Much more than a spread for toast, tart-sweet apricot preserves balance the pungent mustard in the sauce and give everything a glossy coat.

Time: 20 min

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 (4-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken thighs
¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
¾ tsp. black pepper, divided
½ cup unsalted chicken stock
¼ cup apricot preserves
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 cups thinly diagonally sliced carrots
4 tsp finely chopped fresh sage, divided
1 tbsp thinly sliced garlic
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sprinkle chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.

2. Add chicken to heated skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned (chicken will not be cooked through). Remove chicken from pan; do not wipe out pan.

3. Add carrots, 1 tablespoon sage, and garlic to pan and sauté for 4 minutes.

4. Combine stock, apricot preserves, and mustard in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add apricot mixture and chicken to the pan; reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove pan from heat.

5. Place chicken and carrots on a platter. Add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, and butter to pan, swirling until the butter melts. Spoon over the chicken and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sage.

SERVES 4 (serving size: 1 chicken thigh, ½ cup carrots, and 3 tbsp sauce)
Calories 313; Fat 14g (sat 5g, unsat 8g); Protein 24g; Carb 22g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 13g (added sugars 5g); Sodium 642mg; Calc 6% DV; Potas-sium 17% DV

Serves 6

My daughter and I had some fun preparing this chicken and vegetable dish together- I love one-pan meals. It came together beautifully, and easily made enough to have for lunch the next day.

Ingredients for Chicken:

• 4 1/4 lb whole chicken
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Ingredients for Flavored Butter:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• 1 tsp salt, plus more for vegetables
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Ingredients for Vegetables:

• 2 lbs medium red potatoes
• 3 medium carrots
• 8 oz Brussels sprouts

Instructions:
1. Place chicken breast-side down with the wings/ neck facing towards you. To remove the spine, use kitchen shears to cut through the ribs right next to the spine along both sides. Open rib cage and use a heavy knife to score down the sternum. This will help pop out the breast bone and flatten chicken. Season inside the chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of black pepper.

2. Flip the chicken over, breast side up, and set on parchment-lined, rimmed baking half sheet. Using the palm of your hand, push firmly over the breast bone, forcing the chicken to lay completely flat. Use your thumbs to separate the skin from the meat over breast, thigh and drumstick areas.

3. Preheat oven to 425˚F. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flavored butter ingredients. Mash with fork for a couple of minutes until the lemon juice is mostly incorporated into the butter. Spread 2/3 of mixture under the chicken skin and and dot/spread remaining butter all over chicken.

4. Prepare vegetables- scrub the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Peel the carrots and cut them into quarters. Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half.

5. Place prepared vegetables all around the chicken and drizzle everything with olive oil. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables generously with salt and black pepper.

6. Bake uncovered at 425˚F for 45 min or until instant read thermometer reads 160˚F when inserted into thickest part of chicken breast. Remove from oven and rest uncovered for 10 minutes on a cutting board before serving.

Burritos with Black Beans & Salsa Verde
With a twist- I used turkey meat to put into along with the beans and vegetables for filling.
SERVES 12

This is not a difficult meal to make, but it does require some prep work. Since you can make so many at once, it is fun to cook this with friends. Any leftovers can easily be frozen for a quick meal later.

First, you will prepare the toppings and filling, then you will assemble the burritos and put them in the oven. You can pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees before you start.

1. Pickle the onions

• 1 red onion, halved and very thinly sliced 
• Juice of 1 lime 
• A pinch of flaky sea salt

Add the red onion to a small bowl with the lime juice a pinch of sea salt, then massage together with your hands until they start to become a bright pink color. Put to one side to lightly pickle while you prep the other ingredients.

2. Make the Mexican Salsa Verde

• 1/4 cup feta or vegan-style feta cheese
  
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves picked
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 green chili
• 1/4 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt 

Combine ingredients into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blitz until you have a deep green, slightly creamy salsa. Season to taste, then set aside for serving. 

