Category: Lunch and Dinner

Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet

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Hey guys! I know that usually I post plant-based or vegetarian recipes, although I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian. I just love my veggies- and honestly never really learned how to cook meat! I do eat meat almost every day though, and have recently started branching out into cooking more animal proteins. So far I’m just cooking pretty easy stuff, like shrimp, and today I’m sharing the recipe for this Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet. If you do prefer to omit meat from your diet, you can always substitute the meat in any of my recipes with plant based alternatives (like tofu or plant-based sausage in this case), or just omit them altogether. It should still be delicious! I’ll always have plenty of plant-based recipes on my site and will continue to post new ones as well, I just wanted to give you the heads up that I might be cooking more meat in the future:)

Lately I’ve been into really quick, simple, and delicious recipes, and this Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet hits ALL of those points. We’ve got three simple steps- chop, cook, and EAT. First you’re gonna chop up all of your amazing veggies- sweet potato, broccoli, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes, as well as your sausage. I was thinking about the kind of carb I wanted to include in this meal, originally wanting to make it into a kind of stir fry with quinoa or brown rice. But I didn’t feel like getting out an extra pot and waiting for any grains to cook. And also I really love sweet potatoes. So I thought, WHY DON’T I ADD THE SWEET POTATO RIGHT INTO THE SKILLET? I usually don’t cook sweet potatoes in the pan, but I diced them up really small so they cooked quickly, and it turned out SO GOOD.

I love all of the other veggies in here too- there’s such a nice rainbow going on! The sweet potatoes and the broccoli go into a hot pan with a bit of olive oil first since they take the longest to cook. After a few minutes, the rest of the skillet ingredients go into the pan until the sliced sausage is nice and browned on both sides. Lastly, the some spinach, garlic powder, red chilli flakes, salt and pepper, and a splash of water go in to finish everything off. Yum!

The kind of sausage that I used was a chicken, spinach and feta sausage from Costco. They’re really good and have pretty clean ingredients. Costco just rocks! When picking out a chicken sausage, look for one with simple ingredients and that doesn’t have preservatives.

This meal is super delicious and super simple! Perfect for meal prepping or a speedy, protein filled dinner. I added some sprouts and hummus to finish it off. Enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)

Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients

-1 chicken sausage, sliced

-1/2 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 cup broccoli florets

-1/2 a bell pepper, chopped

-5 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

-1/2 a medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

-1/2 cup packed spinach

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-2 tbsp water

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the diced sweet potatoes and the broccoli and cook for about 4 minutes, until the sweet potato begins to soften.

2. Add the rest of the veggies, except for the spinach, to the pan, as well as the chicken sausage, Cook everything for 8 more minutes, until the sausage is golden brown on both sides.

3. Add the water, garlic powder, and spinach to the pan and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Serve warm with some hummus and/or sprouts and enjoy!


Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta

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I’m loving my shrimp lately! It’s fast, easy, and so so good🙌 So I added it to this amazing pasta dish which uses a nice spring vegetable, the artichoke!

Artichokes can be a little scary to prepare because they’re not a super common vegetable. However, the flavour is DELICIOUS and they contain lots of antioxidants👌 I started by steaming my own artichokes and then using the hearts and stems, because the leaves are very fibrous. In the future I can do a whole post on how to prepare an artichoke. If you want to skip all the prep and get right to the pasta though, you can buy a jar of marinated artichokes. Either way, you’re getting lots of great flavour.

If you’re using marinated artichokes, then this dish comes together in a SNAP. We’re talking 15 minutes people. THAT’S A ONE. AND THAT’S A FIVE. I The artichokes are sautéed with some garlic, olive oil and cherry tomatoes, before the shrimp get added in with some salt and pepper. All of this together creates a really light sauce that is perfect to highlight the artichokes! I then tossed in some cooked lentil spaghetti, which is great because it’s packed full of protein. It’s also gluten free so that’s a win! Whole wheat or regular spaghetti works great too though!

