Archives for posts with tag: dairy free

Pasta Primavera

June 26, 2015 //
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Here is my take on pasta primavera. I do love veggies oh so much. There is something particularly delicious about roasted or grilled veggies. I could just eat those every single day of my life.

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Pasta Primavera

  • 1 lb whole wheat pasta
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 sweet onion
  • 1 carrot (you could add two. I only had one left!)
  • 1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
  • Olive oil spray, to taste (I use a sprayer that I fill myself)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes
  • Balsamic vinegar, to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Cut the zucchini, pepper, onion, and carrots into pieces. Arrange neatly on the baking pan. Spray with olive oil until all pieces are coated. Shake the Herbes and sea salt over the veggies. Set in oven. Keep an eye on them. Roast until they begin to brown and the veggies are tender. I even added another coat of olive oil and flipped them around while they cooked.

Meanwhile prepare the pasta. Chop the tomatoes into chunks. When veggies are done add everything to a large bowl and mix to combine. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over and mix again. This is to taste. I prefer to be generous because the sweetness of the vinegar really pulls this dish together!

They made yummy leftovers. I just reheated it all in a pan adding a touch more balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

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Categories Uncategorized

Ginger Curry Turkey with Brown Rice Noodles

May 20, 2015 //
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This recipe is being posted out of sheer luck. Well, maybe some skill was involved, but there was luck there too. Getting dinner to the table last night was hectic to say the least. It was very busy and loud in my kitchen. I was hoping it would be yummy. I wasn’t convinced though as I scooped it into bowls. My cooking had been a touch distracted. I had two boys who equally wanted attention. One wanted to help me cook and CHOP food. The other had bumped his head as I started prepping and so he wasn’t in the mood to be left in the pack and play for an extended period of time. (He hit his head because he is a 7 month old baby who is already cruising along furniture and he has no fear!)

I learned to trust myself a little more. Or at least give myself some credit. This dish was so yummy! We were all raving about it.

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Ginger Curry Turkey with Brown Rice Noodles

  • 1lb ground turkey breast
  • 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Ginger Rice Vinegar
  • 1/2 Tbsp Malaysian Ginger Curry
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 head broccoli
  • 4 small carrots, chopped
  • a couple handfuls of spinach, chopped
  • Brown rice noodles, cooked according to package
  • Sambal Oelek, optional.

Combine the onion and garlic in a large pan or stir fry pan. Pour olive oil over to coat pan. Cook until onions begin to get tender. Add the turkey meat and begin to brown. Add the vinegar, curry powder, and sea salt.

Meanwhile cook the noodles according to package.

Once the meat is browned through add the red pepper flakes, carrots, and broccoli. Once veggies are tender add the spinach and cook until spinach wilts. Add the cooked noodles, breaking them apart into smaller pieces. Mix all together well. Serve in bowls with a scoop of Sambal Oelek if desired. It gives it a nice spiciness!

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Categories Uncategorized

Grilled Chicken and Veggies with Greek Seasoning Sauce

May 18, 2015 //
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I finally have a new recipe to share! I have made a few new dishes since my last recipe post. Some have flopped. Some have just been eh, ok. Nothing to write home about. Some have been in a mad rush to get dinner on the table. I didn’t pay attention to what measurements I was using nor did I take the time to write down anything I threw together. Last night I did take the time.

It is that time of year where we use our grill multiple times a week. I love the smell of food on the grill. My mouth waters at the aromas.

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Grilled Chicken and Veggies with a Greek Seasoning Sauce

For the chicken:

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • sea salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Slice the chicken thinly. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper on both sides. Cook through on grill. This will vary depending on your grill. I have to always keep my burner on low and it still cooks things rather quickly, so I have to watch the food.

For the veggies:

Assorted veggies of your choice. For this dinner I used

  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1/2 sweet onion
  • 1 container white mushrooms
  • Olive oil
  • Balsamic vinegar

Cut up the veggies and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix well. Pour onto a grill pan on your grill. Flip frequently. Until veggies are tender and some pieces start to brown.

Greek Seasoning Sauce

  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • drizzle olive oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp Greek Seasoning
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat the garlic and olive oil in a pan. Add the lemon juice, Greek seasoning, and balsamic vinegar. Simmer the sauce until the chicken is ready. Keep it on a low heat.

Once chicken and veggies are done put the veggies in a bowl or on a plate. Place the chicken on a separate plate. Coarsely chop the chicken into pieces. Add to a bowl. Pour the sauce over the chicken and mix well. Serve the chicken and veggies over a whole wheat pita.

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Categories Chicken

Snow Pea Lime Chicken

April 27, 2015 //
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AH! This past week has been crazy! So much has happened. I really did not come up with any new recipes until last night. I was supposed to grill some chicken. I had a new poultry rub idea ready to go. The potatoes were in the oven. Alexander suddenly decided he was starving and exhausted even though he had recently eaten. Babies, I tell ya! I had to halt my food prep and go nurse a sweet little almost 7 month old to sleep for a nappy nap. The potatoes were already cooking. I had to switch it up once I was done because I was short on time now. Pan chicken is always a quick dish for me to whip up. I thought of this on the fly. I was inspired by the snow peas we purchased. This is the very first time I have cooked with snow peas. I hate regular peas. They make me gag. I have tried and I just cannot enjoy the flavor of them. Snow peas taste a bit different though, so I decided to try them again. I really enjoyed this dish. It was light and fresh and very spring like! It looks like snow peas may become a more frequent veggie in our home. Jackson also enjoyed them. He said “Yum. They’re kind of like green beans!” Truth!

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Snow Pea Lime Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp orange blossom vinegar
  • 3 limes
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 orange pepper, diced
  • 3 carrots julienned
  • 1/2 lb snow peas
  • 3 green onions, chopped

Juice two of the limes. Set the 3rd one aside for later.

