Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos served in crunchy corn shells and filled with classic taco toppings are so good that you definitely won’t miss the meat.
Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos
Based on your feedback and my desire to create more plant-based recipes for vegetarians and those who are trying to cut down on their meat consumption (try Meatless Monday!), you’ll love these Crunchy Black Bean Tacos. Make it a fiesta with cilantro lime rice and guacamole on the side! And if you prefer beef, these slow cooker beef tacos are a favorite in my house!
While we’ve all been staying at home more, a lot of us have set some goals. Some have fitness goals. Others are baking up delectables in the kitchen. Others are working on home projects, organizing all the things, or working in the garden. (And, hopefully all of us are doing this.) It’s been interesting to see what people have done in this crazy and challenging time. In our house we’ve been doing a lot of the above, but I’ve also been taking time to explore my horizons when it comes to wine. I often reach for my go-to faves when…
These Lebanese-inspired Grilled Chicken Kabobs are seasoned with za’atar and served with a cool Laban Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.
Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Yogurt Sauce
These Grilled Chicken Kabobs are marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, za’atar, and garlic and served with a cucumber yogurt sauce on the side. You can use either chicken breasts or thighs. I use both depending on what I have on hand. Of course, breast is leaner so that means they’ll be a little drier than thighs, but both taste wonderful. Some other great grilled kabob options are these Grilled Shrimp Scampi Skewers, Grilled Salmon Kabobs, and Grilled Lemon Dijon Chicken Skewers.
Heads up: A 10-minute Whole30 summer meal comin’ your way: Watercress Salad with Peaches and Prosciutto! This fresh and healthy salad is summer on a plate!
A Restaurant Favorite At Home!
Prosciutto-wrapped peaches on a bed of bitter greens is a classic Italian starter that I used to order every time I spotted it on a summer menu…’til it finally dawned on me that this dead-simple recipe can be made at home for pennies on the dollar. Yeah, I can be dense sometimes. It took this old dog a decade to learn this peachy new trick, but hey: better late than never, right?
Once ripe peaches made their first appearance of the year at the local farmers’ market, I started making this savory, sweet, and assertive summer salad on a regular basis. Can you blame me? I mean, the hardest part is just wrapping prosciutto around peach slices!
Seared Peaches are better than Grilled Peaches!
Most recipes call for grilling the porky peaches, but I’ve found that searing ’em in a skillet is a much easier and faster method. In fact, it takes longer to fire up the barbecue than it does to prepare and eat this gorgeous hot-weather salad using a skillet.
Watercress Salad!
In my version of this classic dish, I also replaced the usual bed of arugula with watercress. Both types of greens add a pleasing bitter bite to this salad, but watercress is the new Queen Bee of the vegetable aisle (that’s right: move over, kale), and I’ve been doing my darnedest to incorporate this nutrient-packed powerhouse into my diet. Plus, the warm peaches wilt the watercress slightly, making each mouthful a kaleidoscope of flavors and textures.
What can you use in place of prosciutto?
If you can’t find prosciutto at the market, you can sear the peaches without wrapping them with anything. Bacon slices are too thick and won’t crisp up before the peaches get overcooked. I prefer to fry up chopped up bacon bits and add them to the salad if I still want some salty porky goodness. Don’t eat pork? Crumble on some crispy Chicken Cracklings!
Let’s make Watercress Salad With Peaches and Prosciutto!
Serves 1 as an entree or 2 as an appetizer
Ingredients:
2 cups watercress, thin stems and leaves only
1 ripe (but still firm) peach
6 thin slices prosciutto (I like La Quercia brand)
All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
Method:
Grab a big bunch of watercress and pick off the tender leaves and thin stems until you have 2 cups of salad greens. (Reserve the rest to add to soup. Like Simple Egg Drop Soup!)
Wash and spin dry the greens before dumping ’em on a plate.
Slice your peach in half, remove the pit, and divide each half into thirds to get six slices. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each wedge of fruit.
