Shrimp Tacos

It has been so long since I have blogged one of my recipes!  Last week we made shrimp tacos for the first time to try something new and light for summer.  Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!  Feel free to add your own favorite toppings!

Ingredients 

1 bag frozen shrimp, thawed

Chili powder

Cumin

Corn or flour tortillas 

1 lime

Toppings:

Avocado

Green pepper

Cabbage

Tomatoes

Salsa

Sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt

Shredded cheese

Directions

Saute thawed shrimp with olive oil in a frying pan and season with chili powder and cumin to taste.  Warm tortillas in a separate frying pan on medium-low.  Fill tortillas with shrimp and a squeeze of lime juice, and add your favorite toppings.

Burrito Bowl Salads

I am pretty sure I am going to crave this burrito bowl every other day.  The nice thing is it can be served many different ways!  I served it the first time over romaine, but you could also serve it over brown rice, over tortilla chips, or in a tortilla.  

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, grilled (I seasoned mine with Lawry's Seasoning Salt)
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
juice from 1/2 lime
1 cup pico de gallo
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 can black beans, drained
Optional: guacamole, sour cream, & hot sauce

Directions
Once you have grilled your chicken breasts, shred chicken and place in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Add cumin and juice from 1/2 lime to chicken, and mix well.  Add diced red pepper, green pepper, pico de gallo, and black beans. Serve over romaine, and top with guacamole, light sour cream, and hot sauce.  

Apple Glazed Crockpot Pork Roast

This is probably one of the most flavorful roasts I have ever made, or tasted!  I am one of those people that needs applesauce with my pork, and these apples were perfect!  I paired the pork with roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed fresh green beans.  It was a great combination of fresh foods.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Ingredients

4 lb pork loin roast

salt and pepper

6 apples, cored and quartered

1/3 cup apple juice

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

Directions

Trim roast well, then rub roast with salt and pepper.  Brown roast under broiler to remove excess fat; drain well.  Place apple quarters in bottom of 4-6 quart crockpot.  Place roast on top of apples.  Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and ginger.  Spoon over top surface of roast.  Cover slow cooker and cook on low 10-12 hours, until done.  Slice to serve.

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino

After going straight from work to the gym, sometimes I just don't have the energy or time to cook a large meal.  Last night was a perfect example, and this was the easiest recipe I could get my hands on.  If you are looking for a new website to look for recipes and such, be sure to check out yumsugar.  With New Year's resolutions all over the place, I am continuing to work on eating healthy, and this recipe allows it.  I hope you enjoy this light pasta!

Ingredients
7 ounces of spaghetti
2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes (I added a little more)
1/4 to 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package, until it is al dente.  Strain pasta and place in a large serving dish.  Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix together well.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

Thank goodness for Pinterest!  I know most of you are on it, but I figured I would still post the recipe for you.  It is a nice way to serve mixed fruit, rather than just doing a fruit salad on it's own with no additional flavors.  The citrus mixed with sweet honey is so good!  This is definitely a good one to bring to a barbecue with friends and family!

Ingredients

1 pint strawberries

1 pint blueberries

1 bunch grapes (red, green, or both)

1/4 cup honey

Juice from 2 limes (about 2-3 tablespoons)

Directions

Rinse strawberries, blueberries, and grapes.  Gently pat dry the fruit.  Hull strawberries and cut each in half; cut into quarters if large.  Remove stems from blueberries, if any.  Remove grapes from stems.  Gently combine strawberries, blueberries, and grapes in a large bowl and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together honey and lime juice.  Pour over fruit and mix.  Refrigerate until served.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

This is my first year really making Christmas cookies, and I have no idea why I waited so long. I didn't have too much confidence in my baking skills, but I think I pulled it off this year! You can substitute whatever kind of jam you would like, but raspberry is my favorite. Hope you enjoy these cookies!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raspberry jam

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium. Bowl combine flour and baking powder. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium until smooth. Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed until thoroughly combined. Dough will be firm.

Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough, roll into 1-inch diameter balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets 1 inch apart. Poke center of the cookie ball with finger. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the center of each cookie ball.

Bake 22-24 minutes or until light golden brown. Transfer to a cool, flat surface. Makes approximately 4 dozen.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

If you are looking for a good stuffed peppers recipe, this is one to try!  The Italian flavors were a nice change from using rice as a filler with ground beef or turkey.  Using bolognese sauce with the frozen spinach worked really well.  Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey (or lean ground beef)

3 bell peppers

2 cups spaghetti sauce (I used bolognese)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, pressed)

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (De-thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese + 6 tablespoons to garnish over top of each pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up), coat with non-stick cooking spray.  Wash peppers and cut around the stem to remove.  Remove stems.  Cut peppers in half length-wise, and remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers.  Set peppers on baking pan.  Meanwhile, cook ground turkey in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Stir and break up the turkey while it's cooking.  When turkey is almost completely cooked through, add the sauce and seasonings to the pan.  Stir and continue to cook until the turkey is completely cooked (when it is no longer pink).  Add the spinach and Parmesan and stir until everything is well combined.  Scoop 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture into each pepper.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmesan over each pepper (or another low fat shredded cheese, such as mozzarella).  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted, and lightly golden brown.