Creamy Parmesan Vegetable Skillet

It’s side dish time! We all tend to look for main meals but a solid side dish is always a winner. Honestly, this was a throw-together dish with veggies that needed to get used, so entered creamy parmesan veggies. You can serve with a Roasted Chicken or even my Loaded Veggie Meatloaf to complete a comfort food dinner!

Do not overcomplicate this dish guys. I even hesitate to make it measured as a recipe because it is a through-together dish to add to your meals. Feel free to sub out the veggies. No cauliflower, ok add carrots. Play with your food.

If you are not a fan of coconut milk, you can certainly use half and half ( yes you need high-fat milk) but a word of caution in dairy milk. It can and will burn, curdle and scald easily. So watch your temperature.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 cups of vegetable: Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, chunked and halved

• 1/2 Onion, diced

• 2 Garlic cloves

• 2-3 tbsp Butter

• 1 cup grated Parmesan

• 1/2-1 cup Coconut milk

• 1 tsp Salt and 1/2 tsp Pepper

Putting Together:

Again, do not overthink this dish. Preheat a skillet ( I love using cast iron) on medium heat for 5 minutes then add butter, onion, and garlic to the pan. Sautee for 3 minutes then add your veggies, salt, and pepper and toss together. Cook with frequent stirring for 5 minutes. Next up coconut milk, I start with 1/2 cup. Cook for 2 minutes then add parmesan cheese, toss and combine. If the sauce is a little dry add more coconut milk. A little at a time till you get a creamy cheesy sauce. I cook for around 5 minutes till all the ingredients are combined and coated.

Enjoy!!

Hearty, Layered Taco Dip

One of my go to’s in life is this layered dip and it has now been boosted, Thanks to the spice shack! Great for gathering, dinner or just to add into a kid’s lunch. The best part of this recipe is the versatility of toppings depending on your likes and dislikes. Plus if you want to make this just a good ole burrito mix that works too!

Trust me when I say this will be high the food rotation…

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Ingredients:

Mixture

• One pound beef

• One can pinto beans

• One can green chiles

• One can petite cut tomatoes

• 7 tbsp Southwest Booster, Spice Shack

• 3 tsp Southwest Blend, Spice Shack

• 1/2 tsp salt

The toppings:

• sour cream

• salsa

• lettuce

• tomatoes

• black beans

• jalapeños

• avocados

Putting it together:

Preheat pan on medium, add beef to pan, break it up then add 1 tsp blend and the salt. Cook till done. While cooking add 4 tbsp of Booster to the can of the tomatoes, let sit. Once the beef is done add green chiles, tomatoes mixture, mix well. Then add the can of pinto beans and 3 tbsp of the booster blend and mix well. Add 2 tsp of the spice shack basic blend to this mixture and stir. Let this all come to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Once done add to a plate or platter to cool in the refrigerator. You can also keep warm and use a burrito mix.

Once the dip is cooled start layering the dip with the sour cream first, then the salsa. The rest add as you wish!

Enjoy!!

Broccoli Crunch Salad

I love the simplicity of this salad and the amount of nutrition PACKED food is in the bowl! It is a broccoli fest, which is a power food for our bodies. This is one of my go-to recipes to make and take to potlucks, summer barbecues and picnics!  No need for bottled sauces here. The dressing has real food ingredients (when buying the right brands at the store) and no processed foods!!

The Salad:

• 6 pieces of nitrate-free bacon, cooked and chopped
• 5-6 cups of broccoli
• 1 large apple. diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 sliced almonds

 

The Dressing:

• 2/3 cup avocado mayo (Primal Kitchen)
• 1/4 cup full-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp poppy seeds

Time to put together! The salad part is pretty straightforward. I do buy the broccoli at Costco in a huge bag, but I have lots of mouths to feed! You can easily just chopped up a couple of heads of broccoli. The bacon I made ahead in the oven on 400 for 15-20 minutes, then chopped away. The apple is quarter and core, then do small bite-size pieces.

The dressing is so very simple. Just put all the ingredients in a mason jar and whisk! It makes about 1 14/ cup. pour over the salad and toss very well. I like to make this a few hours before needed to get the best flavor. Use can use for up to a week in the refrigerator. 

Basil Cucumber Tomato Salad

This is a crazy super simple salad that focuses on all things summer! Fresh garden cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and basil! Give this a try for your next meal or gathering it will be a hit!

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Ingredients:

• 2 c Cucumber, diced
• 2 c Plum or Roma Tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 c Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp or more Salt
• 1/2 tsp or more Pepper
• 5 Basil Leaves, ribboned

Directions: 

Mix all of the above and adjust salt/pepper to your taste. Refrigerate and keeps for 3 days! 

Kicked Up Roasted Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash

We often focus on the main dish as we are planning out our meals, the extras are just as important. In my former processed food kitchen I would grab a bag of instant rice, maybe a can of some kind of veggie or fruit and call it a day. No more!! Now I pick fresh real food sides and have never looked back. 

With Fall here it is time to embrace the root vegetables that are in such abundance and have staying power for storage. The vegetable of choice is Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash. The sweet potato is so very easy to love, the squash on the other hand not so much. I will admit I once was a squash hater, but now I am reformed. This dish is a keeper!

The BEST part is you can use at Breakfast or Lunch as well. I reheat the mixture and place some over easy eggs on top for a darn good start to my day. Lunch, add to a salad for a little extra something! The possibilities are endless. So without further adieu here is the simple recipe. ENJOY!

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Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash:  peeled & diced
• 1 large Sweet Potato: peeled & diced
• 1/4 Onion finely diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves: peeled & pressed
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary: finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp thyme: finely chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/8 Cayenne Powder
• 2 Tbsp Avocado Oil
• 1 tbsp Real Butter ( Kerigold my favorite)

Direction: 

Peel and Diced both sweet potato & butternut squash. I suggest cut them both in have to more control when cutting and peeling. When peeling the butternut you will find it with a tough skin so you will need to use a knife to remove the skin. Cut in the squash in half, then stand on end. Then in a smooth motion take the knife from the top and slice off the skin. You will not be finely dicing the vegetables, but leaving in 1-2 inch chunks. Please no need for perfection here but try to achieve the same size for even cooking.  

Place all the  cut squash/potato on a 9x13 pan ( I use my Pampered Chef Stoneware) Then add the diced onion, rosemary, thyme, garlic and cover in salt & pepper (about 1 tsp of both). Then add 1/8 of tsp of cayenne or more if you really want to kick it up! Cover in oil then mix all together on the pan till everything is coated. Once coated layout the mixture out evenly on the pan. Place in a 325 oven or if baking along side a Chicken bump it up to 400. Bake for at least an hour and up to 1 1/2 hr. 

Once done taste and add salt and pepper as needed and toss with 1 tbsp butter. Then Serve and ENJOY! Serves 6