Tortilla de patatas (Spanish Omelette)

I like having the TV on in the background. More times than not, it's switched to the Food Network or Cooking Channel. An older episode of Giada at Home was on where she was making Spanish inspired dishes. This one, the Spanish Omelette caught my eye. In her recipe, she uses yukon gold potatoes, fresh thyme, and adds a romesco sauce. I switched it up a bit and added a can of fire roasted tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and chorizo. Oh, and a pinch of red chili flakes, because, I like it spicy. 

Tortilla de patatas (Spanish Omelette)

What you'll need:

• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2-3 small to medium sized sweet potatoes, sliced to approximately 1/4" thick
• 1 (14oz) can, fire roasted diced tomatoes (no salt added, preferred)
• 1 lb chorizo
• 6 eggs, whisked
• salt and pepper, to taste

What to do:

1. Heat an oven safe pan over high heat. Once the pan feels warm (just hold your hand over it) turn the heat down to medium and add the olive oil. Saute the onions until they start to become translucent and are fragrant. Add the minced garlic. Stir.
2. Add the red pepper flakes, oregano, and paprika. Stir to coat the onions and garlic. Add the chorizo, breaking up any chunks. Let the chorizo cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Next, add the canned tomatoes. Toss all the ingredients to coat. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pan with a lid and let the potatoes steam in the tomato mixture for 8-10 minutes. 
3. Preheat your oven to 375F. After the potatoes have been steamed, remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes, with lid off. Whisk together 6 whole eggs, season with fresh cracked black pepper and a tiny pinch of salt. Toss the eggs and the cooled chorizo/tomato mixture until evenly coated. 
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until top does not wiggle like jello. Allow omelette to cool before serving.

2 minute Mayo + Tuna Salad Cups

Tuna salad is probably one of my favorite lazy day meals. It takes me about 5 minutes to make, including whipping up a fresh batch of homemade Whole30 approved mayo! How is that possible? An immersion hand blender! I've made mayo before using a blender and/or food processor, but I literally felt like I stood in the kitchen streaming in droplets of oil for hours only to have it break on me and turn into a soupy mess. Frustruated, I turned to Google and he (have you seen the video, "If Google were a guy"?) told me that an immersion hand blender was the way to go for making a successful batch of mayo, every single time. Thank you, Google!

1 Minute Mayo & Tuna Salad Cups

What you'll need:

For the mayo

• 1 whole large egg
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice (apple cider vinegar works too)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 cup oil (olive, coconut, walnut, macadamia, avocado, or combination)

For the Tuna Salad Cups

• 2 cans tuna
• 2 TBSP Tessemae's Zesty Ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• butter lettuce leaves
• crushed toasted almonds (optional)
• diced green apples (optional)
• raisins (optional)

What to do:

1. In a tall measuring cup, add the whole egg, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let it stand for about 45 seconds. Then add the oil. Allow the mixture to settle a bit.
2. Plunge the immersion hand blender all the way to the bottom of the cup and leave it there. While holding it to the bottom of the cup, turn on the blender. An emulsion will begin to form after about 20-30 seconds. Once it begins to form, slowly move the blender up and down, while still on, and without pulling the blender completely out of the emulsion.
3. Continue blending until all the oil has been incorporated, about 30-45 seconds. Set aside, while you toss together the tuna salad ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, toss together the onion, celery and tuna. Working with 1 heaping TBSP of the mayo at a time. Mix ingredients together until evenly coated. Add the dressing and more mayo, if preferred. Season with pepper. Taste. Season with salt, if needed. 
5. Separate the butter lettuce leaves from its stalk, scoop tuna salad into lettuce and top with toasted almonds, green apples, and/or raisins. 

Hawaiian Ahi Poke with Mango

There are some days where you just need to treat yourself:  take a mental health day, book a massage, lay out on the beach, have some chocolate, and eat this ahi poke while sipping on a frozen adult beverage. It's just about mango season, so I threw some in here just for some sweetness.

