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BABY KALE & STRAWBERRY SALAD

June 21st, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

5 ounces Baby Kale
2 cups Strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup Cucumber, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh Mint Leaves, thinly chopped
¼ cup crumbled Feta (can use less)
¼ cup dried Cranberries (fruit juice sweetened)
¼ cup roasted Sunflower Seeds
Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar or your favorite Balsamic Dressing for topping (not included in nutrition)

Directions

Place kale in a large mixing bowl, top with all remaining ingredients and mix well. Portion into salad bowls for serving, top with oil and vinegar or your favorite balsamic vinaigrette dressing and serve.

Serves 4

VIETNAMESE SHRIMP SALAD WITH MINT-CHILI DRESSING

June 21st, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

Dressing
1/3 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 tablespoons red onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon raw honey
1/8 teaspoon chili paste

Salad
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
6 cups romaine or butter lettuce, chopped
2 cups bean sprouts or julienned zucchini
2 Persian cucumbers (or 1/2 English cucumber), diced or thinly sliced
1 large carrot, julienned or grated
1 red Thai bird’s-eye chili or red finger chili, thinly sliced
1/2 cup raw unsalted peanuts, toasted

Directions

For the dressing:
In a blender or food processor, purée dressing ingredients until smooth. For a chunkier texture, mince the garlic, chop the mint and whisk all ingredients together. Set aside.

For the salad:
Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet set over medium heat. Add shrimp and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, turning halfway, until shrimp are pink and opaque, about 4 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, sprouts, cucumbers, carrot, chili, and peanuts. Top with shrimp and drizzle with dressing; toss to coat.
Serves 6

Let’s Talk About Pastured Chicken

June 4th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Factory-raised animals are given growth hormones, genetically modified diets, antibiotics, and more harmful chemicals. With no real way of tracking it, you’re ingesting everything they are. Their diet is your diet. There’s also the quality of life and welfare of the animals that need to be considered. Crowded cages are cruel.

It’s easier to hold your food producers accountable for what their animals eat and their quality of life when you’re buying from small, local farmers. Don’t be fooled by the “Natural” label that big grocery stores are using as of late.  It means nothing and should be a red flag as opposed to a reassurance. Eat meat for to keep your protein intake up and make sure it’s healthy, pasture-raised meat, from a farmer you can trust.

Courtesy of  Doorganics

SPICY SHRIMP RECIPE

May 14th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta
Ingredients
  • 1 lb shrimp, cleaned
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped
  • 1 juice of a lime
  • ½ tsp parsley
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat skillet on medium with coconut oil
  2. Add garlic, onion, and jalapeno and cook for 4 min
  3. Add red pepper flakes and parsley and continue to cook for 4 min
  4. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 min
  5. Add shrimp, lime, salt, and pepper and cook for another 3-4 min
  6. Serve with cilantro and Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs

May 1st, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups clean tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • spiralized veggies of your choice (Zucchini, Carrots, Yellow Squash, etc.)

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, knead the turkey together with the spices.
2. Roll meat into 22, walnut-sized meatballs, and place in a single layer in your slow cooker (Mine was a 5 quart).
3. Pour the tomato sauce over the top, being sure to cover the meatballs well and evenly.
4. Sprinkle the cheese across the top and set the slow cooker to low heat for 4 hours.
5. Serve over spiralized veggies with a little extra parmesan cheese.
6. Note: These are a fairly dense meatball. You can add finely chopped mushrooms to the mixture to soften them up a bit. About 1/2 to 1 cup
should be fine, and you’ll get more meatballs out of it to boot.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Yield 22 meatballs
Calories 49 kcal

@graciouspantry

Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

May 1st, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Servings: 4 (as a side salad)
Ingredients
• 1 lb Roma tomatoes
• 1 English cucumber
• 1/2 medium red onion sliced
• 2 avocados diced
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
• Juice of 1 medium lemon about 2 Tbsp
• 1/4 cup 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt or 3/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions
1. Place chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, sliced red onion, diced avocado, and chopped cilantro into a large salad bowl.
2. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Toss gently to combine. Just before serving, toss with 1 tsp sea salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.

Recipe Notes
*Note: if you aren’t keen on cilantro, fresh dill is a good substitute
Remember to add a side of protein! Lean meat, fish, eggs, etc!

Total Time: 15 minutes
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: Varies by season $5-$7

Clean Eating Vegetable Tian

March 6th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Fresh summer vegetables and savory herbs are layered together then topped with cheese before baking to perfection in this summer vegetable tian.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil 
  • 1 medium zucchini 
  • 1 medium eggplant (for potato)
  • 1 medium yellow squash 
  • 1 medium tomato 
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Salt & pepper 
  • 1 cup shredded Italian blend or parmesan cheese 
  • 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, optional garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
  2. While the onion and garlic are sautéing, slice the zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, and eggplant (1/4-inch slices).
  3. Coat the inside of an 8×8″ casserole dish with non-stick spray. Spread the sautéed onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Arrange the other sliced vegetables, stacked vertically like dominos, in an alternating pattern. Season the top of the vegetables generously with salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
  4. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove the foil, top with the shredded cheese, and bake without the foil for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown.
  6. Top with chopped fresh parsley for garnish, if desired.

Everyone enjoys vegetables and their natural subtle flavors. For making this meal, you need to slice thin vegetables, season them only with little salt, pepper, and thyme, then you will top them with a small amount of flavorful cheese. Roasting the vegetables magnifies their flavor and gives them just a hint of sweetness.

via budgetbytes.com