{clean} Chick-fil-A Sandwich

We love Chick-fil-A! Or should I say, we used to love Chick-fil-A.  We don't go there anymore. Every since I ate a sandwich about a year ago, came home and looked  at the ingredients I stopped. 

Chick-fil-A Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients: Chicken (100% natural whole breast filet, seasoning [salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika], seasoned coater [enriched bleached flour {bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid}, sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, nonfat milk, leavening {baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate}, spice, soybean oil, color {paprika}], milk wash [water, whole powdered egg and nonfat milk solids], peanut oil [fully refined peanut oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness and dimethylpolysiloxane an anti-foaming agent added]), bun (enriched flour [wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, folic acid], water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, contains 2% or less of each of the following: liquid yeast, soybean oil, nonfat milk, salt, wheat gluten, soy flour, dough conditioners [may contain one or more of the following: mono- and diglycerides, calcium and sodium stearoyl lactylates, calcium peroxide], soy flour, amylase, yeast nutrients [monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate], calcium propionate added to retard spoilage, soy lecithin, cornstarch, butter oil [soybean oil, palm kernel oil, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, TBHQ and citric acid added as preservatives, and artificial color]), pickle (cucumbers, water, vinegar, salt, lactic acid, calcium chloride, alum, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate [preservatives], natural flavors, polysorbate 80, yellow 5, blue 1).

After seeing a post on Food Babe regarding a clean version of Chick-fil-A, I was beyond excited!  I had never attempted it before because I didn't have cooling rack to use to make them crispy in the oven.  BUT, I do now! Here's what I bought: Wilton Three Tier Cooling Rack. They are great and make baked fries extra crispy too! WHY did I wait so long??? And they were only $9.99!  A must have in your kitchen.

This recipe is awesome! Beyond awesome. I will be making it again and again. It turned out so crispy in the oven on the racks.

  

AND it does taste like 

Chick-fil-A!

{clean} 

Chick-fil-A Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts equaling about 1 pound
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup pickle juice
• 12 pickle slices
• 3 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp paprika
• 1 cup flour of your choice (I used spelt)
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 4 sprouted whole wheat hamburger buns or buns of your choice
• 1 tbsp butter

***All ingredients organic, except breadsmith buns shown below***

Directions

Marinating:

About 4 hours before or the day before – Cut chicken breasts in half making 4 similar size pieces

With a meat tenderizer or small hammer pound the chicken to ½ inch thick

Sprinkle salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp paprika to both sides of chicken

Place chicken in 1 cup pickle juice and let marinate for at least 4 hours to one day prior to baking

Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Place pickle slices in vinegar and let marinate while you prep the chicken
3. In a bowl, combine and stir flours, sugar, baking soda, 1 tsp paprika, dry mustard and set aside
4. In another bowl, whisk egg and almond milk together
5. Remove chicken from marinade and dredge one piece of chicken at a time in egg bath, ensuring each side is wet and dredge in flour mixture coating each side. Place each flour coated chicken piece on a wire rack with pan on bottom
6. Spray each piece liberally with olive oil covering both sides
7. Place tray of chicken in oven
8. After 12 mins, turn each piece of chicken over mid way through baking
9. After about 25 mins – 30 mins, chicken should be completely cooked and crispy
10. Take out of the oven and let rest at least 5 mins
11. While chicken is resting, butter buns and place in oven for 3-5 mins
12. Take buns out of oven, place 3 pickles on bottom bun and chicken on top and ENJOY!

For detailed pictures go to: Chick-fil-A: Now open on Sunday

CF NOTES:  I get my pickles at Trader Joe's and slice the mini pickles into slices or at Earth Fare. It's not easy finding clean pickles!  We also added Tabasco sauce to our sandwiches before eating them.  I used "rolls" from Earth Fare and decided to make mini sandwiches. I was running out of time and figured these had to be better than the stuff I would find full of trans fats in the other grocery store aisles. We may just splurge on these rolls for this recipe each time we make it! You could easily make this recipe as chicken nuggets, chicken strips, or maybe even fish! Make sure you get every inch of the chicken sprayed with olive oil spray.  Also, I took cane sugar in the vitamix and within seconds I had powdered sugar. I do not marinate my pickles.

{clean} Quick Super Spaghetti Sauce

My family enjoyed this sauce so much that I decided to create a blog entry for it.  Pureeing vegetables is a great way to sneak in vegetables to sauces and soups.  

