Healthy Comfort Food

   Welcome to my new blog here on Winchester Patch! You can expect articles on healthy food, workout routines and possibly some yoga videos coming soon! To see my previous blog entries please check out my page here, and if you're curious about my business, Innovative Bodywork & Yoga, you can check me out on the web.

   Moving from Vermont to the outskirts of Boston makes it harder to stick to that healthy diet I was used to when I was surrounded by farms instead of fast food. I've been learning there are local farms near me that offer grass fed beef, all natural pork and free range chicken. It also helps to live right down the street from Whole Foods. All of these things make it much easier to drive on by the chain restaurants and head home to cook a healthy meal.

I've been experimenting with some new recipes and wanted to share those with you. These are not original recipes but I made some  tweaks. For today, let's start with Quick Indian Spiced Chicken and Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Macadamia Nuts. Both of these recipes are taken from Real Food Whole Health which I was recently turned onto. Most of the recipes on the site are gluten free and paleo. I also made the chicken recipe dairy-free.

Quick Indian Spiced Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (preferably free-range organic, local where available)
• 1 cup So Delicious plain greek-style coconut yogurt
• 1 lime, zested (preferably organic)
• 2 tbsp garam masala or vindaloo spice blend
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix salt, pepper, 1 tbsp garam masala or vindaloo blend and 1 tbsp of the curry powder. Use as a dry-rub on the chicken.
2. In a separate large bowl, mix yogurt, zest and the remaining spices. Add chicken and coat thoroughly.
3. Let chicken marinate at least 15 minutes but you can place in fridge and marinate all day if you'd like (note: I don't like things too spicy so 15 minutes for me was plenty and it had a good heat to it).
4. Preheat oven to 500ºF.
5. Lay chicken on a greased broiler pan, or cookie sheet with a wire rack, and roast for ~15-20 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned outside.
6. Note: The original recipe mentioned cutting the thighs into chunks and/or skewering them. I personally preferred to do this with the whole thighs but the option is yours.

• 1 lb brussels sprouts
• Fat of your choice (I used garlic ghee, the recipe also mentioned coconut oil, butter, or your own favorite)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice brussels sprouts in half lengthwise and shred with your knife into smaller pieces.
2. Heat oil/fat of your choice over medium in a skillet.
3. Add sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until lightly browned/caramelized. You want them to be almost to your liking.
4. Add garlic and macadamia nuts, sauté until the nuts warm through and become fragrant.
5. Enjoy!