BIG flavors and a pinch of attitude!
Sweet and Smoky Bacon Chili
I looooooove sweet and smoky, or sweet and spicy, or sweet and smoky and spicy all together! This Sweet and Smoky Bacon Chili will leave you coming back for more. It’s got just enough sweet from the sweet potatoes, just enough spicy from the chili powder, seasonings and chipotle peppers, and a nice smoky element from the smoked bacon and also the chipotle peppers….
Creamy Roasted Parsnip Soup topped with Green Apple and Crispy Bacon
Soup.
Creamy, delicious, comforting soup.
I don’t make a lot of soup, but when I do, I want it to warm me up from my head to my toes. This bowl of deliciousness was created for two reasons. First off, I wanted to make a recipe for the Whole30 and OMGhee mystery box challenge on Instagram. The challenge was to create a Whole30 approved recipe using apples, parsnips, and OMGhee butter. The second reason, was because I ran myself into the ground this past week and I really needed a meal that would help with my Saturday of R&R. And a creamy, hot bowl of soup definitely fit what I had in mind.
I had actually been thinking of things to make for this mystery box challenge while working in San Francisco this week. My parents happened to be housesitting for my brother and we overlapped for one night, so my mom and I were brainstorming recipe ideas. We were thinking of things like muffins and flourless cakes, when I realized that those did not fit the criteria of being Whole30 approved. So, scratch those ideas and I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to create. But I knew I wanted to have bacon in it some how and I love the crisp and tart flavors of Granny Smith apples too.
Funny thing happened, I got like zero sleep in SF during my stay for multiple reasons. And I totally overdid it with training and tennis when I got home. Recipe for disaster when you push your body too hard physically, while running on fumes. So I decided to wait until I got a good night’s sleep in my own bed and then see what my brain came up with to make.
That’s when I woke up this morning and decided it had to be a soup. So, I looked in the refrigerator to see what else I had to add to this soup idea. I knew I wanted to roasted the parsnips to develop a deeper flavor. And I had some green cabbage and sweet Maui onion in the fridge from earlier in the week. Boom. Throw all those on a tray and roast them up in some ghee and Flavor God seasoning. Then I saw that I had chicken stock and canned coconut cream. So those were added to blend it all together into a fabulous and creamy soup. Next I topped it off with matchstick apple slices and crispy bacon! (Make sure if doing Whole30, you use compliant, sugar free bacon. 5280 Meat offers a fresh pork side that has no sugar and you can easily season yourself to your liking!)
I hope you try this comforting soup and enjoy it on a day when you feel like curling up on the couch with a blanket!
Equipment You’ll Need:
Creamy Roasted Parsnip Soup
Recipe Type
:
Main
Author:
Natasha Gildea
Prep time:
15 mins
Cook time:
35 mins
Total time:
50 mins
Serves:
2 small or 4 large bowls
Ingredients
Instructions
3.2.2925
Shrimp and Avocado Stuffed Mushrooms
Shrooms and Shrimps anyone??
I must say that on Super Bowl Sunday, I’m all about eating ALLLL the foods! I like to taste and try many options throughout game day, so finger foods are great in my book for an awesome potluck or party with friends. These little appetizer size bites of goodness were actually my lunch one day when I wanted something different. But, they make for a great appetizer you can make for a crowd.
I used baby bella mushrooms because I tend to like the flavor more than white button mushrooms. But either one will do just fine in this recipe. As for the shrimp, I used frozen, uncooked, tail-on shrimp because that’s what I usually keep on hand. You can definitely use whatever type you prefer.
The quantity amounts in this recipe can be increased very easily. Just use as many shrimp and mushrooms as you would like to have appetizers for. So, this uses 16 shrimp and mushrooms and will make 16 individual mushrooms. Serving amount per person will depend on what other yummy goodies will be served at the party!
Equipment You’ll Need:
Shrimp and Avocado Stuffed Mushrooms
Recipe Type
:
Appetizer
Author:
Natasha Gildea
Prep time:
5 mins
Cook time:
7 mins
Total time:
12 mins
Serves:
16 mushrooms
Ingredients
Instructions
3.2.2885
Enjoy this on Super Bowl Sunday, or any day for that matter, when you want a quick and easy snack filled with lean protein and healthy fats!
