taco salad

Taco salad is one of our family favorites. We often use ground chicken or beef to make taco salad depending on what we have on hand. You can get great ground meet from Greensbury Market, check them out. This took me less than 15 minutes to make and was a perfect weeknight meal. I always like to make extra to have throughout the week for lunches, another dinner, or even switch it up and use the taco meat to make a breakfast scramble.

I love the crunch from the pumpkin seeds. If you want an alternative to tortilla chips, this is a great option.

Taco Salad
Serves 4
Prep time: about 5 minutes
Cook time: about 10 minutes

Ingredients:
• 1 pound ground beef
• Your favorite taco seasoning, I used Siete taco seasoning
• 2 T light olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 large bag of salad mix
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado, sliced or cubed
• 2 limes, cut in quarters
• 4 T roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
• Your favorite salsa
• Cilantro, chopped, optional
• 1 jalapeno, sliced, optional

Directions:

  1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook through.
  2. Add seasoning and cook for 2 more minutes, add up to 1/2 cup water if there is no oil left in the pan.
  3. In a bowl, build your salad.
  4. Layer salad mix, cherry tomatoes, taco meat, pumpkin seeds, avocado and salsa.
  5. Optional: Top with lime, cilantro, and jalapenos.

Whole30, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

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Cilantro Pesto on Grilled Shrimp

The weather is cooling down, but still perfect for grilling.  Change up the usual basil and pine nut pesto for this cilantro and almond pesto. I love the fresh flavors on grilled shrimp.  If you like a little spice, add some red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne to this pesto. Then add it to just about anything.  It’s fun to try new ingredients in recipes and dishes you routinely make.

For these grilled shrimp, I seasoned them with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. They were grilled for 1 minute per side and topped them with this lovely pesto.

Cilantro Almond Pesto
Ingredients:
1 ½ C cilantro
1 C slivered almonds
1 clove garlic
½ t salt
½ t crushed red pepper flakes(optional)
1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Directions:
Place all ingredients except EVOO in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the EVOO to desired consistency and stir.

Whole30, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

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whole30 Sheet Pan dinner

Weeknights are a perfect time for a simple and beautiful sheet pan dinner.  It’s only a few ingredients drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with your favorite seasoning blend.  Make extra to use for leftovers. This is great reheated, or try my Italian Sausage Frittata with your leftover sausage.  

Whole30 Sheet Pan Dinner
Ingredients:
1-pound brussels sprouts, halved
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 lb package of your favorite sausage, try Greensbury Market Italian Sauasage
1 package cut butternut squash or sweet potatoes
2 T olive oil
Sprinkle of salt and pepper, or your favorite spice blend

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Place brussels sprouts, onion, butternut squash, and sausage on the sheet pan.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
With hands, toss ingredients to coat everything evenly.

Place sheet pan in the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes.

Whole30, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Grain Free

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Italian sausage frittata

You can make a frittata a million different ways. I change up the protein and veggies every time I make a frittata based on what I have on hand. This variation uses Greensbury Market Italian sausage, zucchini, and hash browns. During the summer, serve with fresh sliced tomatoes and my Romesco.

The key to this frittata is browning the hash browns first. This will give a good base for your other ingredients to sit on and browning the hash browns adds so much flavor. Don’t skip this step. I usually start the hash browns while I prep the other ingredients.

If you give this recipe a try, please come back and leave a comment. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Hash Brown Frittata

Ingredients:
1 bag hash browns, thawed
2 T ghee or olive oil
½ t salt
½ t pepper
2 italian sausage links, cooked and sliced
2 zucchini, shredded or finely chopped
12 eggs, whisked
Chives, chopped

Top with
Basil or chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Spray a 9X13 pan with olive oil or avocado oil
Place hash browns in 9X13 pan, drizzle with ghee or olive oil, salt and pepper and mix
Bake hash browns for 30-35 minutes, until lightly golden

Remove pan from oven
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees


Top hash browns with zucchini and sliced Italian sausage
Add whisked eggs
Bake for 25-30 minutes until egg mixture is set
Top with fresh herbs

Use your favorite sausage and veggie combo and top with salsa, romesco, or avocado. This is a great way to have breakfast prepped for the week. It is great reheated.

Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Breakfast, Brunch

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Lettuce Wrap fish tacos

When I originally received my shipment from Greensbury Market, I intended on using the cod for a Whole30 version of Fish and Chips. That is still on my list of recipes to create, but I was craving fish tacos and had the ingredients I needed to create this Whole30 version. This took me less than 15 minutes to make and was a perfect weeknight meal. If you have not tried fruit on your fish tacos, do not be afraid. You will love it! If nectarines are not available or in season, use a mango.

