Sweet Potatoes + Leafy Greens to Fight Depression

February 8, 2019 by Brooke 137 Comments

I struggle with depression and anxiety. I know that what I eat plays a huge role in how I feel, and it is that way for everyone! There are certain foods that are high in specific vitamins, phytochemical and antioxidants that will improve your mood, regulate your blood sugar, and produce positive neurotransmitters.

The first recipe in my Foods that Fight Depression series is this simple saute of sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, kale, and turmeric to battle your depressed mood and even you out. It’s also completely vegan and gluten free!

I chose these vegetables specifically because of what they contain and how their nutrient content affects the human brain and the human body.

Kale

Kale is a leafy green, and leafy greens are some of the most nutrient dense vegetables out there. Leafy greens such as kale, collard greens and spinach are high in Antioxidants which help repair cells – yes even brain cells which can improve cognitive health. They contain fiber which helps with digestion and can also help regulate blood sugar which will improve your overall mood, and they’re high in Vitamins Folate and B6. Folate is necessary to repair neurotransmitters – the things that send signals in your brain, and B6 helps turn tryptophan into serotonin – which is the neurotransmitter responsible for maintaining mood balance.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are packed with something called lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant that helps reduce stress, and also repairs damaged brain cells. For people like me who are also overcoming alcohol abuse, we need all the help we can get in repairing our brain cells so we can return our frontal cortex back to it’s highest state. Some studies show that eating a tomato a day can reduce effects of depression by up to 52%.

Turmeric

Turmeric contains a phytochemical known as curcumin. Curcumin is known to act against inflammatory responses linked to depression. It increases the growth and survival of nerve cells as well.

Garlic

Garlic is high in antioxidants which help to repair nerve and cell damage in the body. They fight against free radicals – which are thought to cause cancer and are often linked to the formation of other diseases. Garlic is also high in allicin which has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Onions

Onions also contain allicin which can help fight cancer in the gut. A healthy digestive tract can also alleviate negative moods due to the anti-inflammatory flavonoid antioxidants they contain.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are extremely high in Vitamin B6. A detriment of this Vitamin has been linked to symptoms of depression in many studies. These are also a low-carb alternative to regular potatoes. Sticking to healthier carbs can also increase your mood and lower your chance of cancer, weight gain and feeling bloated – which can also contribute to a depressed mood in many people.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms help to regulate your blood insulin which helps lower your blood sugar and can even out your mood. Mushrooms also have probiotic affects and promote healthy bacteria in your digestive tract. The nerve cells in our gut actually produce about 80 to 90% of the serotonin in our body. Again, serotonin is the critical neurotransmitter that helps to regulate our moods. Focusing on our intestinal health is a major component in combatting depression and anxiety.

The first step is to par-boil your sweet potato, and cut it into cubes. If you don’t par-boil it you’ll need to cook them separately from the other items so they can cook through. I started off with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and I cooked my garlic and onions until fragrant. Next I added my sweet potatoes, turmeric, kale, tomatoes, and mushrooms. I also seasoned lightly with salt and pepper.

Next I added about 1 tablespoon of water, reduced the heat to low and covered.

This is a very lightly cooked meal – as keeping vegetables to their most raw form is the best way to maintain their nutrient content.

I cooked my mushrooms through, and made sure the kale was a bright green but still had a bite to it. If you don’t like the bite of kale, you can use spinach in it’s place!

Then I put everything into this beautiful Denby pottery bowl and topped with cilantro and green onion. Did you know that cilantro can also stimulate brain activity and make you more productive? This can also improve your mood.

Sweet Potatoes + Leafy Greens to Fight Depression

Ingredients

- 1 small sweet potato - par boiled and diced
- 1/2 small yellow onion - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - finely diced
- 2 leaves of kale - chopped
- 1 roma tomato - diced
- 2 tablespoons ground Turmeric
- 5 mushrooms - sliced
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil - for cooking
- Green onions and Cilantro for garnish
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Start by par boiling your sweet potatoes and dicing them.
Heat a nonstick skillet to medium and grease with your coconut oil.
Add in your onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and your garlic is fragrant. About 1 minute.
Add in your sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale and mushrooms and season to taste with turmeric, salt and pepper.
Place 1 tablespoon of water in the pan, turn heat to low and cover.
Cook for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked and the kale is bright green.
Garnish with green onions and cilantro.

https://the-babbling-brooke.com/sweet-potatoes-leafy-greens-to-fight-depression/

Brooke’s Pork Loin BBQ Ribs

May 26, 2016 by Brooke 965 Comments

Spicy BBQ Ribs

Over the years I have tried to perfect my pork loin bbq ribs and I was finally able to do so! These are my delicious, spicy bbq ribs with homemade BBQ sauce. The secret to these ribs is really in the cook time. Pork ribs are so flavorful on their own, the main thing you need to focus on is cooking them in the oven before they hit the grill! Oh also, taking off the membrane is an incredibly important step. If you don’t do this…you’ll have tough ribs that are pretty hard to eat!

