Texas Caviar

My husband and I just got back from a week in Florida where the weather was well into the 80's and 90's. Summer can't get here fast enough. I'm already looking forward to barbecue worthy food! I can't wait for the get togethers we'll have this year eating our fresh watermelon and basking in the sun. My favorite! This year I'll have watermelon in one hand and texas caviar in the other because this recipe is definitely going on the menu! It would also be a perfect addition to a Mother's Day buffet this weekend.

Texas Caviar

10 SERVINGS 

PREP: 10 minutes      COOK: refrigerate 2 hours to overnight     READY IN: 2 hours 10 minutes 

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2 15oz cans low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 16oz bag super sweet white corn, frozen
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon lime zest 
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 avocados, chopped

DIRECTIONS

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1. Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours to overnight. 
2. Before serving, add avocados and mix gently so you don't mash the avocados. Garnish with more chopped cilantro. Serve at room temperature. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1serving    191 calories   6g fat   28g carbs   7g protein   6g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Once Upon a Chef.

Steak Roll-Ups

Have you ever been told not to play with your food?

Have you said that to your children?

Well this tasty dish allows just that and they are best eaten with your hands! Cooking is always more fun with you can get creative with your food. I wanted to show off my skills to my husband so I decided to use my fancy mandolin to slice my vegetables. I apparently got too cocky and sliced my finger. ouch. It wouldn't stop bleeding, so he had to finish cooking as I gave him instructions (so its not TOO hard). I admit, it's not the best way to get your husband to cook for you, but hey I'll take it!

I'm not a huge fan of balsamic vinegar, but the glaze was pretty tasty so I'd recommend giving it a try. I might serve it just with steak sauce next time. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Kaitlyn, she introduced me to Sweet Baby Rays sauce. I could drink the bottle. It makes everything better.

Steak Roll-Ups

2 SERVINGS (makes about 5 rolls) 

PREP: 30 minutes           COOK:10 minutes            READY IN: 40 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 lb skirt steak or thinly sliced sirloin
• Steak Seasoning of your choice (I just used seasoning salt)
• 1 carrot
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 zucchini
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning 

Balsalmic Glaze (optional)

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup beef broth

DIRECTIONS

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1. Trim your meat and pound it with a meat tenderizer. Cut meat into 2-3 inch strips (going along the length of the meat). Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning of your choice. Set aside in fridge for 30minutes. 
2. Cut vegetables into thin strips, I just used my simple slicer mandolin to do this, but a knife works too. Make the length of your vegetables a little wider than your steak strips. 
3. Peal and finely chop your garlic. 
4. Saute vegetables and garlic in a pan with a little olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with italian seasoning and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, start making your glaze. Melt the butter. Add in shallots, vinegar, sugar and beef broth. Cook until shallots are transparent and then set aside. 
6. Now the fun part. Take your steak and place in a good amount of the vegetables. Roll the steak and secure with a toothpick. Repeat step for remaining steak strips. 
7. On medium heat add a little oil, just enough to coat the pan. Add in your rolls. Cook each side until brown, or your desired doneness for steak. 
8. Serve with balsamic sauce spooned over the top. Don't forget to remove the toothpick before digging in!

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 roll w/o glaze    130 calories   6g fat   3g carbs    14g protein    2g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from http://picturetherecipe.com

Recipe Refresh: Low Cal Green Bean Casserole

One of the dishes I love having on a Thanksgiving spread is the beloved Green Bean Casserole. My Grandma makes it like none other, and I think that has something to do with the fact that she uses her very own green beans from her garden - frozen and saved just for the feast. In an effort to maintain this dish's yumminess, but also keep it healthy by using only real food instead of canned, I made over this traditional dish and am very pleased at the results! As a comparison, I used Paula Deen's Green Bean Casserole recipe as this is pretty close to how my Grandma would make it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below on your favorite Thanksgiving dish. I feel like it's so hard to choose. Is it the pie? The stuffing? The yams? Or does your family have "weird" traditions that you look forward to each year? For instance, my Grandma also serves duck meat each Thanksgiving. It's tradition, and I love it! 

