Steak and Asparagus Tacos with Hot and Sweet Cilantro Sauce

My hubby created this dish tonight and it was delish.  He was inspired by what we had in the fridge, imagine that.  So often when I can't come up with an idea for dinner I just stand and stare in the pantry or fridge or start with a particular item we need to eat up and go from there.  I accidentally bought more asparagus before we'd even eaten what we already had so he came up with these tacos.  We don't eat much beef (as I'm sure you gathered from reading our blog) but every once in awhile we enjoy it.  He sliced the meat up thinly and added a small amount but it was packed with flavor and his hot and sweet cilantro sauce was completely made up and an oh so tasty compliment to the fresh grilled asparagus.  Enjoy!

Recipe: serves 4 (2 tacos each)
Ingredients:
8 medium size tortillas (use gluten free brown rice tortillas for GF)
1 lb Beef top loin steak (New York) thin cut
1 bunch of asparagus
4 scallions
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Fire up the grill on medium high heat (we used our cast iron grill pan inside). Clean and break the stems of the asparagus. Clean and trim the roots (tip of white end) from the scallions (leave the rest whole). Place both veggies in a bowl or dish and drizzle with olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add 1/8 tsp of garlic powder. Mix together gently with your hands.  Grill veggies for 5-10 minutes or until faint grill marks appear and they are cooked al dente, set aside and cover.

2. Season both sides of the steaks with a pinch of salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp cumin and 1/8 tsp garlic powder. Rub in to ensure it sticks.  Grill steak about 3 minutes per side or until preferred doneness, set aside and cover.

3. Warm tortillas.  Assemble tacos with a lot of veggies, a little beef and Hot and Sweet Cilantro sauce (recipe below) to taste and serve up with some fresh guacamole and a lime wedge.

Hot and Sweet Cilantro Sauce

Hot and Sweet Cilantro Sauce Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tbsp hot sauce (or to taste)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (taste)
1 tsp potato starch (or All Purpose flour)
1/2 cup cilantro (minced very finely or juiced)

Directions:
Melt butter in sauce pan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat just as it starts to lightly brown. Allow to cool for 3 minutes and then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. ...click here for the recipe!

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake {Gluten Free}

My hubby was busy baking today! I love it when he bakes, not only because he makes delicious creations but because I really don't care for baking, much too specific for me. I like to play around with recipes, adding things and leaving things out and that just doesn't work with baking. Today's creation was this delicious cinnamon swirl coffee cake and it was fantastic!! Seriously people, this is on par with my favorite sour cream coffee cake I grew up eating and still love to make every Christmas Eve. You would never guess that it's gluten free and that it has been lightened up; another trait I love in a good baked item. If you aren't interested in gluten free, still try this one, I've listed the alternate ingredients to substitute. Enjoy, and let us know what you think!

Recipe: (serves 8-9)
Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts, chopped finely
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

The cake:
2 cups Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix such as Pamela's (or 2 cups all purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder (or 3 teaspoons baking powder if using all purpose flour)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350'F. For the cake: mix four, baking powder, and sugar together; cut in the butter. In a separate bowl beat eggs then mix in vanilla and yogurt. Stir dry ingredients into wet slowly and stir to combine.
2. For the filling: Mix chopped walnuts with sugars and cinnamon. Spray an 8"x8" glass dish with cooking spray and place half the cake batter in the dish and smooth to make an even layer.
3. Next, sprinkle 2/3rds of the filling mixture on top of the first layer of batter.  Pour remaining cake batter in next and smooth carefully with a spatula. Finally, sprinkle the rest of the filling evenly on top.
4. Bake in a 350'F oven for 40-50 minutes. Cool for 5-10 minutes, serve warm. ...click here for the recipe!

Sautéed Kale with Lemon

Another original recipe by my hubby!  He took some kale and sautéed it up with some bright and fresh lemon juice, grilled onions and a little bacon to make a delicious and healthy side dish for some grilled chicken. Kale can be tough and bitter if not cooked properly, it's important to cut out the tough center of the stalks and add in some acid (lemon juice in this case) to break down the leaves slightly.  It is a nutrient packed veggie, and it's still in season, so give it a try.

Recipe: (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 head of kale
1 medium yellow onion
1 piece of bacon (uncured to avoid nitrates)
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to hot pan.  Cut onion in half and then into 1/8-1/4 inch slices, add to pan and saute for 3 minutes
2. Mince garlic and add to pan, saute for another couple minutes until onions are soft
3. Wash kale thoroughly, de-vein it by cutting out tough white center strips (see the picture in this post for a visual with similar collard greens), chop remaining greens into 1 inch pieces. 
4. Chop bacon into small bits. Remove onions from pan and set aside, add bacon to the pan and saute until cooked well, add kale and saute for 5 minutes more.
5. While cooking, add zest of 1/2 lemon and the juice of the whole lemon. Add onions back in and cook until kale is dark green and soft but still has some bite to it, about 2-5 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve warm with grilled meat. ...click here for the recipe!

Apple Crisp {Gluten Free}

This is a tasty sweet my hubby made.  It was quite tasty and a great way to use up some extra apples.  He made it gluten free by using a gluten free flour mix but you can always use all purpose flour as well.  This would be heavenly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but we didn't have any so I settled for a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Recipe: (serves 6-8)
to make your filling
5 medium apples, peeled, sliced into 1/4″ thick slices
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix – you may need to add a bit more if your apples are especially juicy.

to make your topping
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/3 cup gluten free quick cooking oats
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375'F.
2. Peel and thinly slice apples and place in a large bowl, drizzle with lemon juice and stir to mix. Add flour, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine, pour it all into 8"x8" glass baking dish. The mixture should be a sticky paste consistency that coats the apples.
3. In another bowl cut together cold butter, oats, flour and sugars using two forks or a pastry cutter, until it's well mixed and crumbles. Sprinkle topping mixture over apples and press down lightly to cover all the apples.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and internal temperature is 200'F.  Serve warm.
...click here for the recipe!

