Cilantro Cashew Crema

When at a taco shop (9 times out of 10 it's name ending in a 'berto's) I honestly used to order based off which items had sour cream on them. The old me thought, "the creamier, the better!" Nowadays, though dairy and I are no longer amigos, I still crave a glob of something cold and somewhat tart atop my lettuce leaf tacos or cheese-less chili rellenos (recipe to be posted soon). This cashew-based cream is versatile (I just ate it with kale and eggs) and easy to make. Adios leche! All I need are cashews :)

Cilantro Cashew Crema served on a Cheese-less Chili Relleno with a Cilantro Kohlrabi Slaw

Cilantro Cashew Crema
3/4 cup cashews 
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 cup water
1/2 heaping cup of chopped cilantro
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp avocado
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Soak the cashews overnight OR boil water, pour over and let sit for an hour. Rinse. 
Put cashews and all other ingredients in a food processor. 
Blend!
Add more water if necessary. 
Depending on the strength of your food processor, should be pretty creamy. 
Mine came out a bit gritty (my cuisineart is on it's last legs) but was still awesome.

Kickin' Ketchup

I am a condiment queen. When I cut the sugar out of my diet, the last thing I wanted to do was curtail my sauce intake.  I looove to dip, drench, dollop, mix and mop. I wanted to grill chicken tenders for a BBQ this weekend, so I needed something to submerge them in! Other than Tessamaes, I have yet to find any brands that offer a sugar-free ketchup. (Insert sad face emoji here) While Tessamaes is unbelievably good, it's a bit on the expensive side and only sold at Whole Foods -- which is not my go-to grocery store. So rather than make the trek to the clusterf*#k that is the Whole Foods parking lot, I decided to make my own!

Kickin' Ketchup
1 pint of cherry tomatoes (2 cups), cut into quarters
1/2 onion, minced
1 6oz can of organic tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped dates
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp chipotle powder

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. 
Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Pour into blender and puree until smooth. 
EAT ON EVERYTHING. 

Go Slow Jerk Chicken with Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice

This is a perfect Sunday night dish (aka when you have time to let the chicken marinate). The complexity and spiciness of the meat goes really well with the creaminess of the "rice".   This was one of those "oh my goodness, I made this?!" meals - a real pat-yourself-on-the-back dinner. These island flavors brought me back to the idyllic, lazy beaches of Caye Caulker in Belize. Take it easy and go slow. Let the chicken season 'mon and get your island on. 

Go Slow Jerk Chicken with Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice and Sauteed Beet Greens

Go Slow Jerk Chicken with Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice 
1 tbsp olive oil 
1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 habenero pepper, minced (wear gloves!) (use 1/2 pepper if super small)
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh oregano
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast

Combine all ingredients in plastic bag. Shake and massage spices in well. Let sit for as long as you can. Keep in fridge - take out of fridge 45 minutes before cooking.

Oven at 375
Heat 1 tbsp oil in cast iron skillet til hot (does it sizzle when you flick water on it?)
Add chicken to skillet. Cook each side for 5 minutes (should start to brown/blacken)
Put skillet in oven for 15-20 minutes until chicken juices run clear. Let chicken sit for 5 minutes before slicing. 

Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice 
Bag of Trader Joe's Cauliflower Rice (best product ever!)(or grate 1.25 lb head of cauliflower)
3/4 can organic coconut milk
zest and juice of 2 limes
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Melt oil in pan at medium heat. Add cauliflower and stir well to completely coat. 
Fry for 7-8 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk, shredded coconut and 3/4 of the lime juice.
Bring to simmer but lower heat to avoid boiling. 
Simmer for 15 minutes - until liquid starts to absorb.
Stir in the rest of the lime juice, lime zest and cilantro. 
Cook for 10-12 more minutes. 
Remove from heat. Add salt to taste. 
Serve with something spicy!

