lime

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls

Quick, easy, and totally flavorful, these Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls with brown rice, black beans, and served with tomatoes and avocado are just the right level of adobo spice with a touch of honey to sweeten up meal prep for any lunch or dinner.

When I looked over and read what her t-shirt said, I thought of several people I know who spend at least part of every day feeling exactly the same way.

Hangry. Hungry + angry = Hangry.

Personally, its rare that I ever get to the hangry stage because I work from home, so when I’m hungry, I can dart into the kitchen to make a quick lunch, grab a handful of almonds, or whip up my fave afternoon yogurt + berries + granola snack. But it’s highly likely I’m in the minority.

Enter #hangry.

This rice bowl recipe comes from the new cookbook aimed at solving that dreaded meal-time dilemma of getting nutritious meals in the belly when time isn’t always on your side. The Weekday Lunches and Breakfasts Cookbook: Easy and Delicious Home-Cooked Meals for Busy Families by Mary Younkin of the food blog Barefeet In the Kitchen, serves up super-simple breakfasts and lunches that work for everyone at the table. Or if you’re like me, easy to eat at the desk too.

Filled with recipes for quick, easy, and make-ahead breakfasts and lunches, this is the busy person’s cookbook with freezer storage suggestions and easy to reheat directions galore.

Over on my Instagram stories I took a poll and asked your opinion which recipe I should make from the book, and not surprisingly, this Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls came out on top. And here’s why… continue to the recipe… about Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls

Easy Chilaquiles with Eggs Recipe

Thanks to Taco Tuesday’s Mexican-fest that left you with an extra bag of tortilla chips, salsa and hopefully avocado, all this recipe needs to add is a super simple homemade tomato and chile enchilada sauce and sunny side up eggs to make chilaquiles at home for one of the quickest breakfast or brunch recipes that you’ll totally be making for dinner too.

The first time I spied chilaquiles on the menu was when I actually was IN Mexico, because until recent years, it wasn’t a very common item at any of the Mexican American restaurants I’d been to.

The thought of mixing chips with enchilada sauce and then topping it all with eggs may not sound as compelling as beef and butternut squash enchiladas or 5-minute chipotle shredded chicken taquitos with my homemade creamy avocado salsa verde but because you can have this entire meal-in-one cooked and on the table in less than 20 minutes, that’s more than compelling to me.

The recipe archives here on FoodieCrush have a well-stocked list of Mexican favorites, but there’s been a hole just waiting to be filled with this skillet breakfast nacho recipe. That’s why when I was leafing through one of my favorite food bloggers new cookbook, The Minimalist Kitchen: 100 Wholesome Recipes, Essential Tools, and Efficient Techniques by Melissa Coleman of The Faux Martha, this recipe was just one that leapt from it’s beautifully, but simply, designed pages.

I’ve known Melissa for years and have first hand seen her work her recipe-making magic in her minimalist farmhouse kitchen and totally enjoyed the labor of her foodie love.

I remember looking at the spices in her kitchen cupboard and thinking to myself, “Really? Is that all she has to flavor everything she cooks with?” And when she asked me to hand her a spatula, I was surprised at the contrast to my own kitchen when I opened the drawer and there in Melissa’s drawer I found just.one.spatula.

But oh the magic Melissa can make when living, and cooking, with less. And not only cooking, but baking the best things, too. She lives what she preaches and does it with ultimate style and loving grace.

What you won’t find in The Minimalist Kitchen are recipes with a laundry list of ingredients or take all day to make. That wouldn’t be very minimalist, now would it? Instead what you’ll find along with 100 recipes for her famous pizzas, easy to succeed at desserts and her make-every-day-of-the-week-hummus, are Melissa’s tricks and tips to making and keeping a minimalist kitchen yourself. This is just one of the ways The Minimalist Kitchen stands out among the rest.

How to Create a Minimalist Kitchen

Here are a few of Melissa’s minimalist tendency takeaways I’m totally working toward myself:continue to the recipe… about Easy Chilaquiles with Eggs Recipe

Coconut and Lime Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies

Soft and pillowy, these incredibly easy to make sugar cookies are flavored with fresh squeezed lime juice and grated lime zest then topped with a coconut flavored cream cheese frosting and even more sweet coconut for a sweetened citrus flavor in every bite.

I usually save the phrase “little pillows of heaven” for when I’m bellied up to the bar of my favorite Italian restaurant gushing over my bowl of Gnocchi alla Norma, that when cooked just right, is indeed heaven sent. But today, I’m extending my catchphrase to these soft and easy-to-make sugar cookies because they totally deserve it.

The recipe isn’t mine, but it’s one I’m more than happy to share.

