Tag: side dish

July 26, 2017

RECIPE: Cilantro Lime Rice & Beans (better than Chipotle!) – Easy, Plant-based dish!

Everyone loves Chipotle (right?) and their simple yet delicious spread of Tex-Mex goodness.

But… let’s be honest. Cost-wise, they make a killing charging what they do for some of the most affordable types of food around. Namely, rice ‘n beans (or arroz y frijoles).

Even if you do skimp on the guac (which, if so, who ARE you?) eating at places like Chipotle often can definitely put a dent in your finances.

So, allow me to bring to you my HOMEMADE CILANTRO LIME RICE & BEANS (that are better than Chipotle).

I love me some rice ‘n beans, as do most people I know. Especially while traveling through Latin America, where gallos pinto – the traditional rice ‘n beans dish – is typically served with breakfast.. AND lunch.. AND dinner at times… I grew to love them even more rather than get tired of them.

I love this dish so much that there are at least 5 different, flavorful rice ‘n beans recipes I plan to share here on the blog (as well as helpful tips and advice for anyone who plans on traveling or living in places like Costa Rica).

It all starts with the two [obvious] key ingredients…

Arroz.

Y frijoles.

Now, if you don’t have the kitchen blessing that is a rice cooker, you’re still good to go. You can use a saucepan on the stove top. Yes, this may be the easiest, better-tasting, restaurant-replica recipe you have ever made.

What kind of rice do you need? Whatever you have on hand. I had a blend of brown and white.

What kind of beans? Well, for this recipe, classic black beans. And yes, canned is just fine (though I’d recommend low or no-salt added to have better control of the sodium in your recipe).

Grab a handful of other ingredients – like fresh cilantro, onion, extra virgin olive oil, and lime – and you’re basically good to go.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm yas.

The bigger plus? This recipe makes at least 6-12 Chipotle portions if you get their rice bowl… and it costs less than one or two orders.

By the way, you can find an amazing tex-mex bowl recipe (along with tons of helpful info) in one of my best-selling books, the grocery store tour guide, which is also available as an ebook!

Without further ado – here it is! Try it out, share, and let me know what you think :)

CILANTRO LIME RICE & BEANS (makes around 6 cooked cups)

2 cups brown and/or white rice (before cooking) *cook according to packaging or using leftover rice is fine!
Half a large red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 (~8 oz.) can of Black Beans (preferably organic and low or no sodium to better control salt content), drained and rinsed
1 small bushel of fresh cilantro, leaves picked and chopped (about 1/3 cup chopped)
The juice from one lime
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. sea salt (or more, to taste preference)
1/4 tsp. black pepper (or according to taste)

Directions

Cook rice according to package or use leftover rice. Two uncooked cups yields 4.5 to 6 cooked cups.
In a fairly large saute pan heated at medium to high, saute onions in olive oil until fragrant and softened (about 2-3 minutes). Add rice and stir, letting cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add black beans, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to all incorporate. Lower heat to higher “low” spectrum, cover the pan, and let flavors marry for 3-4 minutes. You can also add 1/4 cup or so of water before covering, especially if the rice was leftover. This will add more moisture while cooking.
Uncover and remove from heat. Stir in lime juice and cilantro, then taste and add more salt if necessary. Stir again and then ENJOY! :)

December 4, 2016

RECIPE: The BEST Cranberry Sauce (with a twist!) – Healthy, Vegan, Gluten Free

The holidays are upon us! A time for festive decoration, plenty of social events with coworkers, friends, and family, and a plethora of seasonal food favorites to enjoy.

If you’ve visited this blog before (or are subscribed to my YouTube channel), you have already gotten a taste for some of my go-to recipes for this time of year like:

I recently realized that the popular side dish and condiment, Cranberry Sauce, was missing from my growing arsenal of holiday recipes! So, now is the time to fix that.

Not only is the following recipe incredibly easy and with minimal ingredients, but it has an extra twist of flavor thanks to the mango juice, spices, and alternate sugar (like coconut). Plus, including apples and pears bumps up the nutritional value by increasing the vitamins, fiber, and flavonols to make your body one happy machine.

Whatever you do – I beg you – never, ever choose those processed tin jars filled with a solid cylinder of cranberry jam. Then again, I can assure you that once you make this recipe you will never want to go back.

Without further ado, here’s this simple and amazing recipe! Try it out and let me know what you think… and feel free to share the link with others, too :)

The BEST Cranberry Sauce… with a twist!

