Month: August 2019

Big Little Bites > 2019 > August

Mediterranean Chicken Bowl

Posted on by biglittlebites

 

Looking for flavorful alternatives to a traditional dinner plate? This aromatic Mediterranean Chicken Bowl incorporates a variety of spices popular to a part of the world that celebrates healthy food and family meals spent lingering for hours around the table. 

What I Love

This Mediterranean Chicken Bowl is chock full of nutritional benefits, and I’m going to kick off the list with one of my favorite middle eastern grains: farro! Farro is a healthy, ancient grain that is high in fiber, protein, magnesium, zinc and iron. Farro adds great, chewy texture to any dish (make extra, to toss into tomorrows lunch or dinner salad!) and has a light, slightly nutty flavor. Avoid processed farro by making sure the package doesn’t say “pearled.” I love to sprout whole grains before consuming them, because it eliminates the anti-nutrients which block vitamin and mineral absorption, increases the amino acids and protein, lowers the gluten, and makes the grains much easier to digest. 

Choosing organic chicken for this dish, means you’ll get chicken which hasn’t lived on a diet of grains laced with toxic pesticides. Seasoning it with all of these delicious mediterranean spices, means its going to taste delicious! 

The crowning glory on this nutritious bowl though, is the drizzle of slightly nutty, and pleasantly tangy, roasted tahini dressing. The dressing takes only minutes to prepare, but adds a punch of flavor to the marinated chicken, and soaks right into the farro.

Broiling peppers to the point they blister, allows the peppers to cook to a tender, smokey, sweet and caramelized finish. A bubble is created in the skin, making it easy to peel off and discard so you can enjoy the tender inside layer! 

The blistering process is quick and easy. To ensure efficiency, preheat your broiler and put a thin layer of oil on a sheet pan, rather than oiling each pepper. I prefer oils that can handle high heat, to reduce the chance of the oil burning and creating carcinogens. Using oven-safe tongs, turn the peppers every so often, to blister all sides. It only takes a short while to cook them under a broiler. Blackening is normal, but be careful not to overcook them and burn the inside layer you’ll be eating. * When you click on my favorite product links, I may earn a tiny commission from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Big Little Bites blog*

What I love most about this healthy bowl, is how easy it is to prepare, and the minimal kitchen cleanup! Adding the chicken right onto the same sheet pan your peppers have been roasting on, means a simple sheet pan meal (aside from the farro on the stove). 

Assembling your Mediterranean Chicken bowl is simple, and is completed in layers:

  1. Scoop of farro
  2. Sliced cucumbers
  3. Blistered peppers
  4. Shredded chicken
  5. Drizzle of dressing
  6. Fresh parsley
 

mediterranean chicken bowl with farro chicken cucumbers bell peppers

mediterranean chicken bowl with cucumber, farro and bell pepper
Print Recipe

Mediterranean Chicken Bowl

Delicious, warm, middle-eastern flavors packed into an easy sheetpan dinner served in bowls.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken breasts or tenders
  • 2 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tsp Salt divided
  • 1/2 Tsp Cumin
  • 1/2 Tsp Coriander
  • 1/4 Tsp Garlic powder
  • 1/8 Tsp Smoked paprika
  • 12-15 Miniature sweet bell peppers
  • 2 Tsp avocado or coconut oil
  • 2 C Farro uncooked
  • 1 Cucumber, sliced
  • Few sprigs of parsley, chopped

Tahini Dressing

  • 1/4 C Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp Tahini
  • 1/8 Tsp Real Salt
  • 1 Large garlic clove, minced or 3 small
  • 1/2 Lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 Scallion, sliced

Instructions

  • Carefully slice each chicken breast into two chicken cutlets. If you're using tenders, you can leave them as-is.
  • Combine the oil and seasonings in a large food storage bag, place the chicken inside, seal the bag and move the pieces all around inside the bag, to evenly coat them. Marinate the chicken for 2 hours, or at least for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the broiler to 450 degrees farenheit.
  • Cook farro according to package directions.
  • Lightly grease a sheetpan and broil the peppers for 7-10 minutes, turning as needed, to allow all sides to blister. The skin will blacken, but we will be peeling that layer off later.
  • Prepare tahini dressing by combining the ingredients in a small bowl or jar, and whisking thoroughly.
  • Add the chicken to the sheetpan with the peppers and place back under the broiler. Broil for 4 minutes, and then using tongs, flip the chicken to broil on the other side for an additional 4 minutes. Flip the peppers as needed.
  • The blistered peppers will peel easily. Gently pull the outermost layer of skin right off the pepper, and discard.
  • Prepare bowls with a bottom layer of farro and top with broiled chicken and sweet peppers. Add more chopped parsley and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Honey Bunches of Oats Granola

Posted on by biglittlebites

I don’t eat cereal anymore. In fact, the last bowl of cereal I ate was in my freshman year of college before I attended a life-changing health class. That being said, I’m an 80’s kid, and 80’s kids lived on a breakfast of processed cereals!!! What was your drug of choice? Personally, I couldn’t get ENOUGH of Honey Bunches of Oats. Those sweet, crunchy lil’ clusters, silvered almonds, the sweet, crunchy lil’ clusters… whoops, did I already say that? Here’s the problem though: not only is Post Honey Bunches of Oats cereal full of genetically modified ingredients (GMO’s), but the ingredients themselves barely qualify as healthy, with fake flavors, fake sweetener and preservatives. 

