Creamy Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

It's officially chilly in GA, y'all! The good news is that this savory, spicy masterpiece is sure to warm us up. It's full of fresh veggies, spicy sausage, cheesy pasta and juuust enough cream to make it feel decadent. We loved it and hope you do too!

Total prep and cook time: 1 hr
Serves: 6, each serving about 2 cups

Ingredients: 

- 1 lb hot italian sausage (I used my favorite hot italian chicken sausage from Sprouts)
- 1 9oz bag tortellini (fresh or frozen, I used Buitoni found in the refrigerated pasta section)
- 9 C low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small-medium white onion, diced
- 2 C fresh spinach, stems removed and chopped into strips
- 2 C carrots, chopped
- 1/4 C heavy cream (or more, if you're feeling dangerous)
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp thyme, dried ground
- 1 tsp basil, dried
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, for a medium-hot flavor (decrease for mild flavor)
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot with a lid, add garlic when the pot gets hot
- Add onion, bell pepper and carrot, cook for about 5 minutes
- Add sausage to the pot with the veggies, cook and stir until brown and ground up into small pieces
- Add all spices listed oregano - red pepper flakes and stir well
- Pour in your chicken broth and turn heat to high until soup begins to boil
- Lower heat to simmer, cover pot and let simmer for at least 30 minutes so flavors can meld
- When you are about ready to serve, add tortellini to simmering soup and cook according to package directions (usually about 4 minutes for fresh, 10-12 for frozen), stirring so they don't stick together
- When tortellini is done, remove soup from heat and stir in heavy cream and spinach

*** 10/10 would recommend serving with garlic bread and eating whilst (prematurely) watching Christmas movies ***

Oven-Fried Nashville Hot Chicken

Anyone else crave crunchy spicy chicken on the regular?? Good news!! I have been playing with different recipes in order to avoid having an inner struggle about whether or not to go to Chick-fil-a every time this happens to me and I definitely hit the jackpot yesterday. The spice level can be altered if you're not into the heat, just skip the hot sauce and top with whatever you like! Honey mustard? BBQ sauce? Follow your heart, friends. I topped mine with Nashville hot sauce and some homemade cole slaw and it was drool-worthy. This is the love child of a Nashville Hot Chicken recipe from Carlsbad Cravings and a Skinny Oven-Fried Chicken recipe from Well Plated.

Marinating time: 2-24 hours

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

- 1 medium-sized chicken breast (about 1/2 lb), pounded with a meat tenderizer until 1/2 inch thick and cut in half

- 1/2 C flour, all purpose or white whole wheat

Buttermilk Marinade: 

- 1/2 C buttermilk

- 1/2 tbsp spice rub (recipe below)

- 1 bay leaf

Spice Rub:

- 1/2 tbsp salt

- 1/2 tbsp paprika

- 1/2 tbsp onion powder

- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 1 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp oregano

- 1/2 tsp basil

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Nashville Hot Sauce:

- 1 tbsp hot sauce

- 1 tbsp butter, melted

- 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

- 1 tbsp brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp spice rub

- 1/4 tsp paprika

- 1/4 C vegetable oil

Breading:

- 1.5 C corn flakes, crushed into crumbs in a large ziploc bag with a rolling pin

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp black pepper

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (or a sprinkle each of thyme, sage, and rosemary)

Directions:

- Place your chicken breast pieces in an air-tight container with the buttermilk marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours. Save remaining spice rub for cooking.

- When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400.

- Creating an assembly line on the counter makes it nice and easy to get your chicken ready. Chicken is first in line followed by a plate with your flour on it, followed by the container with the buttermilk marinade, followed by another plate or ziploc bag full of your breading, and finally a greased baking sheet (ideally with a wire or silicone rack on top.)

- Dredge each piece of chicken in flour until fully coated, shaking off any excess

- Coat the chicken in the buttermilk marinade again 

- Then dredge in the cornflake breading until fully coated, pressing any loose pieces into the chicken. I like to make my breading in a ziploc bag and then shake the chicken in it so that it's fully covered.

- Arrange the chicken on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 15 more minutes.

- Prepare your sauce while chicken is baking by melting butter in a microwave safe bowl, adding the rest of the ingredients and stirring well. 

- Place each chicken breast on a whole wheat hamburger bun, spoon some sauce on top and get ready to lose your mind.

I've tried many oven fried chicken recipes before only to find them soggy and disappointing. This was juicy and crunchy and perfect. If you don't like as much (or any) spice, I would recommend leaving out all the cayenne pepper from the breading and the spice rub. You can also lessen or eliminate the chili powder and the black pepper if you're hesitant. I have not tried it this way so you'll have to experiment, but there's enough other spices that the flavor should still be on point!

