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Citrus Mango Black Bean Salad

April 14, 2015 //
2

Here is a great meatless Monday (or any day!) meal. I just happened to make it on a Monday. I know that there is the meatless Monday trend right now. I am not rigid about never eating meat on Monday specifically, but I have no issue with skipping meat for a meal or two throughout the week. This just happened to work out. It was so lovely outside yesterday. I did not feel like dragging the boys to a grocery store. I wanted to just hang out outside as much as we could. Which is what we did!

This is a great summer flavored meal. I also have to give a special thanks to my cute sous chef. We were discussing what I should put in this recipe. I almost went with pineapple. He said “no let’s do mango, it’s my favorite!” Which is true. The child loves to eat mangoes. I went with his suggestion and the flavors were a yummy combo.

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Citrus Mango Black Bean Salad

  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 orange, juiced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 Tbsp Orange Blossom vinegar
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • Several large handfuls of spinach, chopped
  • 1 generous cup of diced mango
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • Cilantro to taste
  • Whole wheat pitas

Saute the red peppers in the olive oil until they begin to get tender. Add the frozen corn, lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, lime zest, cumin, vinegar, and sea salt. Continue to cook for another few minutes until the corn is also tender. Add the black beans, mix well, heat through. Add the spinach and let it begin to wilt. Turn off heat and add the green onion and cilantro, mix well. Let it stand for a couple minutes. Add the mango and mix. Scoop onto mini whole wheat pitas.

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Categories Recipes

Roasted Purple Cauliflower and Red Potatoes

April 12, 2015 //
1

Jackson begs me to buy cauliflower all of the time. He is also known for just tossing a bag of fresh green beans into our cart without knowing if I had it on my list! When he saw that I was cooking the purple cauliflower he stopped in his tracks to exclaim his joy. If your veggies are this fun of a color, what’s not to love? This recipe is a great side dish. I made my Lemon Pepper Chicken to go along with this dish. I skipped the pasta and the green beans. I didn’t have and green beans. I added two shortly zoodled zucchinis and a couple handfuls of spinach instead. They went together very well!

I was supposed to get this posted yesterday but I have found my laptop to be in use all of the time lately. Jackson has discovered AbcMouse. A wonderful learning site. We signed him up the other day. It is the first thing he asks to do in the morning. Yesterday he started his morning at 6am. Very early for my chronically late sleeper. That is my normal writing time. Better late than never, though. Hope you get to squeeze this yummy side dish into your week.

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Roasted Purple Cauliflower and Red Potatoes

  • 1/2 head purple cauliflower (approximately)
  • 4-5 medium/small red potatoes
  • 2 Tbsp lemon olive oil. I used this
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 405

Cut up potatoes into bite size pieces. Break apart cauliflower florets. Add all to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, Italian seasoning, and sea salt. Mix/toss well until all pieces are coated. Pour onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for around 30 minutes.  Serve!

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Categories Recipes, Side Dishes

Spanish Steak

April 9, 2015 //
0

I really enjoyed the smokey flavors of this meal. I love the simplicity of it. There are not a ton of ingredients in it, yet it still has a lovely flavor.

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Spanish Steak

  • about 1.3lbs of steak, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced small
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • fresh black pepper to taste
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped

Cook the onions in the olive oil until they are tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the steak pieces, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, sea salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a bubble. Turn down the heat a bit and continue to stir and cook., until the tomatoes are soft, break apart, and partially become sauce like. You can cook a little longer or shorter depending on how well you like your steak pieces. Mine ended up medium well.

I served them over julienned rainbow carrots. I simply sautéed those in a drizzle of olive oil until slightly tender. Delicious together!

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Categories Recipes

White Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes

April 8, 2015 //
0

I haven’t had a new recipe up since last week. Easter was on Sunday and I have two boys who have been sharing germs. My older one was sick at the end of last week and the baby started it on Sunday evening. With a 101 degree fever! He is still not feeling well. My poor little man. I also tried to get this up before 7am and that didn’t work out with him being sick. Then my 4 year old started in the Kindergarten Prep classroom at his school today. Big day!

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The baby had a Dr appointment immediately after that. Then he has been fussy (because he has a cold virus AND a stomach virus!!!) and my kitchen was filthy and needed a good once over. Now I am quick finishing this up while he tries to settle (unsuccessfully) for a nap. Poor sweet sick babe!

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I was wearing him while trying to get this meal started last night. He just wanted momma snuggles right around 4:30ish. Then he wasn’t settled in the wrap. Because he doesn’t feel well. Eventually I was able to get him to feel settled and dinner was under way. But it was already almost 5:30. This was a nice quick recipe I whipped up on the fly. It turned out nice and fresh and yummy tasting.

