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Fajita Salad

Tonight’s dinner was everything! Fajita Salad that EVERYONE liked makes it a new staple at our house. Quesadillas served along side or for scooping up salad kind of made my night. 😊 Onions and Bell peppers, sautéed Tomatoes (marinated in EVOO and balsamic) Avocado (lime, S&P) Cilantro, chopped Red Leaf Lettuce Wheat tortilla Cheddar cheese Flank Steak: marinated in EVOO, lime juice, cilantro, diced green onion, seasoned salt, pepper. Sauté onions and peppers on high to char. I bought them pre-sliced so I didn’t even have to chop. Marinate steak for 2-3 hours and bring out to room temp before cooking. Grill on high. Make quesadillas to serve on the side of just plain tortilla. Cumin Line Vinaigrette 2 parts Grape seed or Canola Oil 1 part Lime juice 1/2 part red wine vinegar 1 tsp cumin Handful chopped cilantro S&P

Crab Cakes

I’m heading out of town in search of sand and sea but for those excited for the Golden Globes, these crab cakes are the perfect “fancy” meal to eat while watching the red carpet. 1 can lump crab meat (found at Costco and most grocery stores in refrigerated section) 3 green onions, chopped thinly 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped small 1/2 C Panko bread crumbs, plus extra for coating 1/3 C light mayo 1 egg, beaten Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, 1 lemon Dash of Worcestershire sauce Dash of cayenne S&P Grape seed or olive oil Arugula Fold all ingredients together except for oil. Gently mix without breaking up crab chunks. Mold into patties and cover patties in extra Panko crumbs. Sauté with oil on medium heat until cooked through. Lemon Aioli 1 C mayo Juice of 1/2 lemon and zest 1 TB garlic S&P Squeeze of Sriracha Serve on bed of arugula with a lemon and EVOO dressing.

Black Bean Burger

This Black Bean and Brown Rice Burger will blow your mind! It’s so flavorful, spicy, and healthy to boot! 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained 2 C frozen brown rice, heated 2 green onions, chopped 2 Tb garlic 1 handful cilantro 2 tsp cumin 1/2 C Pickled jalapeño (optional) S&P EVOO Put all ingredients in blender or food processor. Drizzle in 1-2 TB of EVOO. Pulse until half is incorporated. Greasing your hands, take out mixture and form into patties. Sauté in EVOO until brown on each side and warmed through. Wheat bun 1/2 ketchup 1/2 light mayo mixture Arugula Roasted Tomato (20 minutes at 425) Feta

No Chop Vegetable Soup

Keeping with the detox program (for part of my day) here is an easy peasy NO CHOP Vegetable Soup. I make this soup every New Years and it starts us off on the right foot. Pre-chopped Mirapeaux (carrots, celery, onion) Trader Joes or local grocery store prepared food area Bagged Broccoli slaw Bagged Cole slaw 1 TB Jarred garlic 3 Cans Fire Roasted diced tomatoes with garlic 1-2 cartons Vegetable or Beef stock (I love the depth of flavor with the beef stock) 3 Zucchinis (shoot, you do chop these) Frozen corn EVOO S&P Spices Drizzle EVOO in a large pot. Add Mirapeaux and cook until soft. Add garlic, broccoli and cole slaw. Add S&P and bay leaf or thyme sprigs. Cook until soft and add favorite spices (garlic or onion salt, pepper, basil, oregano, etc). Add canned tomatoes and a little sugar if you want. Add broth then Zucchini slices and corn. Simmer for 2 hours. Season as needed. Add ons- kielbasa, shredded chicken, chicken sausage, parmesan cheese, basil, red pepper flakes.. This soup freezes well and you can…