Ingredients

1¼ cups coconut sugar, light brown sugar, and/or cane sugar (I will usually use a third of each or whatever I have on hand)
16 oz fresh cranberries (two 8-oz bags)
One Fuji apple, peeled and chopped
One Bartlett pear (slightly ripe), peeled and chopped
One cup mango nectar or juice
1/8 tsp nutmeg or allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Rinse and drain cranberries. Measure out the mango juice.
In a medium saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, and mango nectar to a boil on high heat. Cranberries should begin to pop and coagulate with the liquid.
Lower heat and let simmer for 10 minutes before adding chopped apple and pear. Also add spices.
Let simmer together another 5 minutes or so, until all incorporated (but apple and pear should maintain their form and not mush up).
Serve warm or let cool and refrigerate overnight if you prefer serving cold cranberry jam… It’s delicious both ways! This will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a week, though I’ve never had it last longer than a few days :)

Steps in Photos

ENJOY!

February 17, 2016

Healing Magic Panda Soup – Delicious & Satisfying Hug in a Bowl (RECIPE)

*This recipe is featured as a BONUS RECIPE in The Grocery Store Tour Guide & Nutritional Workbook, available HERE

Are you a soup person? Me neither. Or, at least I wasn’t before coming up with this amazingly magical and ridiculously simple recipe this a few winter ago.

There is something so wonderful, comforting, filling, and peaceful about this soup. It is the perfect amount of sweet and savory, not too broth-y with a touch of bite, and completely enjoyable regardless to which diet or lifestyle you are following (unless you are allergic to any of the minimal ingredients, of course).

It proves to be the perfect side dish- complementing any salad, sandwich, main course, crusty bread, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It can even suffice as its own full-meal show. Additionally, it can act an amazing base recipe for whatever additions your heart desires; from greens to corn, veggies to grains, and meat to tofu.

Whether you are Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, counting points, raw ‘til 4, or have never particularly liked soup before, I am confident that you will love this Sweet Panda Soup as much my family, friends, and I do. Winter has long past as we now experience scorching summer days, yet this is still a staple in my kitchen for winding down in the evenings (and is surprisingly delicious cold, too)!

Not to mention, Healing Magic Panda Soup packs a punch in maintaining or improving your health by providing nutrient-rich hydration, anti-inflammatory compounds, natural fiber, and vitamin B-12. If you are hypoglycemic, it may even help to balance blood sugar levels.

Another bonus that others have found and that I can vouch for myself? It not only fills you up, but can also help keep any late-night cravings at bay.

With no further ado, here is my recipe for Healing Magic Panda Soup.

HEALING MAGIC PANDA SOUP

Single-Serving Ingredients *use organic, if possible

1 (medium to large) Sweet Vidalia Onion, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 ½ Cups (or about two-thirds of your favorite bowl-full) of Organic, Low-Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Stock

A large pinch of Freshly Ground Sea Salt (I use Pink Himalayan)

A large pinch of Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 tsp. Dried Thyme (or 1 tsp. fresh Thyme leaves, chopped)

¼ tsp. (or a modest sprinkle) All Spice

1 heaping tsp. sugar of choice (coconut, organic cane, honey) or 2 drops of liquid stevia

Optional, but recommended: 1 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast flakes

Optional: 1 tsp. Dried (or chopped fresh) Parsley

Directions (Photos Below CROCK-POT VERSION)

Preheat a medium to large pan on stove at medium-high.
Put in coconut oil, chopped onions, and salt. Cover and let cook, stirring around every 5 minutes or so, until onions are translucent and beginning to caramelize into a light brown (about 20 minutes).
Add in garlic and let saute with onions for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. *Always avoid burning or browning garlic, as it may cause bitterness in the dish.
Add in balsamic vinegar, pepper, thyme, all spice, sugar/stevia, and stock. Bring to a simmer before turning heat down to medium-low. Cover and let cook another 5-10 minutes until flavors marry.
Pour in your favorite bowl; sprinkle the top with Nutritional Yeast flakes and parsley… Enjoy!

