Roasted Salmon with Dijon-Dill Sauce

This recipe is ridiculous. I almost hurt myself eating this one. It was absolutely fantastic! 2 of my favorite ingredients to cook with, dill and Dijon, are in this dish and they pair so nicely with this salmon. This sauce has a Greek yogurt base as opposed to a half-and-half or heavy whipping cream sauce, which makes it way healthier for you. This took me 5 minutes to prep…that’s it. This was super fast to make and tastes like it took an hour to make!

This recipe is gluten free and full of healthy fat and protein. Pairs nicely with a cilantro lime Jasmine rice!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 (6-ounce) fresh salmon filets

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine first 7 ingredients. Place fish, skinned side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with olive oil OR use a Demarle non-stick cookie sheet.
Spread the yogurt sauce over the fish.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Nutritional Value

Calories 270; Fat 12g; Protein 35g; Carb 2g; Fiber; 0g; Chol 94mg; Iron 1mg; Sodium 494mg;

Recipe source: inspired by Adam Hickman and Laura Zapalowski

Cooking with Essential Oils

I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes! It’s so nice to see the likes and the comments! I wanted to post and let you all know that I often use essential oils in my recipes. I only use Young Loving essential oils in my recipes because they are the only ones I feel are safe to ingest (depending if the label on the bottle says it is a dietary supplement).

If you ever need to order any essential oil for cooking, let me know. You can't go buy pure 100% essential oils at the store. You have to order them through a distributor. I cook a lot with:

• Lemongrass Essential Oil
• Oregano Essential Oil
• Basil Essential Oils
• Taste of Italy Essential Oil
• Rosemary Essential Oil
• Lemon Essential Oil
• Orange Essential Oil

…and so many more!!

If you would like to hear more about the pure essential oils and how they can be used for cooking, just email me at amandasgreatrecipes@gmail.com OR you can go to my website and order as a retail customer. My website is below:

https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?isoCountryCode=US&sponsorid=1847492&enrollerid=1847492

Thanks so much and happy cooking!

Firehouse Salad

I was introduced to this yummy salad by one of our neighbors. My friend Heather shares some amazing recipes and here is another. Her husband actually made this one night while we were over grilling steaks and as I watched him make it, I was like....what the heck are you making?!?! It was not overly appealing and the ingredients were something I probably would not have put together...ever. He explained to me that what he was making is called a Firehouse Salad. One night, a group of firemen at the fire station ran out of meal ideas and didn't feel like going to the store, so they grabbed what food was in the firehouse and started putting them together...and that is how the Firehouse Salad came into existence. So don't be turned away but the ingredients...my friend told me to try a bite once he finished making it. Oh WOW is all I have to say! It was SO good and so different. I was very shocked!

Now, this salad is not an overly healthy one nor would I ever eat it with my lunch. This type of salad pairs really well with burgers or steak or BBQ. It is a Gluten free salad, though. If I didn't share this, I feel I would be withholding a recipe worth repeating and I can't do that. It's definitely worth repeating.

We make this salad on holidays and everyone we have introduced it to loves it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 head Iceberg Lettuce
• 1/2 block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 can of Ranch Style Beans
• 1/4 cup Catalina Dressing
• 1 bag Fritos Lays Corn Chips

Directions

• Cut the head of iceberg lettuce into bite size pieces and thoroughly wash. I use a salad spinner to ensure the lettuce is dry. Move washed lettuce to a big mixing bow.
• Take 1/2 block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese and shred it with a cheese grater or a food processer. Add to the mixing bowl with the lettuce.
• Take the can of Ranch Style Beans and pour on top of the cheese and lettuce. Do not drain the beans...you want the juice in the salad.
• Take about 1/4 cup of Catalina dressing and pour into the mixing bowl and start to toss the salad. Feel free to add more Catalina Dressing if you like more dressing in your salad.
• Take the bag of Frito Lays Corn Chips and add to the salad.

• Mix well and serve.

Recipe source: inspired by: Heather

Shredded French Dip Sandwiches

My neighbor, Heather, introduced me to these sandwiches. She and her husband invited us over for dinner so we could get to know our new neighbors and she served these French Dip Sandwiches for dinner. Oh my goodness…they were so far past amazing that I begged her for this recipe. She was happy to share and 7 years later, we are still good friends! She loves to cook and has shared so many recipes with me that have become family favorites!

