Tag: Veggies

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!


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!


Fried Cauliflower Rice

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Coming at you with another quick and easy lunch idea! This one uses cauliflower rice, which I’ve recently discovered and is pretty dang good! It also is loaded with veggies and includes some eggs to get in that protein.

There are so many options for a base when it comes to making “fried rice”- normal white rice, brown rice, and quinoa are all tasty options. But this cauliflower rice just lightens everything up while also being super delicious! The flavour of the cauliflower adds so much to the dish. In addition to that cauliflower, the rainbow of veggies in this speedy meal includes carrots, celery, red pepper, purple cabbage, and red onion. So good!

All of that yummy veg is sauteed first so that they have a chance to get nice and tender. Once they do, everything moves pretty quickly, so make sure you have your ingredients handy. The cauliflower rice gets added- I used some I had in the freezer- along with the eggs, and then everything is seasoned with salt and pepper. The cauliflower only needs to be sauteed for the amount of time it takes the eggs to cook, so that it doesn’t get super mushy, and is still rice like.

I seasoned this dish very simply with just some salt and pepper, to really let all of those beautiful veggies shine! It’s so tasty, fresh, healthy and delicious, and is perfect for meal prepping the night before school, as a quick dinner, or a simple lunch at home. I love the eggs in here because of the great protein they offer! However, if you want to veganize this dish, you can easily substitute for chickpeas or beans.

Hope you like this fast and tasty take on a simple dish!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Fried Cauliflower Rice

  • Servings: 1
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Ingredients

-1/2 tbsp olive oil

-1/4 a red onion, diced

-1/2 a red bell pepper, diced

-1/4 cup grated purple cabbage

-1 small carrot, chopped

-1 stalk of celery, chopped

-1 1/2 cups cauliflower rice, fresh or frozen (grate or process cauliflower florets)

-2 eggs

-Salt and pepper to state


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pan. Add in the veggies, except for the cauliflower rice, and sautee until tender, about 6-8 minutes.

2. Add in the cauliflower rice and the eggs, and scramble the eggs with a wooden spoon as you stir the rice into the veggies. Continue to sautee until the eggs are cooked through.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Serve warm.


Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup

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Hey there! I haven’t made a good soup in a while, so this DELICIOUS Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup really hit the spot! Soup is one of those things that might seem complicated or hard to make, but it’s actually super easy. This one in particular is very straightforward!

I cooked up some red onion with some garlic to start, then added in the veggie broth and all of the other ingredients! Ground ginger, some coriander and a bit of red chilli flakes add so much flavour, and of course the peas and spinach give the soup its GORGEOUS green colour. I also added in some chickpeas, which when blended help create a creamy texture.

These simple ingredients are all simmered together for a good twenty minutes, to make sure all the flavours come together. Then everything is dumped into a blender and pureed until super smooth! Look at that; so easy and so delicious.

Soup like this is the best on a cold day. And yes, this soup is also freezer friendly, so you can save some for later! Quick lunch idea for the win! It’s a great way to get your veggies in and is really good for you, as well as being naturally vegan and gluten free.

Enjoy this easy and tasty soup recipe!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup

  • Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 a red onion, diced

-2 cloves of garlic, minced

-4 cups of organic veggie broth

-1/2 tsp ground ginger

-1/2 tsp ground coriander

-1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

-1 can of chickpeas. drained and rinsed

-3 cups of packed spinach

-1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add the veggie broth to the pot, along with the ginger, coriander, peas, spinach, red chilli flakes, and chickpeas. Stir to combine and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Let the soup cool slightly before adding it to a blender or food processor and blending until smooth and creamy. Taste and season additionally if needed.

4. Serve warm.


Hearty Vegetable Chilli

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Hi guys! This is truly one of my favourite recipes ever- it’s so full of flavour and VERY hearty, as the name suggests. It’s healthy, vegan, and so so good. I posted the recipe for this chilli just under two years ago, but WITHOUT A PICTURE. So I thought it was time for you guys to see just how good it is😍

Chilli is honestly one of the easiest things you can make, and also one of the most comforting. When I think of a big bowl of this warm chilli, I think of curling up under a blanket after spending the day outside in the cold. The chilli itself has so much delicious flavour, and it’s PACKED with beans and veggies! The more stuff my chilli has in it, the better, and if you agree you’ll adore this recipe.

It starts the way many other delicious things do- with onion and garlic. They get fried up in some olive oil before the spices get added, and become the base of flavour for the chilli. And let me tell you, that is the most technical part of the recipe right there. After that, it’s pretty much just dumping the rest of the ingredients in, giving it a stir, and letting all those aromatics come together in the pot.

Once the chilli is done- you can tell because the carrots will be soft enough to pierce with a fork- I like to scoop out big bowls of it, and top it with some cilantro and chopped green onion. Some hummus would even be great on there too!

All the veg in there is so good- you’ve got tons of corn and carrots, plus black beans, chickpeas, and red kidney beans. This means there’s so much protein and it will definitely fill you up! Perfect for school lunches👌On a related note, this recipe is freezable and therefore great for meal prepping as well. Literally, any situation you’re in, this chilli is applicable.

Make sure you check this chilli out- it’s one of my favourite recipes for a reason!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Hearty Vegetable Chilli

  • Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1 white onion, diced

-3 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 tbsp ground cumin

-1 tbsp chilli powder

-1/2 tbsp dried oregano

-1/2 tbsp paprika

-1/2 tsp chilli powder

-1 large carrot, chopped

-1 cup frozen corn

-1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

-1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

-1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

-1 can of diced or crushed tomatoes

-3 tbsp tomato paste

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes, until translucent. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add all of the spices to the pot and cook for 1 more minute, just to brown them up a bit. Next, dump all of the other ingredients into the pot and give everything a good stir.

3. Bring the chilli to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the carrots can be pierced with a fork.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and serve warm.