I don’t know about you, but one thing that screams summertime to me is…FRESH HERBS!
Thyme, oregano, dill, mint, and BASIL! I love my dried herbs, but when I remember to pick up some fresh ones, every dish that I make with them is just so much better!
This dip is super refreshing and so versatile!
Dip some french fries in it, spread it on a turkey & bacon wrap, use it as a dressing, or go make my Green Goddess Chicken Salad!
Potato salad is just one of those dishes that scream summertime and cookouts! It’s just a total classic – who doesn’t love a good potato?
I love putting new spins on the classic, and this week, I bought way too many jalapeños so I needed to use them up! When in doubt, throw jalapeños in every dish you make! 😉 That’s basically the motto that my husband wishes I’d live by every day!
…my motto: throw bacon in every dish that I make!
This Smoky Jalapeño Bacon Potato Salad is the best of both worlds – you get a little heat from the jalapeños and smokey flavor from the bacon! If bacon wasn’t enough, we paired it with some smoked turkey thighs and smoked pulled pork the other night for dinner. It was PERFECT! This summer is definitely going to be the summer of the smoker, and I am not ashamed to admit that at all!
We got it for Christmas this last year and are obsessed with it! Do any of you have a smoker? What’s been your favorite thing to smoke in it?
I’m always looking for some inspiration for unique things to try out for the next go at the smoker! Let me know your favorites in the comments below!
In a large pot of boiling water over medium heat, cook chopped potatoes (I left the peels on - feel free to remove them if you'd like!) for about 13 minutes or until the pieces are just barely tender. You don't want the pieces to fall apart - so keep an eye on them!
While the potatoes are cooking, remove the skin from the onion and shred the onion into a bowl. You can use a regular sized grater or a very fine one - depending on your preference.
To the bowl, mix in remaining ingredients, except for the bacon pieces and eggs.
Once the potatoes have finished cooking, drain the water from them.
Let them cool for just a couple minutes, and then mix them into your mayo mixture.
Finally, stir in the bacon pieces and hard-boiled eggs. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate it for later!
Talk about flavor! This rice is filled with it! I don’t know about you, but I’m not usually a fan of plain food. I love spices, and this Dirty Cauliflower Rice uses quite a few of them! It’s a good way to pull that spice or two from the back of your cabinet that you haven’t used for months. We all have them! This Dirty Cauliflower Rice is packed with tons of spices and a little bit of heat from the hot sausage and added jalapeño that makes for a dish you just can’t stop eating!
Make it as a main dish, a side dish, or stuff bell peppers with it! It’s super versatile and couldn’t be easier to make!
Cheese and hashbrowns. If that doesn’t scream delicious and cozy, I’m not sure what does. Pretty much any potato screams that to me though. What is it about those starchy things that make them so delicious? For me, it’s all of the butter I mix it or the dipping sauce I use for fries. Yea, it’s definitely that!
These “cheesy” hashbrowns may be dairy free, but they are so creamy and flavorful that you’ll never know you’re missing the cheese!
This dish uses a simpler version of my favorite go-to, Pepperjack Cheese Sauce!* Not that it’s complicated to begin with! I swear, I could pour that stuff on everything! It’s so quick and easy to make! Check it out for your next Taco Tuesday or when you’re craving some nachos for dinner!
In a high powered blender***, combine the cheese sauce ingredients until smooth.
Hashbrowns
In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions in butter for 3-4 minutes until they begin to become translucent. You still want them a little crunchy.
Increase the heat to medium high, add the shredded potatoes and cook for 5-8 minutes until the potatoes start to brown.
Add your cheese sauce to the potatoes.
Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has thickened. You can eat it just like that, or continue to the next step.
Optional: Preheat oven to 475 degrees and transfer to a baking dish. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the top has browned slightly.
**I use red skin potatoes, but you can sub whatever variety you'd like. If you have frozen hashbrowns, you can use those too! Note that the cooking times may need to be extended.