Hawaiian Ahi Poke with Mango
What you'll need:

• 1/4 lb ahi tuna, chopped into even sized chunks
• 1 glove of garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 3 TBSP red onion, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP cilantro, chopped
• 1 TBSP green onion, finely minced
• 1 TBSP coconut aminos or gluten free tamari
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sriracha or chinese chili garlic paste
• 1 ripe mango, cut into even sized chunks
• juice of 1/2 lime
  
  
• small handful of macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)

What to do:

1. Toss together all the ingredients in a bowl except for the tuna and the lime juice. Stir to combine. 
2. Then toss in the tuna and add the lime juice. Toss together to coat. Sprinkle with the toasted macadamia nuts. 
3. Eat. 

Citrus Mango Ceviche

While I was vacationing in Costa Rica, I probably ate a family of four's share of ceviche. It was made fresh and was just so dang refreshing after an afternoon lounging around under the hot Costa Rican sun. It was a warm weekend here in Southern California, which made me think back to last week while I was still on vacation. I miss Costa Rica and wished I was back. So, what's a girl to do? Make ceviche then lay out in the sun! Ceviche is simple to make, yet packs a ton of flavor. I knew I wanted to combine the tartness of citrus with the sweetness of mangoes. Next, I had to decide on the type of seafood protein. I went with pink snapper and shrimp. Although, scallops sounded delicious as well. You can mix and match any white fish with this recipe and it would be delicious. I purchased a whole fish and tried my hand at filleting it myself, which I found, I am not really good at. I butchered the fish, but you'd never know that after throwing everything together. HAHA 

Citrus Mango Ceviche (with Pink Snapper and Shrimp)

What you'll need:

• 2 medium snapper (or other white fish) filets, chopped
• 1/2 cup shrimp (peeled and de-veined), chopped
• juice of 2 limes
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 medium ripe mango, diced
• 1 tsp jalepeno, finely diced
• 3 mini sweet peppers, finely diced
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 2 TBSP cilantro, chopped
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• splash of coconut milk (optional)

What to do:

1. Roughly chop the fish and shrimp into even sized chunks. Toss the fish and shrimp with the lime and lemon juices. Make sure there is enough juice to cover the seafood mixture. Add more if necessary. Cover and let it stand in the fridge for an hour. The acid from the citrus will "cook" the mixture.
2. In a separate bowl, toss together the mango, jalapeno, peppers, onion and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. After an hour, remove the seafood mixture from the fridge and spoon it into the bowl with the mango mixture. I had quite a bit of juice and I didn't want to water down my ceviche. Toss to coat. 
3. A splash of coconut milk would be perfect, but is completely optional. Serve with plantain chips. Noms.

Spaghetti Alla Diavola with Meatballs

It's back to the daily grind for me, no more vacation. Costa Rica was amazing. We met some awesome people, ate some delicious food, and had an experience of a lifetime. Anyway, it's been three days since I've been back and it's been a slow process getting my body adjusted to reality. I usually spend my Sundays meal prepping for the week but I just couldn't get my body to do anything. So, spaghetti and meatballs to the rescue. This recipe may look lengthy and laborious but it's not. There's just a lot of ingredients, but trust me, it's worth the little extra effort.

Spaghetti Alla Diavola with Meatballs

What you'll need:

For the marinara:

• 1 large onion, diced small
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 hot Italian chili or cayenne pepper, minced
• 32 oz no salt added tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 TBSP Herbes de Provence (or Italian seasoning if you can't find this)
• 1 TBSP red chili flakes
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1 TBSP onion powder
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp oregano/marjoram
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 3 TBSP coconut sugar
• fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 TBSP grassfed unsalted butter (optional)

For the meatballs: 

• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground veal
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion, minced fine
• 3 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp marjoram/oregano
• 1.5 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2.5 tsp coconut aminos
• 2 TBSP marinara
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1-2 TBSP coconut flour (optional)

What to do:

