Easy Pesto Zoodles with Goat Cheese

February 7, 2019

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I wish I could claim that I love zoodles. But they will never be noddles. I don’t feel like I’ve had an incredible pasta dish, or some crazy good pad Thai when I use spaghetti squash or zucchini in place of a good ole nood, but in an attempt to eat lunches that resemble less of an overweight Italian man, I give you pesto zoodles. Now, if you don’t want to make homemade pesto, use store bought. If you want to use a different noodle substitute, mazeltov. Don’t like goat cheese? Use Parmesan, IDGAF.

If you want to use this as a side, I suggest serving it as the side for Bolognese or Chicken Parmesan Meatballs.

For the homemade pesto…combine the following in your Vitamix/cuisinart. This will make a ton more than you need, so either freeze the rest, or use it in another recipe…

  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 3/4 c. Olive oil
  • 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/3 c. Toasted pine nuts (or toasted blanched almonds, toasted pecans, etc.)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the zoodles, I sauted one package of Cece’s Veggie Co. Noodles-Zucchini Veggiccine. They have all sorts of different zoodle types and I’m 99% sure that if we have them in Midland, you have them at your grocery store. Just sauté with  a splash of olive oil for 3 minutes until they are soft. Add in 2 tbs of the pesto and cook for another minute until well combined and top with crumbled goat cheese and crushed red pepper. One package serves one as a big vegetarian meal, or 2 as a side.

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Chicken Shawarma with Roasted Peppers and White Sauce

February 5, 2019

Damn. A kid with flu is no joke. I legit feel like I’ve had the taste of lavender Lysol lingering in my mouth, so I need something to cleanse my fancy ass palate. I would share my secret grilled cheese and soup recipe, but I don’t want HEB to run out of Chicken and Stars and Kraft singles, so this Shawarma recipe will have to do….It involves staples that I usually have in my fridge and pantry, and is pretty no-fuss after you make it a few times.

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I’ve been asked what my favorite cookbooks are, and Pamela Salzman’s Kitchen Matters, is one of my most used right now. I’m not great at following recipes exactly how they’re written, but I love taking inspiration from great recipes from much better chefs than me. Also, I’m not a chef, I’m a bored, slightly overweight housewife who dabbles in healthy-ish cooking accompanied by a martini and chased with a brownie (or 6). Her Chicken Shawarma is amazing, and this recipe is based off of hers. I omit the cinnamon, use more garlic and less lemon juice, but her mixture of turmeric, cayenne, cumin and paprika makes boring chicken so good–we currently eat this at least 2x a month, and it’s the only chicken dish that Crawford doesn’t threaten to divorce me for serving him (he has a vendetta against chicken).  You can actually use 2 lbs. of chicken thighs with the amount of marinade you’ll make, but I hate don’t love leftovers of any kind, so this recipe serves 2 with minimal leftovers, but we’ve actually eaten the whole thing at once before (you lose some of the chicken when you trim it). Her recipe calls for whole thighs, but I prefer to chop the chicken into about 1.5″ cubes because it crisps up really nicely on the flat top (or pan if you don’t have this badass Blackstone griddle).

 

For the chicken

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless (organic if possible) chicken thighs, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 c. Extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of one lemon
  • 5 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. Turmeric (this is essential)
  • 2 tsp. Cumin
  • 1 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper—use 1/8th if you don’t tolerate heat
  • 2 tsp. Paprika
  • 1 tbs olive or vegetable oil for cooking chicken (not for marinade)

Mix all the ingredients together and marinate in the fridge for an hour, up to a full day. If you have a black stone griddle, heat it to high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until the chicken in fully cooked. If you don’t, use a cast iron skillet and heat 1 tbs. oil until hot and add in the chicken, cooking for 10 minutes until fully cooked.

For the white sauce—this is almost identical to Pamela’s recipe…

  • 1 small container of plain Greek yogurt (full fat or nonfat, either is fine)
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use homemade or hellman’s Olive oil mayonnaise if I don’t have any made)
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • juice of one whole lemon
  • 1/2 tsp. Paprika (I like more paprika)
  • fresh salt and pepper to taste

Just mix all the ingredients together. I think it tasted better if it sits in the fridge for a while.

For the roasted peppers either buy a jar of roasted red peppers with garlic to be easy, but I like to make my own. To do so, over an open flame, put the peppers on the stovetop and let the skin burn/get black on all sides, flipping as needed. Once they are charred, put the peppers in a glass bowl and cover with Saran Wrap for 20 minutes. Under cold water, strip the skins off, then slice and drizzle with olive oil and fresh garlic, salt and pepper. These last for 5 days for me in the fridge.

Next up on deck for the next few days…. French onion chicken, Asian meatballs with stir fried veggies, and some sort of Valentine’s Day dessert. Send me requests if you have any!

Miso Cod with Cauliflower Fried Rice

January 24, 2019

Hello, gorgeous


Ok, so two cauliflower recipes in a row, woof. But hear me out…Now that I can no longer refer to my son’s age in months, I’ve decided it’s time to try and get rid of the “baby weight.” Ha! Baby weight? Ya right, I was sick my whole pregnancy, it’s not baby weight, more like baguette weight. Frozen wild Alaskan cod filets can usually be found in the freezer section and is relatively cheap, and 99% of grocery stores have their own version of a cauliflower stir fry, so this just doctors that up a bit.

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Miso Glazed Cod

  • (2) 6 oz-8oz filet of wild caught Cod.
  • 2 Tbs. White miso paste
  • 1 Tbs. Mirin
  • 1 tbs. Rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. Honey

Cauliflower Fried Rice

  • 1 package of frozen cauliflower stir fry (I like Green Giant, HEB, or Tommy’s). Any type of frozen cauliflower rice medley works as long as it has carrots and peas in it.
  • 1/2 Tbs. olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 Tbs. Tamari
  • 1 Tbs. Ginger paste or 1 tbs fresh grated ginger
  • 1/2 Tbs. sriracha (Adjust to your spice preference)

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together and let them marinate the cod for 5 minutes while you preheat your broiler. While the cod is marinating, follow the microwave directions for the cauliflower rice, subtracting 30 seconds. Set it aside until the cod is done. 

Put the cod in a cast iron skillet or other oven safe skillet and broil for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and broil 3 more minutes until golden and easy to flake. Don’t walk away, it can burn easily especially with the honey.

Once the cod is done, remove and set aside on a plate. Put the skillet over medium high heat and add in the olive oil and then the cauliflower rice. Mix in the Tamari, ginger and sriracha and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the rice is hot and the ingredients are all mixed well. Top with the cod and enjoy. 

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