Healthier Red Beans and Rice

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Using brown rice, lots of veggies, and chicken andouille sausage turns this flavorful comfort classic into something you can eat any night of the week!

Healthier Red Beans and Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com My first year out of college working for my consulting firm, I traveled to New Orleans from Washington, DC every week. It was a WILD ride full of jam-packed work weeks and wayyy too much Creole fare - I’ve discussed my (very unsurprising) weight gain here before. It was one of those projects where everyone went out to dinner with each other every night, and we tried pretty much every restaurant in the Big Easy. I got so tired of the ambiguous “gulf fish” or “red fish” on the menu, and I honestly started to cringe at the word po’ boy or jamabalaya or beignets. (I know, sounds impossible, right?)

Healthier Red Beans and Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com For months after leaving the project, I couldn’t eat any New Orleans-inspired food! But it’s been two years now since then, and I’m gingerly incorporating those flavors back into my diet. I decided to start with a healthier version of the classic red beans and rice. I had been envisioning a recipe like this for some time, and it was one of those which I knew was going to be a hit even before I tasted it. It smelled so good and the ingredients are pretty much fool-proof. It’s nothing fancy.

Healthier Red Beans and Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com This dish is made in one pan only, and is chock full of things that are good for you. Instead of the traditional white rice, I used brown! Instead of fatty pork andouille sausage and pork fat, I used chicken andouille sausage and olive oil. And I added in a ton of veggies - brightly colored peppers and onions and celery. Simmer all of that together in Cajun seasoning and you have yourself a super easy meal, and great leftovers too.

Healthier Red Beans and Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com My one caution with this recipe? You’re going to want to make a lot of this because it goes FAST at the dinner table. I was all expecting to have leftovers and that was a no-go. If you don’t have a big enough pan to mix the rice with the vegetables and red beans and sausage to let everything cook together, you can always spoon the rice onto the plate first and then cover with the good stuff. The downside there is that the rice can’t soak up all of the Cajun seasonings, but the flavors are still there!

Healthier Red Beans and Rice | danicaliforniacooks.com There you have it! Weeknight cooking at its finest. Healthy, comforting, and makes great leftovers. What more could you want?

Healthier Red Beans and Rice
 
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Using brown rice, lots of veggies, and chicken andouille sausage turns this flavorful comfort classic into something you can eat any night of the week!
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Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 package andouille chicken sausage (I used Trader Joe's brand), sliced into rounds
  • 1 can red kidney bean, drained and rinsed
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • ¾ cup chopped celery
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • ¾ cup tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1½ cup cooked brown rice
  • Optional: red pepper flakes, parsley for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large pan, cook sausage in the olive oil until lightly browned
  2. Add all vegetables, beans, tomato paste, and Cajun seasoning
  3. Add stock and bring to a boil
  4. Cover the pan and reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes
  5. Uncover and simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the mixture has thickened
  6. Stir in brown rice so absorb rest of sauce
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta

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This fresh, spring-inspired vegan pasta dish gets it’s creamy sauce from pine nuts, lemon juice, and garlic. Even non-vegans approved, and we used brown rice pasta to keep it gluten free!

Creamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta | danicaliforniacooks.com When you avoid gluten (and dairy) it sure feels like Italian food is the one thing that’s hard to make legitimate substitutes for. I had been trying to envision a gluten and dairy free version of a classic my high school boyfriend and I used to whip up - pasta with peas, turkey bacon, and lots of ricotta and parmesan - so fresh and so springy and so full of nostalgia! But I was kind of stuck, and then I came across a similar recipe to this one in Vegetarian Times. And I couldn’t be more pleased/thrilled/enlightened/still salivating at the results!

Creamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta | danicaliforniacooks.com Most vegan and paleo chefs are well aware that nuts can make excellent creamy substitutes. I don’t know why I never believed them or never wanted to give it a try until now! That’s one of the best things about being in the food blogging community - you’re constantly being inspired by other bloggers out there who are blazing trails in recipe development. I can’t sing/act/paint/knit, but I LOVE getting creative in the kitchen. This sauce is made with pine nuts, lemon juice, a little olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. It’s light, fresh, creamy, and has fantastic flavor and texture.

Creamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta | danicaliforniacooks.comCreamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta | danicaliforniacooks.com Oh wait - we’ve been interrupted by our good friend David! A family friend stopped by and dug right into my edible photography scene. Alas, he did validate that this was delicious. So my ego was pleased and we let him have a few samples. David himself is an excellent home cook and is well-known for his classic fruit salads which come to every one of our gatherings.

Creamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta | danicaliforniacooks.com But regardless, I’ve gone off track. What I was trying to say from the start, is that when you have to eliminate certain food groups from your diet for any reason, it is such a relief and a comfort and a PLEASURE when you can whip up something that is so delicious, so satisfying, so healthy, and even better than the real thing. I’ve definitely grown up since I first made that ricotta pasta (and gotten rid of the side bangs - hallelujah for that one, too). This pasta has more flavor, better texture, and is better for me. And it heals my body in the way that makes me feel good. And even my taste testers loved it!

Creamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta | danicaliforniacooks.com I’m really glad you all can be here on this journey, of sorts, with me as I experiment with recipes and share them with you all. I hope you can enjoy them as well!

Creamy Vegan Spring Vegetable Pasta
 
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This fresh, spring-inspired vegan pasta dish gets it's creamy sauce from pinenuts, lemon juice, and garlic.
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Serves: 4 side dishes
Ingredients
  • 2 cups brown rice pasta
  • 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into one-inch pieces
  • 1 cup fresh peas
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • For the sauce:
  • 1 cup pinenuts
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ~1/4 cup warm water
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, pulse the pinenuts, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Add in the warm water until a creamy consistency
  2. In a pot of salted boiling water, toss in the pasta
  3. Two minutes before al dente, toss in the peas and the asparagus (saves you an extra cooking pot!)
  4. In a colander, drain the pasta and vegetables
  5. In a large serving bowl, mix the pasta with the sauce
  6. Serve hot or at room temperature
  7. Optional serving with chopped parsley and extra pine nuts!

Crockpot Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

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Enjoy a healthy, gluten free version of orange chicken by using a crockpot and adding freshly steamed broccoli before serving!

Crockpot Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli | danicaliforniacooks.com There is enjoying the entire process of cooking, and then there is throwing everything into a crockpot when you have to move a household of furniture and then sitting down to a ready, warm meal at the end of the day with no. additional. effort.

It was almost better than a full body massage after the toll our bodies took shlepping stuff to and fro. The beauty of the crockpot was undeniable! I originally wasn’t going to share this recipe with the blogosphere, because I tossed in a bunch of ingredients to make the sauce and crossed my fingers. We probably would still have eaten several portions each of this dinner even if it tasted bad, we were so in need of fuel after our day of lifting couches! But it turned out great and so light and fresh and healthy, and I used my last muscles to snap a couple of shots for you all.

Crockpot Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli | danicaliforniacooks.com While there are a many components of the sauce itself, if you enjoy making stir fries (which is most of us who had to feed ourselves in college) you will likely have many of these ingredients on-hand already, minus the fresh ginger. And you can adjust the ratios if you need more or less heat in your chicken. First step is mixing the ingredients for the sauce together, then secondly is pouring over chicken breasts in your crockpot. Then you let it sit for several hours before it falls away at the touch of a fork, and that’s when you shred your chicken using two forks. Do this about an hour before serving, so the shredded chicken can fully soak up all of the tasty liquid. Note - it will be more “liquidy” than “saucy”, as I didn’t add in any cornstarch or flour to bind the sauce. It really doesn’t need it.

Crockpot Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli | danicaliforniacooks.com Before serving, steam broccoli, and in a large bowl, mix the shredded chicken with the broccoli and pour over the additional sauce liquid from the crockpot. Serve topped with sesame seeds, sliced green onion, and more Sriracha over brown rice. You can even steam other vegetables alongside the broccoli and incorporate into the recipe - carrots, baby corn, bok choy - those are the first ones that come to mind that would go great with this recipe.

Crockpot Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli | danicaliforniacooks.com And that’s it! Honestly, three steps for a healthy, satisfying meal that has great flavor - you’d think that you’d been working all day at it. Well, your crockpot did the work for you, and now you get to reap the benefits. We certainly did, and had leftovers for the week!

Crockpot Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli | danicaliforniacooks.com

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Crockpot Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli
 
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Enjoy a lightened up version of orange chicken by using a crockpot and adding freshly steamed broccoli!
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Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Juice of two oranges
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp gluten free Tamari soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Squirt or two of Sriracha
  • 2-3 heads broccoli, steamed
  • Optional: Scallions and sesame seeds for garnish, plus more Sriracha for serving
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken in a crockpot
  2. Whisk all remaining ingredients (minus the broccoli) thoroughly
  3. Pour over the chicken, and turn each piece to make sure it's coated with sauce
  4. Cook on high for 8-10 hours, or low for 4-6
  5. After cooking is done, shred the chicken using two forks in the crockpot
  6. In a serving bowl, mix the steamed broccoli with chicken and pour over any additional sauce from the crockpot
  7. Garnish with scallions and extra sesame seeds, and serve with brown rice!