I started off with these meaty pork loin back ribs. I feel like these are more manageable when it comes to taking the membrane off. A lot of other cuts seem to have a tougher membrane that is harder to remove, so I’ve been using these.

First things first, heat your oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit. We’re going low and slow baby!

Next, I took off the membrane! I used a paring knife to slide underneath the corner of the membrane first.

Then I used a paper towel to get a better grip on the slippery membrane. Then just pull! Next, season those beautiful bbq ribs! I put mine on a foil lined baking sheet, then I liberally seasoned them up!

Then you’re going to wrap them up TIGHT with foil to keep in all of the steam. I use about 3-4 sheets to make sure every corner is covered! Stick them in the oven for 2 1/2 – 3 hours. At 2 hours, I take them out and see how they look. If it’s easy to remove from the bone, then it’s ready to go!

Then slather them with BBQ sauce and get them onto a heated grill. Delicious!

You can use any store-bought BBQ sauce that you want, or make your own from scratch! Check out the recipe for my spicy BBQ sauce or my whiskey BBQ sauce recipe. Both are delicious and super easy to make!

Enjoy with a delicious side such as my Avocado Potato Salad, or my Cauliflower Rice. You can also make some pretty rockin’ side dishes with Boar’s Head like I did here that are PERFECT for grilling season!

Just look at that sauce! Check out the YouTube video at this link !

Brooke’s Pork Loin Back Ribs

Ingredients

- Pork Loin Back Ribs
- Smoked Paprika
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Garlic Salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 275/300 degrees fahrenheit.
Open up your pork ribs and dry them with paper towels.
Remove the membrane and dry again.
Season both sides of the ribs liberally. Cut back on the salt if you're using a pre made seasoning like the one mentioned above, because they already contain a lot of salt.
Place ribs on a foil lined baking sheet and cover tightly with foil.
Put the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
After the 2 1/2 - 3 hours are up, slather with bbq sauce and place on the grill until they get a nice char. Should be about 10 minutes per side.
Slather with bbq sauce again once the ribs are cooked, and enjoy!

https://the-babbling-brooke.com/brookes-bbq-ribs/

Cilantro Lime Chicken

March 1, 2016 by Brooke 107 Comments

Cilantro Lime Chicken

I have this thing about grilling. I love to do it. Whether I’m grilling up a rack of ribs, grilling the corn in a salad, or grilled up some delicious vegetables…grilling is my thing! This time I decided to grill a simple chicken breast seasoned with some of my favorite mexican inspired tastes like cilantro, lime, cumin and chili powder.

This cilantro lime chicken is then grilled to perfection so it’s super tender and moist and full of mouthwatering flavor.

To start, these are the ingredients. This recipe makes 2 chicken breasts pounded thin. I like to pound my breasts thin and then season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Next I place all of my ingredients into a ziplock bag. I like using the bag rather than a bowl because I can more easily keep everything in one place and also keep the splatter down. Since we’re dealing with raw chicken here the last thing we want is to splash any of the raw chicken juices around our kitchen.

This cilantro lime chicken is a little different because I decided to add a tablespoon of dijon mustard! I think it really adds a depth of flavor and it masks itself beneath the other ingredients so it’s just a nice little hint of the dijon flavor. If you’re not into dijon don’t worry! It really is subtle and adds a lot to this recipe.

I always place one of the halves of the lime in the bag with the chicken. Not sure why but… that’s just what I do! I ended up only using 1 whole lime for the marinade. You can use two if you’d like, but I had a feeling it would make it way too acidic, especially since I didn’t add anything sweet into the mix (like agave ) to counter it. Please, feel free to add a tablespoon of agave if you’re feeling a little sweet! I’m sure that would’ve made a delicious addition!

