blood orange mocktail

One Lovely Life 

1/8/21     serves 5-6 people, double next time

TO MAKE A PITCHER (ABOUT 4 or 8 CUPS): 

8c        4c
2 c       About 1 cup crushed ice cubes
4c         2 cups blood orange juice (about 8 oranges, dbl 14 oranges)
1-2T      2–4 tsp. fresh lime juice
1-2T      2–4 tsp. agave (I just used 2-3T of sugar, dbl 1/4c)
2 2/3c    1 1/3 cup sparkling water
10-20    8–10 mint leaves
10         5-6 slices of blood orange and/or lime, for garnish (optional)

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INSTRUCTIONS

FOR A PITCHER:
Squeeze and press the oranges- set aside. Save 5-6 slices of oranges for garnish to go on the glass.

Place crushed ice cubes in 5-6 (or 8-10)glasses. a pitcher with at least 1 quart (4 cups) capacity.
Add blood orange juice, fresh lime juice, and agave. (Taste your blood orange juice before adding the agave/sugar. Sometimes it’s super sweet juice, other times, it’s tart. That’ll help you determine how much sweetener you might need.)

1/8/20 I just added the sugar right to the blood orange juice and stirred, it dissolved well.
Stir to combine.
Top off with sparkling water.
Garnish with mint leaves and citrus slices

Crockpot Tikka Masala and Flatbread

Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken are super similar in the ingredients. Butter chicken is cut into small bite size pieces and tossed in the seasonings and marinaded over night. Tikka is raw chicken with the bone put in the crockpot.

1 – 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast or thighs (boneless, skinless)
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp coconut oil
3–4 cloves garlic, minced (I put 5)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp fresh turmeric (or about 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp garam masala (I added curry powder b/c I didn't have garam)
1 tsp dried coriander
1 tsp cumin 
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chili flakes (didnt have)
1/2 tsp salt
pinch cloves
2–3 Tbsp tomato paste (didnt have)
1 (14oz) can coconut milk (I prefer full-fat)
1 cup broth or water
1/4–1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
OPTIONAL: IF YOU LIKE A THICKER SAUCE:
2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or 1 Tbsp cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the chicken in the crock of your slow cooker.
To make the sauce, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5-7 minutes, or until translucent.
Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, chili powder, chili flakes, cloves and salt. Cook 1-2 minutes more, or until very fragrant.
Stir in tomato paste, coconut milk, and broth (or water) and stir to combine.
Pour sauce over the chicken.
Cook on HIGH about 3 hours or on low 5-6 hours.
(If you like a thicker sauce, mix arrowroot OR cornstarch with about 1 Tbsp water. Add to slow cooker in the last 3-5 minutes before serving.  Stir in cilantro right before serving.

8/28/19 Next time make a double batch of this sauce and freeze it for a future dinner. 

Simple Naan (no yeast or rising)  

The Kitchen Paper

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp oil (I used olive, you could use anything relatively mild)
1/2 cup* milk
butter + herbs for seasoning

Combine all dry ingredients, and whisk together.
Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the oil and milk. Mix everything together until it forms a ball. Turn out on the counter and knead until very smooth and elastic — at least 5 minutes — adding more flour as necessary.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 8-10 equal pieces.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Roll one piece of dough until very thin (less than 1/8″). If the skillet isn’t non-stick, melt some butter before each piece. One at a time, cook the naan for about 90 seconds, or until parts are blackening, on each side. When they are done, you can brush them with butter and add seasonings (cilantro, garlic, etc.), if you want.

chicken zucchini poppers

One Lovely Life
This made about 20 meatballs

2 lb. ground chicken breast (raw)
4 c. grated zucchini (leave peel on and squeeze out some of the liquid with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel) ( i only had 2 c)
3-6 green onions, sliced ( I did 3, next time I did 6)
4-6 Tbsp cilantro, minced  (I use one bunch of the stems)
1 t garlic powder or, 2 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

I didn't add-

3/4 tsp cumin (optional, I didn't add)
Optional (if pan-frying): avocado oil, for cooking (or coconut oil, or ghee)

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INSTRUCTIONS

I chopped up the zucchini in the food processor, take out, squeeze out liquid, and put in big  bowl. Then chop green onions (chopped celery, if applicable) and cilantro stems in food processor, take out and put in same bowl as zucchini. Chop up meat in food processor, then add to big bowl.
In a large bowl, mix together chicken, zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin (if using). Mixture will be quite wet. Scoop meatballs with a small scoop or heaped tablespoon and gently smooth with your hands. I can usually get around 20-24 poppers. You may be able to get more or less, depending on how large you size them.
To cook on the stovetop:
Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Cook 4-5 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.
To bake:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a bit of olive or avocado oil onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. If desired, place under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes or until browned on top.

Serve with Guacamole and I added 1/4c of cilantro, I made it in the food processor. Make the guacamole first so you don't have to completely wash out the food processor b/c there was raw meat in it.

11/29/18
I didn't have zucchini, so i used
3 chopped sauteed celery sticks
1 c cooked brown rice

12/18 one time i used just the stems of the cilantro b/c i had other recipe plans for the leaves, still turned out great with just the stems.

1/2019
i used the whole bunch of cilantro (leaves and stems) b/c i knew it would all go rotten if i didn't use it up right then.