mexican

Spice up your meals with my secret ingredients!

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Hi friends! I hope you are well today. It’s been a crazy week around here but today is fairly calm and peaceful, thus I have a moment to share my favorite meal saviors with you. 

  
 
Ok so yesterday was a frantic day. I had to take Chewie (my little dog) to the vet for tooth cleaning, mouth x rays and eventual removal of his two main chewing teeth on the top at 7 am (one hour round trip). Then I rushed back home to get Danielle’s breakfast before she went to her nannying job, did laundry, straightened the house, took care of Delilah (my golden) and went back to pick up Chewie after his procedure (one hour round trip). Came home, fed both dogs and took them out, gave Chewie his meds, and then thought, “What the heck are we having for dinner?”  

Now my first instinct was that I definitely wasn’t cooking, I mean, I was tired and stressed from worrying about my little dog and all the running around. But I immediately reversed my thinking because I’m trying not to eat out as much these days. Eating out, even when you make healthy choices, results in higher caloric intake from larger portions and things like a basket of bread on the table than eating at home. So, I pulled my secret ingredients out of my back pocket (or out of my pantry and fridge), and put them together for an easy, tasty and healthy meal which I’m going to share with you right now. I made this recipe up one day out of desperation, and it has become one of my family’s favorite meals. It’s easy enough for my college aged readers to make in their apartments too. Come on and follow me, here we go!

  
Valerie’s Chicken, Chorizo and Black Bean Tacos

  • 1 chopped onion
  • 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs and 2 boneless skinless breasts
  • 2 cans organic black beans
  • 1 jar of Herdez Verde Sauce
  • 1 lb Mexican Chorizo sausage
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

First, sautĂ© an onion in a bit of oil in a big pot on the stove over medium heat until softened and translucent. Next, add the chicken, cumin, salt and pepper, and cook until it’s no longer pink. Take the chicken out of the pot and chop it into small pieces. (This step is optional, if you want large pieces of chicken and have no time to chop, skip this step.) 

  

Next, add the chorizo and cook until it is browned. Add the chicken back into the pot.

  
Last, add the entire jar of verde sauce, drain the black beans, and add them to the pot. Heat for a minute or so until warmed. 

  
And that’s it! This is such a flavorful and versatile mixture. It can be served on tortillas, tortilla chips or in burritos. You can eat it by itself too, as I usually do with a little shredded cheese on top. The chicken, chorizo, and beans are an excellent source of protein, and the verde sauce is full of vitamin C. It’s flavorful without being too spicy and it’s SO EASY! Plus I always enjoy a one pot meal because the clean up is a snap. Actually, the pot is chilling in my second fridge right now, just waiting for me to use the leftovers for a few more meals because it makes about 10 servings. AND, all of those ingredients are pretty inexpensive too. I love to save a buck where I can.

   

Since I always have chicken and chorizo in my freezer, and cans of black beans and jars of verde sauce in my pantry, this meal is always on hand for me to make at the last minute, like last night. So try it, you’ll like it! Eating meals like these will help you live a life of vitality- like Valerie!

Eating Healthy Starts with This! Part One

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My kind of messy, but well stocked pantry!

My kind of messy, but well stocked pantry!

Hello friends! We all want to eat healthy, don’t we? At least most of the time, that is. 🙂 Here is one of my most important healthy secrets that I’m going to share with you right now, because I’m that kind of a nice person! Eating healthy starts with having the proper ingredients readily available. That means having a healthy pantry and fridge/freezer. If you don’t have the right kinds of things to eat in your pantry and fridge/freezer, you will never be able to eat healthy, at least at home that is.

If I've got the pantry door open, Chewie is in there checking it all out!

If I’ve got the pantry door open, Chewie is in there checking it all out!

And we all know it’s easier to eat healthy at home versus a restaurant, and it’s cheaper too. So, I’m here to guide you to stock the right things in your pantry and fridge/freezer to live a super healthy life. Today, we will talk about the pantry, and in part 2 we will talk about the fridge/freezer. I’m including pictures of my pantry, but please don’t judge me for the messiness, just the quality of ingredients in there! 🙂 As always, all items are organic if possible.

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1. Nut butters/Coconut Oil– I have cashew, peanut, and almond butters in my pantry, along with a few different types of coconut butters and oils. These are super crucial for my family both to make a quick snack- nut butter on an apple or banana is a family fave, and to make my super healthy protein shake (see my previous post, “SHAKE your way to a life without sugar”). Both nut butter and coconut butter/oil are essential.

