DILL CHICKEN SALAD with celery, apples, and sunflower seeds

Spring is in the air. And the ground. The snow is melting, the sun is shining, and thunderstorms grace the skies. It's a glorious time - my favorite in fact. Lately I've been craving chicken salad. Light yet substantial. Versatile and at the ready for park time, bike rides, and all the outdoor fun that comes with this season. Enjoy!

[THE RECIPE]

1 - 1.25 lbs chicken breast (I love Creswick Farms chicken), cut into large chunks or strips (2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans to make vegan)
2 tablespoons of ghee or butter (avocado or algae oil for vegan)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup celery, chopped into small chunks
2 small or 1 large sweet apple, chopped into small chunks
1/2 heaping cup of raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon of dried dill or 1/4 cup fresh dill leaves
1/2 cup vegenaise or mayonaise (I love Soy-Free Vegenaise or Chose Foods Avocado Oil Mayo)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet, melt ghee or butter (or oil). Gently spread chicken (or garbanzo beans) out in pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 5 - 7 minutes. If using garbanzo beans in lieu of chicken, shake the pan over the burner from time to time to stir. When the pan side of the chicken begins to brown, flip and cook another 5-7 minutes until browned. Cut into a slice of chicken to make sure it is cooked all the way through. Turn off heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

While chicken cools, combine celery, apples, sunflower seeds, pepper, and dill in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Mix well.

Chop the chicken into really small pieces (lightly crush garbanzo beans if using). Add the chicken and vegenaise/mayo and stir until all of the mixture is coated evenly. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for up to a week.

CRISP CUPS with blueberries, cardamom and ghee

This is one of my daughter's favorite lunch time treats. I take one out of the freezer to thaw overnight and pop into her lunch bag in the morning. These also make for a fun dessert - an artsy spin on a common favorite. Use any berries or fruit you have on hand and spice as you like.

[THE RECIPE]

8 - 10 small 8oz jars with wide mouths [Kerr or Ball work well]

8 c. frozen or fresh blueberries, reserving a handful whole
1 c. apple juice [optional]
1 T. vanilla extract or vanilla bean balsamic vinegar 

3 - 4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. oat flour
3/4 c. ghee, melted [use coconut oil for vegan option]
3/4 c. maple syrup
2 T. cinnamon
1 - 2 tsp. cardamom [to taste]
1 tsp. sea salt

Place jars on a rimmed stainless steel baking pan and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, warm blueberries and apple juice. Cook over medium heat until just soft.

While blueberries cook, in a large glass bowl mix oats, oat flour, ghee, syrup, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Taste and add more of any ingredient if needed.

Remove blueberry mixture from heat and add vanilla extract. Fill each jar half way with blueberry mix and top with a couple whole berries. Fill remaining space in jar with oat mixture leaving a little space at the top of the jar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until berry mixture is bubbling and oat topping beginning to brown.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. If freezing, cool completely, place entire baking sheet in freezer and leave until completely frozen. Secure a lid AFTER completely frozen.