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White Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 Lemon, juiced
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed/minced
  • 1 tsp Mediterranean basil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 vine rip tomato, sliced thinly
  • 2 small zucchini
  • Fresh mozzarella, to taste, and sliced thinly
  • Volcano Rice 

Prepare rice according to package.

Preheat ove to 385

Combine olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, basil, garlic, and sea salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

Slice chicken breast into thinner pieces lengthwise. I did this because I was on a time crunch for dinner. They cook a little faster. If you have time to cook them longer, you don’t have to thin them out.

Place in a square baking dish. Pour the olive oil combo over the chicken. Place tomato slices over chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Time will increase if you did not thin out chicken.

Meanwhile, use a spiralizer on the zucchini. After the chicken as cooked for 20 minutes, add the zoodles around the edges of the chicken and then some on top of the tomatoes. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until the zucchini begins to look tender.

Add the mozzarella on top of the chicken breasts and cook for another 5-7 minutes. So the cheese gets nice and melted.

Serve over the volcano rice! Drizzle a little extra vinegar over your bowl if desired.

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Categories Chicken, Recipes

Blood Orange Chicken

April 4, 2015 //
1

I wanted to make something with chicken and veggies. I also wanted to use a new vinegar I recently purchased. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. My 4 year old really wanted pasta. This creation came from those three factors. I then started thinking about how gorgeous all the blood oranges I bought are. I am just in love with their color. They are truly beautiful.

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Blood Orange Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 blood oranges. One juiced. One cut into pieces and set aside.
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp O Ginger Rice Vinegar
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 3 small carrots, julienned
  • 1 zucchini, julienned
  • Crushed red pepper (optional)

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, blood orange juice, lime juice, ginger rice vinegar, coriander, sea salt, and pepper. Cook chicken through. Add the honey and blood orange pieces. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and zucchini. Cook until the veggies are tender but still bright.

I served it over whole wheat spaghetti, but brown rice would be another great option. You can also sprinkle a little red pepper flakes over your bowl if you wanted a little kick.

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Categories Chicken, Recipes

Grilled Steak with Greek Peppers

April 1, 2015 //
0

The weather has been beautiful the past two days. Yesterday was nice enough to enjoy using my grill. I was inspired to make this dish by finding these very pretty purple peppers at Whole Foods the other day. I love incorporating color into my meals. It even helps get the little ones excited about veggies. These were too pretty to pass up!

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Grilled Steak with Greek Peppers

For the meat:

  • 2 steaks. I used filet
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • touch of olive oil
  • sea salt, to taste
  • fresh black pepper, to taste

I trimmed the meat and sliced it lengthwise so the pieces were thinner and grilled quicker. I mixed the lemon juice and olive oil in one small bowl. The sea salt and pepper in another. I brushed each side of the meat with the lemon juice/olive oil. Then rubbed the sea salt/pepper into the meat.

I grilled on low until the steaks were about medium well. Slice up the steaks, set aside.

For the Peppers

  • 2 small purple bell peppers
  • 1 small red bell pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 Tbsp of my Greek Seasoning 
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • Several handfuls of spinach/arugula mix. You could also just use spinach. I just had this leafy green mix
  • Fresh chopped Italian parsley, to taste.
  • Feta, to taste
  • Whole wheat Pitas

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic. Heat for a minute. Add the sliced peppers, Greek seasoning, vinegar, and lemon juice. Cook until peppers are tender. Add the spinach/arugula and the sliced up steak. Allow leafy greens to wilt. Add parsley, mix well. Serve on warm whole wheat pita bread. Top with a little feta.

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Categories dinner, Recipes

Fig Balsamic Walnut Chicken

March 30, 2015 //
0

On Saturday I came across a new balsamic vinegar. I was so excited. It is a fig balsamic vinegar. I have recently fallen in love with figs. Although my mom informs me I loved them as a child. So let’s just say I have recently rediscovered my love of figs. Since I am always looking for new and fun ways to prepare my meals, this was a great find.

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They have other oil and vinegar products as well. I grabbed a few. I am sure they will be making their way into my upcoming posts. This one though is mighty tasty. It even smells heavenly. I hope you enjoy this chicken dish as much as I did!

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Fig Balsamic Walnut Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp finely diced shallot
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 Tbsp Fig Balsamic Vinegar 
  • 2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 small lemon, juiced
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
  • several handfuls arugula, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • Parmesan cheese. For topping. (optional)

Heat the shallot in the olive oil until it is fragrant and softened. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add chicken, stir well. Add the fig balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, lemon juice, and sea salt. Stir chicken well. Allow chicken to cook for another few minutes. Until you can no longer see any pink. Add the tomatoes. Continue to cook until chicken is entirely cooked through and tomatoes have softened. Add the walnuts, and stir well again. Combining everything. Cook for another minute or two. Then turn off heat, add arugula, mix, and allowed arugula to wilt slightly. Serve and sprinkle with a small amount of parmesan cheese, if desired.

