Happy Post Thanksgiving and Zoodles!

Hope everyone filled up on the good stuff over Thanksgiving!  I took the lazy  easy way out.  Ordered my entire meal from Whole Foods.  Since it is just my husband and I, we opted for a turkey breast this year vs a whole bird.  All I had to do was pop everything in oven for 30 minutes to heat through.  The turkey was dry and I did not particularly care for it (but I do not like turkey too much anyway).  The sides were da BOMB!  We had mac n cheese, cornbread dressing, cranberry orange sauce and mashed potatoes.  What what! NO green veggies or anything remotely healthy!  YES!  Also, we had a chocolate chip bourbon pecan pie.  Glutony!  

It was awesome but after a couple days of gorging, we had to get back on track.  So thankful that I ordered this small meal and did not have piles of leftovers nor did I have to spend all day cooking and cleaning up afterward. 

To get some actual veggies back into out system, I decided to make zucchini noodles or zoodles with turkey italian sausage meatballs and sauce.  Aldi actually sells a sauce that has no added sugar and all ingredients that I can prounouce so this was a quick, easy and satisfying meal.
 To make zoodles, you can use julianne peeler or food processor.



 INGREDIENTS

3 large zucchini
1lb ground turkey italian sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
portobella mushrooms, sliced
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup + beef stock
coconut oil
parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Roll turkey into 1 inch balls.  Heat small amount of coconut oil in skillet and brown meatballs on both sides.  They do not have to be cooked all the way through because you will simmer in sauce.

In sauce pan, melt 1T coconut oil.  Saute onions, garlic, mushrooms until tender.
Add Spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Simmer about 20 minutes.
I added some stock just to thin the sauce out but this is optional 
Just before serving, microwave zucchini for about 2 minutes, just to heat. You do not want to overcook because zucchini will become soggy.  
Sprinkle with parmesan

As with any spaghetti sauce, you can add whatever veggies you have leftover to make it heartier.  You can also make the meatballs with whatever meat you choose.  If you pick a plain ground beef, chicken, turkey, add italian seasoning to it.

Anyone doing the St. Jude Full or Half Marathon this weekend?  I consider this race the "end" of my busy run season and after, I can "rest".   The icy and cold weather forecast has me just a tad freaked out!  Argggghhhh!  Good luck to all who are running!  
ENJOY! 



Spicy Coconut Shrimp Soup

Spicy Spicy!  Whew.  This is a simple but delicious paleo soup that I found on The Meanest Momma blog.  The colors are quite impressive. I did not have cilatro or avocado to top but I think they would make a great addition. Or even a dollop of greek yogurt to tame the spice.  (I have a super low heat tolerance so many may think this needs more spice!)

Ingredients

2T coconut oil

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

2lbs shrimp, uncooked but shelled

1 can diced tomato

1 can coconut milk

3 garlic cloves, diced

1T Sriracha

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I did not have so left out)
1 lime, juiced (I did not use)

Directions

Heat oil in non-reactive pot over medium heat.

Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook til onion translucent (~5min)

Add garlic, tomato, shrimp and cilantro and simmer til shrimp turns opaque (~5min)

Pour in coconut milk and Sriracha and simmer for another 3-5 minutes to let the flavors combine

Finish with lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste

Healthier Coconut Shrimp

You know, I do not think I have ever had Coconut Shrimp. I know I never thought of making it and I do not normally get shrimp at restaurants so....  Why Coconut and Shrimp has suddenly popped into my head, I have no idea.  Wait, I am sure it is the gray, cold weather. It has me thinking of the BEACH! What is better at the beach (well, besides fruity drinks) than seafood?!  I googled a couple recipes but they all required batter and frying. Totally not for me!  I tried this a couple different ways, first night browned in my cast iron skillet and the next night browned in the oven.  Either way tasted great but the oven was much easier.  
I bought cooked shrimp, shelled but with tails left on.  dredged in coconut flour, then dipped in egg wash and finally in unsweetened coconut flakes. As I said, the first night I browned in skillet.  When I went to flip to brown the other side, the coating just fell off. Maybe if I sprayed pan with Coconut Oil it would help?  The next night, I breaded the exact same way but then cooked on my stone at 450.  Worked like a charm!  I served with roasted zuchini and green peppers and a side of Papi Joe's Tennessee Pepper Sauce. This stuff goes great on EVERYTHING!