Combine the chicken, lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, white pepper, thyme, ground mustard, and sea salt in a large pan. Begin to cook. Once the chicken no longer looks pink add the orange peppers. Cook until they soften. Once the have softened, add the carrots and snow peas. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Meanwhile juice the 3rd lime. Once chicken is cooked, turn off heat and add the remaining lime juice and green onions.

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Categories Chicken

Savory Turkey and Veggies with Roasted Potatoes

April 17, 2015 //
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I have had a taste for tomatoes all of the time lately. Maybe it is the spring air that has been surrounding us daily. Something about a nice fresh tomato screams warmer weather. That partially inspired this dish. The other part was my 4 year old. I listed off all of the things I could potentially cook and he picked the turkey and potatoes. I truly get giddy over the fact that my child is so open to eating all of these yummy veggies. Eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini all in one dish. It is not always easy at dinnertime with a 4 year old, but we have been consistent in our rules that he has to eat what I serve. It has paid off. I remember when he wouldn’t touch meat and veggies could be a trip as well. Now he picks turkey and begs me to buy eggplants and cauliflower! I haven’t served a legit salad in a while though because he has a deep hatred for them and I have just been too busy basking in the victory that is my child begging for all of these other veggies. Ha! Summer is creeping in though and my salad cravings will increase…..Maybe by the time he is 5 I will have conquered the salad battle as well!

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Savory Turkey and Veggies with Colorful Roasted Potatoes

  • 1lb white meat ground turkey
  • 2 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 2 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 eggplant, diced
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1 zucchini, zoodled

Heat the garlic in the olive oil for 1-2 minutes, until it is sizzling and fragrant. Add the ground turkey and begin to brown. Breaking up the pieces with your spoon. Once some of the pieces are turning white, add the Italian seasoning, lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, ground mustard, and sea salt. Continue to cook until you no longer see pink bits, breaking up the pieces as it cooks. Add the eggplant and tomatoes. Cook until the eggplant until is soft and the tomatoes start to fall apart. Add the zoodles and cook another 2-3 minutes for the zucchini to get tender.

I served this over my Roasted Potato Bites. The only thing I did different was skip the lemon juice in this recipe. I just roasted them with the olive oil and sea salt. It was a nice compliment to the turkey.

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Categories Uncategorized

Roasted Purple Cauliflower and Red Potatoes

April 12, 2015 //
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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 //
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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

Red Meat Sauce

March 21, 2015 //
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Last night I wanted something simple and fast to whip up. We decided to go swimming around 5pm, which is often dinnertime in our home. We had a blast. I eventually had to get out of the pool because the baby was not napping and the monitor was going nuts. Jackson and Jason stayed swimming. I had Alex, who wanted to play and be by me in general. I kind of wanted to play too! Which I did. So simple it was. My meat sauce is the easiest!

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Red Meat Sauce for Pasta or Zoodles

  • 1lb white meat ground turkey
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning. I use this
  • Several handfuls of spinach, chopped
  • 1 Jar all natural pasta sauce. I use Mario Batali Tomato Basil Check out the ingredients. No junk is added. No added sugars. All natural ingredients. There are even carrots in it! So it is my go to pasta sauce.
  • Cooked pasta of your choice or zoodles. The boys had pasta I had zoodles.

Prepare a pot with boiling water for your pasta. Once boiling add your noodles and cook until al dente.

Heat garlic and olive oil in a large pan. Add the turkey. Begin to brown. Add the vinegar and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Continue to brown. Once all pieces look like they have begun to cook, add the spinach and again mix well. Let spinach wilt a bit. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Let sauce continue to simmer until your pasta is done.

Meanwhile if you are opting for zoodles, take 2 zucchinis (more if you are feeding more than one person with them) and spiralize them with your spiralizer. 5 minutes before you’re ready to serve the meal, sauté the zucchini in a drizzle of olive oil until the zoodles are tender.

Serve sauce over your noodle of choice!

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Categories dinner, Recipes

Lemon Honey Chicken Over Peppers

March 18, 2015 //
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Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day. My feeds were filled with images of corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. I went back and forth on what I should make for dinner. Ultimately I decided I wasn’t in the mood for corned beef. I did not really want a big heavy meal. I have had a slight cold or sinus infection this week. Nothing to knock me off my feet, but enough to be a touch annoying. Jackson does not recall having corned beef before. He has. I wasn’t really in the mood to try to convince him to try a brand new meat. Or cabbage! Sometimes he is not a big fan of change.

We went to the grocery store and I did show him what corned beef looks like. He said he wanted chicken for dinner. He didn’t have to twist my arm. I still wanted to have fun with St. Patrick’s Day though! I decided to make it about COLOR!

There are two recipes in this post. Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!! A day late, but with two recipes in hand 😉

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Lemon Honey Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp & 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard (look for one that has the least ingredients. Mine just has mustard, vinegar, sea salt)
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Several handfuls chopped spinach

Heat olive oil and garlic in a large pan for a couple minutes. Add chicken, and begin to cook. Add lemon juice, honey, mustard, oregano, and sea salt. Bring the sauce to a nice bubble, cooking chicken through. Reduce to a simmer so the sauce reduces and gets a little thicker. Add spinach and cook until wilted. My spinach was in there a touch too long. You can add it a minute or two before serving so it stays a brighter green.

Sautéed Orange and Green Peppers

  • 1 orange pepper, diced
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • Drizzle of olive oil

Combine the peppers in a medium sized pan. Drizzle some olive oil over them. Cook until tender.

I served the chicken over the peppers and it was a nice combination!

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Categories Chicken, Recipes, Side Dishes