Mahi Mahi "Rice" Bowl

Every time I go to Costco I consider buying their big bag of frozen Mahi Mahi. It's a bit pricey, so I always decide against it, but this time I actually grabbed it. Dave had sent me this Paleo Mexican Burrito Bowl recipe that he requested I make. The original recipe called for beef, but I figured I could easily sub in whatever other protein I would like. Obviously, you don't have to use Mahi. Beef, as the original recipe calls for would be great, or chicken too! The base of this recipe is riced cauliflower, something we have wanted to try for a while! To me, it wasn't anything similar to rice, but it was still pretty yummy! I simplified the recipe a bit. I've learned how to make shortcuts in recipes making them a lot quicker and easier, but just as yummy! Hopefully you enjoy! 

Here's what you will need;

For "rice";

Cauliflower (I used 1/2 of a head)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 an onion, diced

1/2 a jalapeno, diced (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

For protein; 

Protein of your choice (Mahi, tilapia, shrimp, beef, chicken)

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Toppings of your choice;

Avocado

Pico 

Cabbage 

Cilantro

Lime

Cilantro Lime Dressing (optional)

1 packet dry ranch dressing

1 cup milk

1 cup greek yogurt (or mayo)

1 bunch cilantro 

1/2 jalapeno

1 juiced lime

For the cauliflower rice, first you will need to chop and wash your cauliflower. To make "rice" I threw it in my food processor and hit the chop button a few times until it was the texture I wanted. You can also use a blender, just using the pulse button so it doesn't get blended too finely. heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat, adding onions and garlic. Sautee until browned. Add cauliflower "rice" and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook till slightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine all seasonings and add to protein. If using fish or chicken like I was, I just patted it into both sides of the fish. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium-high heat, and add protein. Cooking times will vary depending on what you are cooking. For the Mahi, I seared both sides, once seared I lowered the heat to medium, and continued to cook another 5 minutes.  

For the cilantro lime dressing, just throw all the ingredients in the blender and chill until ready to serve! We usually have a jar of this stuff in the fridge. It's similar to the dressing you would get at Cafe Rio, and is so yummy over anything!

Serve protein over "rice" base and top as you would like (see suggested toppings above).

And that's it! Pretty simple! This recipe is so versatile, you could add so many things, totally change the flavors, and it would still be really yummy! I think next time I will add some chipotle seasoning and add black beans and maybe grilled corn! You will have to let me know of any yummy adjustments you make!

Adapted from Whitty Paleo

Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Soup

Now thThis recipe is one of our all time favorite soups. This recipe does have a good kick to it thanks to the Chipotles, but if you can handle the heat, it is so easy to throw together and is packed with flavor! 

Here's what you will need;

1 onion, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tablespoons olive oil

6-8 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, chopped

4 Chipotle chilies and 4 tablespoons adobo sauce*

6 cups chicken broth 
1 can corn, drained 
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups heavy cream

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

1 avocado

Sour cream

Crushed Tortilla chips

*the Chipotle chilies are really quite spicy, so you can half this to lower the heat

In a large pot or dutch oven add onion, garlic, olive oil, and saute. Push onion and garlic to the side of the pan and add chicken and cook. Once golden, add chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, corn, black beans, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Add lime juice. You can add the chopped cilantro at this point, or wait to add it to each serving along with sour cream, avocado and tortilla chips.

And that's it! Enjoy!

Adapted from Rachael Ray

Happy Fall!

Pesto Zoodles

We have become rather obsessed in our house with zoodles = zucchini noodles! I considered buying a spiralizer for a long time, and finally decided to buy one off Amazon. Since I wasn't sure I would like it, I just bought a small, cheap one. But we love it so much! I certainly recommend on getting a bigger one that is a bit more heavy duty (like spiraling sweet potatoes! Next on my, to try list!).

For my first time trying out zoodles, I was really pleased at how easy and yummy they are. I have made many different dishes now using the spiralizer that I can't wait to share. I have always been pasta obsessed, but after trying pasta this way, I can honestly tell you that I would be okay never have normal noodles ever again! That really is shocking for me to say! But it's true! 

I can't say that this dish is exactly healthy, but certainly healthier than if it was just made with noodles! 

What you will need;

Zucchini (about 2 per person)
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, roasted (or store bought sun dried tomatoes) 
Pesto (I am on the hunt for a good homemade version. Store bought will do for now!)
Chicken Breast (1 per person)
Olive Oil (about 2 tbs)
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 teaspoon Rosemary (optional)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (optional)


First you will need to spiralize your zucchini. The one I bought provided pretty clear directions and was quick and easy to use.

Now if you are pinched for time, or just feel lazy (I'm not judging!) you can substitute sundried tomatoes. But roasting your own tomatoes is really pretty easy, and so yummy! Just chop your cherry tomatoes in half, coat lightly in olive oil, and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, at 400 degrees, tossing them about half way through.

Next, begin cooking your chicken breast. I like to follow TheKitchn.com's easy directions for moist and tender BSCB. 