*** I use a Vitamix and this take about a minute. If you do not have a high powered blender, soak the cashews in warm water for 30 minutes to an hour, or overnight. It will ensure a creamy sauce!
Is there anything that bacon doesn’t make better? That’s a big “NO” in my book.
REAL TALK: the only reason I don’t put bacon in more recipes is because I’m too lazy to cook it.
Anyone else have this problem?
Do yourself a favor and just go make some bacon. You’re going to want it for these Smokey Bacon Meatballs! They are easy to make and offer up a subtle change from the typical meatball flavor. They are tender and moist, along with being seasoned just right!
They’re pretty addicting, so you may want to double the batch!
I use good quality grass fed and grass finished ground beef from Strauss Brands meat. If you have never heard of them, check them out! They offer meat BORN & RAISED in the USA! They’re having a promotion through the end of this month (April 30, 2018). It’s goal is to educate consumers on their role in restoring our ecosystem and committing to environmental stewardship. All you have to do is pledge your support of America’s farmers who manage their land sustainably and produce grass fed and grass finished beef – in return, you’ll receive a special offer for 5 pounds of ground beef for $25 + FREE SHIPPING through Strauss. This is an AMAZING deal! Check out the 1 LB Challenge for more information! (NOT SPONSORED: I just love this meat and want to spread the goodness and it’s a great cause to support!)
So, do yourself another favor, and grab some of their ground beef! It has phenomenal flavor and there’s never any fat to drain off of the meat. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, count your blessings that you’ve never had to experience cooking with terrible quality, fatty (not the good kind) meats. Quality is so important with the meat that you eat!
1tspLiquid smokeoptional, but recommended (it's technically not paleo)
1/4cupNutpodssub whatever heavy cream variety you like (you can also use milk)
Instructions
In a saucepan over medium heat, caramelize the onions in oil for about 8-10 minutes or until browned slightly. Remove from heat to cool.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, gently combine ground beef, almond flour, seasonings, liquid smoke, egg, and nut pods/cream.
Stir in cooked bacon pieces and onions.
With a tablespoon or a melon ball scooper, portion out meatballs onto a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper for easy clean up!) in heaping tablespoons.
Bake for 15 minutes or until browned and cooked through the center.
The name says it all: Hamburger Helper. I don’t know about you, but HH will always have a special place in my heart! Who’s with me?
This southwest take on the classic is total comfort food – the best kind of food, in my opinion. Give me some pasta, a creamy sauce, some ground beef and I am one happy girl!
This Southwest Hamburger Helper uses my Pepperjack Cheese Sauce, pasta, ground beef, and a few seasonings. It’s almost as simple as the original!
You can use any pasta you like – I like to use Banza Chickpea Rotini for this recipe. It’s high in protein and fiber with super-clean ingredients. Chickpeas aren’t paleo, but we do well with them – to each his own! Life’s all about balance. I also love Bellabondanza’s Green Bean fettuccine – it’s DELICIOUS, low carb, and packed with protein too. Do what works for you!
In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the directions.
While the pasta is cooking, brown the meat over medium heat. This should take about 5-8 minutes.
Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it and add it to your ground meat. (If you used good quality beef, you shouldn't have any fat to drain!)
Add the cheese sauce and seasonings to the pasta.
Combine ingredients and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the sauce is heated through and thickened slightly.
Recipe Notes
* Pepperjack Cheese Sauce recipe - follow the directions to make it into a pasta sauce. You'll need 2 1/2 cups of broth. You can use the entire recipe or only half, depending on how saucy you like it. The pasta may absorb a decent amount of it, as well.
On any given day, if you ask me if I want tacos or nachos, 9 times out of 10, I will say YES. This fajita-inspired, taco meat is perfectly seasoned with spices you probably already have in your cabinet. Therefore, no overly-salted, seasoning packet needed here! This meat combines all of the flavors of fajitas in an easy-to-cook, foolproof dish!
It goes great on tortillas or piled up on chips with tons of toppings…including my dairy free Pepperjack Cheese Sauce. I think I make a batch of that almost every week! Ready to dig in, yet? Here’s the recipe!