5-Ingredient Stuffed Peppers

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Bell peppers are packed tight with juicy shredded salsa chicken and corn, topped with spicy jack cheese, and then baked in the oven for gluten free and low carb comfort food. Even better - this recipe has only five ingredients!

pep2 When my grandfather and Shirley came over for dinner last week, it was the first time I was hosting a dinner for them AND the first time that I was cooking a real meal for Nate since he returned. Let’s just say that stakes were HIGH. And everyone has their different requirements, right? For example, my grandfather is on a low-sodium diet. That meant my original idea of risotto was out the window. Nate eats a LOT but he enjoys healthy eating, so I knew there needed to be a good ratio of vegetables to proteins to whole grains to satisfy. And I wanted something that would be approved by myself and my mom, meaning something that we could eat a lot of and was full of flavor but still was easy on the waistline. So…a-HA! Stuffed peppers it is!

pep90 So stuffed peppers take some time. Each individual step is not difficult, but you kind of have to commit to making stuffed peppers earlier in the day. But they are made to impress - both visually and the way they taste. I decided to try my luck with a Mexican-inspired dish. First, chicken went in a crockpot with corn and salsa. It happily cooked all day until I could shred it into juicy pieces. About an hour and a half before you are ready to serve, start readying your peppers. Cut them in half and remove all insides. Maybe for a pro this doesn’t take that long, but for me it takes several cooking utensils!

pep9 Once the peppers are clean, blanch them in hot water for just a few minutes. That helps to tenderize the veggies and bake easier. Then, shred your chicken in your crockpot and start stuffing those peppers! You may think that your peppers are stuffed, but press down and you can likely fill in more. Pop in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Five minutes before you’re ready to serve, top with your cheese and turn on the broiler. That was a recommendation from Momma Dani California Cooks, and as always, she was spot on in the kitchen. You want your peppers to start to turn inward on themselves, and the broiler does veeeery nice things to that cheesey topping. Then, they are done!

pep04 I served these stuffed peppers with brown rice mixed with cilantro, garlic, and lime (totally inspired by Chipotle’s brown rice) as well as maple-roasted brussels sprouts. The brussels may seem out of place, but my grandfather had recently gone off a medication which for years he was forbidden to eat brussels sprouts so I needed to re-introduce him to one of my favorite vegetables! They are also one of Nate’s favorites, so a win-win all around. Homemade sangria on the side, and then Shirley supplied insanely good walnut brownies for dessert. I highly recommend a similar menu if you decide to give these peppers a try!

pep4

On it’s own, the salsa chicken was delicious and I often make a big crockpot of that on Sunday night and eat throughout the week over salads, in lettuce cups, quesadillas, rice bowls, you name it.

Salsa Chicken Stuffed Peppers
 
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Bell peppers are packed tight with juicy shredded salsa chicken and corn, topped with spicy jack cheese, and then baked in the oven for gluten free and low carb comfort food.
Author:
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • 6 large bell peppers
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1 jar fresh salsa
  • 1 can of corn, drained
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken, salsa, and corn in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or low for 4-6
  2. An hour and a half before serving, slice your peppers in half, lengthwise. Clean out all of the seeds and insides of each half
  3. In a boiling pot of water, blanche the peppers for about a minute each. Remove, pat the peppers dry, and place in a large baking dish
  4. Once the chicken is ready, it should shred easily at the poke of a fork. Shred the chicken and mix in the crockpot with all of the juices and the salsa
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
  6. Pack each pepper tightly with the shredded chicken
  7. Fill the baking dish with about a ½ inch of water
  8. Place the peppers in the oven
  9. After about 30 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the cheese over the peppers and turn on the broiler for 5 mintutes
  10. Remove when the cheese has melted and the peppers are turning inwards
  11. Serve and enjoy!
pep3

Warm Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts

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Sauteed brussels sprouts and toasted hazelnuts are mixed together with a little balsamic vinegar and lemon juice for an elegant and healthy side dish!
Warm Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts | danicaliforniacooks.com Before I start, I’m really excited to say that I’ve been accepted to be a Fitfluential Ambassador! Pumped to be aligned to the program alongside some really awesome healthy lifestyle bloggers.

Every time I make brussels sprouts for my dad he says something along the lines of “they must GROW brussels sprouts differently these days because they don’t taste like they used to!” Brussels sprouts started to have their moment a few years back, and they are still going strong. For years, though, brussels sprouts were those vegetables that the little kids turned their noses up at at the dinner table - they have kind of a bitter taste. But oh, how these little cabbages are some of my favorite things to cook. Or even eaten raw! This side dish was gobbled down immediately, and we had zero leftovers. So I feel comfortable in saying that either they are growing brussels differently these days, or maybe just the recipes have gotten better :). Warm Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts | danicaliforniacooks.com I bought a whole bunch of these babies from the farmer’s market and then grumbled for 10 minutes about chopping them up into pieces. You can buy pre-shredded brussels from Trader Joe’s, but these tasted so fresh and crunchy, so I have to recommend going fresh with these. But it was hard work. I did that as the hazelnuts toasted in the oven. When I pulled these out of the oven, I had no idea what was in store for me but they smelled absolutely HEAVENLY. I had some leftover from the recipe that we have in a bag in the kitchen, and sometimes I open up the bag to smell these homemade toasted hazelnuts. They still smell divine. Use a dishtowel to rub the skins off the hazelnuts after you take them out of the oven. To get a rough chop of these guys for your brussels, I put them in a plastic bag and then smashed them up a bit using an ice cream scooper. There are definitely more civil and glamorous ways of doing this (i.e. food processor) but that’s not my kitchen.
Warm Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts | danicaliforniacooks.com When the hazelnuts are done, sautee your brussels sprouts for 5-7 minutes in some olive oil or butter in a pan. Before serving, mix the nuts, the vegetables, and add in the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. And then serve! I recommend serving these just warmer than room temperature. I also recommend waiting to mix in the hazelnuts until you’re ready to serve, as they can get soggy if you you mix these up and wait a few hours beforehand. So there you have it! An easy, delicious, healthy, light, and sure-to-impress even the grumpiest of brussels eaters.
Warm Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts | danicaliforniacooks.com


