quick meals

Revive Your Salad Game

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Spice up your salad game with new flavors to keep things interesting. People often lament eating salads; however it’s important to keep them flavorful and filling. I like to change up both the proteins and the assortment of veggies. Check out two ideas below.


Chicken Fajita Salad: All of the accompaniments of chicken fajitas make a wonderful salad with a few handfuls of mixed greens. I caramelized onion with yellow, red and green bell peppers with mushrooms and sautéed some spicy chicken to go on top a bed of mixed greens, sliced and seasoned avocado and some sliced jalapeño peppers. This can be an intentional dish, or a way to repurpose leftovers from a taco night.


BBQ pork salad: Flavorful pork can definitely make the slide of vegetables go down easier. For this salad I used mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber and some assorted olives I had on hand. You could always swap the olives for picked jalapeños if you typically eat those with the pulled pork. I topped the salad with some microgeens I have been growing for some added nutrients and flavor. Keep the dressing simple with a lime and garlic dressing or balsamic vinegar just on the greens. There’s plenty of fat on the salad already with the olives, avocado and pork so adding more in the dressing is not needed. Once again this salad is a great way to use leftover bbq, roasted pork or chicken to mix up meals or get in more vegetables. 

Helping Hands

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Tasty and healthy meal assistance

A little help from the store can go a long way to making quick work of dinner. I’m a big fan of portioned proteins for easy freezer storage and easier use for making the right number of portions at a given time. This shrimp and kale dish was elevated with a simple sauce using onion, garlic, a little stock and a roasted eggplant and tomato spread from Trader Joe’s. The spread while low in calories, was packed with flavor that easily added to this quick dish. This took 10 minutes to make and additionally, I made enough to freeze. You can always double this portion for a family of 4 or to have additional portions to freeze for easy meals during a busy week. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of shrimp

2 cups fresh kale

1/2 cup of fresh mushrooms sliced

1/2 cup of onion

1/4 cup of chicken or seafood stock

1/4 cup of eggplant spread

1/2 tbsp avocado oil (or olive)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of water


Directions:

  1. Rinse and kale and add to a skillet with a pinch of water over medium heat. Add onion and stir.
  2. Slice mushrooms while kale cooks and add mushrooms to the pan. Season and reserve a little of the powders for the shrimp. Cook for 3-5 mins.
  3. Add the eggplant spread and stir in. Add stock to deglaze the pan. Cook for 2 minutes and add to a plate.
  4. Add oil and let it warm. Add shrimp and seasoning and cook for 2.5 minutes before flipping and cooking for the same time.
  5. Top greens mixture and enjoy.

Charcuterie Nights

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Adult Lunchables

Sometimes a grown up lunchable in the form of a charcuterie board makes a quick dinner and is fun to entertain with. I like to add an assortment of salami, garlic stuffed olives, caper berries, fresh fruit (blueberries, cherries, strawberries ) and of course cheese. For small groups my go to options are an herbed goat cheese that I top with a drizzle of honey, some smoked Gouda and a smoked or peppered cheddar.


But if its an individual party, adding some greens or salad is an easy addition to balance out the richness. It’s as simple as finding a mix of meats and cheeses that appeal to your tastes. I personally like the Columbus brand variety of salami and the Brooklyn Cured brands, but I’m always on the hunt for new tasty additions. Additionally, I like to add surprises to the board such as coffee dark chocolate or chocolate covered almonds. What’s your favorite mix? Please leave a post to reply.

New Reality, New Options

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Hi all! Hope you and your families are well during these difficult times. I know it’s been a while since my last post. So I must say, in this new age amid the Corona virus, I’ve been exploring vegan and vegetarian meal options with the random food shortages. The first week I saw no meat in the multiple stores, I found this vegan gem in Trader Joe’s that made my taste buds rejoice. As a southerner through and through, I love crab cakes. So let me say I was highly skeptical of anything described as a “crab-less crab cake”. Color me surprised that Trader Joe delivered a truly tasty meatless alternative that I quickly went and purchased more of.

In this new age, I will be keeping to my tradition of cooking most of my weekly meals with one “take out option”. Given the pandemic that translates to my girl Sandra’s “semi-homemade” concept.  These frozen “crab cakes” I’ve eaten both with a mixed greens salad and a warmed avocado, cabbage and leek salad. As a part of my path to maintaining healthy, I’m consuming as many prebiotic and probiotic foods as possible. So please note that avocado and leeks, both used in this dish, are probiotic foods which contain the fibers needed to feed the probiotics in your gut which promote good gut health. More than likely, the next few recipes will be focused on this. So amid my home productions of kimchi, kombucha and banana walnut breads (more probiotics :)), I will be sharing other recipes focused on probiotics and probiotics to help keep your body and your gut healthy amid these uncertain times. Stay safe and well and as always let me know your thoughts!

