Tuna Cakes with Sriracha Aoli

Crab cakes?? Who needs them…

Low-cost tuna makes for a fantastic family weeknight meal! Plus it is affordable. I personally lay on a bed of lettuce, but you could just add some cut veggies to dip in that amazing sriracha aioli!!

This is also a very great option to make ahead for lunches in the week!

Enjoy!

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Ingredients:

Tuna Cakes:

• 3 cans of tuna, drained

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

• 2 green onions, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs, I use gluten-free

• 1 tbsp honey mustard

• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan

• 1 egg

• whole lemon, squeezed for juice

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/4 cup greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp mayo

• 1/8 tsp cayenne

• 1 cup-ish of avocado oil for frying

Sriracha Sauce:

• 1 cup mayo

• 2 tbsp sriracha sauce

• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Mix and drizzle!! Keeps for a week in the frig!

Putting Together:

1. Combine all ingredients together and MIX. Let it sit while you start the oil or air fryer

2. Add the oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Place on medium heat till for about 5-10 to a place that you see small bubbles on the pan.

3. After the oil is started and almost to temp, start making pattis. This will make 7-8 pattis. or you can make larger and less.

4. I place 3-4 patties in the oil and cook about 5-8 minutes on each side. They should be golden brown. One flip once as that can be delicate when flipping.

5. Serve on a bed of lettuce and drizzle with the sriracha aoili. Dinner is served,or Lunch!!

Chicken Pesto Quesadilla with Balsamic Glaze

We will keep running forward with the Pesto theme! Again it is more of an idea to spark you all to think a bit outside the traditional box and have some fun with your food. Quesadillas are a fantastic base to play with flavors and bring some variety to your meal rotation. I loved adding the punch of balsamic glaze ( a huge favorite of mine) to the pesto and a little red onion just, wow!! Have a blast with this family pleaser.

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Ingredients:

• Large Tortilla Shells

• 2-4 tbsp of Pesto per Quesadilla

• 1/4-1/3 cup of Mexican melty Cheese ( my favorite)

• Leftover slices (or shredded) of cooked Chicken

• Slices of Grape Tomatoes

• Thinly slice Red Onions

• Drizzle of Balsamic Glaze

Putting together:

First: Heat a griddle to medium heat, lay one tortilla on the griddle for 30 seconds, and then flip

Second: Spread about a tbsp or so onto the tortilla, then add the cheese.

Third: Top with chicken, tomato, and onion.

Fourth: Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Fifth: Once the cheese is mostly melted, do the flip. You will flip the tortilla in half. It will look like a half-moon. I continue to cook for another 5-8 minutes to get the golden color on the shell.

ENJOY!

Instant Pot Veggie Loaded Creamy Peanut Butter Pork

If you are looking for a FAST, SIMPLE, ONE POT Meal. I have got you covered! Thanks to Spice Shack Asian Booster Pack this recipe will not lack flavor! Honestly, I am always looking for a way to incorporate veggies into our meals and Asian food makes my job easier!. Even if you have picky eaters, this creamy peanut butter sauce will win them over. Yes, this is a great hack for encouraging kids to try new things with familiar flavors.

Feel free to play with the veggies used. Even make with ground beef, turkey, or chicken. Allergies to nuts. No worries you can use Tahini (ground sesame seeds) as a substitution!

The Sauce:

• 1 cup Coconut Milk

• 1/2 cup Gluten Free Soy Sauce

• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter (or other Nut butter)

• 1 tbsp Honey

• 1 tsp Sriracha

• 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar

• 1/2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

• 2 tsp Garlic

• 1-2 tsp freshly grated Ginger

The Pot:

• 1 pound Ground Pork

• 2 Red Peppers, sliced

• 2 cups Mushrooms, sliced

• 2 cups Broccoli

• 1/2 Onion, diced

• 2 Garlic, pressed

• 1 tbsp oil of choice

• Rice, Zoodles, Rice Noodles (Your Choice)

Bringing all together:

Place the Instant Pot on saute. Add oil to pot then pork, onions, garlic. Sprinkle 1 tsp Asian basic blend and break up the pork and cook. Meanwhile, make the sauce. I put all the ingredients into a blender or mini Cuisinart and mix. I do blend then let sit for 5 minutes then blend again.

Back to the Pot. Add veggies, stir then add the sauce. Cook on manual setting for 3 minutes to cook through.

Done!

Serve over Rice, Noodles, even Zoodles

Crunchy Asian Salad with Sriracha Peanut Dressing

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 1/3 c Natural Peanut Butter

• 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

• 2 tbsp Tamari (GF)

• 2 tbsp Lime Juice

• 2 tbsp Raw Honey

• 2 tsp Sesame Oil

• 2-3 tbsp Coconut Milk ( to thin out)

• 1 in knob Ginger, grated

• 1 Garlic Clove, pressed

• 1/2-1 tsp Sriracha

• 1/4 tsp salt

Salad:

• Salad mix of you choice ( I like cabbage/romaine mix)

• Cooked Chicken (whatever you got!)