Warm Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts
 
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Make-ahead this side dish by sauteeing brussels sprouts, toasting some hazelnuts and bringing it all together before serving with a little balsamic vinegar and lemon! This recipe can easily be doubled/tripled.
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3-5 cups chopped brussels sprouts
  • ⅔ cup hazelnuts
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F
  2. On a baking sheet, spread out your whole hazelnuts (skin still on OK) and spray on a little olive oil
  3. Put baking sheet in oven for 5-10 minutes. Watch to check for browness - these are very easy to burn!
  4. In the mean time, chop up your brussels sprouts lengthwise into rough strips. This is time consuming!
  5. Heat your olive oil or butter in a large pan over medium heat, and toss in your brussels sprouts
  6. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven once toasted. Using a dish towel, rub off the skins of the hazelnuts. It should be easy once the hazelnuts are out of the oven
  7. Place hazelnuts in a plastic bag, and cover with a towel. Using something like a meat pounder/ice cream scoop, give the hazelnuts a good pounding until they are roughly chopped. This also can be done in a food processor, but it's such a small amount and you are really looking for a rough chop. I like having different sized hazelnuts
  8. Continue to sautee your brussels sprouts for 5-7 minutes over medium heat
  9. Remove from heat
  10. Before serving, mix the brussels, hazenults with the lemon juice and drizzle on the balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste!
Notes
My best make-ahead tip for this would be to keep the brussels sprouts and hazelnuts separate until you are ready to serve. It's easy for the hazelnuts to get a a little soggy if you mix hours before serving!
Warm Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts | danicaliforniacooks.com

Sunday Set Ups: One Pot No-Bean Vegetable and Beef Chili

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Stew vegetables and ground beef with chili and espresso for a hearty, spicy one pot meal that tastes better the next day. It’s paleo-friendly, so its free of dairy, gluten, and legumes!

No-Bean Vegetable and Beef Chili | danicaliforniacooks.com I used to say that my last meal before I died would be chili with cornbread and lemonade. My parents were like “did you not grow up in the South?” Nowadays, that “last meal ever” list has expanded to include carrot cake, molten chocolate lava cake, tuna wraps, sushi, cheese and crackers, caesar salad, fruit, toast with PB, sweet potato fries, wine, dried dates and figs, oatmeal cookies, etc. It’ll be a feast…you’re all invited.

Since following something close to the Whole30 recently, I’ve been gravitating towards super simple but deeply flavorful foods. I experimented a bit with adding ground espresso and chili powder to grass-fed ground beef and chopped up rainbow bell peppers, and the result was something so satisfying. I couldn’t wait to share with you all! The serving options for this recipe are endless, which is why it’s a great meal to make in bulk on Sunday to eat on Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday.
No-Bean Vegetable and Beef Chili | danicaliforniacooks.com When you’re trying to clean up your diet in general, people worry that they are going to lose out on all of the flavor and enjoyment of food. And that cooking for others will always seem like they are trying to push “healthy” on them. My taste testers especially have had to sample their fare share of healthified baked goods (some good, some cardboard-y) and quinoa stuffed vegetables. The best part about this chili was when I served it to others, no one thought that it was part of any “healthy eating shtick”. They just thought it was delicious, and we turned this 4-6 serving meal into 3.

No-Bean Vegetable and Beef Chili | danicaliforniacooks.com Side note - this can be done in a crockpot. But sometimes I truly enjoy the process of cooking everything piece by piece, and that’s what I decided to do on the rainy Saturday that I put together this chili. (Yes I did say RAIN, we had RAIN here in Los Angeles! Give us some more, rain spirits!) Anyways, one way to simplify your chili making is to use canned and diced fire-roasted tomatoes. There are several brands that make these, and they add wonderful flavor to your chili without YOU having to do much else. The way this chili works is easy. Brown the meat with the onions, skim off the fat, and then add in everything else. Let sit for however many hours on low heat. Serve with your toppings of choice. Repeat the next day, and the next, and the next.

chilii There are a ton of options for how to serve this chili, which is why I love making a big batch on the weekends. You can make a burrito bowl out of it with quinoa or brown rice on the bottom. You can mix in tons of fresh spinach. You can use it for taco or quesadilla fillings. Or you can do it Dani California Cooks childhood-last-meal-ever-style, with some cornbread and a glass of lemonade. I personally like mine all doctored up with cilantro, avocado, jalapenos, and red onions.

No-Bean Vegetable and Beef Chili | danicaliforniacooks.com I could happily eat meals like this all week. And now that I made this, I will!