Next you’re going to grill on high for about 10 minutes total until your chicken is nice and charred on the outside. Then place them on the top rack and turn your grill off. Keep it closed and let sit for another 2-5 minutes.

Pounding the breasts thin is what really makes this recipe cook so quickly so I highly recommend it!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients

- 2 chicken breasts pounded thin
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 - 2 limes, juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
- cilantro as garnish

Instructions

To start, pound your chicken breaststhin so they are even all the way across.
Next, salt and pepper your chicken on both sides and place in a ziplock bag.
Add all ingredients to the ziplock and close. Mix around so your breasts are coated evenly.
Sit outside of the fridge until your breasts reach room temperature, or inside the fridge overnight.
Always allow your protein to come to room temperature before cooking.
Heat your gas grill to high. Once the grill is hot, place your chicken breasts on the grates horizontally.
Cook for about 2 minutes and rotate 180 degrees. Cook for about another 2 minutes.
Flip to the other side and do the same.
Move your chicken to the top rack and turn your heat to off.
Let sit for about 2 more minutes.
Total cook time will be about 10 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.

https://the-babbling-brooke.com/cilantro-lime-chicken/

Chickpea Tikka Masala

February 24, 2016 by Brooke 96 Comments

CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA

I’m a big lover of indian food. I always order my indian food from the same place, and the other day I was really craving some. I didn’t have the money to order in, and I didn’t have any chicken to make some at home. So I decided to flex my vegan recipe muscles and make a vegan chickpea tikka masala in my crockpot! I already had all of the ingredients, so I decided to just go for it and give it a shot.

I was pleased with the outcome so I decided to shoot it and share it with all of you!

Now, for this chickpea tikka masala you have these options for the tomatoes and the chickpeas.

You can either drain and rinse the canned chickpeas and use a can of tomatoes with the juice, or you can use the juice from the chickpeas and use fresh tomatoes, peeled. I went with the second option!

Then all you need to do is toss everything into the crockpot and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you’d like to make this chickpea tikka masala a bit saucier, add a little bit of tomato paste and veggie broth to make it a bit saucier like traditional tikka masala!

You could add a teaspoon of tomato paste and 1/3 cup of vegetable broth. Mix that around and season to taste with salt and pepper and maybe add a dash of chili flakes too!

This chickpea tikka masala is so easy to make, that’s why I LOVE crockpots so much. Usually a greek yogurt is used, but I used a super thick coconut cream, and you can use any dairy free yogurt if you’d like this recipe vegan!

Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6 hours on low! Then pour it over this delicious cauliflower rice recipe for a super low carb meal, or cook up some simple basmati rice! I made a simple cauliflower rice with riced cauliflower sautéed in garlic with coconut oil, and tossed in some frozen green peas and a dash of turmeric! Delicious!

Top this tasty beauty with fresh cilantro and crushed red pepper! Delicious!

Vegan Chickpea Tikka Masala

Ingredients

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed if you're using canned tomatoes, or with the juice if you're using fresh tomatoes.
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- Either 1 16 oz can of stewed whole tomatoes with the juice, or about 1 cup of peeled fresh tomatoes
- Cilantro
- 1/3 cup coconut cream
- 1 small jalapeño, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 lime - juiced
- salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Take all of your ingredients and throw them in the crockpot!
Cook for 3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low.
Top with fresh cilantro and serve over a bed of cauliflower rice or white rice.
So simple, don't you just LOVE crockpot recipes!?

https://the-babbling-brooke.com/chickpea-tikka-masala/

Oscar Mayer Selects Natural Roasted Turkey and Vegetable Sandwich

February 19, 2016 by Brooke 114 Comments

I love a good sandwich. Especially one that’s nutrition – focused and uses Oscar Mayer Selects Naturals Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast. This lunch meat has no artificial ingredients and you can really taste it! I do like to use lunch meat in non bread recipes too, but sometimes you just need a great sandwich, and either way Oscar Mayer Selects Natural is perfect for anyone looking for high quality lunch meat with a great taste.

Although I don’t eat a ton of bread, when I eat a healthier version of bread – such as sprouted grain bread, I do enjoy a great sandwich every once in awhile. The meat is the center of the sandwich and every other flavor is just complementary, so it’s super important to purchase meat that tastes fresh and has a really nice flavor.