PS…You may need extra napkins when eating your lettuce wrap tacos, this may get messy.

Lettuce Wrap Fish Tacos
Serves 2
Prep time: about 5 minutes
Cook time: about 5-6 minutes

Ingredients:
• 2 6-ounce cod filet
• Your favorite taco seasoning, I used Siete taco seasoning
• 2 T light olive oil or avocado oil
• 8 pieces of romaine
• Shredded carrots
• Shredded purple cabbage
• 1 nectarine, diced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Your favorite salsa
• 1 lime, cut in quarters
• 1 jalapeno, sliced

Directions:

  1. Prep your romaine, and other fruit and veggies.
  2. Cut fish into strips and season with taco seasoning.
  3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.
  4. Place fish in hot pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes per side, until fish starts to brown and become flaky.
  5. To create tacos, I used 2 pieces of romaine for each taco, placed carrots, cabbage, avocado, and nectarine inside the romaine taco shells, then added the fish, salsa, and jalapenos. Squeeze a little lime on top.

Whole30, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

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Brining 101

Brining 101
I have brined turkeys for thanksgiving for many years, and I finally tried this method with other cuts of meat. It is my new favorite method to get juicy and delicious pork and chicken. I keep it really simple by just using salt and water to make my brine, then brine for a minimum of 6 hours and up to up to 3 days. This is a way for me to make dinners during the week that are fast and easy. I will use Sunday to defrost the cuts I want, I use a lot of boneless skinless chicken breasts and boneless pork chops, then I add them to a Ziplock bag with my brine and put them in the fridge until I am ready to use them. When I get home from work, I will pull out what I want, transfer the meat to a plate, pat each piece dry (this step is especially important), add a light drizzle of oil, and seasoning if I want, and cook. If you season your meat, you will not need to add salt. The brining method makes the meat so tender and juicy. Use your usual cooking method of choice. You can grill, pan sear, air fry, or oven roast. Cooking times very so I always use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat is done to my liking.
For pork, I use 1 tablespoon salt and 3 cups warm water. Once the salt is dissolved and your meat is defrosted, add the meat to the brining liquid.
For chicken, I use 1 tablespoon salt and 4 cups warm water. Once the salt is dissolved and your meat is defrosted, add the meat to the brining liquid.

Brining process
• Create brine (1T salt with 3C water for pork, 1T salt, 4C water for chicken) Make sure salt is dissolved in water
• Place your meat in brine, refrigerate for 6 hours up to 3 days
• Remove meat from brine, pat dry
• Season meat, you don’t need to add more salt (optional)
• Drizzle meat with a little oil (I use light olive oil or avocado oil)
• Cook meat with the method of your choosing

Whole30, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb, Gluten Free, Gluten-free, Meal Prep

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Chicken Puttanesca

My Chicken Puttanesca dish is full of flavor and super easy to throw together. This recipe requires very little prep and most of the cooking time is in the oven. I like to use a Le Creuset braiser so this is a one dish meal with minimal clean up required. If you don’t have a braiser, you can easily brown the chicken in a skillet and transfer the sauce and chicken to a oven safe baking dish. This has become a favorite in my house and I hope you give it a try. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments if you do try it.

Chicken Puttanesca
Created by Kimberly Smith
http://www.foodfamilywine.com
Serves 6
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T ghee or olive oil
• 1 jar Cucina Antica nonna’s recipe pasta sauce
• 1 C water
• 1 12 ou jar sliced roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 12 ou jar kalamata olives, drained and rinsed
• ¼ C capers, drained and rinsed
• 10 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon, zested
• ½ t fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large skillet or braising dish, heat ghee over medium high heat.
  3. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
    Once the skillet is nice and hot, add chicken to the skillet and cook until browned (about 4-5 minutes). Flip and cook 1 minute (do not brown the 2nd side of the chicken). Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
  4. Add roasted red peppers to the skillet, along with the pasta sauce, water, kalamata olives, capers, garlic, lemon zest and thyme. Stir. Cook until the sauce comes to a boil. If you are using an oven safe skillet or braising dish, add chicken and juices back to the sauce and cover. Otherwise, transfer sauce to an oven safe dish and add chicken and juices to the sauce and cover. Place dish in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes. Remove and serve with your favorite side vegetable.

Notes:
• I like to use a Le Creuset braiser for this dish for an easy one dish meal that transfers perfectly from stovetop to oven.
• Patting the chicken dry before you season the chicken will help get the chicken nice and brown.
• When you put the chicken back, in the sauce, place the browned side up for nicer presentation.

Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Main Dish

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