P.S. I’d like to give a shout out to Trader Joe’s and their social distancing practices and the added bonus of the bouquet of flowers they gave each guest in my store!

“Crab cake” salad

Ingredients:

2 jackfruit cakes (trader joes)

Pinch onion powder

Pinch garlic powder

2 cups of mixed greens

1/2 avocado sliced

1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup sliced cucumber

1/4 cup sliced cherry tomato

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tbsp. coconut, avocado or olive oil

Directions:

  1. Defrost “crab cakes” for 1 hour prior to cooking.
  2. Heat oil in a medium skillet. While heating rinse cucumber, greens and tomato.
  3. Add cakes to the oil.
  4. Add washed greens to a bowl. Peel and slice cucumber before seasoning cakes with onion and garlic powder, then flip.
  5. Slice tomatoes in half and add tomato and cucumber to greens.
  6. Slice avocado and season to taste before adding to salad. Top with vinegar then cakes.


“Crab Cake” and Cabbage

Crab cake ingredients:

2 jackfruit cakes (trader joes)

Pinch onion powder

Pinch garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. coconut, avocado or olive oil

cabbage ingredients:

2 cups of chopped Napa cabbage

1 cup chopped leeks

1 1/2 tsp. coconut, avocado or olive oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tbsp. onion powder

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup of water

Directions:

  1. defrost cakes 1 hr before beginning to cook.
  2. Rinse small Napa cabbage, cut in half and then into fourths. Cut a fourth into strips to “shred”
  3. Rinse leeks, cut off tops and save for stock, then cut thick stem into thin ribbons. In a medium pan, add oil and then leeks. Cook for 2 minutes to soften before adding cabbage. Add seasoning, vinegar and water and stir well before reducing heat.
  4. In a small pan heat oil and brown cakes on both sides. Cut a half of avocado and season with a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.
  5. Plate cabbage mix, top with avocado and then crab cakes.

5-Minute Meal

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Spinach and Chickpea Salad

Sometimes a 5-minute meal is called for and for those, salads are an easy go-to. The trick is to get creative to prevent food boredom. This salad is easy to pair with any fish or chicken you may have already prepared. I am also a fan of a little help from the store with wine such as smoked or pastrami style salmon, low sodium smoked turkey or boiled shrimp. Check out the recipe below and share your thoughts!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

½ cup chopped tomatoes

1 can of drained organic chickpeas

¼ cup of diced onion

2 tbsp. shredded basil

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

The juice of one lemon and orange

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp crumbled feta

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.       Rinse and chop spinach and tomatoes and add to a medium bowl.

2.       Drain and rinse chickpeas if not low sodium.

3.       Finely dice onion and chop herbs. Add to the bowl.

4.       Juice citrus over bowl and add seasoning and feta. Mix well and enjoy.

Stewed Sockeye Salmon

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People are often surprised that I include canned fish in my pantry staples. While we all probably prefer fresh seafood any day, it doesn’t mean you should not have a canned option or two in your back pocket for a time where you don’t have time to go to the store, or if you have other financial priorities. One of my favorite dishes as a kid was stewed salmon in a spicy red sauce. My mom would serve it over rice with a salad or a cooked green vegetable. In keeping with that tradition, I cooked some of my thriving backyard greens. Check out he recipe below.

Stewed Salmon

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 cans of 14.5 oz sockeye salmon 

1 can of stewed tomatoes 

1 5-7oz can of tomato sauce (no salt)

1 1/2 cups diced onion

1 tbsp. minced or pressed garlic

1/2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tsp. coarse black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne

Salt to taste (start with 1 tsp)

  1. If serving over rice, cook the desired amount of rice on the stove or in a cooker.
  2. In a medium pot, add olive oil and place over medium heat. Peel and dice onion and add to the pot. Stir.
  3. Mince or press garlic and add to the pot. Add a splash of water. 
  4. Once onions have softened, open and add salmon, stewed tomatoes and sauce.
  5. Gently break stewed tomatoes into smaller pieces against the side of the pot with a spoon. Add seasoning and stir.
  6. Top the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. If eating steamed veggies or a salad, prepare it now.
  7. Serve over rice and enjoy.

Easy Meal Prep

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Prepping ahead goes a long way toward helping you stay on budget and curbing the need for take out under the notion of “I don’t have any thing easy to cook at home.” It’s helpful to always keep a couple of quick cook options stocked in the freezer whether leftovers from a large batch of beans or meat sauce, or pre chopped veggies and seasoning that can be added to your protein of choice. Seasonal vegetables like squash, zucchini and potato can last for several months in the freezer and make an easy breakfast, lunch or dinner meal in a pinch. I’ve added sausage and have also smothered it with onion and garlic to go with chicken. It can also be seasoned a variety of ways to keep things interesting.