These are the ingredients I went with… because these are some of the ingredients I picked up at the Farmer’s market as well as the grocery store! I used about 6 pieces of the Oscar Mayer roasted turkey which is a single serving size, two slices of sprouted grain bread, one slice of pepper jack cheese, low fat mayo, fresh basil leaves, grilled red peppers and onions, and a handful of arugula.

Oscar Mayer Selects Naturals has a sweet, smokey flavor that I just LOVED! I thought it would pair well with some lightly charred vegetables and a sweet, spicy, and smokey aioli. The triple S! I had no idea how this combination would taste, but I went with it and I must say it turned out great. I paired a low-fat mayo with a teaspoon of chipotle powder and fresh basil leaves.

Then I muddled them together in a mortar and pestle to really incorporate the fresh basil with everything else. You can just thinly slice your basil and mix with a fork, I’m sure that would work out well too!

Then I toasted my Ezekiel sprouted grain bread and spread a nice layer of the sauce on. My portion size was literally a teaspoon of the sauce.

Then I stacked my sandwiches! First I started with the cheese, then the Oscar Mayer sandwich meat, then the roasted veggies, avocado, and arugula!

This sandwich really fits into my health-focused lifestyle because it uses sprouted grain bread, fresh vegetables, and a sandwich meat that is really high quality.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Oscar Mayer Selects Naturals I highly suggest that you do! I’m not just saying this because it’s a sponsored post. I’m just being honest. This lunch meat is delicious! Even my boyfriend was surprised by how delicious, fresh, and natural the meat tasted. It really tasted like fresh shaved deli meat!

If you’re on the social side, which we all are nowadays, you can check them out on their website on OscarMayer.com, Facebook at Facebook.com/OscarMayer, Twitter at @OscarMayer and on Tumblr at OscarMayer.Tumblr.com !

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Spaghetti Squash with Sun Dried Tomatoes

February 17, 2016 by Brooke 1,586 Comments

Spaghetti Squash “Pasta”

I’m a huge spaghetti squash fan. Just as I use zucchini squash to make zucchini pasta, I use spaghetti squash to make a healthy version of “spaghetti.” This recipe is so delicious, I’m gonna make it again as soon as possible. It features spaghetti squash , sun dried tomatoes, lots of garlic and onion, spinach, chicken breast and feta cheese! You’ll fall in love just as I did…trust me!

To start, you’ll want to saute your onions, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes in 1tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter.

Once your onions are translucent, add in your chicken and cook through. About 5-7 minutes. Add in your spaghetti squash and cook that down a bit.

Finally, add in your spinach, butter, and a bit of feta cheese. (reserve a little for topping) At this point you can also season to taste with salt and pepper. I also added a bit of veggie broth just to add a but more moisture before I put the top on.

Put the top on so the all of the ingredients can melt together a bit, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Top with feta and green onions, and a bit of red chili flakes and enjoy!

This is such an amazing alternative to pasta. Although you can’t quite “slurp” it like you would with spaghetti or angel hair, you’ll feel better at the end because you can eat twice as much with little to no guilt! I’m all about making comfort foods healthy (like I do on my YouTube channel) so this is one of those recipes that I just make over and over!

You can swap out the chicken and cheese and make this baby vegan, too. Or if you’re still into eating cheese, make it vegetarian! Sub in some tofu in place of the chicken, or just load on the veggies! Whatever you do, do not cut out the sundried tomatoes. They really make this dish amazing!

Spaghetti Squash with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

- 1/2 spaghetti squash - roasted
- 1/2 jar sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 1/2 yellow onion - diced
- 3 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 chicken breast - seasoned with salt and pepper and diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt + pepper
- feta cheese

Instructions

To start, roast your butternut squash. Cut your squash in half, set your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit, scoop out the seeds, and set your squash face down on a baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork.
Scoop out one half of the squash per person.
Saute the sun dried tomatoes, onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add in your chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the spaghetti squash to the mixture and the butter.
Reduce the heat to medium and cover with a top.
Cook until the squash is warm and the chicken is cooked.
Top with feta cheese and green onions and enjoy!

https://the-babbling-brooke.com/spaghetti-squash-with-sundried-tomatoes/

Crockpot Beef Stew

January 20, 2016 by Brooke 104 Comments

CROCKPOT BEEF STEW

This crockpot beef stew reminds me of my childhood. Growing up my mom wasn’t a very big cook. My dad was a big fan of juicy chicken thighs, grilled steak, and fries. My mom only had two recipes she cooked, and cooked really well. One was spaghetti with meat sauce, and the other was a delicious, comforting beef stew!