The prosciutto should be coiled flat and tight around the peach slice.
While you’re preparing the peaches, heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the ghee or avocado oil, and swirl to coat the pan. When the pan is hot, lay the peaches on one side and cook for about a minute or until browned. Then, flip each wedge over onto its other flat side, and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
When the peaches are browned on both sides, flip them peach-skin side down. and brown the bottom for 30-60 seconds.
Place the hot peaches on the bed of watercress. Chop up the pistachios and sprinkle on top of the salad.
Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste, and top with freshly cracked black pepper.
[Originally posted on July 9, 2018. Updated with new details and photos on June 28, 2020.]
Watercress Salad with Peaches and Prosciutto is one of my favorite summertime salads! This 10-minute Whole30-friendly dish is a healthy and simple meal!
Grab a big bunch of watercress and pick off the tender leaves and thin stems until you have 2 cups of salad greens. (Reserve the rest to add to soup. Like Simple Egg Drop Soup!) Wash and spin dry the greens before dumping ’em on a plate.
Slice your peach in half, remove the pit, and divide each half into thirds to get six slices. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each wedge of fruit. The prosciutto should be coiled flat and tight around the peach slice.
While you’re preparing the peaches, heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the ghee or avocado oil, and swirl to coat the pan. When the pan is hot, lay the peaches on one side and cook for about a minute or until browned. Then, flip each wedge over onto its other flat side, and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
When the peaches are browned on both sides, flip them peach-skin side down. and brown the bottom for 30-60 seconds.
Place the hot peaches on the bed of watercress. Chop up the pistachios and sprinkle on top of the salad.
Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste, and top with freshly cracked black pepper.
I can’t believe it is almost July 4th!! In this week’s meal plan you will notice that there is more meat (beef) for the weekend than I usually include. This is for those that might be BBQ-ing for the holiday and serving a small crowd. If meat is too expensive or hard to find, you can swap it for chicken or fish. You can also check my recipes under the July 4th holiday tab. I have also included interchangeable meals for both Saturday and Sunday lunch and dinner meals so you can pick and choose or move things around to work for your schedule. Have a safe and happy 4th!
This Broccoli Beef satisfies my craving for Chinese takeout but with less oil and sugar than what you’ll find at most restaurants.
Broccoli Beef
One of my favorite types of food to order in is Chinese takeout. However, it is not always the healthiest. That’s why I love cooking lighter versions at home. This Broccoli Beef recipe is even better than takeout. You may also like this Peruvian Beef Stir Fry called Lomo Saltado. If you prefer chicken, try my Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.
From COVID-19 to fighting for racial justice, right now stress is high for all of us — including our kids. While we encourage you to continue having necessary conversations with your children about racism and COVID-19 often (recent Sesame Street specials can help if you don’t know where to begin — get them here and here), it’s also important to help yourself and your kids to self-care by giving them tools to manage big feelings (and the awareness from us that those big feelings may manifest differently in our kids’ behaviors than they do in ours). To help us with…
Grilled Crab Legs is such a treat in the summer, this foolproof recipe is so easy and works with king crab legs, Dungeness crab legs and snow crab legs!
Grilled Crab Legs
Grilling Crab Legs is so easy – it’s my favorite method to cook them! There’s no looking for a big pot or making a mess in the kitchen. Just thaw the legs and heat them on the grill. Then crack them open and enjoy! Some of my other favorite ways to eat crab are Baked Crab Cakes, Crab Cauliflower Fried “Rice” and Tomato, Corn, Crab and Avocado Salad.
Summer is finally here! What are your favorite summer meals? You can check out some of mine under the summer tab on the blog. I hope you have had a chance to see and try to the recipe I shared from the Original Flava cookbook, so good! I also hope you saw that I have a new meal prep cookbook coming out this September! I am so excited!!! Pre-orders are available now. Thank you to all who voted on what the next cookbook should be!
