Roasted Beet, Orange, and Fennel Salad

This is a great combination of flavors. I roasted the fennel and oranges in the oven while the beets boiled on the stovetop, but you can roast the beets if you prefer. The roasted oranges are nice and juicy. Leave the skin on and just suck the pulp out. Tastes delicious served with orange-ginger swordfish!

Serves 3-4.


Ingredients
Salad
2 fennel bulbs, ends trimmed, cores removed, and cut into eighths
9 mini beets or 4-5 regular beets
2 oranges, quartered, seeds removed
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place beets in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Boil over medium heat until beets are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse in cool water. Once cool, place beet in a paper towel and rub with your hands to remove beet skin. Repeat with remaining beets. Slice into 1/4-inch slices and place in medium bowl.
3. While beets boil, place fennel and orange pieces in rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 20-30 minutes or until soft.
4. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
5. Add roasted fennel and oranges to beets in the medium bowl. Add dressing and toss gently to combine.
6. To serve, divide mixture evenly among 3 or 4 plates. Sprinkle with walnuts. Garnish with fennel fronds, if desired. Great served as a side dish with orange-ginger swordfish.

Orange Olive Chicken

Adapted from Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals, Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier


I love the new Primal Blueprint cookbook! It was just released and contains some exceptional quick and easy meals. This recipe was made with things I already had on hand. I made some minor alterations based on my cooking style. The combination of oranges and olives is surprisingly delicious. This meal is served cold or at room temperature. We had it for a light dinner, but leftovers will be perfect for lunch.


Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 – 1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
• 2  oranges (pick a flavorful, juicy one, such as Valencia)
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• ½ cup pitted black olives (I used Kalamata but Moroccan oil-cured would also work well)
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Whisk together paprika, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.
2. Cut chicken into strips (unless you’ve purchased tenders). Lightly salt chicken, then pour half of the vinaigrette over the chicken and toss to coat. 
3. Cook chicken under a broiler on high for 10 – 12 minutes or until done. (You can also grill in a pan.) Cut each cooked tender into cubes. This allows the chicken to cool and makes it easier to integrate with the other ingredients.
4. While the chicken is cooking, peel the orange, trimming away as much white pulp as possible. To do this, first cut off a little bit on each end so the orange sits flat with no pulp, then trim the peel and white pulp off the sides. Finally, cut out each wedge and slice in half or into thirds.
5. In a serving bowl, combine the orange pieces, parsley, olives, and red pepper flakes. Add the cooked chicken and drizzle remaining vinaigrette on top. Toss gently to blend. 
6. Garnish with additional parsley (optional). Serve cold or at room temperature.