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Roasted Chicken and Roots with Apricot

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Roasted chicken always makes me think of Sunday dinner. Here’s a simple recipe packed full of vitamins and minerals. The apricots add a nice variation on an old classic!

Get creative. If you aren’t an apricot fan then leave them out and add some fresh rosemary and thyme to the mix. There are no rules! Just have fun in the kitchen and enjoy clean eating.

Ingredients:

o 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

o 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

o 2 beets, each cut into 1-inch pieces

o 1 butternut squash, peeled & seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

o 2 ½ TBSP extra virgin olive oil

o ½ cup dried apricots

o 2 TBSP water

o Sea salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large glass bowl, stir cut vegetables with 2 TBSP of the olive oil. Pour prepared vegetables into a glass baking dish in a single layer; roast for 10 minutes (vegetables will not yet be all the way tender).

In a large pan on medium, heat the remaining olive oil (approx.. ½ TBSP); cook chicken on both sides, approximately 4 – 5 minutes each, until lightly brown. Remove from pan.

Add the chicken to the vegetables in the glass baking dish; add the dried apricots and 2 TBSP water. Season lightly with salt and pepper, if desired.

Cover with foil and roast chicken, vegetables and apricot together, 15 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, remove foil. Serve together, including cooking juices if you like.

This is the ultimate Fall comfort food!

Puree of White Bean and Celery Root Soup

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What’s Celery Root?

Celery root is NOT the bottom of celery stalks! It’s a type of celery, grown as a root vegetable, about the size of a large potato (but uglier! – see photo). Celery root is rich in potassium, which can help normalize blood pressure and protect against bone loss, and is energetically grounding.

I’ve included this soup recipe because it has a double dose of potassium with its celery root and beans! Beans are a wonderfully high-quality, plant-based protein. In addition to potassium, they are rich in iron, B vitamins and fiber. This soup is thick, creamy (without adding cream!), tasty, satisfying, and oh-so-good for you!

Ingredients:
o 2 TBSP olive oil
o 1 celery root, peeled and chopped

o 2 cans of white Cannellini beans
o 
1 ½ quarts water
o Juice of 1 lemon
o 3 scallions, chopped
o 1 tsp sea salt
o Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped celery root and sauté for 10 minutes or until it starts to brown.

Rinse beans thoroughly and add to pot of sautéed celery root.

Add the water and 1 tsp of sea salt to the mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

At 30 minutes, blend soup with an immersion stick blender until smooth and creamy. Add the juice of one lemon, sea salt and pepper to taste, and continue blending. Top with chopped scallions.

This is good leftover too!

Spicy Sweet Potatoes

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Sweet potatoes rock!

They are powerhouses when it comes to flavor and nutrients. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet-tasting but their natural sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes linked to fatigue and weight gain.

Sweet potatoes also help support your immune system with their abundance of vitamins C,  D, and B6. Plus, they have essential minerals our bodies need to function properly, like potassium, magnesium, and iron.

Let’s not forget that gorgeous color in our sweet potatoes; orange. This tells us they are high in carotenoids like beta carotene and other carotenoids, which is the precursor to vitamin A in your body.  Carotenoids help strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to disease, they are powerful antioxidants that help ward off cancer and protect against the effects of aging.

We try to have at least one sweet potato a week and I’m always looking for a new way to serve these beauties up. I like this recipe for a spicy kick. Try it and let me know how you like it!

Spicy Sweet Potatoes

Spicy Sweet PotatoesServes 4

Ingredients:

o 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

o 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped

o 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

o 1 to 1 ½ tsp chili pepper

o 4 gloves garlic, chopped fine

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the prepared potatoes (or yams) and onions in a reusable plastic bag or mixing bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil. Shake bag, or toss, to coat vegetables well. Next, spread the vegetables into a glass baking dish in one layer; sprinkle evenly with the chili powder. Cover with foil and roast for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, carefully add the chopped garlic evenly, then cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Serve warm.

TIP: I cook a big batch so I have leftovers! Yum! Remember my motto….cook once, eat twice!

Root Vegetables

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Get Grounded and Relaxed with Root Vegetables

It’s no wonder we think of golden yellow and warm orange when we think of Autumn – and not just because of the changing of the leaves. These are also the colors of some of the season’s healthiest vegetables – providing a great alternative to traditional (sauce-and-cheese) comfort foods! In fact, Fall is an ideal time to add root vegetables to your table.

Why are root vegetables so good for you especially this time of year?

As the weather turns cooler, our bodies need more warming foods. Root vegetables, which grow abundantly this time of year, have a warming effect on our bodies and help prepare us for winter. In addition, eating seasonally (and locally whenever possible!) helps us stay in harmony with nature. And because root vegetables grow underground, they absorb many of the earth’s nutrients, making them rich in minerals such as iron, as well as packed with antioxidants such as vitamin C, A and B. You’ll love them for the way they are energetically-grounding and help you feel more balanced.

Because these fall veggies have slow-released carbohydrates and contain natural fiber, they also help us feel full and satisfied longer. That, in turn, regulates our blood sugar, provides sustainable energy and cuts down on our sweet cravings – which could otherwise send us reaching for those holiday treats. This powerful combination makes root vegetables a natural pick if you’re looking to feel more grounded, energized, focused and more in control throughout the upcoming “treating” months.

Some of my favorite Fall choices are:

o Yams

o Sweet potatoes

o Carrots

o Beets

o Parsnip

o Turnips

o Rutabaga

o Yucca

o Daikon

o Jicama

o Jerusalem artichokes / Sunchokes

o Celeriac / Celery Root”

o Radishes

And don’t forget the roots that add flavor, improve digestive health and boost longevity: onion and garlic!

How do you choose and store root vegetables?

In the fall, root veggies tend to be sweeter and more tender. Choose vegetables that feel firm and heavy for their size, with smooth skin. Store them in a cool, dark and slightly humid room (if you can, use a special container in your pantry). If you must store them in the fridge, place them in a paper bag and store in the crisper drawer.

Also for Autumn I love to bring home other yellow-orange vegetables: pumpkin, butternut squash and yellow and orange peppers, to name a few. Although they are not root vegetables, their color gives them many of the same phytochemical benefits of beta-carotene and bioflavonoids. They are known for:

o Boosting your immune system

o Improving your vision health

o Reducing the risk of cancer and heart attacks

So add these nutrient-rich, energizing, immune-boosting, cancer-fighting, root and colorful vegetables to YOUR Fall table!