 Ingredients:

1lb shrimp, cooked and peeled, tails on
Coconut Flour
Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1-2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Coat Shrimp in flour then egg then coconut
Place on stone (If you dont have a stone, use cookie sheet with coconut oil)
Bake 450 for about 10-15 minutes

***Remember with stones, you do not preheat oven because placing cold food on it may cause it to crack. If you use Cookie Sheet, you can preheat oven and cook time will be shorter.

Chorizo Butternut Squash Hash

Thanks to PaleOMG for an AMAZING and EASY breakfast!  Sorry, I forgot to take pictures but here is the picture from Juli's post.

Ingredients

1/2lb Chorizo
1 small butternut squash, diced (I used 1 bag frozen)
1/2 onion, diced
5 eggs
salt, pepper

Directions

Place onions and squash in cast iron skillet over medium heat
Cook about 5-8 minutes, until squash is soft
Add Chorizo and break it up with a spoon
Add Salt and Pepper
Press 5 indentions into mix and crack egg in each. Cover and Cook about 3-4 minutes (I didnt add the egg to mine since I plan on eating this each morning.  Every morning, I just crack egg over top of serving and microwave until cooked)

So simple, yet so delicious! 

Smoothie Love

I love, love, love smoothies! I have been drinking them since my senior year in high school. I started out basic with milk, banana and protein powder. And can I say how much I love smoothie king?  Keep in mind, not all of their smoothies are good for you and you do not need the super large size!  So here is my daily go-to! 

Handful baby spinach

Kale

Half a large banana

Vanilla protein powder

Turmeric

Vitamin c powder

Flax seeds

Handful frozen blueberries

Handful frozen fruit of choice (sometimes strawberry, or peach pineapple strawberry mix) 

Half cup coconut water 

Half cup coconut milk 

If you want a real treat

Handful spinach

Frozen cherries

Half banana

Turmeric

Flax

Vitamin c 

Chocolate almond milk 

Turmeric

I do not list Turmeric as an ingredient on my recipes but I add at least a teaspoon to everything. I mean EVERYTHING: smoothies, breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Why?  Well, turmeric has long been thought to have many health benefits. Indian and Chinese cultures have long used it to heal many ailments; from stomach ache to cancer.  While there is not much proof to support the benefits in humans (because not much research has been done), it is known to be a strong anti-inflammatory.  Current research is being conducted on its use in treating/preventing cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis and diabetes. 

Supposedly, Turmeric has a slightly spicey, bitter flavor. But it has not affected the flavor of anything I've put it in. 

Other uses:

Teeth Whitener

Mix with salt and water to heal sprains

Soothe stomach ache

Mix with Olive oil to condition scalp or deter dandruff

Tame swimmers ear

Make longevity tea

Tie dye t-shirts or Easter eggs

Go ahead, try it! But be careful, the strong yellow color stains skin and clothes! 

Lightened Up Eggplant Parmesan

I found this recipe on SkinnyTaste.com.  Eggplant Parmesan is probably my favorite Italian Meal. I've made it a million times with breaded and baked eggplant but this time I made it without any breading. It came out really good, but I admit, I was worried the eggplant may be soggy but nope. The key is to slice the eggplant kind of thick and brown it on each side. 

Ingredients

1 large eggplant (I used 2)

1T Olive oil

12oz ricotta (I used 15oz)

1/4 cup + 2T Romano (I used Parmesan)

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I used dry)

1 medium egg

2 cups mozzarella

3 cups homemade tomato sauce

Salt 

Sauce ingredients (courtesy Mario Batali)

2 (28oz) cans whole tomatoes, crushed (used 1)

1/4 cup extra Virgin Olive oil

1/2 carrot, grated

1 onion, diced 

4 cloves Garlic, crushed

3T Thyme (I used Italian seasoning)

I added bell pepper 

Start by making sauce.  Heat Olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft and light brown. Add thyme and carrot, and cook 5 min more. Add tomatoes and bring to boil, stirring often. Lower heat and simmer 30 minutes. 

