Hallie Norvet

Curry Jalapeno Chicken Skewers

I love making skewers. Grilling is one of my favorite ways to cook because it's fast, has relatively little clean-up and imparts a lot of flavor. These skewers are a cinch to make, and I serve them as a filling in lettuce wraps, or over a big bowl of rice. 

Serves: 3-4

Prep Time: 30 minutes - 2 Hours (Marinate Time)

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Chicken Breast Tenderloin or Boneless Chicken Thigh, Chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 Tablespoon Curry Spice

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

1 teaspoon Honey

1 Tablespoon Peeled Ginger, Chopped Fine

1 Tablespoon Garlic, Chopped Fine

1 Tablespoon Sriracha

2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

4 Scallions, Trimmed and Cut into 1 Inch Pieces

2 jalapeno, Sliced Thin

Bamboo Skewers

Garnish: 

Cilantro

Finely Chopped Scallion

Directions:

Prep: Place bamboo skewers in a dish with water, cover and allow to soak until ready to skewer your chicken. The water pevents the skewers from burning up on the grill. 

Place chopped chicken into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle curry and turmeric over chicken. Then add honey, ginger, garlic, sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, scalllions and jalapeno in bowl. Mix togetehr ingredients with a spatula until well incorporated. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes-2 hours. 

Once marinated, skewer chicken onto bamboo skewers. Alternate 2 pieces of chicken to one piece of scallion, or jalapeno. Now is a good time to pre-heat your grill, or start any rice if you are having some. 

Place skewers over the hottest part of your grill with a set of tongs. Close the lid and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. Lift lid and turn skewers over. Allow to cook for another 2 minutes. Lift lid and place skewers onto a part of the grill with indirect heat (not over a flame), close the lid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until chicken is opaque and cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees. 

Remove skewers from grill when cooked. Allow to rest for 3 minutes prior to serving. Garnish with freshly chopped scallion or cilantro leaves. 

I love accompaniments when eating Indian food, one of my favorites is Mango Chutney. I personally favor the fresh version over the store-bought jarred version, and you will not believe how easy and inexpensive this is to make!

Serves: 4-5

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Coriander

6 Cardamom Pods

1/2 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

2 Mangos, Peeled, Deseeded and Diced Small (About 2 1/2 Cups)

1 1-inch Peice Freshly Peeled Ginger, Sliced Thin

1 Garlic Clove, Chopped

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Red or Cayenne Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Loosely Packed

1/2 Cup White Vinegar

1/2 Cup Golden Raisins (Optional)

Directions:

In a medium sauce pot, heat coriander and cardamom over medium heat until you can smell it's fragrancy. Reduce heat to low and add your vegetable oil. Add you chopped mangoes, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Stir over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add salt, sugar and vinegar  (and raisins if you wish)and bring to a light boil. Simmer chutney over low heat for 25 minutes until mixture is thick. Be sure to stir contstantly to avoid burning and sticking to the pan. Cool mixture and store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

These Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Zucchini Boats baked in a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce are so comforting and delicious you will forget that they are actually good for you! You can omit the breadcrumb and cheese for a vegan/gluten-free meal.

Serves: 3-4

Prep-tiime: 40 minutes

Cook-time: 30 minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Whole Roasted Red Peppers, Canned or Fresh

1/2 Onion, Chopped

1 Garlic Clove Chopped

1 Small Can Tomato Sauce

1 Cup Quinoa

2 Cups Chicken Broth/Stock

3 Large Zucchini, Halved

1 Yellow Squash, Chopped

1 Carrot, Peeled and Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped

1 Eggplant, Cut into 1/4 Inch Cubes

1 Small Red Onion, Chopped Fine

3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

4 oz. Mozzarella, Shredded

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumb

1 Tablespoon Butter

1/2 Tablespoon Chopped  Curly Parsley

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 375.

In a medium sauce pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add roasted red peppers,onion and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent and add tomato sauce. Bring sauce to simmer over medium-low heat, and stir occasionally for 40 minutes.

In the meantime, place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups chicken broth into a medium sauce pot. Heat pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cover with lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer quinoa for 20 minutes until all water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Next, grab a large baking sheet and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over it. Then disperse squash, carrot, bell pepper, eggplant, red onion and garlic evenly over pan and roast in oven for 20 minutes.