CROCK-POT VERSION

Ingredients (makes 8-12 servings) *use organic, if possible

6-8 (medium to large) Sweet Vidalia Onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 ½ to 3 (32 oz) Cartons of Organic, Low-Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Stock

3 good pinches of Freshly Ground Sea Salt

3 good pinches of Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 heaping Tbsp. Dried Thyme

½ tsp. (or a good sprinkle) All Spice

1 Tbsp. sugar of choice (coconut, organic cane, honey) or 4 drops of liquid stevia

1 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast flakes (per bowl)

1 tsp. Dried (or chopped fresh) Parsley (per bowl)

Directions

Set Crock-Pot to HIGH and drizzle half of your coconut oil at the bottom.
Put in half the onions and sprinkle salt. Drizzle the rest of your coconut oil and put in the remaining onions, garlic, thyme, pepper, all spice, and salt. Stir around and cover.
Let onions cook and caramelize until they begin to sweat and turn a light brown (about 5-6 hours), opening to stir around once or twice in that time.
Add in stock, balsamic vinegar, and sugar/stevia. Stir well and cover again. Let cook for another 1-2 hours (up to 4) before serving it up in your favorite bowl with Nutritional Yeast flakes and a bit of parsley. Enjoy!

Oh, and don’t worry. No pandas were harmed in the making of this glorious dish. I just happen to love pandas, and it only seemed fit that this amazing soup be named after something I adore just as much!

January 21, 2016

Sautéed Cabbage & Carrots: my UNIVERSAL side dish! (RECIPE)

This dish has been a legit staple in my household for a long time now and, even still, I find myself craving it almost daily.

I even included this as a bonus recipe in my latest book, The Grocery Store Tour Guide & Nutritional Workbook (which will be available in just one week… and I am super excited about sharing with you all)!

Before I get into this insanely easy and flavorful recipe, here’s a little bit more about the 70-page Grocery Store Tour Guide & Nutritional Workbook. This beautifully designed, visual book contains a plethora of useful information, including:

Shopping preparation tips
Explanations about supermarket psychology
How to identify and define misleading label claims
Tidbits about nutritional lingo and regulated terms, such as GMO, Certified Organic, Gluten Free, etc.
Food storage and safety tips
A thorough seasonal produce chart
Aisle-by-aisle tips to navigate the supermarket like a health-conscious pro
A list of ingredients to avoid
My personal kitchen essentials
Easy Meal and snack recipes
A post-tour quiz (if you are a trainer or nutrition coach, this e-book is great to use with clients!)
Much, much more…

Plus, unlike my print-only book – The Holistic Fitness Starter Guide – which will be available at the end of the month, I decided to publish The Grocery Store Tour Guide in print and as a quickly accessible e-book. This means that as soon as you buy it here, you will be able to download it to your PC, laptop, or tablet immediately and begin reading while you wait for the printed copy to arrive!

How cool is that?!

Now, as exciting as this new book is, back to the deliciousness that is My Universal Side Dish. First of all, it’s crazy simple to make since we are using pre-shredded cabbage and carrots. The only chopping involves the fresh herbs, ginger, and garlic (unless you have minced ginger and garlic in jars, in which case, this may be the easiest recipe ever).

This is also so incredibly flavorful thanks to the fresh Rosemary and Thyme. Sometimes, I’ll add in fresh basil or sage and it becomes a bigger explosion of flavor in your mouth.

As I mention in The Grocery Store Tour Guide & Nutritional Workbook, this side dish goes well with nearly everything. On salads, sandwiches, in wraps, or by itself. It’s fast to whip up and perfect to keep ready-handed in the fridge. One of my favorite ways is wrapped up in rice paper wraps with some thin rice noodles.

Give this recipe a try. I promise you will be happy you did!

MY UNIVERSAL SIDE DISH: SAUTéED CABBAGE AND CARROTS

Ingredients:

2 (10-16 oz.) bags of Shredded Cabbage

½ of one (10-12 oz.) bag of Shredded Carrots

1 Tbsp. fresh Rosemary (leaves from about three 4” sprigs), chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme (leaves from about 5 4” sprigs), chopped

1-2 inches of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions (photos below):

Heat a large sauté pan or wok on the stove at medium to medium-high heat and place coconut oil in the pan.
Once the coconut oil is melted, add ½ bag of carrots and two bags of cabbage. Sprinkle minced ginger on top and season the surface with salt and pepper. Cover to let cook down about 5-7 minutes. (The pan may seem really full, but the veggies cook down quite a bit.)
Remove lid and toss the cabbage and carrots to encourage even wilting/cooking. Cover and let continue softening for another 3-5 minutes.
Remove lid and add rosemary, thyme, and minced garlic. Toss well until all the herbs are well incorporated into the mix. (If the veggies seem to be browning from the bottom of the pan, lower the heat a little bit.)
Continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until veggies are softened and cooked down to a little less than half of the original volume. Add more salt to taste, if needed.

Enjoy in any which way!

October 23, 2015

Addictive Roasted Brussels Sprouts (RECIPE) – only THREE ingredients!