Once everything’s tossed up, all that’s left to do is serve. This makes an amazing quick lunch or dinner, but it’s also kind of fancy so if your looking to treat yourself to a nice meal in, you’re all set. Hope you enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)

Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta

Ingredients

-1/2 tbsp olive oil

-15 medium shrimp, tails off

-2 chopped artichoke hearts, steamed or marinated

-10 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

-1 large clove of garlic, minced

-2 servings of cooked lentil, whole wheat or regular spaghetti

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic, tomatoes, and chopped artichoke hearts and cook for about 4 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and tender. Smash the tomatoes down during the cooking process to get the juices going in the pan.

2. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until they are light pink in colour. Season everything to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Add in the cooked pasta, remove from the heat and toss everything together.

4. Serve warm and enjoy:)


Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls

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Hey there! I took a bit of a break from posting for a while but I am coming back STRONG with these delicious Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls.

I love shrimp so much- all seafood is so delicious! I was looking in the freezer the other day for an easy protein I could whip up for lunch and I locked in on the bag of frozen shrimp. I’ve never done much cooking of meat/fish/crustaceans, but I decided to give it a try! And you know what? Shrimp is probably one of the easiest proteins you can make. They’re super fast to cook and it’s not hard at all to tell when they’re done. They’re also full of protein with roughly 25 grams per 16 shrimp.

I used some frozen shrimp and defrosted them by running them under cold water, although it said not to do that on the bag. I would like to know what the problem with that is. (insert laughing face emoji here). If you know you’re going to be making these ahead of time though, you can always throw your shrimp in the fridge to defrost over night, or even use fresh shrimp.

To make these delicious bowls, I started by tossing the shrimp with a bunch of delicious spices, and then sauteeing them in some olive oil. They only need about two minutes per side, and are finished when they’re opaque and slightly pink. So easy! Next we have a bunch of veggies- we’re talking peppers, onions, olives and some carrot ribbons- that get cooked up with lemon juice, garlic powder, and some tahini for some extra flavour. Finally, for some green-ness there’s a tasty cucumber and avocado salad. Serve everything over quinoa and you’ve got a LUNCH.

Let me know how you like these bowls! I definitely want to keep making shrimp recipes because the deliciousness times the easiness factor is out of this world. Maybe I’ll venture out into some other animal proteins too?!? Who knows! Enjoy:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls

Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls

Ingredients

For The Shrimp:

-20-25 medium shrimp, defrosted or fresh

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 tsp cumin

-1/2 tsp chilli powder

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp cayenne powder

-1/2 tsp oregano

-Salt and pepper to taste

For The Sauteed Veggies:

-1/2 tbsp olive oil

-2 small carrots, made into ribbons with a veggie peeler

-1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

-1/4 of a white onion, sliced

-1 200ml can of sliced black olives, drained

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-Juice of 1/2 a lemon

-1/2 tbsp tahini

-Salt and pepper to taste

For the Cucumber Avocado Salad:

-1/4 of a long English cucumber, diced

-1/4 of a ripe avocado

-2 tsp tahini

-Salt and pepper to taste

Other:

-Cooked quinoa for serving


Directions

1. Add the olive oil for the shrimp to a pan and heat over medium heat. Add your shrimp to a small bowl and mix them with all of the spices. Dump the shrimp into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until the shrimp are opaque and slightly pink. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the olive oil for the veggies into the still hot pan. Add the veggies in and sautee until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent. Add in the lemon juice, garlic powder, tahini, and salt and pepper and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Mash the avocado for the salad in a small bowl, mix in the rest of the ingredients, and set aside.

4. To construct your bowls, start with some cooked quinoa, then add the veggies, shrimp, and cucumber salad. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice if desired and enjoy!


Cactus Cut Sweet Potatoes

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Hey guys! I have a SICK recipe for you tonight- these Cactus Cut Sweet Potatoes are here to play. I love the version they have at restaurants, but today we’re baking pies and also using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes because sweet potatoes are amazing😍

Sweet potatoes and potatoes are actually pretty similar in nutritional content, but potatoes are higher in potassium while sweet potatoes are higher in vitamin A. So it all comes down to which potato you prefer- and I think you already know which kind of tater has my heart😂

These cactus cut sweet potatoes are get super crisp and delicious in the oven, and are perfectly spiced! They may not look orange to you, but that’s because I used a Japanese sweet potatoe. I actually really like this variety, and they’re a bit smaller which is good for the recipe🙌 But regular ol’ orange sweet potatoes will work just fine as well.

This super tasty snack/side is also very easy to make. Start by truly slicing your sweet potato- I would say to about 1/8 of an inch. The average thickness I got was this:

Although I definitely need to work on my knife skills because my cuts were a lil all over the place😂

Next you’re going to toss your taters in a bag with some olive oil and all those delicious spices that make these cactus cuts shine! Paprika, chilli powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper all make and appearance, and of course you’ve gotta have that cayenne for spice.

The final step before the oven is to lay the sliced potatoes down flat on a parchment lined baking sheet- making sure it’s not too crowded so they have room to reach their full delicious potential! After roasting for 20 minutes, you’re going to flip em and them bake for another 5-10, keeping a close eye on those little suckers so they don’t burn. And then voila! You’ve got some warm, seasoned cactus cut sweet potatoes that are AMAZING with hummus, tzatziki, or just by themselves😍

I love this recipe because it’s perfect for a party (when we can have them) and also for snacking! I also had them as a side with my egg scramble for dinner and they were👌 Hope you enjoy!!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Cactus Cut Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

-1 small japanese or regular sweet potato, cut into 1/8 inch slices

-2 tsp olive oil

-1 tsp paprkia

-1/2 tsp chilli powder

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp cayenne powder

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Add the sliced sweet potatoes into a large ziploc bag with the rest of the ingredients. Shake everything up until the potatoes are coated with the oil and the spices.

3. Lay each slice on a parchment lined baking sheet, being careful not to over-crowd the pan. Place them in the oven for 20 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the oven and flip over all of the potatoes with a fork. Place them back in the oven for 5-10 more minutes, until crispy and cooked through, watching to make sure they don’t burn.

5. Remove the potatoes from the the oven, let cool slightly and enjoy!


Red Pepper Savoury Oats

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Hey guys! I’ve made savoury oats before and honestly they weren’t very good- just sort of bland and blah. But I got some inspiration from Grace, @_thefreshavocado on Instagram, to make these delicious Red Pepper Savoury Oats!

These oats are definitely like risotto, but healthier, faster, and easier to make. Some red pepper hummus and an egg white makes them SUPER creamy, and of course they start with some sautéed garlic and onion, because that’s how all good things begin😍

I started by cooking up those onions and some chopped garlic, as well as thinly sliced red pepper. As soon as those get nice and soft and caramelized, the oats go in with equal parts water and almond milk for some extra creaminess. The egg white, hummus, and lots of salt and pepper get stirred in as well, and you’re going to simmer until your oats are cooked through but still creamy.

I used some quick-cooking steel cut oats for this recipe, which were perfect! They took around seven minutes until they were ready. But if all you have are quick oats or rolled oats, adjust the cooking time accordingly and this recipe will still be delicious:)

Enjoy these oats as a side, as a vessel for more veggies or some chicken or shrimp, or as a delicious savoury breakfast with a runny egg on top! They have so much flavour and the texture is everything🥰 Enjoy!

Red Pepper Savoury Oats

  • Servings: 1-2
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Ingredients

-1/4 cup quick cooking steel cut oats

-1/4 of a red bell pepper, thinly sliced

-1/4 of a yellow onion, thinly sliced

-1/2 a tomato, diced

-1 clove of garlic, minced

-1 tsp olive oil

-1/4 cup water

-1/4 cup almond milk (plus more as needed)

-1 egg white

-1 tbsp red pepper hummus

-Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions

1. In a pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion, pepper, tomato and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent and the pepper is soft, about 7 minutes.

2. Add in the oats, almond milk, water, hummus, egg white and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook, continuing to stir until the oats are cooked through but still creamy, adding more almond milk as needed.

3. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy warm!