Once your chicken is fully cooked, add the heavy cream, pesto, and rosemary to the same pan. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes while the sauce thickens up. Lastly, add the Parmesan and zoodles to the same pan with the chicken and sauce, tossing your zoodles in the sauce. Simmer on low, about another 3-5 minutes. 

Serve topped with roasted tomatoes, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Yum! 

So easy! And a big hit with everyone who I have served it to! 

Enjoy! 


adapted from Closet Cooking

Easy Tikka Masala

A couple weeks ago, I had sunday dinner all planned out only to find I missed a vital ingredient! So I had to make a last minute switch. I was still wanting to make something somewhat similar to what I had planned so I hunted around for some recipes.

I have been made tikka masala a few times recently, but haven't found a recipe I loved. But this one turned out great! I made some changes from the original recipe since I was short on time, but it turned out pretty great even with the shortcuts I made. See the extended recipe here.

-adapted from Food.com-

Here's what you will need;

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala (which I bought online from Penzeys)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

What to do;

Melt butter over medium high heat, cook chicken until fully cooked. Add onion and garlic and cook until sauteed. Add all remaining ingredients except cilantro. Simmer 10-15 minutes over medium heat until sauce has thickened up. 

Serve over rice (I like basmati rice) and top with chopped cilantro.

And that's it! While it's a cheater addition of Tikka Masala, it was way better than any of the time consuming recipes I have tried so far!

My mom made the naan pictured above. I'm trying to find the recipe, I'll update this when I find it! 

Watermelon Sorbet

We had about half a watermelon left that I knew we needed to use up. It wasn't the sweetest watermelon so I figured I might try to use it in a recipe some how. I decided to throw together this quick and easy recipe, that is so refreshing and perfect for the blisteringly hot and muggy weather we have been having.

All you need;

4-5 cups seedless watermelon
Juice of 1 lime
Dash of salt
1/4 cup of sugar

Throw all above ingredients into blender, and blend until pureed. 

If you don't have an ice cream maker, get one! Honestly, I think it's a must have kitchen appliance. We have a rather old Cuisinart ice cream maker. Still works great! I just throw it in and it was ready in about 25 minutes. 

If you don't have an ice cream maker just throw it in the freezer until it's a more slushy consistency. Or blend ice in with all the ingredients. 

This recipe is very flexible. If you have a sweet tooth you can totally add more sugar (one recipe I came across called for 1 cup of sugar!) But I prefer the raw watermelon flavor, and the lime added a nice tartness to it. 

So easy! I certainly need to make more treats like this for summer! 

Enjoy!

Perfect Summer Mint Limeade

Early in the days of dating and young love, Dave and I came across delightful, made on the spot Mint Limeade at the Downtown SLC Farmer Market. Since it was a bit of a drive to the market (and now it's really quite the drive to that market) we've figured out our own recipe for the wonderfully refreshing Mint Limeade. I may have shared this recipe before, but I feel that it still needed some tweaking. Now, I am quite happy with where it's at, so here it is! It's really quite easy and the perfect summer beverage. 

What you will need;

8-10 limes, juiced
1 bunch fresh mint
3/4 sugar
2 quarts water 

What to do;

Fill up your pitcher with water, and sugar. Whisk in sugar until dissolved.

Now the most difficult part of this recipe is juicing the limes. Often times they are beasts to juice by hand. You could throw them in an electric juicer, but, at least with my juicer, I have to peel them first, so no thanks. So my trick is to first slice all the limes in half, and throw them all in the microwave for 15 seconds. Sounds weird, I know, but this will make them a bit softer and easier to juice so you can get more juice out of them. My favorite tool is a hand press juicer which you can usually get from any store for about $10. Worth it! Obviously add the lime juice to your pitcher and stir together.

If you don't have something to help with juicing and don't feel like you got much juice out by hand, just put the halved limes in with the water and all other ingredients and just let it all marinade for 2-4 hours. I often will do this at the start of dinner when I am feeling too lazy to juice the limes and then the limeade is ready once I am all wrapped up with dinner! Easy peasy! 

This part might sound like a lot of work, but really it's not! And most importantly, don't just give up and use the pre-bottled nasty lime juice. I repeat. DO NOT USE NASTY BOTTLED LIME JUICE. That goes for the syrupy frozen stuff too. Just do it fresh my friends! Otherwise we can't be friends! 

Next, tear up the mint leaves, usually just tearing each mint leaf in two, you don't need to chop them up small or anything, and add that to the pitcher and stir a bit. The flavors are usually ready in about an hour. You can leave the mint and limes in the pitcher for up to 4 hours. I usually take out the mint and limes at about the four mark as it starts to get a little too strong, and the limes can start to break down and make it too acidic. 

Some people like it more sweet, some people like it more tart, that's up to you! But I promise, it will be wonderfully refreshing for a slow rock on the porch on a hot summer day! 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Happy Tuesday every one! 

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and are having a lovely week so far!

Today I decided to share one of my all time favorite recipes!

We had some friends over for dinner last week and I forgot to plan something for desert (I know, so shocking, so rare!) but when I saw a bag of shredded coconut in the pantry I figured I should whip these up. These are really quick and easy to make, and not only do they look impressive, they are so yummy!