3. Prepare the filling
BLACK BEANS:

• 2 x 15-ounce/400 g cans of black beans (or 3 cups/ 1¼ pounds/500 g home-cooked beans)
  
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 1/2 bunch cilantro- stalks and leaves chopped
  
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• Olive oil

Cover the bottom of a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Add the beans, followed by the other ingredients, and stir until fragrant and well-combined.

TACO MEAT:

• 1 1/4 lbs of meat of your choice 
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp chile powder 
• 1 tsp each of garlic power, onion power, cumin, paprika 
• 1 tsp salt

Sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until translucent, then add garlic until fragrant, about 2 min. Add the meat, cook through on med-high heat, then add seasonings. Remove the meat from the pan and cook the vegetables next.

VEGGIES: use whatever you have on hand. I used the following, but broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and celery also work well.

• Zucchini
• Carrots
• Yellow peppers
• Carrots

Chop vegetables. Sauté over medium high heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil until tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Then set aside.

4. Assemble the burritos

• ​12 or more flour or whole wheat tortillas

I warmed up the tortillas with a little olive oil to make them soft and easy to wrap.
Add 3/4 cup filling to each tortilla and top with salsa. Line them up on a baking tray. Spray with olive oil.

5. Cook and serve
Put your trays of burritos in the oven for about 10 on 400 degrees.
Serve the burritos while they are warm, topped with salsa verde, pickled red onions, thinly sliced radish, a squeeze of lime juice, cilantro, and a crumble of the feta cheese.

To freeze, individually wrap with parchment paper and foil.

SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

Ingredients :
1 6-ounce cans wild-caught salmon (boneless, or bones removed)
1 lb of baked salmon
1 cup canned sweet potatoes (I didn’t have, so left out)
1 egg
½ cup panko flakes (use almond flour for gluten free)
2 scallions, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 tbsp fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp clarified butter, ghee, or coconut oil
Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Optional: Dill yogurt sauce. 1/2 cup of low fat yogurt with a tsp of dill, minced garlic, and salt) 

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Drain the liquid from the salmon and crumble the fish into a large mixing bowl, removing the bones and flaking the fish with a fork. (You can find de-boned canned salmon at your local health food store- that will save you about 10 minutes of prep time.)

3. Add the sweet potato, egg, panko, scallions, parsley, dill, salt, paprika, and pepper. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

4. Brush the parchment paper with your choice of melted fat, then use a ¾-cup measuring cup to scoop the cakes and drop them onto the parchment paper. Flatten the patties until they are uniform in thickness.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip each patty with a spatula and return to the oven. Bake until golden brown, about 10 more minutes. 

6. Serve with sliced scallions and lemon wedges for squeezing over the top, if desired. 

While these salmon cakes are a complete meal on their own, I paired them with a warm kale salad. They also go well with  sautéed green beans or grilled asparagus.
​
They also reheat beautifully, so make a double-batch and enjoy these for breakfast the next day. Top two cakes with some wilted spinach and a fried egg. Yum!

Note: Look for wild-caught to ensure you're getting the highest level of nutrition, especially anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA. These fatty acids come from the food wild salmon eat, like algae and krill. Farmed salmon don't eat these foods, so they don't contain the same healthy fats.

Lately, I’ve been out hiking and biking every chance I get, and the post-workout hunger hits hard. After a long day on the move, I want to eat something healthy that fuels me and actually tastes good... if I don’t plan ahead, I’ll eat anything in sight.

That’s where this granola comes in. It’s crunchy, sweet, salty, and totally satisfying. I love how easy it is to switch things up based on what I’m craving—sometimes I go heavy on the nuts and seeds, other times I add dried fruit or a sprinkle of dark chocolate. I stash some in my bag for the trail, and it’s just as good at home with yogurt or piled onto a smoothie bowl. This is quickly becoming a staple in my pantry.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)
• 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1 cup pecans, 1/2 pistachios, and ½ cup pepitas
• ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt 
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey (I used 1/3 cup of maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (I used dried cranberries)
• Optional additional mix-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips or coconut flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
3. Mix the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla together, and pour it into the bowl. Stir well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
4. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
5. Add dried fruit toward or at the end of cooking, to prevent burning.
   ​

The Very Best Granola
https://cookieandkate.com/healthy-granola-recipe/