Tag Archives: quick fix meals

Chicken Enchilada’s with Salsa Verde

Posted on by
Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

 

Chicken enchilada’s are so easy to make. You can throw almost anything in enchiladas and not mess them up and they’re done in less than 30 minutes. A friend gave me some homemade salsa verde, and the moment I tasted it, I knew that it would make these enchiladas sing!  For the chicken in these I just threw a chopped onion and 1 pound of chicken thighs in my pressure cooker with enough water to cover, and cooked the chicken for 20 minutes–easy peasy.  But if you have leftover chicken you can use that.

Logo Pinterest-01

Pin it!

 

 

 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb of cooked chicken (shredded)

2 cups of cheddar cheese (grated)

2 cups of salsa verde

1/2 cup of black olives, sliced

10-12 corn tortilla’s

Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Lightly greese a 9×11 baking dish, then line the bottom of  the baking dish with corn tortillas.  Top the tortillas with the shredded chicken, top the chicken with salsa verde, top the salsa verde with cheese, and  finally add a layer of  black olives.  Cover the olives with one more layer of corn tortillas, add a  layer of salsa verde, a layer of cheese and the last of the olives. image Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, remove from the oven, serve and enjoy! image

Roasted Broccoli and Garlic

Posted on by
Roasted Broccoli and Garlic

Roasted Broccoli and Garlic

 

Trying to get my daughter to eat and love broccoli has not been easy.  This whole food texture thing she has is more trouble than I initially thought.  I mistakenly thought that since she loves roasted cauliflower then roasted broccoli would be a no-brainer—apparently not so with her.  Despite her refusal, this roasted broccoli and garlic dish has become a new favorite for my husband and I.  We both love it! Not only do we love it, but I served it to some friends, and they loved it too!  I’m just going to have to keep trying with my daughter, she has not been won over by a love of broccoli–yet!

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of broccoli sliced

3 large cloves of garlic sliced thinly

Coconut oil spray or 3 tablespoons of olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

 

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray it with coconut oil. Add broccoli, and sprinkle with sliced garlic.  Season with sea salt and black pepper then spray the broccoli generously with coconut oil spray.  If using olive oil, add broccoli to a bowl with olive oil and toss until broccoli is coated, then add it to the sheet pan, sprinkle sliced garlic, season with sea salt and black pepper.

image

Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until broccoli starts to brown a bit.  Remove from oven, serve and enjoy.

image

Grilled Asparagus

Posted on by

Grilled Asparagus

 

Asparagus season is almost over here. If you are not paying attention the season can pass in the blink of an eye.  One of my favorite ways to make asparagus is on the grill.  The smokey flavor from the grill pairs well with the fresh crispness of this stalk green. Grilled asparagus has many fans in my house.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 8 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1lb of asparagus bottom stalk portion removed

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

 

Directions:  Lay asparagus on a flat plate, drizzle with coconut oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roll to spread seasoning.  Place asparagus on a hot grill, and grill until done about 8 minutes. Remove from grill, drizzle with a little bit of lemon juice, or with my spicy mustard vinaigrette and enjoy!

image

 

Grilled Rib-eye with Spicy Dry-Rub

Posted on by
Grilled Rib-eye with Spicy Dry-Rub

Grilled Rib-eye with Spicy Dry-Rub

Now that it’s warm again, I can cut out a bit of my cooking by having my husband grill for us. He loves rib-eye steaks and it’s fun for me to find different ways to spice them up. I love making marinades for steaks but sometimes it’s fun just to mix a few dry spices together and see what happens. That is exactly what I did here. This dry rub is definitely going into our menu line up again, it is so yummy.  The only problem with allowing my husband to grill the meat, is that he was not as gentle with the meat as I would have been, so I didn’t get great pictures, but trust me when I say, you will love this dry rub.

Pin It!

Pin It!

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Servings: Enough seasoning for 1lb Steak double the recipe if you need to season more than one steak.

Ingredients Dry-Rub:

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Sea salt to taste

Directions: Add the dry spices to a small bowl and mix them together until combined.

image

Season the both sides of the steak with sea salt, then rub both sides generously with the dry spice mixture.

image

image

Place on the grill and let cook  for 7-8 minutes on each side, remove from grill let sit for 5-7 minutes before enjoying.  How easy was that?  I love it when my husband grills;-)

image

Okay share your favorite dry rub seasoning?  I always buy one, this is the first time that I’ve made my own.

