Recipe: Warming Winter Bowl (Gluten, Grain and Dairy Free)

Every February, B heads to Europe for a week-long sales kickoff. Because his trip always falls on the heels of the fat-kid stretch between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, I welcome the opportunity to use it as a mental and physical reset. I work out every day and cook supa-clean meals at home; write for hours on end and read at least one old lady book; maintain a delightfully tidy home with everything in its place; drink many varieties of hot tea and kombucha; and most importantly, enjoy the sound of sports-free silence for up to seven luxurious days (only interrupted by PBS and Scandal of course).  In essence, I live the life of an 80 year-old British spinster and love every second of it.

I of course miss B’s companionship and presence by the end of the week (which is usually when I realize how terribly boring I would be without him around). But this annual respite is still a relished time to focus on taking care of myself and addressing my needs and wants above all. A key part of doing so successfully is restoring balance to my diet and nourishing myself in a beautifully simple way (so there’s plenty of time to enjoy tea and books). Below is a new creation worth sharing; a cozy, comforting winter meal that emerged from this year’s week of self-love.

Warming Winter Bowl

Serves 2-3

Spiced Sweet Potato Hash

2 tablespoons refined coconut oil

2 small apples (Honey Crisp are my favorite, Braeburn is yummy too. Pick Pink Lady or even Granny Smith if you like apples a little more tart)

3 medium shallots (or 2 large)

1 medium - large sweet potato

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Dash salt

Fresh ground pepper

Roasted Sprouts

½ small red onion

1 bag Shredded Brussels sprouts from Trader Joe’s

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon avocado oil (or your preferred roasting oil) 

Optional Garnishes:

1/4 cup raw pecans, chopped

3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped

 

1.  Preheat oven to 425.
2. Chop apples and sweet potato into ¼ inch cubes and slice shallots into about 1/8” thick slices. Set aside.
3. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat (a non-stick skillet will work just fine too, but no need to warm ahead of time).
4. In a large bowl, toss Brussels sprouts and thinly sliced red onion (between 1/8 and ¼ inch thick) with avocado oil to coat. Add garlic powder and sea salt and stir to coat. 
5. Spread Brussels sprout mixture on a large cookie sheet coated with foil and roast for 10 minutes.
6. Add coconut oil to warm skillet and swirl to coat. Add apples, shallots and sweet potatoes; coat evenly with coconut oil. Sprinkle garam masala, curry powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper over hash and stir. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring only once.
7. Stir Brussels sprouts at the 10 minute mark and return to the oven to cook for another 10-15 minutes (depending on how crispy you like your sprouts).
8. Remove lid from hash, stir and continue cooking uncovered for 10 more minutes or until apples and potatoes reach desired tenderness.
9. While hash is cooking, chop 8-10 ounces grilled chicken breast, or grab about 2 cups of my favorite shredded chicken breast recipe shown below, adapted from Clean Eats (I make this almost religiously on Sundays to have around for the week).
10. Toss the chicken in the skillet with your hash for the last minute or so of cooking. Be careful not to do this prematurely or you’ll end up with tough chicken – you just want to warm the previously cooked meat at this stage.
11. Serve hash and chicken over a bed of sprouts and sprinkle with pecans and raisins (optional). If you find the mixture a tad try, toss with a teaspoon of warmed coconut oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: If your hash needs a little more time than your sprouts, turn the oven off and leave the door ajar to allow some heat to escape before leaving them in the oven until your hash is ready. About
 

Shredded Chicken
2 lbs chicken breast
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
About 2 quarts of water (enough to cover chicken by ¼ inch)

1. Trim fat from chicken and cut each breast in ½.
2.  Place all ingredients in a pot, cover and bring to a boil. (Start peaking under the lid after about 7 minutes to ensure you see when it starts to boil – this will prevent overcooking).
3. When pot comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer over low heat and cook covered for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Remove lid and cool until chicken is just warm to the touch.
5. Transfer chicken to cutting board and shred by hand.
6. Cool completely and place in refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Cozy Winter Granola (dairy, gluten and grain free)