Italian Grilled Cheese

Come to Mama!! Italian grilled cheese for a snowy day and the leftovers make for a perfect breakfast with a fried egg on top! 1 loaf sliced sourdough bread Prosciutto, thinly sliced Salami, sliced thinly Pesto Olive Tapenade Roasted tomatoes or Sun Dried tomato Fontina or Provolone cheese, thinly sliced Mozzarella or Burrata, thickly sliced Arugula Pepperoncinis, sliced EVOO Preheat a grill-pan over medium-high heat. Spread one side of bread with pesto. Layer Fontina, prosciutto, tapenade, Salami, tomatoes, Pepperoncinis, arugula; end with mozzarella. Top with remaining bread. Brush top and bottom of the sandwich with olive oil. Place on grill pan and put a heavy skillet over sandwich to push it down (like a panini press). Grill 3 to 4 minutes on first side, turn, weigh down on other side, and continue cooking until sandwich is golden and cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes.

Coconut Cashew Chicken

Because I do plan on making dinner sometime this week (and aren’t these the most helpful for you?). This Coconut Cashew Chicken was so good and so easy! My kids said its their favorite chicken. Chicken breasts Coconut covered Cashews (Costco or Trader Joes) That’s it! I ground the nuts in my blender and covered the chicken in them. (I didn’t use any egg or flour but I’m sure you could). We grilled them on our #traeger but your oven or BBQ would be fine too. Trader Joes frozen Brown rice and frozen veggies are my go-to’s lately for a quick and healthy dinner.

Turkey sandwich with Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ sauce

I have the answer to all leftover turkey!! Sriracha & Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce from Trader Joes. I had this for lunch AND dinner yesterday. Here’s what you do: Baguette, sliced Top sliced turkey with Swiss cheese and broil until melted Add avocado, tomato, and turkey/cheese to the sandwich. Heat Sriracha sauce until hot and dip away! For low carb (it’s even better then the sandwich): mix dressing of lemon juice, EVOO, garlic, and S&P. Use romaine lettuce and add parmesan and slivered almonds. Top salad with broiled turkey and cheese and pour Sriracha sauce on top!

Green Beans with Honey and Cashews

My favorite weeknight vegetable is green beans (always make enough for 2 nights). Add a little butter, honey, and cashews and you’ll have one happy family! If you’re looking for an out of this world Green Bean Casserole with Buttermilk Fried Onions for Thanksgiving, search green bean casserole on my website and you’ll find it! It’ll be your favorite dish of the whole meal!

Roast Chicken Dinner

Winner winner chicken dinner! This meal is so easy and looks like it took all day. Ingredients: Roasting chicken EVOO Garlic, minced Seasoning (chicken rub, seasoned salt, etc.) Mirepoix mix (pre chopped carrot, celery, and onion) Brussels sprouts, chopped in half Beef stock Condensed Portobello mushroom soup Method: Clean and rinse off chicken and rub with EVOO and garlic. Generously shake your favorite seasoning over entire chicken. Put chicken in roasting pan and drop in veggies and Brussels sprouts and a little more EVOO and (a little) beef stock. Bake or Traeger at 400-425 for 70 minutes. Done!! For gravy, take chicken and veggies off roasting pan and put on platter. Add beef stock to drippings and deglaze pan. Once reduced by 1/3 add portobello mushroom soup (Trader Joes) and continue to cook through. This gravy is rich and adds amazing depth to this chicken.

Turkey Soup with Stuffing Dumplings

Healthy and delicious way to use leftovers after Thanksgiving. Ingredients: Turkey broth Garlic Poblano peppers, chopped Onion, chopped Celery, chopped Carrots, chopped (use TJ Mirapeaux mix) Frozen Corn Mushrooms Thyme Turkey Stuffing (Stove Top or homemade) Egg Method: Sauté onion, celery, peppers, and carrots. Add garlic, corn, mushrooms, and thyme (or any other herbs you like). Once vegetables are softened add broth and simmer for an hour. Add leftover turkey and Salt and Pepper as needed. For stuffing dumplings, add an egg to leftover stuffing and season if needed. Combine and make little balls. Place stuffing dumplings into soup and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until cooked through.