Carrots are great because they are so sweet! Plus, carrots are packed with vitamin A and a host of health benefits including beautiful skin, cancer prevention, and anti-aging. 

Sauce from Costco

Ingredients:

• 1 40 oz jar of White Linen Collection Marinara Sauce
• 1 6 oz can no sodium added tomato paste (I get organic at Costco)
• 5-6 large carrots, peeled

These directions are for a vitamix. I am not sure how well a regular blender will puree the carrots without cooking them down first. 

Directions:

1) Blend raw carrots until creamy.

2) Add sauce and tomato paste. Blend until combined well.

3) Continue on high until sauce is warmed in vitamix, pour into a stove top pan and heat, or microwave.

Serve over spaghetti squash, sautéed garlic spinach, and/or whole grain pasta. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese.

{clean} Power Brownies

I pulled this recipe out of Health magazine over 6 months ago to make and I just found it folded up in my spice cabinet. Wow, I'm SO organized.

I changed the recipe to fit my needs. These were originally called energy bars, but my daughter said they tasted like brownies! So, the name Power Brownie was born. 

{clean} Power Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbps organic coconut oil (I use Barlean's)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 2 Tbps hemp seed or flaxseed (more if you wish, I prefer flaxseed)
• 1/2-3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, plus extra for drizzle (over 60% is best)

Optional: 

1/2 cup raw peanuts (I left them out b/c my kids don't like nuts whole in baked goods)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350. Spray or coat with fingers a 13 x 9 baking dish with Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil. (Mine was a little smaller)

2)  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and hemp seed. In a large bowl, beat coconut sugar and peanut butter until well combined. Beat in eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Add oats and chocolate (and peanuts), stirring to combine.

3)  Spread evening in prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool completely in a pan on wire rack.

4)  In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup or less of chocolate chips and melt in microwave for approx 1 min. Or until melted completely. Do not overheat. Stir until smooth. With a fork, drizzle chocolate over bars. Refrigerate until set. 

NOTE:  I make my own peanut butter with 1 cup raw peanuts and 1 Tbps organic coconut oil in the vitamix. I also add the sugar, vanilla, and eggs on low in the vitamix after the peanut butter is smooth.  If you don't, I suggest you slightly heat coconut oil until it's liquid form before mixing.

Use organic products when available.

Use certified gluten free oats and oat flour if you need to completely avoid gluten.  After I am done with my oat flour I have on hand, I will be making my own in the vitamix.  It truly is the best kitchen appliance EVER! 

Also, I will play around with this recipe, I may up the peanut butter to one full cup since my kids don't like raw peanut chunks.  Maybe up the oats too. I will also try making this with honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar. I'll update when I do. Enjoy.

2013 UPDATE: I now make my oat flour in my Vitamix. You can sub out the coconut sugar for light brown sugar if in a pinch. Also, you could do half coconut sugar and half dates. If you want completely dairy free I suggest Enjoy Life brand chocolates.

{clean} Yogurt Pancakes

My kids love pancakes. they are easy to make large batches and save for the week ahead.  Morning time can really become stressful if you don't have something easy to feed the kids (or yourself). 

This recipe came from the side of Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry flour bag. I just tweaked it slightly.

{clean} Yogurt Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (Any whole grain fine flour will work)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1-3 Tbps flaxseed
• 1 egg
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and flaxseed. (Sift if you want and have the time)

2)  Combine in another bowl the egg, milk, yogurt, and vanilla and whisk.

3) Pour liquid into flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are blended well.

4) Cook on griddle. Approx 350 degrees.

5) Fold in frozen wild blueberries or a fruit of your choice right before cooking.

NOTE:  It's best to buy eggs and cow's milk items organic when possible. If you are attempting to avoid GMOs, then you will want to buy organic for everything. That isn't always the case in my house. BUT, I do make an effort now to avoid them when possible. 

{clean} Vanilla Almond Milk

I've always heard that making your own almond milk is simple. Wow! It really is simple. You just need to remember to plan to soak your almonds before hand. 

This is just a basic recipe. Feel free to adjust the honey and vanilla to your taste.

{clean} Vanilla Almond Milk

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw unsalted almonds
• 4-5 cups filtered water
• 1-2 tsp all natural vanilla extract
• 1 Tbps honey or 5-6 pitted dates

1) Soak raw almonds (covered) in water for up to 6 hours. The longer you soak the more depth of flavor your milk will have. (At least that's what I've read) Drain almonds.