 

Southern Style Fried Catfish

Posted on by
Southern style Catfish

Southern style Catfish

 

Last week I was watching a documentary called,  Soul Food Junkies, it was about the history and resulting health consequences of eating too much soul food. It was a great  documentary, informative, and inspiring in all the right places. However, I left viewing it with a strong desire to eat collard greens and catfish. My grandmother fried fish, and cooked greens like no one else on this planet, I miss her cooking so much!  I guess one could say that my craving was one more of emotional comfort rather than hunger. Whatever, the reason for my craving, it was one that I had to fulfill. It worked out perfectly, as things go, my Whole Foods had 4 catfish fillets on hand, they rarely if ever have catfish, so I took it as a sign that my grandmother was looking out for me and wanted me to have the comfort of the meal I had set out to make. I rarely cook fried fish, but when I do, I love to have it with collard greens. So I picked up a few bushels from my local farmers market and set out to make this meal. This is not my grandmothers recipe, but it’s pretty great on its own. Her recipe involved much more detail than this one does, and that required more time than I had on that Sunday. If you want, and have the time, you can crack an egg and whisk it to use as a wash to dip the fish into before putting it into the corn meal. I skipped that option and the fish was still crispy and juicy.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 lb of cat fish fillets, quartered

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup of corn meal

1/2 cup of grapeseed oil, or safflower oil

Directions: Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet. season the cat fish fillets with sea salt and black pepper. Mix the paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder together in a small bowl, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over both sides of the fish.

image

Coat the fish with the corn meal then add it to the hot oil, and fry until golden brown, and cooked through…about 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, and enjoy!

image

Sautéed Mushrooms

Posted on by
Sautéed Mushrooms

Sautéed Mushrooms

One of my favorite side dishes in the world is sautéed mushrooms. I love mushrooms in general, but there is just something that happens to a mushroom when it’s sautéed perfectly that sets off a flavor explosion in your mouth. Sautéing mushrooms is easy, but there is an art to it, not all sautés are created equally. The key to a good mushroom sauté is to let the mushrooms brown. Browning is an result of the Maillard reaction, and that reaction is where flavor  lives.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:
10 ounces of sliced mushrooms (I used crimini and oyster)
2 large cloves of garlic
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 tea spoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley finely minced
Sea salt to taste

Directions: add the olive oil and garlic to a sauté and let cook for 10-20 seconds or until you can smell the garlic:

image

Add in the sliced mushrooms and season with sea salt:

image

The mushrooms will begin to release water, toss and allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes. The water should begin to evaporate. Add in the tab of butter and toss the mushrooms:

image

Cook for another 3-4 minutes without tossing, to allow the mushrooms to brown, add in soy sauce and toss, until the soy evaporates, about 1 minute:

image

Transfer the mushrooms to a dish, sprinkle the parsley on top and enjoy!

image

Lamb Burgers with Yogurt Cucumber Mint Sauce

Posted on by
Lamb Burgers With Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

Lamb Burgers With Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

Sometimes you just need a burger! Considering the fact that Americans consume nearly 50 billion burgers a year, I am assuming most people need more than one! Although beef burgers are great, it’s nice every once in awhile to switch meats up a bit.  This lamb burger provides the perfect switch.

 

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 7-10 minutes

Cook time: 7-10 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1lb of ground lamb

1/2 cup of mint, chopped finely

1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley chopped finely

Sea Salt & Black pepper to taste

Ingredients for Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

1/2 cup of yogurt

1 large clove of garlic grated

1/4 cup of organic Persian cucumber cubed

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 Tablespoon of finely minced shallot

1 tablespoon of mint finely chopped

Sea salt to taste

Directions:  add all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce to a medium sized bowl, mix well and set aside.

image

In a large bowl add the ingredients for the burger, mix with your hands to incorporate all of the ingredients,  and then form patties.

image

Heat a cast iron skillet, then add the burgers. Cook each burger without turning them, for 4-6 minutes on each side.

image

Serve these on buns with the cucumber sauce or go to my YouTube channel and get my recipe for Creamy herb feta cheese spread.

Creamy Herbed Feta Cheese Spread

Creamy Herbed Feta Cheese Spread

Or skip the bun and use lettuce as a low carb option.

