Tag Archives: healthy sides

Mar8

Cilantro Lime Rice

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Cilantro Lime Rice



This rice is soooo yummy! It goes great with almost anything, but I love it with black beans. Yum yum yum! This recipe is enough for 2-3 people, so double it if you need more than that.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c rice (I use converted rice for almost everything, but white or brown rice would work here too)
  • 2 c water (or however much your rice instructs you to use)
  • 1 small sweet onion chopped
  • Olive oil
  • 1/2 chicken bullion cube chopped up
  • 1 lime (juice and zest)
  • 1 garlic clove chopped
  • Cilantro
  • Salt and pepper
  • Green onions (optional garnish)

1. Put your sweet onion into a pot and drizzle some olive oil on them. Season with salt and pepper and cook for s few minutes on medium high heat. You’re just going to sweat them out a little bit. 



2. Now add your rice and chopped garlic into the pot. Also drizzle additional oil onto the rice, as you’ll be “stir frying” it for a few minutes. Do not walk away from your pot right now – this burns easily! Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently.





3. Now add the zest of your lime, the juice of the lime, the 1/2 chicken bullion cube either chopped or crushed between your fingers, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil for one minute, then put a lid on it and turn the heat down to simmer.







4. Cook the rice 20 minutes (or as your instructions say for your specific kind of rice) and once it’s done, add a few handfuls of chopped cilantro. I also like to garnish mine with green onion and another squeeze of fresh lime. And don’t forget the most important part – a margarita!





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Mar6

Sautéed Greens

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Sautéed Greens



This is a quick and easy recipe for sautéing pretty much any green. This time I had a big bag of mixed greens, but this would’ve been good for any of the greens alone in the mix as well. Serve with a peppery vinegar sauce to take it to the next level of deliciousness!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Lb greens
  • 1 garlic clove chopped
  • 1 T butter
  • 1 T olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

1. First add butter and oil into your largest sauté pan. Also add your chopped garlic and turn on medium high heat.



2. Next, add your greens to the pan. Today, I’m working with kale, Swiss chard, and spinach!





3. I know it looks like waaaay too much food for the pan, but trust me, it’s going to wilt into practically nothing! This is seriously a serving for two people. You’re going to stir it around every little bit to help the cooked leaves get to the top so newer ones can wilt down too. Watch.







4. Add salt and pepper and enjoy like that or add a little pepper vinegar to make it outstanding! Yum!

Feb20

Acorn Squash

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Acorn Squash

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If you’re anything like me, acorn squash is probably a bit foreign. I know the first time I decided to try one, I had no idea how hard they were to cut into and that I should’ve sharpened my knife first. I didn’t know what it would taste like and wasn’t sure if I would like it because I know I don’t care for butternut squash. But boy, was I surprised at how delicious it was! Do you like Yukon gold potatoes? If so, you’ll love acorn squash. Do you love mashed potatoes or baked potatoes? That’s how I want you to think of acorn squash. Not that horrible cauliflower substitution for mashed potatoes, but a deliciously creamy and healthy substitution for a potato obsession. This recipe will be like healthy mashed potatoes, but feel free to change it up and serve with cheese and a little sour cream for a “baked potato” version!

Ingredients:
Acorn squash
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Pepper
1 T butter

1. First and most important, sharpen your biggest kitchen knife. If you have a dull knife, you won’t cut through this bad boy, trust me on that.

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2. Now you’re going to scoop out the seeds. I love my grapefruit spoon for this, but a regular spoon will work too if you don’t have one.

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3. Now put your acorn halves on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on both sides.

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4. Now bake on your center rack in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. You’ll know it’s done when you can easily stick a knife in it just like a baked potato.

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5. Now scoop out the inside of the squash into a mixing bowl. Add garlic salt and pepper to taste and your tablespoon of butter.

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6. Mix together and serve just like mashed potatoes! Soooo good!

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Feb7

Confetti Quinoa

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Confetti Quinoa

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I get asked a lot about how I cook quinoa. The answer is: any way and every way you cook rice. It’s versatile and delicious, and very good for you. If there was a such thing as “the perfect food for you,” this would be it. This recipe is great for side dishes, or served as the main dish with some added grilled chicken or stuffed into acorn squash. I’ll give you my other favorite way to eat it at the bottom.

Ingredients:

1 sweet onion
1 bell pepper or a handful of those sweet tri-colored peppers
2 garlic cloves
3-4 kale leaves (or Swiss chard)
1 10.8 ounce frozen bag of mixed vegetables
1 1/2 c quinoa (any kind – I used rainbow quinoa)
Salt, pepper, cumin powder, Knorr chicken bouillon cube
Olive oil
3 c water

1. Drizzle some olive oil into a pot or Dutch oven and sauté chopped onion and peppers in there about 10 minutes over medium to high heat.

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2. Add the frozen vegetables and chopped garlic cloves and season everything with salt, pepper, and a few healthy dashes of cumin powder.

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3. Chop up your greens and add to your pot.

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4. Add your 1 1/2 c quinoa, 3 c water, and crumble up your chicken bullion cube and turn your heat up to bring everything to a boil.

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5. Put a lid on your pot and turn the heat down to simmer. Allow it to cook just like rice – about 20 minutes. My son loves his with cut cherry tomatoes served on top.

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Mexican Quinoa – add a chopped jalapeño with the sweet peppers and omit kale/spinach. After it’s done cooking add fresh chopped cilantro and 1 can of drained black beans.