Recipe Refresh: Low Cal Green Bean Casserole
10 SERVINGS 
PREP: 40 minutes           COOK: 35 minutes            READY IN: 75 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 medium shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh string green beans
• 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups milk (I used skim)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. In a medium skillet, on medium-high heat, put a couple tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the diced shallots until they are golden brown and crispy. They should look nice and caramelized (it took me about 6 minutes to achieve this.) Place in a separate dish off to the side.
3. In the same skillet, add a little more olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and sauté the mushrooms until they are golden brown. This will take longer than the shallots, about 12 minutes. 
4. Once the mushrooms are golden brown, add the garlic and thyme. Mix together for 1 minute in the skillet.
5. Place the mushroom mixture in a separate bowl, off to the side.
6. Mix together milk and flour until the flour is dissolved. 
7. In a larger skillet, heat up the milk & flour mixture, stirring frequently, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to med-low until the mixture thickens. This took about 15 minutes.
8. Remove pan from heat, and add green beans, mushroom mixture, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, an pepper.
9. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Put the green bean mixture in the dish, top with the shallots and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving    161 calories   8.4g fat   15.1g carbs    9.5g protein    5.5g sugar   

Original Recipe (Paula Deen's)	Refresh Recipe by Pass the Fresh
1/3 stick butter 1/2 cup diced onions 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 2 cups sliced green beans 3 cups chicken broth 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup 1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onion rings Pinch House Seasoning (salt, black pepper, garlic powder mixture) 1 cup grated Cheddar	4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 4 medium shallots, diced 1 1/2 pounds fresh string green beans 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced 6 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups milk (I used skim) 3 tablespoons flour 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided 1/2 cup chopped parsley 3/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 30 minutes (Total: 40 minutes)	Prep: 40 minutes, Cook: 35 minutes (Total: 75 minutes)
217 calories, 15g fat, 11.7g carbs, 8.4g protein, 1.8g sugar	161 calories, 8.4g fat, 15.1g carbs, 9.5g protein, 5.5g sugar

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Kitchen Konfidence.

Chili Lime Pork Chops

I have a secret. I have an odd obsession with cookbooks. But only the ones that have pictures to go along with the recipe, and I mean every recipe. Those are the only cookbooks I seem to buy, and I know I can't be the only one. This recipe grabbed me as I was looking through my new Paleo cookbook. I'm trying to cook a variety of foods these days and this was a nice break from the usual chicken or fish recipes. It's healthy, quick to prepare, and can easily be a freezer meal (freeze the sauce separately and add to pork in the skillet the day you'd like to cook it).

Chili Lime Pork Chops
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOK: 6 minutes            READY IN: 26 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 2-3 lbs pork tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

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1. Cut pork tenderloin into thick cubes, about 3/4 inch thick.
2. To prepare the sauce, add all sauce ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. 
3. Heat skillet over medium heat with coconut oil. Sprinkle pork with sea salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until bottom starts to brown. Turn pork over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
4. Add sauce to skillet with pork and cook until pork is cooked through, about 4 minutes. 
5. Serve pork with sauce poured over it.

NUTRITION FACTS

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10 oz pork= 1 serving   460 calories  20.6g fat  6.5g carbs   59.6g protein   4.7g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Make Ahead Paleo by Tammy Credicott
Linking up here.

Jalapeño Pesto

This last month I entered into a competition at my gym to lose the most body fat in 30 days, which means a limited diet. I always look for new ways to cook my meat so that I don't get bored with the same thing. This sauce is so delicious and healthy! I paired it with some ribeye, seasoned with salt and pepper, and this was the perfect topping to the dish. If you've never cooked with jalapeños before, the heat is in the seeds and core (white stuff). I like a little heat, so I keep a few seeds in my mix, but if your taste buds aren't a fan then you'll want to remove them all.

Jalapeño Pesto 
18 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 3 minutes            READY IN: 8 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted macadamia nuts
• 1 cup packed fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeños, coree, seeded, and chopped (if you like spice, keep some seeds) 
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

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1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and purée until smooth.
2. Add more olive oil if the consistency isn't how you like it. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 tablespoon   100 calories   11.2g fat   0.8g carbs    0.3g protein    0g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Make Ahead Paleo
Linking up here