Lamb Burger with Yogurt cucumber sauce

Lamb Burger with Yogurt cucumber sauce

Charbroiled Sardines with parsley and thyme

Posted on by
Charbroiled Sardines with Parsley and Thyme

Charbroiled Sardines with Parsley and Thyme

 

It’s not often here that I can walk up to my local Whole Foods Market fish counter and get fresh sardines. So when the opportunity to do so  occurred, I jumped at it.  I am a huge fan of small sustainable fish, like sardines, and smelt.  I’ll even go out on a limb and say that I like smelt fish more than sardines, but smelt fish are even harder to come by than fresh sardines.  If you’ve never made fresh sardines before, then you have been missing out! They’re so easy to make, and so delicious!

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 7-10 minutes

1 pound of fresh Sardines split down the middle

1/2 cup of parsley

1/4 cup thyme

1 clove of garlic

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Sea salt and Black pepper to taste

Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Line a bake sheet with parchment or foil. Pulse all the ingredients with the exception of the sardines in a small blender or processor. You can skip the processor and opt to chop all the herbs finely and then mix with the oil and lemon. Place the sardines on the lined bake sheet, add the herb mixture to the inside of each sardine. Season with sea salt and black pepper then place in the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until sardines are cooked through and have charred on top a bit. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy!

image

Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Posted on by
Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad

My daughter has reached a turning point in eating! I have a feeling it has a lot to do with the fact that she her 2 year molars are coming in, which makes things easier to chew. But in the last few weeks we’ve seen a change in her mindset too. She’s taken to saying “to eat is good for you?” Or insert name of food item “is good for you?” If we say yes, then she eats it! I feel like I’ve struck the mommy lotto because now things she wouldn’t consider eating, she’s now eating, all because we say it’s good for her. One of the things I have been trying to get her to eat, but she never would, is cucumbers. It has been a complete over night shift! She wouldn’t touch them before, but now she loves them because they’re good for her. She also loves tomatoes, this Persian salad is one of my favorite salads to order when we go out for Persian food. So I thought I’d try it out on her and of course she loved it! I’m not a big fan of onions in my salads, because they tend to over power the rest of the ingredients in a salad. I don’t know where I learned this tip, but soaking the onions in water before adding them to things, mellows the onions a bit. I let them sit for 5-10 minutes and drain them before adding them to my salad, the onions still have flavor, but less of a “oh my god I just ate a raw onion” bite! I prefer to use red onion, or shallots in this recipe, but brown onion works just as well.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

 

 

 

Prep time: 5-10minutes
Cook time : none

Ingredients:
1 cup Organic Persian Cucumber cubed
1 cup of organic cherry Tomatoes quartered or halved
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Sea salt to taste
2 tablespoons of red onion finely chopped, soaked in water for ten minutes then drained just before adding them to salad.

Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a bowl toss well and enjoy!

image

Lamb Lettuce Wraps with Mint Chimichurri Sauce

Posted on by
Lamb Lettuce Wraps With Mint Chimichurri Sauce

Lamb Lettuce Wraps With Mint Chimichurri Sauce

One of my favorite “cook” books is The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It is my go to book when I need inspiration for a new recipe. If you own it, then you know it’s not a cookbook in the traditional sense, because it doesn’t contain any recipes. It’s more of a reference for exactly what it title states, flavors that work well together. Yesterday I was browsing it for an idea for what I could do with some ground lamb that I needed to make for dinner. It was a hot day here in California–go figure–so I wanted something light and cooling. I opened The Flavor Bible up and landed on Chimichurri and it hit me! Inspiration at it’s best!! I decided to make lamb lettuce wraps with a mint Chimichurri! These are DELICIOUS!! My husband raved at every bite! If ground lamb isn’t your thing, or you can’t get it in your grocery store, try this with ground beef or chicken, the mint Chimichurri sauce will work with either.

Pin It!

Pin It!

 

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

 

 

Ingredients:
1 lb Lamb
9 leaves of organic Butter lettuce
1 cup of organic Green onion sliced white parts included
3 cloves of garlic minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of fresh organic mint chopped

Ingredients for Mint Chimichurri
1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup of mint
3 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic
Sea salt to taste

Directions:
Place all the ingredients for the Chimmichurri in a blender or processor and blend until smooth, set aside. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet, add garlic, and green onion, toss for 20-30 seconds, then add in ground meat. Season with sea salt and black pepper, and cook until meat is browned and cooked through, add in the mint and toss, remove from the fire.
image

Scoop meat into lettuce leaves, top with Chimmichurri and enjoy!

image