Quinoa Egg Bites
This is a versatile dish that is great for brunch but can serve for a light dinner as well. I used cookie cutters to make them into fun shapes. I would think kids would like them but, of course, mine don’t. First, cook up some …
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Spanish Rice & Shrimp
This is my take on a fast and easy Paella. Feel free to go as big or little with adding things to this dish. I usually make this with just shrimp but want to go bigger? Add chicken, sausage (chorizo), Mussels, Squid. The base method …
Mediterranean Pork Skewers
I have written about my love for Greek food and Tzatzki before and this is another favorite recipe to use that delicious sauce. It is a pretty flexible dish that can go great with rice, pitas, potatoes, or even just a nice side salad.
To make this quicker to come together on a week night dinner, I freeze the pork already prepped. Chop it into chunks, mix up the marinade, and freeze all together. When I freeze meat, I always write what it is and the date. Take the meat out the night before you plan to cook it and let it thaw in the fridge.
Chop up the veggies for the skewers. Red onion, pepper, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes are great options. I don’t mix my skewers. It looks prettier when they are mixed but cooking times vary so greatly between the different veggies and between veggies and meat so I give up on some of the prettiness for better cooking outcome.
Next, put all the meat and veggies on skewers. Heat up the grill and, once heated, add the skewers to the grill. I usually put the zucchini, onions, and meat on first and the peppers and tomatoes on a little after as they take less time to cook.
Veggie skewers 
Pork skewers
Let cook for about 4-5 minutes a side. The meat should register 145F when done. Let the meat rest for a 5-10 minutes after cooking before serving. I served them with rice.
Skewers Grilling 
Cooked Skewers
Mediterranean Pork Skewers
Serves 2 people
INGREDIENTS
- 1lbs Pork tenderloin (can use loin too) chopped into chunks
- Marinade
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (can use wine vinegar too)
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes
PREPARATION
- Chop pork into chunks.
- Mix marinade ingredients and add pork to it. Let sit for at least an hour – or freeze at this stage.
- Chop veggies.
- Put pork and veggies on skewers (easier to keep one skewer per item vs. mixing as cooking times vary. Add some olive oil over veggie skewers.
- Heat grill.
- Cook skewers on grill. Add meat, zucchini, onion, first and then add tomatoes and pepper after a few minutes as they take less cooking time.
- Flip skewers once. Pork should take about 4 minutes a side and be cooked until it reaches 145F.
- Let meat sit a for 5-10minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
TIPS
- Freeze meat in advance in the marinade.
- Serve with rice or potatoes or side salad.
- Serve with a side of Tzatziki. My recipe can be found here: http://www.deliciouslysimpledishes.com/baked-falafel-tzatziki/
Carrot Apple Soup
To celebrate the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, we often use the bounty of the fall highlighting foods like carrots and apples. I found this delicious soup recipe makes a perfect pairing of the two star ingredients and makes a great starter for any holiday …
Korean Beef Bowls
With any of my recipes, I can’t speak to the cultural authenticity of it but I can speak to the tastiness. This is a quick stir fry recipe with lots of flavor and versatility. Don’t have ground beef? Really any ground meat (or meat substitute …
Chicken Enchiladas
Shredded chicken in the crockpot can be used in many recipes like this one for chicken enchiladas. In this recipe, I make a black bean & chipotle puree to use with the chicken as filler in the enchiladas. There are a number of recipes for homemade enchiladas sauce but I had a can of green enchiladas sauce on hand so I used that. This is a recipe that I will often double and freeze the second pan to bake later. I was only able to find flour tortillas but I usually make these with corn tortillas to keep this dish gluten free.
In the morning, slice up two onions, grab a handful of carrots, and a few stalks of celery. Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot, top with onions, carrots, and celery. Cover the chicken with a can of chicken stock and set on low for 6 hours. When chicken is done, shred it and mix with some salsa to add extra flavor.
For the black bean & chipotle mix, add a can of black beans (rinsed) to the food processor with 1 chipotle pepper (from a can of chipotle in adobe sauce). Add in the juice of 1 lime and 2 minced garlic cloves then puree in food processor until smooth.
Once chicken and black bean puree are ready, the enchiladas are ready to assemble. Spray the bottom of a pan with some Pam and then spread black bean puree as base on tortilla then some chicken, roll and place tortilla in pan. Repeat to fill the pan (this one took 8). Next, top with shredded cheese and a can of enchiladas sauce.