2) Blend soaked almonds, filtered water, honey, and vanilla in a high speed blender until smooth. When you see the frothy top, you can stop blending.

4) Strain the milk mixture through a cheese cloth or nut milk bag

Also try: Add 1 cup almond milk, 1 Tbps cocoa powder, 1 Tbps agave or honey and you have some tasty chocolate milk. I put it in the Vitamix for a few seconds.

NOTE:  I plan on buying a nut milk bag in the future. I read about many techniques and I think the bag is the way to go. BUT, don't laugh...I got thrifty today...my daughter had a brand new pair of tights that were too small and she was never going to use. I used them as cheese cloth and it worked fantastic. I cut the foot portion off (approx 6 inches), poured the milk into the "sock" and then squeezed the milk out. I washed it and will continue to use it until I get a true nut milk bag. 

Avoid Microwave Popcorn

We used to always buy bagged microwave popcorn and often. Never again. Once I found out how harmful it can truly be for my kids and family (and saw the list of ingredients), I stopped. For over a year now, we make all our popcorn on the stove top in a Whirley Popper. It works great, the popcorn taste great, and I have no paper bags to throw away. 

Most microwaved popcorn contains artificial colors, artificial flavors, loads of sodium, TBHQ, and many other {bad} things. You can easily make a large Whirley Popper full of {clean} popcorn for less than a $1. (And that is using organic butter and organic coconut oil)

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a long-chain perfluorinated chemical (LCPFC) that does not occur naturally in the environment.

Sounds lovely, huh? Well, it's in your microwave popcorn. Or at least it used to be. I am still not sure if it has been removed or not from microwaved popcorn since I started this journey. I know that we will NEVER buy bagged microwave popcorn again.

A report from the FDA indicates that a chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags breaks down when heated into a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA). The Environmental Protection Agency has identified PFOA as a “likely carcinogen.” Another study has found an acid that can be extracted from the chemical causes cancer in animals and is “likely to cause cancer in humans.”

A second potential danger in microwave popcorn is diacetyl, an FDA-approved chemical found in the fake butter flavoring. There’s even a debilitating respiratory disease called “popcorn workers lung,” (the medical name of the condition is bronchiolitis obliterans) suffered by microwave popcorn factory workers caused by extended inhalation of the chemical’s fumes. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH) concluded that diacetyl needs further study so that workers in the flavorings and snack industry are no longer at risk.

The Food and Drug Administration continues to study whether consumers can develop lung disease from inhaling diacetyl. In response to the concerns regarding the risks of diacetyl exposure, a number of microwave popcorn manufacturers have discontinued using it in their products. (Source) 

Do you really want to spend time reading labels of microwaved popcorn when it's SO easy to make on the stove top? We use the Whirley-Pop, but you could easily use any pot with a lid.

My father in law has Alzheimer's Disease and it is a terrible disease to watch progress. We pray that my husband (and myself) never gets that diagnosis and are doing all we can to make that not happen.  Here's an article discussing the danger of diaetyl and it's link to Alzheimer's Disease:

Diacetyl: chemical in artificial butter popcorn linked to Alzheimer's plaque build-up 

You can take it a step further and buy all organic items for popping your corn and avoid most GMOs. What do I mean by "most"? See below.

100% Organic: Must contain 100 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). This is the only label that certifies a completely organic product AND completely GMO-free ingredients.

Certified Organic / USDA Organic / Organic: At least 95 percent of content is organic by weight (excluding water and salt). The <5% remaining ingredients must consist of substances approved on the USDA’s National List. GMOs are NOT on this list, so these products are also usually GMO-free.

Made with Organic: Up to 70% of the ingredients are organic. These products can NOT carry a “USDA organic” label and are NOT typically GMO-free.

{clean} Black Bean Hummus

I made this hummus the same time I was making the Tex-Mex Polenta Pizza. I figured, why not use another chipotle pepper in something while I have them?! 

Call it a dip, call it a hummus, or just call it simple!  I didn't know what to call it. I love black beans and I love hummus. Instead of eating my chips or veggies by themselves this is a great dip to go with them. You can use this for black bean quesadillas too.

Kick up the heat a knotch and add more than one chipotle pepper.

{clean} Black Bean Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 can {organic} low sodium black beans (I use Simple Truth at Kroger)
• 1 cup carrots 
• 1 Tbps {organic} extra virgin olive oil
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce 
• 1 Tbps cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until creamy.