Take your 4 halved zucchini, and with a melon baller, gently scoop out the inside of the squash. You want to leave a little bit of a barrier so you do not go through the zucchini.

Once the roasted red pepper sauce has cooked for a 40 minutes, blend together and season with salt and pepper.

Once your quinoa is cooked, fluff with a fork and mix with the roasted vegetables from the oven in a large mixing bowl. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large glass baking dish, evenly distribute your roasted red pepper sauce. Place each zucchini (scooped side up) into the sauce. Then with a spoon, carefully scooop quinoa and roasted vegetable mixture into zucchini.

** If you would like this recipe to be vegan or gluten-free, this is where you would stop and bake your dish! **

Lastly, top zucchini boats with shredded mozzarella cheese and toasted breadcrumbs. To toast your panko bread crumbs, simply melt butter in a saute pan, and add bread crumbs. Stir bread crumbs constantly over medium high heat until breadcrumbs are golden brown.

I've really been trying to cut back on my carbohydrate intake lately, so I created this lovely Zucchini Noodle Dish with an Arugula Pesto and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. It definitely satisfied my craving for pesto pasta without me feeling like I've ate an extra 600 calories. This dish is vegan, paleo and gluten-free if you omit the cheese, but I will not give up my cheese..

Servings: 2

Prep-Time: 20 Minutes

Cook-Time: 5 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

Pesto:

1 Clove Garlic, Chopped

1 oz. Basil Leaves, Chopped

1 oz. Baby Arugula

1 Tablespoon Freshly Grated Parmesan

2 Tablespoon Pine Nuts

1/4 Lemon, Juiced

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Pasta:

12 Cherry Tomatoes (On the vine if possible, if not no biggie)

4 Medium Zucchini

1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Garlic, Chopped

1 Tablespoon Shallot, Chopped

Salt and Pepper

Garnish:

Shaved Parmesan

Pinenuts

Basil Leaves

Baby Arugula

Directions:

Pesto:

Put all ingredients (garlic, basil, arugula, parmesan and pinenuts) except for olive oil into blender. Start blending ingredients while slowly adding olive oil to mixture. Continue to blend and pour until you have a smooth, bright green mixture. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. If you would like your pesto a bit thinner, simply add more olive oil.

Pasta:

Pre-heat oven to 375. Roast your cherry tomatoes on a small sheet pan in the oven for 5 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. With a spiralizer, spiralize your zucchini until you have a decent amount of "pasta." What's a spiralizer? It's like a fancy grater that makes all kinds of fancy cuts that would take you hours with a knife. You can buy one here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/paderno-sprializer/ or at most high end culinary stores. Keep in mind the zucchini noodles will wilt and shrink a bit, so make a bit more than you would be satisfied with.

Pre-heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add olive oil, garlic and shallot. Cook until aromatic, for 1 minute or so. Add zucchini noodles to pan and saute for 2 minutes. Don't allow them to cook for too long, they will continue to cook even when you remoe them from the pan. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of your pesto mixture to your noodles and toss with a pair of tongs until coated thoroughly.

Place noodles into a bowl and top with shaved parmesan and cherry tomatoes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or dressed arugula in olive oil. Enjoy!

Did you know that January is National Slow-Cooking Month? One of my favorite slow-cooked dishes is these Burgundy Braised Short ribs. I have written out directions for both Dutch-ovens and crock-pot because everyone has their preference. I served these over a risotto Milanese with some of the braising liquid and vegetables. They would also be wonderful over pureed/mashed potatoes, or pasta!

Serves: 3

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 3-4 Hours

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

9 Medium Beef Shortribs

Salt and Pepper

3 Tablespoons Wondra or Sifted AP Flour

1 Large Yellow Onion, Chopped Small

3 Large Carrots, Peeled and Chopped Small

3 Celery Stalks, Chopped Small

4 Garlic Cloves, Chopped

3 Bay Leaf

1/2 Cup of Chopped Thyme

1 Small Can Organic Tomato Paste

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

2 Cups Burgundy Wine, (I like to use Port)

4 Cups Beef Stock

2 Tablespoons Butter

Gremolata:

2 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest

1/2 Garlic Clove Chopped Very Fine

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Note: What is Wondra? Wondra is very fine flour that is used in sauces and soups as a thickening agent.

