Shredded Beef Verde Tacos

 Every time that I have Mexican food, I remember how much I love it! I came up with a weeknight taco recipe so that when I came home I could indulge in some delicious shredded beef tacos!

Ingredients: (This recipe is just for the beef taco filling, make sure to also purchase taco shells and other various toppings!)

3-5 lb pot roast
1/2 purple onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/8 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 jar of salsa verde

Directions:

Chop up the purple onion and garlic.

Place the pot roast in the crock pot. Top with the garlic.

Then top with the purple onion, salsa verde and top with the cilantro.

Place the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.

Take the beef out of the crock pot and shred with a fork. Throw away any fat.

Now here is the fun part! Use the beef as your taco filling and top with your favorite ingredients! I used my left over taco meat for taco salads the next night! Yummy and easy!

Tomato and Onion Quiche

Nothing beats a nice homemade quiche on a Sunday morning! Feel free to be creative and use what ever vegetables and cheese you want or have on hand!

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury pie crust
4 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of cream
1 onion
2 tomatoes
Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
1 cup of desired shredded cheese
1/2 tablespoon of EVOO
Non-stick pray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Take a medium sized frying pan, and place 1/2 tablespoon of EVOO and place on medium heat. Dice up your onion and place into the frying pan. Allow the onion to cook until it is cooked through. While your onions are cooking, dice up 1 of the tomatoes and set aside. In a mixing bowl, add your eggs, milk, cream, a dash of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and whisk until well blended. Mix in your diced up tomato, 3/4 cup of cheese and cooked onions to the mixing bowl and stir well. Spray your pie tin with non-stick spray. Lay out your pie crust to evenly fill the pie tin. Fill the crust with your egg mixture. Place in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, take your quiche out of the oven. Slice your second tomato thin and use it to make a design on your quiche. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and place it back in the oven for 10 more minutes. Take the quiche out of the oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Asian Beef Stir Fry

I love any type of Asian inspired meal! This makes for a great weeknight meal. Most of the work is done in the prep the night before.

Ingredients:

1 lb of flank steak
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 vidalia onion
1 bunch of green onions
2 cups of instant white rice
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of stir fry seasoning or sauce
3 tablespoons of your preferred Asian inspired salad dressing or marinade ( I used archer farms lemon ginger sesame salad dressing)

Directions:

24+ hours prior to cooking:

Chop up your peppers and onion to desired size. Place them in an air tight tupperware or large ziplock bag. Add the sesame oil and stir fry seasoning. Mix well. Set aside in the refrigerator for marinating for 24+ hours. Next, thinly slice the steak to your desired thickness. Place in an air tight tupperware or ziplock bag. Add the 3 tablespoons of Asian marinade and mix well. Set aside in the refrigerator for 24+ hours.

Next day:

Most of the work was done yesterday, so now lets cook up this delicious meal and enjoy! Set the oven to 400 degrees. Place the vegetable mixture in a casserole dish and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. Next, fire up the grill. Allow it to warm up for about 5-10 minutes. While the grill is heating up, slice up the green onions for topping and set aside. Now that your grill is warmed up, place the steak on the grill and allow it to sear on one side. Flip when the steak is about 80% cooked. Now everyone has different ways they like their steak cooked, from rare to well done (in my opinion, why even eat steak if you're going to have it well done - but that's a different story!) Anyways, cook it the way you like it based on the thickness of your steak. When it is finished cooking, set aside. Your vegetables should be just about done by now. Cook the minute rice according to the instructions. I use the minute rice cups (I'm lazy but whatever). Plate up the rice. Top it with the vegetables, steak and top with the green onion. Yummy!

Thai Coconut Curry Chicken with Jasmine Rice

This is one of my easiest, most delicious recipes! I just gave the recipe to my friend and she loved it! The good part is, it is just as delicious re-heated so it makes for a good lunch for work. The pictures don't do this meal justice. Just trust me it's amazing!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of yellow curry sauce

1 can of coconut milk

1 tomato

4 garlic cloves

4 tablespoons of butter

1-2 lbs of chicken thighs

Green onion for garish

Your choice or rice to serve it over ( I used Minute Jasmine Rice)

Red pepper flakes for garnish if you want a kick

Directions:

You will need 2 separate frying pans, 1 medium and 1 large. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the medium frying pan and 2 tablespoons of butter to the large frying pan. Put both on medium heat. While the butter is melting, chop up your garlic cloves into small pieces along with the onion. Add the garlic and onion to the medium frying pan and stir well. Next, take the curry sauce and coconut milk and add them to the large frying pan. Stir well. Bring this to a boil. While this is warming up, cube up the chicken thighs into 1 inch by 1 inch sized pieces. Also be sure to trim off any unwanted fat. Chop up your tomato. At this point, the onion and garlic should be well cooked. Add this mixture to the large frying pan with the curry mixture. Next, add the cubed up tomato and chicken. Keep this covered at a low boil for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over your favorite rice (I used minute rice because I work full time!) Garnish with chopped green onion and red pepper flakes in the picture below. Enjoy!

Cheesy Ritz Chicken

My parents came over last night for the first dinner I made them at my new place. I wanted to make something tasty, but easy since I didn't want to spend the entire night in the kitchen. This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight and makes for a very easy clean up. The total prep time for this meal is about 5 minutes - my kind of cooking!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of thin sliced chicken ( you should get about 6 pieces or so)

8 oz sour cream ( you can substitute light or low fat sour cream)

2 sleeves of reduced fat ritz crackers

1 bag of shredded cheese ) I used a mixed cheddar variety

Non-stick spray

Parsley for garnish

Greek seasoning (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Lay out the chicken breasts evenly on the casserole dish. Sprinkle them with greek seasoning, or any other desired seasoning. Spread a thin layer of sour cream on each slice of chicken.

Top each slice of chicken with an even amount of the shredded cheese and pat the cheese down lightly on each chicken breast.

Next, take the two sleeves of Ritz Crackers and mash them up until they are crumb sized. Use a heavy tool to do this (I used my garlic slicer.) Sprinkle the ritz on top of the chicken, covering completely. Place the dish in your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Some ovens cook faster than others, so be sure to cut into the chicken first to make sure it is cooked through. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with your favorite sides. I served this dish with a side of baked scallops and a garden salad. Delicious!

Pesto Chicken with Bruschetta Angel Hair Pasta

Angel hair pasta and Bruschetta go together like peanut butter and jelly. So don't me and Trader Joe's. If you don't have one in your area, find one and make a road trip out of it and stock up! I just love their products and their customer service! This recipe is based off of a few Trader Joe's ingredients, so if you are unable to get them, substitute with similar store products.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of basil ( I used the chopped basil cubes pictured below)
1 tablespoon of EVOO
1 lb of thin sliced chicken breast
1 lb of angel hair pasta
1 container of Bruschetta 14.5oz ( I used the Trader Giottos Bruschetta)
Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish
Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

Fill a large cooking pot half way with water and place on high. Set your oven on 350. In a medium sauce pan, heat up the basil and olive oil on medium heat. Once it is ready for a sear, add the chicken. Below are pictures of the chopped basil that I love from Trader Joe's, its so easy to use and great to keep on hand!

Add the chicken to the sauce pan and allow it to sear on one side. Once it is well seared on one side, flip it and begin to sear it on the other side. Now that both sides are seared, place in a casserole dish that is sprayed with non-stick spray and place it in the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Next, your water should be boiling by now so add the angel hair and stir occasionally. Rinse out the frying pan that you used for the chicken and add the whole container of bruschetta and place on low. Once your pasta is fully cooked, drain and rinse with hot water.

Add the pasta to the bruschetta and mix well with tongs like the picture below. Your chicken should be ready at this point.

Plate up with the pasta, then add the chicken on top and garnish with parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese!

Zucchini "Pasta" Bolognese

So zucchini noodles seem to be all the rage on pinterest at the moment, so I decided to give them a try! Let me tell you, they turned out great! They obviously don't taste like pasta but had a similar texture and were super filling! I bought an OXO brand mandolin and it was a great purchase! I think I only paid $7 for mine at TJMAXX. If you are un-familiar with what a mandolin looks like, I have a picture of mine below.

Ingredients:

3 summer squash

2 zucchini 

1 tablespoon of garlic

Non-stick spray

1 lb of ground turkey meat

1 jar of sauce (I use my favorite sauce - Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce)

Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

Cook the ground turkey as directed on package. While that is cooking, begin slicing your summer squash and zucchini with your mandolin. Be careful! The blades are sharp and I always end up cutting myself somehow. Once all of your squash is sliced, place in a medium to large sized sauce pan. Be sure to spray it first with non-stick spray. The noodles only take about 5-7 minutes to cook. I used tongs to stir them mid way. Be very careful because if you are too rough, the noddles will become mush.