In this recipe I opted for the crockpot because it’s a simple way to make your favorite slow cooked recipes, and all you have to do is throw all of the ingredients in, set the timer, and walk away! The beef in this recipe is so tender while the veggies aren’t mushy or overdone. Everything in this recipe is perfectly done, and I’m so excited to share it with you!

The thing about stews is the preparation of the ingredients can take a bit of time! You have to chop your veggies and brown your meat, but thanks to the crockpot once that’s done…the rest of the cook time is completely inactive! All you have to do is push a button and wait! Not to mention, once the time is up the crockpot does an amazing job of keeping your meal warm!

The first thing I did was season my meat! I used 2 lbs of chuck beef, and diced it into cubes. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, chili flakes and smoked paprika. Heat up a cast iron skillet with a couple tablespoons of butter, and prepare to brown your meat!

Brown your meet on all sides in your cast iron skillet, but do not cook through! If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, don’t worry! A stainless still frying pan or even a nonstick can work! I like the cast iron because it really makes the beef browned on the outside and raw on the inside.

Once your meat is browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side (your skillet must be super hot for this!) you’ll add in your 1/3 cup of flour. You can use whole wheat flour, or even coconut flour.

Mix your flour in, and once that’s done you can start adding all of the crockpot beef stew ingredients into the crockpot!

Once you’ve added your ingredients, pour in your 3 cups chicken broth and 2 cups of water, and season to taste with salt and pepper if you need it!

Cook on high for 3 hours and you’ve got an amazingly delicious crockpot beef stew for two, for the next couple of days!

Crockpot Beef Stew

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Serving Size: 1 bowl

Ingredients

- 2 lbs chuck beef - cubed
- 4 roma tomatoes - peeled and cubed
- 1/2 medium yellow onion - diced
- 1/2 small red onion - diced
- 2 carrots - cut into rounds and halved
- 2 stalks of celery - cut into 2 inch pieces
- 3 red potatoes - cubed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tsp bay leaves, or one bay leaf
- Salt + Pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons worcestire sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water

Instructions

First, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet on high heat.
Mix the meat with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika. Coat well and brown both sides.
Add 1/4 cup of flour to the mixture and remove to a plate.
Place all ingredients in a crockpot. Season to taste with salt and pepper
Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-7 hours.

https://the-babbling-brooke.com/crockpot-beef-stew/

Lettuce Wrapped Turkey Burger with Bacon

January 8, 2016 by Brooke 149 Comments

I’m talking about food, of course!

Lettuce Wrapped Turkey Burger with Bacon

I’m a huge burger girl! I love beef burgers most, but I also try to avoid eating TOO much red meat, so my substitute? A turkey burger stuffed with BACON. That’s right…smokey, sweet, uncured, delicious bits of bacon make this lean (and sometimes dry) turkey meat into something succulent and flavorful.

For this lettuce wrapped burger I started with these ingredients, but feel free to substitute out the arugula, tomatoes and avocados for any toppings of your choice! Sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, or even coleslaw would be great choices! The chopped onion and bacon go inside the burger, so those we’re gonna keep because the flavors are amazing!

Next, you’ll mix together the turkey with the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper…and mix well! Don’t form your burger into a patty though, this is called a smash burger. It sears in the juices and is a much easier way to get even cooking!

I’ve also used the smash burger technique with these adorable little BLT Smash Burgers featuring Pretzilla pretzel buns! For this one, I opted out of the Cheat Day Eats, and decided for a healthy comfort food recipe instead!

Then you cook the burger for about 10 minutes, 5 minutes per side. Turn off the heat and cover with the top. Let rest for about 5 minutes and then stack on your piece of either iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce! Butter lettuce is healthier, but I opted for Iceberg because it was 99 cents a head, and I jut can’t turn down a good deal! I’m the queen of saving money!

You can also make a delicious aioli of some sort, or just top with store bought ketchup! You could make a BBQ sauce and spread this delicious turkey burger with it’s smokey, spicy goodness, or just eat it plain! The opportunities are endless!