I recently asked you lovely readers to submit your favorite Christmas cookie so I could select one to share on today’s Facebook Live “All Things Cookies!” cooking show (at 11 am MST on Facebook/foodiecrush and on replay all day AND we’re giving away a KitchenAid stand mixer!) and I’m pleased as lime and coconut punch to say this.is.it., your new favorite, any-day-is-a-holiday cookie.continue to the recipe… about Coconut and Lime Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies

5 Favorite Recipes for Flavored Compound Butters

Herbs, citrus, and even cheese flavor these 5 recipes for easy-to-make homemade compound butters to use on everything from hot veggies (roasted corn is a favorite!) to chicken, fish, pasta, and steaks, and it’s one of my secrets for jazzing up a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

More butter, more better. And when it’s of the infused-flavored variety, there’s always room for even more better butter.

Compound butters are something I like to keep on hand to effortlessly boost the flavor of meats, chicken, and burgers, or slither into pasta with a little cheese, or mix into scrambled eggs and omelets. And of course, it’s absolutely the best slathered on sweet summer corn.

While it would be easy to mix these flavor combinations together and set out in a bowl to serve from there, I like rolling them into logs and then cutting into slices to melt on just about anything for added flavor.

And because these buttery flavor bursts freeze well, it’s simple to pull them out on a whim and use to suit the tastes of everyone at the table. continue to the recipe… about 5 Favorite Recipes for Flavored Compound Butters

Chunky Citrus Guacamole

Chunky with a citrus-ey accent or both lime and orange juice plus a hit of spice and just enough girth to make any chip happy, it’s the perfect combo to welcome some spring weather with a few salty corn chips and a nice cold beverage.

If it weren’t for guacamole serving as my avocado gateway, the jury is out on whether I would ever have become an avocado fan. Now, they’re one of my favorite things to eat, so how could it be there was a time I didn’t like them?

Just like artichokes, it wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I finally gave in to even trying avocados. I have no idea where my aversion stemmed from. Maybe I just had an aversion to fruits and veggies that started with the letter A?

There are as many guacamole recipes out there in the world as there are stars in the sky and we all have our favorite, and this chunky homemade version is mine.

My husband came up with this guacamole recipe years ago and it was one of the first recipes I published here on the blog when I announced the first issue of FoodieCrush magazine along with some of my favorite things. But after making this guacamole time and time again, my photos and this post were in need of an update.continue to the recipe… about Chunky Citrus Guacamole

Fresh and Easy Vietnamese Noodle Salad

This light and refreshing vermicelli noodle salad gets its inspiration from one of my favorite dishes of all time, Vietnamese bun salads, with fresh slivered veggies in a tangy Vietnamese rice vinegar dressing, making it a simple side dish to serve with grilled meats and chicken.

The first time I made a version of this salad was when my husband and I were newlyweds. One of our wedding gifts was a version of this countertop roaster/griller contraption. The first dish we made with the roaster was from the recipe book that came along with it, a version of Asian roasted chicken in a peanut sauce that was served with a simple vermicelli noodle salad very similar to this one I’m sharing today. Or at least that’s what I remember.

That chicken dish was pretty much the only thing we ever made in the roaster. It became yet another gadget to add to our assortment of kitchen appliances that begs one to question, “But do I really need it?” We admitted it just didn’t justify the room it took up in our cramped kitchen so we eventually parted ways.

But this noodle salad…it’s here to stay.continue to the recipe… about Fresh and Easy Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Tomato Avocado Cucumber and Maui Onion Salad

This simple tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad gets a spicy Mexican-flavor kick from jalapeños and a fresh lime and chile dressing that makes it a terrific side dish for any meal.

I’m not a chef. I’m a home cook. But many of my recipes are inspired by dishes I’ve enjoyed that were created by real life chefs. It’s one of my favorite reasons for eating out, to get new inspiration for le bloggity blog.

I had a rendition of this simple tomato salad at a restaurant called Monkeypod Kitchen while vacationing in Maui. A friend of mine who lived in Maui for a time messaged me while we were there that we MUST make it a point to eat at Monkeypod, it was one of her favorites.

Friend recommendations are always the best.

The menu was full of delicious, fresh fare, and being the tomato caprese salad lover that I am, once I spied this salad with a flavorful twist on their menu, I was immediately intrigued. continue to the recipe… about Tomato Avocado Cucumber and Maui Onion Salad

Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Mild-tasting tilapia fillets get a kick of cajun spices in one of my favorite ways to eat blackened fish: soft shell Blackened Fish Tacos that are topped with a cool avocado and cilantro tartar sauce to finish each bite.

This post is brought to you by McCormick

You don’t find balance, you create it. Words to live by.

This recipe is a prime example of making a meal that’s balanced in so many ways, and one I’m happy to share as a brand ambassador for McCormick again this year.

Mild but with a kick of spicy heat = balance. Crunchy but with a creamy lick = balance. Protein fueled but with a touch of carbs = balance. No need for a fork but grab plenty of napkins = balance.