I make these a lot for family that come in from out of town because they feed up 6 to 8 people. Here’s a secret about how to make the meat tender. Cook the meat in the slow cooker on low for at least 8 hours. I typically let mine continue to cook for about  9 or 10 hours. You cant really overcook roast. I took these to work this past week for a pot luck and I woke up at 2 AM to start the crock pot! I wanted these to be tender!

Ok, so these are not gluten free. Sorry – they just aren’t and I haven’t found a gluten free substitute for beef consomme or french onion soup. But seriously – this one is so good, I counldn’t NOT post it. That would not have been fair to not share this one because it is definitely worth repeating! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 3lbs beef chuck roast
• 1 10.5 ounce can beef consomme
• 1 teaspoon of bouillon granules or 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 10.5 ounce can french onion soup
• 1 10.5 ounce can beef broth
• 8-10 french rolls

Directions

• Halve roast and place in a slow cooker.
• Combine all ingredients except for the rolls and pour over roast.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
• Ensure the meat is tender.
• Remove meat and shred with two forks.
• Serve on rolls. Slim the fat from the cooking juices and serve as an au jus dipping sauce.

• 

Recipe source: inspired by Heather Huberich

Hawaiian Banana Flip Dip

This is by far one of my favorite dessert recipes. My dad has been making this ever since I was a little girl and I still love it today! We always called this one, "Banana Flip Dip" but my dad recently told me it's a Hawaiian dessert so we have started calling it "Hawaiian Banana Flip Dip! I have no idea where he got this recipe. He probably came up with it on his own, since that's what he tends to do!

This one can be made gluten free ONLY if you use gluten free graham crackers.

If you are making this dish, be aware that it must chill for at least 6 hours for all the ingredients to set and become firm. It will be runny and not taste great if it doesn't sit. I always let mine sit and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

This one is a GREAT summer dish! Nice and cool and refreshing! You can decorate this dish however you want. I put fresh mint leaves from the garden on this one, but you could very easily make this one look like an American Flag for a 4th of July Celebration. All you would need to do is add blueberries and strawberries!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (if you are gluten free, use a gluten free graham cracker)
• 2 sticks of butter, softened to liquid
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 2 cans crushed pineapple (drained)
• 6 bananas
• 1 medium container of Cool Whip
• 1 small package pecan chips

Garnish with maraschino cherries

Directions

• Mix 1 stick of butter and graham cracker crumbs together.
• Pour into a 9x13 pyrex dish, spread evenly and compact firmly to form the bottom layer.
• Next, mix the powdered sugar, egg whites, and 1 stick of butter together.
• Mix on high speed for 10 minutes.
• Pour mixture evenly on top of crust.
• Slice bananas by 1/4" slices.
• Place slices on top of mixture close together so they cover the entire dessert.
• Spread pineapple evenly on top of bananas.
• Top with cool whip and sprinkle pecan pieces on top of cool whip.
• Put 6 Maraschino cherries op top.
• Chill for at least 6 hours before serving.
  
  

Southwest Meatballs

Ok seriously, who doesn't like a good meatball recipe? I'm not talking about frozen meatballs out of a bag when you are getting ready to watch the game...I'm talking about homemade Southwest meatballs made with some amazing ingredients!

My friend, Bob Long, made these several weeks ago and they were YUMMY! I begged him for 5 weeks to send me this recipe and today, he finally did. He even gave me permission to post this on my site so others can try and repeat. Good Bob!

These are gluten free and this recipe does not call for breadcrumbs, which I appreciate. With that being said, you need to read your label on the chorizo you buy. Way too many stores today have entirely too many products on their shelves with artificial ingredients that don't need to be in the item. So read your labels!! Make sure if you are gluten free, there is no wheat or gluten listed!

The sauce makes these meatballs.  These meatballs are packed with good fat and are high in protein. I see myself eating these for a snack!

These little guys are fabulous! Per Bob, Yay meatballs!

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• ½ pound ground turkey (or chicken, beef, etc.)
• ½ pound chorizo (chicken, pork, beef, etc.)
• ¼ small red onion, minced
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ jalapeño, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the sauce:

• 1 avocado
• handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
• juice of ½ lime
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ jalapeño, minced
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• pinch of salt and pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil mayo

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish with some oil (olive, coconut, etc.)