Here's what you need; 

2/3 cup and 2 tbsp flour
1 (14 ounce) bag sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 and ½ tsp almond or vanilla extract
1/2 cup  semi-sweet or dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon shortening 

Preheat oven to 325°F

Toss together flour, coconut and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir sweetened condensed milk and extract together into the coconut mixture until fully incorporated. 

Using a small cookie scooper, scoop the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake macaroons for about 15-20 minutes or until they begin to brown.

To melt the chocolate add the shortening to the chocolate and microwave on high in increments of 20 seconds until fully melted. The shortening helps ensure the chocolate is smooth and helps thin it out just a bit to aid in drizzling.

Once macaroons are cooled, dip the bottoms in melted chocolate, drizzling the tops with chocolate, and setting them on wax paper. Serve once the chocolate is hardened.

Sine I had only about 30 minutes till our guests arrived, I put the chocolate drizzled macaroons in the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden up the chocolate in time. Works like a charm! Just don't forget to pull them out so you don't have frozen macaroons! 

I promise, even people who don't like coconut will love these! Because I don't normally like coconut!

Adapted from Kin Community

Easy Oven Baked Fajitas

Today I share with you a lazy day favorite; easy oven baked fajitas! This is the perfect meal to make when I need something quick, it's usually done in about an hour! It's easy, can feed a lot of people, and is always a hit! 

When I first started making this I made my own Fajita seasoning, but I have yet to find a recipe for the seasoning that I find to be really flavorful. If you have a good one let me know! But until I find a good recipe for the seasoning, I just use a Fajita seasoning packet. Not exactly healthy, but so easy! And really flavorful!

All you need;
8 large chicken breasts
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 fajita seasoning packet (I always buy the low sodium)
Tortillas
Toppings of your choice

Chop the chicken, peppers and onions and toss in the seasonings. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. 

Serve and each person can top as they wish! I like to top them with salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. 

And that's it! So easy! 

Enjoy!

Avocado Enchiladas

My mom introduced me to this recipe that she found via Pinterest. It is so good and so easy! Avocado is probably my number one favorite food, so a dish that is jam packed with avocado? Ya, I'm gonna love it! And this is pretty quick to whip up! So it wins even more points! 

I'm not sure where this recipe originally started since I have seen it on tons of blogs, but here is my version of it;

What you will need;

4 cups shredded chicken 
1 1/2 -2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
8-10 large flour tortillas
1/2 medium onion
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
2 avocados
1 jalapeno (optional)
1 bunch cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice of 1 lime

Directions;

In a blender combine onion, heavy cream, chicken broth, avocados, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, salt, garlic powder and lime until well combined. Should be a nice creamy sauce.

I boil my chicken and shred it in my stand mixer. Never done that? Ready to have your life changed. Click here for an easy how to! 

Add 1/2 of the avocado cream mixture to your chicken and mix well. 

Spread 1/2 of the remaining avocado cream on the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish.

Add 2-3 spoonfuls of chicken to a tortilla and roll up, and place in baking dish, seam side down.

Top with remaining avocado cream,

and cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted to your liking. 

Top as you wish! I like to top it with tomatoes, even more avocado, lots of sour cream, and Cholula! 

Enjoy!

Do you have are recipe you love that is loaded with avocado?? 
Let be know in the comments below!

Wildflower's Fresh Veggie Omelette - Under 300 Calories

I've become slightly obsessed with omelettes as of late. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner. They are so quick and easy to whip up, flavorful and healthy! Here is one of my favorite omelette's as of late.

What you will need; 

1 large mushroom washed and chopped
Handful of fresh spinach
2 tablespoons pico de gallo
3 tablespoons cheese of your choice
3 egg whites 
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop mushroom and place with spinach in a small pan. Drizzle with olive oil.

Saute on medium heat till spinach is wilted

Turn off the heat and remove veggies from pan and set aside. 

Next, add the egg whites to the pan and cook on low heat. I buy the egg whites in the carton which is pretty cheap and lasts a while so I don't have to waste any yolks. Follow the directions on the carton to know how much to use. I use about 3 tablespoons. 

The pan should still have enough oil left over from sauteing the veggies, but add more if it doesn't look oiled to prevent any sticking.

Most people recommend flipping the egg to ensure both sides are fully cooked. I hate dealing with flipping it, so I put a lid on it and this cooks both sides nicely. Easy!  

After about 1 and 1/2 minutes add the cheese, salt and pepper, and cover again, cooking for another 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Add veggies,

Fold and serve!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Fluff

May is quite possibly my favorite month. It's warm, but not too hot quite yet. It's my birthday month. But most importantly, May marks the start of prime strawberry season. Today I share an easy fruit salad, perfect for any picnic or BBQ, loved by everyone, young and old, and almost too easy to whip up! 

I don't know if this recipe has an official name, but we call it strawberry fluff because that's exactly what it is.

All you need is 
8 oz whipped cream
8 oz of cottage cheese
1 small box of strawberry jello (unprepared)
2 cups of chopped strawberries.

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl until jello powder is well incorporated and there you have it! 

Easy, right? 

And can be easily doubled if needed! And feel free to add more fruit, or experiment with other fruits and jellos!