Real Food Nutrition in a Fast Food World

Recipes

Sassy Sweet Potato Hash

By 10 Comments

Sweet potatoes and bacon are two of my favorite foods, as in I could eat them every day if I had to….and sometimes I do. I know, I know variety is the spice of life but if you stranded me on an island with only 3 food choices I would have to pick:

1. Bacon

2. Sweet Potatoes (Garnet Yams are my favorite to be specific)

3. Eggs (or maybe more bacon…)

Since I normally have sweet potatoes in the house and because I am pretty active, as in cannot sit still for more than 5 seconds, I needed to come up with a new way to use the beautiful orange starch of nature.

The idea came upon me when some friends from my gym wanted to have a meatza cook-off…that is a pizza with a meat crust…google it, you will not be disappointed. I, of course, wanted to be unique so I decided to top my pizza with this sweet potato hash, see how versatile it is?

You can eat this as is, add it to your eggs, or top your meatza with it. Hope this recipe makes you happy and fills your stomach with many vitamins and minerals 🙂

If you feel so inclined tell me what your 3 MUST HAVE foods would be if you were stranded on an island!

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Sassy Sweet Potato Hash

Sassy Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients

  • 2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup. frozen spinach
  • 1 sweet or yellow onion chopped
  • 4-5 strips of bacon, chopped/cut into small pieces
  • 2 Tbsp. Coconut oil (ghee, butter or duck fat will do as well)
  • 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp. Paprika
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In frying pan, melt coconut oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add onions and sauté until translucent ~2-3 min.
  4. Add sweet potatoes, spinach and spices to pan, stir and sauté over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft.
  5. Enjoy!
https://thesassydietitian.com/sassy-sweet-potato-hash/

 

Stay Sassy

…and eat bacon 🙂

xoxo

“Gravy” & Meatballs with Spaghetti (Squash)

By 5 Comments

This recipe is one I have loved my ENTIRE life (even when I was SUPER picky). While it has changed over the years to accommodate my health needs and beliefs it still reminds me of home and hits the spot any day of the week!

Growing up my mom would make a pot of her “gravy” every Sunday and the house would smell GLORIOUS! No I am not talking about brown turkey gravy, I am talking about homemade tomato sauce for spaghetti and meatballs gravy. I never understood how people got the two confused…but let me first admit 3 things I thought to be true up until I was about 18:

1. Pasta was a food group

2. Chicken with Gravy & Cheese was just that….I had never heard of “Chicken Parm”

and…

3. Ravioli with gravy was an acceptable trade off for turkey and gravy on Thanksgiving

Anyway back to the grav(y) details! There are a group of Italian Americans who call their tomato sauce “gravy” and my family was a part of that group, hence why I still call it gravy and probably always will! It is a tomato based sauce that has seasoning, peppers, onions and tomato paste. It is a labor of love and sits on the stovetop all day long…making anyones house smell like Strega Nona’s back yard!

(Shout Out to Strega Nona!)

Strega_Nona_(Tomie_dePaola_book)_cover_art-2

I went away to college (at 18) and was quickly enlightened that my “gravy” was unique and that NO dining hall, not even the highly rated ones at Cornell (which had great food) could produce. I was spoiled rotten by my mother (“Mama A” as many of my friends call her 🙂 ) and her amazing italian cooking skills. That same year I also was exposed to “Chicken Parm” AND tried my first Thanksgiving brown gravy dinner…I suppose it was time to get out of my comfort zone. Every chance I had when I went home though I begged Mama A for her infamous gravy….and as much as I love my own adaptation nothing comes close to mama’s cooking 🙂

So without further ado here is my gluten-free version of Mama A’s Gravy and Meatballs….and as we would say in our household:

Mangia Salvatore

and

God Bless The Cook!!!

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"Gravy" & Meatballs with Spaghetti (Squash)

Ingredients

    Meatballs:
  • 1 lb. grass fed ground beef
  • 1 lb. pastured ground pork
  • 2 pastured eggs
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp. Oregano
  • 1 tsp. Parsley
  • 1 tsp. Basil
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
  • 1-2 tsp. ghee (olive oil or coconut oil work as well)
    • “Gravy" Tomato Sauce
  • 2-28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1- 6oz.can tomato paste
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. ghee (or olive oil)
  • 1 tbsp. Oregano
  • 1-2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp. Parsley
  • 1 tsp. Basil
  • Salt & Black Pepper to taste
    • Spaghetti (Squash):
  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (ghee or coconut oil work as well)
  • Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions

    For the Meatballs
  1. Set oven to Broil (High)
  2. Use ghee or other oil to grease broiler pan.
  3. Mix all ingredients for meatballs together with hands until well combined.
  4. Roll meat mixture into 1 inch meatballs and place on broiler pan.
  5. Broil on high for 10 minutes
  6. Place meatballs into finished sauce recipe
    7. For the "Gravy" Tomato Sauce
  7. Heat ghee or oil in large stock pot on medium-high heat.
  8. Add garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  9. Add onion and pepper and sauté for an additional 4-5 minutes until onion becomes translucent
  10. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and spices, stir to combine.
  11. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to medium or medium-low to simmer.
  12. Using an immersion blender, blend tomato mixture until it is a smooth consistency and no chunks remain. (**If you do not have an immersion blender you will want to puree the tomatoes in a blender before adding them to the stock pot**)
  13. Once meatballs are added, simmer on medium-low for at least 10 minutes but best results are when sauce is allowed to simmer for a few hours
  14. Note: If sauce becomes too thick after simmering, add water 1/2 cup at a time to thin out the sauce.
    15. For the Spaghetti (Squash):
  15. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  16. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.
  17. Scoop out seeds on both sides
  18. Optional: drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper on each side
  19. Place face down on foil lined baking sheet and place in oven for 40-50 min. until spaghetti strands pull away from the skin.
https://thesassydietitian.com/gravy-meatballs-with-spaghetti-squash/

Ciao!

xoxo

Roasted Sweet Potato & Parsnip Fries

By 4 Comments

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Roasted Sweet Potato & Parsnip Fries

Roasted Sweet Potato & Parsnip Fries

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
  • 2-3 medium parsnips (~1lb.) peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1-2 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper
  3. Place peeled and sliced sweet potatoes and parsnips in a bowl with coconut oil, cinnamon and salt. Stir well until all vegetables coated evenly.
  4. Spread vegetables out evenly over cookie sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
https://thesassydietitian.com/roasted-sweet-potato-parsnip-fries/

Garlic Lime Dijon Chicken

By 4 Comments

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Garlic Lime Dijon Chicken

Garlic Lime Dijon Chicken

Ingredients

  • 2 lb. Chicken Breast
  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Kasandrinos
  • 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
  • Juice from 2 limes
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
  • Salt to taste Real Salt

Instructions

  1. Mix olive oil, dijon mustard, lime juice and spices together in a small bowl with a whisk.
  2. Place chicken in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over chicken.
  3. Cover chicken and place in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  5. Place chicken in baking dish in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and chicken is no longer pink on the inside.

Notes

Adapted from Elana's Pantry

https://thesassydietitian.com/garlic-chicken/

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