Vegetables, Seeds and Protein

Today this was breakfast. . .
It was really good, and it went together quick!

1 med. carrot

1 handful broccoli florets

Scrub the vegetables and slice into a bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high 2 minutes. Drizzle with 1t EVOO and sprinkle with parsley garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Add to the bowl, some sprouted pumpkin seeds, a few Kalamata olives and one quartered, hardboiled egg. Drizzle the egg with a little seasoned mayo you can make ahead and keep in a plastic squeeze bottle. Mine is 1c mayo mixed well with 2-3T brown, grainy-seedy mustard and 2T or so, white Balsamic vinegar. . .Lin

Salad For Breakfast

I've been reading and watching lots of YouTube videos during  our COVID quarantine time. In particular, those on the Mediterranean Diet and life in The Blue Zones. If you're not familiar with these and are interested in eating in a healthier way that promotes longevity, please check them out.

Yes, this really was breakfast today here at Mi Casa. If, like me, you practically gain weight just looking at waffles, pancakes and packaged cereal, you're probably familiar with soup, leftover meatloaf and vegetables, chicken chili, etc. as natural choices for breakfast. This went together quickly. I drizzled it with my Lemon-Olive Oil Dressing * 

• 
  1 quick-blanched peeled tomato
• 1 handful baby kale or arugula
• 3/4c garbanzo beans
• 3 big mushrooms
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 12 minute egg

Tear, slice, chop then arrange or toss together in a bowl, dress, add a little more fresh cracked black pepper and some coarse Celtic sea salt. I skipped coffee this morning and had this with lemon water, but a big steamy mug of tea is sounding really good right now! Be creative. . .have fun with your cooking! . . . Lin

Layered Italian Zucchini-Mushroom-Chicken Casserole

Start with the sauce, in this photo, the sauce ingredients are to the left of the EVOO. Combine the chopped sauce vegetables and seasonings in hot oil and simmer a few minutes to release their flavors and scent. Add the red sauce and bone broth, simmer a while to thicken a bit. After several minutes of a medium bubble-simmer, move the pan off the heat to cool before whisking in the sour cream.

• 
  2T dark EVOO
• 5-6 lg. garlic cloves - crushed-minced
• ⅓-½ lg. green pepper - chopped
• 1t Stonemill Italian Seasoning
• 1t Rosemary Seasoning *
• 1c a hearty red sauce
• 1c chicken bone broth

After this is simmered and cool, whisk in 1c sour cream.

Arrange in a 8"x2"x11" glass pan, in 4 layers adding a ladle of sauce between each:

• 3 sm.-med. zucchinis - washed and sliced in cross-sections
• 10oz. roasted chicken meat
• 8oz. sliced mushrooms
• 1 big sweet or cipollini onion - sliced vertically

2 zucchinis was enough. I finely chopped the last one and a big carrot and added that to the sauce. Once the whole dish is put together, top with 1c shredded cheese, plus a little more Italian seasoning. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake another half hour. Turn up the heat to brown the cheese, at the end of the cooking time. Serve this like lasagna.

No gluten...guilt free...Vegetable-Chicken "Lasagna!" . .Lin