Category Archives: Meat and Eggs

Fajita Taco Salad Bowls

Fajita taco salad

Sometimes I really, really miss taco bowls from this big Tex-Mex fast food chain. Yeah, you know which place I’m talking about. They are loaded with beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, fajitas and all inside a fried corn? shell. They used to seem like such a “healthy” choice when compared to other fast food joints, but more than half of the stuff in that bowl now makes me sick. I was really craving one of these bowls so I decided to make my own. I promise you this salad is the most satisfying salad you’ll ever eat. It’s so simple to make and is sooo good.

Fajita Taco Salad Bowls
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients for fajitas:
1 pound beef skirt steak
2 tsp salt
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp EVOO

Fajitas

Ingredients for salad:
2 cups of frozen (or fresh) strips of red and green bell pepper and onion
4 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 large avocados, mashed in a bowl with juice of a small lime (guacamole)
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp EVOO
Chopped jalapeno (optional)
Spicy salsa (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat and add EVOO.
2. Season meat on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.
3. Place the meat on the skillet and cook each side for about 5 minutes until desired doneness. (5 minutes on each side comes out medium well)
4. Remove the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
5. In the same skillet, add 1 tblsp of EVOO, bell peppers and onions and sauté for 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
6. Compose each salad in a bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, cilantro, fajitas and a hefty scoop of guacamole.

Enjoy!!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Shrimp Ceviche

Shrimp ceviche
Happy Sunday! I’m so glad it’s finally spring! These last couple of weeks have been a little inconsistent with cold and rainy weather one day and warm and sunny the next, but I’m excited for the next month or two of warm weather before the hellish Texas heat sets in for the summer. I’m looking forward to evening walks, dining outdoors, spending Easter with my family and my husband’s commencement ceremony.

What are your favorite recipes for springtime? If I had to choose a favorite meal, I’d have to say this shrimp ceviche would be the winner. The freshness and simplicity of this recipe is so great. This is the perfect meal for entertaining on a spring afternoon. Serve it alongside tostones or corn tostadas for a beautiful presentation. My husband, dad and grandfather really enjoy this ceviche so I’d say it’s a crowd pleaser, even with the most picky eaters.

Ceviche tostada

Shrimp Ceviche
Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
12 oz cooked shrimp (peeled and deveined), roughly cut or kept whole
2 large Haas avocados, diced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 3 lemons
Juice of 3 limes
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp sea salt

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, add tomatoes, onion, cilantro, garlic, shrimp, lemon juice and EVOO and combine.
2. Add the avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper and carefully combine.
3. Chill ceviche in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Pork Chops and Zucchini in Salsa Verde

Pork Chops and Zucchini in Salsa Verde
Please excuse this crappy picture. I took a couple of really quick pictures because I couldn’t wait to eat.

I think pork and zucchini are so great together, especially with salsa. I thought this salsa verde was pretty spicy, but my husband said it was not spicy at all. You be the judge. 😉 Either way, we both thought it was delicious. Speaking of delicious things, I tried a new Mexican seafood restaurant this weekend. Twice. I also had menudo, corn chips, french fries, bbq and mango shaved ice. I think I had a little too much deliciousness this weekend and I’m paying for it today, feeling very sluggish and grumpy. I barely made it through my cycle and core class this afternoon. Here’s to a week of eating strict paleo and sticking to a strict workout routine!

