Creamy Cashew Dill Spread

Imma tell you right now, this is addictive. It’s smooth and creamy texture hits the spot, substitute mayonnaise for this spread in your next sandwich or wrap and you will not be disappointed. This recipe was created to accompany my Turkish inspired chicken wrap so please go to the recipe and get at it.

Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients

½ cup soaked raw cashews (soak in hot water for at least one hour)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons toasted tahini
3 tablespoons water
2-3 teaspoons raw honey
2 tablespoons fresh dill (chopped)
¼ teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Method

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or a container and use a hand blender. Blend until smooth, allow the spread to sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

My favourite way to eat this is to have it with my Turkish Inspired Chicken Wraps.

Turkish Inspired Chicken Wraps

O.K be ready to have your mind, blown!!! I originally wanted to call these chicken shawarma but after doing some research I realized that the word shawarma in Arabic literally means “turning” in reference to the rotisserie cooked nature of the meat, so with that said I didn’t feel comfortable calling it a chicken shawarma because we will not be cooking this rotisserie style. I found a short cut and it’s a super simple way of getting that tender, juicy meat without having to cook it for hours and have a rotisserie on hand.

Yield- 6-8 wraps

Ingredients
550 grams or 6 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Toppings and things
Creamy dill and cashew spread
Bubbies dill pickles
Chopped raw onion
Hot sauce
Fresh mint leaves
Chopped tomato
Chopped cucumber
Cassava tortillas (recipe here)

Method
Add all of the marinade ingredients into an 8x8 inch pyrex dish and toss the chicken in the marinade, cover and marinate for 4 hrs or overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit, take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator, remove the lid and place a piece of foil over the dish. Bake the thighs in the marinade for 40-45 minutes.

Once the thighs are tender, at this point you can cool them down and keep them for the next day if you want to prepare ahead. If you are serving them the same day, after they have cooked in the oven, you will want to grill them to give them a nice crust to finish them off. Once they have been grilled, chop up the chicken and begin to build the most delicious wraps you will ever have. Start with the cashew spread and be one with your wrap my friends.

Cassava Tortillas

Who misses soft and chewy tortillas when you went gluten free? ME me me!!! I can’t believe how easy these are to make and how delicious they are. They store quite well in a glass storage container and when you are ready to reheat them just pop them in the oven wrapped in parchment and foil for a couple of minutes.

Yield 6 wraps or 12 taco size tortillas
Gluten free, dairy free, grain free, paleo

Ingredients
¾ cup cassava flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 tablespoon brown flax meal
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method
Combine all of your dry ingredients into a medium size bowl and stir together.
Add the olive oil to the warm water and mix it into the dry ingredients. You can stir with a spoon or use your hands. The mixture will seem wet at first but it will suck up all of the moisture quickly.

Form a cylinder and cut into either 6 or 12 pieces depending on what size you would like. Roll each piece into a ball (this does not have to be perfect) and place a dry dish towel over the dough. Meanwhile, warm up a cast iron pan on low/med heat. You don’t want your pan smoking, it will burn the tortillas. You may have to play with the heat depending on your stove top.

Line your tortilla press with either 2 pieces of parchment paper or a zip lock bag that you have cut in half. Place a ball in between the pieces of parchment paper or the zip lock bag. This is so you can peel off the tortillas easily and won’t stick. Press down with your tortilla press, rotate the paper or bag 180 degrees and press again to ensure you are getting a nice thin round tortilla.

Place the pressed tortilla and paper onto the palm of your hand, remove the top side of the parchment and flip the tortilla onto your other palm and peel off the bottom piece of parchment, place it into the hot cast iron pan by gently flipping it onto its back side so you don’t have to peel it off of your hand. 

Cook on each side for about 30 seconds to one minute. Press another tortilla while one is cooking. You don’t want them to be crispy. Once the tortilla is ready, place it onto a clean and dry dish towel and cover it until the next one is done. I like to place pieces of parchment paper  in between each tortilla within the dish towel so they don’t stick. By separating them individually and  covering them with a dish towel will help keep them soft and moist. Serve and love me long time.