Chorizo & Corn Cheese Dip

It's football season, y'all! I love my Dawgs and all but let's be honest - the best thing about football season is cheese dip + socially-appropriate day drinking. Here's a new cheese dip I dreamed up to fulfill all your tailgate hopes and dreams.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb chorizo sausage (they make an awesome chicken chorizo sausage at Sprouts, or you can use any kind of pork chorizo)
- 15oz can of corn, drained
- 1 can rotel, NOT drained (I used original, hot would be good too)
- 3/4 C black beans, drained
- 1/3 C diced white onion
- 1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
- 1 8oz block pepper jack cheese, shredded (shred your own- it's worth it!!)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

1) Heat a medium-sized skillet over med-high heat with a splash of olive oil
2) Once the skillet is hot, add chorizo and white onion and cook until chorizo is looked through, breaking it up as it cooks into small pieces
3) In a large mixing bowl, stir cream cheese, HALF of the pepperjack, rotel, corn, black beans, chorizo and onion until well combined
4) Add mixture to a greased 8x8 pan and sprinkle with remaining pepperjack
5) Bake for 15 minutes at 375 and then broil for about 5 extra minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.

(I can't believe it's not potatoes!) Mashed Cauliflower

Hello, my carb-loving friends,

I have the best news! I found a way to make cauliflower taste (almost) like potatoes (obv nothing can truly take their place). I have been doing lots of experimentation with cauliflower recently and I totally hit the jackpot with these. Here's the solution to your trying-to-leave-carbs-out-of-dinner-but-I-need-them struggle:

Servings (side portion): 2-3
Total prep+cook time: 30 minutes

You will need:
- a food processor
- a medium sized pot with a lid
- a colander
- a small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- chicken or veggie broth (2-3 C), I use low sodium chicken broth
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder (optional but recommended)
- onion powder (optional but recommended)
- a splash of milk (I use 1%)
- sprinkle of parsley, optional for a little color

Optional depending on your taste and level of preferred indulgence:
- a very small russet potato, peeled and quartered (like the smallest one you can find - if you're not quite ready to give up on them yet)
- a small pat of butter (like 1/2 a tbsp)
- spoonful of sour cream
- about 1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese

Directions: 
- Add your cauliflower florets and chicken broth (and potato, if using) to a pot with a lid and bring to a boil. You just need enough broth to about 2/3 cover the cauliflower.
- Cover once boiling, reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes until fork tender
- Drain the contents of your pot and then add to your food processor
**My food processor is small, so I drain in the colander and then process in a couple of batches
- Pulse in your food processor until smooth and whipped, no lumps! Sometimes you have to stir a little in between pulses.
- Return your whipped cauliflower (and potato, if using) to the pot
- Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste and stir
- Add a splash of milk if they're a little too thick and stir again
- Taste at this point and decide if you'd like it to taste a little more indulgent. If so, add a pat of butter, spoonful of sour cream or abut 1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese as desired. I like mine with just a little butter. If you don't use the small potato, I'd recommend the parmesan cheese to add a little more creamy texture.
- Sprinkle with parsley, stir and enjoy!

Brown Rice Jumbalaya with Shrimp and Sausage

Hey y'all!

I thought I would share our dinner from last night because it was TOO good. It's a Jumbalaya recipe from Domesticate-Me and it's awesome! It's naturally gluten-free and super versatile with protein. My vegetarians can use beans in place of the meat or just use veggies and rice.. you could also use chicken, only sausage or only shrimp depending on your preference. My fiance actually said this is his favorite thing I've ever cooked! ...and I cook a LOT, so that's a pretty serious indicator that this stuff is good.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1hr

Ingredients:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3/4 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 lb cooked kielbasa or andouille sausage (I like turkey kielbasa), sliced
- 1C uncooked brown rice
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1/3 C celery, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 3.5 C chicken broth (or veggie broth)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- pinch red pepper, or more to taste
- salt to taste
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- chopped green onion and cilantro for garnish, if desired

Directions:
- Heat your olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet with a lid, add garlic
- When pan is hot and garlic starts to become fragrant, add onion, celery and bell pepper, saute for 3 minutes
- Turn heat to medium-high and add your sausage slices, diced tomatoes, paprika, oregano, cumin and red pepper
- Cook for about 3 minutes until simmering
- Mix in brown rice and cook for 1 minute more
- Add chicken broth, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 50 minutes until rice is cooked and moisture is absorbed. Don't peek!
- Taste and add salt (to taste) and/or more red pepper if you like it a little spicy
- Add your shrimp, cover and cook 5 more minutes until shrimp is pink and cooked through

Garnish with green onion and chopped cilantro, if desired, and serve! I served mine with some garlic bread so soak up the goodness.

**Side note: I recently saw someone on Food Network using scissors to cut green onions for garnish. I realize this is probably a thing and I never knew about it but it's a game changer for me. No more trying to chop green onions and having them fly off my cutting board. Hallelujah!

Enjoy!!

(Crunchy, creamy, tangy) Homemade Fish Tacos

It is officially Leo season, y'all, and the universe (Pinterest) has FINALLY blessed me with the perfect homemade fish taco. Fish tacos and I have a long and beautiful love story beginning at the best Mexican restaurant in the world, Dos Palmas (duh). I have been trying (and failing) to make delicious, crunchy, creamy, tangy, fish tacos that rival theirs at my house for at least 4 years. I started by trying to find a good baked fish recipe, gave up, tried grilled for a little while, then came back to baked because I just need the crunch. My fiance loves to embarrass me by telling people about the time I sunk so low that I actually used Trader Joe's fish sticks in our fish tacos.  This is how hard I was convinced that my baked crispy fish future was doomed.  I have made/bought countless versions of chipotle mayo only to find them too smoky or too heavy. You can imagine my surprise after all these years of disappointment that today. magic. happened. in. my. kitchen. The fish taco Gods shined down on me and this gorgeous thing you see before you entered the world. *I cannot take credit for each recipe individually; I can only take credit for hunting them down and combining them.* Nonetheless, I consider it a victory. Just for the record, I'm not even a little bit embarrassed by the dramatic manner in which I have illustrated this experience.