A quart size bag makes 2 to 3 servings and a gallon would make roughly 6-8 servings. It’s best to chop and freeze it in your preferred quantity. You can always add bell pepper and/or onion (green, white or yellow) to your mix for added flavor. Personally I prefer a higher ratio of the squash and zucchini to the potato for a higher fiber, lower card ratio.

After thoroughly rinsing the veggies, I chopped roughly a cup to 1 1/4 of squash and zucchini and a 1/2 cup of potato. when adding the onion and bell pepper, add only a cup of the first two veggies to make sure the quart size bag has space.

As some of you may have seen last week, I am attempting to add a videos to support these post. That will be a work in progress :). Please share your thoughts and happy prepping!

Satisfaction and Comfort

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I’ve gotten on a kick making bread at home, really just to see if I could. I’ve been surprised that it something that can be done in an hour and even better, that I can  add things like flaxseeds, oats and chia seeds mostly to my hearts content. While baking it was a fun experience, making an open-faced turkey, avocado and tomato sandwich sealed the deal. This was a quick and easy meal that was both filling and satisfying. And there is just something to be said about fresh baked bread. 🙂

Using a teeny tiny avocado, I reserved half for an easy guacamole later in the week and cut slices out of the other half. I mashed a slice for more of an avocado butter to spread on the bread, added the tomato and turkey and the remaining slices on top. This takes all of 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3oz of Turkey

1/2 small avocado

1/2 medium tomato

 1 slice of bread

Salt and pepper to taste 

  1. Warm a slice of bread. 
  2. Cut an avocado in half while it warms and remove the pit. Store one half and cut the other half into slices.
  3. Mash one to two slices on the bread and smear like butter. Add a tiny pinch of salt and pepper.
  4. Slice 2 to 3 slices of a tomato and add to bread. Add a tiny pinch of salt and pepper.
  5. Add smoked turkey and top with remaining avocado and red pepper flakes.

Spice Things Up

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Every now and then, I get a craving for some good curry and I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone of yellow curry and try something new. Curry is a wonderfully complex flavor profile that mixes different spices and herbs and it works well with just about any meat or seafood out there. Since I am also a fan of red and green curry dishes, I decided to give red curry a try with ground pork. This was simple and quick and full of flavor. Check out the recipe below and share your thoughts.

Red Curry with Pork

1 lb ground pork
1 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh garlic (8-10 medium cloves)
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 cup diced carrot (2 medium or 1 large carrot)
2 tbsp. red curry paste
1 cup of torn fresh basil
1 14oz can coconut milk
7 oz water
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. coarse black pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder

Directions:
1. Place a large pot over medium heat and warm oil.
2. Add pork to oil and break apart with a spoon.
3. Peel and dice onion and peel and mince garlic. Add to pork with onion powder and half of the salt and pepper and mix well. Cook until pork is browned.
4. Rinse and chop bell pepper and peel and chop a large carrot. Add both to the pot and stir well.
5. Add red curry paste and mix in well. Add coconut milk and fill can halfway with water and add water. Rinse and roughly chop basil and add to the pot.
6. Add remaining seasoning and stir. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Serve with 1/2 cup of rice and top with fresh basil.

A Bit Of Light

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With life getting in the way, sometimes a light dinner is called for. This dish took 10 minutes to make and was both light and satisfying. I has also made a pitcher of cucumber infused water with basil and lemon earlier in the week which was quite refreshing. The shrimp in this dish can easily be substituted with a piece of seared fish or canned tuna that can be spruced up with fresh herbs, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Check out the recipe below.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. shrimp
1 lemon
1 tbsp. chopped green onion
1 small cucumber diced
1 cup diced tomato
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:
1. Peel and devein shrimp if whole. Set aside in ice water until ready to use.
2. Rinse and peel cucumber and cut in half. Cut in half horizontally, then make three long strips to make a small dice. Repeat with remaining half.
3. Rinse and score tomato before dicing it. Add tomato and cucumber to a medium-sized bowl.
4. Rinse and chop green onion and add to the bowl. Rinse lemon and cut in half before squeezing one half over bowl.
5. Place a pan over medium heat and add oil. Place shrimp on a paper towel and pat dry. Season with half of the seasonings and add to hot pan.
6. Season other half and let cook for 2 minutes before flipping he shrimp. Let cook for 2 minutes then squeeze in fresh lemon juice (seeded side up). Let cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
7. Plate in bowls and serve.