October 2017 - Page 5 of 5 - Garlic & Olive Oil Veins

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato

Today I didn’t plan anything special for dinner. I have an appointment and will just made a quick salad when I got home. I still wanted to share with you one of my dishes today. It’s therapeutic for me and needed after a day like today. I made this a few weeks back and I can’t wait to make it again soon.

Mexican chicken stuffed sweet potato! I’ve done something similar with BBQ chicken in a sweet potato but this was a different take. It’s very filling and healthy all at the same time. Most of these items can be prepped ahead of time and just put together when ready to eat. Below are the instructions for assembling the sweet potatoes and also for the Salsa chicken. I use the Salsa Chicken often. So you will see me refer to that recipe from time to time. It’s a very versatile recipe and can be used in a lot of dishes. See below for the recipe.

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato
Makes 2 stuffed sweet potatoes

Ingredients:
10 oz Salsa chicken (See recipe below)
2 6 oz sweet potatoes, baked
3 T reduced fat shredded cheese
2 T light sour cream
1/2 cup reduced sodium black beans
1 T chopped red onion
2 oz guacamole
2 T salsa

To assemble: Cut sweet potato half way, not all the way through. Add 5 oz of chicken than top with 1/4 cup black beans, 1/2 T of onion, 1 T of cheese and finish off with salsa, guacamole and sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese. Eat immediately! Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:
4 Large chicken breasts
2 T low sodium taco seasoning
2 cups jarred salsa

Directions: Add chicken breast to the crock pot sprinkle top with 2 T of low sodium taco seasoning and 2 cups salsa. Cook on high 4-6 hours or on low 8-10. 1 hour before the time is up shredded chicken in crock pot and mix well and let cook the rest of the time.

Note: This will make more than needed for this recipe but it’s great for other dishes or to freeze!

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October 2, 2017

garlicandoliveoilveins2 Comments

Scallop Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Crema

Happy Sunday! Where has the weekend gone? I can’t believe tomorrow is Monday already!

It’s Taco Sunday tonight at my house! I made scallop tacos. It’s funny because a few years back I wouldn’t touch a fish or shrimp taco. I fully believed that tacos were meant for steak or chicken. It wasn’t that I didn’t like shrimp or fish because I love both those things. I just thought it was weird to put that on a taco. Fast forward a few years later and I love them! I make shrimp tacos often but today I wanted to try something out of the box. That is where scallop tacos came from. Scallops have a mild sweet flavor and I thought it would pair well with certain flavors in a taco. Check out the recipe and give it a try. It’s a good take on a taco and great for a dinner party. It’s sure to wow your guest and make a lasting impression with this elevated taco dish.

Scallop Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Crema

Ingredients:
16 sea scallops, rinsed
1 T low sodium taco seasoning
1/2 T olive oil
Sprinkle: salt
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled or chopped small
4 tortillas, taco size

Avocado Cilantro Crema

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup + 1 T light sour cream
1 bunch cilantro
2 limes, juiced
1 jalapeño, seeds removed (keep seeds in if you want a spicier taste)
1 T milk
1 t salt (more to taste)

Directions: In a blender or a food processor add all ingredients for the avocado crema. Mix until smooth. If it’s too thick just add a little more milk. Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the scallops, heat a medium saute pan on high. Sprinkle the scallops with the taco seasoning and salt. Once pan is heated add in the olive oil and scallops and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. They will get a little dark in color from the taco seasoning however it’s not burnt. Once scallops are done, set on a paper towel. Heat the tortillas in a paper towel in the microwave for 30 seconds. Next assemble the tacos. Place 4 scallops on the tortilla and top with sliced onion, cheese and finish it off with the avocado cilantro crema. Serve immediately. Then enjoy!

Notes: Make sure you rinse your the scallops. You don’t want to feel sand in your mouth. You can add only 3 scallops to each tortilla if you’d like. The sea scallops I used were a little smaller then normal so I put 4 on each tortilla. The sauce should last in the refrigerator for a few days. The lime juice should keep the avocado from turning brown.

October 1, 2017March 2, 2019

garlicandoliveoilveins1 Comment

Where The Name Garlic & Olive Oil Veins Came From?

Happy October!!! This post is going to be about my Dad. I have had a lot of people compliment the name of my blog and social media accounts. I’ve been asked where the name came from. It actually came from my Dad. Here’s why….It all started back when I was in culinary school. I was coming home from my cooking classes and I was preparing everything we had learned in school. During that time my Dad, 58 had being diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. He was so excited for me to be taking these classes. I remember sitting with him at his chemo and we’d just talk about all I was learning. As difficult as it was it was quality time with him where we just talked while he ate a cheeseburger. He always wanted a cheeseburger from the hospital cafeteria. I always remember that. My Dad later passed away 9 months after he was diagnosed. I was just 21 years old.

During that time I was in school I use to use an excessive amount of garlic and olive oil. Don’t get me wrong I still use a lot but I know how to use it now. When I was going to school it was way, way, way too much for any dish. He use to say to me that I had garlic and olive oil running through my veins. And that’s how the name came to be.

It’s definitely a homage to my Dad, who’s no longer with us. I wish he was still here so I could be in the kitchen with him again. He taught me so much before he passed away. I still remember him trying to show me as much as possible the last few months of his life. One thing I remember was he showed me how to fully clean and prepare fresh mussels. I can still hear him in the kitchen, telling me how the mussels that are open are bad and needed to be thrown out. It’s funny how you remember things so well when a memory is all you have.

So, that’s how it started…The name came from him and something he use to say to me. I miss him a lot and I know he’d love to see what I was up to now. He’d be all about this new adventure. I know he’s for sure watching over me and my whole family. I miss him so much.