• Place all ingredients for the meatballs into a bowl and use your hands to mix the mixture together. 

• Using a cookie scoop, scoop out each meatballs and form into balls. This should make about 18 small meatballs. 

• Place each meatball into the greased baking dish, side by side. It’s ok if they are touching. 

• Put in oven to bake for 20-25 minutes. 

• While the meatballs cook, create the dipping sauce by placing everything for the sauce, except for the mayo, into a food processor. Puree until smooth. 

• Once smooth, add the mayo and puree once more until well combined. 

• Dip meatballs into the sauce or place on top.

Crock Pot Cabbage Roll Casserole

My friend, Vicky Crowley, brought this dish to work today for several us to try. There is a group of us at work who share dishes/recipes to get new ideas for making new and different meals. Vicky found this one on the following website: http://www.spendwithpennies.com/crock-pot-cabbage-roll-casserole/

She changed it up a bit and didn't roll the cabbage but made it into more of a casserole. It was fantastic. I had seconds, as did most of us at lunch today!

You can make a gluten free version of this recipe if you use a gluten free tomato soup. Make sure to read your labels because not all tomato soups are gluten free! As a matter of fact, read the labels on the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes to ensure all brands you use are gluten free.

My husband loves cabbage and I cant wait to make this for him! It's definitely a keeper!!

Ingredients: 

• 1½ lbs lean ground beef or pork (or a mixture of the two)
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce, divided
• 1 cup water
• 1 can condensed tomato soup (read your labels if you are gluten free to ensure you get a gluten free brand)
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ¾ cup long grain white rice, uncooked
• 1 head cabbage
• ⅓ cup water
• 1½ cups Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown beef or pork, onion, garlic and seasonings over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain.

2. Add 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup water and ½ can of tomato soup and diced tomatoes to the beef.

3. Stir in rice, and mix well until heated through. Remove from heat.

4. Chop cabbage into 4 wedges and remove core. Chop into chunks (Vicky's were about ¾"x1.5").

5. Layer ½ of the meat mixture and ½ of the cabbage in the slow cooker. Repeat layers.Place half the meat and then half the cabbage in cooker.

6. Combine the remaining tomato soup, remaining tomato sauce and ⅓ cup water. Pour over top of cabbage.

7. Cook on low 4-6 hours or just until rice is cooked. Once done, turn slow cooker off, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and let sit 10 minutes to set and melt cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Italian Marinara with Meatballs

My sweet friend, Lindsay Pineda, shared this recipe with me and I'm so glad she did! Lindsay told me this is an authentic Italian dish that her family has made for year and she wanted to share the recipe so I could try it out! 

When I first read the ingredients, I was nervous that all the fresh herbs would be too overwhelming, especially adding in the Taste of Italy essential oil, but it was perfectly balanced!! This was really easy to make and the fact that you make it in a crock pot made my afternoon less hectic!! I threw the marinara sauce ingredients in the crock pot, mixed up my meatball ingredients, browned them and put them in the crock pot for 5 hours. I made my gluten free spaghetti noodles 20 minutes before the sauce and meatballs were scheduled to be done and we were ready to eat!!

This recipe can be made gluten free if you use gluten free noodles and gluten free breadcrumbs.  Oh and by the way...the Young Living Essential Oil is optional but really makes a difference in the taste. Here are the ingredients in this oil:

Basil leaf oil, Oregano (Origanum vulgare)† aerial parts oil, Oregano (Origanum minutiflorum)† aerial parts oil, Oregano (Origanum onites)† aerial parts oil, Oregano (Origanum majorana)† aerial parts oil.

If you need to know where to order this oil, email me at amandasgreatrecipes@gmail.com and I'll hook you up.

Enjoy this one! It's a repeater for sure!!


Marinara Sauce: 

Ingredients 

• 2 cans crushed tomatoes 
• 1 can tomato paste 
• 2 bunches fresh basil (you will take this out at the end so they need to be whole bunches) 
• 4-5 sprigs fresh oregano (you will take this out at the end so they need to be whole sprigs) 
• ¼ c. reduced fat parmesan cheese (fresh grated)
• 1 tsp each – garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• 2 drops Taste of Italy Young Living Essential Oil (optional) 

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, stir together. Turn crock pot on low heat. 