When the noodles are almost done cooking, add your garlic and stir. Once the meat is all done cooking, add the jar of sauce to the mixture and mix well. Once everything is warm and finished cooking, plate up and garnish with the Parmesan cheese. Now how easy was that? Feel free to add other veggies to the mixture! I was experimenting so I was playing it safe this time! I can't wait to try new combinations.

Seafood Sauté

Last night, I had to work with what I had on hand since it was below zero outside and there was no way I was going out to the grocery store! Surprisingly, this meal came out wonderful! It left me feeling full and pleased! This meal yields about 2 large servings. If  you are cooking for 4, double it.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb of fresh sea scallops
- 1/2 lb of fresh jumbo shrimp cocktail
- 1.5 cups of frozen shelled soy beans (edamame)
- 1 white onion
- 1 package of raw mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon of EVOO
- 1 tablespoon of fresh minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- Greek seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of beef broth base
- fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

Rinse the scallops and shrimp and drain. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Butterfly and take the tails off the shrimp. In a medium frying pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of EVOO and place on medium.Chop up the onion and mushrooms to your desired size. Place them in the frying pan and top with seasoning, stirring occasionally.

In a separate frying pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of EVOO and place on medium. Add the scallops first and top with your seasoning. Allow them to sear on one side. Once they are well seared, flip them over allowing the other side to sear. At this time, add your butterflied shrimp and season both sides.

Going back to your vegetables. They should be just about done by now. Add in the soy beans and lower the temperature to low heat.

Now for the finishing touches. Add the butter and garlic to your seafood pan and toss well. In your vegetable pan, add the beef broth base and stir, allowing the beef broth to fully incorporate into the vegetables.

Plate up the vegetables and top with your seafood. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!

Cajun Kielbasa Pasta

Now if you  like comfort food, this is the meal for you! It's the perfect dinner for a cold winter night!

Ingredients:

- 1 package of turkey kielbasa (I prefer the buterball brand)
- 1/2 bag of frozen peas
- 1 purple onion
- 1 tomato
- 1 box of pasta of your choosing
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning (less if you are sensitive to spice)
- 1 tablespoon of EVOO

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Chop up the onion and place in a frying fan with the EVOO. Allow this to cook on medium heat until it is almost cooked through. Slice up the kielbasa into 1/4 inch thin slices and add to the frying pan.

Chop up the tomato.Once the kielbasa is just about browned, add the peas and chopped up tomato. continue stirring occasionally.

In a separate cooking pot, add the cream and Cajun seasoning. Allow it to boil. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to get thick. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Feel free to add more spices for more flavor. I added some Greek seasoning to the mix. Add all of the ingredients in a large frying pan or wok and stir. Serve!

Parmesan Garlic Seared Scallops

I love the taste of scallops. While fried scallops are awesome, the deep fried-ness takes away from the flavor of the scallops. Parmesan and garlic taste awesome with anything so I decided to try it with my pan seared scallops and it was a delicious combination!

Ingredients:

-1 lb of fresh off the boat sea scallops (If you're going to use frozen, don't bother because they will get watery and dried out)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
-1 tablespoon of minced garlic
-1 tablespoon of fresh grated Parmesan cheese
-5 twists of a sea salt grinder
- fresh parsley for topping

Directions:

In a large frying pan (a large frying pan should fit all of the scallops if they are large enough, if not cut the recipe in half and make 2 batches), melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium. While that is melting, place the scallops, garlic and sea salt in a bowl and coat well by mixing. Once the butter is melted in the pan, place the scallops in the pan until they are well seared on one side. Flip when they are seared. Once the other side is seared, flip again so that the hot side is facing up. Top with the fresh grated Parmesan cheese and allow it to lightly melt. Place on a plate and garnish with parsley. Easy huh?

Veggie Pizza Recipe

Yum yum yum! I just love veggie pizza! Its light and not super cheesy like take out pizza!

