Recipes

Chicken Breast with Green Olive Tapenade

November 20, 2019

Chicken breast with green olive tapenade is a delicious way to incorporate those healthy fats and nutrients that are so essential to joint health and basically health in general. The Arthritis Foundation advocates following a Mediterranean diet to help combat osteoarthritis as well as other rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Although diet does not replace the use of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), following a Mediterranean diet can help reduce pain and increase physical function in people living with rheumatoid arthritis.

Adapted from Carne: Meat Recipes from the American Academy in Rome by Christopher Behr.

Chicken Breast with Green Olive Tapenade

2 lbs of chicken breasts

1 tsp of dried oregano

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of olive oil

1/4 tsp of chili pepper flakes

1 cup of green olives, pitted and minced

1/2 cup of parsley

Zest of one lemon

1/4 small red onion, finely minced

3 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cut them horizontally in half. Then, cover with a layer of plastic and gently pound the meat using the flat side of a meat mallet to achieve very thin and even slices. Follow the link to learn how to make chicken cutlets.

Toss the cutlets in a bowl with the salt, oregano, chili pepper, and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cover, and let marinate for about 3-4 hours in the refrigerator. I’ve made this without allowing the time to marinate and it turned out well.

Make the tapenade. In a bowl, mix the onions, apple cider vinegar, parsley, olives, and the lemon zest. Add enough olive oil until the mixture glistens. Reserve until ready to serve. Let tapenade come to room temperature before serving.

Putting it all together. You can either grill this on the barbecue or in a cast iron pan. Heat the grill or pan on a medium flame. Lightly oil the pan with avocado oil or a little butter. Cook each cutlet approximately 3 minutes on each side making sure to not crowd them. The meat should be lightly browned.

When all the meat is cooked, remove to a platter and garnish with the tapenade and finish with a glug of olive oil.

Serve with an arugula salad or other green salad.

Serves 4

References

Forsyth C, Kouvari M, D’Cunha NM, Georgousopoulou EN, Panagiotakos DB, Mellor DD, Kellett J, Naumovski N. The effects of the Mediterranean diet on rheumatoid arthritis prevention and treatment: a systematic review of human prospective studies. Rheumatol Int . 2018 May;38(5):737-747. doi: 10.1007/s00296-017-3912-1. Epub 2017 Dec 18.

Medical Disclaimer

This information is offered to educate the general public. The information posted on this website does not replace professional medical advice, but for general information purposes only. There is no Doctor – Patient relationship established. We strongly advised you to speak with your medical professional if you have questions concerning your symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Recipes

Provencal tomatoes

June 19, 2018

The best food sometimes is the simplest. Provencal tomatoes are about as simple as it gets but boy are they good. This is a great summer side dish requiring few ingredients: tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs.

The secret to perfecting Provencal tomatoes, is to slowly fry them. I mean sloooooowly. This helps concentrate their flavor. Make sure to use high quality tomatoes, the fresher the better, i.e., what you have growing in your garden or produce from your local farmer’s market. Serve with a green salad, braised fennel, and for those without gluten sensitivity freshly baked bread.

Provencal Tomatoes

Adapted from Classic French Cooking by Elisabeth Luard

3 large tomatoes
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 garlic cloves, peeled
a handful of parsley
Salt

Directions

Cut the tomatoes in half and remove seeds.
In a wide cast iron pan heat the olive oil at the lowest setting.
Place the tomatoes cut side down, then fry the tomatoes at the lowest setting.
In the meantime, finely mince the garlic and parsley with salt and reserve.
After about 40 minutes, gently flip the tomatoes over and sprinkle with your garlic-parsley mixture. Splash with additional olive oil.
Cook very gently another 30 minutes.

Variations

Try replacing the parsley with thyme, basil, or oregano. Whatever looks fresh and tasty in your garden.

Serves 2

Recipes

Tofu tomato soup

February 13, 2018

Winter is the perfect time for a warm bowl of healthy tomato soup. This recipe calls for tofu and homemade chicken bone broth which increases the protein content as well as joint-healthy turmeric for that extra kick.

Adapted from Minçavi, J’ai faim: je mange bien!

Tofu tomato soup

1 cup of onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp of olive oil

1 can (28 oz.) canned whole tomatoes

4 cups of chicken or turkey broth

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 pinch of Cayenne pepper

6 basil leaves

1 lb tofu

3 cups of fresh spinach, chopped

Salt, to season

Instructions

In a large pot, sweat the chopped onion and garlic in the oil for about 7 minutes on low heat.
Add the remaining ingredient, except for the spinach and the tofu. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Add the spinach and the tofu until the spinach wilts.
Purée the soup with an immersion blender or a regular food processor.
Season to taste.

Makes about 4 portions

Recipes

Turmeric hummus

November 28, 2017

Turmeric is a highly anti-inflammatory food that’s attracted a lot of attention these past few years. In a previous post, I discussed the merits of turmeric for the treatment of osteoarthritis. You may remember, that you need to take 2 – 3 grams of turmeric daily to get the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric. Most people supplement with capsules, but it doesn’t hurt to further supplement with the real thing. Try this recipe for turmeric hummus. It’s delicious, it’s healthy, and may improve joint wellness!

Turmeric Hummus

Ingredients

3/4 inch of turmeric root, sliced

1 15 oz. can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp of tahini

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup of olive oil

Directions

In a food processor, blend the turmeric, chickpeas, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, black pepper, and cumin. Blend until smooth.
Slowly but surely add the olive oil as the hummus is mixing until you reach the desired consistency.
Adjust seasoning.
Serve with vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumbers or with pita bread, crackers, etc.

1 Comments

Recipes

Chive Blossom Butter

June 14, 2017

My mom is what you would call a busy body. Always out and about: gardening, cooking, cleaning… running a business. She also happens to be an amazing cook. This Saturday morning as I was doing my errands, she texted me images of her latest creation.

Very pretty. Why aren’t mine like that?

Interesting, show me more.

This does not look appetizing.

Yum!

I can see this tasting great with mashed potatoes, toasted bread, or on a steak. Although this is not the healthiest recipe, something like this should definitely be shared.

Chive Blossom Butter

Adapted from Popayan www.recettes.qc.ca

50 – 60 Chive flowers with ½ inch of the stem attached, finely minced

1 lb Unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ Lemons, juiced

¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt as desired

In a large bowl, mix the butter, lemon juice, and the olive oil together with a wooden spoon. Then, add the minced chive blossoms.
At this point you can either fill ramequins with the butter-chive blossom mixture or you can mold them into individual sized portions as seen above.

Individual sized portions

Mold the butter-chive blossom mixture into a roll and wrap in wax paper and then in plastic wrapping.
Place in the freezer.
When the mixture has hardened, unwrap, and cut into individual sized portions

Makes one pound of butter.

Bon appetit!