In a nonstick sauce pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat, sauté peppers and onions in oil for 3-4 minutes or until they have just began to soften.
Add your ground beef to the skillet and begin to break it up.
Add all of your seasonings to the ground beef and continue to break it up while it cooks.
After the beef has browned on all the edges, (this should take about 5 minutes), add the water.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked away.
And...you're done!
Recipe Notes
*If you are using the cheapest ground beef for this, depending on the brand, you will often find that the fat content is higher, therefore, there will be more grease. Depending on how much fat is left after browning, reduce the water to 1/4 cup, first and see if you need more liquid after that.
My ground beef ratio is usually 85% lean/15% fat and I never have to drain excess. Personally, it's worth the extra dollar or two to buy quality meat. Just keep that in mind!
This side dish is delicious and practically effortless. Besides some mixing and chopping, it’s so simple to throw together while making whatever else you decide to pair it with.
The other night, we had this with bun-less turkey burgers. So simple, but so delish. Simple is good sometimes. Good food doesn’t have to be complicated!
Print Recipe
Balsamic & Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Broccoli
In a large mixing bowl, combine vinegar, oil, and seasonings.
Chop sweet potatoes into 1 1/2" bite-size pieces.
Add sweet potatoes and broccoli florets to the bowl and gently toss to coat.
To a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, evenly spread out the potatoes and broccoli. The less touching of the vegetables, the quicker they'll cook and the crispier they'll be!
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and flip the potatoes and broccoli.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately. I like to drizzle everything with a little melted butter for extra richness and flavor!
This is one of the most simple and comforting soups that I make! The Instant Pot cooks this soup in 5 minutes. If you haven’t heard me say it before, here I go again…I LOVE MY INSTANT POT! For this recipe, I only quarter the onion, and use a bag of frozen cauliflower. There is such little work involved! This creamy soup is so versatile and can be a base for so many other soups. I usually turn it into a Loaded “Potato” Soup or a Cheeseburger Chowder.
It may be dairy free and low carb, but it is still super creamy! This soup tastes so similar to a Cream of Potato soup, but, instead, is filled with a much healthier veggie! Personally, I’m always in need of more veggies in my life! White potatoes have practically no nutritional value and are packed with carbs that turn into sugar. They are delicious and technically, WHOLE FOODS, but we should keep those to a minimum. Using cauliflower instead is a great, guilt-free substitute. Small changes like this every now and then can mean big things for someone’s diet and health.
P.S. If you do not have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, see the notes below* for an alternative stovetop method. It will take a bit longer, but still be delicious! The only other appliance that you will need is some type of blender. I typically use a handheld immersion blender for this.
Print Recipe
5-Minute Instant Pot Creamy Cauliflower Soup {w/stovetop option}
Cashew yogurtsub sour cream or dairy free alternative of choice
Instructions
To the Instant Pot, add all of the ingredients with the exception of the yogurt and butter.
Attach the lid, turn the valve to seal, and set for 5 minutes (make sure its on High Pressure.) It will take 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, as well.
When the timer goes off, turn the valve, and do a quick release.
Once the pin has dropped and all of the pressure has released, remove the lid, and add the butter to the Instant Pot.
Use your immersion blender (or countertop blender) to puree the soup until it is completely smooth!
Drizzle with yogurt or sour cream before serving. ENJOY!
Recipe Notes
*Stovetop method:
In a soup pot over medium heat, saute onions in 1 tbsp of avocado oil, coconut oil, or ghee/butter. You'll want to dice the onions for this cooking method.
Once the onions have become soft and translucent, add the remaining ingredients (besides the butter and yogurt.)
Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked and very tender.
Remove from heat and add the butter to the soup.
Transfer the soup to your blender or a metal bowl to use the immersion blender.
Puree until completely smooth.
** Chicken Bouillon Paste - This is my favorite brand and one of my favorite things to use in dishes! If you decide to use Thrive Market (it's a couple dollars cheaper on there), send me an email and I can get you a link for a discount off your first order!