BalSAMic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

As a kid, brussel sprouts were the only vegetables I didn't like. I normally had no problem eating my greens but when I came to these tiny stinky cabbage-looking things, I just flat out wouldn't eat them. Fast forward to 20+ years later and I eat them all the time. I just enjoyed brussel sprouts for three meals in a row! Crispy, oven roasted brussel sprouts are a thing right now and I am 100% onboard with this cruciferous trend. The Whole Smiths Best Ever Brussel Sprouts is the original recipe -- I altered it ever so slightly to make these so-delicious-you-will-eat-them-all-and-then-make-more BalSAMic Roasted Brussel Sprouts. 

BalSAMic Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1.5-2 lbs of Brussel sprouts, cut off the end and chop into quarters
4 pieces of bacon, chopped (If you freeze the bacon for 10 minutes - it's easier to chop)(non-meat eaters... omit)
1 tbsp olive oil (2 tbsp if you are ixnaying the bacon)
1/3 cup raisins (I get sun-dried organic raisins from the farmers market. They are seriously the most amazing plump nuggets of deliciousness - taste like candy. Invest if you have the option!)
1/3 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Oven at 400 degrees
Heat skillet and partially cook bacon. It will be heated in the oven as well so, to avoid burning, I cooked only until starting to brown. 
Add contents of skillet and oil to a bowl with chopped Brussel sprouts. 
Mix together well with chopped walnuts. 
Spread onto foil-covered cookie sheet. 
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and mix in raisins.
Return to oven for 10-12 more minutes (Will be quite brown and crispy when done).
While the sprouts are finishing up, heat balsamic vinegar over medium heat (a simmer) until it reduces, starts to thicken a little and tastes a bit sweeter (will probably take about 10-12 minutes).
Remove pan from oven and pour balsamic reduction over the sprouts.
Stir well and serve immediately!
Double the recipe if you're looking for leftovers :)

Also delicious if you include chopped carrots and/or sweet potato!

BalSAMic Roasted Brussel Sprouts served with Spicy Mustard Chicken Thighs

Overnight Asian Grilled Steak with Butternut Stirfry and Almond Slaw

Seeing as you can do most of the work for this dish the day before, this is a great Monday night meal. Make the marinade, chop the veggies and blend the dressing Sunday and all you have to do the next day is grill, saute and toss. While I do love challenges, I also appreciate easy. Shout out to Trader Joe's for their new "Butternut Squash Zig Zags"! They were delicious and made my prep work especially simple!

Overnight Asian Grilled Steak with Butternut Stirfry and Almond Slaw
1-1.5 lbs of Sirloin Steak
1.5 inch piece of ginger, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
handful of chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a gallon plastic ziplock bag, give it a good shake and chillllll overnight.

When you are 15 minutes from being ready to eat, fire up the grill and let heat up for 5 minutes or so. I put the steak on right after I added the squash to the stirfry. I grilled 5 minutes on each side and then let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Exact time depends on how thick your steak is and how you like it cooked.


Butternut Stirfry
Small Spring onion, chopped
Box of Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Zig Zags (or 1.5 cups of chopped squash)
Head of broccoli, chopped (just the florets)
cup of Sugar Snap Peas
Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup Garlic Coconut Aminos
1/4 cup water

Heat oil in a skillet, add onions and stir til almost translucent
Add Butternut squash, coconut aminos and water. Stir and cover (This would be a good time to put the steak on the grill)
Cook til squash is almost tender (5-10 minutes)
Add broccoli, cover for 3 minutes
Add sugar snap peas and cook for a few more minutes. 
Done!

Almond Slaw
a handful per plate of Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch (or any other crunchy slaw mix - I've used broccoli slaw too!)
Dressing:
1/3 cup of raw almond butter
tsp garlic coconut aminos
tbsp rice wine vinegar
tbsp apple cider vinegar
water (enough to break down the almond butter into a lighter dressing consistency)
Mix, taste and add whatever other ingredients you see fit!
Drizzle (or pour) onto greens!

While I mentioned that this was the perfect Monday night dinner... Leftover steak on greens with Almond Slaw Dressing is also the perfect Tuesday lunch!