Meatballs: 

Ingredients 

NOTE: This makes a lot but, it’s easy in the slow cooker

• 3 pounds ground turkey (Jennie-O, 93/7 fat) 
• 1 ½ pounds (1 package) turkey sausage (hot or sweet- I buy Jennie-O) 
• ½ c. panko bread crumbs (I use Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs)
• ½ c. reduced fat parmesan cheese (fresh grated)
• 2 eggs 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 3 drops Taste of Italy Young Living Essential Oil (optional) 
• 1 tsp each – garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• Fresh basil & oregano – as much as you want, cut or torn into small pieces 

Directions

Combine all ingredients and roll into small balls. Add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil to the pan and brown the outsides of the meatballs before putting them into the slow cooker (If you don’t do this step, they will fall apart in the sauce). 

Add them to slow cooker after they’ve been browned (note – the sauce will not cover them; this is okay, it will by the end of the cooking process), put the lid on and cook on low for 4-5 hours. 

When you remove the meatballs from the sauce at the end, do so with a slotted spoon to catch the basil and oregano leaves/stems to remove them from the sauce. 

Serve over your favorite noodles and add fresh parmesan on top!

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos with Endive and Avocado Salad

I'm a part of a lunch coop at the office where I work and we had 2 ladies bring in a fantastic recipe that I just had to share! It's absolutely worth repeating!

I believe they got these 2 recipes from Barefoot Contessa and eatliverun.com. This is by far a very different salad recipe and I dont think I would have pulled this one out to try, but I'm so glad they made it because it was fantastic! Step outside your comfort zone and try this one!

The Beef Carnitas Taco were also fantastic. Just a word of advice...ensure that when you are marinating your steak with the rub that you really lather this rub into your flank steak so the steak gets the full flavor. You could also substitute the Flank Steak for Iron Steak.

This recipe is Gluten Free and full of protein and healthy fat. I see myself making this again on my lower body push days at the gym :)

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs flank steak
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

for spice rub-

• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

for serving—

• corn tortillas
• avocado slices
• cilantro
• your favorite salsa
• limes

Directions:

Mix together all spices in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over your flank steak—be generous and rub it into the meat. Then, place your steak at the bottom of your crock pot.

Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour or serve as is.

To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Endive and Avocado Salad 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 
• 4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 4 heads of endive 
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded 

Directions:

Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a vinaigrette. 

Remove a half inch from the stem end of each endive, discard the core, and cut the rest across into 1-inch chunks. Cut the avocados into large dice or wedges. Toss the avocados and endive with the vinaigrette.

 Season to taste and serve at room temperature. 

Chicken Satay and Lemongrass Rice

A huge Thank you to my friend, Jillian Fenton, on such a fabulous recipe! Thanks for sharing!! Both Jillian and I are starting to cook using 100% pure grade essential oils and man do they make a HUGE difference to the taste of food! Jillian shared this fantastic recipe with me and I just had to post it! Jillian and I only use Young Living Essential Oils when cooking base on their 100% Pure Grade. This recipe calls for Lemongrass in the rice and it really enhances the taste!

This is a Gluten Free dish. 

A note from Jillian..."As many of you may know I have recently started using Essential Oils and have become hooked. With my love of cooking and baking I have started experimenting with utilizing essential oils in my meals.  If you are interested in seeing more of my recipes using essential oils please message me at fenton.jillian@gmail.com. Also, you can purchase Lemongrass oil and other essential oils through me, as well!

Below is a super easy recipe for weeknight cooking that is packed with flavor.  Enjoy!!"

Chicken Satay Ingredients

3 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless) cut in half lengthwise

2 T Sesame Oil

2 T low sodium soy sauce (you can use Gluten Free)

1T Rice vinegar

1t Sriracha

1T Creamy peanut butter

1/2t minced garlic

Directions

• Whisk all marinade ingredients together and add chicken.  Ensure all of the chicken is coated and let marinade for 30 min.
• Place on grill until fully cooked.

Cilantro Lemongrass Rice Ingredients

2 Cups Light Coconut Milk (can use just water as well)

1 Cup Basmati rice

5-10 drops of Young Living Lemongrass Essential oil depending on depth of flavor you like

Handful of Cilantro chopped

Directions 

• Place Coconut milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add rice cover reduce heat to simmer for 20 min
• Add drops of Lemongrass oil and cilantro