Directions:

Dutch-Oven Burgundy Braised ShortRibs:

Pre-heat oven to 325. In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over high heat. Season shortribs with salt and pepper, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle wondra/flour over shortribs and coat evenly. This process will help thicken the sauce. Sear shortribs in dutch oven until there is a nice browning on both sides. Turn the heat down to medium if caramelizing too quickly. Once shortribs are browned, remove from pan and hold on a sheet tray.

Turn heat to medium on the dutch oven, and add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Stir with a wooden spoon, being sure to scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Those brown bits = Flavor. Once the vegetables are soft and translucent, add tomato paste and black pepper and stir until incorporated. Cook for 2 minutes to cook-out some of the bitterness from the tomato paste. Turn the heat up to high and add the burgundy wine. Cook wine and vegetables for 2-3 minutes until wine has reduced by half. Add beef stock to pot and stir until all ingredients are incorporated smoothly. Return shortribs to dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Place lid onto pot and place in oven on lower rack for 3-4 hours. Check your shortribs at 3.5 hours or so, they are done when they are fork tender. If they are not done yet, continue to cook in 30 minute increments until tender.

Remove shortribs from pot and place on sheet tray. Return shortribs for oven for 20 minutes to caramelize. You will be left with a large pot of liquid and vegetables. Return the pot with the braising liquid to the stove to reduce. *Please use caution as the pot will be very hot! Try to skim the large layer of fat off the top with a large spoon, do your best, it doesn't have to be perfect. Let cooking liquid reduce for 15 minutes and then add butter to finish. Try tasting your sauce. Does it need more salt? Then add some! Season in "layers." It is better to add too little salt, then add more if needed. If your sauce is too thin for your liking, try blending a bit of the vegetables and liquid. It will create a delicious gravy. Serve over shortribs over risotto, mashed potatoes or pasta then spoon sauce over it all and sprinkle with the gremolata.. Yum!!

Crock-Pot Burgundy Braised Shortribs:

I wish we all had all day to cook but most of us do not. So I have created crock-pot directions for those who want a hot meal to come home to after a long day!

Turn crock pot to high heat. Heat olive oil. Season shortribs with salt and pepper, and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle wondra/flour over shortribs and coat evenly. This process will help thicken the sauce. Sear shortribs in crockpot until there is a nice browning on both sides. Then, add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf and tomato paste. Stir until incorporated, being sure to keep shortribs on the bottom of the crock-pot. Add black pepper, burgundy wine and beef stock to pot. Turn heat to low and slow cook for 8 hours, or turn heat to high and cook for 4 hours, whichever works best for your schedule. Before serving, taste and seaosn with salt and pepper. Add butter to mixture and stir, it will make the sauce extra velvet-ey. If your sauce is too thin for your liking, try blending a bit of the vegetables and liquid. It will create a delicious gravy. Serve over shortribs over risotto, mashed potatoes or pasta then spoon sauce over it all and sprinkle with the gremolata.. Yum!

For Gremolata:

Mix all ingredients together. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes to meld flavors, and serve over braised shortribs.

This Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, Shallot, Bacon with Sriracha Mayo dish is a great appetizer or side for your holiday feast. If you're not too kind on Sriracha, a balsamic reduction would be a fantastic substitution. For an extra level of comfort, you must try shaving some parmesan or pecorino cheese over this when it is fresh out of the oven.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

1/2 Pound Bacon, Chopped

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Pounds Brussels Sprout, Trimmed, Cleaned and Halved

1 Large Shallot, Halved and Sliced Thin

Salt and Pepper

1/4 Cup Sriracha Brand Hot Sauce

1/2 Cup Good Quality Mayonaisse

1 Tablespoon Roasted Red Pepper, Chopped

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chopped bacon to skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until halfway cooked. On a large sheet tray, drizzle the olive oil. Place brussels cut side down onto the tray. Drizzle bacon fat from pan evenly over brussels sprouts, then evenly distribute bacon. Take shallots and distribute them evenly over brussels and bacon. Season everything evenly with salt and pepper to taste. *note: do go easy on the salt as the bacon will be salty. Place brussels in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 20-25 minutes, until brussels are tender. Do keep an eye on them around 20 minutes as they will start to caramelize rapidly. Remove tray from oven and use a spatula to flip brussels. Be sure to remove any little burned bit of leaves, or shallot as the high temperature can burn some edges.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix mayonaisse and Sriracha together until incorportated. Place the brussels and bacon into a large serving dish with a small bowl of the Sriracha sauce for dipping or serving. Garnish with chives, chopped roasted red pepper or a hard aged cheese like parmesan or pecorino.