Serves: 2
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

**I'm going to break this down in pieces to make it as easy as possible. I like to make the slaw and sauce first so they can meld while you make the fish!

For the Chipotle mayo:

Ingredients:
- 1/2 C mayonnaise
- 1/2 C sour scream (I used reduced fat)
- 2 chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce (in a can in the Mexican food aisle)
- 1/4 tsp oregano
Directions: combine all ingredients in the food processor and pulse until smooth, refrigerate until ready to use

For the slaw: 

Ingredients:
- 8oz cole slaw mix (1/2 bag)
- 1/4 C white onion, diced
- 1/3 C mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions: Combine cole slaw mix and onion, stir, combine all remaining ingredients, stir, and pour over cole slaw/onions. Refrigerate until ready to use **I like to add extra purple cabbage and shredded carrots for color, totally optional!


For the fish:

Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb tilapia, cut into long strips as equal as possible
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used a combo of whole wheat panko and regular breadcrumbs)
- juice from 1/4 lime
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450
- combine lime juice and oil in a shallow bowl
- combine breadcrumbs, paprika, salt and pepper in another bowl
- prepare a greased baking sheet
- create an assembly line of sorts on the counter, fish pieces> oil > breadcrumbs > baking sheet
- roll each piece of fish one at a time in the oil, dredge in the breadcrumbs and then place on the baking sheet. press the breadcrumbs into the fish to make sure each piece is fully covered
- bake for 8-9 minutes until crispy and golden

To assemble your tacos, warm 4 corn or flour tortillas and fill with each with 1/4 fish, a spoonful of slaw and a drizzle of chipotle mayo. I like pickled jalapeños on mine if you're in the mood for a little kick. Thank the good sweet Lord for Mexican food.

**You will definitely have leftover Chipotle mayo and may have leftover slaw depending on how much you like. Store in airtight container for future culinary creations!

Shakshuka!! (poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce)

Hey y'all!

I have been dying to post this recipe since last week when I made it for the first time. It was one of those that I knew I wanted to post the first time I tried it, alas, I forgot the parsley at the end and therefore my pictures were not pretty enough. Luckily I remembered today. So now you can all have a taste of this beautiful Middle-Eastern magic. I discovered shakshuka when I searched on Pinterest for "recipes with feta cheese" because #priorities. I would eat anything with feta in it. No questions asked. As I understand (thanks to the UmamiGirl blog I adapted this recipe from), shakshuka originated in North Africa and is now served in many Middle-Eastern countries, oftentimes for breakfast or brunch. It also makes a delicious and easy dinner. It's traditionally vegetarian, but I threw some sausage in mine just for fun. You can leave the meat out if you'd like! Don't forget to serve with crusty bread, as crusty bread makes everything better.

Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 can diced tomatoes (I like it with no salt added)
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 C fresh spinach
- 2-4 eggs (depending on how hungry you are)
- 1/4-1/2 lb italian sausage, depending on how much meat you want (I used 1/3 lb hot italian chicken sausage)
- 1/4 C crumbled feta cheese
- 4 tsp miced garlic
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes *optional if you don't want it spicy
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- parsley (so it's pretty)
- toasted crusty bread, I like the take and bake baguettes from my grocery store bakery

Directions:

- Heat your olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid over medium heat
- Saute your onion, bell pepper and sausage until sausage is browned and crumbled and your veggies are tender (about 7 minutes), add spinach for the last two minutes so it can wilt.
- Add cumin, paprika, salt, garlic, red pepper and black pepper (to taste) and stir
- Pour in tomatoes (undrained) and let simmer for about 15 minutes so the mixture can thicken
- Stir in feta
- Create 4 small wells in your tomato sauce and crack an egg in each one
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan
- Cook for 10-15 minutes until eggs are set *I put my bread in the oven while the eggs are setting*
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve!!


Here's the final product!

And here's a picture before the eggs have been cooked:

Mexican Breakfast Hash

Happy Saturday, y'all!

I decided to share our brunch from today because it's raining out and I'm full and happy and it's one of my faves. It's basically my favorite hashbrowns topped with lots of Mexican goodness, cheese and a (preferably runny) fried egg. YUM. I love it because it's super easy and versatile. You can omit the meat and sub for extra veggies, maybe mushrooms and tomato??

Let me know what you think!!