While sauce simmers, slice eggplant 1/4" thick. Lightly salt and place in colander to release moisture for about 1/2 hour. Lay on paper towels to soak up any excess. 

Preheat oven to 450. Brush eggplant lightly with Olive oil on both sides and place on cookie sheets. Bake 20-25 minutes, turning half way through.

In medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, parsley, and 1/4 cup cheese.

In a 9x12 dish, put a little sauce a layer of eggplant, 1/3 ricotta mixture, mozzarella. Repeat til all ingredients used up. 

Top with sauce and mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Cover with foil and Bake 400 about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 10min until golden. 

I served over spaghetti squash with side salad. To make squash you just cut on half and scoop out seeds. Brush with Olive oil and back skin side up til soft about 30 min. 

So, the recipe is a bit time consuming but so worth it for that comfort food feel. Honestly, this recipe is almost a dead ringer for my lasagna. Substitute sliced zucchini (or noodles) for eggplant and BAM! 

Crock Pot Chili

What is better than Chili when the weather gets cold? Chili is easy to make, filling and nutritious.  I made the below Chili Recipe in my crock pot and it was delicious! I do not have a real Chili recipe so below is my guesstimates. I usually just throw whatever I have in my chili! 

Ingredients

2lbs meat

Frozen Butternut squash

1 can black beans, rinsed 

1 can tomato paste

24oz can tomatoes

Diced Garlic 

2 cups broth

1 large onion

2 bell peppers

2T chili powder

1/4t Cayenne pepper

2T Cumin

1t Curry powder

1/4t Red pepper flakes 

1/4tCinnamon

1 Bay leaf

1 paprika 

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Brown meat in pan. I used 1lb ground beef, 1 Italian Sausage (casing removed) and some left over stew meat. 

Add everything to crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.  I topped mine with fresh avocado and it was TO DIE FOR! 

GNO - Must Have (besides wine)

Friday I met up with friends for Girls Night Out. Over the years, the faces have changed but one thing hasn't...Rotel Dip! The MUST HAVE staple for any girls night, trip, bunco party etc.  I will never forget the girls trip to Destin where we met some New Yorkers who had *gasp* never heard of rotel dip. Seriously! Obviously, we immediately made a batch (even though it was 2am) and new fans of it were made. Best thing they ever had they said!  

Here we are enjoying it on the first night of the trip

And Here we are sharing it with the New York group the next night

Start with the basic recipe

Velveeta and a can of Rotel 

I prefer the ratio of 1 small bar of Velveeta to 2 cans Rotel. 

Dice the cheese and place in either crockpot or microwave safe bowl. Pour cans over top and heat, stirring occasionally, til melted. 

From here, you can branch out and add other ingredients like sausage, chorizo, avocado. The possibilities are endless. You can even make Rotel Spaghetti. An old college neighbor (thanks Kristin) shared this with me years ago. 

Cook spaghetti noodles per box directions

Shred cooked chicken breasts

Melt rotel per above 

Place in casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs and bake til bubbly 

Totally not healthy but who can turn down cheesy goodness? 

Paleo Salmon Cakes

Not the prettiest but still fairly tasty and super easy to make.  I got this recipe from Everyday Maven.

My coworker mentioned making Salmon Cakes a few weeks ago. It seemed like it would be a quick and easy salad topper but, of course, I wanted to make it a little healthier so I took to Google and found this Paleo recipe.  

Ingredients

 

1 large sweet potato, Cooked and Mashed

2/3 cup almond meal (I used almond flour)

1/3cup packed finely chopped parsley (I didn't have so I used chopped basil and leeks)

2T finely chopped onion

1T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 to 1 T hot sauce

1/2T kosher salt

1t cumin

1 1/4t paprika

1/2t fresh ground black pepper

2 large eggs

2 (14.75oz) canned salmon (I bought the kind with skin and bones per her recommendation)

2T Coconut Oil

 

Directions

 

Wash sweet potato and use a fork to poke several fork-holes in it. Wrap in a paper towel, place on a microwave safe plate and microwave until soft. I made this a day or two in advance and just kept in fridge til I was ready to use.