Brussels Sprouts are amazing. They are nutritious, all kinds of bite-sized cute, and incredibly versatile.

Versatile, indeed. And, yes, these are the actual sprouts used in today’s recipe. Because multitask (and pigtails).

I’m not going to go into some story-time shpeel before sharing this recipe. It is so delicious and so easy that I am sparing you any pre-recipe childhood memory or suspenseful read before I share the goods. I also like typing out Brussels Sprouts like it’s someone’s proper name. The cuteness wins over being grammatically correct.

Brussels Sprouts are nutritious, with tons of vitamins, minerals, and fiber – but many people miss out because, well, how do you make them tasty? Steam them and they will likely turn into mush, making you feel like you’re eating baby food. Same goes for boiling. Pan-fry them and you may get a crisp outside, but likely a still-raw-ish inside.

People either love cruciferous veggies (like Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower) or they don’t. I don’t care what your preference is. If you try this recipe, which has only THREE main ingredients, it will blow your previously-Brussels-Sprout-hating mind.

Get ready for some yummy, candied cruciferous nuggets you will find yourself eating like popcorn.

Brussels Sprouts for dayssssssssss…

SWEET, MAPLE-ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUT POPPERS

You will need:

1-2 stalks of Brussels Sprouts, for best flavor (or enough Brussels Sprouts to cover a large, rimmed baking sheet)

1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Cup high-quality, pure maple syrup

Salt & Pepper (to taste, preferably fresh ground)

Easy-peezy Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Rinse Brussels Sprouts well. If cutting from stalk (as I did for this recipe), rinse sprouts on stalk before cutting. Then proceed to *cut the sprouts off the stalk, halve them, and I also suggest cutting out a bit of the thick stem part from the base to prevent any bitterness once they are cooked. To do this, cut out a “V” of the firm white “heart” that would have been the base of the Brussels Sprout (you can peep this in the photos). Collect all your sprouts in a large bowl after the cutting.
In a liquid measuring cup, pour in olive oil and maple syrup (measuring as you pour… win-win for less dirty dishes) and whisk well. Pour all over the Brussels Sprouts in the bowl and mix around until they are all coated.
Pour the sprouts on your large, rimmed baking sheet. Season well with salt and pepper (I suggest freshly ground Himalayan Sea Salt & black pepper). Give another quick toss, and add a touch more salt and pepper. Sprouts should be in a single layer on the sheet, for even cooking.
Place in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, making sure to toss half-way through the cooking time to get everything evenly roasted. Sprouts are done when most have a dark brown, crisp outer leaf and the larger ones are fork tender.
Enjoy your insanely delicious cruciferous candy. Eat them as a side dish, pop ’em as a lone snack, mix them into a creamy soup (like my Simply Creamy Butternut Squash Soup), or share them with your veggie-loathing friends to convert them to the dark (leafy green) side.

Withholding the excitement of such a winning recipe was 98% impossible, as proven by the blurriness (and the fork).

*Careful cutting those things off the stalks, especially if you are really excited and halfway paying attention… and just bought shining, new, sharp specialty knife from Costco. And your name is Jasmin. Yes, I nearly sliced my thumb clear off whilst preparing this recipe. However, the end result was clearly totally worth it.

Fun fact: Brussels Sprouts is commonly misspelled as “Brussel” Sprouts. Who’s guilty?

January 3, 2013

The Ultimate Chopped Spring Salad

This Healthy Recipe of the Month is probably my favorite go-to salad. It’s just perfect to fulfill a craving… it’s filling but still refreshing as a salad should be. I’m a huge texture person and my perfect meal usually has a mix of different bites; crunchy, soft, crispy, creamy, salty, and sweet. This salad definitely has all of that rolled into one. Not only that, but as you can see, it is ridiculously easy to put together AND can be served as a main dish or side salad to accompany a meal.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Nom nom nom ………

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this is an easily printable format that I provide for health clubs like Anytime Fitness in Ormond Beach and Anytime Fitness in Winter Park, both in Florida. If you would like to receive a Healthy Recipe of the Month for your fitness club or gym, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to add you to the list! :)

Tag: side dish

RECIPE: Cilantro Lime Rice & Beans (better than Chipotle!) – Easy, Plant-based dish!

By the way, you can find an amazing tex-mex bowl recipe (along with tons of helpful info) in one of my best-selling books, the grocery store tour guide, which is also available as an ebook!

RECIPE: The BEST Cranberry Sauce (with a twist!) – Healthy, Vegan, Gluten Free