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Pantry10

2. Beans, tomato products, and sauce basics– Probably the most utilized area in my pantry is my middle shelf which contains numerous types of beans (red kidney, white kidney, garbanzo, black, and pinto) and canned tomatoes (crushed, pureed, chopped, and whole tomatoes). Almost every recipe I make contains either beans or tomatoes, or both, so having different options for both beans and tomatoes adds variety to my recipes. I have many different sauce basics too, like chicken broth, verde sauce, Better than Bouillon, Barbeque sauce, Annatto paste (used in Mexican cooking) and red pepper paste (for Korean recipes). I make many tasty dishes with these pantry staples.

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3. Potatoes, dried herbs, and onions– I usually have a few different types of potatoes, red, Yukon gold, fingerling, and Idaho among others. There are always onions in my pantry because almost every recipe I make contains them. I also have oregano, basil, and rosemary that I dried myself (see my previous post for more information, “Herbaceous, Wonderous Herbs! DRY THEM YOU’LL LIKE THEM!”), which makes for much more tasty dishes.

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4. Oils, vinegars, and salsas– I have canola and extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, white, red wine, and white wine vinegars, and my favorite Herdez medium salsa. I use EVOO in most of my cooking, and I love experimenting with vinegars to make my own salad dressings. I also love salsa to make tacos, breakfast scrambles, and just to dip tortilla chips into.

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Pantry16

5. Quinoa, rice, and pastas– Many of my recipes contain quinoa so I usually have a few different kinds in my pantry. I love brown rice and it’s super healthy too so I always have that. I also make risotto so I have Arborio rice for making that dish. Because I have a gluten allergy in the house I always have gluten free pasta, but there are a few different types of pasta my significant other uses to make his famous pasta and filet mignon dish (I’ll see if he will let me share the recipe in a future post!).

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6. Nuts, crackers and tortilla chips– My family is NUTS about nuts so I usually have a few different types for a quick and healthy snack. I usually have a few types of crackers though we really don’t eat them very often. I bought this new type that was made with cheese only, no flour at all, which was tasty so maybe we will switch to those, since I don’t like to have too many types of non-whole grain carbs in the house. I always have a few types of tortilla chips in the house to make nachos with, or just to dip since they’re gluten free. My favorite type is a brand called The Better Chip and they’re beet tortilla chips. It’s a blend of beets and corn, and they’re delish! Even people who don’t like beets like these chips.

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7. Baking ingredients– I stock many types of flours, almond, oat, rice, and wheat for baking. I also have your basic baking powder and soda, chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and pecans, brown and white sugar, honey, agave nectar, and coconut flakes. I don’t bake very often but we make pancakes and bake every once in a while so I like to have everything at hand just in case.

My chocolate stash- yummm!!!

My chocolate stash- yummm!!!

8. Chocolate of course– We have many types of chocolate bars and chocolate items for a SMALL treat- always dark chocolate though. Dark chocolate is VERY healthy in small amounts (see my post, “Dark Chocolate- A HEALTHY indulgence” for my information.) so I like to have that available when we need our chocolate fix. It’s essential to my life!

My spice rack- I love it!

My spice rack- I love it!

I keep my spices in a pull out cabinet next to the stove and though they’re not in a pantry, I can’t live without them so they deserve a mention. My essential spices are Himalayan sea salt, peppercorns, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, Herbs de Province, chili powder and cumin, among MANY others. I use them constantly and the great thing about spices is that they really SPICE UP your meals (LOL!). If you’ve read any of my past posts in which I provide a recipe, these spices are almost always in them.  I also love cinnamon, nutmeg and pure vanilla for sweet recipes.

I found him on the shelf one day and thought it was adorable so I am including it. I don't recommend stocking him in the pantry, though!

I found him on the shelf one day and thought it was adorable so I am including it. I don’t recommend stocking him in the pantry, though! 🙂

These are the basics for a well stocked pantry, which will provide you with the ability to make many healthy meals for you and your family and friends. Please excuse my less than perfect organization and neatness, that’s not one of my strengths! Keeping healthy meal essentials close at hand is crucial to making healthy meals quickly and easily, and that is one of my strengths! 🙂  Eating healthy meals and snacks will help you live a life of vitality- like Valerie!

Holy Guacamole!

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Graduation! A time for fun, family, and food!

Graduation! A time for fun, family, and food!

Tis the season- for picnics, graduation parties, family get-togethers, and pot luck gatherings. If you’re like me, always trying to determine what to bring at the last minute, I turn to my easy, quick go-to, my guacamole. Since I always have the ingredients on hand, it’s a fast and delicious addition to any meal! If you’ve never made guacamole, no fears, I will walk you through it step by step.

Guac ingredients and my Molcajete.

Guac ingredients and my Molcajete.