• Red Peppers

• Carrots, ribboned or shredded

• Cucumber, ribboned or diced

• Pea Pods

• Green Onions

• Peanuts

Putting Together:

Dressing: Put all ingredients into a mason jar and whisk. It will take some mixing to brake down the peanut butter. Add more coconut milk to thin the dressing, as needed.

This is your time to play with your food. If you LOVE peppers add alot or not. You get to build based on what you love. Have fun!

*Note if you are peanut sensitive Almond or Cashew butter will work. They will have a bit of a different texture and might need more thinning out.

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Talk about a simple meal with a FUN new twist! My kids just adored and they took for lunch the next day! If you are not a big sweet potato fan you can certainly just have a regular old white potato. I did make the buffalo sauce from scratch, but you can certain find a real ingredient brand from the stores. But I have to say every time I make sauces from scratch the bottled stuff just doesn’t compare. The ranch is also quite easy to throw together and will keep in frig for a week! Enjoy!!

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Ingredients:

The Fixings:

• 5 Baking Potatoes of your Choice, Cooked

• 2 Green onions, chopped

• 2 Celery, diced

• 2 Carrots, diced

• 2 pounds Chicken Thighs

• Ranch

• Buffalo Sauce (below)

Buffalo Sauce:

• 1/2 c Butter

• 1/2 c Hot Sauce, Lola is my favorite

• 1 tbsp White Vinegar

• 1 tspWorcestershire

• 2 dashes garlic powder

*Melt all ingredients together then will toss with cooked chicken

Putting Together:

Bake your potatoes on 350/400 for 30-45 minutes, till done. Should be easy to squeeze.

Diced and cook your thighs in a pan on medium heat, be sure to salt and pepper and cook in butter. I add a couple of tablespoons of buffalo sauce during the cooking as well. Once the chicken is cooked I add all the rest of buffalo sauce and combine.

Once everything is chopped, cooked and mixed, begin the assembly line.

I open the potato add chicken, with plenty of sauce, then ranch over the chicken. Lastly, I top with celery, carrots and onions.

DONE!

Creamy Coconut Butternut Pasta

For the love of all things in my dairy-free world, this sauce is a game changer!!! My oldest was at work while I was making and ate later when she got home from work, she was in love and had NO idea there was no cheese or dairy cream. This from my picky teenager. Such a winner. This sauce will be part of some future recipes but for now. Enjoy 

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1 Butternut squash
• 3 cups chicken broth or stock, divided
• 1 cup coconut milk, full fat
• 2 tbsp cassava flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper

Pasta:

• 1 package, GF, Whole Grain Pasta, Penne
• 1 pound Shrimp, deveined uncooked
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 hand full of baby spinach

Putting together:

In a 2 quart pot add the peeled and chopped butternut squash and enough broth to just cover the squash, then boil. The time will vary a bit but it will be around 20ish minutes, till the squash is ultra soft. Once cooked add to blender, 1 tbsp butter, and coconut milk. Start with 1.2 tsp salt and pepper. Let this cool a bit before you blend or it will explode. 

In a small saucepan, heat on medium add butter and cook seasoned shrimp. This will take only a few minutes. Squeeze lemon over the shrimp just at the end of cooking. Reserve shrimp till sauce is ready to put together. 

Boil pasta based on instructions. If using rice pasta be sure to rice after cooking. 

Time to make the sauce. In a large sautee pan add 2 tbsp butter, melt. Add onions and garlic and cook on med-low till onions clear and soft. Sprinkle the cassava flour over mixture and whisk. Cook for a minute then slowly add broth, whisking, cooking until thickened. Then add the blended squash and heat to a simmer. To make the sauce smooth add back to the blender, puree and add back to the pan. If you like it with pieces of onion just leave as is! Put in the spinach, cook it down until wilted.  Lastly, you will add the shrimp to reheat. 

Once pasta is done it is time to put it all together. If I am feeding everyone at once I toss this all together in a large serving bowl. Serve with a salad or crusty bread!

Note: You can make the sauce and use any way you wish! It is wonderful as is, with zucchini noodles or even with chicken! Play with it!

Korean Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup ground oats (GF)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Glaze:

• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (my homemade version)
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbsp organic Tamari sauce (GF)
• 2 tsp Sriracha

Kimchi Cream Sauce:

• ¼ cup kimchi
• ½ cups full-fat yogurt

The Rest:

• Bagged Slaw Mix
• 1 Cup Brown Rice Cooked
• 1 Cup Quinoa Cooked
• 2 Zucchini, spiralized, cooked lightly. 

Putting it all together:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a small blender or processor, pulse 1 cup whole oats to grind.
3. In a large bowl, add the beef, pork, green onions, ground oats, garlic, egg, sesame oil, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until fully combined. Form into 1-inch meatballs and place on baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
4. To prepare the kimchi sour cream, combine the kimchi and yogurt in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin, honey, Tamari, and Sriracha. Add the cooked meatballs and toss until fully covered.
6. Divide rice into 6 equal bowls. Top with zucchini, slaw, and meatballs. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, and kimchi cream sauce.