One Pot No-Bean Vegetable and Beef Chili
 
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This hearty no-bean chili is full of vegetables and ground beef, and spiced with chili and espresso for depths of flavor! It's low carb, dairy and gluten free. And it takes only one pot to make!
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
  • 3 bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
  • ½ white onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 cans of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp ground espresso
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • Dash of cayenne
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in a tablespoon or two of olive oil for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the ground beef to brown, about another 5-7 minutes. Break up the beef into smaller pieces. Skim off the fat
  3. Toss in the chopped bell peppers and cook for several minutes
  4. Add in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes,and spices
  5. Taste and add salt and pepper
  6. Cook for 3-4 hours on low
  7. Serve with toppings of choice! (Jalapenos, red onion, avocado, plain yogurt, cilantro, you name it!)
Notes
Store in your refrigerator all week. It tastes even better the next day!

To cook in a crockpot, add in all ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours.Skim off the fat before serving!

Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree

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Textures abound in this easy but impressive baked cod dish. The parmesan and pistachio crust adds an amazing amount of flavor and the parsnip puree is winter produce at it’s finest! Keep date night light and healthy to avoid an un-romantic food coma….

fish1 So I went a little crazy at the farmers market with the winter produce. I was perusing the vegetables, and came across parsnips. They pretty much look like oversized carrots, but I couldn’t really imagine what they tasted like, so I asked the fellow yuppie next to me what the flavors were of parsnips. His response? “Parsnips”. Well. Thank YOU very much. I must have looked kind of taken aback because he then offered up the advice “they are a little bitter, so cut them with a bit of sweetness”. Ahhh, something helpful! And this recipe began forming in my mind. I had been dreaming of encrusting some white fish in a pistachio crust for a while and pairing it with some winter vegetable puree, and today was the day! This dish is warming, flavorful, light, and the mixture of textures is just to die for. Want to come over for dinner, so I can make it again? Better yet - how about you make it for your sweetheart, for a cozy Valentine’s Day in? Getting a reservation on V-day is a pain, anyways! Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree | danicaliforniacooks.com It’s not time intensive, and really easy to assemble and prepare. However, as they are essentially two different recipes to cook, I’ve organized the recipe below into a step-by-step process that allows one to cook while you prepare the other, and even recommendations for how you get almost 80% of this done ahead of time. That’s why this is a great date night dinner - you can get much of this together earlier that day/the day before and then just bake the fish and plate when your date arrives. More time for primping, no? Nothing worse than being a host and straightening your hair in the kitchen (I’ve been known to do that - yeah, it’s gross). So first, start with your parsnip puree. Sweat down onions and garlic in a little butter, then add the parsnips and apples (see? I cut the bitterness, Mr. Parsnip Attitude man) and add water. Let simmer while you attend to the fish. cod Crushing your pistachios into the crust mixture could be made a lot easier by using a food processor. However, that thing still intimidates me a bit and I was like “might as well take a meat pounder/ice cream scoop to it” and put my pistachios in a plastic bag and gave them a good beating. My poor dog thought the mailman was at the door for a solid 10 minutes. Then grate the parmesan, squeeze the lemon and pour your olive oil and your pistachio mixture is ready for the cod. Oh, how I love black cod! It’s like butter, and is super high in Omega-3’s like my other fav, salmon. It’s not cheap, however, so I do believe this recipe would go great with halibut, red snapper, or any other light white fish. Press the pistachio mixture across the top of your fish. A light layer will do! Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree | danicaliforniacooks.com While the fish is baking in the oven (about 10-15 minutes), pay attention to the parsnips again. They should be soft and fall apart at the touch of a fork. Take them off the heat, and take an immersion blender to the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour the entire mixture into a real blender. Blend until very smooth, and add lots of salt and pepper to taste. Then plate your puree, add the fish once cooked, garnish with lemons, and enjoy. And I promise you - you will enjoy. Maybe end the dinner with some chocolate - might I recommend some homemade dark chocolate bark or healthier thumbprint cookies? This dinner is light and fresh (even when combined with some of those dessert recommendations. It won’t make you want to slip into a food coma - probably the opposite of how you want to feel at the end of a romantic dinner.

Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree | danicaliforniacooks.com

