blender bottle!), mix together 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1/8 cup champagne vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. With the blender running, drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil.

Roasted Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

Roasted Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables
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We like to serve it with this Moroccan Chicken Salad but I leave the chicken off since the soup is like a meal in itself.

Ingredients (serves 6) 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 carrots, peeled and cubed 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed* 1/2 yellow onion, quartered 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 cups chicken stock, store-bought or homemade 2-3 cups leftover shredded chicken or 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper 1 cup water 2 cups baby spinach *For SCD, eliminate the sweet potato and increase the butternut squash to 2.5 cups

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add the chicken, herbs, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook while the vegetables are roasting, about 15 minutes. For raw chicken breasts, cook for about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred with a fork.

Add half the vegetables to the soup, and place the other half in a blender. Make sure to put all of the onions quarters into the blender.  Puree the vegetables with the 1 cup of water.

Add the vegetable puree and baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the soup is hot. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Balsamic-Glazed Drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks are the perfect finger food for so many occasions. Serve drumsticks at parties, pack them for lunch, hand them to your kids for a late-afternoon snack or grab a drumstick on your way out the door in the morning. Delicious baked or grilled with only salt and pepper, drumsticks also quickly soak up the flavor in sauces and marinades.

This balsamic glaze (which can do double-duty as a marinade) lightly coats the drumsticks rather than drowning them in thick sauce. As the glaze reduces, first on the stove and then in the oven, the flavor intensifies and becomes surprisingly bold.

Balsamic-glazed drumsticks are tangy, slightly sweet and perfectly salty. The flavor is complex and interesting enough that you could serve these at a dinner party, but your kids are going to love them too.

Eat these drumsticks warm from the oven or eat them cold, right out of the refrigerator. Either way, they’re finger lickin’ good.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 chicken drumsticks
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil (45 mL)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (120 mL)
• 3 tablespoons tamari (45 mL or 1 1/2 fluid ounce)
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon honey (15 mL)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius)

Coat the drumsticks with coconut oil.

Place the drumsticks on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and fairly crisp.

Combine the balsamic vinegar, tamari and honey in a saucepan and bring to boil. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes or until it has reduced to about 1/3 of a cup.

Take the drumsticks out of the oven and pour the glaze on top. Bake for another 5 minutes then take the pan out of the oven and use tongs to roll the drumsticks around in the glaze (it will have thickened a bit more in the oven) and/or use a brush to coat them with the glaze.

Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro if you like.

Let the drumsticks rest a bit to cool before eating, then dig in.