Browsing Tag

dinner

Tasty

Green Goddess Bowl

February 24, 2014

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After all my Valentine’s indulgence (which carried over for a couple more weeks… opps), I am trying to get back into health-mode.  I have had a bunch of “detox” meals pinned and wanted to get on trying some of them… first on the docket – a Green Goddess Bowl!

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Green Goddess Bowl

adapted via Lunchbox Bunch

Step One – Layout the following:

  • 2-3 cups cooked grains (I used couscous, but quinoa, barley, brown rice are all great options)
  • 2-3 cups sautéed greens (I used 2 heads of broccoli, 1 head of kale and sprinkled some edamame – you can use any green veggie you like, brussel sprouts, peas, spinach, etc.)
  • Sweet Accent: I used citrus (I used a Cara Cara orange, but grapefruit could be a great option)
  • Garnish: Avocado and fresh chopped green herbs

Step Two – Sauté Greens:

  • Sauté green ingredients on med-high until tender with the following ingredients:
    • 2 Tbsp white miso paste
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • 2 Tbsp blood orange olive oil
    • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
    • Pepper to taste

Step Three – Fold:

  • Add to large bowl and fold together:
    • 3 cups fluffed couscous (or another cooked grain)
    • Some orange zest and juice of 1/2 an orange if you desire
    • Sautéed Greens

Step Four – Garnish:

  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • Chopped fresh herbs (I used cilantro, but basil, chives or parsley work too)
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion (red onion would work as well)
  • 1 large orange, peeled and diced

Step Five – Dressing:
*choose one below or use your own – or for lighter version, just use fresh lemon juice over top bowl

Tahini Maple

  • 2 Tbsp tahini
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • Pepper

Creamy Wasabi

  • 1 tsp wasabi powder
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp mayo or greek yogurt
  • 2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
  • Pepper

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Tasty

Coconut Carrot Soup

February 19, 2014

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Shutterbean is one of my favorite food blogs, and when Tracy posted a write up on “Meal Prep” a couple of weeks ago, I was transfixed.   Honestly, read it if you haven’t.  IMG_6318 I love planning meals ahead of time, but realized that sometimes that doesn’t work for my life.  On weeks where my husband is going to be working late, or the weather is really nice and I don’t want to spend it in the kitchen, following Tracy’s game plan is a no-brainer.  IMG_6325 I have had her Coconut Carrot Soup pinned for FOREVER, so when she mentioned making a batch on Sunday to have for lunch throughout the week, it re-sparked my interest.  I had just received a bunch of gorgeous carrots from my Farm Fresh to You box, and actually had ALL of the ingredients in my house (that NEVER happens).  IMG_6330 So, the next day before work, I chopped the carrots/onions and put them in a Ziplock bag, and laid out the (non refrigerated) ingredients for later that night. Once I got home from work, I followed the very short directions… and voila! Dinner and a few lunches were prepared with (hands on time) of 10 minutes!  AWESOME!!!

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Coconut Carrot Soup

Adapted from Shutterbean

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 lb. carrots, peeled & chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1  14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (I used sriracha as a back-up)
  • 1 lime
  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion, season with salt & pepper, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are softened, 15-20 minutes.
  2. Stir in broth, coconut milk, and sriracha.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and liquid is slightly reduced, 40-45 minutes.
  4. Let soup cool slightly, then puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
  5. Reheat in the saucepan if needed.
  6. Add the juice of one freshly squeezed lime and stir.
  7. Divide soup among bowls, and drizzle with sriracha and top with cilantro.

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Tasty

Thai Night

February 17, 2014

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I realized that with all of the sunny winter days California has had these past few months, slow cooking meals haven’t been on my radar.   When the weather took a turn a couple of weeks ago, I was excited to get back in my “winter groove” of crock-pot cooking!  Here as a Thai inspired menu I put together for Sunday dinner:

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Skinny Pina Coladas

  1. Pour rum into a low ball glass with 1 large ice cube.
  2. Top with lime juice, stir and enjoy!

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Crockpot Curried Thai Short Rib Tacos with Mango Salsa

Recipe via Half Baked Harvest 

Short Ribs

  • 3 lbs beef short ribs, seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
  • 1 cup sweet thai chili sauce
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon thai red curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 head butter lettuce and/or small tortillas

Mango Salsa

  • 1 mango, diced
  • 1/2 small jalapeño, seeded & diced
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 4 green onions, chopped