Let cool for a few minutes, remove potato flesh from skin and mash with a fork until the lumps are mostly gone. Toss into a large mixing bowl

Add almond meal, chopped basil and leeks (parsley if you follow real directions), onion, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, cumin, paprika, black pepper and eggs (Be sure not to put eggs directly on hot potato flesh or they can begin to cook)

 

WARNING:  Canned Salmon looks nasty and it is even nastier removing the skin and bones but was pretty easy.  I just rinsed the salmon once done pulling bones out to insure I got all the little pieces. 

Take the canned salmon into your hand and look for the “split” where 2 or more pieces of salmon are pushed together into the can. This is the natural place to separate the salmon and where you will most likely find the majority of skin and bones. Use your hands to gently scrape the skin and bones off

Separate the salmon again if there are more “splits” and do the same thing.Finally, using your hands, crush the canned salmon through your fingers into the mixing bowl

 

Stir until well combined. Line a baking sheet or large plate (that will fit in your fridge) with parchment paper

 

Use a 1 / 3 measuring cup, scoop out evenly sized salmon cakes (flatten bottoms) until you have 12 patties

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or all day (this is also the point you would freeze any that are not going to be cooked in the next 12 to 24 hours  (I totally skipped this step because I did not want to wait)

 

Heat a large frying pan (big enough to hold six patties) over medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon coconut oil or Ghee per six patties. Let fat completely melt and get very hot. Slowly add patties and cook for 4 minutes

Flip and cook another 4 minutes.  Serve hot over a mixed greens salad!  I'm not a huge fan of salmon but I did enjoy it this way. I'd love to try this recipe with tuna or crab next! Mmmm crab cakes! 

 

Recipe FAIL...

Anyone have a recipe fail so bad, you had to throw it away?

I have had a couple that I can remember....
#1 Crockpot Tortilla Soup that I attempted in college. My husband reminds me of this one often.  It was so bad, we are both scared to even try it out at a restaurant, let alone try to cook it again.   I mean, Tortilla Soup? Really!?  I do not even remember why it was so bad.
#2  I've also had the occasional, oops, forgot that was in the oven and now it is burnt to crisp, moment.
#3 grain free zucchini bread - yep in the garbage.....

As a side note: I made this recipe a second time and followed it to a T and it came out perfect. 

This recipe called for almond flour but I only had coconut flour.  For some reason, I thought the measurements for coconut flour were different.  The "dough" came out too dry so I added an extra egg....still dry.  There was just no salvaging it. My guess is that I should have used the exact same measurements for the coconut flour as almond. Below is my second attempt photos. 

Recipe courtesy of  Against All Grain
Ingredients

1 1/2c almond flour
2t cinnamon
1t baking soda
1/2t salt
1/2t nutmeg
3 eggs, beaten
1/4cup honey
1 ripe banana
1cup shredded zucchini (unpeeled)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl 

Place wet ingredients in bowl of stand mixer ( I used hand mixer), then beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until frothy and combined.

 Add the zucchini and beat again just to incorporate.

Slowly add dry ingredients with the mixer running, until all flour mix has been incorporated.

Spoon batter into 2 mini loaf pans (I used 1 large)

Bake 30-35 minutes until middle is set and toothpick comes out clean

Hotty Toddy Tailgate

Sorry it has been awhile since I posted, I have been under the weather all week!  So, here is a catch up post what I made last weekend.  I am drooling just thinking of the yumminess of tailgate grub! 

Last week was Ole Miss's second home game of the season and it was a big game against Texas A&M.  (We lost)

Anyway, good game but the food was even better. 

Here were my contributions: Blueberry Moon Cocktail, Ham Ball and Mississippi Mud Cake.

Blueberry Moon Cocktail courtesy of "The Southern Tailgating Cookbook" by Taylor Mathis

Ingredients (yields about 1 gallon)

1lb frozen blueberries

2 cups sugar

1 1/2cup moonshine

1 cup fresh lime juice

1/2cup cherry vodka (I used 1 cup)

2L ginger ale

2 limes thinly sliced (I skipped this)

Directions

Place blueberries and sugar in a medium sauce pan and heat on low, stirring occasionally, until blueberries thaw and sugar has dissolved (this took me about an hour).  Increase heat to medium and bring to simmer for about 5 minutes. 

Press the syrup through a fine mesh strainer, releasing any remaining juice.  Use syrup immediately or store covered in fridge for up to a week. 

To assemble, add syrup, moonshine, lime juice and vodka to a gallon pitcher and stir. Add ginger ale and stir. Add sliced limes and stir. Serve over ice with a garnish of lime. 

Ham Ball

My MIL's Recipe

This is one of my all time favorite recipes and it is so good! 

8oz cream cheese

1/4 cup mayo 

2 small cans ham 

2T Parsley (dry or fresh)

1/2t Dry mustard

1T minced onion (dry)

1t Tabasco 

Crushed pecans (1/2 cup)

Directions 

With hand mixer, blend mayo and cream cheese. Add other ingredients (except pecans). 

On wax or parchment, roll into a ball and place in freezer to harden. 

Once chilled, roll in pecans and serve with a variety of crackers. (I forgot to take picture of finished product. Sorry!)

Mississippi Mud Cake from "Southern Living The Official SEC Tailgating Cookbook"

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1t vanilla

1/8t salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups coarsly chopped pecans, toasted

1 (10.5oz) bag mini marshmallow 

Chocolate frosting (recipe to follow)

Toast pecans about 5 minutes. Stirring once.

Whisk together melted butter and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour and chopped pecans. Pour batter into greased and floured 15x10" jelly roll pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven; top with marshmallow. 

Return to oven, bake 5 minutes. Drizzle with chocolate frosting over warm cake. Cool completely. 

Chocolate Frosting 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 

1/3 cup milk

1 (16oz) powdered sugar

1t vanilla

Directions

In sauce pan over medium heat, stir first three ingredients until butter melted. 

Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. 

Overall, the only thing I would change is that I would use boxed brownie mix in the future for the MS Mud Cake. Everyone at the tailgate raved about the punch and it was gone within an hour so I am definitely making that one again very soon! Hotty Toddy! 

Southwest Chicken Breasts with Cowboy Beans

A few weeks ago, my boss went on an anniversary trip to Sedona.  She brought me back a book, "Southwest Comfort Food" by Marilyn Noble.  I decided to try a slow cooker rolled chicken breast recipe and the cowboy beans.  Both were a bit time consuming, I think the beans were worth it but the chicken came out dry and I couldn't taste the filling.  My crockpot is new so that could contribute to the dryness but I'm thinking it needed some cream cheese or enchilada sauce added to stuffing. My sauce came out too watery to be a sauce so ended up in garbage....booooo.

Cowboy Beans

Ingredients

2lbs dry pinto beans

1 medium onion, minced 

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 green chiles, roasted, peeled and chopped (I couldn't find so used canned)

2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped

1T black pepper

2T dried oregano

1/2lb thick cut bacon

Salt

Directions

Wash and soak the beans. Place in large bowl, cover with cold water and allow to soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain and discard water.

Place beans in large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, then reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour until beans are somewhat tender. Salt to taste. 

Add onion, garlic, green chiles, jalapeños, pepper and oregano. Coarse lay mince the bacon and stir into pot. Return to boil, then reduce heat again, cover, and simmer another hour. 

Southwest Chicken

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2cup shredded cheddar

1/4cup minced green bell pepper

1/4cup minced red bell pepper

1/4cup cilantro

1/4cup seeded and diced tomatoes

1t chile powder

1/2t cumin

Salt

1 cup red chile sauce (I used a can of enchilada sauce)

Directions

Place chicken between wax paper and pound with meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick. 

In medium bowl, mix cheddar, green pepper, red pepper, cilantro, and tomato. Stir in chile powder, cumin and salt. 

Place a bit of mix on each breast and roll, securing with toothpicks. Place the rolled chicken in slow cooker and cover with sauce. 

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. 

I'm going to have to try this one again and maybe use the recipe in the book for the sauce. I still think you will need more than 1 cup and reserve some for once done.  If anyone tries it with some tweaks, let me know.  Also, 2lbs of beans is ALOT of beans! Consider halving this recipe!