Pistachio Parmesan Cod with Parsnip Apple Puree
 
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Celebrate the healthy flavors of winter by baking your cod with a parmesan pistachio crust and layering it on top of a wonderfully warming parsnip apple puree.
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Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients
  • For the fish:
  • 1 lb wild caught black cod, cut into two pieces
  • ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
  • 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • For the puree:
  • 2 medium sized parsnips, roughly chopped
  • 1 small apple, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ½ white onion, diced
  • 1 gloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 cups water
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized pot, turn your burner on LOW and slowly sweat out your onions and garlic in the butter. I promise - this is a crucial step. It add so much flavor and honestly, two tablespoons of butter is nothing!
  2. After 5-7 minutes, add in your apple and parsnips. Let cook for a few minutes before adding in the water
  3. Put the cover on the pot and keep the mixture on medium
  4. Put your pistachios in a plastic bag and beat with a meat pounder OR put in a food processor until roughly chopped. Having different sizes of chopped up pistachios is nice for the texture
  5. In a small bowl, mix the pistachios, the parmesan cheese, the olive oil and the lemon juice
  6. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
  7. Lay your cod on a baking sheet (grease the baking sheet before if necessary) and use your hands to place a small amount of the pistachio mixture over the top of each cod. Up to you how thick you want to make your layer!
  8. Pop your fish in the oven
  9. Check on your parsnip mixture - after cooking for about ten to fifteen minutes, it should be soft and fall apart at the touch of a fork. Turn off the heat
  10. Take out your immersion blender and blend the parsnips until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender and just transfer the mixture to it. Add salt and pepper to taste!
  11. Check on your fish after 10-15 minutes in the oven. It should be sizzling and opaque. 10 minutes is enough time for most cod fillets, unless yours is particularly thick
  12. Spoon out the parsnip puree onto a plate, and lay the cod on top. Be gentle!
  13. Serve with more lemon
  14. Sit down with your friends and family and enjoy!
Notes
You can make the puree and the pistachio mixture hours or days in advance. Only 20 minutes before you're ready to serve, arrange the pistachio parmesan crust on the cod and bake the fish while you reheat the puree. Then plate and enjoy!

Other white fish that would work really well with this dish are halibut and red snapper

The parsnip puree would also be an awesome non-mashed potato substitute at any holiday gathering!

Whole Wheat Flatbread with Carmelized Onions, Gouda and Greens + Superbowl Sunday Recap!

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Every year, our good friend Eric hosts a Superbowl get together at his fabulous house and cooks wayyy too much food. Normally I haven’t been around to attend, but this year being back in CA I was able to make it and even bring along a dish! Eric has an enormous TV that seems to get bigger every couple of years or so - perfect for viewing awards shows, sports games, you name it. This year, we had about half the crowd rooting for the Patriots and the other half for the Seahawks. No die hard fans across the board though, so everyone was just excited that it was a dramatic game! And we all gave the halftime show a thumbs wayyy down. Best commercial by far was the #1 draft pick of the avocado for Mexico! Anyways, let’s take a look at the gorgeous venue. Taking notes for my future house..

ss00 ss9 ss99ss55 Ah, but most importantly. The game day snacking. What did Eric put together for us? It was truly a feast! We also greatly appreciated that he put post-it notes out describing all of the dishes. I have to say…the Tater Tot Nachos might have been my favorite. They had chorizo and cilantro and cheese and were just. to. die. for. I went at them with a fork a couple of times..couldn’t really bare to serve myself a portion.

ss3 ss ss2 ss5 ss44 Personally…I think my dish stole the show. I had visions of making a whole wheat flatbread with carmelized onions from the start. I went looking for a great cheese to sprinkle on it and found this incredible smoked gouda from the farmer’s market. Leftover beet greens from yesterday’s Quinoa with Roasted Veg, Feta, and Almonds were used as well (nothing goes to waste, people!). Topped off with some red pepper flakes and it was gone in SECONDS.

ss88

ss734

Carmelizing onions and sauteeing greens - my happy place!

I used the whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joes and was extremely happy with it. This flatbread was so easy to make, and knowing that the dough from TJ’s worked so well, I can’t wait to come up with more creations. If you try this dough, let it sit for 20-30 mins or so outside of the fridge, and simply press/roll out on your greased or floured surface into the shape that you want. Bake at 475 for about 15 minutes. ss21

danipizz

Anyone want a taste?

Whole Wheat Flatbread with Carmelized Onions, Gouda and Greens
 
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This flatbread combines nutty whole wheat dough, smokey gouda cheese, slightly bitter greens and sweet carmelized onions for one impressive (and super easy to make!) appetizer or dinner.
Author:
Serves: 1 flatbread
Ingredients
  • Whole wheat store bought pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's brand)
  • 2 large white onions
  • 2½ tbsp butter
  • 1 cup freshly shredded gouda cheese
  • 1 cup lightly sauteed bitter greens (beet greens, chard, kale, etc will all work!)
  • Red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Take your pizza dough out from the refrigerator and let sit for 20-30 minutes at room temp
  2. Then, slice your onions into thin rings
  3. Over low to medium heat, cook your onions in the butter until carmelized. Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper. This should take 20-30 minutes - keep it low and slow
  4. While those are cooking, preheat your oven to 475 degrees F
  5. In a separate pan, lightly sautee your greens in a teensy bit of olive oil. You still want them to retain relative shape/crunch, but allow them to cook a little bit to bring out the flavor and reduce bitterness. After a couple of minutes of this, take the greens off the heat
  6. Once your dough has sat for 20 minutes, on a floured or greased baking sheet, take your dough and press/roll it into your desired shape. I went for a large rectangle. It should be about ⅛ of an inch thick. I just used my fingers!
  7. Coat the dough with the carmelized onions
  8. Spread out your greens evenly on top of the onions
  9. Sprinkle on the cheese and a little red pepper
  10. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes
  11. Remove, let cool, cut, and serve!

