Our ability to fight disease does start with what we put in our mouths! Learning how to prepare dishes that are nutrient dense is key to maintaining a sleek and healthy body. One of the biggest challenges that my clients face and I know others do too, is learning how to prepare foods so they won’t feel deprived.
To help my clients reset their bodies I often have them remove gluten, corn and dairy for 30 days. So that means all the white fluffy stuff is out as well as cheese and creamy dairy. That leaves a pretty big hole for many and learning how to fill it up takes a bit of rethinking and retooling recipes and grocery lists.
Part of the trick is learning how to combine those wonderfully colored foods, called vegetables and fruits, with lots of spices and plenty of good fats. Adding coconut and olive oils, nuts, and avocados to your repertoire are a must!
This can seem daunting at first but after a bit of practice, using nuts and avocados to mimic cheeses and creams, fruit and stevia to sweeten, along with herbs and spices to bring food to life, makes eating fun and friendly!
You’ll discover that new dishes can be just as delicious as the old familiar ones. Once you get the hang of it, which often doesn’t happen all at once, you’ll look and feel like a new person. And guess what, you still get to enjoy food and not feel deprived.
This month I’m sharing a quick and easy dinner that I hope you’ll be inspired to make. It’s of course dairy and gluten free, delicious, easy, and good enough to serve to company.
So let’s do this!!! There are 3 parts to this meal so scroll down to see all three.
Note: The nut sour cream is a great alternative to dairy sour cream and is optional.
Stuffed Yams:
- 1 ½ pounds organic boneless chicken breasts cubed
- 1 T. coconut oil, olive oil, or butter
- 3 Tbsp BBQ sauce (w/out high fructose corn syrup)
- 4 small yams or 2 large
- 1 Tbsp grass fed butter
- Green Onions
Coleslaw:
- 5 cups shredded cabbage
- 5 Tbsp. organic mayonnaise or 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar and 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2-3 Tbsp. water
- 1/2 cup finely minced white onion
- ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cashew Sour Cream: optional
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for 4-6 hours
- ½ – 3/4 cup water
- ½ lemon squeezed
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Place scrubbed yams on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30-60 minutes, (depending on the size) until soft.
- While the yams are cooking, prepare the coleslaw and refrigerate until ready to serve. See recipe below.
- Once that’s done, sauté chicken in oil over medium heat in large skillet until just done-about 10-15 minutes. Stir in BBQ sauce. BBQ sauce contains a bit of sugar so keep it to a minimum. You can add more flavor by adding 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and garlic and a pinch of real salt. Saute 10 more minutes to allow the sauce to reduce and carmelize.
- Mix all ingredients together and serve.
- Process all ingredients together until creamy and smooth in a food processor or Vitamix.. Refrigerate 2 hours before using. (I used my mini food processor and while it got pretty smooth it still had a grainy quality to it)
- Place a whole baked yam or ( half if big) on plate.
- Slice open and slather with 1 tsp grass fed butter
- Spoon 1/3 of the BBQ Chicken mixture into a split open yam
- Top with 1/2 to 1 cup coleslaw
- Top with 2 T. either cashew cream (extra step but good!)
- Enjoy!!!