Aimee K. Hockett, MS - Nutritionist, Recipe Developer, Writer

The A.K. Kitchen

Nutritionist | Nutrition & Kitchen Toolkits | Recipes and Care Packages

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Spiced Tricolor Sweet Potato Salad

Spiced Tricolor Sweet Potato Salad
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Spiced Tricolor Sweet Potato Salad
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 

A new kind of salad that is bright and cozy. Dress your sweet potatoes in spiced harvest flavors as they cook. 

Course: Side Dish
Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
  • 1 White (red skinned) Japanese Sweet Potato cubed
  • 1 Purple Sweet Potato cubed
  • 1 Jewel Sweet Potato cubed
  • 1 large onion saute sliced
  • 1 tsp freshly ground ginger
  • 1 tsp freshly ground turmeric
  • 1 Tbsp freshly grated orange peel
  • 1 tsp freshly grated lemon peel
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed OJ
  • 1-2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3-4 cups homemade vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
  • 5 Kalamata olives chopped
  • 1 Tbsp high heat oil (coconut or avocado)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • dash cloves
  • 1/4 cup pistachios chopped
Instructions

  1. Heat a large, deep pan to medium heat.

  2. Slice a medium-large onion or 3-4 shallots in a saute slice. 

  3. Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil. After it has heated for a minute, add onion slices and 1/4 tsp. salt.

  4. Stir occasionally while you prepare the other ingredients.

  5. After the onions begin to brown a little and are nearly transparent, add the potatoes and another 1/4 tsp salt.

  6. Stir occasionally. 

  7. After about 15 minutes, or when potatoes begin to brown slightly, add lemon & orange (zest only!) as well as turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cumin, cranberries and olives.

  8. Stir frequently for 2 minutes. Then when the onions begin to caramelize, add lemon and orange juices.

  9. Continue stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Once you take up all of the browned bits from the pan, turn the temperate to medium-low and add enough stock to just cover all of the potatoes. 

  10. Stir very gently and only occasionally to let it simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and you are left with potatoes & dressing. 

    If you stir too often, you risk mashing the potatoes. The goal is to have them keep their shape. 

  11. Once all the liquid is gone, take off the heat and toss with nutritional yeast, pistachios, additional salt to taste and you can add in basil, sage or thai basil for garnish. Best Served Warm.

Spiced Tricolor Sweet Potato Salad
A bright and cozy salad. A different take on sweet potatoes during the holidays.

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Gluten Free Baked Bacon Cheese Bites

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Gluten Free Baked Bacon Cheese Bites
Prep Time
10 mins
 

The most crowd pleasing appetizer. They are always gone within 10 minutes and are the easiest appetizer to make. Makes about 16 bites.

Course: Appetizer
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
  • 1 packet bacon- gluten free, free range cut in half down the middle
  • 1 onion* caramelized (see below)
  • 3 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup dates thick slices
  • fresh sage leaves
  • firm cheese (I like goat gouda) cut into cubes
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions

  1. Peel and cut your choice of onion in half. Then make sauté slices along the grow lines of the onion and cut away from the end of the bulb. 

  2. *Heat a large frying pan to medium low heat.

  3. *Once pan is heated, add about a tablespoon of your choice of fat- make sure to use a high heat oil like ghee or avocado oil and salt, stir frequently.

  4. *Continue cooking, adding more salt if necessary, until onions are transparent and sweated through. 

  5. *Once onions begin to brown, turn the heat up to medium or medium high (setting can vary depending on how hot your stove runs), and begin to stir less often. Only do so to prevent blackening or sticking to the pan.

  6. *Once onions begin to caramelize, before they burn, add your choice of liquid to deglaze the pan. Set aside to cool.

  7. Cut one package of bacon strips in half, hamburger style. Each bite will be half a strip of bacon.

  8. Set your oven to 425 degrees F to preheat while you assemble.

  9. On a lined baking sheet (preferably with raised sides), place a few strips of bacon to begin assembling.

  10. Smear a dollop of mustard onto the bacon and layer with 1/2 tsp of caramelized onions, 1/2 a date, 1 cube of cheese, 1 medium sized sage leaf.

  11. Fold over the ends of the bacon slice and turn over so the fold side is touching the pan. 

  12. Leave about 1-2 inches of space between each bite.

  13. Bake for 15-25 minutes, checking occasionally. Time can vary depending on your oven and how thick your bacon pieces are. 

