Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce Recipe

I wanted to try something new with my stuffed peppers tonight and use red/sweet peppers instead of green bell peppers. Since the red peppers tend to be sweeter, I wanted to add a sauce that would be the perfect amount of tart and punch.

Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

You need:
16 oz sour cream
1 bunch of cilantro
2 limes, will make about 1/4 cup of juice
8 green onions
garlic powder
chipotle powder
cumin
salt & pepper
blender

Directions:
Roughly chop cilantro and green onions, then add them to the blender.

Add all 16oz of sour cream.

Squeeze the limes to make about 1/4 cup of juice, then add it to the blender as well.

Blend on high until smooth.

Add seasonings to taste. I used about 1/4 tbsp of ground cumin, 1/2 tbsp garlic powder, 1/4 tbsp chipotle, and 1/2 tbsp each of salt and pepper.

Serve alongside spicy or Mexican-inspired dishes for a nice pairing. Our peppers and sauce are pictured below. :)

So-Good, Slow-Cooked Pepper Steak

I'm at it again with the Crock Pot. Today, we enjoyed Pepper Steak and Garlic Butter Noodles. The steak was SO easy to prepare in the Crock Pot, and it was waiting on us when we got home 8 hours later.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless round steak 3/4-1 in. thick
1 small can tomato paste (6-8oz)
1 10-12oz bag of frozen fajita peppers and onions
1 12-15oz can of whole stewed tomatoes
salt
pepper

Toppings/Side Dishes
Rice, noodles, hoagie buns, or cheese

Directions
This really is going to blow your mind. Cut round steak into serving-size pieces (it's going to fall apart anyway - just cut it to fit into the slow cooker). Season with salt and pepper, then place in the bottom of the crock. Mix paste, tomatoes, and peppers together in a bowl, and add the mixture on top of the steak. I added my ingredients directly to the pot and didn't even stir it, but I'm being cautious here...

     

Put the lid on and cook on low for 8-9 hours. I served ours with garlic butter noodles and a little mozzarella.

Husband approved!

Easy, Make-While-You-Work Crock Pot Chili Mac

By the time I get off work and make my 1 1/2 hour drive home, I'd love nothing more than to cook a nice, hot meal for my husband and me. Too bad my body and mind aren't on the same page. More often than not, we end up with a hasty meal of whatever meat I can thaw out quickly enough, canned corn, and canned beans. If we've got it, I'll whip up mac and cheese. The flavors aren't complex, and there really isn't a lot of love put into it.

Enter the Crock Pot.

We both work 8+ hours Mon-Fri. We're out of the house before 6:30am, and no one is home again until at least 4:30pm. While that means I have to skip the "5 hours on low" slow cooker recipes, I have no qualms with leaving an "8 hours on low" meal simmering for 9-10 hours if I must.

This week, we bought ingredients for 5 slow cooker meals. Meal #1 is Chili Mac. Here we go!

Slow Cooker Chili Mac


Ingredients:
oil, for skillet
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic (or jarred equivalent)
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 can chili beans in gravy, undrained
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes w/ green chiles), undrained
1 8-10oz can beef broth
1 green bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, diced
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 servings cooked macaroni noodles (prepared just before serving)

In an oiled skillet on med-high heat, soften diced onions and garlic. Before onions become translucent, add ground beef and brown.

 

Add beef mixture to slow cooker, and combined with beans, Rotel, broth, pepper, and seasonings. Give it a stir.

 

Slow cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. I made mine the night before and placed in the refrigerator overnight. It's cooking at home as I type this.

30 minutes before serving, boil/prepare 4 servings of macaroni and add to the pot. Stir and allow for 20 or so minutes on low setting.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, corn bread, or tortilla chips.

I'll upload final photos later tonight. Enjoy!

UPDATE: AHHHMAZING! This chili mac turned out great. We'll be having it again for sure. :)

Healthy Crock Pot Recipe: Salsalito Lime Chicken

You'll need:
3-4 frozen chicken breasts
3 jalapeno peppers (or more for heat), seeded and diced
24oz jar of picante sauce or salsa
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 limes
1/2 tbsp each:
cumin
salt
black pepper
paprika
onion powder

Optional for serving (not all paleo):
shredded cheese
cilantro
sour cream
tortillas or chips

Directions:
Add chicken breasts to bottom of Crock Pot. Add juice from 3 limes, jar of salsa, diced onions, garlic, jalapenos, and spices to pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Top with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, or tortilla chips.

We enjoyed ours on flour tortillas with sour cream. Easy peasy and delicious.

Easy and Delicious Crock Pot Red Beans and Sausage with Rice

You'll need:

1 lb red beans or kidney beans (rinsed and soaked overnight)

1 link pork & beef sausage

3 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, diced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced OR 1 tsp jarred, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons Tony's or favorite creole seasoning

2 cans chicken broth

Cooked white rice

Crock Pot :)

Directions:

Slice sausage into coins with 1/2" thickness and drain beans.

Add everything except for rice to Crock Pot. Top off with water and give it a stir. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Serve over rice.

Not A Juice Fast: Day 3

WEDNESDAY

Okay, so at this point my breakfasts and lunches are about the same every day.

Breakfast: Egg white omelet with spinach and pico de gallo from the dining room at work. Some days, I add hot sauce. And lots of black pepper, because apparently I am afraid they are running out of the stuff.

Lunch: Garden salad with ham or baked/grilled chicken. I know. Black beans are beans, and they are totally not paleo. I'm a big, fat, fraud liar-head. Get over yourself.

Dinner is where things get interesting. Wednesday night, I made a paleo version of chicken cacciatore. It was fresh, and full of tomato, onion, and garlic flavors. Yum.

One more day until cheat day. Not because it's Friday, but because it's our 3-year wedding anniversary. Woo! :)

Scampi-Style Shrimp and Linguine in a Garlic Cream Sauce

We've got a new H-E-B in our neighborhood with a FANTASTIC seafood counter. I took advantage of it this evening by snagging a pound of beautiful shrimp for $8.

Doesn't it look delicious?

Here's what you need to get started:

1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp. I used 41/50 size.

1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Nearly one bulb (6-8 cloves) freshly pressed garlic
1/2 stick butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt
pepper
paprika
grated Parmesan cheese
garlic bread

Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stir and cook until onions are transparent. Also heat salted water to boiling for linguine.

Add linguine to boiling water. Raise heat on skillet to medium-high. Rinse and drain shrimp, season with salt, pepper, and paprika before adding to heated skillet.