IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!
I’m talking about summer time. Woohoo!!
If it’s summer time, you know what that means, BBQ TIME!!! I love a good bbq.
Here is a great chicken & cilantro recipe that Victoria and I love to have during the summer time.
Enjoy!
I’m talking about summer time. Woohoo!!
If it’s summer time, you know what that means, BBQ TIME!!! I love a good bbq.
Here is a great chicken & cilantro recipe that Victoria and I love to have during the summer time.
Enjoy!
I think one of the top 5 best inventions in the world is the slow cooker.
Ok, I might be exaggerating a little bit, but if you don’t have time to cook or if you want to prep your meal the night before and still have it steaming hot to eat, the slow cooker is your best friend.
Here is a yummy chicken slow cooker recipe that Victoria and I had last night.
Wet Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
Step 1: In a measuring cup mix the ketchup, soy sauce, olive oil, & all of the spices together until well blended and set aside.
Step 2: Put the chicken in the slow cooker with the carrots, sweet potatoes, and celery.
Step 3: Pour the olive oil mixture into the slow cooker and make sure all of the dry ingredients are covered.
Step 4: Cover the slow cooker with the lid and set it on low for about 8 hours (or you could also put it on high for about 3-4 hours).
Step 5: Take the lid off and enjoy all of the juicy greatness of the slow cooker.
Now that I have your attention obviously these buns are not made out of steel. That would not be tasty.
Instead they are made out of cauliflower.
The other day Victoria and I were making burgers but we didn’t have any bread or buns. The only thing we had was cauliflower.
So what does one do when there is only cauliflower? They make cauliflower buns of course!
They do taste pretty darn good and you get to have at least two servings of veggies per burger. BOOMSHAKALAKA!!
Here is my cauliflower bun recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3/4 of Cauliflower
Tools:
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Take out a baking sheet and line it up with parchment paper (if you don’t have that, you can use aluminum foil).
Step 2: Put all the cauliflower in the food processor and pulse until finely shredded.
Step 3: Crack all of the eggs in a large bowl with the dry ingredients and slowly add in the cauliflower and mix it all together.
Step 4: Take a small portion of the cauliflower mixture and put it on the baking sheet. Press down on the small portion with your hands until it becomes flat. Continue to do this until all of the mixture is on the baking sheet. I personally made 6 buns with this mixture, but you probably could make smaller buns and make more.
Step 5: Stick it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
Step 6: Take them out of the oven and let them sit for about 2 minutes. After that, enjoy a bite into those awesome buns of cauliflower. Haha!
It’s cauliflower pizza!
If you are craving pizza (like I do often) and you want to keep your carb intake lower, this might be your best bet.
Not only is it delicious but since the crust is made from cauliflower it is more nutrient dense and has many vitamins and minerals that are good for you!
Some of those vitamins and minerals are sulforaphane (this is a compound that has been shown to kill cancer stem cells), vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.
There is more but you get the gist of it. IT’S REALLY GOOD FOR YOU! Haha!
Here is my cauliflower pizza recipe:
Ingredients:
- Cauliflower
- 1/2 cup Coconut flower
- 1 egg (I use egg whites)
- Italian seasoning
- Basil
- Salt & Pepper
- Whatever toppings you would like on your pizza
Tools:
-Food processor (if you don’t have one, use a cheese grader)
-Cheese cloth (if you don’t have one, use paper towels)
-Deep dish baking pan
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. While that is heating up, shred your cauliflower with a food pressor or cheese grader.
Step 2: Since cauliflower naturally holds a lot of water, we have to strain and dry out as much of the water as possible so the crust does not become crumbly. Transfer your shredded cauliflower to a cheese cloth and squeeze out as much water as possible. Once you are done with that, put all of the cauliflower on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (we just want to make sure we got out most of the moisture in the cauliflower).
Step 3: Take out the cauliflower and raise the temperature of the oven to 400 degrees. Grab a large mixing bowl and put all of the ingredients together (except the toppings of course haha). I like to use a deep dish baking pan to mold the crust into its form but technically you can do that right on a baking sheet with parchment paper (it’s your call).
Step 4: Once you form your crust, stick it back in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. The crust on the outside should be slightly brown.
Step 5: After that, take it out of the oven and put the toppings you would like on your pizza and stick it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Step 6: Remove and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to cool down. Enjoy!
….Because he had the drumsticks. HAHA!! I crack myself up.
Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, a time for family & friends, and LOTS of food!!! I’m kind of excited because I love to eat.
Who doesn’t?!
The best part about all the food (for me at least) is definitely the sides. I’m here to give you my turkey bacon brussels sprouts recipe. This one might turn some heads at thanksgiving.
