Food

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Stuffed Jalapeños and Roasted Honeynut Squash

Today, I was feeling a little creative. I could not allow for my jalapeños to go bad. So I thought to myself, why not stuff the jalapeños with sweet potatoes and saute diced onions and apples, see how that goes? I figured it is also Monday, so let’s create a new recipe for Meatless Monday and the results, I can see I’m proud of. The spicy jalapeño stuffed with the sweet potato and topped with the saute onions and apples goes hand in hand. Now, if you cannot handle the heat, please feel free to use the small sweet peppers instead. I also bought from the grocery store this tiny squash that looks like a butternut squash but it is called honeynut squash. I decided to stuff it as well with the leftover onions and apples. So please enjoy. If you try out this recipe, let me know how you liked it.

Ingredients:

2 small sweet potatoes

6 jalapeños

1 med sweet onion

1 med apple of choice

1 honeynut squash

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp Coconut oil

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees. Once preheated, slice the honeynut squash in half and remove the seeds. Save the seeds if you want to toast it and eat it as a snack. Rub coconut oil on the cut side of the squash. Place in a baking sheet cut side down and bake for 30 minutes or until ready.

Slice the jalapeños in half length wise and remove the vein and seeds. Peel the sweet potatoes, dice and place in a pot with water. Once the water begins to boil, give it about 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked and tender. Once ready, remove from the heat and strain the potatoes and with a fork mash the potatoes. Dice the medium onions and place in a pan with coconut oil. Cook the onions until translucent, then add the diced medium apple. Continue to cook until the apples are tender. Stuff the jalapeños with the sweet potatoes, place on a baking pan and place it in the oven until the jalapeños are roasted.

Remove both the honeynut squash and the jalapeños, add the saute onions and apples. Serve and enjoy! The stuffed jalapeños or peppers are perfect for a quick snack, appetizer or take to a party and share with friends.

Never be afraid to try something new in the kitchen. This is how you find out what pairs well together. Bon appetite! Happy Monday! -Lily

Baked Chicken & Roasted Potatoes

Chicken, Food, Vegetables

Today, I did not wake up in a cooking mood. However, I have to cook in order to fuel my body, have lunch for tomorrow, as well as dinner. So I opted to go the easy and “lazy” route…let the oven do the cooking.

It’s a simple recipe, but the star of this dish is the baked chicken and how I let it marinate at least for an hour in order to get the flavor I was looking for. Garlic and sage goes hand in hand when it comes to poultry.

INGREDIENTS:

For the chicken:

1 to 2 lbs of Chicken drumsticks or thighs

Dried sage

3 garlic cloves

Olive oil

Dried Italian herbs or oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

For the roasted potatoes:

10 butter potatoes chopped about 2 inches in size

Sweet paprika

Oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 lg red onion chopped in quarters

Green onions

Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a mortar mash the garlic until it is into a paste. Pour about 3 tbsp of Olive oil. Add the salt, pepper, dried oregano or Italian herbs, and dried sage and mix together. In a bowl place the rinsed chicken drumsticks or thighs and pour the marinade. Make sure the marinate is mixed well with the chicken. Cover it for an hour.

Preheat the oven at 300 degrees. Place the chicken on a cookie sheet and let it cook. Once it looks ready, raise the heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook until the skin is crispy.

One a cast iron skillet, place it on medium heat on the stove. Once it is hot, add olive oil and the potatoes. Season it with salt and pepper, sweet paprika, and Italian herbs. Mix it and allow it to get somewhat pan roasted. Add the chopped onions and mix well. Place it in the oven while the chicken continues to cook in the oven until the potatoes are crispy and roasted on the outside but soft on the inside.

Once both the chicken and the potatoes are cook, serve it and add some sliced green onions to the potatoes to add the fresh onion flavor.

Thanks to my oven, I was able to bum around the house and still be able to cook a delicious easy recipe. Cooking doesn’t have to be stressful but it can still be easy, simple, healthy and flavorful.

Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

Appetizer, Food

As I am getting ready for a new week after returning from a work conference, I wanted to hurry up and try out a new recipe. This balsamic roasted tomato recipe was inspired from an appetizer I tried at Bazbeaux while at a conference in Indianapolis.