Creamy Roasted Parsnip Soup topped with Green Apple and Crispy Bacon
Soup.
Creamy, delicious, comforting soup.
I don’t make a lot of soup, but when I do, I want it to warm me up from my head to my toes. This bowl of deliciousness was created for two reasons. First off, I wanted to make a recipe for the Whole30 and OMGhee mystery box challenge on Instagram. The challenge was to create a Whole30 approved recipe using apples, parsnips, and OMGhee butter. The second reason, was because I ran myself into the ground this past week and I really needed a meal that would help with my Saturday of R&R. And a creamy, hot bowl of soup definitely fit what I had in mind. …
Shrimp and Avocado Stuffed Mushrooms
Shrooms and Shrimps anyone??
I must say that on Super Bowl Sunday, I’m all about eating ALLLL the foods! I like to taste and try many options throughout game day, so finger foods are great in my book for an awesome potluck or party with friends. These little appetizer size bites of goodness were actually my lunch one day when I wanted something different. But, they make for a great appetizer you can make for a crowd….
Crispy Paleo Plantain Chips
Chips.
Chips and Salsa.
Chips and Guacamole.
Both are equally my downfall at Mexican restaurants! I wanted to make a healthier version of my favorite snack, and I had a green plantain just hanging out waiting to be used. Crispy Plantain Chips it is. I love that I can easily grab a bag of these at Trader Joe’s, but I’m not in love with the fact that they use Sunflower oil in them. So, I decided to quickly fry my green plantain up in Nutiva coconut oil to make sure I got a nice crispy texture to them. I might try to bake them next time, but these took just minutes to fry up in my cast iron skillet!
Prepping the green plantain for chips was easy since I used my handy dandy mandolin to slice it. I set the mandolin at the thinnest slice setting so the chips would crisp up very quickly in the coconut oil. If you don’t have a mandolin, just grab a sharp knife and try to cut them very thin into uniform slices. If you want a more “rustic” look, you can slice into 1/4″ rounds and smash tip flattened. These will look more like traditional tostones.
You will definitely need to watch these closely depending on the heat output of your burner, but all in all, it only took me approx 10 minutes for the whole process using just one large plantain. I wasn’t sure how long they would keep crispy, so I only used one plantain. Maybe next time I’ll make a bigger batch and keep them in an airtight container.
Serving suggestions: chips and salsa, chips and guac, nachos, croutons for a salad, or just solo for a crunchy snack!
Equipment You’ll Need:
Crispy Paleo Plantain Chips
Recipe Type
:
Snack
Author:
Natasha Gildea
Prep time:
5 mins
Cook time:
5 mins
Total time:
10 mins
Serves:
2-3
Ingredients
Instructions
3.2.2885
Crispy Paleo Plantain Chips
Chips.
Chips and Salsa.
Chips and Guacamole.
Both are equally my downfall at Mexican restaurants! I wanted to make a healthier version of my favorite snack, and I had a green plantain just hanging out waiting to be used. Crispy Plantain Chips it is. …
Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower
This whole roasted cauliflower will surely impress your guests at a dinner party! I have always liked cauliflower. Lately I’ve added it to some of my meals as “cauli mash” to replace mashed potatoes. I’ve also tried it out as “cauli rice” for a low carb rice option. And of course roasting or steaming the florets is a go to option most of the time. But sometimes, the simplicity of having something in it’s original state is, well, elegant and even dramatic. Don’t be intimidated to roast this beautiful vegetable whole.
I had just received my bottles of MinaHarissa and knew I wanted to create something beautiful with the amazing color of the red pepper sauce. And the contrast of the red with the white cauliflower was sure to give me the elegant and dramatic look I had imagined. I knew I had to roast at a high temperature to bring out the natural sweetness in the vegetable, so I decided on 450 degrees fahrenheit. But I also knew that the core of the cauliflower inside would be harder to cook through and get soft. I had seen other recipes that called for blanching or steaming the cauliflower before roasting it to insure the core got done. But, I decided to try something different.
