Sunday Dinner: Barbacoa Tacos

The recipe is exactly the same as the Beer and Shot Taco. Just sub in with beef and add 1 lime to the beef once cooked. Also, you can follow the Barbacoa Recipe I posted before from around the blogosphere

Gruyere and Gouda Mac & Cheese (Jalapeno & Bacon)

I had a hankering for mac and cheese today and decided to make a variation of this recipe from "The Owl with the Goblet"

I'd imagine most people like their mac and cheese really creamy so I would follow the recipe. If you want something healthier, I would use less butter and just a splash of heavy cream/milk. I ended up using panko bread crumbs on top but you can really use whatever you want!


As for the cheese, I bought gruyere and smoked gouda. I probably should have bought more because it wasn't as creamy as I would have liked but it was still really good. Obviously it's not a healthy meal but everyone needs cheat day!

I ended up adding spinach to my dish. Spinach is great because it really doesn't have any flavor but its healthy and adds a great green color to the dish.

(Cheat Day) Weeknight Dinner: Whole Wheat Carbonara with Corn

It's cheat day! I was craving pasta but felt guilty about the massive amounts of carbs I was about to indulge in so I did a modified carbonara.

Recipe

Half of a box of whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup broth
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 small onion diced
2 pieces of bacon diced
3 garlic cloves diced
1 tbs of parsley
2 egg whites
1/2 a can of corn

Put 1/2 cup of water and broth in a stockpot.  Add the olive oil and 1 tsp of salt. Cook the pasta al dente - the best is to boil your water and then add the pasta in for 7 minutes (stirring occasionally).

In another pan, cook the bacon and set aside. Add the coconut oil and cook the onions and garlic in the bacon fat till browned. You can add crushed red pepper if desired.

Add back the bacon and stir.

Once the pasta is done, add it to the bacon, onion and garlic mixture. Add the corn and toss it in the sauce. Finally add the egg whites. Let cook and toss occasionally. Add 1 tsp of salt, some pepper and parsley. Toss again and serve. (you can add more salt and pepper if desired - I always add more if needed later on)

Quick Kale Salad Recipe

I love an easy weeknight salad! I had some kale at home and decided to make a quick salad for dinner. It's healthy and low-carb!

Recipe

1 bunch of kale thinly sliced
1 granny smith chopped lengthwise
1/2 cup of walnuts, pistachios or pine nuts

Dressing

2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs lemon zest
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pepper

If you don't have time to make a dressing, the Dean and Deluca Pear Vinaigrette is an amazing alternative! I use that if I have a long night at work. However, I do advocate making your own since it eliminates preservatives.

Mix all ingredients together, serve immediately.

*** You can add some fresh grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano to the salad. I'm just not a huge pungent cheese fan since it diminishes some of the healthiness of the salad but it's all preference.

Detox Tuesday - Grilled Turkey Salad with Salmon

So I'm still detoxing and decided to post my recipe for this grilled turkey salad with salmon. I know.. salmon again... I just made a ton, its healthy and tastes delicious!

Recipe

1 piece of grilled Alaskan Salmon (6 oz) - I used about half for the salad
1 grilled turkey burger sliced
4 bunches of romaine lettuce leaves (chopped)
1/4 of an english cucumber (sliced thick)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon
1 tbs Coleman's Mint Sauce
Dash of fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup of grilled onions
1 small vine ripen tomato diced
2 hard boiled eggs sliced
4 piece of blanched asparagus spears

Dressing

1 tsp hummus
1 tsp roasted red pepper spread (I used the Trader Joes version)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp Coleman's Mint Sauce (I purchased it from Amazon - Coleman)

Please refer to my previous post for cooking and seasoning the salmon.

Turkey Burger: I would season the heck out of it just like the salmon. I added one tbs of panko crumbs and one egg to bind it all together but I really just added every herb (rosemary, parsley, oregano, sage) in my garden and every seasoning I own. I also added a dash of cinnamon and cumin to help enhance the flavor, but other than than, go crazy!

Boiling the Eggs: The best trick I have found is to boil the water and then toss in the eggs for about 9-10 minutes to get the perfect yellow yolk!

Asparagus Spears: To blanche asparagus spears, boil your water and add in the spears for 2 minutes. You want that bright green color but for it to remain crispy as well.

Once you have all the ingredients above prepared, mix it all together before adding the dressing. Once tossed, add the small amount of dressing and mix (it may seem as if there is not enough dressing but the flavors from everything else will enhance the salad). Add more pepper if you would like and serve immediately.