I have found my new favorite way to eat tomatoes. The balsamic vinegar and the acidity of the tomato just goes well together. I hope you enjoy this quick easy recipe that you can make for a party, snack, or an appetizer for a romantic dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb of roma or vine tomatoes

sliced mozarella

sliced Italian or French bread

basil

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 280 degrees. Slice the tomatoes at least 1/4 inch thick. Place on a cookie sheet already grease with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, olive oil and place in the oven until it has been roasted, then splash some balsamic and continue to cook until roasted.

Slice Italian or French bread, brush olive oil and toast on a pan. Slice the mozarella about 1/4 inch.

Once bread is toasted, place on a plate, top it with the mozarella, roasted tomatoes, basil, splash the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

If you happen to visit Indianapolis, make sure you go check out Bazbeaux. They are the multi-year winner People’s Choice Award in the Indianapolis Monthly-magazine. I enjoyed the appetizer as well as the food the pizza I ordered, the TCHOUPITOULAS. You will not be disappointed!

A very easy recipe to follow and make at home. Leave me a comment when you try this recipe. -Lily

Meatless Monday

Food

Once in a while, I have my day when I just don’t feel like eating any type of meat, and trust me, I can eat pork every day if you let me. I’m not sure why this happens, but I’ve learned to listen to my body. The other day, that’s just how I felt. I had no desire to eat the chicken that I had prepared in a healthy delicious way. So instead, I ate my side items for my chicken. At that moment I thought, why not share vegetarian/vegan recipes on Mondays.

I have a few friends that are either vegetarian or vegan. We could all sit and agree to disagree on why meats are good/bad for you. At the end of the day, we respect each others eating lifestyles and enjoy a meal at the table together.

Meatless Monday is not a new trend, in fact this goes as back as WWI. However, in 2003 it revived. Read the full story at Meatless Monday History

I hope you enjoy this healthy, quick, and vegan approved recipe.

Sweet potato hash and pigeon peas salad

Ingredients:

1 medium diced sweet potato per person

1.5 lg onion

2 lg bell pepper

Coconut oil

2 cans of pigeon peas (or bag of dried peas which you can overnight soak and then cook until tender)

10 Spanish olives

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

In a pan, add the coconut oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender. Add the 1 lg diced onion and 1 lg pepper to the sweet potatoes. Continue to cook until done.

In a bowl, add diced the 1/2 onion and 1 lg pepper with olive olive, salt and pepper. Open both pigeon peas can, and rinse off. Add the pigeon peas to the bowl and mix together lightly. You can also add cherry tomatoes and crushed garlic for an additional taste. It’s all up to you and creativity.

I hope you have enjoyed this fun, quick, healthy and vegan approved recipe. You don’t have to have a Meatless Monday once a week. You can start slowly with replacing one meal on Monday with only veggies and fruits.

Cod Fish Salad and Pan Roasted Potatoes

fish, Food

As a kid living in Puerto Rico, root vegetables can be found if you live in the country side. Often at my grandparents home, either my grandfather and father, or uncles would go to the area where these root vegetables would often grow. Every time there were root vegetables, there would always be bacalao (cod fish) or carne frita (fried pork). Just reminiscing as I type, it just takes me back to those days.

Many times, my mom would make cod fish salad for dinner. I’d have to say that like her cod fish salad there is no other. Don’t get me wrong, I like my cod fish salad too, but it’s always different when mom cooks. So in memory of my childhood, I decided to make this ensalada de bacalao (cod fish salad) with pan roasted potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs cod fish

6 medium white potatoes

3 sliced green onions

1/2 diced red onion

1 lg diced tomato or 3 Roma tomatoes

1/4 diced bell pepper

10 Spanish Olives

2 hard boiled eggs

Olive Oil

Water

White Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a pot bring water to boil, add salt, and the cod fish. Boil until cooked. Do not overcook as it will break into pieces and you want to have at least bite size. In a separate pot, add eggs, bring water to boil and add three diced potatoes. Do not over cook the potatoes or it will turn into mush. Remove both pots from the stove and drain the water.

Dice the red onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, and Spanish olives. Add into a bowl, pour olive oil. Once the cod fish and the potatoes are at room temperature, add to the boil and carefully mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the other three potatoes to about a 1/4″. Place in a pan, add about a cup of water, 1/2 cup of white vinegar and drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cover and cook in medium heat until the water and vinegar evaporates. Remove the lid, the oil will then cook the potatoes until crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Once fully cooked, serve with the cod fish salad.

“Food is fuel. Eat to live. Don’t eat to live.”