Ingredients:

1 pizza shell

1/2 can of Alfredo sauce

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

2 plum tomatoes

1 onion

1 summer squash

1 zucchini

1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon of EVOO

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350. Thinly slice up the zucchini, summer squash and onion. Place in a frying pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of EVOO. While the vegetables are cooking, pour the alfredo sauce on the pizza like you would pizza sauce, making sure it is evenly distributed. Top with the minced garlic placing it evenly on parts of the pizza. Next, chop up your tomatoes and sprinkle them on the pizza. When your vegetables are finished cooking, layer them on the pizza evenly. Next, top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Do not put the feta on just yet, if you leave it in the oven too long it will get chewy. Place the pizza in the oven for about ten minutes. When ten minutes have gone by, take the pizza out and sprinkle the feta on top. Now place the pizza back in for about 3 minutes or until it is to your desired crispiness. Serve!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

This is always a delicious comforting meal! The crock pot takes all of the work out of this meal! I normally prep it the night before then throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and come home to a lovely smelling house!

Ingredients:

1 can of golden mushroom soup
1 can of cream of mushroom with roasted garlic
1 1/2 lbs of stew meat
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 white onion
1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of beef broth base (this comes in a jar)
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 package of egg noodles
fresh parsley for garnish
1 tablespoon of butter.

Directions:

In a medium frying pan, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is all melted, add the stew beef. Allow the beef to sear on one side. Once the side is seared, flip and lightly sear the other side. When both sides are lightly seared, place them into a mixing bowl. Chop up the onion and mushrooms. Add them to the mixing bowl with the 2 soups, minced garlic and add 1/2 tablespoon of the beef broth base. Mix well. Add the mixture to the crock pot and place it on low. Allow this to cook for 8-10 hours. Once the meal is finished cooking, fill a large cooking pot half way with water. Set on high. Once it starts boiling, add the egg noodles and stir occasionally. While your noodles are cooking, cube up the cream cheese and slowly mix into the crock pot. Once all of the cream cheese is melted, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of beef broth base and all of the sour cream, stirring slowly. At this point, your noodles should be finished cooking. Lightly rinse them with hot water. Plate up the pasta. Once the beef mixture is well mixed, top a generous size portion on top of the noodles and garnish with the fresh parsley. Serving this meal with buttermilk biscuits adds some flare to this meal!

Taco Pizza!

I love tacos and I love pizza so this recipe is the perfect combination of the two!

Ingredients:

1 pizza shell
1 can of queso cheese
1 lb of ground hamburg
1 package of taco seasoning
2 tomatoes
shredded lettuce
1 avocado
1/2 cup of sour cream


Directions:

In a medium pan, fry up the ground hamburg. When it is done cooking, add 1/2 cup of water and half of the taco seasoning packet. Place on high heat until it starts to boil, then reduce to low heat stirring occasionally. Place your oven on 350. Chop up the tomato and slice the avocado. Take the pizza shell and place an even amount of the queso on it. Make sure there is a smooth even layer. Next, sprinkle the taco meat evenly on top. Place this in the oven for about 12 minutes or until the crust is crispy. While your pizza is cooking, mix the other half of the taco seasoning with the sour cream (this will be your drizzle topping.) When the crust is crispy, take it out of the oven. Now for the toppings part, I find it easiest to cut the pizza first then "dress it." This is nice if someone doesn't like a certain ingredient or would like extra of another ingredient. I want to also add that if you plan on saving some as leftovers, it's best to not dress it until you are ready to eat it - that way the toppings won't get soggy. The way that I "dress up my pizza" is tomatoes, lettuce, avacado and drizzle on top. For the drizzle, I just took the sour cream and taco seasoning mixture that we made earlier, placed it in a ziplock bag, cut the end and applied pressure for it to come out. Feel free to be creative and add other ingredients such as beans, onions, salsa, etc!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I'm going to admit - I've never been a fan of Chicken Cordon Bleu. The chicken always ends up tasting dry and chewy - yuck! I do how ever, love stuffing! This twist on Chicken Cordon Bleu will keep you craving more!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 -2 lbs of chicken
1/4 lb of thick sliced deli ham
6 slices of swiss cheese from the deli
1 head of broccoli
1 can cheddar cheese condensed soup
2 cups of stovetop stuffing (you will also need 2 tablespoons of butter according to their recipe)
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Cook the chicken according to your desire. I use the George Foreman grill because it is quick and easy and leaves the chicken juicy! Boil the broccoli until cooked through. Pre-heat your oven to 350. Cube up the ham and cooked chicken into bite sized pieces. Begin cooking the stuffing according to the instructions on the side on the package. While the stuffing is cooking, mix together the cut up chicken, ham, broccoli and can of cheddar cheese condensed soup. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and fill with your mixture. Top your mixture with the swiss cheese. Layout your cooked stuffing evenly on top of the swiss cheese. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until it gets bubbly. Take it out of the oven once it is bubbly and let sit for five minutes. Serve!