Servings: 2
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
- 4 small red potatoes
- 1/3 C shredded monterey jack, or whatever cheese you like
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 lb chorizo OR ground beef/turkey (I like the chicken chorizo sausage made fresh from Sprouts!)
- 1/2 packet of taco seasoning (if using ground beef/turkey)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- onion powder, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- paprika, to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- cooking spray
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
- 1/2 avocado, diced, optional

Instructions:

For the hashbrowns: 
- Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and microwave whole for 2-3 minutes until fork tender, flipping halfway through
- Dice your potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl
- Spray lightly with cooking spray while you flip the potatoes in the bowl to make sure they all get some coverage
- Season potatoes generously with salt, pepper, garlic, powder, onion powder and paprika. I like to shake my mixing bowl in one hand to move the potatoes around while I sprinkle the seasonings on top to make sure they get evenly seasoned.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over med-high heat and add seasoned potatoes
- Make sure all the potatoes have some contact with the pan and let them brown for about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally

For the meat and veggies: 
- Brown your meat in a skillet over medium heat and add seasoning according to package directions. You will only need half the packet for 1/2 lb of meat. If you're using chorizo you can skip the seasoning.
- Add diced bell pepper and onion (or whatever other veggies you're using) to the pan and let them cook and soften for 3-4 minutes.
- Once done, add your meat and veggies to the skillet with the potatoes and turn the heat to low to keep warm
**If you are making a meatless version, use taco seasoning (according to package directions) to season your veggies and cook until softened. Add to potatoes when finished.

For the eggs: 
- Spray the skillet you used to cook the meat and veggies with cooking spray and reduce that burner to medium.
- Crack your eggs on opposite sides of the pan to keep separate and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Cook for a few minutes on each side until the egg whites are set the the yolk is the consistency you prefer (test it by gently pushing on the yolk to see how set it is).

To put it all together, divide the hashbrown, meat and veggie mixture evenly on two plates. Sprinkle cheese on top evenly between both servings. Top each serving with a fried egg and sprinkle with chopped cilantro/diced avocado if desired.

Look how pretty!!!

Pineapple Chicken Fajita Tacos

Calling all lovers of Mexican food!!

These tacos are life-changing. I realize life-changing is a strong word. You may feel it is a dramatic adjective used in reference to tacos. You are mistaken. This recipe was born because my fave Mexican restaurant in Marietta (Los Bravos, you are a treasure) serves me fajitas in a carved out half pineapple and I have literally craved it every day since it came into my life. If you live anywhere near Marietta, GA you MUST go to Los Bravos and order the fajita pina. You will never be the same. This is the recipe that I use to re-create their breathtaking masterpiece in my own kitchen when my fiance won't drive me an hour to eat Mexican food.

Servings: 2
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Fajitas:
- 1/2 lb chicken, sliced into strips
- 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
- 1 roma tomato, sliced thin
- 1/2 C diced fresh pineapple
- 4 tortillas (I like corn)
- 1/3 C shredded monterey jack
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Fajita seasoning:
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/3 C water

Directions:

- Mix all fajita seasoning ingredients (except water) in a small bowl
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
- Add chicken (pre-marinated or not), veggies and pineapple to the skillet and cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are nicely charred but still a little crispy (about 5-7 minutes)
- Add the rest (or all, if you did not pre-marinate) of the fajita seasoning to the skillet along with the water and cook until water is cooked in and mixture is thickened (about 5 more minutes
- In a separate un-oiled pan - while your fajitas are cooking - warm your tortillas about 1 min per side
- Fill each tortilla with 1/4 fajitas and top with cheese
- Rave about how you can't believe you've never put pineapple in your fajitas before

* It is also delicious if you grill the chicken separately from the veggies and then combine for tacos. If you do this, rub half the dry fajita seasoning on your chicken breast and grill. Make veggies and pineapple according to directions above BUT only use half the water.
 **You can marinate your chicken in half the fajita seasoning (w/out the water) if you'd like, up to several hours prior to cooking. This is optional

Greek Everything

Full disclosure: I would eat anything if it had feta cheese on top. Bless the Greeks. I LOVE Mediterranean food. The flavors are so fresh and light. Also it's not often super oily or cheesy (except for you, Spanikopita, you naughty minx) so you can feel good about putting it in your body without altering recipes or cutting anything out. These are a few of my tried and true favorite Greek recipes that I've found on Pinterest. You can make them all together because they are v simple and basically have a Greek festival in your very own kitchen.

Enjoy!

Greek Spinach Rice (Spanakorizo) courtesy of "A Family Feast" (with minor changes)

Servings: 4

Cook time: 1hr 15min 

Ingredients: 

- 10 oz box frozen spinach

- 4 tbsp fresh dill, chopped, separated 

- 1 tbsp garlic 

- zest and juice from 1 lemon

- 1 small onion, diced

- 2 C veggie broth (lowest sodium you can find), you could also use chicken broth

- 1 C brown rice (not minute rice)

- 1/4 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 tsp cumin

Directions:

- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a pan or pot with a tight fitting lid

- Add onion and garlic, cook a couple of minutes until onion in translucent 

- Add cumin, 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, lemon zest, salt and pepper and cook another minute

- Add veggie broth, frozen spinach (throw the whole frozen block in there), and rice

- Bring to a boil

- Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 50 min- 1 hr (no peeking!!)

- When rice is cooked tender, remove the lid, stir to combine spinach + add juice from your lemon and the other 2 tbsp fresh dill

- Enjoy!

