Warm Chicken, Arugula & Quinoa Salad

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Ingredients

  • 2 breasts of cooked grilled chicken
  • 1 container of arugula
  • 1 cup of cooked quinoa
  • 1 Tbsp of un-refined coconut oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 medium shallot thinly sliced
  • 4 Tbsp of sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 Tsp of Salt
  • 1/4 Tsp of ground black pepper

Dressing

  • 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tsp of lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbs of water
  • 6 Tbsp of grape seed oil
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • a couple drops of agave syrup

Cook & Prepare your chicken

Step 1

Lightly season your chicken with a dash of salt and dash of pepper, spray both sides of your chicken with some cooking spray to prevent sticking while cooking.

Step 2

You will cook the chicken in a 375 degree F oven, for about 30 to 40 minutes or until there is no evidence of pink (use a meat thermometer to confirm that the chicken is heated through to 170 degrees F) inside. Remove pan from the oven, set aside and cover with foil for about 10 minutes to lock in natural juices while your protein rests. 

Step 3 

Once the chicken has rested use a sharp knife to slice your cooked chicken into thin slices and set aside. 

Cooking Quinoa

Step 1 

Combine 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa* (*do not forget to rinse your quinoa if stated on the package*) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce your flame to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. About 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and set aside. You also have the option to follow the directions on the back of the package. 

Dressing Directions

Step 1

In a small glass-measuring cup add all these ingredients below, whisk and set aside. 

·       2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice

·       1 Tsp of lemon zest

·       1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

·       2 Tbsp of water

·       6 Tbsp of grape seed oil

·       Salt & Pepper to taste

·       a couple drops of agave syrup

Warm the Salad

Step 1 

Warm your cast iron skillet or large frying pan on a medium flame.

Step 2

Add the un-refined coconut oil to the heated skillet/pan.

Step 3

Once the coconut oil has melted add the garlic, shallots, sunflower seeds to the oil and casually stir just enough so that all the ingredients get coated with the coconut oil. Add salt and pepper and mix again. Cook until the shallots start to sweat and the garlic starts to get puffy. 

Step 4

Add your cooked sliced chicken to your hot pan with the onions, garlic, and seeds. Turn the flame down a little and mix all the ingredients together. 

Step 5

Add arugula to the protein party, mix just enough to heat the arugula and REMOVE from the burner. 

Step 6 

Finally, add 1 cup of your cooked quinoa to the arugula-chicken party, drizzle some dressing over the arugula-chicken mixture, toss and serve warm. Add some more dressing to the salad if needed. 

 

Billowy Strawberry Meringues

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Ingredients

  • 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp of white vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp of clear or regular vanilla extract 
  • 1 cup of freeze dried strawberries ( I used the Brothers All Natural Brand) 
  • 2 Tbsp of organic fine sugar 

Step 1 

Preheat oven to 200º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Place egg whites into a mixing bowl and beat until frothy. Add the vinegar, vanilla, the pinch of salt, and beat until soft peaks form. With mixer running, slowly add sugar, one tablespoon at a time until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.

Step 3

Gently fold in the strawberries by hand until combined. Make sure you gently fold them in and you do not over mix! 

Step 4 

Pipe or drop your billowy batter onto a lined cookie-baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Step 5

Bake at 200º degrees for 90 minutes - 2 hours. Bake until your meringues pass the "peel away" test (See NJAPP Pro Tip)  Once one of your clouds of heaven passes the test you can move onto Step 6. 

Step 6

Turn the oven off, and let the meringues cool in the oven for an additional 30 minutes or until completely cool. Remove and Enjoy. If there happens to be any leftovers, make sure you store them in an airtight container.

NJAPP Pro Tip: The meringue “Peel Away” test is easy. Once one of your meringues can easily be peeled away from parchment paper, the baking time is complete.

Wontons for Dessert

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NJAPP Pro Tip: Each of these "butters" are 100 calories each. 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 (16 ounce) package wonton wrappers
  • 1 Tbsp of your butter of choice (PB, Nutella or Almond Butter)
  • NJAPP Sprinkles
    • apple slice
    • fresh orange segment
    • orange peel
    • coconut flakes
    • cacao nibs 

Oven Baked Wonton Cups  

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Step 3

Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin cup, gently press the down the center of the wonton into the baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or just until the edges start turning a light brown color. I like to bake mine for about 10 minutes to ensure that crispy, toasted nutty crunch.

Step 4

Remove from oven, cool for about 2 minutes and place baked wontons onto a wire rack to cool and fill. 

Step 5 

Fill each wonton with your butter of choice and top them with some NJAPP Sprinkles for a decedent bite.  

NJAPP Pro Tip: Store wonton cups in a airtight container for about 3-4 days. Make sure you fill your Wonton cups right before you are about to eat them. Otherwise your cups will become soft and a little bit soggy. 

 

This recipe can also be found on

Heather Zwain's The Bergen County Bible