Lettuce Wrapped Turkey Burger with Bacon

Ingredients

- 1/2 lb ground turkey
- 1 handful arugula
- 1/2 sliced tomato
- 1/2 sliced avocado
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp chopped onion
- 1 piece bacon - chopped
- smoked paprika to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- Iceberg or butter lettuce for wrapping

Instructions

Add together your turkey, bacon, onions, onion powder, garlic powder, smoke paprika, salt and pepper together.
Heat a nonstick skillet to medium high. Plop your mixture into the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes each side.
Once done, turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Load up your turkey burger on the piece of lettuce and enjoy!

https://the-babbling-brooke.com/turkey-burger-with-bacon/

Carne Asada Tacos – Guilt Free

December 29, 2015 by Brooke 133 Comments

CARNE ASADA TACOS

These carne asada tacos are guilt free! They feature a small portion of meat, and NO corn tortilla! I substitute the tortilla with a piece of romaine lettuce. It’s the perfect alternative to tortillas in this recipe. Carne aside is delicious. I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but when I do I like to grill it, or simply cook it and toss it into some lettuce and just dig in!

First I marinated my skirt steak! I tossed it into a bowl with 1/2 lime – juiced, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, and a little smoked paprika.

I let that sit while I prepped the rest. I cooked down 1/4 of a red onion and about 5 mushrooms in a pan until they were cooked well. I set those aside as a topping! I also turned half of an avocado into my favorite guacamole recipe. I also cut up some tomato, red onion and cilantro…and made a little salsa by mixing it with vinegar!

I cut my romaine lettuce into a few pieces to use as “taco shells” for the cooked carne asada! Cook the carne aside for about 4 minutes each side and slice across the grain. After eating these I realized I should’ve cut the meat into cubes, so do that for ease of eating!

I placed my “taco shells” into little ramekins and started stacking all of my ingredients!

I realized it was cute for pictures, but not really convenient for eating, so I swapped them out for a regular old plate.

Pick that baby up and enjoy your carne aside taco even more because you still feel light and guilt free after you’re done!

You can also use this lettuce in place of any taco shell; whether you’re having chicken tacos, carnitas, or veggie…these lettuce wraps will make your next taco Tuesday extra healthy and extra tasty!

Mexican Style One Pot Chicken and Rice

October 29, 2015 by Brooke 138 Comments

One Pot Chicken and Rice

I’m a big chicken and rice fan. Especially a healthy dinner recipe like this that you can toss into one pot and let it go. No worry that you’ll be cleaning up for the rest of the night…just one pot to clean and then you’re good to go! This recipe substitutes the rice for a healthier alternative, cauliflower rice. The taste is still delicious, but it’s lighter so you won’t feel weighed down or bloated after you’re done indulging!

A simple one pot chicken and riced cauliflower recipe for a low carb option of chicken and rice! Since you have your chicken you don’t need your whole grain to complete this dish as a full protein. | The Babbling Brooke @babblingbmarie

First I seasoned the chicken thighs so I could sear them off. I sprinkled them generously on both sides with cumin, ancho chili, salt, pepper, and chipotle. season to your taste preference, but I used about a teaspoon to 2 teaspoons of each.

This is a simple one pot chicken and rice recipe that uses riced cauliflower instead of regular white rice! This makes it an awesome low carb option and it’s really delicious!

Heat your cast iron skillet to medium high and grease the pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Throw in your jalapeños, onions, and garlic once the butter melts and cook until translucent. Next you’re going to brown your chicken thighs on both sides. About 2 minutes each side.

This one pot chicken and rice isn’t even using rice! It uses riced cauliflower so it’s super low carb and easy to make! | The Babbling Brooke | @babblingbmarie | the-babbling-brooke.com

Once you do that, remove your chicken thighs to a plate so you can add in the rest of the goodness! At this point you can also preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add in the mushrooms and tomatoes and then the cauliflower rice and black beans. I also chopped up a little bit of cilantro and tossed that in too. Stir it all together and season to taste with your cumin, ancho chili powder (or just regular chili powder), salt, pepper and chipotle. I used about another 2 teaspoons for this.

This one pot chicken and rice isn’t even using rice! It uses riced cauliflower so it’s super low carb and easy to make! | The Babbling Brooke | @babblingbmarie | the-babbling-brooke.com

Bake at 350 uncovered for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle with cheese and bake for about another 5 minutes or until your cheese is fully melted. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, red onions, and green onions.

This one pot chicken and rice isn’t even using rice! It uses riced cauliflower so it’s super low carb and easy to make! | The Babbling Brooke | @babblingbmarie | the-babbling-brooke.com

Enjoy, because this one is easy, quick, and oh so good!