Turmeric and Cinnamon Chicken and Rice

I mean, who doesn’t like chicken and rice? This is a treat for me and I accept it with loving arms when I do decide to make it. I don’t eat many grains but when I do, this dish is one of my favourites. I wanted to create something cost effective, familiar for all of you, easy to make and a one pot dish that would contain more veggies than we would expect in a chicken and rice dish. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb/454 grams chicken thigh or breast
4 cups cabbage (sliced)
1 ¼  cups carrots (sliced)
⅔ cup onion (diced small)
1 cup white basmati rice (rinsed)
1 ⅔ cup bone broth
1 bay leaf
1 ½  tablespoons olive oil

Spice Mix
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Method
In a small bowl, make your spice mix and set aside
Cut up your chicken into bite sized pieces and toss with ½ of the spice mix, set aside.
Chop the rest of your ingredients and place them onto a large plate, set aside.
In a large soup pot (10 inch wide/about 12 cup pot) heat the oil on medium heat and brown the chicken- you may need to do this in batches, your choice. Remove the browned chicken and set aside, add the onions then the carrots and then the cabbage. 

Sauté the veggies for a couple of minutes, then add the rest of the spices, bay leaf and the rinsed rice. Stir together, add the broth, stir again and then place the browned chicken on top of the rice and veggie mixture. DO NOT mix the chicken in with the rice.
Cover with a lid and simmer on low for 15 minutes. 

Remove from the stove, remove the lid, place a dry kitchen towel over the pot then replace the lid. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. This helps soak up the rest of the moisture and then leaves you with fluffy delicious rice and veggies.

*Everyone's stove top emits heat differently, you may need to cook it a little less or a little more, practice makes perfect!!

Sausage and Cabbage Soup

Oh this one is a keeper. It’s rich tasting, nutrient dense and really, can be a whole meal in one bowl. I love how easy it is to make in an instapot but if you don’t have one, no worries, just cook it for longer on the stove top until everything is tender.

900 grams Italian pork sausages (remove the casing)
1 cup onion (diced small)
1 ¼  cup fresh fennel bulb (diced small)
7-8 cups cabbage (roughly chopped)
⅔ cup carrot (diced)
1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups beef bone broth
1 cup plain tomato sauce
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dry basil
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 ½ teaspoons fennel seed
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons fresh dill (Add once cooking is complete)

Method

Turn the instapot on sauté, add the olive oil, remove the casing from the sausage and cook the sausage by breaking it up with a spoon. Once the sausage is almost cooked, you can remove most of the fat if you want. Then add the spices, onions, garlic, fennel bulb and carrots.

Sauté for a couple of minutes and then add in the rest of the ingredients except for the fresh dill. Turn off sauté mode, replace the lid and set on pressure cook for 8 minutes. 

Once the soup is done, turn the pot off and release the steam. Open the lid (only once all steam has been released), add the fresh dill and season with salt and pepper.

If you do not have an instapot, follow the same instructions but just simmer the soup on the stove top for about 20-25 minutes with the lid on or until everything is tender.

Pear and Ginger Muffins

Pear and ginger go together like honey and vanilla, no shit! I have worked on this recipe for a week straight now to get them perfectly imperfect. I’m a recovering perfectionist so I will never say anything is perfect anymore.

These beautiful soft, moist babies are gluten free (always), very low sugar (1 TBSP honey added) and they are great for the gut. The apple sauce and pears actually help feed our good gut bacteria so, BOOM!

Ingredients
⅓ cup apple sauce
¼ cup coconut milk (room temp)
¼ cup butter (melted)
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs (room temp)
1 cup almond flour
½ cup tapioca starch
¼ cup coconut flour (sifted)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt 
½ teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 cup fresh pear (diced small)

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit
Combine all of the wet ingredients in one bowl and mix well
Combine all of the dry ingredients in another bowl and combine well
Add the chopped pear to the wet ingredients and fold the mixture into the dry ingredients.
Divide the batter into 8 muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes

*Make sure the baking powder is fresh or else these babies won’t rise as much as they should. Do not over mix so these babies are soft, moist and perfectly imperfect.