Normally there’s so much rich, calorically-dense food on the table, that it’s a great idea to have something more fibrous and green, but also appealing.
Ingredients:
2 and half pounds of Brussel sprouts
1 large Onion (chopped)
4-6 Slices of turkey bacon
Olive oil
Thyme (optional)
Salt & Pepper (For Taste)
Lemon Juice (Optional)
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to boil and cut the brussels sprouts in half.
Step 2: Once the water boils, toss in the brussels sprouts for about 3-5min or until slightly tender.
Step 3: While the brussels sprouts are boiling, cook the turkey bacon until slightly brown in a large pan on medium heat.
Step 4: Take the bacon out and set aside. In the same pan, toss in a teaspoon of olive oil and chopped onion, stirring often.
Step 5: Once the onions are slightly soft, lower the heat and toss in the brussels sprouts. Add salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix all together and taste.
Step 6: Once the brussels sprouts are tender, mix in the turkey bacon and lemon juice.
Step 7: Enjoy the deliciouso-in-your-bellyoso!
…Garden Hose! Get it?!!
When you look at certain variations of squash (by the way, did you know there are more than 50 variations of squash) are you unsure how to eat it? You might say, “What the heck am I supposed to do with that?!” or “That doesn’t even fit on my counter!” Haha!
There are technically two types of squash, summer and winter squash. More popular types of summer squash include: yellow zucchini, crookneck squash, and Cocozella Di Napoli (Italian heirloom zucchini).
The most well known types of winter squash include: acorn squash, butternut squash, and kabocha squash (sweet with a mild nutty flavor).
Today I am going to show you how to prepare one of our favorites, an acorn squash. It is soooo easy it will blow your mind.
Ingredients:
-acorn squash
-olive oil (you can use coconut oil if you want to make it sweeter)
-salt & pepper
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Step 2: Wash the acorn squash and dry it
Step 3: Cut the top of the acorn squash to get rid of the stem so it’s easier to handle
Step 4: Cut the acorn squash down the center from the bottom
Step 5: Take out all the seeds and guts (you can use the seeds for a later time)
Step 6: Score the acorn squash vertically and horizontally. Score simply means to cut a line on the surface of what you’re cooking. I do this to allow the oil to get all the way through
Step 7: Rub the olive oil all over the acorn squash (except the skin) and season with salt and pepper
Step 8: Place it in the oven for 1 hour
Step 9: My favorite part. TIME TO CHOW DOWN ON SOME GRUB!!!
For the past few months, I don’t know what has come over me but I just have caught the cauliflower cooking bug. Haha!
Today I am going to share my cauliflower cous cous recipe. If you are looking for more quantity out of your food, give this a try. For every 100 grams of cauliflower, their is 10 grams of carbohydrates.
Yup, that is true! So, without further a do, here is my cauliflower cous cous recipe.
Tools:
-Food Processor (or if you don’t have one, use a cheese grader)
-Pan
Ingredients:
-Cauliflower
-Garlic cloves
-Olive oil
-Bone or chicken broth
-Basil
-Salt & Pepper
Step 1: Wash the cauliflower and get rid of all the leafs
Step 2: Cut the cauliflower into small pieces (so you can fit it into the food processor or it’s easy for you to handle with the cheese grader)
Step 3: Take the food processor (or cheese grader) and place it by your station and slowly start to grade or feed it through the food processor (if you are using the food processor, make sure you are using the blade with the smaller holes)
Step 4: Put a pan on a stove over medium heat with about 2 or 3 teaspoons.
Step 5: Chop up the garlic cloves and toss it in the olive oil.
Step 6: Wait until the garlic starts to sizzle or slightly brown and then toss in the desired amount of cous cous.
Step 7: Put 1/4 cup of bone or chicken broth in the cous cous and mix it around.
Step 8: Add basil, salt, and pepper. Then let it sit for about 2min or until hot and most of the moisture is out (it still will be slightly moist)
Step 9: Enjoy the AWESOMENESS!!!
Let’s be realistic, there is actually no steak in cauliflower steak. Sorry to let you down so soon, but let’s just get that out of the way. Cauliflower is a great substitution for high carb ingredients like dough, cous cous, or mashed potatoes.
Technically you could get cauliflower all year long, but the best season for it is in the spring. It falls into the cabbage family and it is more difficult to plant than most of the cabbages just due to the fact that it can’t handle climates that are too hot or cold. So, if you were thinking of planting any cauliflower, start planning to plant the seeds in the spring and keep the temperature around 60 degrees. If not, it will bloom too fast.
Without further a-do here is the recipe for my cauliflower steak.