Pork Chops and Zucchini in Salsa Verde
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
3 Mexican zucchinis, sliced
4 tomatillos
1/4 small onion
2 jalapenos, sliced open and seeded
3 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp Mexican oregano
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp EVOO
4 cups water

Directions:
1. Add water, tomatillos, onion, jalapenos and garlic to a saucepan and boil on high for 20 minutes. Turn heat off and put tomatillos, onion, jalapenos and garlic in a blender along with oregano, cilantro, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 cups of the liquid used for boiling and purée. Set aside salsa purée.
2. Heat cast iron over medium heat and add 1 tblsp of EVOO. Season pork chops with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper and place in skillet. Cook each side for 8 minutes and remove chops to a plate.
3. Add 1 tblsp EVOO and zucchini to skillet and sauté for 4 minutes.
4. Add pork chops back to skillet and pour salsa verde over zucchini and chops. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow sauce to thicken.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Mango Avocado Salsa Topped Tilapia

Mango avocado topped tilapia
Today’s recipe was inspired by the springlike weather we’ve been having here in San Antonio. I spent my weekend trying out my new b-cycle membership, dining al fresco at a new restaurant and running errands. This mango avocado salsa is so fresh and delicious, sometimes I eat it with a spoon right out of the bowl. 😀

I actually did not like avocados or mangos until a few years ago. The texture of the avocado and sliminess of the mango freaked me out. My history with avocado goes back to my thyroid cancer diagnosis and having to start the low iodine diet. My first time going on the low iodine diet was very difficult as I was being deprived of pretty much all the food I ate on a daily basis. I was forced to try different food to keep me full. My husband convinced me to try homemade guacamole with homemade corn tortilla chips and man, I was in heaven. Since then, avocados are always well stocked in our pantry.

Mango avocado salsa

Mango Avocado Salsa Topped Tilapia
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
Mango Avocado Salsa
1 mango
1 large Haas avocado
1/4 cup cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper

Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
1 tsp EVOO
Juice of half of 1 lime
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a large piece of foil.
2. Drizzle the EVOO on the foil and place the tilapia fillets on top. Season the top of the tilapia with salt, pepper, cayenne and lime.
3. Cover the tilapia by folding the foil over on all sides, you might need an extra sheet of foil to cover entirely (this keeps the tilapia moist). Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. While the tilapia is baking, peel and dice the avocado and mango and roughly chop the cilantro and place in a bowl. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper and carefully combine everything. Put in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
5. After the tilapia has baked for 15 minutes, turn the oven to broil and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Remove tilapia from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Pour mango avocado salsa on top or on the side of tilapia fillets.

This tilapia goes great with a side of sautéed asparagus or a spinach salad. Enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Lettuce wrap pork carnitas tacos
Whoa, that title is certainly a mouthful! Couldn’t think of an easier way to describe these simple, but delicious tacos. I love throwing food in the slow cooker in the morning and coming home to a delicious meal. I don’t mind cooking dinner every night, but it can be hard with my work schedule and my husband’s busy school schedule. During the week, I only get to spend a couple of hours a day, at most, with my husband and usually weekends are spent running errands and more school work for him, so if I can spend less time in the kitchen, I try. In less than three months, our lives will be much easier when he finally receives that master of architecture degree! Woohoo!

Now, onto these carnitas. I usually make carnitas with pork shoulder, but pork loin roast was on sale so I decided to try it and it came out just as great. My husband loves crispy carnitas so after they’ve been slow cooked, he likes to toss them in a little EVOO in a pan to get them extra crispy. They are delicious right out of the slow cooker though, so choose which one you prefer.

Slow cooked pork carnitas

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless pork loin roast
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Leaves of romaine lettuce
Cilantro
Tomato
Avocado Slices

Directions:
1. In a slow cooker, place a tblsp of EVOO and half of the onions and garlic.
2. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker. Add the remaining onions and garlic on top of the pork, along with another tblsp of EVOO.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Roughly shred the pork with a knife and fork and mix it with all the onions, garlic and juice from the bottom of the cooker.
4. For crispy carnitas, throw some of the shredded pork into a pan with a tblsp of EVOO and toss around on medium to high heat for about 5 minutes until most of the carnitas get crispy. You don’t want to overcook them or they’ll become dry.
5. Place leaves of lettuce on a plate and add a generous amount of carnitas on each leaf and top with cilantro, tomato and avocado slices.

Try these tacos with your favorite salsa or my paleo avocado cilantro crema, it’s divine!

PRINTABLE RECIPE