Bake covered in the oven for 30 minutes at 375F. Remove cover and turn up the heat to 425F to brown and crisp up the top for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Chicken Enchiladas with Black Bean & Chipotle Puree
Ready in 6hr 45 minutes (20-30 minutes of active time)
Serves 4 people
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lbs chicken breast
- 1 onion, sliced
- handful of baby carrots
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 can of chicken stock
- 1 cup green salsa
- 8 soft shell tortillas (corn to keep gluten free)
- 8 oz of shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
- 1 can green enchiladas sauce
- Black Bean & Chipotle Puree
- 1 can black bean (14.5 oz)
- 1 chipotle pepper (from can of chipotle in adobe sauce)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
PREPARATION
- Make the chicken:
- Slice onion
- Add the chicken, onions, carrots, celery to crockpot
- Top with chicken stock
- Cook on low for 6 hours
- Shred chicken
- Mix with salsa and set aside
- Make the black bean puree:
- Rinse can of black beans
- Mince garlic
- Add black beans, chipotle pepper, juice from lime, and garlic to food processor.
- Mix until smooth.
- Assemble the enchiladas
- Spray pan with Pam
- Spread black bean puree on tortilla and add shredded chicken. Roll and place in pan. Repeat until pan is filled and tortillas stay rolled together.
- Top with cheese and can of enchiladas sauce.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and turn heat up to 425F and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until nicely browned.
- Enjoy!
TIPS
- Use corn tortillas to keep dish gluten free.
- Double the recipe and freeze a second pan (before baking).
- Components can be made in advance leaving just assembling and baking for a pretty quick week night meal.
Chicken Parmesan with Homemade Tomato Sauce
Who doesn’t like a classic like chicken parmesan?? Surprisingly, this gluten free version turns out just as crisp as its gluten alternative. The night I made this, I ran out of tomato sauce so I whipped up some homemade sauce. Definitely easier to skip this …
Quinoa Salad
This is another flexible dish that with the base of the quinoa and the dressing, you can make a lot of variations. Quinoa is a great grain that is gluten free and offers lots of nutritional value. So, the recipe basically consists of this: quinoa …
Ramen with Grilled Chicken
I can not speak to the authenticity of this recipe. But, I can say this is a super flavorful broth with delicious toppings. Finding gluten free ramen noodles has been a great treat. The recipe is very flexible for the add-ins. I use grilled chicken here but have made it with tofu, shredded chicken, and shrimp before.
Marinade the chicken in soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and set aside.
Next, get started on the broth. Add garlic, ginger, and onion with some oil to a large pot. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add in the broth (I use vegetable broth but you can use chicken broth if not making a vegetarian or vegan version), Siracha sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, a few stalks of celery, and red pepper. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. The flavors meld pretty quickly, but if you have the time, let simmer for up to an hour.
Grill or pan fry chicken. I usually grill the chicken for 6 minutes a side. Slice and set aside for serving with the ramen.
Add in other veggies to the broth. Spinach, Mushrooms, Carrots, are all great! Add in the Ramen noodles and cook based on package instructions (usually 2-3 minutes). Serve with chicken topped.
Ramen with Grilled Chicken
Ready in 1hr 20 minutes (20 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking)
Serves 6 people
INGREDIENTS
- Chicken
- 1lbs Chicken Breast (or other protein)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Broth
- 1 tsp oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 2 celery stalks
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (gluten free)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 ‘squares’ of Ramen noodles (Lotus Foods Brown Rice Noodles are a great gluten free option)
- Two handfuls of fresh spinach
- Carrot Matchsticks
- Other toppings as wanted
PREPARATION
- Mix the marinade for the chicken and add chicken into bowl.
- Prep veggies for broth, chop onion, mince garlic & ginger, slice red pepper.
- Heat oil in stock pot on medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic, and ginger to pan. Cook until aromatic and slightly softened.
- Add in the broth, siracha sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, a few stalks of celery, and red pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer for minimum of 10 minutes but up to an hour is best.
- Grill or pan fry chicken. Grill for 6 minutes a side.
- Add ramen dry noodle cakes to simmering broth and cook for 3 minutes. The other add-ins go in now too (spinach, mushrooms, carrot matchsticks, etc).
- Serve with chicken or other protein on top.
- Enjoy!
Salmon with Parsley Crust
When my husband, then boyfriend, first made salmon for me, I was very skeptical about his technique. But, I quickly became a believer. Topping salmon with mayo sounded not entirely appealing. What I learned is that the mayo gives the salmon a nice crust and …