Archives for April 2015

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

April 28, 2015 by Dana

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner and these slow cooker pork tacos are the EASIEST Cinco meal ever! Ok, ok, maybe guacamole is easier but who is really keeping tabs?

Let’s dive right into talking about the recipe, shall we? For being a slow cooker meal I kind of have a lot to say about it!

First, I’ve brought this taco meat to a few gatherings and people have always enjoyed it. This is a great meal for transporting and I’ve even served it with tortilla chips just to keep things simple. I love being able to transport meals that I know won’t somehow end up all over my car or something terrible like that (think soups!). Crockpot = Safe transporting! Plus once I arrive I know I will have a way to keep things toasty until serving.

Second, I love putting a bunch of fresh toppings on tacos like these to boost the nutritional value and make them even yummier! For these tacos I used fresh cilantro, tomato, and avocado. I also added shredded Colby jack cheese and sour cream. So basically I stuffed the heck out of the shell and called it a day. 🙂

And last but not least this taco meat is soooo a “second day meal.” You know, something that sits in the refrigerator overnight and magically tastes even better then it did the day before? Yeah, totally these tacos. If you decide to make this for an event, or just for your family, I would highly suggest allowing the meat to soak up all the saucy goodness overnight. I’m not saying it isn’t good straight up the first day but so much more flavor develops overnight. With the ease of the recipe I find it super convenient to make the day before so the next day I can think “Dinner is already done. Yess! No dishes, no cleanup.” Love those days!

Spinach and Tortellini Salad

April 23, 2015 by Dana

Summer is approaching…. and I need to get my salad game in order. 🙂

I mentioned in my last post that I was searching for the perfect “summer pasta salad” dressing, and boy did I ever find it! My Creamy Italian Dressing is just that… creamy, oh-so-delicious, and great for salads and pasta salads. Hello summer BBQ’s, get togethers, and warm weather!

This spinach and tortellini salad is the perfect combination of healthy + yummy. I mean, a big bowl of spinach, who could really argue with that? I love using spinach in salads because it is packed with nutrients. Just one cup of spinach gives a healthy dose of Vitamins A & C, plus calcium and iron. Popeye was really on to something, wasn’t he!?!? 🙂

Now let’s talk tortellini because the question is, does it fit the “unprocessed bill”? I’d say no, not exactly. The pasta is not whole wheat. However I’ve noticed that frozen tortellini is a pretty good convenience item when it comes to ingredient lists so I do occasionally use it in a pinch or when I’m going to an event. We consume 99.9% whole grains so letting go a little is fine with me. Food is all about balance to me and it feels good to let go sometimes.

I separated the dressing from the actual recipe because I realize sometimes ingredient lists can be confusing when you are combining a few things. The dressing recipe will give you the appropriate amount of dressing for the salad. Enjoy!

Creamy Italian Dressing

*This is 1/2 of the original dressing recipe. Full recipe for salad follows.

Ingredients

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 and 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons organic mayo
1 teaspoon white wine (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Add all ingredients except oil to food processor. Blend until combined. Slowly add oil while continuing to blend. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. ** If you don’t have a food processor, no problem! Just use a large mixing bowl and whisk.

Creamy Italian Dressing

April 23, 2015 by Dana

This Creamy Italian Dressing recipe is one of my all time favorite recipes I have ever published on this blog! I even come to my own blog to look up the recipe for this dressing frequently. I guess I should write it down somewhere, but coming here is just as easy.

It is April 19, 2020 and I just so happen to be updating some older recipe posts that I have been popular. The original recipe was posted on April 23, 2015. How could this have been 5 years ago?

I didn’t quite like the writing style so I decided to re-do the whole thing. Over the last 5 years I have made this recipe dozens and dozens of times. It is perfect for everything from a good old salad dressing, to a pasta salad dressing, and even great for grilling. There isn’t much I haven’t done with this recipe in the last 5 years!

Creamy Italian Dressing Tips and Tricks

One thing that I realized over the last 5 years is that not all Creamy Italian Dressings are created equal. In fact, you can use the same recipe and yield different results depending on what you are using to mix the dressing. What I found was that my more expensive blender (Vitamix) did NOT yield the same result as my $20 mini food chopper from Ninja. I actually far prefer the mini food chopper for making all of my dressings. If you like making dressings at home, or are looking to cut out processed ingredients in store bought dressings, I think the $20 price tag for the mini Ninja is totally worth it! In fact, I would buy it just to make this recipe over and over again.

*Side note: I still totally love my Vitamix and nothing else I have made in it was a flop.

When it comes to homemade dressings I highly suggest looking for a very mild extra virgin olive oil. I have made dressings with very robust olive oils in the past and they can be overpowering. I look for oils that are specifically labeled mild.

Chicken Parmesan Alfredo

April 22, 2015 by Dana

Have I told you lately how much I LOVE my cast iron skillet? Yes, it’s true. A few years ago I traded in my non-stick cookware for all stainless steel and cast iron. It did take me a while to get used to not burning stuff to the bottom of them like EVERYTIME but after adjusting my heat (much lower!) I realized I didn’t need those chemical laden pots and pans after all! 🙂

Today I’m sharing this chicken parmesan recipe that goes to a whole new level by adding a super yummy Alfredo sauce to the pasta and lots of mozzarella cheese before baking it in the oven to get that nice, crusty mozzarella we all love. The best part is I used my wonderful cast iron skillet to get a nice, crispy piece of chicken without a deep fryer or any unhealthy oils. If you don’t own a cast iron skillet no worries, you can do this in just about any sauté pan, however I do love the results I get from my cast iron. Just take a look and you’ll understand! Now that’s a piece of chicken to be proud of!

Another thing I love about his recipe is the versatility. If you are short on time and don’t feel like taking the extra steps to make the Alfredo sauce you can absolutely toss your pasta in extra red sauce and call it a day. Sometimes I go the red sauce route, sometimes I go the Alfredo route. Sometimes I even toss my pasta in extra red sauce AND ricotta cheese and that is delicious too. Either way you will end up with a dinner your family will love!

Whenever I use a convenience product like the panko bread crumbs I used in this recipe I always caution folks to READ INGREDIENTS! These are the products most notorious for adding a bunch of crappy ingredients that don’t need to be there just for the sake of keeping the product on a shelf for years without it going bad. I get so frustrated with brands like Progresso who willingly put profit and production above ethics. When it comes down to it, there should be no reason any breadcrumb product contains ingredients like partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. When I started reading labels one of the first products I immediately threw away were the breadcrumbs that had been lingering in the back of my pantry forever. That alone should have indicated to me that something just wasn’t right with the product to begin with. Since that time I’ve experimented with making my own breadcrumbs (which works wonderful too!) but this time I opted for an organic panko product I’ve found in most mainstream grocery stores (check their organic section).

Here’s the product I used as well as my favorite cast iron skillet! 🙂

*This is a bulk listing.
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