Sweet Potato & Sausage Salad

Do you like sweet potatoes? If so... you'll LOVE this! This dish has become one of my new favorite salads! It's easy. It yields leftovers. It can be served warm or cold. And... it's delicious! Great for summer picnics or barbecues... and sure to be a Paleo-fan favorite! This salad was inspired by a salad they serve in the deli at New Leaf Market. Hope you enjoy!!!

Recipe:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1" cubes)

1 bunch green onions, diced

4 chicken sausages (any flavor)

1/4 C olive oil

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste!

Grill chicken sausages until brown and cooked through. When cool, slice and set aside. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Put in a pot and cover with water (just enough water to cover potatoes). Bring to a boil. Continue to cook sweet potatoes on a LOW boil for about 7-10 minutes. When potatoes are just tender, drain, and rinse with cool water. You do not want to overcook the potatoes! Place in a bowl and cover with olive oil. Add sausages and green onions and gently stir all ingredients using a wood spoon or rubber spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled!

Winter Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

We've had some beautiful January days lately. Maybe that's what inspired me to put a little sunshine in my salad! I've also been feeling a little uncreative with my main meals, so an interesting salad felt like the right place to invest some imaginative thought. Hope you enjoy... and I hope you're enjoying these winter sunny days!

Recipe:

1/2 head ice berg lettuce

1/2 head red leaf lettuce

1 bulb fennel, sliced thinly

2 oranges, pealed and sliced thin

1/4 C cranberries

Vinaigrette:

4 T olive oil

1 T coconut vinegar

1 T orange juice

1 T honey

2 tsp. poppy seeds

pinch sea salt

dash black pepper

Wash and tear lettuce pieces. Top with sliced fennel and orange slices. Sprinkle with the dried cranberries. Combine vinaigrette ingredients and mix together vigorously. Pour over salad and serve! It's crisp, fresh and fun. A great compliment to just about any meal! :-)

Crab Salad

'Tis the season... Crab season that is! The cracking and the digging and the prepping is the hardest part! But WELL worth it. (Especially since Scott did it). :-) Crab salad is just the best!

There really isn't a recipe for this... it's just a bed of lettuce with:

crab (we bought two crabs, cracked and shelled)

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

artichoke hearts (packed in water & quartered)

... anything else you would like!

We used a tad of rice vinegar as dressing, topped with some cracked black pepper!

Delicious!

Paleo Coconut Fried Chicken

We made this recipe only because we wanted to enjoy the leftovers for a picnic! Cold fried chicken is total picnic food, don't you think? And a tangy vegetable salad, too (a specialty my grandfather use to make when harvesting his garden)! This was a tasty combo, and even better on the beach over looking the Golden Gate Bridge! :-)

Coconut Fried Chicken:

Skinless, boneless chicken thighs, about 12 pieces

1-2 C shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/3 C cocnut flour

1/4 C arrowroot powder

1 tsp. of each spice: sea salt, black ground pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground sage, dried thyme, and dried oregano

1 T paprika

1/4 C water

2 C unsweetened coconut milk

about 1/4 C coconut oil and/or olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix coconut flakes, pepper and paprika on a plate and set aside. Combine coconut flour, arrowroot powder and remaining spices... mix well. Mix in water and slowly add coconut milk with a fork to make a smooth batter (you may not use all the coconut milk to a good batter-like consistency). One at a time, dip each chicken thigh into the batter and arrange on a tray. Really coat the pieces well, and try to use all the batter. Now, dredge chicken thighs in the shredded coconut mixture, and coat each piece well. Heat oil in a larger skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot (make sure oil is hot)... add chicken pieces, careful not to over-crowd the pan. Cook until golden brown on each side (about 2 minutes). Transfer chicken thighs to a baking dish. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven, and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Tangy garden salad:

1 basket cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 red onion, diced

2 cucumbers, chopped

1 green bell pepper

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

1 T lemon juice

2 T balsamic vinegar

pinch sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Berry & Spinach Salad

Berries berries everywhere! This is SUCH a wonderful time of year! The sun is out (finally) and the fruit is plentiful! Especially the berries! So here is a fun, fresh idea for spinach! I had this salad twice over the weekend. It was delicious! Even the kids liked it! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fresh spinach (about 1 bunch or a 9 oz package)

8-10 fresh strawberries, sliced

1 package blackberries

1/4 C slivered almonds

dressing:

1/4 C apple cider vinegar

1/4 C grapeseed oil (or walnut oil, or olive oil)

2 T sesame seeds

1 T poppy seeds

1 T honey (optional) or 1 T fruit juice (pineapple or apple work well)

Mix spinach and berries together. Drizzle salad dressing over salad and toss well. Sprinkle slivered almonds over the top. Enjoy! (Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator).

*Paleo challengers, I know this has been a particularly hard week in the gym! OUCH... I feel your pain! But, please get your benchmark wods done. You can do Jackie instead of the daily wod at any time! :-)) Scott did his deadlift benchmark lift today and got a PR! It was happy times around our house this evening.... I know there are more PR's to be had!

Chicken Salad on Wheat Free Crust

I got this great recipe idea from my friend, Neile, who got the idea from Marks Daily Apple. I think I got the recipe all mixed up, but it still tasted great and is just a fabulous lunch idea! I get requests for lunches a lot, but I just don't post much. I typically eat my dinner leftovers for lunch. But this could be made up ahead of time as a snack option or when you just don't have the leftovers! Ok... the wheat free crust was fantastic (albeit a little pricey). It is available at Whole Foods and New Leaf Markets for about $4.50 for a package of two crusts. I highly recommend it though. I thought it could even be broken up in pieces and eaten like crackers?! Kind of fun and different. Hope you enjoy! :-)

Chicken Salad Recipe:

12.5 oz can chicken breast chunks, packed in water

1 avocado

1 small apple, diced

1/2 C slivered almonds

1/4 red onion, diced

1 T lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

pepper and sea salt to taste (optional)

Drain chicken breast. Put in a bowl and with a fork mash avocado and chicken chunks together.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread over the top of the wheat free crust and enjoy! Very filling and very tasty! A lot of flexibility with the ingredients! I think Neile actually used grapes (cut in half) instead of apples and she used walnuts instead of almonds! Just like a good Crossfit wod, modifications can always be made!!! :-)

** PALEO CHALLENGERS! I can NOT believe it, but next week is the last week of the challenge! Make arrangements during your crossfit classes to do your benchmark wods! These will easily be ran for you upon your request! Also, make arrangements to get your final photo taken with me. I'll have my camera handy! :-))