Almond Chicken Tenders with Turnip Carrot Fries and the BEST Ranch Dip

Whoever said healthy food is boring has obviously never eaten at my dining room table. It was a Friday night and I was craving "bar food". Seeing as how I am currently not drinking and can't really eat out, going to a bar for dinner was out of the question. So here it is - my version of this comforting meal...

Almond Chicken Tenders with Turnip Fries and Chipotle Ranch Dip
1.5 lbs of chicken tenders
1tbsp olive oil
1 egg, whisked in a shallow dish
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

Mix all dry ingredients in a shallow bowl
Season chicken with salt and pepper
Dip in whisked egg and then dip into dry ingredients
At this point, prepare Turnip Carrot Fries and get into oven. Then, heat skillet to cook the chicken. 
Add a tbsp of olive oil to a hot skillet
Add chicken to the skillet. Fry for 4-5 minutes each side or until fully cooked. 

Turnip Carrot Fries
1 large turnip, peeled and sliced into fries
4 large carrots, cut into quarters and chopped into fries
tbsp coconut oil
tsp chili powder
tsp garlic powder
tsp salt

Oven at 425
Toss fries with oil and seasonings
Lay out on foil covered cookie sheet
Bake for 10 minutes
Flip and bake for 7 more minutes

the BEST Ranch Dip
1/4 cup avocado oil + 3 tsp
1 egg
dash of mustard powder
tsp salt
tsp paprika
tsp onion powder
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp of chopped herbs (dill, parsley and chives)
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 avocado

In a food processor, combine 1/4 avo oil and egg until well combined and somewhat thick
Add seasonings, lemon juice, vinegar, herbs and dash of cayenne. Blend well. 
Add in 1/2 avocado and remaining 3 tsp of avocado oil. 
Taste - add 1 more tbsp apple cider vinegar if needed. 
Serve on anything. 
**** Note: This ranch is soo much better if you add a BUNCH of cholula hot sauce!

Almond Chicken Tenders with Turnip Carrot Fries and Garlic Coconut Aminos Seared Baby Bok Choy
Served with the BEST Ranch Dip, Tessamaes Ketchup and Tessamaes Buffalo Sauce. 

Apple Cherry "Cheese Biscuits"

    Neither cheesy nor a biscuit, this low carb treat makes the perfect breakfast or mid-day snack. I'm not promoting snacking but let's be realistic - we're human and we get hungry between meals. Last week was Teacher Appreciation week at school. For the other teachers, this meant a bevy of treats - brownies, cookies, and chips, oh my! For yours truly, however, this meant a week of closing my eyes and nose every time I walked into the office to avoid the tempting sight and scent of freshly baked chocolate-anything.  Thankfully, I had an arsenal of these yummy biscuits and I survived!   
   If food blogger Jessie B's "Cheesy" Zucchini Biscuits met the Whole Smith's Apple Cherry Frittata, this would be their love child. When you can't kick your cravings for pancakes or pastries, start grating some apples and whip up these bad boys!

Apple Cherry "Cheese Biscuits"
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and grated
Apple juice (squeeze grated apples and use juice)
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
cup of raw cashews
1/2 - 3/4 cup of frozen cherries
1/4 cup coconut flour
shredded, unsweetened coconut to sprinkle on top

Oven at 375
Add cinnamon and grated apples to a large bowl
In a food processor, combine cashews, lemon juice, water and apple juice. Should form a chunky cashew butter (so good - try not to eat it all)
In a separate bowl, mix yummy cashew butter with 2 eggs. Stir until completely combined. 
Add egg-cashew batter to grated apples. Stir in coconut flour until batter-like consistency. You may need to shake in a bit more flour. 
In the same food processor (no need to clean it yet!), add cherries and pulse until all chopped. 
Add cherries to batter and stir. 
Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (or parchment paper for all you fancy pants)
Grease cookie sheet with a bit of coconut oil to prevent sticking.
Spoon batter onto sheet. Makes 8-10 biscuits. Sprinkle with coconut. 
Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm and golden brown. 
Let cool before removing from pan. 
Store in the fridge. 
Enjoy!