Homemade Greek Salad Dressing Courtesy of "Running in a Skirt"

Prep time: 5 min

Yields: 1 C dressing

Ingredients

- 1/2 C red wine vinegar

- 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

- 2 tsp minced garlic

- juice from 1 lemon

- 2 tsp dried oregano

- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary

- 1/2 tsp dried thyme

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 pepper

Directions:

- Combine all ingredients in a bowl or salad dressing shaker and whisk or shake

- Add to your favorite salad

**My favorite greek salad is: romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, cucumber, red cabbage, red onion, roma tomatoes, and LOTS of feta cheese, add olives or pepperoncinis as desired

I served these beauties with grilled salmon (seasoned with salt, pepper and sprinkled with some fresh dill), a lemon slice for drizzling and tzatziki (duhh). 

Look at this masterpiece!!! (heart eyes)

Skinny Cauliflower and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

GOOD NEWS! I found a low(er) carb version of mac and cheese. This recipe is vegetarian and a good way to sneak some extra veggies in your favorite cheesy pasta dish. The cauliflower and broccoli make the serving larger so you can fool yourself into thinking you're eating more pasta than you actually are. Genius!! This mac and cheese is enough to fill you up as a meal or it can be paired with your favorite protein.

Let me know what you think!!

Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

- 1/2 C pasta
- 1 C raw broccoli florets
- 1 C raw cauliflower florets
- 1/2 C 2% sharp cheddar, shredded
- 2 tbsp cream cheese (I like the kind made with greek yogurt)
- 1/2 C milk or half and half
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, optional

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 375
- Cook pasta according to package directions, add broccoli and cauliflower to the boiling pot for the last 3 minutes
- Drain and set aside
- While you water is boiling/pasta is cooking, melt your butter in an oven-safe skillet over med heat
- Whisk in your flour and cook for about 1 minute
- Add milk or half and half and whisk constantly until combined with flour, about 2 minutes
- Add cream cheese, mustard, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste, stir until combined, 2 min
- Add cheddar cheese and stir until combined, 1-2 min (add a splash more milk if it's too thick)
- Add your drained pasta and veggies and stir until combined
- Put in the oven (or transfer to a greased baking dish first if skillet is not oven-proof) and bake for 12 minutes until bubbly
- Serve with fresh chives on top, if desired

Fresh Black Bean and Corn Salsa PLUS Skinny Margaritas!!

HAPPY CINCO, my food-loving friends!

Here is my second cinco post because #cantstopwontstop eating Mexican food. This salsa is so versatile. It's perfect as an app for all your party people, or made in smaller quantities for your own personal snacking. Toss on top of chicken, steak, shrimp, black bean burgers, taco salad, quesadillas, tacos, burrito bowls, chimichangas, I could keep naming Mexican foods forever...

It's SO easy to throw together...

Yields: 3-4 C salsa

Ingredients:
- 4 large firm roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 small onion, red or white, diced
- 1 bunch cilantro, stems removed, chopped
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 can corn, drained
- 1/2 can black beans, drained
- 1 jalapeño, diced extra small (if you're feeling dangerous)

Directions: 

- Put everything in a bowl and stir, best served about 24 hours after making so the flavors can make sweet love to each other
- Serve with your favorite margaritas! Here's mine...


Skinny Margaritas:

Mix:

- 1.5 oz or one shot tequila (I like silver, 100% agave), about 3 tbsp
- 1 oz triplesec or other orange liqueur (I like Patron Citronage), about 2 tbsp
- 2 tsp agave nectar
- juice from one large lime or 1.5 smaller limes
- splash of OJ if you're in the mood

Shake with ice or blend and enjoy!!

Fiesta Cauliflower Rice

Look at me, y'all! Twice (hopefully thrice) in one week! Killin' it. Only for you, Cinco de Mayo.

Mexican food is my absolute all-time favorite. I worked at the best Mexican restaurant in the world for 3 years in college and I literally ate it every. single. day. (Dos Palmas forever <3). We went for margs and guac on my days off. No shame, people. When my fiance asks where I want to go for dinner he says, "besides Mexican", because that's always choice #1.

So I've been experimenting with cauliflower rice trying to make it not taste bad. Here you have it. Cauliflower rice that doesn't taste bad. It actually tastes delicious. If regular Mexican rice is a 10, my fiance rated this an 8. And he is a lover of rice. Give it a try served with your fave protein!

Serves: 2-4 (2 if it's most of the meal, 4 if it's a smaller side)
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
- 1 small head cauliflower, stem removed, grated
- 1 small onion, sliced thin
- 1 small bell pepper (or half a red/ half a green), sliced thin
- 1/2 can corn
- 1/2 can black beans (stay tuned for how to use the other half cans tomorrow!!!)
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus an extra splash
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1/4 jalapeno, diced small, optional
- 1/2 C shredded monterey jack, optional

Directions:
- Grate your cauliflower with a large cheese grater (some people like to use a food processor but I like the texture of the bigger pieces you get from the grater)
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Add garlic, tomato paste, jalapeño (if using) and salt and cook for about 1 minute
- Turn heat to high and add grated cauliflower, let cook for about 6 minutes, stirring often
- When the moisture is cooked out and cauliflower is well mixed with tomato paste, turn down the heat, move the cauliflower mixture to the side of the skillet and splash a little more olive oil on the cleared side
- Add your pepper and onion to the cleared side of the skillet and sauté for about 3 minutes until softened
- Stir peppers and onion into the cauliflower mixture and pour drained black beans and corn on top
- Stir again and let heat through for about 2 minutes
- Serve hot with shredded cheese on top (if using)

Skinny Zucchini Alfredo with Sausage and Peppers

Hello, party people!

I don't know about you but my body is CRYING for vegetables after this weekend. This secretly skinny dish helped me balance out the chicken fingers and mac and cheese AND cheesy bread that I gorged on yesterday (bless you, Bulldawg Pizza). Here's to the detox!!! (Pairs well with wine, obv).

Ps: I have become obsessed with my vegetti recently. Who knew that zucchini noodles could be so delicious?? My fiance actually prefers them to whole wheat noodles(!!). If you have not hopped on the vegetti train, any kind of noodle can be substituted!!

Total time cook/prep: 30-45 min depending on if your sausage is pre-cooked!
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

- 2 medium zucchini OR 4 oz any pasta
- 1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
- 1/2 green pepper, sliced thin
- 1 small onion, sliced thin
- 1/2 lb sausage, sliced (I used turkey kielbasa but any italian sausage or smoked sausage works!)
- 1 C milk
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 parmesan (plus extra for serving, I like freshly grated)
- 1/4 C half and half
- 2 tbsp butter

Instructions:

- Slice up your zucchini noodles in the vegetti (I used the thin spaghetti setting) OR cook pasta according to package directions and set aside
- IF using zucchini noodles, sauté your noodles in a large skillet in a splash of olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes
- In the same skillet, sauté your peppers, onions and sausage in another splash of olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened, salt and pepper to taste and set aside
**If your sausage isn't precooked, brown sausage in the skillet first and then add peppers and onions afterwards
- Once your noodles, sausage, peppers and onions are set aside, melt 2 tbsp butter in the same large skillet over medium-high heat
- Add garlic and let cook for 1 minute until fragrant
- Sprinkle on your flour and whisk it in with the butter and garlic for about 1 minute
- Add milk, thyme, oregano and salt and pepper to taste, whisk constantly for about 2 minutes until incorporated
- Add half and half and parmesan and continue to whisk until incorporated and cheese is melted
- Let your sauce simmer and thicken for about 3 minutes, add a splash of milk if it gets too thick
- Once your sauce is the consistency that you like, add your noodles back into the skillet and toss until covered in the alfredo
- Add your sausage, peppers and onions to the mix and toss until combined
- Serve with extra parm and maybe some parsley for a pop of color

Enjoy!!! :D

Whole Wheat Lemon-Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes (with blueberry syrup)

Hey, strangers! It's been awhile. 

These pancakes were born because I couldn't stop daydreaming about a lemon ricotta crepe that I ate in Vegas in October. Yup. I said it. OCTOBER. Still thinking about food I ate in October. Wait to judge me until you've tried the pancakes.

Who loves breakfast for dinner?? ME. Who loves a good excuse to eat bacon (in moderation)?? EVERYONE. These are perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, dunch, dinner, dessert, late night snacks, etc. They are somehow rich and taste like cake but are also light and not-too-sweet. It's an anomaly and a #blessing.

Enjoy!!

Servings: 2

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Pancakes:

- 3/4 C white whole wheat flour

- 1/8 C sugar

- 1/2 tbsp baking powder

- 1/8 tsp salt

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 C milk

- 1/2 ricotta cheese (I like part skim)

- 1 large lemon (zest and juice)

- 1 C fresh berries (I used blue this time.. I've also used black and it was superb)

Syrup:

- 1 cup fresh berries (I used blue this time.. I've also used black and it was superb)

- 1/2 C pure maple syrup

- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions:

- Preheat oven to 200-250

- Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place it in the oven

- For the syrup- add berries, syrup, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to let simmer while you make the pancakes

- Mix all pancake ingredients except for the berries in a medium mixing bowl

- Fold in blueberries gently

- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and melt a pat of butter on the surface. Make sure that the butter reaches all around the pan so that your pancakes don't stick.

- Add a 1/4 C pancake batter to the heated pan for each pancake and allow it to cook about 2-3 minutes per side. Flip the pancake when the top starts to bubble.

- Add your finished pancakes to your heated cookie sheet in the oven to stay warm until all your pancakes are cooked. 

- Your syrup should be heated through and ready when the pancakes are done! 

Enjoy!!

Recipe credit goes to The Baker Mama!!- Bless you. 

Masaman Chicken Curry

Happy Sunday everyone!

I recently went to a Thai restaurant for lunch and had no clue what to do with myself. Masaman Curry was recommended to me by a coworker and I took a chance because I didn't know what else to do. That was about two weeks ago and I have been craving this stuff every day since. I had never had curry before much less knew what it was comprised of. Luckily I found this wonderful recipe from Favorite Family Recipes that was so easy - it looked exactly like what I'd had at the restaurant! You can imagine my excitement. My recipe is based off of this one with some extra veggies (obv) and some other little tweaks. It turned out awesome!! Please give it a try even if you're scared of curry because it will change your life and curry isn't scary. Spice level is completely adjustable and so is the protein. Enjoy!!

Serves: 4
Total cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 lb raw chicken, sliced thin
- 1/2 can Masaman curry paste (pictured below, found easily at any asian grocery)
- 1 can coconut milk (I used light)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- juice from 1 quarter of a lime
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- sriracha to taste (I used about 1 tsp)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/4 C peanuts
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 broccoli crown, cut into small pieces
- 1 onion, sliced thin
- 1 handful baby carrots, chopped thin
- 1 medium-sized zucchini

Brown rice for serving.
Avocado slices for serving, optional

Instructions:
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat
- Add your 1/2 can of curry paste to the hot oil, stir, and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add half your can of coconut milk (full of healthy Omega 3 fats!!) and stir until well combined
- Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer
- As your sauce is simmering, stir in fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, cilantro, and ginger
- Add raw chicken, onion, bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, zucchini and bring to a boil again
- Turn down to a simmer and let your mixture cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft, about 7-8 minutes
- Stir in the rest of your coconut milk, peanut butter, peanuts, and sriracha until combined and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve with brown rice (or whatever kind of rice you like), and avocado slices if you're feeling fancy

**Chicken can be subbed for tofu or potatoes (potatoes may need an extra few minutes to simmer
until they're soft)

(3 Ingredient!!) Skinny Sausage Gravy

Brunch-lovers listen up!!

Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day. On the weekdays I usually eat oatmeal (make it with milk and put a banana and a couple dark chocolate chips in there, y'all, life will never be the same), but I love to make big brunches on the weekend and experiment with new recipes. Both of my parents are Yankees, therefore, I was sadly deprived of the glorious southern magic that is sausage gravy for 26 years of my life. Something about a gravy that isn't brown and doesn't have some kind of beef underneath has never really appealed to me. I have seen the light y'all and Hallelujah praise the Lord this sh*t is SO GOOD. This recipe is from the "Skinny Girl Standard" blog - it is to die for and SO easy you can't mess it up. Enjoy!!

Serves: 4
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
- 1lb ground chicken or turkey sausage (pork sausage works too but will up the fat content)*
- 3 C milk (I use 1%)
- 1/3 C white whole wheat flour (or regular flour if you prefer)

Instructions:
- Brown your sausage in a large pan with a little olive oil over med-high heat and break up into small pieces as it cooks
- When sausage is cooked through, sprinkle on half the flour and let cook into the sausage for about 1 minute before adding the rest of the flour, cook for another minute once the rest of the flour is added
- Turn your heat down to medium, add the milk and stir gently
- Let your gravy simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the pan
- Season with salt and pepper to taste (I like 1/2 tsp salt and about 1&1/2 tsp black pepper)
- Serve over hot biscuits**

* My favorite sausage is the ground chicken breakfast sausage made fresh at Sprouts in the fresh meat section. I've also used the hot italian ground chicken sausage from Sprouts and it's delicious.
**For the biscuits, I have used canned, bisquick, and homemade. See below for my favorite homemade recipe!

Ingredients:
- 3&1/2C white whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 C buttermilk
- 1/2 C butter or margarine, cut into 1 inch pieces

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400
- Add all dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine
- Add butter pieces to the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse until pea-sized butter pieces remain in the mixture
- Add buttermilk and pulse a few more times until dough forms
- Sprinkle some flour on your work space and roll the dough out into a 2 inch sheet
- Use a biscuit cutter or a glass to cut biscuits and place on an un-greased cookie sheet
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until cooked through

Serve hot with gravy on top! Makes about 8 biscuits.

Here's what mine looked like:

Gingersnap Banana Pudding

Happy Superbowl Sunday, foodie friends!

Let's be honest, my favorite things about football is the tailgate. Football gatherings mean delicious food and a good excuse to have some afternoon cocktails. I have a lot of spirit - I'll wear the colors and call the Dawgs (WHO'S THAT COMING DOWN THE TRACK??), and cheer just as loud as the people who know what's going on. But do I know what's going on? Usually not. Oops! My dad is from Massachusetts which makes me a Patriots fan by blood (sorry, Atlanta), so today I will be wearing my red white and blue... yes, including red wine stains. This banana pudding recipe is perfect for all get-togethers involving football or otherwise. It's something that I dreamed up while trying to incorporate two of my boyfriend's favorite desserts for his birthday a couple years ago - gingersnap cookies and anything with bananas in it. The gingersnaps are a delicious cinnamon-y twist in an otherwise pretty standard banana pudding masterpiece. I get asked to make this on the regular and I think you will find that you do too (which is no problem because it's super easy)!

Ingredients:

- 4 large bananas, sliced into 1/4 inch pennies
- 1 large tub cool whip
- 2 large boxes of vanilla pudding
- 6 C milk
- 1 box vanilla wafers
- 1 box gingersnap cookies

1 large 9x13 pan- the deeper the better!