Reasons Why You Should Meal Prep

Food

Before I moved to South Florida, I lived for 10 years in Maryland. During my last eight months living in Maryland, I became unemployed. As I searched for a new job, I also had a lot of time in my hands. What did I do to keep my sanity in check? I cooked and I worked out. During that time I became friends with a new member from my CrossFit gym. She approached me, and asked me if I was a chef because all the foods I post on Facebook were healthy and delicious. Of course I am no chef, but I enjoy cooking. She asked if I would cook for her family. Create meals ahead of time so they could simply reheat during the week as she had no time to do so. I accepted and every Sunday morning, I’d prepare three different meals for a family of four.

I looked forward to every Sunday, as not only did I enjoy cooking for them, but they were a great family as well. Her daughter and son were just what I would call, the dream kids I’d love to have. It was just a great experience cooking for them and giving me the privilege to do so.

Now that I live in South Florida, have a full-time job where commuting is involved, I learned from my favorite family, that I needed to prepare my weekly meals ahead of time. Here is why:

It saves time from cooking after a long day at work, dealing with traffic, and coming home after working out. Who has time to cook when you are hungry and exhausted? Not I!
I save money, as it prevents me from eating out for lunch or dinner.
I eat healthier as I only get from the grocery store all veggies, fruits, eggs and meats.
I do not waste food as I only purchase the groceries for the week (grocery haul on another blog).

As you can see, those are great reasons why I stick to meal prepping for the week. Do you meal prep? Have you tried it? Has it worked for you? Feel free to leave a comment. While I meal prepped, I cleaned, and wrote my blog for the week. You can cook meals for the week in 3 hours or take your time throughout the day like I do, as I multitask.

My meals are done, packed, and ready for the week. One motto I like to live by: “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.”

Braised Purple Cabbage & Pan Seared NY Strip Steak

Beef, Food

At the age of 10, I would always watch my mother or grandmother cook. I would always ask both if they would teach me to cook. Every time I would receive the same response: “you can learn by watching,” so I did. I watched every time I was at my grandma’s house what she would do, and I engraved it in my memory over and over. The same thing I would do when my mother cooked.

A year later, myself or one of my sisters after school, while waiting for my parents to arrive home from college, gave a smart ass response to my mother, when she said: “open the door.” One of us replied: “you have the keys.” My mother and father, got back in the car and left us at home. Haha! Not so funny now. LOL

Well, my parents left us and we were hungry. Here I am, only 11 years old and decided to go ahead and take matters into my own hands and cook for my sisters and I. I seasoned the chicken and placed it in the electric oven we had. I turned on the gas stove, and boiled the water, added oil and salt, and washed the rice. Then in another pot, I made the beans. All of this, the way my mom would make it. My parents arrived home, and I told them that I cooked. I was almost about to get my head chewed off by my mom, when she looked at the rice, beans, and chicken all cooked and ready to eat.

From then on, well, I’ve learned everything on my own, by experimenting, and making recipes my own. I just “think” that maybe this ingredient and that ingredient would make sense and taste good together. Don’t get me wrong, I have made mistakes in the kitchen by over seasoning (a funny story I’ll share later).

I love and enjoy cooking. My greatest satisfaction is trying something new in the kitchen. A new ingredient, a new recipe, from my traditional Puerto Rican food to other ethnic recipes. I’m a bit of a foodie, so I’m always willing to try new foods. It has helped increase my palate (taste buds) and increased my cooking experience.

Today, I decided to start a simple, easy, healthy, and grain free recipe. Braised purple cabbage is one of my favorite in my list. Steak, I do not eat it often and when I do, I’m always a bit hesitant on how long I should cook it. I was always a well done steak person, and in the past few years, I began to like medium-well. I think that is as raw as I’ll let it go.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. Please keep in mind, I do not measure when I cook. Leave any comments if you try it and how it turned out.

Ingredients:

1/2 chopped purple cabbage

Balsamic vinegar

Water

Salt & Pepper to taste

NY Strip Steak

Instructions:

In medium heat in a pot add the chopped purple cabbage, water, and balsamic. Cover with a lid, and let it steamed. Once it no longer looks raw, add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook and add more balsamic if you wish. Cover with the lid and lower the heat on low and allow it to cook for another 5 – 10 minutes.

Season the steak the way you like it. I used salt, pepper, smoke paprika, onion powder. In medium to high heat, place a pan and allow it to get hot first. Once it is hot, add a little bit of olive oil and place the steak. Allow it to cook 3-4 minutes per side.

Once cooked, plate, and enjoy! -Lily