This dish is best cooked in a cast-iron skillet. If you don’t have any cast-iron cookware, a large stainless steel sauté pan would work just as well.

Servings 2

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

By: Chef Hallie Norvet

Ingredients:

5 Slices Bacon, Chopped

1 Cup Small Diced Heirloom Potatoes

1 Cup Small Diced Butternut Squash

Salt and Pepper

1 Tablespoon Thyme

1 Teaspoon Butter

2 Large Eggs

Directions:

Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add chopped bacon. Stir with a wooden spoon until bacon is cooked.  Remove bacon from pan but leave the fat. Return pan to stovetop and heat over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, butternut squash and thyme to the pan and continue cooking over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes to evenly cook the hash.  Be sure to season the hash as well with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. With a spatula or spoon, make an opening in the middle of the pan for eggs and reduce heat to medium. Melt butter onto open spot and crack eggs into pan. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking until egg whites are firm and potatoes are cooked through. Garnish with chopped parsley and/or thyme.

You've heard it around lately, The Paleo diet. What is it?

The "Paleo" Diet is short for the Paleolithic Diet, which is also referred to as the caveman or primal diet. It is based on the ancient diet of the homosapiens that existed during the Paleolithic era, which ended about 10,000 years ago when agriculture was developed. This diet consists of modern ingredients that would have been hunted and gathered, for example all of these items are included in the diet:

• Organic, Grass-Fed Meat
• Organic Foul, Chicken, Duck, Turkey etc.
• Wild Game, Bison, Venison etc.
• Wild Fish
• Eggs
• Vegetables,
• Fruit
• Fungi
• Roots
• Tubers, Sweet Potato and Yam
• Nuts
• Olives
• Seeds
• Spices
• Honey

The following items are excluded from the diet:

• Dairy Products
• Grains (This means no bread, rice, corn, pasta etc.)
• Legumes
• Potatoes
• Refined Salt
• Refined Sugar
• Processed Oils

The meats consumed should be organic, wild and grass-fed when possible. This is to avoid food additives like hormones and antibiotics that would not have been in your "natural" diet. They also contain higher levels of omerga-3's than grain fed domestic counter-part.

According to this diet's structure, practitioners should derive about 60% of their food energy from animal foods and 40% from plant based foods. The Paleo diet is high in protein, low in carbs and a relatively high fat intake. These fats are considered natural or "healthy" fats. Some of these Paleo fats would be:

• Nuts (Almond, Hazelnut, Walnut, Pistachio, Macadamia, Pecan)
• Seeds (Sunflower, Pumpkin)
• Egg Yolk
• Coconut Oil
• Coconut Milk
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Olives
• Animal Fats (Beef, Duck and Pork.. Yes, This Includes Bacon Fat)
• Avocados and Avocado Oil
• Tahini
• Ghee, Clarified Butter
  
• Mayonnaise (If made properly with only egg yolk and olive oil)

Why this diet works for people trying to lose body fat..

Think about how humans were before agriculture and farming happened. They were lean, athletic and agile because they needed to hunt or gather food for their next meal. Additionally, the foods they were eating were much higher in natural energy and nutrients than the food we eat today. Over the years we have added a high amount of grain and carbs into our diet. With more sedentary lifestyles, and less nutritious food, it is no wonder obesity is an epidemic. Did you know the government recommends 6-11 servings of grains per day? This can be filling, for the moment, but it lacks the nutrients and fiber needed to keep you full and energized for long periods of time.

When you reduce the amount of carbs and grain in your diet, your body no longer burns carbs, but the fat you have on reserve. Carbs should not be excluded by any means as they are a vital nutrient, but when you consume less, your body will turn to other sources of energy, i.e. your love handles.

Lastly, this diet is so filling, that it is almost impossible to over eat. A huge plate of vegetables and a reasonable amount of protein can keep you full for hours. It's all about healthy consistent meals and regular exercise.

Abs are made in the kitchen, and sculpted in the gym. Check out my sample menu page to view my Paleo meals: www.hallienorvet.com/sample-menus