Smothered Filet Mignon

Who doesn't just love a big juicy steak smothered with onions and mushrooms? My boyfriend loves filet night! The first time I cooked for him, I made him filet and its safe to say that a year and a half later we are still happily together. So I guess its true what they say, the way to a man's heart is through food?

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon of EVOO

(1) 4.5 oz filet mignon steak

1/2 teaspoon of Beef base stock

1/2 cup of mushrooms

1/2 cup of vidalia onion

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and garlic grinder or any other seasoning spice

non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Take out your steak fillets out of the fridge (you want them to set in room-temperature air for 30 minutes.) Rub half of the EVOO on each side of the filet, along with dusting each side with the sea salt and garlic.Chop up the onion and mushrooms to desired size. Place them in a medium sized frying pan. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and put on medium heat. Continue to stir while they are cooking.Once they are cooked through, reduce to low heat. Add in the beef stock and mix well, allowing it to coat the onion and mushroom mixture and it will look like the below picture. Keep the burner on low heat to keep the mixture warm.

Next, get another medium sized frying pan and place on medium heat. Once the pan is hot (about 1 or 2 minutes to heat up), place the desired filet in the pan. Allow the steak to sear on each side for 3-4 minutes. Do not play with the steak. Just let it do its thing.

Once both sides of the steak have a beautiful sear, place in a non-stick sprayed casserole dish. Now I like my steak cooked medium-rare. Especially a fillet! I think anything more ruins the whole idea of a fillet being able to "cut like butter." So I leave the steak in the oven for about 8-10 minutes for medium-rare. If you want your steak cooked more, leave it in longer. Other than that, once you take the steak out, smother that baby with the onion and mushroom mixture and enjoy! This dish would pair well with my Greek Orzo Summer Salad  or my Not Your Average Wedge Salad !

Nutrition Information for 1 Filet (About 4.5 oz steak)

Calories - 429

Carbs - 10 

Fat - 26

Protien - 38

Sodium - 482

Fiber - 1

Baked Stuffed Shrimp

Yummm, baked stuffed shrimp! One of my favorites! I hate when you go out to a restaurant and you pay about $20 for 5 pieces of shrimp, a little salad and rice! I made the same dinner for 6 people for about $30! This is one of my meals that I love to make at home because its cheaper, healthier and it tastes better! Now let's be honest, I do use real butter in this recipe so I'm not claiming it's healthy but definitely healthier than the amount of butter they use in restaurants! 

Ingredients:

-30 large shrimp cocktail already cooked

- 1 stick of butter

- 1/4 cup of white onion

- 2 sticks of celery

- 1 can of crab meat

- 2 sleeves of reduced fat ritz crackers (should equal about 64 crackers)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Chop up the onion and celery into little pieces and put in mixing bowl. Add butter to the bowl. Microwave until the butter is melted. While the butter is melting in the microwave, take a large baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray. Butterfly the shrimp and place on the pan. Once the butter in the mixing bowl is melted, stir well. Add the crab meat to the mixing bowl. In a large ziplock bag, add all of the ritz crackers and seal tightly. Mash the ritz crackers until they look like small breadcrumbs. Pour the Ritz into the mixing bowl and mix together all of the ingredients until it is a thick stuffing-like texture. 

Begin making 1 tablespoon sized balls and form with your hands. Place firmly on the piece of shrimp and continue until every shrimp has a stuffing ball on top. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the stuffing is crispy looking.

Serve with your favorite sides! I served mine with rice pilaf and Not Your Average Wedge Salad ... and of course a nice big glass of wine!

Nutrition Information for 1 Piece of Shrimp (This recipe should make 30 pieces of shrimp)

Calories - 70

Carbs - 5

Fat - 4

Protein - 3

Sodium - 126

Fiber - 0