Cilantro Lime Chicken

I'm back this week with yet another slow cooker recipe, hoping to make your weekday meal planning that much easier! I posted a photo on my Instagram last week of some chicken nachos I made with this Cilantro Lime Chicken and it was so tasty and only took me 10 minutes to throw together for dinner. Like I said last week with my Slow Cooker Carnitas, Crock Pot meals are SUCH a time saver for me during the week. 

The basic recipe of the Cilantro Lime Chicken does not differ much from the Carnitas. The end product is just as versatile as well. I love having this chicken on hand to throw on a salad, toss on top of nachos, to fill tacos, or even just eat on its own. 

I bring my lunch to work every single day. Mostly because I refuse to spend $15 on a salad, but also because I like to know exactly what I'm eating and ensure it is a healthy choice. I can't tell you how many times people have told me they could never plan as well as me or don't have the time to make lunches. Here is my secret: I don't have time either (shhh) so I make sure I have quick and easy options on hand at ALL times. It isn't rocket science! Crock pot meals take ZERO effort and can cook overnight. I mean come on, how much easier does it get?! No excuses!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 6-8 hours

Servings: 6 (1 serving = 4 oz)

Ingredients

• 2 lb Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp lime zest
• 2 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• Spice Blend
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Mix together spices in Spice Blend and set aside. Cut the chicken breast into smaller cubes (I aim for 3 pieces per breast). Toss the chicken with the spice blend to evenly coat all sides of the meat. Create a paste from the garlic and lime zest and next coat chicken with paste. 
2. Transfer the chicken to a Crock Pot and slowly pour the chicken stock and lime juice around the perimeter of the bowl. Try not to pour directly onto the meat - we don't want to rinse away the spices!
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Transfer chicken to a bowl and easily shred with a fork. Toss with chopped cilantro and serve. 

Nutritional info (1 serving = 4 oz cooked chicken)

145 Calories - 30 g Protein, 1 g Carbs, 2.4 g Fat

Slow Cooker Carnitas

This is one of my go-to dishes that I love making. Truthfully, I've made this for the past 4 weeks in a row but who is going to stop me?? There is nothing easier than putting a roast of some sort in your crock pot, turning it on low and walking away. Come back 10 hours later and you have the most tender meat with hardly even any effort. This can be eaten for lunch or dinner and saves so much time during the week when I'm prepping my meals for the following day. 

If you follow my blog regularly, I'm sure you have started noticing a theme. I don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen during the week. Between work, working out and social activities I am always busy. I need simple, efficient and delicious. This pork is SO tasty and SO tender it falls apart with hardly even touching it with a fork. 

Remember that Rosemary Pork Roast I made a while back? I'm using the same lean pork roast again in this recipe. This makes a good sized batch of shredded pork so that you can eat this for a few meals. The thing I love about this pork is that it is so versatile. Throw it on a salad for lunch, serve it up in some taco shells for dinner, warm it up and slather it in my Avocado Lime Dressing - really the possibilities are endless! 

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8-10 hours

Servings: 6 (1 serving = 4 oz)

Ingredients

• 2 lb Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
• 1 cup Chicken Stock
• Mexican Spice Blend
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Mix together spices in Mexican Spice Blend and set aside. Cut the pork roast into smaller pieces (I aim for 6 pieces or so). Toss the pork with the spice blend to even coat all sides of the meat. 
2. Transfer the pork to a Crock Pot and slowly pour the chicken stock around the perimeter of the bowl. Try not to pour directly onto the meat - we don't want to rinse away the spices!
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Transfer pork to a cutting board or bowl and easily shred with a fork. You can save the liquid and heat up to serve poured over the pork. I like to save the liquid and use a little with the pork when I reheat the meat as the week goes on.

Eat on its own, over a salad, on a sandwich, in a taco...get creative!

Nutritional info (1 serving = 4 oz cooked pork carnitas)

140 Calories - 30 g Protein, 0 g Carbs, 2 g Fat

Avocado Lime Dressing

Don't be fooled - this isn't just a salad dressing. Oh no, this is so much more. Sure, it is a delicious tangy and creamy dressing for your salad, but it is also fantastic as a dip to accompany your crudités. Don't stop there, I also smothered this on my slow cooker carnitas for a sauce (the best). And with no shame, I even just ate a spoonful of this on its own...it is that good. 

I recently brought my fabulous picnic basket back from my home in Ohio with me to San Francisco. I was dying to use it so I broke it out this past weekend with an inaugural picnic in Golden Gate Park. I was scrambling for something to whip up to actually take in said picnic basket. I was craving salad and veggies but wanted something tastier and more exciting than a simple vinaigrette (my go-to dressing).