First thing I did was to line a baking sheet or roasting pan with foil to ensure an easy clean up at the end. Next, I chose my cooking fat to coat the cauliflower. I having been using ghee pretty exclusively in my cooking lately as it tastes amazing, has a high smoke point, and is good for you! Next, I added a smoky element using Flavor God Chipotle seasoning, then I brushed on the MinaHarissa and made sure to coat evenly. In the oven for approximately 30 minutes.
Okay, next step is to ensure the cauliflower core gets tender. To the baking dish, add about 1/2 cup of water or about 1/4 inch of water in dish, season top with more Flavor God or just sea salt, and cover with ovenproof lid or foil. Roast another 20 minutes and then check with a wooden skewer in the middle. It’s done when the skewer slides through easily. Make sure to let it cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting through as it will be very hot! Enjoy as a side dish to any meal. This one is sure to impress your friends!
Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Recipe Type
:
Side
Author:
Natasha Gildea
Prep time:
5 mins
Cook time:
50 mins
Total time:
55 mins
Serves:
4
Ingredients
Instructions
3.2.2885
Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower
This whole roasted cauliflower will surely impress your guests at a dinner party! I have always liked cauliflower. Lately I’ve added it to some of my meals as “cauli mash” to replace mashed potatoes. I’ve also tried it out as “cauli rice” for a low carb rice option. And of course roasting or steaming the florets is a go to option most of the time. But sometimes, the simplicity of having something in it’s original state is, well, elegant and even dramatic. Don’t be intimidated to roast this beautiful vegetable whole. …
Meatballs
Best Meatballs Ever.
I like my meatballs to be full of flavors not just blah balls of meat. And I like big flavors. So, I made sure to add some big flavors to these. I must say they taste pretty darn good. Hubby agreed and ventured to say these were by far the best ones I’ve made yet. That’s all I needed to know to label them Best Meatballs Ever! He’s a very honest food critic and I value his opinion as my number one taste-tester! I originally called these “Greekish 50/50 Meatballs” due to the fact that they have some Greek flavors with the addition of the green olives, and I used 50% grass-fed beef and 50% pastured raised ground pork. I had on hand some Double Stuffed Green Olives (with jalapeños and garlic cloves) made locally in Corning, CA, known as the “Olive City,” at the Olive Pit. You can definitely use any olives you have on hand. In fact, that’s generally how I come up with many of my recipes. I look in the pantry and refrigerator and pull out things I think will pair well together and go from there. I highly recommend the “free style” cooking method in the kitchen!
This recipe also highlights the amazing protein from 5280meat! I know I already mentioned this before, but I buy all my grass fed beef and pasture raised pork products from them. Their customer service is amazing and I know these animals are raised humanely and Rachel and Ty give them a great life while here on the earth. Plus they aren’t pumped full of antibiotics or hormones, so that is huge to me and has definitely made a difference in helping me heal my Hashimoto’s thyroid condition.
I am currently doing a Whole30, and I never eat regular pasta anymore since the gluten doesn’t like me, so I came up with something new. The cabboodle. I have try zoodles many times and they are ok. But you have to have a zoodler, or a fancy peeler, or a some cool kitchen gadget that I probably don’t have. I love shredded brussels sprouts and cabbage is pretty much just humungous brussels, so that works for me. My brother actually made my meatball recipe the other night and told me he added shredded cabbage to the cast iron skillet after cooking the meatballs and he loved it. So, cabboodles it is! Oh, and I did declare on my Instagram the other day that according to me, zoodles are so 2014, and cabboodles are now in! Everyone can thank me later, so go to the store and grab some cabbage! You’ll only need a knife and a cutting board to slice them up and throw them in your skillet with some ghee. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Best Meatballs Ever
Recipe Type
:
Dinner
Author:
Natasha Gildea
Prep time:
10 mins
Cook time:
30 mins
Total time:
40 mins
Serves:
14 med meatballs
Ingredients
Instructions
3.2.2885