1. Make the marinara sauce. Heat a pot over medium heat and add about 1 TBSP of olive oil. Saute onions and pepper until fragrant. Add the garlic, chili flakes, and Herbes de Provence. Saute until fragrant. 
2. Add the tomato sauce and stir. Then add the water and the remaining spices (garlic powder to the bay leaves). Stir to combine. Then stir in the coconut sugar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
3. Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with it's lid and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Before removing from the heat, give it a little taste to see if it needs more seasoning or sugar, to your preference. 
4. Remove from heat. Add the 1/2 TBSP of grassfed unsalted butter, if using. Cool slightly before taking an immersion blender and blending the sauce together. Alternatively, the sauce could be cooled and poured in a blender/food processor and blended until smooth. Set aside to cool while you prepare the meatballs. 
5. Preheat your oven to 425F. In a bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients together. Mix all the ingredients together, your hands are the best tools. If the mixture looks a little too moist, add 1 TBSP of coconut flour at a time. 
6. On a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, roll each meatball to about 1.5 inches (I used an ice cream scoop to measure out the meat mixture). Place on the baking sheet. Continue to roll each meatball until you have no more of the meat mixture. Makes approximately 24 meatballs. 
7. Drizzle the meatballs with a little olive oil and place in the oven to bake at 425F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 350F and bake for another 10. 
8. Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside to cool slightly as you prepare your pasta. I used 4 medium sized zucchini (not listed in ingredients above). Chop of the ends and peel each zucchini. Using a spiralizer, make the "spaghetti" noodles, aka "zoodles." Alternatively, you could also use spaghetti squash. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Rub a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Using a fork, shred the squash. 
9. In a pan, heat up some marinara sauce and meatballs until it begins to simmer. Turn off the heat and pour over zoodles or spaghetti squash. Top with some grated cheese and fresh chopped basil, if desired. 

Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes

The last thing I want to do the week before vacation is to cook. I will probably be eating a lot of hot dogs or roasted chicken. Seriously, I'm already on vacay-mode. Anyway, today I will make an exception and make myself the obligatory Sunday Pancake/Waffle brunch because well, pancakes drenched (okay not drenched, but drizzled) with maple syrup and a side of eggs and nitrate-free bacon just sounds delicious to me. I want!

Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes

What you'll need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 TBSP arrowroot starch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• coconut oil or butter, for frying

What to do:

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy. Then whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla, and milk until combined. 
2. In another bowl, sift together the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until there are no lumps. Pour all the dry ingredients into the bowl of the wet and whisk to combine. 
3. Heat a pan or griddle over medium low heat. Add a little bit of coconut oil or butter to the pan. Swirl to coat it all around. 
4. Turn the heat down to low and add 1/4 cup or 1 ice cream scoop full of batter. Cook on low for ~2 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for another 30-45 seconds on the other side. Repeat for remaining batter. Makes about eight 4 inch pancakes.

Kale Caesar Salad

When I'm not in a mood to cook (really, I just don't want do a ton a dishes), I try to think of simple and fast meals to prepare. This took about 30 minutes start to finish, but it was a little labor intensive. Why do I do that to myself? HAH.

Kale Caesar Salad
What you'll need:

• 1 bunch of kale, washed and stems removed
• 1/2 - 1 lb chicken breast or thighs (see recipe at the end)
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1/8 cup (2 TBSP) coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• pinch of paprika
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1-2 TBSP of Caesar dressing
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup lemon garlic Tessemae's dressing
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• scant 1 TBSP anchovy paste
• fresh cracked black pepper

What to do:

1. After the kale has been washed and stems have been removed, roughly chop the leaves into smaller pieces. Set aside. 
2. Make the dressing. Add a whole egg to a tall bowl or cup, then add the lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Let it stand for about 30-45 seconds. Add the Tessemae's and olive oil. Let it settle for another 30 seconds. Using an immersion hand blender, place the blade all the way to the bottom of your bowl or cup. Turn it on, without moving the blender, allow it to mix for about 20-30 seconds until you start to see an emulsion form. Slowly move the blender up and down, but make sure not to completely remove the blender from the top of the mixture. The entire process should take about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the anchovy paste and fresh cracked black pepper. Season to taste and set aside.
3. Make the chicken. Preheat your oven to 375F. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, mustard, and hot sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flax seed meal, tapioca, and coconut flours with the paprika, salt and pepper. Take one of your strips and dip it into the egg mixture. Remove excess by wiping it on the side of the bowl. Coat it in the "breading" mixture making sure to coat all sides evenly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Repeat for remaining strips. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
4. While the chicken is baking, prepare the kale by massaging olive oil into the leaves, working with 1-2 tsp at a time. You don't want the leaves to be drenched in oil, just enough to coat all parts of the leaves. The oil breaks down the fibers of the leaves, softening them, making it easier to chew and digest. Set aside until chicken is done. 
5. Remove chicken from the oven and allow to cool. Toss a TBSP or two of the Caesar dressing with the kale. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional).