Shrimp Tacos

Fresh Shrimp Tacos

taco

Seriously I want to eat this again right now.

You will need: 

  • 3 limes
  • 1 cup chopped seeded tomato
  • 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeño pepper(you can omit if you don’t like spicy)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound cooked, peeled medium shrimp
  • Corn tortillas (or any tortillas you want)

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Then do this:
  1. Marinate the shrimp. Make sure to choose a nonreactive bowl, such as one that is glass or ceramic; a metal or copper bowl will react with the citrus juice to give the shrimp a metallic taste.GROSS!
  2. To marinate: Finely grate rind from limes to measure 1 tablespoon; juice limes to measure 1/4 cup. Place rind and juice in a large bowl. Add tomato and remaining ingredients except tortillas; toss well to combine. Cover and chill for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/2 cup shrimp mixture down center of each tortilla and top with more cilantro if you want; fold in half. Eat immediately.

OMG this probably has like 4 grams of fat (and It’s from the avocado(so healthy fat!) and sooooo delicious. Serve with an ice cold margarita (probably not fat free 🙂 ) and this is a fiesta in my mouth!! Also because I’m a wino i would recommend a young riesling or an Argentinian Rosé like Crios.

Enjoy!

xoxo

-G

Tomato, Potatoe,Zucchini, Summer Squash “Casserole”

Tomato-Potato-Zuchinni-Summer Squash “Casserole”

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 medium zucchini

1 medium Summer(yellow) Squash

1 large potato

1 large tomato

1 teaspoon dried tyme

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup shredded Italian cheese

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STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté onions in a skillet with olive oil until softened (roughy 5 minutes) then add the garlic until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).

STEP 2: While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables. Slice them into the same shape. I used a mandolin but you could also use a food processor or by hand as well(just try to get them to be as close to the same thickness as possible)

STEP 3: Spray the inside of an 8×8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper,thyme, and rosemary.

STEP 4: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

before

Before baking

after

After baking & with cheese!

I thought this was one of the best things I’ve ever made! I could have eaten the whole pan myself. And it’s relativly healthy. I mean sure white poatoes are super starchy for you and cheese is well, cheese- but I could think of a lot worse things to eat than this! 🙂 Super easy and super delicious- those make for the best meals!

Enjoy!

xoxo

-G

Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

makes 6 hearty bowls of chili

IMG_2047

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Ingredients:

one 29 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
one 6 oz can tomato paste
32 oz vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
1 cup dry quinoa
salt and pepper to taste
avocado, cilantro for garnish  (optional)

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Then What To Do:

Heat oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add onions and cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic, and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the following: tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the beans, stock, and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper . Cook for about 5 minutes and add the quinoa. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes – 30 minutes(Mine took closer to the 3o minute mark that the 15), stirring frequently, until quinoa and potatoes are cooked. The chili will have also thickened- if it has become too thick for your tastes you can add a bit of water. Your’e done! Now, top with avocado and/or chopped cilantro & try not to eat it all! 🙂

*I really like hot foods! (hot as is spicy) so I added a dried chili pepper to this as well. I just kind of crushed/chopped it up and added it the same time as the beans, stock etc…Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

-G

Mediterranean Cauliflower ‘Stew’ with Cous Cous

Mediterranean Cauliflower Stew

(pretty much Vegan)

IMG_2327

Ingredients 
1 32 oz carton vegetable stock
1 cup couscous
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs each mint and parsley
1 shallot, chopped
2 to 4 large garlic cloves (to taste)
1 cup canned chickpeas
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and cut in half (I used cured back olives)
1 6 oz container plain Greek yogurt

Directions
1. Boil the entire carton of vegetable stock in a pot. Measure 1 cup couscous in a bowl and add 1 1/2 cups of stock. Cover for ten minutes. Reserve remaining stock  in the pot to use later in recipe.(Personally I just microwaved the stock in a big Pyrex cup so I didn’t have to wash a whole other pan 🙂 )

2. Meanwhile while couscous is ‘cooking’, do your prep work: chop the mint and parsley, dice the onion and mince the garlic, separate the cauliflower into little flowerettes, and rinse and drain the chickpeas.

3. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook together for about 30 seconds then add the can of tomatoes(with juice). Continue to cook, still stirring frequently, until the tomatoes are beginning to fall apart a little, about 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Add the tomato paste, leftover stock, and cauliflower to the saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and cover and simmer 10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the peas and chickpeas to the stew and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and add the olives.

6. Fluff the couscous and serve it in wide bowls or mound onto plates and top with the stew. Garnish with mint, parsley and yogurt.(Meal would be totally vegan if you don’t use the yogurt!)

Enjoy!

xoxo

-G

See the post that inspired me here on Sharon’s blog.

Boeuf Bourguignon

This is a super simple and fast delicious way to make this! And it looks super fancy and like you slaved away all day 🙂

What you NEED:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/4 #’s sirloin steak cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and Pepper

1 10 oz package of sliced mushrooms

1 package of frozen pearl onions

2 cups of red wine

1 can of Golden Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup of flat leaf parsley

What you DO:

  • Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper and cook until browned (5-6 or so minutes) Transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.
  • Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and cook until the liquid has started to evaporate. Add the wine and the can of soup and bring to a boil.  Add the steak and juices from the bowl and simmer all of it for about 5 minutes.

TA-DA!!!!!!!!!! You’re all done! Now, you could serve this alone in a bowl, over mashed potatoes, over egg noodles. Whatever you’re heat desires. Just top with some parsley and eat!

What you GET: 

That broccoli is another story, sooo delicious you will never stop eating it 🙂 Just cut up broccoli, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and roast at about 425 for 15-20 minutes. We eat that almost weekly.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

-G