Sunday Set Ups: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds (+ meal planning!)

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On it’s own, this Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds is the perfect lunch or dinner - hot or cold - and holds up for the entire week. On top of it all, I will show you how you could use these four ingredients to supply any meal throughout your week!

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com Let me start out this post by saying that I’m very excited that I had this light and healthy meal for dinner tonight because I’m hoping to indulge a bit (AKA veg out) during the Superbowl! We are going to our family friend’s Eric’s place for the game (he has an 80 inch TV!) and he is an AMAZING cook. I also am planning on bringing a flatbread (recipe to come!). I heard on the Today show that the strategy for healthy game day snacking is eat raw vegetables up until halftime. After halftime, go crazy! Not sure if i’ll make it til the halftime game. Not sure if I want to even try and do that. If you’re still looking for some healthy Superbowl snack ideas, my Baked Sweet Potato Chips, Garlic White Bean Spread, and Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs would be my recommendations :).

I’ll be honest with y’all (after spending a year working in New Orleans, I can truly say that y’all is an incredibly useful word) I had been thinking about a recipe like this for a while. When I do grocery shopping on a weekend, I like to think about how I can maximize the use of the things I buy outside of one recipe. If you’re feeding a family or just yourself, it’s no fun for anything to go to waste. It also feels silly to buy a million different groceries that are all supposed to make up different recipes throughout the week. So how about if you buy simple, few ingredients that can be utilized across meals, across cuisines, and that you will definitely use all up? Let me do the thinking and planning for you, and introduce you to this dish!

This recipe (or more of an assembly of items) is great for lunch or dinner. It applies to any time of year, where you can roast up whatever is available and in season. It tastes great warm, room temp, or even chilled as a salad. It’s light and healthy, and is great on it’s own or as a side dish. It’s the perfect Sunday set up! However, the best thing about this recipe is that if you store the ingredients separately , the versatility becomes endless. Oh yes - I’m talking breakfast, lunch, and dinner from these items. Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com That’s why it’s the perfect Sunday set up - you can make large batches of the quinoa, vegetables, keep the pre-sliced almonds and the feta on-hand and you honestly subsist on this (plus a few additions, of course!) throughout the week. So what do I even mean by that? Well, have you ever tried quinoa for breakfast? Think of it like a complete protein version of oatmeal. Take your pre-cooked quinoa, sprinkle on some almonds, and then pour on some milk and eat it with fruit. Voila, breakfast accomplished! My mom didn’t know that quinoa is a complete protein (like a meat) so it’s a great way to start the day, just not something that is in the repertoire of most. Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com And how about these using these items differently for lunch or dinner? I am a huge fan of roasted vegetable sandwiches, either with cheese or hummus. How about turn on that toaster oven and stuff a whole wheat pita with roasted veg and feta? Let it toast until melted and crispy. Or make it quesadilla-style with a tortilla on the stove and add some salsa. Lunch is served! Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com And then there is the ultimate combination of everything all mixed together, plus some added EVOO and lemon juice. We gobbled this down for dinner and am looking forward to eating it as a side dish to meats/fishes all week, or having it stand on it’s own as lunch. Another idea is to layer a bowl with the quinoa, then the roasted veg, then your protein of choice and then use some of the almonds to make my homemade spicy almond butter sauce (easy to just grind up the sliced almonds in a blender/food processor if you don’t have almond butter on hand!) - and you’ve got yourself a little Asian-influenced rice bowl.

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds | danicaliforniacooks.com The opportunities are endless, and I hope this inspires you a bit to do a little meal planning on Sunday so you have plenty of options throughout the week for whatever meal you need.

Happy Superbowl Sunday! I’m rooting for the Seahawks, as my current work has me up working in Washington. I’m flying out there on Tuesday, and I’m sure everyone will be in great spirits if Seattle wins!

Sunday Set Ups: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables, Feta, and Almonds (+5 meal ideas!)
 
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Mix roasted vegetables, quinoa, feta, and almonds for a perfectly proportioned salad to have all week.
Author:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 6-8 cups chopped seasonal vegetables of choice (I used beets, broccoli, and brussels sprouts)
  • ⅓ cup quinoa
  • ¼ cup feta (or more, depending on your cheese preference!)
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • Olive oil
  • Sprinkling of Herbs de Provence
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Juice of one lemon
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 F
  2. Toss your chopped vegetables in olive oil, sprinkle on a little herbs de provence, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet
  3. Pop in the oven for 45 minutes, or until carmelized and golden. Will depend on the size/type of your vegetables. I roasted my beets and brussels sprouts first, and then twenty minutes in added in my broccoli to the oven
  4. While the vegetables are roasting, cook your quinoa on the stovetop. For ⅓ cup quinoa, use 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer. Quinoa cooks pretty quickly, so check to see that the little curly-q's are sprouting from the seed!
  5. Remove quinoa from stove and let cool
  6. Once vegetables are done, toss with quinoa, feta, and slivered almonds
  7. When ready to serve, drizzle on some good extra virgin olive oil, more salt and pepper, and a squeeze of a lemon
Notes
My recommendation is to store the vegetables and quinoa separately, and mix together in this salad for when you are ready to eat it. That way, you can use the vegetables in other ways (like recommended above!) and the pre-made quinoa for other meals as well!