So here are the ingredients you need:
-Head of cauliflower
-Lime
-Lemon
-Olive oil
-Garlic clove
-Paprika
-Salt
Step 1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
Step 2. In a bowl pour in some olive oil, lime juice, lemon juice, and crushed garlic (you can use garlic powder if you don’t have fresh garlic). Mix it and leave it to the side.
Step 3. Wash your cauliflower and take off the leaves at the stem.
Step 4. Put a skillet on the stove at medium heat.
Step 5. Cut the cauliflower in half and then cut 1” slices all the way through the stem (the stem will keep the cauliflower together. Without it, it will crumble).
Step 6. Wipe one side of the cauliflower with the olive oil mixture and season with paprika and salt.
Step 7. Put a little bit of olive oil in the skillet and slowly put the seasoned side of the cauliflower face down. Cook each side for 6 minutes.
Step 8. Season the unseasoned side of the cauliflower in the skillet the same way you did before.
Step 9. Flip cauliflower and let it sit for another 6 minutes.
Step 10. Take out a baking sheet and spray the pain with non-stick spray (we use Trader Joe’s coconut oil spray but you can use whatever is available).
Step 11. Take the cauliflower off the skillet and place it on the baking sheet. Cover it with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 20 minutes.
Step 12. Remove the cauliflower steaks from the oven. Uncover it and let it sit for 2 minutes to cool down.
Step 13. Enjoy the GREATNESS!!!
Some people love to bake their chicken. Some like to put it into the slow cooker. I’m the kind of guy that likes to make his chicken as juicy as possible, in whatever method works. I found this recipe on youtube but then added my own twist to it. I’m not kidding, it’s like butter when it comes out. HALLELUJAH! So without further ado, here is my secret chicken recipe that is not so secret. Enjoy!
1) Lay out all of your spices and chicken (of course). Normally I use my favorite spice from Trader Joe's, BBQ coffee spice rub. But unfortunately, I ran out :( so today I used a different poultry rub.
2) Put two oven safe pans on the stove on low heat and pre heat your oven to low broil.
3) Place all of the chicken into a large mixing bowl, use whatever spices your heart desires, and mix away.
4) Put two teaspoons of coconut oil to coat each pan and swirl it around to make sure you don’t miss any spots.
5) Now it’s time to put the chicken on the pans folks. As you put the chicken on the pans, make sure the smooth part is facing down and you roll the chicken away from you. This will prevent any splatter from the oil. Once all of the chicken is on the pans, turn the heat up to medium heat.
6) Make sure the chicken has a golden brown color and then flip it. To flip it, use a fork, tongs, or whatever you have available.
7) Wait until the other side is golden brown as well, then put it in the oven for about 5-10min.
8) Take it out and cut into the chicken or push down onto the chicken to see if it is cooked. When you push down onto the chicken, it should feel like the bottom part of your palm (closer to your thumb).
9) My favorite part, enjoy all the juiciness from the AWESOMENESS!
A lot of people tend to shy away from food preparation because they feel it would take up too much time. Well…I’m here to see to it that I can convince you other wise (in a snooty Downton Abby British accent). Haha! Here are a few cool tips that have helped me and my awesome clients.
Choose one specific day or a few designated times in the week to cook all of your meals. For instance, if you choose Sunday’s, cook all of your chicken, put together all of your salads in tupperware’s, bake all of your starches in the oven, and you are ready to go for the week ahead. BOOM! If you would like to spread out your days so it doesn’t take as long, you can choose to cook on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This will eliminate cooking so much on one day and have fresher meals prepared.
If you want to cook everything else but not your proteins, thats easy too! Try a slow cooker. Here’s what I suggest: before you go to bed, place chicken/turkey cutlets, etc. into a slow cooker with broth and spices of your choice. Once you wake up in the morning, you have juicy protein ready to eat (it’s almost like the texture of pulled pork).
Take ziploc bags or containers of food with you to work. Personally, I use coconut or olive oil on my salads as dressing. If I want more acid I’ll add lemon or lime juice. I’ll put it in a small container and use it later. It’s an easy way to incorporate fats into your everyday adventure. In addition to that, I also put almonds, walnuts, or sunflower seeds in a bag, to add a little crunch to some of my meals.
These are just a few simple tips but the big one is this, YOU SAVE A TON OF MONEY $$$$! In NYC, the average dinner at a restaurant could cost you $150, even without drinks. If you choose to grocery shop once or twice a week, that could be the cost of one week’s worth of food. WOOHOO!!! Saving money and time, who doesn’t want that?! It’s a no brainer. Try to meal prep just for a few weeks and let me know if you can see the changes in your life.