Tag: 30 minute meal

Dairy-free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo

Pork Meatballs, Zucchini and Black Bean Noodles

Sometimes I have no idea what I’m making for dinner. I amble about the store, picking up a few random things here and there. Get home, empty the contents and begin cooking with absolutely no plan.

That’s how this recipe was created. It was a weeknight. The hubs and I were just out of yoga and famished. I’d bought a strange combination of foods and crossed my fingers that they would come out well together.

The meal was made in less than 30 minutes and received rave reviews from the hubs and me. Black Bean Noodles are a new find and I’m loving the texture, a bit chewy like whole wheat pasta. Give them a try and if it’s not your thing, you can always use a Spiralizer to make sweet potato noodles.

Enjoy!

Pork Meatballs, Zucchini and Black Bean Noodles Pork Meatballs, Zucchini and Black Bean Noodles

Pork Meatballs, Zucchini and Black Bean Noodles 

Pork Meatballs, Zucchini and Black Bean Noodles
Serves 2
Pork meatballs, roasted zucchini, onions and capers over black bean noodles.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 package black bean noodles
  2. 3 cups zucchini - sliced
  3. 1 cup yellow onion - sliced
  4. 1 lb pasture-raised ground pork
  5. 1 tsp fresh basil - chopped
  6. 1 tsp salt
  7. 1 tsp black pepper
  8. 3 tbsp capers
  9. 1 tsp coconut oil
  10. 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a large roasting pan with coconut oil. Spread out the zucchini, onions and capers on the pan and roast for 15 minutes.
  2. Fill a large pot two-thirds full of water. Bring to boil and add the noodles. Cook five minutes then drain in a colander. Set aside.
  3. Make meatballs by rolling pork into 1” balls. Sprinkle all with a little salt and pepper.
  4. In a cast iron pan, cook meatballs over medium high heat for four minutes. Then flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes.
  5. Place noodles in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper and the basil.
  6. Plate the noodles, top with vegetables and meatballs. Serve with more fresh basil.
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Pork Meatballs, Zucchini and Black Bean Noodles

Pork Meatballs, Zucchini and Black Bean Noodles

20 Minute Meals, Dairy-free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Salad, Side Dish

Tuna Steak with Ginger Garlic Green Beans & Kohlrabi

Tuna Steak with Ginger Garlic Green Beans

We eat far more fish and seafood than meat. Since we’re still weaning ourselves off a mostly vegetarian diet, we only eat meat a couple times per week. Tuna is extra meaty so for now it’s the closest thing to steak cooking in our kitchen. Once I’m more confident in my meat cooking abilities I’ll post some recipes here.

We did try a new vegetable though! I have this game where I like to go to the store, buy something interesting and then find out how to cook it later. This time it was kohlrabi.

Green Kohlrabi Kohlrabi tastes like a cross between a radish and a turnip. It’s more sweet than spicy so it pairs nicely with earthy vegetables. I had to use this helpful slideshow to find out how to cut up the odd shape. The most challenging part was the thin, tough rind on the outside. You have to use a peeler to remove it. Then you can just cut it into pieces. I wanted to try pairing it was another vegetable before diving in so I incorporated it into some ginger garlic green beans.

Tuna Steak with Ginger Garlic Green Beans

Makes 2 servings.

Tuna:
2 tuna steaks
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1/2 lemon – cut into 4 wedges

Ginger Garlic Green Beans and Kohlrabi:
2 tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion
3 garlic cloves -minced
1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup green beans -stems removed and broken in half
2 kohlrabi – sliced
2 tsp coconut aminos

►Salt tuna steaks on both sides.
►Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.
►Place both steaks in skillet. Cook on each side for 1 minute. The tuna will be extra rare, which is my preference. Cook a minute or two more if you like it cooked through.

►Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, saute for 3 minutes, then add garlic and ginger. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the greenbeans and kohlrabi. Sprinkle the salt over all vegetables and pour in the coconut aminos.  Cover and cook for 6 minutes.

►Squeeze a couple of lemon wedges over the tuna to complete the dish.

20 Minute Meals, Dairy-free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Side Dish

Lemon Pepper Pan-Roasted Swordfish

Lemon Pepper Swordfish

My grandparents had a swordfish mounted above the sofa in their living room. It was a trophy. And a reminder of all the family deep-sea fishing adventures. I went once. Caught an impressive Mahi Mahi and proudly served it to my parents for dinner that night.  Then my fishing days were over. I was much more interested in the cooking and eating than the hunt.

Swordfish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that helps the body heal inflammation. It also contains the important micronutrient selenium. Selenium allows the body to maintain proper thyroid function and has been shown to play a role in combating heart disease. Many people avoid the larger game fish from fear of the high mercury content. Although when selenium and mercury are found together they bind, which prevents the body from absorbing mercury. And a few studies have even found that selenium neutralizes other mercury found in the body. Fear not the large fish in the sea! They’re here to help us.

Growing up, we ate fish a couple of times per week and swordfish was one of our staples. My dad would grill the fish and my mom would sauté some fresh veggies with wild rice. Then we’d top is all off with lemon caper butter. It was always one of my favorites. And I continue to associate swordfish with that amazing topping.

I recreated the dish with sautéed yellow peppers, onion and garlic scapes. The rice is omitted but it’s easy to substitute some cauliflower rice. It’s a good vehicle for the butter sauce.

Lemon Pepper Swordfish

Makes 2 servings.

1 lb swordfish steaks

4 tbsp butter

1 yellow pepper (sliced)

1 onion (sliced)

handful of garlic scapes

salt

pepper

1/4 cup capers

juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

►Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

►Grease an 11″x9″ baking dish with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

►Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.

►Melt butter over medium high heat in a large, heavy skillet.

►Add the fish and cook on each side for 2 minutes.

►Transfer the fish to your prepared baking dish and bake for 10 minutes until fish is just done. It will continue to cook a bit once you remove it from the oven.

►In a separate baking dish, toss the yellow peppers, onions and garlic scapes with a tbsp of butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake on the lower rack in the over for 10 minutes. This can be in the same oven as the fish so everything is ready together.

►For the lemon caper butter, combine 1 tbsp of melted butter, 1 clove chopped garlic, lemon juice and capers. Serve drizzled over the fish.

Tip: My husband gave me the best tip for capers. Throw them in the oven for an hour at 300 degrees and they become a crunchy, salty topping.