This salad will hold up for a week in your fridge.

Sunday Set Ups: Paleo Creamy Broccoli Soup

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Surprise! This creamy broccoli soup contains no cream or coconut milk whatsoever. Tossing in one potato or a parsnip to your puree brings the layer of creaminess to this vegetable-packed soup. Include this warming dish alongside any lunch or dinner throughout the week!

Paleo Creamy Broccoli Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com

You know those recipes that are SO simple to make but taste really wonderful and are so pleasing to whoever you serve it to? It’s almost embarrassing, when they compliment the dish, you go, “oh, no, really I did nothing, emphasize on the nothing”. I bet the person who discovered the PB&J, throughout his/her life, felt awkward about their claim to fame. But they shouldn’t. Because it’s GENIUS. That’s how I feel about this (Paleo) Creamy Broccoli Soup.

It’s also one of my favorite things to make in bulk on Sunday evening and have throughout the week. I’ve often packed my own lunches and brought them to work, and then am completely unimpressed with what I made and then resort to running out and buying food. However, that never happens with soup! It’s wonderful to look forward do something WARM at my desk for lunch after zapping it in the microwave. It’s a great addition to a salad or sandwich. It pairs well with pretty much all dinner cuisines as well, whether you whip up some quesadillas or pasta or roast a chicken. It’s nice to have something that you can reheat on your stove while you pop in the shower after your evening workout. My mom and I ate this twice last weekend, and then when I left to travel for the work that week she had it every night with her dinner. Boom.

Paleo Creamy Broccoli Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com

I’ve made broccoli soup a couple of times and pretty much just pureed broccoli in stock. This time I decided to add a potato (or in my case, a leftover parsnip) cut the broccoli flavor and texture just a bit and add an additional layer of creaminess to the soup. I love that this is one creamy pureed soup that isn’t made fully with a starch OR dairy – there are so many of those out there already. Broth-based soups are a great way to fill yourself up and add volume to your meal without overdoing it. Although I certainly recommend having this soup with some protein or grains for a balanced meal!

Paleo Creamy Broccoli Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com On a different note, this was the second time I introduced my mother to the immersion blender. There are a few things that I’ve turned my mother onto recently that I feel particularly accomplished about – gel nails, for one. No one realizes how much an immersion blender is going to change their life until they get one. It reduces the hassle of making purees, soups, sauces, etc, by an incredible amount! It’s so easy to clean (unlike a blender) and you don’t have to transfer the recipe into a blender – you just stick that immersion blender right in your pot. And they go for about $10 on amazon. I know people who make smoothies in a large mason jar using an immersion blender. Almost as genius as the PB&J, no?

Paleo Creamy Broccoli Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com

This recipe takes only a couple of ingredients, and you will have delicious soup all week. Sweat out your onions and garlic slowly in a little butter or olive oil (important step before ANY pureed soup. Gives it complex flavor so no need to any cream). Then add the chopped broccoli, potato/parsnip, stock, water, and bring to a boil. Let simmer until the veggies fall apart at the poke of fork. Take off the heat, puree, and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to allow to thicken for a bit, and then serve! You can store in your fridge for up to a week and reheat on the stove or in the microwave as needed.

I highly recommend serving Turkish-style (meaning with a squeeze of lemon) and Dani California Cooks style (with lots of hot sauce).

Paleo Creamy Broccoli Soup
 
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Go back to the basics with this pureed broccoli soup. Adding a little potato or parsnip brings the perfect amount of thickness and creaminess to the soup to balance out the broccoli!
Author:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 6 cups broccoli, roughly chopped (about three medium heads)
  • 2 cups peeled white potato or parsnip, roughly chopped
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 glove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 48oz vegetable stock
  • 4 cups water
  • Salt and pepper
  • Hot sauce (optional)
  • Lemon (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot on low to medium heat, sweat out your garlic and onion in the butter with some salt and pepper
  2. Once the onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes), add in the broccoli, parsnip/potato, water, and stock
  3. Bring to a boil
  4. Turn down to low heat and let simmer for a minimum of thirty minutes
  5. Once vegetables fall apart at the touch of a fork, turn off the heat
  6. Use an immersion blender to blend your soup to the consistency of choice OR pour into a regular blender to puree
  7. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking
  8. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving to thicken up
  9. Garnish with more salt and pepper, hot sauce, and a squeeze of lemon
  10. Enjoy!
Notes
This soup will last all week in your fridge! And like any soup/curry/stew - it just gets better with a little age.
Paleo Creamy Broccoli Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com