The "holy trinity" in Cajun cooking is onion, bell peppers, celery and garlic. I like to think my holy trinity is cilantro, lime, garlic and avocado - very rarely do I not have all of these ingredients on hand. I started throwing things in my blender and before I knew it I created the most versatile summer spread! This will without a doubt be my go-to for the remainder of these warm summer months. Please do yourself a favor and make a batch of this - if it is the one recipe you actually make from my blog! ;)

Avocado Lime Dressing

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 (1 serving = 2 tbsp, 1/2 cup of dressing total)

Ingredients

• 1/2 avocado (3 oz)
• Juice of 2 limes (2.5 oz)
• 1 cup cilantro, loosely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Throw everything into a blender and blend until fully pureed - that's it! I found that this works best with a single serve blender attachment or Magic Bullet type blender. 

Nutritional info (1 serving = 2 tbsp dressing)

55 Calories - 0.5 g Protein, 3 g Carbs, 4.5 g Fat

Roasted Cauliflower & Piquillo Pepper Soup

Last week I received a text from my mom, with a photo very similar to the one above, that read:

"OK so if you want a guest blog item...cream of roasted cauliflower, parsnip and piquillo pepper soup!"

YUM. I immediately reply back, asking for the recipe ASAP. Her response was no surprise to me.

"Well you know me..." and she proceeded to tell me her process and the ingredients, but of course didn't measure anything out. 

This is exactly how I learned how to cook. Doing everything on the fly, tasting along the way, and then creating a dish that was delicious...but I could never tell you how exactly it all came together. 

Starting My Engineered Nutrition has helped me combat this problem and I've gotten much better at my recipe documentation. I'd best describe this soup as roasted and smokey, having a texture similar to potato soup. However, unlike potato soup which is thick, heavy and usually high in fat, this soup is creamy yet light and low in both carbs and fat! So without further ado, here is Dorinda Gunther's recipe (with measurements and interpretation by yours truly) for Roasted Cauliflower and Piquillo Pepper soup.

Roasted Cauliflower & Piquillo Pepper Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes 

Servings: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2 medium parsnips
• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 1 1/4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt (I used BACON SALT I found at a local spice shop, Kosher salt will also work here)
• 2 tsp garlic, chopped
• 3 roasted piquillo peppers (these come in a jar in the grocery aisle with the pickled condiments), chopped
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• Optional: additional pureed piquillo peppers to garnish soup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Loosely chop parsnips and cauliflower into large pieces and toss with 3/4 tbsp olive oil and salt. Spread evenly in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes or until vegetables have turned golden brown. 

2. In a large soup pot over medium high heat, sauté garlic in remaining olive oil for 1 minute. Add cauliflower, parsnips, piquillo peppers, cumin and pepper. Stir in chicken stock and bring mixture to a boil. Once at a boil, cover pot and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. 

3. Once the soup has reduced down, carefully blend mixture until pureed (or reaches your desired consistency). This can be done in a blender, food processor or with a hand-held immersion blender. I used my blender and scooped the soup cup by cup from the pot to the blender. 

4. Return soup to pot and mix in coconut milk. No need to turn on heat for this step. Soup is now complete! I also topped my soup with a spoonful of additional purée of the remaining jar of piquillo peppers.

Nutritional info (1 serving)

160 Calories - 5 g Protein, 17 g Carbs, 8 g Fat

Jambalaya

Looking for a dish to JAZZ up your dinners? :) Then look no further than this lightened up jambalaya! 

This dish is based off of Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Cajun Jambalaya. Emeril is the very FIRST chef I ever watched on television. This was back before Food Network actually published their recipes online for you to download. No, it wasn't that easy, you actually had to work for the recipes. I remember watching the show with my mom, her and I sitting in front of the television with notepad and pen in hand, listening ever so closely and writing down every ingredient as fast as we could. Was that 1 clove or 50 cloves of gah-lick!? I trust his recipes, especially when it comes to Creole cooking. 

In true Emeril style, this isn't the lightest of dishes. This is my take on his dish, cutting the fat in half from the original recipe! You'll be surprised with how quick and easy this seemingly complex dish is. I was able to bang this meal out in 30 minutes - ideal for a weeknight dinner!

Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup bell pepper, chopped  
• 2 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup crushed red tomatoes (canned)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup white rice
• 10 oz shrimp, uncooked and thawed
• Creole seasoning (below)
• 2 Andouille chicken or pork sausage links, lower in fat compared to traditional Andoullie sausage (I recommend Aidells all-natural sausages http://www.aidells.com/product/5) 

Emeril's Creole Seasoning

• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme 

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil and sauté onion and peppers until softened, about 3 minutes.
   
2. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf and hot sauce. Stir to combine.
3. Next stir in rice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and cover. Continue to stir occasionally until all liquid has been absorbed, about 10-15 min. 
4. While rice is cooking, combine Creole seasoning with shrimp until shrimp is evenly seasoned. Set aside. Slice sausage links. 
5. Once all liquid has been absorbed, add shrimp and sausage, bringing the heat back up to medium. Stir occasionally until shrimp is cooked, about 10 minutes. Plate and enjoy! 

Nutritional info (1 serving)

304 Calories - 24 g Protein, 34 g Carbs, 8 g Fat