The first step is to assemble your ingredients, utensils and bowls. I use the following ingredients in my guacamole: 2 avocados, 1 medium sized tomato, a quarter of an onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, half a lime, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. I use the Spanish version of a mortar and pestle, called a Molcajete in which to make it, because I think it’s a really cool way to serve the guac.

Veggie wash.

Veggie wash.

Next, I use a vegetable and fruit cleanser to clean my vegetables before preparing them. I feel this is an essential step because even though I buy organic vegetables whenever possible I still want to make sure they are clean before serving them. There are numerous different fruit and vegetable wash products on the market today, the one I am currently using is called “Veggie Wash” and can be purchased at any grocery store.

An easy and neat way to get the pit out of an avocado.

An easy and neat way to get the pit out of an avocado.

Now it’s time to get the pit out of the avocado. It is easily done by taking a knife, piercing the pit, and while holding it over the trash, twisting the knife. The pit pops right out and can be discarded.

Removing the avocado from the skin.

Removing the avocado from the skin.

Then, remove the avocado from the skin and place it in your bowl. I do this by first scoring the inside of the avocado, horizontally and vertically. Then I take a spoon and run it underneath the skin of the avocado and the inside is not only quickly separated from the skin but it’s already chopped into cubes from the scoring.

Rough chop of Cilantro.

Rough chop of Cilantro.

After this step is complete, the next thing is to chop the cilantro. Now I admit I am no chef so my rough chop is very rough but it gets the job done. I start with a quarter cup of cilantro but you can use as much or as little as you’d like, and I chop it into small pieces. Add it to the avocado in the bowl.

Chopped avocado, cilantro and onion.

Chopped avocado, cilantro and onion.

Next step is to chop your quarter onion. Again, I’m no chef so I try to dice the onion into small pieces so my family won’t get big chunks of raw onion when they’re eating, although a few large hunks usually end up in finished product. Use as much or as little onion as you like.

The addition of lime makes guacamole sublime!

The addition of lime makes guacamole sublime!

Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the bowl. I think there is no substitute for fresh squeezed lime, those “lime in a bottle” products don’t even taste like lime to me, but if that works for you then go for it.

Use the pestle, or a spoon, to combine the ingredients.

Use the pestle, or a spoon, to combine the ingredients.

Chop an entire tomato, add a teaspoon of minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Then, using the pestle or a spoon, I kind of smash the pieces of avocado, but I leave it a little chunky because I like it that way. However, if you like it smooth keep stirring and smashing until it gets to the texture you’d like it to be.

The all important taste test!

The all important taste test!

Now, the next step is very important. After combining the ingredients to your desired level of smoothness, taste your guacamole so you can determine the balance of flavors. If more salt or pepper, etc, are needed now is the time to add them before it is served.

Voila! The finished product!

Voila! The finished product!

I serve my guacamole with blue corn tortilla chips made by Garden of Eatin, which I purchase at Whole Foods or Earth Fare, my local health food grocery stores, but they are available at some regular grocery stores as well. They’re gluten free, non gmo (genetically modified), all natural and delicious too. Plus I think they make a nice color contrast with the green and red colors of the guacamole for presentation purposes. I also wiped down the sides of the Molcajete to make it look prettier. You may have to add more salt and pepper again at this time because I always think guacamole needs more salt, but have other people taste it and see what they think. Now the fun part happens when you get to eat your delish creation!

 

Wrap guacamole carefully to preserve it!

Wrap guacamole carefully to preserve it!

If any guacamole remains after everyone has enjoyed it, I have found a way to wrap my guacamole so that it doesn’t get brown and yucky looking. Most people wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, but I actually put the wrap on the guacamole. I gather the leftover guac into a mound in the middle of the bowl and then place the plastic wrap directly on the guacamole making sure there is no air between the guac and the wrap. This keeps the guacamole green and fresh tasting for one or two days. Any longer than that and it will not taste or look good no matter what you do so eat it all before then.

My version of guacamole is very good for you, first it has avocado which is an excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids or mufa’s. That’s the good for you plant based fat that is essential for enhancing heart health and protecting against chronic diseases. Even though guacamole has a relatively high amount of fat, it’s the healthy fat that can actually help you lose weight! It also has tomato which contains lycopene, vitamin C and folate, which may reduce cancer and heart disease risk. Guacamole is very fiber rich, with 15.4 grams of fiber in a 1 cup serving, that’s a significant amount given the minimum 20 grams of fiber we need every day. Fiber is very good for our hearts and our digestive systems, and it helps you feel full longer too.

Thanks for reading my post today and please feel free to leave comments. I hope this recipe works for you and if you try it, be sure to let me know! Buen apetito!

Valerie