Tag Archives: Dairy-free

Taco Bowls!

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Clearly, I am not reinventing the wheel here, but nonetheless I receive enough public and private questions about the food that I share on social media, so I’m just going to blog about it! Bonus, this is a super easy meal.

Taco Tuesday was yesterday, except I’m not eating corn anymore (doing a Whole 30), but still love the flavors of tacos (duh) so I decided to make all the fixings for lettuce wrap tacos. Then when I had everything prepared I was like who even needs a lettuce cup, just throw everything in a bowl! We total scarfed, and nothing was leftover! Here is how I made them!

Taco Bowls

Meat:

  • 1 1/2 lbs chorizo sausage
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 TBSP minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 TBSP coconut oil
  • Black pepper
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Paprika
  • Cumin
  • Sea salt
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Oregano

Garnishments:

  • Fresh diced jalapeno
  • Diced red onion
  • Diced pineapple
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Diced avocado
  • Sliced green olive
  • Diced tomato
  • Lime wedges

Saute the diced onion and garlic for about 2-3 minutes in the coconut oil, then add the chorizo. Continue sauteing cooking meat evenly, and add all of the spices for the homemade taco seasoning. It’s up to you how much you use. I really like paprika and cumin so I was a little more generous with those. Once meat is cooked, turn to low heat to keep warm.

Dice all of the garnishments you’d like to add to your taco, wrap, bowl, etc. It’s really up to you! I love the flavor and spice of fresh jalapeno with cilantro and the sweetness of pineapple. Avocado and raw onion are a must for me. The green olives, not typically thought of but our favorite local Mexican restaurant, the chef adds green olives to tamales, salads, nachos etc. and they’re awesome (side note, he’s from Mexico City and cooks his grandmother’s recipes). P.S. I didn’t even miss the corn or cheese.

Enjoy!

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Carrot Cilantro Bisque

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Finally getting around to blogging about this creation after a really busy Easter weekend! We had a random spring blizzard that came through Minnesota last week with non-stop snow from noon until 10pm at our house, white out conditions and a sudden craving for something warm and comforting. Since we were getting ready to head out of town I decided to make something out of what I had on hand and needed to be used. This might be one of my favorite recipes in a while – packed with nutrients, flavor and easy to make. It reheats really well – I’m having it for lunch today and it still tastes great 5 days later. Low glycemic, dairy free, grain free, gluten free – YAHOO!

Carrot Cilantro Bisque

  • 10 larger carrots, washed and cut into 3-4 inch pieces
  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cans full fat coconut milk (I use Natural Value, I buy on Amazon prime by the case)
  • 1 large bunch fresh cilantro
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 3 TBSP fresh minced garlic
  • Himalayan salt
  • Fresh black pepper

Start by boiling the carrots and onion in the 4 cups water, stirring occasionally. The water boils down, but the heat still softens the vegetables. Once they’re mushy use an immersion blender in the pot to puree them, I still had some chunks but that’s okay because once you add the coconut milk there is more liquid to blend with. Add the 2 cans full fat coconut milk and 1 tsp ground ginger, stirring until the coconut milk fat melts. Add the bunch of cilantro (I used the entire bunch stems and all, just tearing by hand directly into the pot). Blend again with the immersion blender so the cilantro is fine and any remaining chunks of carrot and onion are pureed. Season with salt and pepper (I usually go lighter with the Himalayan salt as it is saltier in taste) and the 3 TBSP of minced garlic and stir. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes and serve.

A note about the garlic: I added it toward the end because I wanted a really good garlic flavor, without it getting mushy. You know when garlic is cooked, but not overcooked? It was like that, just enough time so that it wasn’t overpowering/bitter but still firm.IMG_7430[1]IMG_7432[1]

 

 

Coconut Curry Chicken Celery Bowl

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Created a new recipe last night in the kitchen completely by accident using up ingredients I had on hand and needed to be used. Lately we’ve been craving Thai and curry flavors for the warmth, comfort and health benefits they provide so I decided to use the package of ground chicken I had in the fridge and create something with curry. I ended up creating a chicken curry bowl that I will definitely make again! It was very quick, hearty and flavorful.

