Tag Archives: Real Food

Avocado Smash Toast

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I shared a picture of what I made for lunch today on my Instagram (@the3llls, those are L’s) and my personal Facebook page, mostly because it was too tasty and pretty not too and I’m obsessed with food. But for those that aren’t a part of either of those communities, I wanted to share here as well. I happen to have an abundance of fresh garden tomatoes from The Tomato Lady (aka, my mom), so I’m using them in all sorts of ways. Here’s a super simple lunch that’s quick, tasty, and filled with nutrients. Plus, the options are endless with avocado smash toast (I don’t eat bread often, but more in the summer for things like this or with radish sandwiches, etc.). Appreciating the last of what summer has to offer!

Avocado Smash Toast

  • 2 slices gluten-free bread, toasted/broiled (I use Canyon Bakehouse)
  • Grass-fed butter
  • 1 avocado, smashed
  • Garlic salt
  • Sliced tomato
  • Sea salt/black pepper
  • Olive oil

Pretty simple, really. Toast bread, slather with grass-fed butter while bread is warm so it’s melty. Top with the smashed avocado and sprinkle with garlic salt. Top with sliced tomato and fresh ground sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle lightly with a really good quality olive oil. Holy hell! Enjoy 🙂

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Garlic and Gouda Cauli Mash

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I am always making some sort of dish with riced cauliflower. I know Trader Joe’s has it back in stock now (so popular it disappeared quick and they couldn’t keep up with demand), but we don’t have a TJ’s conveniently close to us so for the most part I buy Green Giant Cauliflower Bits from Super Target. The only ingredient is cauliflower, and they seem to have a steady supply of it. Each time I go I buy 3-4 bags. Cauli is one of the most versatile vegetables out there and full of nutrients.

One of the simplest things you can do with it is steam it, mash it and add whatever ingredients you choose for a “mashed potato” texture and varying flavors. The Green Giant bags can be steamed right in the microwave if you want in about 4 minutes. I recently made a garlic and gouda cauli mash, and then added ham to the leftovers the next day and it was like a creamy ham and cheese casserole!

Garlic and Gouda Cauli Mash

  • 1 pkg Green Giant Cauli bits (or TJs riced cauli)
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup dry aged Gouda (we call it crunchy gouda)
  • Salt and pepper

Steam cauli bits in the microwave for about 5 minutes, remove and mash in a bowl. Add rosemary leaves, garlic powder, gouda and generously season with salt and pepper. Continue mashing until all ingredients are incorporated. Feel free to microwave again if the gouda isn’t melting quite enough.

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Pomegranate Guacamole

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Pomegranate guacamole…not something I would typically think to put together (not sure why…because um hi, sweet and salty stuff) but happened to see an ad fly by in one of the apps on my phone last week, so I decided to investigate. I scanned a few recipes online and decided to make it how I would normally make my guac and add pomegranate arils (which I happened to have on hand, which is rare). I also had about 6-7 avocados that were especially ripe and ready to be mashed. It was surprisingly tasty with a hint of fresh sweetness from the arils – make for Super Bowl Sunday! Or just to eat.

Pomegranate Guacamole

  • 7 ripe avocados (probably total about 6 as some were too ripe)
  • 1 cup pomegranate arils
  • 1 large jalapeno, only 1/2 deseeded, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup diced white onion
  • 1 bunch cilantro, loosely cut (I hold directly over bowl and just cut into recipe with kitchen shears, so much easier)
  • 3 TBSP minced garlic
  • Juice/pulp of 1 large lime
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Seems like a lot of raw garlic…trust me! Mash the avocados with the juice of the lime and spices, seasoning to taste. Then mix in the garlic, onion, jalapeno and arils and toss to mix everything together. We had it with chips the night I made it, and this morning I had a side of it for breakfast with eggs! Tonight, I’ll be putting it in some lettuce wraps.

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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! 🙂

Cinnamon Fruit Salad

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Happy first day of July (WHAT)! It’s really feeling like summer lately (although it was 55 here at my house in Minnesota this morning, brrr), so it’s salads of all kinds with grilling and more grilling.

A couple weeks ago my mom and dad were here for the night before we all headed to a weekend at the lake for Summer Solstice. Seth and I cooked up a fabulous dinner for the four of us, grilled steaks, grilled hash browns with peppers/onions and cheese, grilled eggplant and cinnamon fruit salad.

I had three very ripe mangoes that needed to be used before we left for the weekend, so I cut them up into pieces and tossed them in a bowl with fresh blueberries and cantaloupe. I then squeezed the juice of two limes over the fruit, a shake of raw coconut sugar (maybe 1/8 cup?) and a sprinkle of cinnamon (roughly 1 tsp). It really doesn’t take much cinnamon to flavor the salad – I went light because my dad isn’t a huge fan of cinnamon, and I was surprised at how cinnamon-y it still was. There was a small serving leftover, and it kept great in the fridge until it was finished with breakfast the next morning.

You could easily change up the fruits, but it was a nice flavor change from regular fruit salad!

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