Ginger Sesame Stir-fry

If your family likes Chinese food they'll love this MYOTO {Make your own take out} dish! It's packed with flavor from ginger and garlic and has lots of tasty veggies, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand. We has ours with some Jasmine rice, served with an ice cream scoop for easy portioning. My hubby said this dish was better than our favorite Asian restaurant! Enjoy!

Recipe (serves 4)
Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (or you can substitute 2 chicken breasts cut into strips)
3 tablespoons water
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 1/2 tablespoons Low sodium Tamari sauce - Gluten free (or soy sauce)
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cups snow peas
1/2 bunch of asparagus (about 6 spears, chopped into 2 inch pieces)
2 medium carrots, sliced into planks
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
4 green onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
sesame seeds, for garnish

2 cups Jasmine rice, cooked per package instructions

Directions:
1. Whisk water and cornstarch together in a bowl. Add Tamari sauce and rice vinegar, set aside.
2. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil to a large skillet over medium heat, add the vegetables and cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes.

3. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and cook until reaches an internal temperature of 165'F, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from heat, cut into bite-sized cubes and set aside.
4. Once vegetable mixture is cooked through, transfer it to a large bowl and set aside. In the same large saute pan you used to cook your veggies, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add the ginger, green onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally {don't burn}. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan. Whisking constantly, bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes to thicken the sauce.

5. Return the vegetable mixture and chicken pieces to the pan, toss to coat in the sauce for a few seconds then remove from the heat and serve hot, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of sesame seeds with a scoop of rice.

*Tip: I like to cook our rice in chicken broth instead of water to add even more flavor. ...click here for the recipe!

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Fruit Rainbow

This is what's for snack today at my son's preschool along with our Pretzel Shamrocks.  It was fun to make and I had my 3 year old help! It's one of my passions in life to help kids learn for themselves how to choose delicious, beautiful, colorful food that also happens to be good for them, so I was all over this idea.  What kid {or adult} can resist sweet fresh fruit that's already been washed and diced and laid out for them in a pretty display.  Hope the preschoolers love it!

Fresh fruit lined up in a colorful rainbow, complete with a pot of gold at the end {golden raisins}.
The "clouds" are string cheese pieces for some tasty protein to balance it all out.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!

...click here for the recipe!

Pretzel Shamrocks

Okay, so this is not really a healthy dinner idea, it's a fun treat idea. It's our turn to bring snack to Preschool this Thursday, which happens to be Saint Patrick's Day so I decided to try this fun idea I got from my friend G.  I think they turned out pretty cute.  Stay tuned tomorrow for a super healthful St. Patrick's themed snack perfect for kids and adults alike, I'll give you a hint, it's very colorful.

Pretzel Shamrocks:
- 1 large bag mini pretzels (get a good brand like Snyder's so they don't fall apart)
- 1-2 bags Candy melt chocolate (you can find this at most craft stores)
- sprinkles!

Directions:
1. Melt your candy melts in a double boiler (small glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water).

2. Dip small end of pretzels in melted candy chocolate

place three pretzels end to end together to make a cute little shamrock! Save the broken pretzel pieces for stems. Attached your stems with a dab of melted chocolate.

3. Once the candy has set on the pretzels, place the remaining melted candy melts in a zipper top plastic bag, squeeze out all the air and snip a very tiny (I mean VERY tiny) corner off the bag. Use this as a piping bag to pipe your candy melts all around the edges of the pretzels. Then sprinkle lots of sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet.

4. Once completely hardened (~1 hour), store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. ...click here for the recipe!

Spinach and Edamame Hummas Dip

A fun Saint Patrick's Day recipe made green without using food coloring. This is a tasty hummas dip perfect for dipping.  Edamame are young soy beans that are bright green, tender and have a mild flavor they are also high in protein and fiber. Serve this up with a variety of fresh veggies and some whole wheat pita bread wedges. This recipe makes a lot so cut it in half if you aren't looking to feed a crowd.

Spinach and Edamame Hummas Dip Recipe (serves 10-12)
Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen chopped spinach
• 1 1/2 cups shelled edamame (you can buy frozen shelled edamame, defrost before using)
• 2 (12 oz.) cans chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and liquid reserved
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup tahini 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 Tablespoon salt
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
• 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 cup reserved chickpea liquid (as needed)

Directions:
1. Thaw the spinach and drain it fairly well. It doesn't need to be bone dry, but it shouldn't be TOO liquidy.
2. Place spinach, edamame beans, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon, salt, and red pepper in the bowl of your food processor. Process until creamy, thick, and well combined.
3. With processor running, add the reserved chickpea liquid slowly until your hummus reaches your desired consistency.
4. Add the black pepper. Pulse the processor to incorporate it.
5. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Better 4 hours or overnight.

*Recipe adapted from www.divinedinnerparty.com

Whole Wheat Pita Wedges
-several pita bread rounds (4 pita rounds make about 50 chips)
-olive oil spray
-garlic powder
-Italian Seasoning herb blend

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Cut pita bread into wedges and pull apart to a single layer (~16 wedges per pita)
2. Spread pita wedges cut side (bumpy inside side) up on a large baking sheet. Lightly spray pita triangles with olive oil spray and sprinkle lightly with seasonings.
3. Bake in 350'F oven for 7-10 minutes, flipping once halfway through until crispy and golden and perfect for dipping!
...click here for the recipe!