Honey Bunches of Oats cereal ingredients graphic

I am not interested in feeding that to my kids, whom I worked too hard to bring into this world. We are just learning so much nowadays, about the rise of cancer and autoimmune diseases, the importance of clean ingredients and the effect on our overall wellness. Breakfast around here centers around minimally processed and whole food choices like oatmeal, chia seed pudding, eggs with veggies, avocado toast on sprouted, flourless bread… and sometimes granola. Granola is a tricky one. Have you ever looked at the nutrition labels on store-bought granola? They are full of processed sugar, added artificial and “natural” flavoring, etc… and I just want something wholesome and nutritious that I feel good about feeding to my family.

Friends, I’m coming at you with some exciting news today! I’ve been working hard on an easy, healthy, nutritious, clean-ingredient Honey Bunches of Oats granola recipe, that will be your new favorite morning treat. Even more exciting, you or even your kids, can easily make this and may already have the ingredients on hand!

Homemade Honey Bunches of Oats Granola

homemade honey bunches of oats granola baked on parchment paper lined sheet pan

Homemade Honey Bunches of Oats Granola is a brain-food, breakfast trifecta of healthy fats, protein and fiber.

Taking only 30 minutes to bake, and 10 minutes to prep, this can be made day-of or ahead of time! We like to make a batch on Sunday mornings, to store in a gallon storage bag in our pantry for busy school mornings. Pair this with my easy, homemade cashew milk, and breakfast is served!

homemade honey bunches of oats granola in a bowl with milk

 

 
homemade honey bunches of oats granola baked on parchment paper lined sheet pan
Print Recipe

Homemade Honey Bunches of Oats Granola

Healthy, nutritious, sweet, crunchy honey bunches you can feel good about eating!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 4 C Old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 C Chia seeds
  • 1 1/2 C Almond Slivers
  • 1/4 C Coconut Sugar
  • 4 Tbsp Water
  • 1/2 C Coconut oil
  • 1/4 C Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Tsp Almond extract

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 325 degrees farenheit.
  • In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut sugar and water on medium-low heat until it just begins to boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the oil, honey, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the oats, chia seeds and almond slivers.
  • Pour the coconut sugar mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
  • Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Pour entire bowl onto the sheet pan, and Firmly pat the mixture down flat and evenly so that the layer is about an inch thick. This helps everything get toasted, as well as ensures those perfect crunchy clusters when you break it all apart after baking.
  • Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes afterwards, before breaking apart.

Homemade Cashew Milk

Posted on by biglittlebites

In our family, we don’t drink cows milk because it’s breastmilk made for a baby cow and not a human, and since we also don’t eat processed cereals, we really only need plant milk once in a while for baking or cream-based recipes or to pour over our Homemade Honey Bunches of Oats Granola  I used to just buy it from the store, reading ingredient label after ingredient label in a search to find  one with a lesser amount of additives. I eventually became so fed up with the hunt, and fed up with paying $6 for quality nut milk, that I decided to make my own. That was years ago, and I have never looked back! The ingredients in store-bought plant milk are so much more than what I want to put in my body. “Natural” flavors, guar gum, gellan gum, carrageenan, lechitin, xanthan gum, sugar, starch, locust bean gum… the list goes on, and changes, based on what brand you buy.

 

Making homemade cashew milk is super easy and affordable, so don’t feel intimidated. You only need a few key tools in your equipment arsenal: a blender (doesn’t need to be fancy), a nut milk bag (for straining the “milk” from the pulverized nuts) and a pitcher with an air-tight lid (to store the cashew milk in).

Since I’m making cashew milk myself, I might as well use the best ingredients. I purchase 2 pounds of raw, organic cashews at a time, and store them in my pantry to use as needed. I used to always use vanilla extract in my recipe, but have moved on to vanilla bean paste, because it give nut milk a better, warm, vanilla flavor. The cleanest option is to grind up 3 vanilla pods with 1/4 C maple syrup or honey and 1 tbsp of bourbon, vodka or vanilla extract (easier than it sounds) or you can just purchase this. Other than those two important ingredients, I add water, and a pinch of real salt (use code “BLB” to receive 15% off, and Big Little Bites will receive a small commission that costs you nothing).

As far as texture and flavor, this creamy, homemade cashew milk hits home with my whole family. It’s hard to compete with the artificial and “natural” flavoring added to store-bought milks, but this is one homemade milk recipe that everyone in my house loves!!

Homemade Vanilla Cashew Milk

Creamy, plant-based nut milk the whole family will love! Made with wholesome, real food ingredients.

  • 1 C Cashews (raw)
  • 4 C Water (we use reverse-osmosis filtered water)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla bean puree (or store-bought paste)
  • 1/4 tsp Real salt

  1. Soak the cashews in room temperature water for at least 2 hours, or even overnight, to optimize the milking process.

  2. Strain the cashews and rinse them very well. Put the cashews into the blender carafe.

  3. Add water, vanilla and salt and puree for 10 seconds.

  4. Place a nut milk bag over the top of a pitcher, or inside of a large bowl, and strain the blended mixture through the bag. Squeeze the bag as you go, pushing as much milk out of the cashewl meal as possible. Seal the pitcher with an air-tight lid and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.