(Family Features) Chef Nate Appleman knows how important it is to serve healthy meals to your family – ones they actually want to eat. Before having his first child, he transformed his eating and exercise habits and lost 85 pounds to get on a healthier path.
Now, he’s cooking meals for his family, including 14-year-old Oliver who was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease as a toddler – an inflammation of the blood vessels that can cause damage to coronary arteries – as a healthy lifestyle is important to help manage the disease. Since Oliver’s diagnosis, Appleman made it his personal mission to create awareness of Kawasaki Disease and for the critical need for plasma donations that many people with the disease rely on for treatment, which is why he partnered with Abbott to bring attention to the need for plasma donations.
Plasma is a powerful part of your blood that supports essential bodily functions. It’s a lifeline for thousands of people who are immune-compromised and live with a variety of chronic and complex diseases. In fact, more than 125,000 Americans rely on medication made from plasma every day, according to the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA).
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a serious shortage of plasma donors – average donations per center in the United States were down approximately 11% during the first few months of 2021 compared to the previous year, further deepening the nearly 20% decline in donations in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the PPTA.
Donating plasma is a safe and relatively easy process. Since plasma is replaced in the body within about 24 hours, it can be donated up to twice per week. With a donation that typically takes between 1-3 hours, you can make a lasting impact by providing lifesaving medicine for patients like Oliver.
It’s a good idea to fuel up with iron-rich foods before and after donating, so Appleman created these fresh, nutritious recipes he loves to serve his family: Marinated Skirt Steak, Lemon Chicken with Roasted Red Onions and Potatoes, and Cheesy Frittata with Veggies.
Learn where you can donate at bethe1donor.abbott.
Lemon Chicken with Roasted Red Onions and Potatoes
Recipe courtesy of chef Nate Appleman on behalf of Abbott
Lemon chicken:
1 whole chicken, cut into eight pieces
1 ounce minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Potatoes:
2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
salted water
oil
Cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower
salted water
ice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Roasted onions:
1 red onion
salt
oil
For serving:
3 ounces pitted Castelvetrano or green olives, cut into quarters
5 ounces wild arugula
1 lemon, quartered
To make lemon chicken: Marinate chicken in a mixture of minced garlic, granulated garlic, paprika, smoked paprika, fennel pollen, dried oregano, coriander, and salt; let sit overnight.
To make potatoes: Boil potatoes in heavily salted water until tender. Cool, peel, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks. Toss with oil to coat; reserve.
To make cauliflower: Cut cauliflower into florets and blanch in salted water for 1 minute; shock in an ice bath. Remove from ice and dry. Toss with mayonnaise, tamari, and parsley; reserve.
To make roasted onions: Preheat oven to 450 F. Peel onion and slice into 1-inch rings. Toss with salt and oil; roast until slightly caramelized with texture. Chill and reserve.
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Bake chicken on a sheet pan for approximately 15 minutes. Add potatoes and cauliflower. Bake for approximately 15 minutes then switch the oven to broil for approximately 10 minutes.
Squeeze lemon over reserved onion.
When chicken is crispy and reaches an internal temperature of 165 F, remove from oven and add onions and olives. Plate chicken, potatoes, onions, olives, and cauliflower on top of arugula and garnish with lemon.
Source: Abbott