Like Pavlov’s dog, I used to salivate at the first ring of a holiday bell, anxious for November and December’s much anticipated comfort foods and holiday meals. We all tend to splurge with more reckless abandon from Thanksgiving through New Year’s and although my body never exactly thrived off double scoops of peppermint stick ice cream over warm molten chocolate cake, my inner fat kid certainly did. I used to be able to bounce back from holiday indulgence almost as fast as I could wipe the evidence off my sticky, soiled face with a holly embroidered napkin. Although I’m still waiting for the official memo (would have been nice to get a little warning,) I've begrudgingly accepted that atonement for a month or two of “who cares, it’s Christmas!” after the age of 30 is an uphill battle I don’t have the patience for. So, I've had to modify my approach a little to avoid the winter purgatory. 

Even if we are trying to be mindful of lingering saddle bags, let’s be honest. Deprivation this time of year only results in a particularly ugly type of “hangry.” As it often is, the answer seems to be balance. I allow myself a few “screw it!” moments (Bubby’s legendary Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas morning brunch,) but in between I do my best to take care of myself and my husband. I fulfill the desire to fill our house with familiar smells and memories by making simple modifications to classic recipes, and by finding healthier or simplified versions of old favorites that I find equally satisfying. It took me a great deal of trial and error over the past few holiday seasons (I still don’t understand why people say things like “tastes JUST like a Pillsbury sugar cookie!” when it tastes like a macaroon scraped off the bottom of someone’s shoe). Bottom line: if the healthier versions feels like a sad-sack replacements of the real thing, you’ll likely wander back to the fridge a few hours later and end up eating what you were craving in the first place.

I’ve stumbled my way through dozens of allergen free, clean, paleo, etc versions of holiday treats and comfort foods and some of them (grain-free sugar cookies) made me want to throw a rolling pin against the wall. Others were so delicious (allergen free dark chocolate peppermint pretzels,) that the results called to me from the freezer with equally loud “eeeeeeat me” voices as the naughtier version.  Allow me to save you the trouble of wasted hours and shelves full of expiring specialty ingredients and share a few recipes that anchor our holiday regimen.

I always know a “healthy spin” is successful when my husband loves it, craves it and asks for 2^nd and 3^rd batches long after it’s gone. This “granola” recipe is a favorite of his; and just this past weekend became a new favorite of a beloved childhood friend, my best girlfriends from college, and their charming better halves. It fills the house with sweet and comforting scents and is a far healthier start to cold winter mornings than pastries or French toast and bacon! 

Cozy Winter Granola (dairy, gluten and grain free)

¼ cup (heaping) raw pumpkin seeds

¼ cup (heaping) raw sunflower seeds

3/4 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup raw cashews

½ cup raw pecans

¼ cup raw walnuts

¼ cup golden flax seeds

¾ Cup unsweetened shredded coconut

¼ cup honey

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional: ½ cup allergen free chocolate chips  or raw cacao nibs

1/2 cup golden raisins

½ teaspoon sea salt

Parchment paper (don’t sub wax paper, trust me!)

1. Rinse pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a fine mesh strainer. Put in a bowl and pour water over seeds with about ¼ inch to cover. Soak seeds for about an hour then drain and towel dry
2. Preheat oven to 275 and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper
3. Put nuts in a food processor or high speed blender and pulse a few times to chop the nuts into smaller pieces. (You don’t want the nuts to be ground to a powder; its ideal to have the pieces vary in sizes).
4. Heat coconut oil, maple syrup, honey and vanilla in the microwave for 30 seconds, or on the stovetop on low for a few minutes, just until the coconut oil is melted and the liquids combine.
5. Combine all ingredients, except the raisins and salt, in a large mixing bowl. Stir to coat.
6. Spread the granola mixture evenly onto the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring ½ way through cooking time. For a chewier granola, cook just under 25 minutes; for a crispy, crunchy granola, cook a few minutes longer but keep a close eye on it to prevent over-browning.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Add raisins and use a spatula to flatten them into the mixture. (Note: the mixture will not be crispy upon removing from oven, it will still be wet until the sugars cool and harden.)
8. Allow to cool for 30 minutes to an hour (depending on the humidity of your kitchen!) Break apart and store in an airtight container, using parchment paper to separate layers.