Cinco de Mayo Menu

It's Cinco de Mayo today and that means enjoying yummy Tex Mex food at our house!  Here are some of my favorites:

Appetizer:

Marinated Black Beans and Tortilla Chips

What you need:

2 cans 29 oz black beans, drained

1 c green onions sliced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced (leave in some seeds for heat)

1/4 c cilantro, roughly chopped

1 c lemon juice (6 lemons)

1 c olive oil

Avocado diced

What you do:

Mix all ingredients together except avocado.  Store in a shallow dish with a lid in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.  When you're ready to serve, add in the avocado and give a big stir.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Main:

Jessica Alba's Chicken Enchiladas...the secret's in the sauce!  This is easy to make gluten free if you read your labels!

Festive Drink:

Spicy Paloma

What you need:

8 oz Central Market's Italian Grapefruit Soda

2 oz Tequila

Tajin Chili Lime rim mix

Ice

Grapefruit slices and rosemary for garnish

What you do:

Wet the rim of your glass with a slice of grapefruit and dip into Tajin seasoning.  Add ice, the soda, and the tequila to the glass and garnish.

Dessert

Tres Leches Bundt Cake

What you need:

Cake:

1 box white cake mix

1 large (or 2 small )box instant coconut pudding

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 c water

1/4 c milk

4 eggs

Icing:

Sweetened Condensed milk (about 1/2 cup)

4 c powdered sugar

1/2 c butter, softened

French Vanilla coffee creamer (we us SO Delicious) to taste

Caramel topping

What you do:

Cake:

Preheat your oven to 350.  Combine all cake ingredients and pour into a prepared bundt pan (I use Baker's Joy). Bake for about 45 minutes of until knife inserted comes out clean. Let it sit until it's cool enough for you to turn it out on a plate and immediately poke all over with a fork and drizzle the sweetened condensed milk.

Icing:

Cream butter and sugar adding enough coffee creamer to make it the right consistency.  Smooth over cake and drizzle caramel. Enjoy!

What are some of your Cinco de Mayo traditions?

Turkey Chili

 

It's February so apparently winter has decided to arrive and stick around here in Houston.  After being out of town for my birthday trip, I've been out of the groove of meal planning and grocery shopping which made dinner this week look like:

Monday - pizza

Tuesday - rotisserie chicken, steam in the bag broccoli, and baked sweet potatoes

Wednesday - salmon, rice, and steam in the bag green beans

So Thursday I actually did a real grocery haul incase we got iced in and I made White Chicken Chili and bought ingredients for classic chili (recipes in my newest newsletter; subscribe here.)

So I thought I'd share our favorite turkey chili.  It's adapted from the Mom-a-licious cookbook and my kids prefer this to classic chili hands down; plus it's leaner.

What you need:

1 lb turkey

1/4 c onion, diced

2 T cumin

2 cloves garlic minced

1 T tamari

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can chopped green chilis

chicken broth

2 t chili powder (or more or less to taste)

1 t onion powder (or more or less to taste)

garlic salt to taste

What you do:

1. In a saute pan, saute onion in olive oil until translucent ~4 minutes (add garlic for the last minute of cooking time so you don't burn it).

2. Add in cumin and combine.

3. In a big pot, brown turkey and tamari browning turkey until no pink remains. Drain fat and then add the onion mixture to it.

4. Add in beans, tomatoes, chiles and broth (eyeball this until desired consistency.

5. Add in the rest of your spices adjusting to taste.

We like ours over rice and served with fritos.

Company Green Beans

 Y'all.  I was missing a key ingredient for my green beans and improvised and came up with an even better version - I love happy accidents!  These are so good we're calling them Company green beans because they are easy to make and a crowd pleaser. Having company over for dinner can be daunting, so keep it simple and stress free!

What you need:

Steam in the bag green beans

2 T minced garlic

"Onion Salt" from Trader Joe's

Lemon

What you do:

1. Steam your green beans in the bag in the microwave for half the time (my HEB brand says 3-4 minutes but I think they're too mushy, so I do it for 2 minutes).  

2.  Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a skillet and then put the steamed green beans in and season with the onion salt to taste (I probably used 2 ish teaspoons).

3.  When the green beans are almost done cooking, add in the garlic and cook one more minute.  

4. Squeeze a lemon over it and serve immediately!

They went great with grilled New York Strip and a baked sweet potato.  Eating clean can be easy and delish!

Let me know if you try it!

Clean Spice Mixes

It's January so many of you are embarking on Whole 30 (bless your hearts), so it's time to read some labels or make your own spice mixes.  It's super easy to make your own and keep gross chemicals out of your family's dinner.

Here are three of my favorites:

Wicked Spatula's Clean Ranch 

I use this on Mississippi Pot Roast which we repurpose a second night for pulled beef tacos - yum!

Homemade Taco Seasoning:

2 T chili powder

1 T cumin

1 T sea salt

1/2 T black pepper

1/2 T paprika

2 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t dried oregano

1/8 t cayenne (optional)

Keep in an airtight container and use 2 T per pound of meat for recipes. We love this for ground turkey tacos, stuffed bell peppers, or slow cooker chicken tacos.