Thai Peanut Sauce

  • 1 (14 oz) can lite coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon thai red curry paste

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom pan and brown/sear short ribs over medium-high heat (about 1 minute for each side).
  2. Remove ribs and transfer to the crock-pot bowl.
  3. Add garlic, ginger, sweet thai chili sauce, soy sauce, thai red curry paste and fish sauce to crock-pot bowl/ribs.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (5-6 on high). The key is to make sure the meat is falling off of the bones when you remove them.
  4. While the ribs are cooking, make the mango salsa but mixing all the ingredients listed about together in a bowl.  Season to your liking and store in the fridge until ready to serve (I recommend doing this in the morning as well… it will only taste better the longer the flavors can meld).
  5. Make the peanut sauce by heating coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and thai red curry paste in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a low bowl and stir until sugar has dissolved, peanut butter has melted and you are left with a smooth peanut sauce.  Store until you are ready to eat.
  6. Once the ribs are fully cooked, remove from the crock-pot and shred with a fork.  Feel free to put meat back into crock-pot with sauce (if you aren’t a “sauce” person, or like your meat a little drier than you can skip this step).
  7. Serve meat with lettuce (for lettuce cups) or tortillas (for tacos), and top with mango salsa and peanut sauce.
  8. Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

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Tasty

Sweet Potato Avocado Burger

January 29, 2014

Sweet Potato Patty with Avocado

My husband craves burgers 24/7, but as I’ve gotten older, red meat has become less appealing (gasp I know). Therefore I have been attempting to sneak in “burger substitutes” here and there.  The flavors of this burger were AMAZING and I loved being able to take the patty to work the next day (I topped it with avocado slices drizzled in lime juice and cubed veggies). Garlic Aioli Burger How Sweet It Is is one of my favorite foodie blogs, and this sweet potato burger is right on the money!

Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream and Avocado

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

  • 2 large sweet potatoes/or yams
  • 2 bulbs of roasted garlic
  • 1 – 14.5 oz can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cumin
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2/3 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • buns – brioche or whole wheat
  1. Pierce the potato with a fork and wrap it in paper towel. Microwave sweet potatoes for 10 minutes (flipping at the 5 minute mark.  Slice in half and scoop out flesh once cool enough to handle.
  2. In a large bowl, coarsely mash beans (a fork will do), then add in sweet potato and mash together.
  3. Add in spices, salt and pepper, minced garlic, egg, panko and flour and mix until well combined.
  4. Place bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, to help set the mixture.
  5. Make your yogurt mixture by combining yogurt, garlic, and maple syrup in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
  7. Remove sweet potato mixture from fridge, and form into 4-6 equal patties.
  8. Place on hot skillet and cook about 5 minutes on each side (until side is golden). Flip and repeat.
  9. Toast buns and top with sweet potato patty. Top with garlic cream and avocado slices… enjoy!

Sweet Potato Burger A great burger alternative when watching the big game this weekend!

Tasty

Miso Veggie Tofu Bowl

January 6, 2014

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This week, I am focusing on fresh starts and new ways to begin this calendar year (sorry if that’s super cliché… I personally love the whole New Years concept)! I wanted to begin with a delicious and healthy meal option that I’ve been loving lately! I have always loved miso – some of my all-time favorite recipes include this one and this one. But recently have a new obsession Smitten Kitchen’s Miso Veggie Bowl recipe.  I whipped it up for dinner a few weeks ago and immediately added it to my recipe line up.  The major perk (apart for the flavor?!) the fact it makes a great lunch the next day (although there is rarely enough left over for that).

Here is the original recipe – and here is what I’ve been whipping up:

Dressing:

  • 2 T white miso
  • 1.5 T almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix with an immersion hand blender until combined.

The Goods

  • Tofu (I prep it using this recipe)
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Butternut Squash
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli

Roast according to Smitten Kitchen’s directions and serve over rainbow quinoa and top with the miso dressing!
I love how you can create the dressing, while the veggies are roasting… And you can be flexible with whatever veggies/protein you use… I love it’s versatility! You easily can use this recipe as a veggie dipping sauce if you wanted to as well…

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PS if you aren’t familiar with Smitten Kitchen, I highly recommend you do so.  I have followed Deb’s blog for sometime, but recently treated myself to her cookbook – it is amazing!

What is your favorite week day meal lately?