This recipe for Cilantro Lime Zucchini Noodles with Chicken is so easy it’s nuts! Whip this up anytime you need a quick, healthy, high protein, low carbohydrate dinner. If you’d rather keep it 100% plant based, you can easily substitute the chicken with seared tofu, tempeh, black beans, or a combination!
Read MorePaleo Turkey Tacos
These Paleo Turkey Tacos, also known as “Super Clean Turkey Tacos” are a simple and delicious way to get a nutritious dinner on the table, without the unwanted carbs and grease that come with a traditional taco.
For something a little more filling, some diced red potatoes or yams would go great mixed into the turkey. You can use traditional Mexican pickled vegetables, or your favorite sauerkraut from the Farmers Market or grocery store. I used Wildbrine Organic Red Cabbage Sauerkraut and it was delicious!
Read MorePortobello Fajitas with Chipotle & Lime
Try these Chipotle-Lime Portobello Fajitas the next time you need a quick lunch or dinner that is totally plant-based and super delicious. This is one of my favorite quick plant-based meals, and when you add some avocado, cilantro, salsa, or even shredded cabbage, you can truly add to the fullness and nutritional complexity of the meal. These can be enjoyed on traditional tortillas or collard green wraps!
Read MoreHealthy Tacos de Papa with Seared Calabrese Broccoli
I love tacos de papa in many variations! If you’re from Southern California, tacos become the “catch-all” meal that you grow accustomed to turning to. At my place we do many different variations of tacos de papa, mostly out of necessity- roasted potatoes, smashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, potatoes with zucchini, caramelized beets and potatoes, roasted potatoes and cauliflower, and sometimes even the traditional fried version. The possibilities are pretty much endless.
Read MoreMexican Braised Tofu with Smoky Yams
This Mexican braised tofu, and braising tofu in general, is a great, fairly easy way to add some variety to otherwise bland and funkily textured traditional tofu. There are some key components to remember though, if you want your tofu to really absorb whatever flavors you are working with. This recipe explains how to effectively drain your tofu so it can better receive the flavors in the braising process. It’s a Mexican twist on combining tomato, sweet, and smoky all together.
Shrimp cocktail with Nopalitos
The nopales of Los Angeles are sprouting up everywhere! This may seem completely insignificant unless you have explored the special nutritional benefits of nopal and how much it is enjoyed in Mexican cuisine. This recipe for Shrimp Cocktail with Nopalitos takes the Mexican classic shrimp cocktail and combines it with the classic Mexican Nopalito Salad. Nopal, also known as cactus pad, is very low in saturated sat and cholesterol. It is also a good source of riboflavin, vitamin B6, iron and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. And with an amino acid score of 71 the protein content isn’t bad either– for a vegetable! I must give credit to my partner Ricky who makes the bomb-est shrimp cocktail, and came up with this awesome combination.
Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo-Pepita Sauce
I love trying different versions of the traditional enchilada. In these vegan enchiladas, we get some extra protein punch from the pepitas in the sauce. I had some vegan “queso” that I was experimenting with so I was able to make this completely vegan, but you are certainly not limited to that. A good queso añejo would also go well. The grilled tomato was intended to add color to make the picture better, but it turned out being a nice acidic component that brightened up every other bite or so. Butternut squash loves being seasoned with cumin and chile, so this just came together quite naturally. Read More
Huevos con Nopalitos
Whatever you call it, that ubiquitous cactus that is probably hanging out in more back yards than many of us realize, is packed with superfood nutrition. The leaf or “pad” of the nopale is believed to support many aspects of health and well being such as weight loss, blood purification, maintaining blood sugar balance, and more. My personal philosophy is that nature designed the nopale to provide good, somewhat complete nutrition in climates where growing and cultivating food, and finding an abundant water source may be a challenge. In any case, I feel extremely lucky to have two nopale trees in my food garden. They are going crazy right now producing more nopales than we can keep up with. In the spirit of water conservation, food sustainability, and good health, why not explore how many accessible nopales are growing in your world? Here is a simple, very traditional egg recipe for enjoying fresh nopales from your garden. Be sure to cut the nopale when the leaf is still young and the thorns are still soft to the touch. Once the thorns have become wooody and hard, the nopale leaf is too mature for culinary enjoyment. You can cut nopales, clean, and cut into “nopalitos,” basically cleaned and cut up nopales, and store them in an air tight bag or container for up to a week or two. Read More
Cauliflower Diablo Tacos with Mango Slaw
It’s hard to overlook cauliflower’s recent rise to food fame. It seems like everyone is going bananas for this cruciferous, that until now has endured a long reputation as a pretty boring vegetable. It’s because cauliflower is undeniably and extremely good for you, and therefore, more and more people are looking at ways to bring cauliflower to the forefront of their dinner plates. But what happens when you just want a good old taco? Can cauliflower hold up to carne asada, carnitas, or shrimp? Well, I gave it a whirl last night and it came out pretty yummy. Check out this vegan spin-off of the Baja style shrimp taco and decide for yourself.
Corn, Black Bean, & Pepita Chiles Rellenos
Sometimes I crave the distinctive qualities of a good old fashioned chile relleno…you know- the one stuffed with cheese, battered, and fried. Well, I do indulge from time to time, but just to make a point, you can create an entirely healthy, and just as satisfying chile relleno experience, that might even resemble some real Mexican authenticity. And, you’ll get a bonus of added clean nutrition! Use a ceramic or safe clay baking dish with a lid if possible, for a great even bake, and a magnificent smell from the oven during preparation. If enjoyed with an open mind and a sense of adventure, this dish should stave off the unhealthy chile relleno craving for quite some time. Read More