Clean Chili Seasoning:

12 T chili powder

3 T garlic powder

3 T cumin

2 T onion powder

1 ½  T sea salt

2 t paprika

2 t dried minced onion

1 t pepper

Pour into a Mason jar and shake til combined. Use 3-4 T per 2 lbs of ground beef for chili.

Now, reconsider Whole 30 and jump into my FASTer Way group starting TOMORROW.  We will eat rice and beans and peanuts (plus lots of other stuff) because I don't want to live in a world without any of that.  Check it out here:

 https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/#robinince

My email subscribers will be receiving my leftover guide in their inboxes today for easy, clean meal prep for the new year.  Subscribe here:

https://mailchi.mp/6fa9c696734d/fasterwaywithrobin

Happy 2022!

XO,

Robin

Cooking Seasonally: December

Lots of produce goodness in season this December and Brussels Sprouts are at the top of my list. They are my favorite vegetable hands down.

 Fun fact: Brussels sprouts are the only craving I had during any of my pregnancies.  

For the whole December guide join my email list: https://mailchi.mp/6fa9c696734d/fasterwaywithrobin 

Here are 3 of my favorite ways to serve them:

Easy: Carrabbas Style

What you need:

4 pieces of sugar free bacon

Brussels sprouts

Lemon

What you do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

2. Cook your bacon in a dutch oven and reserve

3. Wash and halve your Brussels sprouts

4. Crank up the heat and stir fry your Brussels Sprouts in the bacon grease until they get a little char 

5. Put the lid on and pop in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until they are as soft as you prefer.

6. In a separate bowl, toss Brussels sprouts and crunched up the bacon; squeeze a lemon over them, stir and serve immediately.

Easier: Stir Fried

What you need:

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Brussels Sprouts

Minced garlic

Garlic salt

What you do:

1. Heat the pan on high heat, add the EVOO and let it get shimmery.

2. Wash and halve your Brussels sprouts

3. Add your Brussels sprouts being careful of splattering oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Adjust the temp as necessary to get a good char but not burn.  Cook until desired softness stirring constantly. Add in the garlic for the last minute being careful not to burn it.

Easiest: Roasted and tossed with balsamic reduction

What you need:

Brussels Sprouts

Balsamic Vinegar

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Wash and halve your Brussels sprouts

3. Roast until desired doneness and make reduction while roasting ( bring 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to a gentle boil, reduce heat to simmer. Stir frequently - it's done when it's reduced and coats your spoon.)

4. Toss roasted Brussels sprouts in sauce and serve

What's your favorite Brussels sprouts recipe?  I'm looking for a good one with pomegranate seeds!

{Cooking Seasonally} Kale Edition

I'm starting a new series to post our favorite recipes by season called Cooking Seasonally!

We're fighting for our best health by being proactive about our diets.  Gut health is a huge way to boost immunity, and to make eating our fruit and veg more fun, we focus on eating seasonally.  This gives our kids a wide variety of produce to try and makes it special since we look forward to what's in season. I love sharing this tradition around the table as we learn to try a wider variety of fresh produce.

November has some of our favorites (apples, broccoli, pears, cabbage, and kale to name a few) - want the whole list?  Sign up for my Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/6fa9c696734d/fasterwaywithrobin

Here are two of our favorite kale recipes:

Kale Salad from Urban Organic Gardener - we also add in other seasonal veg (here we have shredded carrots and broccoli)

Tuscan Bean Soup:

What you need:

2 lbs lean turkey breakfast sausage (mild Jennie-O)

1 c shredded carrots

6 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 c onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans of cannellini beans with liquid 

6 c chicken broth

2 c kale

Brown Rice Pasta Spirals (Tinkyada)

What you do:

1. Simultaneously brown meat in large pot (reserve on a plate) and in a separate pot, cook pasta according to directions.

2. Add veg to meat pot at med-hi heat, stir to saute and then lower heat and cover with lid for ~5 minutes or until veg starts to soften. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Add in meat, beans, stock and bring to a boil then simmer.  Add in pasta and kale a few minutes before you are ready to serve.

This is such a clean and cozy crowd pleaser and tastes amazing as leftovers.  You could sub leftover turkey for the sausage after Thanksgiving!

Want my whole seasonal produce list with more recipes? Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter!

Savory Pumpkin Chili

I've been working on developing a yummy pumpkin chili, and this one is a winner!  I don't prefer sweet chili and this recipe, despite its sweet ingredients, comes out rich and savory.  It's got a little kick but can be easily adjusted by decreasing the cayenne so that it's not too hot for the kiddos.

What you need:

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1/2 c onion, diced

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 - 15 oz can pumpkin 

1 - 15 oz can red kidney beans

1 - 29 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 c chicken broth (I use Central Market's brand because it's gluten free)

2 T chili powder

1 T Cocoa + Espresso powder (I used CocoaX brand)

1 1/2 t cinnamon

3 t ground cumin

2 t kosher salt

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 or 1/4 t cayenne depending on preference

Garnish: diced red onion, avocado and cilantro

What to do:

1. In a large pot, add 1-2 T olive oil and saute your onions for about 4 minutes and then add minced garlic for the last minute.  

2. Add beef to the pot and brown, breaking it up as you cook.  Drain the fat once no pink remains in the beef.

3. Add all other ingredients and stir until smooth.  Simmer for 30 minutes (stir occasionally).

4. Garnish and enjoy!