I served it with potato bites. I made my Lemony Potato Bites but I added 2 tsps of dried Herbes de Provence. Just to switch it up a little.

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Categories Chicken, dinner, Recipes

Sesame Ginger Chicken over Forbidden Rice

March 26, 2015 //
0

Have I ever mentioned that I love rice? Ha! Forbidden rice is my favorite rice. I discovered it at a restaurant a couple years ago while we were away for the weekend celebrating our wedding anniversary. I then HAD to find it for my own kitchen. I use Lotus Foods Forbidden Rice. As usual, this dish comes with lots of veggies. I had a hankering for something with ginger. It was just sitting there looking lovely at Whole Foods, so I grabbed a knob of it. Then I combined all of these flavors for this light and spicy dish.
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Sesame Ginger Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots

  • 1 clove garlic, pressed/minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
  • 2 tsp coriander
  •  1tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp white ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 small limes juiced (or one large lime juiced)
  • 1/2 tbsp honey
  • Broccoli. I used 3 small heads of broccoli
  • Carrots, julienned. I used 4 small/medium carrots.
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1/4 c fresh coarsely chopped basil
  • Red pepper flakes optional and to taste. I recommend them!
  • Forbidden black rice, prepared

Cut chicken into chunks. Heat the sesame oil and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken, ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamom, white pepper, sea salt, vinegar, lime juice, and honey. Cook chicken through. Add the broccoli, carrots, and sesame seeds. I covered with a lid to help steam the veggies a bit.

Once the veggies are cooked to your liking add the basil and stir to combine. Serve over the black rice. Sprinkle each dish with red pepper flakes. This is optional but I really loved the kick it had. I sprinkled about 1/4 tsp on my bowl. I skipped it for my little guy. He isn’t so into spicy foods yet. Kid taste buds and all.

Note: I tend to cook my broccoli a little longer so that it is easier to digest. I LOVE broccoli but sometimes it doesn’t agree with me. I have found that if I make sure it is cooked through I have an easier time digesting it. Last night was no exception. I know there is debate over eating cruciferous veggies raw or steamed. As of late, the tide has been turning toward it still being very nutritional to eat them cooked. My take on it is, I want to eat them, but I simply cannot tolerate them raw. I would rather lose some nutrients than be unable to consume them at all.

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Categories Chicken, Recipes

Middle Eastern Steak and Veggies

March 24, 2015 //
3

I get excited when I come up with different spice blends that I can store for continued use. This meal came from that. I actually found the cutest little mason spice jars over the weekend. I have a mason jar OBSESSION! I bought 3. I will likely go back and get more. Now I needed spice blends to fill up those jars. This meal comes from one of those blends. The link for the recipe is below. Enjoy!

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Middle Eastern Steak and Veggies

  • 2 filets, cut into pieces
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp Middle Eastern Spices. I make my own blend
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 lemon zested/juiced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 1 zucchini, zoodled into short pieces
  • 2 Tbsp pine nuts

In a large pan, heat the garlic and olive oil. Add steak bits and begin to brown. Add the Middle Eastern seasoning and sea salt, mix well so all pieces are coated. Continue to cook. When most pink is no longer noticeable, add the red and orange peppers. Cook until peppers begin to get soft. Add the zucchini, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let the zucchini begin to get tender. Add the pine nuts, mix well, heat through. Serve!

They are photoed alongside my Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites. It was a nice compliment to this meal.

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Categories Recipes

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites

March 24, 2015 //
2

We eat sweet potatoes often. They are just so yummy. Both of my little men love them as well.  As I was beginning to prep dinner, I asked Jackson if he wanted sweet potatoes or red potatoes. He picked sweet potatoes! Both boys started off with pureed sweet potatoes as infants. Jackson LOVED them and Alexander has followed suit. Bringing sweet potatoes to the dinner table for all of us is so yummy. This is just one of my recipes. Jackson absolutely loves it. It pretty much tastes like you are eating something not totally nutritious and healthy. But they are and you are! Yum!

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Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites

  • 1 large and 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside

In a large bowl add the cut up sweet potatoes, olive oil, cinnamon, and sea salt. Mix well so that all pieces are coated. I usually cover with press n seal and shake until I feel each piece gets covered.

Pour contents onto parchment paper. Bake at 400 for about 25-30 minutes. Checking once or twice and flipping the pieces around. They are done when they begin to brown on the bottom and are soft to the touch (with a spatula! Don’t burn your fingers! ha!)

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Categories potatoes, Recipes, Side Dishes
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