Today I tried to recreate a Mexican Restaurant experience with a Chicken Enchilada and a side of rice and beans. It was a success!
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza by The Defined Dish
Cacio e Pepe (3 ingredients, 10 minutes)
Gluten Free, Vegan Tostadas
As a non-vegan, I love when I accidentally make a meal that’s delicious and then go, “Oh, wait! This is VEGAN!” These Vegan and Gluten and Dairy Free Tostadas are made with Siete Foods Cassava Flour Tortillas and cashew queso, refried black beans, blacks beans, enchilada sauce, and smashed avocado. YUM!
Grilled Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Tyler and I made reservations for Valentine’s Day this year to continue exploring restaurants here in Nashville, but I love romantic homemade dinner dates just as much. We made this steak, mashed potatoes, and green bean combination last night and it was perfect for a cozy night in paired with a glass of red wine.
Simple and Healthy Pad Thai (Gluten & Dairy Free)
I’ve been eating a ton of take out lately and decided IT NEEDS TO STOP! When I saw a box of Annie Chun’s Pad Thai Brown Rice Noodles at my grocery store (you can order from Amazon, too) I thought I could make my own healthier version of my favorite take out: Pad Thai.
Gluten and Dairy Free Taco Bowl
Crockpot Carnitas + Baked Taquitos
Asian Fried Quinoa
Shrimp Salad
This shrimp salad is the perfect way to start the week! It was inspired by a meal I had in Italy and it is so simple that it hardly requires a recipe. This was a big hit with the whole family. Bonus is that this can go from shrimp salad on Monday to shrimp tacos on #tacotuesday with the easy additions of guacamole and some cotija cheese (optional).
Ingredients for Shrimp:
2 T refrigerator pickled veggies liquid
juice and zest of 1/2 meyer lemon
1/2 T honey
1 clove garlic (finely sliced)
Mix ingredients together and shake or whisk until honey is incorporated. Add to baggie with half pound of shrimp (peeled and deveined) and let marinate in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
Remove shrimp from refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Remove from marinade and pat dry. Cook at medium heat in skillet with oil until cooked through (flip halfway), about 4 minutes total.
Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 and 1/2 meyer lemon, zest of about half
2 T white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove finely minced
1 T honey
pinch of salt
evoo (I prefer a 1 part vinegar/lemon juice to about 2-1/2 parts oil, typical ratio is 1:3)
Shake/whisk all ingredients to combine thoroughly.
Salad components:
Kale chiffonade
arugula
chopped celery
grape tomatoes
nutritional yeast
fresh cracked pepper
chopped parsley
Beet Gnocchi by Tasty
Goat Cheese Risotto (Gluten Free)
Chicken No Parm by The Defined Dish
Roasted Romanesco
Sweet Potato Mini Burgers
Meal Planning Inspo
Whole30 Creamy Potato Soup
We’ve got our Christmas decorations up and it is freezing outside, so soup just felt right tonight. I made a Creamy Potato Soup (paleo & whole30, gluten & dairy free) with some turkey broth I made a couple of days ago. It was delicious, warm, and comforting… perfect for eating on the couch by the tree.
Buffalo Chicken Salad (Paleo)
Jacques Pepin’s Brussels sprouts
This recipe from Jacques Pepin is the preparation that I think prevented my kids from hating Brussels sprouts. This would also be a simple and delicious dish for Thanksgiving...sprouts and bacon (a fennel-y sausage or smoky chorizo would be great with this as well) can be prepped ahead of time and the actual cooking process takes just 10 minutes or less.
Paleo Shepherd's Pie
One of my favorite meals growing up was my mom’s Shepherd’s Pie. While many use ground lamb and peas, she used ground beef and green beans and the combo is delicious. I attempted to make a whole30/paleo version, and while not as good as my mom’s (obvs), it turned out to be a pretty cozy and nourishing meal. It’s whole30, paleo, and dairy free, too!