Zuma Organic

From start to plate, these little tasty morsels take about 35 minutes to prep, cook and serve and if you have a little one around who loves rolling meatballs, then this can turn into a great half hour of time with your little chef.

I served this batch with simple cut leafy greens, peanut butter noodles & brown rice with tamari. More on how I did that all in 35 minutes, below!

Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs

• 1# ground turkey (or chicken)
• 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 tbls chopped ginger
• 2 tbls chopped cilantro – optional
• 1/2 cup prepared teriyaki sauce (i like soyaki in the blue & white bottle)
• 3 tbls coconut oil

In a medium bowl, quickly combine all of the above ingredients (except coconut oil-that goes in a large skillet).  I like to use a small ice cream scoop to make my meatballs (and if i’m alone), but you can easily roll these by hand.  Heat up your pan (on medium heat) with coconut oil and as you make these, drop them carefully into the oil.  When they are brown on one side (about three minutes or so), gently turn them over.  When they are all turned over, lower heat and cover with a lid for about 7 minutes.  Done.

If you want to add the Peanut Butter Noodles, then while the meatballs are cooking, combine the following ingredients in a medium bowl.  It helps if you have already boiled a batch of whole wheat thin spaghetti, but you can easily pop that on the oven at this time too.  If you don’t think your child will eat anything remotely exotic like these noodles, then keep their noodles plain with butter and add all of the fun stuff to yours!

Peanut Butter Noodles

• 3 tbls tamari
• 2 tbls rice vinegar
• 3 tbls smooth creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbls chopped ginger
• 3 tbls chopped cilantro
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 2 tbls olive oil
• 1/2 # whole wheat thin spaghetti (pre-cooked)

Whisk it all together and set aside.  When your noodles are done, drain them and add them to this sauce, tossing gently.  I used Trader Joe’s Instant Brown Rice (ready in 2 minutes) and drizzled some tamari on top!  An instant hit in my house!

When I do eat chicken, This is usually how I prepare it…

• buy an organic, whole chicken & remove the insides (then rinse the chicken out)
• pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees
• pat the chicken completely dry
• place on a foil lined baking sheet, breast’s in the air ladies! no, you do not need to put it on a rack!
• coat your bird with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper & preferably Zuma Organic Poultry Seasoning
• place in center of oven for 50 minutes – DO NOT open the oven…as much as you want too, don’t do it!
• you will hear crackling, popping, sizzling and perhaps see a bit of smoke – don’t panic
• after 50 minutes, take out the golden brown bird and let it rest for about 15 minutes

it’s that easy…let me know what you think…

Each week I get asked to teach certain recipes that students really want to learn…like how to prepare the perfectly cooked artichoke, or “how do you make that kale salad I can find at PC Greens”, the “secret” recipe for my homemade granola, WHAT kind of butter did you put on my crostini?!…

the list goes on…

NOW, you can learn some of my most requested recipes in ONE class!

Please join me for this 2-hour action packed FUN evening!

Go home with compound butters & granola…

as well as a new found love of kale!

Yes, my family loves waffles and I’m so glad that a friend bought us a waffle maker as a wedding gift nine years ago…we still use it.  Most of the time I do not make my waffles from scratch (gasp!), but instead, opt for my favorite all purpose gluten free baking mix by “Pamela’s” and add a bunch of extra’s.  You can find the delicious mix at most grocery stores and of course, Whole Foods.

What do I add? Ground Almond Meal, Vanilla Powder, Sliced Almonds, Flax Oil, Sesame Seeds, Carob Chips, Fresh Raspberries or Blueberries, Agave, Honey or any other thing I might be able to get away with.  Of course I only choose a few from the list above, but always include the Ground Almond Meal, a great way to add extra protein.  To top this warm toasty treat, I recommend using the Agave/Maple blend from Trader Joe’s or only Agave.  The low glycemic index will help prevent sugar spikes an hour later! If you use syrup, be sure to use 100% Maple.

Savory waffles are great crowd pleasers for a party too!  I like to add curry powder, toasted flax seeds, green onions, or maybe chili powder, then serve with chili or soup or top with hummus or tabouleh…the list is endless and you will need to cook a few plain ones right after, to get rid of the excess spice flavor!

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Yes, it’s true – I love coconut oil!  When I bring it out to cook with in my classes, everyone cringes and draws their bodies back and away!  ”NO”, I say, “it’s gotten a bad wrap!  Let me tell you about the benefits of coconut oil!”  By the end of class, I have new converts and many write to tell me how much they love cooking with it!  The following information was taken directly from the Coconut Research Board and is full of great info!

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While coconut possesses many health benefits due to its fiber and nutritional content, it’s the oil that makes it a truly remarkable food and medicine.

Once mistakenly believed to be unhealthy because of its high saturated fat content, it is now known that the fat in coconut oil is a unique and different from most all other fats and possesses many health giving properties. It is now gaining long overdue recognition as a nutritious health food.

Coconut oil has been described as “the healthiest oil on earth.” That’s quite a remarkable statement. What makes coconut oil so good? What makes it different from all other oils, especially other saturated fats?

The difference is in the fat molecule. All fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. There are two methods of classifying fatty acids. The first you are probably familiar with, is based on saturation. You have saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. Another system of classification is based on molecular size or length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. Fatty acids consist of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. In this system you have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).

The vast majority of fats and oils in our diets, whether they are saturated or unsaturated or come from animals or plants, are composed of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Some 98 to 100% of all the fatty acids you consume are LCFA.

The size of the fatty acid is extremely important. Why? Because our bodies respond to and metabolize each fatty acid differently depending on its size. So the physiological effects of MCFA in coconut oil are distinctly different from those of LCFA more commonly found in our foods. The saturated fatty acids in coconut oil are predominately medium-chain fatty acids. Both the saturated and unsaturated fat found in meat, milk, eggs, and plants (including most all vegetable oils) are composed of LCFA.

MCFA are very different from LCFA. They do not have a negative effect on cholesterol and help to protect against heart disease. MCFA help to lower the risk of both atherosclerosis and heart disease. It is primarily due to the MCFA in coconut oil that makes it so special and so beneficial.

There are only a very few good dietary sources of MCFA. By far the best sources are from coconut and palm kernel oils.

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