Instructions:

- Set out your cool whip to thaw
- Whisk both boxes of pudding with your milk for a couple of minutes until soft set
- Layer your cookies, alternating types, over the bottom of the pan in a single layer
- Spoon about 1/3 of your pudding over the cookie layer, making sure to cover each cookie
- Layer bananas side by side in a single layer over the pudding
- Spread a thin layer of cool whip over the bananas once it's thawed enough to spread
- Start again with your cookies and repeat layers until you've reached the top of the pan

*I usually use a foil pan so I can bring it and leave it at a party without worrying about my dishes. I like to get a large deep foil roasting pan to maximize layers. For this one, I fit in three full layers of everything except for the bananas. The last layer is just cookies, pudding and a top layer of cool whip. If you want it to be extra pretty and your pan is big enough, you could put a third layer of bananas on the top immediately before serving so they don't turn brown.

*This pudding is best made about 24 hours before serving so your cookies and get nice and soft.

Enjoy!!

Veggie Fiesta Enchiladas

Happy hump day, y'all!

I am making enchiladas tonight because I'm craving Mexican something serious and these ALWAYS curb my cravings for that cheesy goodness... except for when I'm craving fish tacos. I firmly believe those need to be done by the pros. (Shout out to Dos Palmas and La Fiesta in Athens, GA. Your fish tacos are the #1 reason why I wish I still lived in Athens). This recipe can be made with corn or flour tortillas depending on your preference. You can add meat if you'd like, but maybe use less veggies if you want to keep the amount the same that goes inside each enchilada because it's a pretty exact science at this point. ENJOY!!

Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 bell pepper (I used red), diced
- 1/2 C black beans
- 1/2 C corn
- 1 tbsp cream cheese (I used the kind made with Greek yogurt)
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp chili powder **
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp cumin
- lime juice (1/2 lime)
- 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- a splash of your favorite salsa
- salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
- 6 taco-sized corn tortillas (or flour)
- 1 10oz can red enchilada sauce
- 1/2 C monterey jack cheese, shredded

** This recipe has a little kick to it. If you would like for it to be mild, lessen the chili powder. You can add some, taste the filling, and then decide how much is right for you!

Instructions:

- Preheat oven to 375 and grease a glass baking pan, I used 7x11
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat and add your zucchini, onion and bell pepper once hot
- Season with a sprinkle of salt, pepper & garlic powder and saute for about 5 minutes until tender and starting to brown
- While your veggies are cooking, combine cream cheese, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, lime juice and a splash of salsa in a medium-sized bowl
- Add hot veggies to the cream cheese mixture along with black beans and corn
- Stir well
- Add 1/4 C veggie mix to each tortilla (one at a time), roll it up and place seam down in the greased pan
- Repeat for next 5 tortillas
- Pour your 10oz can of enchilada sauce over the pan of enchiladas and cover with your shredded monterey jack
- Bake for 20 minutes at 375 then broil for 5 minutes to brown cheese

I served mine with avocado and pico! Enjoy, friends!!

 

Pesto Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad

Hello, food-loving friends!

It has been too long. I don't have a good excuse for my lack of activity recently but I will tell you that I know this recipe will make up for it. I made this pasta salad yesterday for a sort-of potluck tailgate situation and it was BOMB. I actually ate it for breakfast as I was making it yesterday morning because I couldn't stop putting it in my mouth. Good news: it's vegetarian, it has lots of fresh ingredients, lots of cheese and you can tell everyone you made homemade pesto. Because that sounds impressive, right? Little do they know homemade pesto actually requires zero-very little effort from you. I offered this dish to my tailgate friends and they wrote it off all unimpressed at first like "Pshh.. pasta salad.. that sounds typical and mediocre... there's pasta salad everywhere." Then I mentioned that it was pesto caprese pasta salad and they quickly changed their minds. We kept getting another little scoop after every glass of wine because CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP. Yes, sadly, that means I ate this for breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday. YOLO.

Servings: ~ 15ish, this is a batch fit for a tailgate - it fit in my largest mixing bowl pretty perfectly. It can easily be halved.

This is great as a dish to share, as a main dish, or as a side dish to your favorite grilled chicken, salmon or steak!

Ingredients:

For the pasta salad:
- 2 20oz bags of fresh tortellini (from the refrigerated pasta section), I used the spinach and cheese kind, any tortellini will work!
- 15oz grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 C grated parmesan (I used the grated shake kind here- it sticks to the noodles better!)

For the pesto
- 2 C fresh basil leaves
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 3/4 C olive oil
- 2/3 C shredded parmesan cheese (I grated my own here from a block)
- splash of lemon juice (I used one quarter of a lemon)
- salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/2 tsp of each)

Instructions:

- Cook your pasta according to package directions (mine took 4 minutes in boiling water)
- While you're waiting on the water to boil, place all pesto ingredients into a food processor and mix well.
- Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and transfer to a large mixing bowl
- Pour your pesto sauce over the pasta and gently mix until pasta is well covered
- Add your grated parmesan cheese and stir again
- Gently mix in the grape tomatoes, cheese, and onion until well combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so your flavors can meld.


DROOL EVERYWHERE

** I served mine about 6 hours later and splashed a little italian dressing on immediately before serving to moisten it up.

Here it is in all it's glory...