Saucy

I’m so sick of the typical red sauce in pasta dishes. Legit I get acidity these days from eating too many tomato based sauces so I figured I would try and mix it up in case anyone else out there is just as over it as me. I wanted to do an alfredo like sauce but hopefully keep it figure friendly as well. Luckily there are so many skinny variations out there in the world wide web and I found this yummy cauliflower based one! I legit roast cauliflower on the reg and even make the Indian sabzi version of it all the time so now thatI can utilize it in one more way is #winning in itself. Anyway, next carb craving try this sauce over marinara and don’t tell me if your pasta doesn’t sing!

  • 1 medium head of cauliflower (approx. 450g)
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic (ok I did 3 obvi)
  • 1 tbsp. of butter
  • 5 cups or 1.2 L of broth (chicken is what I did but vegetable is fine)
  • 3/4 cup of milk (or almond milk)
  • 1/2 tsp of salt (I added a pinch of black pep too).

Cut the onion & garlic into thin slices and sauté in butter for about 20 minutes or until caramelized. Boil the cut up cauliflower florets until tender in the broth (Save a 1/2 to 3/4 cup for the sauce) . Combine milk, broth, cauliflower, and veggies and blend until smooth. I added a tbsp. of grated pecorino romano because sauce should have cheese IMO.

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FYI makes about 3 cups of sauce.

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Tip: If sauce is too thick, loosen with broth when reheating.

Happy Eating, XO

A fish so nice they named it twice

Mahi-mahi is such a yummy fish taco fish but I don’t know how else to prepare it other than blacken it. That’s when I went on a quest to find a different, yet easy, way to prepare it. Maj other benefit of this recipe is that it’s crazy high in protein because of the nutty crust (and obvi the fish itself).

So for those of us stuck wearing strapless bridesmaid gowns, this will be a great meal for after a solid arm bandit workout! Tone baby tone, ok I digress… anyway short grocery list + 20 minutes =tasty mahi-mahi! Hope you love it as much as I do. (Ps. feel free to serve w sides and all. I dip my mahi pieces into roasted garlic aioli, pretty much eating them like chicken fingers & honey mustard.)

  • 2 6 oz. mahi-mahi fillets
  • 1/4 cup of macadamia nuts finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp. of regular milk or unsweetened coconut milk
  • olive oil & salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In the food processor chop the nuts until it’s the sam consistency as the breadcrumbs, mix the nuts & breadcrumbs. Whisk together the milk & egg. S&P the fish before coating in egg mixture and coat both sides with the nut panko mix. In a skillet with hot oil (medium to high heat) Sear the fish on both sides for about 3 minutes each before placing in oven for 10 minutes (or until firm/cooked).

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Happy Eating, XO.

Pollo (Chicken)

The mother of invention is necessity. My parents were in town and for many Indian dishes you serve a side of plain yogurt. It’s a cooling agent to all the Indian spices. Well, after they left I had a bunch of yogurt leftover so I decided to make a marinade for my chicken from the leftover yogurt. There was a need to finish it, so why not repurpose it? I rummaged around my pantry and found this amazing latin paste I had grabbed from my recent trip to Costa Rica and started whipping up this tasty delight. Hope you enjoy my latin inspired pollo!

  • 1 tbsp of achiote paste (blend of red spices from Mexico, available i grocery stores that sell Goya brand products or you can order any brand from amazon)
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tbsp of crushed garlic or 4 cloves
  • 1 fistful or bunch of cilantro leaves
  • 4-5 green onions (both white ends and green portions)
  • 1/2 container or 1 lb. of plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1.5 lbs or 5 drumsticks of chicken (bone-in chicken thighs would be good too)

Combine in blender or food processor and coat the mixture over a dish of drumsticks. Marinade for 24 hrs and then bake in oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. To keep moist while cooking, baste with melted butter (or lemon juice if you want to be waist line friendly). Serve hot.

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Happy Eating, XO.

Bikini Brownies

We get it, it’s summer so no one can really indulge like they do in the winter. However, that doesn’t mean cravings for some soft and scrumptious chocolate brownies don’t arise. This is a low calorie, protein filled, and gluten-free way to make a brownie. It’s quite good paired with some berries and fresh whipped cream as well. Its a nice way to satiate the desire for dessert without packing on the bathing suit nightmare’s love handles. This is a perfect addition to a BBQ menu since it will cater to all types of food restrictions and diets.

  • 1 can of black beans (15.5 oz.)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. instant coffee (really makes things more chocolate-y but feel free to leave out)
  • 3/4 cup white sugar

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth (batter like consistency) Then pour into a non stick pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I baked mine in a muffin pan so that I could portion out 160 calorie size/serving.

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Happy Eating (and swimming), XO.

 

Tater Tots

I’m OBSESSED with Dunkin Donuts hash browns. Mainly because they are so flavorful but it’s also their texture. They are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. They almost look like circular tater tots and that’s why I got the idea to try and recreate them at home. Granted for 99 cents you cant go wrong, however with the weather getting better and hot dog season approaching, I figured a good tater recipe would come in handy for most folks. Also, I’m not a huge dill fan so I substituted with chives, but do whatever herbs you like. Just get some flavors going in the tots, try paprika, etc. just experiment!

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until parboiled, about 6-7 minutes; drain well and let cool. (don’t forget that it says to par boil, if u cook too long the shredding will be difficult) Using a box grater, finely shred potatoes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain potatoes completely, removing as much water as possible. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Stir in flour, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and dill; season with salt and pepper, to taste. The mixture should be workable but dry. (Make sure you salt and season the mixture very well. You could also try french onion soup mix with the other seasonings)  Form potatoes into tots (make sure you oil your hands to form tots because mixture is gummy). Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add tots to the skillet, 5 or 6 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

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*TO FREEZE: Transfer cooled tater tots to an airtight container. Freeze up to 1 month. To bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake until heated through, about 15-17 minutes

Happy Eating, XO.