  14. Once out of the oven, use a spatula to scoop each bite onto a plate lined with paper towels to catch excess grease. Let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

* The caramelized onions are optional. If you are short on time, no need to cook them up. If you do have the time, it is incredible!

Gluten Free Bacon Cheese Bites

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Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

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Fried Rice
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

Simple, quick and fool proof steps to making takeout worthy fried rice. This can easily be made into a paleo or whole 30 compliant meal. Substitutions provided.

Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp fat/oil (I recommend duck fat, lard, or high heat avocado or sunflower) separated
  • chopped chicken (about 1 chicken breast)
  • 1/2 onion** diced
  • 1 carrot, cut in rounds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 cloves garlic** minced
  • 1 hot pepper, diced or your choice hot sauce
  • 1 c broccoli florets (+any other desired vegetables)
  • 2-3 c pre-cooked rice, grain, or cauliflower rice
  • 2 tbsp tamari, soy sauce, coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp pineapple juice
  • 1-2 drops toasted sesame oil
  • 1 egg
Instructions

  1. Heat large frying pan or wok to medium low temperature for about a minute.

  2. Add 1 tbsp oil and let it heat. 

  3. Add chopped chicken and 1/4 tsp salt. Sautee until cooked through. Remove once finished.

  4. Add onions, carrot, 1/4 tsp salt (do not skip) and stir frequently to allow the vegetables to sweat and become translucent- about 5 minutes. Add more oil if you need.

  5. Add garlic and hot pepper if using.

  6. Once vegetable begin to caramelize, add the remaining vegetables and additional salt or oil if necessary to help it become tender. If you want to speed this up, use a lid to create some steam.

  7. Once the vegetables are tender, add your rice, choice grain or cauliflower rice with 1 Tbsp oil, soy sauce, pineapple juice, toasted sesame oil, dry spices (if using instead of fresh garlic, onion, hot pepper) and stir often to prevent sticking or burning on the pan.

  8. Once the ingredients are well incorporated and the rice has begun to fry (with little sticking), create a well and add an additional tsp of oil and your egg. Let it fry for a minute, then begin to scramble. Do not stir with the other ingredients. 

  9. Once the egg is cooked, stir everything together once again and add your chicken back in to the mix. Add any additional spices, soy sauce or hot sauce before removing from heat.

  10. Serve with green onions, chives, cilantro, hot sauce or more soy sauce if desired. 

Recipe Notes

Pre-cooked rice or grain is important in this recipe to achieve a perfect fried rice. Specifically if the rice is cooked with less water or is a day old, it is dryer and helps to avoid a mushy texture. 

For more tips on including more vegetables into your diet, check out my post on how!

 

Chicken Fried Rice

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SWAP Foods

Zesty Shrimp Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
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Summer Raspberry Shrimp Salad with Everything SWAP Breadsticks
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Ingredients
  • Shrimp (peeled, deveined) use amount desired, I used about 1/2-1 cup
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp Onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp Chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp Smoked paprika
  • dash Salt (I used lava salt)
  • dash Cayenne pepper
  • dash Cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp Sesame oil untoasted and unfiltered
  • Greens- arugula, baby kale
  • 1/4 cup Raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 Garlic scape (or jalepeno) thinly sliced
  • 1 Apricot sliced
  • 1-2 Radishes sliced
  • 1 Everything flavored swapple toasted and cut into croutons or breadsticks
Instructions

  1. Toss shrimp with spices and sesame oil. 

  2. Cook in your desired method- I broiled mine in the toaster oven for about 10-15 minutes.

  3. Wash and dry greens. Toss with shrimp, garlic scape, pumpkin seeds, apricot and radishes.

  4. Drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette. Enjoy!

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Raspberry Vinaigrette
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup Raspberries
  • 1/2 cup Oil I used untoasted, unfiltered sesame oil
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp salt I used lava salt
  • dash tarragon
  • dash cracked black pepper
  • dash ginger
  • dash cumin
  • 1/4 tsp mustard
Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients in a bowl and beat with a fork or wish until smooth and the oil is emulsified with the lemon juice. 

