Recipe: Sweet Chili Spam Wraps

Take your taste buds on a trip to Mexico... wait, no Hawaii... actually, maybe it's Vietnam? I took some of my favorite flavors from these three places and combined them to make a delicious little wrap. Crispy, salty Spam is balanced with cool cucumber & avocado, and a sweet & spicy chili sauce. Layered on a simple cabbage slaw and a corn tortilla, this recipe is satisfying and gluten free!

Ingredients:

For the sauce

 ½ cup vinegar

  ½ cup water

 ½ cup sugar

 ½ - 1 Tbsp red chili flakes

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp corn starch

For the slaw

 ½ a small cabbage, sliced thinly

 ¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp black pepper

Juice of half a lime

1 can lite Spam

1 small avocado, sliced

 ½ cucumber, julienned

Small corn tortillas

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Make your slaw first so it has time to marinate. Slice up your cabbage, season generously with lime and pepper, then mix in the cilantro.

2. Heat broiler on high

3. In a small saucepan, bring vinegar to a boil. Add all dry ingredients to ½ cup of water and stir well. Add to vinegar. Boil, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

4. Slice spam into 8 pieces. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange Spam. Place under broiler, watching carefully. When the slices are brown and crispy, carefully flip and brown other side.

5. While the Spam is cooking, heat a small frying pan over medium. Heat tortillas, one at a time.

6. To assemble, place a few spoonfuls of slaw on a warm tortilla. Arrange the julienned cucumber and cilantro, then top with sliced Spam. Top the Spam with avocado slices and spoon chili sauce over everything.

Enjoy!

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Cheap & Easy Dinner Ideas

 Whether you're strapped for time or just get tired of cooking, here are some cheap and easy ideas to help you get dinner ready in a snap!

1. Let the spices do the work

No need for complicated recipes and forget that energy sucker known as your stove! With the right seasonings, you can turn simple lunch staples into delicious main courses.

What you'll need:

2-3 tsp  low-sodium taco seasoning -or- 2 tsp hot sauce

2 cans of tuna 

Mayo -or- ripe avocado

½ cup Bell pepper and onion, diced

Tostadas

Salsa for serving

Mix up your tuna like you would for tuna salad sandwiches. Stir in the bell pepper, onion, and taco seasoning or hot sauce. Spread some on the tostada, plop some salsa on top and enjoy!

If you're vegetarian or vegan, you can make the same thing using refried beans. Skip the mayo, and mix the taco seasoning, pepper, and onion into a can of vegetarian refried beans. Heat it up on the stove, then serve it up like you would the tuna or eat it with tortilla chips!

If you have a little extra time, make your own pico de gallo! It's delicious and a great way to get your raw fruit and veg. I add chopped cabbage to mine for more roughage.

2. Get your Omega-3s without spending a fortune

I know that fish is best for you, if you're gonna eat animals, but it's sooo expensive and sooo gross to handle, that I almost always use canned fish. Sardines are your best choice. They are more sustainable than other canned fish, have high levels of Omega-3s and low levels of mercury. Here's a an easy pasta dish featuring sardines and just 5 other ingredients!

3. Eggs aren't just for breakfast!

I will eat a poached egg on top of just about anything. They're delicious on rice, noodles, beans, sandwiches and even sauteed vegetables! They add a satisfying kick of protein and are a cinch to cook. Not to mention they're cheap! Even if you buy the organic dozen, one egg will cost you less than 45¢ (on average). If you've never poached an egg, here are some simple directions.

4. Ok, maybe eggs are just for breakfast

If you're not into eggs over beans, then why not just have breakfast for dinner? It's one of the simplest, most satisfying meals of the day, so why dismiss the toast just because it's 6pm? So fry up an egg, slice up some fruit, and enjoy your toast! For more ideas, read this post on breakfast basics made better, or try this simple recipe for peaches and toast.

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Recipe: Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato & Quinoa

I will eat pretty much anything that contains raisins. I just love how they plump up when you cook them. Combine them with spices and coconut butter and I am completely smitten! The best part is that this dish is really good for you. It's full of fiber & anti-inflammatory spices, plus it's vegetarian and gluten free!

Ingredients:

2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cumin, ground or whole

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

pinch of cayenne

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 tomato, diced

½ cup raisins

½ cup quinoa

½ cup lentils, rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

1 container plain yogurt

1. Start by heating the coconut oil on medium heat. Add the spices and bay leaf and cook till hot and fragrant. Stir them pretty consistently & careful not to burn them. Pour into small bowl and set aside.

2. Add remaining coconut oil to hot pan and saute onions, sweet potato, and tomato for about 5 minutes.

3. Add spice mix, raisins & lentils and stir to coat. Add vegetable broth. Make sure the broth covers everything by about 1/2 inch. If it doesn't, add some water.

4. Bring to a boil, stir then reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes

5. Add quinoa and cook for another 20 minutes, or until both lentils & grain are soft. 

6. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt (this can be omitted to make the dish vegan!) 

Serve and enjoy!

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6 Ingredients or Less: Spicy Sardine Pasta

This is a great recipes if you're in a rush, but still need a good meal. It's also perfect if you're just feeling lazy (i.e. me, most of the time). My favorite part of this recipe is the fact that it includes two super foods (kale & fish) with minimal effort involved.

If you don't like spicy food, just switch out spicy sardines for ones packed in water.

Ingredients:

2 packages fresh pasta noodles

1 jar marinara sauce

1 tin sardines in Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 bunch kale

Parmesan, to taste

Directions:

1. Follow the directions on the package for cooking the pasta.

2. While your water is heating, trim off the tough ends on the kale stems and discard. Cut the kale into slices and set aside.

3. In a separate sauce pan, heat the marinara sauce over medium. Add the sardines. Try not to add too much of the hot sauce unless you like your food very spicy.

4. Toss the kale in with the noodles right before taking them off the stove to drain. This will cook the leafy greens just enough. Drain both the noodles and kale in a colander.

5. Lastly, you can serve the sauce over top of the pasta, or toss the noodles in the sauce (I prefer this method).

6. Serve topped with a little Parmesan and black pepper.

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Recipe: Sausage & Kale Over Polenta

My husband said this is one of the best dishes I've ever made, so I thought it might be a good one to post on the blog! Hopefully it turns out as well for you! Let me know if you have any problems or if any of the directions are unclear.

Serves 3 to 4 people

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for the polenta

½ Onion, thinly sliced

3 links Italian chicken sausage, sliced

1 bunch of Kale, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

3 banana/wax peppers, seeded and sliced

½ cup mild Italian pickled vegetables, plus Tbsp brine

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup fresh Basil, chopped

1 can Artichoke Hearts

1 tube Polenta, sliced

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:

1. Turn on the broiler to low. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and arrange the polenta slices. Drizzle with more oil. Broil until golden brown. Flip each slice, drizzle with a little more oil and broil.

2. In a deep sided saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft.

3. Add the sausage and cook thoroughly.

4. Stir in the kale, garlic, peppers and pickled vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes.

5. Lastly, add the basil, artichokes, vinegar, pickle brine, and pepper flakes. Saute an additional 5 minutes.

6. Serve over the polenta.