Coconut Curry Chicken Celery Bowl

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 1/2 TBSP curry powder
  • 2 TBSP minced garlic
  • 2 medium yellow onions, diced
  • 1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
  • Avocado oil
  • Salt/pepper
  • Coconut milk
  • Coconut aminos

Saute the onion and garlic in a saute pan in a little bit of avocado oil on medium heat, once the onions are almost transparent turn to low heat to keep warm. Meanwhile, brown the ground chicken with the curry powder in a separate pan in a little bit of avocado oil so it doesn’t stick and burn. Try to mince the chicken as small as you can with a spatula (makes for a nicer texture while eating). Once the chicken is browned reduce to low heat to keep warm. Turn the vegetables back up to medium heat and add the mushrooms and a drizzle of avocado oil, sauteing until mushrooms start to soften and then add the celery. Season with salt and pepper. Toss for about 10 minutes to make sure the mushrooms are cooked but not mushy and the celery is thoroughly heated through.

Put the curry chicken in a bowl, and top with the vegetable mixture (as much as you want with both!). Top with coconut milk and coconut aminos. Stir to coat and enjoy!

Side note: I initially didn’t add the coconut milk and aminos, was just going to eat the bowl as is. Still plenty of flavor, but my husband said it seemed like it needed a sauce…and like always, I had a half a can of opened coconut milk in the fridge that needed to be used so I warmed it up, dumped some on, sprinkled with coconut aminos and voila!

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Harissa Garlic Cauli Fried Rice

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I only recently learned about harissa, and I’m thinking its better late than never because it is jam packed full of flavor from fresh ingredients. It can be made many different ways, spicy, as a paste, sauce, etc. but the kind I use is a mild Moroccan red pepper sauce, the brand is Mina. I actually found it at Target and was curious so I bought some – amazing!

I had a bag of riced cauliflower that needed to be used so I decided to make a new cauli fried rice recipe with what I had on hand, the result is a new recipe I’ll be making again and again. Warm, comforting, and important for me super low-glycemic! Little impact on blood sugar is a major win.

Harissa Garlic Cauli Fried Rice

  • 1 bag of riced cauliflower
  • 1 large red onion, diced
  • 3 TBSP minced garlic
  • Avocado oil
  • Sea salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Coconut aminos
  • 1/2 cup black olives, halved
  • 1/4 cup harissa sauce

I started with a drizzle of avocado oil in a large saute pan, adding the diced red onion, minced garlic, sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. I let the onion and garlic cook down until the onions were transparent, then added a dash of coconut aminos (gluten free soy sauce alternative) and the bag of riced cauliflower. I continued stirring to incorporate the moisture into the cauliflower so it’d start to “fry” a little bit – feel free to add additional avocado oil for the frying aspect being careful not to add too much or you’ll have an oily mess. I let all of the ingredients cook for about 20 minutes stirring constantly and then added the black olives and harissa sauce. I cooked about five minutes more just to distribute heat to the olives but preventing mushiness.

I ate two bowls with coconut aminos sprinkled on them – very flavorful and filling. Harissa, my NEW FAVORITE!

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I hope you enjoy as much as I did! 🙂

Artichoke and Tomato Vegetable Bake

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I decided to make use of what vegetables I had on hand after coming home from our holiday trip to Iowa as well as use some of my Penzey’s spices (I love them!) I’d been gifted to add a different flavor than the typical salt/pepper/oil roast.

I had 3/4 of a red onion in the fridge, 1/2 a container of cherry tomatoes on the counter, some open artichoke hearts, and a couple different kinds of mushrooms waiting patiently.

Artichoke and Tomato Vegetable Bake

  • Cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Artichoke hearts, water squeezed out
  • 3/4 large red onion, diced
  • 1/2 package crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 package button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 TBSP minced garlic
  • Avocado oil
  • Penzey’s Northwoods Spice

Add a little avocado oil (high smoke point) to a large saute pan and add onion and minced garlic, sauteing until onions start to turn transparent. Add mushrooms and artichoke hearts and continue sauteing until vegetables are warm all the way through. Drench in Penzey’s Northwoods Spice (I used the rest that I had, roughly 3 TBSP) and toss to mix. Dump the vegetable saute in a large glass baking dish and add halved cherry tomatoes. Gently toss everything together and put in a preheated 400 degree oven. Roast until done to your liking – I left mine in for about 40 minutes until they were starting to brown and the tomatoes were shriveling – that’s how I prefer my vegetables.

Side note: I didn’t measure the cherry tomatoes or artichoke hearts. I’d say roughly about 2-3 cups of halved cherry tomatoes, I used the rest of what I had in a large Costco clamshell container. Similar with the artichoke hearts, I had an open large 33oz size jar from Costco in the fridge that needed to be used, probably 3/4 full. Best tip I’ve received when squeezing water out of artichoke hearts? Literally squeeze them to death with your hand (make a fist), I don’t even cut them anymore because they come apart so easily. Kind of like a mash.

I’ve scrambled some of the leftovers with eggs for breakfast, reheated some last night for dinner with coconut aminos, etc.!

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