I consider it an art if a salad can be made into a dish that is totally satisfying, where you just lay back and sigh in bliss when you have finished eating. This summer I have been eating less salads than I normally do because I haven’t found them as fulfilling as I would like. This salad, paired with everything flavored breadsticks is completely blissful. Filled with protein from the shrimp, healthy fats from olive oil, fantastic and energizing carbohydrates from the yuca in the waffle and all the veggies. Fresh summer apricots and a raspberry vinaigrette add a freshness that makes this meal easy and light for the days when it is too hot to turn on the oven. If you are not on the east coast and cannot get your hands on these glorious waffles, try this recipe and sprinkle on a little bit of everything flavored spices. You won’t regret it and your taste buds will not forget it! 

Zesty Shrimp Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Tomato Swapple Sandwich

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Tomato Swapple Sandwich
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Servings: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 Tomato Pizza Swapple Toasted
  • Your favorite cream cheese spread (I used Kite Hill Chive Almond Based Cream Cheese)
  • 1-3 drops Toasted Sesame oil
  • slices Farm or garden fresh tomato slices
  • Farm or garden fresh romaine or greens
  • dash dried dill
  • garlic scape slices
  • cracked pepper to taste
  • salt to taste
Instructions

  1. Toast your tomato swapple.

  2. Slather on your choice of cream cheese and add your sesame oil and dill, spreading it around in the cream cheese.

  3. Add your toppings, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

The one thing I struggled with the most when changing my diet was that I severely missed bagels and sandwiches, and bagel sandwiches. When I found these tomato swapples I ran home with them to make everything from my beloved sundried tomato bagel sandwiches to pizza. This has been my absolute favorite, easy summer sandwich by far! Open faced with all the farmer’s market glory to top it off. I definitely made a second one right after devouring this, practically drooling every second. This was another, incredibly blissful and light option. Eating light does NOT mean that you have to sacrifice feeling full and satiated.

Everything Cream Cheese Tomato Sandwich

Cinnamon Toast with Vanilla Bean Honey Ghee

Cinnamon Swapple
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Cinnamon SWAP toast with vanilla bean honey ghee
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • 1-2 cinnamon swapples toasted
  • 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract)
  • dash salt
Instructions

  1. Toast your swapples.

  2. Mix oil, honey, vanilla and salt.

  3. Slather on when hot. Enjoy!

This waffle has been my favorite since I first discovered them. Sometimes you just want a sweet treat without a lot of sugar. A bit of veggie can balance out that sweet tooth, provide healthy carbs and nutrients that slow your absorption of the minimal amounts of honey on top. It is the perfect energizing breakfast or late night snack to heat up and slather on some coconut oil or ghee. Cinnamon and vanilla have always been my favorite flavors, so I usually eat these with just a little bit of healthy fats and probiotic rich raw honey or mushy dates. Feel free to use the french toast recipe listed below for this one, because it is one amazing little breakfast or snack. It has become a staple in my freezer!

Vanilla Bean Honey Ghee Spread

Blueberry French Toast

Blueberry Swapple French Toast
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Blueberry SWAP French Toast
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Ingredients
  • 2 blueberry swapples defrosted
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp coconut milk, yogurt or 1/2 + 1/2 of both
  • dash salt
  • dash cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cumin optional
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar
  • ghee or coconut oil for frying
Instructions

  1. Defrost 2 waffles in the microwave, until warm and soft. 

  2. Poke a few holes in the waffle for maximum french toast absorption.

  3. Beat all ingredients together.

  4. Submerge waffles in the mixture and let sit for 1-2 minutes.

  5. Heat small frying pan on medium-low and let it heat for 1-2 minutes.

  6. Add 1-2 teaspoons of oil and let it warm.

  7. Place your waffle french toast and let each side cook for 2-4 minutes, until golden brown. Enjoy with fresh berries!

You know those blueberry ego waffles that are somehow just SO GOOD compared to all blueberry waffles, even homemade? I don’t know how they do it (chemicals?), but I REALLY don’t know how Rebecca did this one. No joke, Rebecca just knows my cravings. I wake up wanting something random, and BOOM, she has posted it on instagram. I thought it was just coincidence before I realized it was fate when, after YEARS of not a thought about those blueberry waffles, I had an intense craving for them. The same day, without my knowledge, she launched her premier of these babies. Of course, I told her I desperately need to get my hands on them. They are perfect, exactly like I remember them. Now, I will give some credit for this recipe to Rebecca because she tipped me off that these made fantastic french toast. Another treat I had been missing. Boy was she right again. Super fast gluten free french toast that actually holds up and doesn’t fall apart or burn in the pan.

Blueberry french toast

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