It’s all in how you make it, and eat it, too.

continue to the recipe… about Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Soba Noodles With Sriracha Meatballs

Slow cooker Sriracha meatballs top healthy buckwheat soba noodles and fresh vegetables and herbs to make a simple Asian inspired salad that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

Long noodle, long life. I’d say that’s a pretty great way to start the year’s resolutions off right.

I shared the recipe for these Slow Cooker Sriracha Meatballs a few weeks ago as a favorite meatball idea for sharing at the party. Which party? It doesn’t really matter WHICH party, because whenever these Asian-flavored babies show up it’s bound to be a party.

While I love these meatballs as an appetizer to share with friends, it is 100% acceptable, and in this case essential, that you be selfish and save the batch for yourself to top this fresh soba noodle salad. Or even better, make the meatballs JUST for this recipe to be sure nobody snacks up your leftovers before they make it to the main dish.

Get ready friends, it’s time to get your slurp on.continue to the recipe… about Soba Noodles With Sriracha Meatballs

Key Lime Pie

This fresh, authentic, tart key lime pie recipe is the same one you’ll remember from being kid, and its a breeze —all you need are a few ingredients to blend together!

One word of advice: Do not put lime rinds down the disposal.

If you do, the result will be:

1 day of dirty dishes drying with caked-on, day-old food.

$67 rental for snake at Home Depot.

1 argument with the husband.

$234 fee for Roto Rooter to clear the drain.

17 minutes of scrubbing caked-on, day-old food from plates.

But an awesomely delicious key lime pie.

We’ve learned our lesson the hard way. Don’t put lime rinds down the garbage disposal. My sister-in-law learned it too. But with potato peels right before everyone showed up for Thanksgiving dinner.

There are a lot of things that seem indestructible. Garbage disposals aren’t one of them.

continue to the recipe… about Key Lime Pie

Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken

This grilled chicken recipe delivers lots of flavor thanks to a quick marinade, and with just 7 ingredients and 3 steps, it’s easy enough to cook any night of the week.

My father in law was the classic dropper-inner. Like Saturdays rolling into Sundays, you could always count on a weekly unannounced visit from Cloyd. Or as I liked to call him, “The Cloydster.”

Rolling into the driveway in one of his beloved classic cars (I was always partial to the Studebaker) he’d pop in with his jaunty cap atop his head, toothpick trolling from his fingers to his mustached mouth with the biggest, happiest hello that beamed with joy at the sight of his kids.

“Oh, I was just runnin’ around and thought I’d see what you kids was up to.”

It’s been 12 years since those visits ended.

My husband is a lot like his dad was and has always been far more patient with the casual stop-ins than I. He will happily take a chair, offer up a drink and sit and chit and chat about anything under the sun.

I on the other hand, smile vacantly, nodding my head as my mind wanders to the vitally important task I was in the midst of when I was interrupted by an unexpected visit. Those weeds aren’t going to weed themselves now are they?

Man I am dumb.

I miss Cloydster’s visits. They make me realize more than ever that I need to take a lesson from my father in law, and from his son. Slow down. Take a seat. Offer up a drink or something to eat and chit and chat about absolutely anything and everything under the sun.

This grilled chicken recipe is part of my Weekend Eats series, where I’m sharing a seasonal recipe idea for what to have for dinner come Saturday and Sunday, with the occasional breakfast or brunch thrown in.

While I love making it on Saturday night, it’s also a goodie for impromptu visits. It can be thrown together with stuff in your pantry, or at least in my pantry, given I always have fresh cilantro and limes in the crisper.

I think Cloyd would have loved it. In fact I know he would have, because that man pretty much loved everything, especially if it was made by someone he loved.continue to the recipe… about Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken

Thai Coconut Noodle Salad

Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk is my secret to a lower calorie instead of canned coconut milk for dressing this flavorful, Thai-inspired noodle salad.

This year I’m partnering with Almond Breeze to create and share recipes using almond milk. This noodle salad recipe takes full advantage of this flavored almond milk’s ability to infuse the distinctive Thai taste of coconut milk, but is a lighter alternative that cuts the calories and keeps the taste.

I’m sure I’ve shared here on the blog that during my sister’s senior year of high school she spent the year as a foreign exchange student in Thailand. Growing up in Utah, the geography, culture and certainly the food was worlds away from what she was used to. And she loved every single minute of her year-long immersion there.

When it was time for her to come home, my parents and I traveled to her adopted land to explore her new world. We quickly became fans, too. The beaches. The kindness of the Thai people. The vibrant heart of the culture. And for a food lover like me, the sumptuous and exotic dishes simply sealed the deal.

Ever since, when I’m craving dishes with a balance of spicy and sweet, Thai flavors are at my cooking epicenter. When you search my recipe archives it’s proof in the pudding, the Thai pudding so to speak. Hey, now! There’s a recipe idea I haven’t tried out yet…

continue to the recipe… about Thai Coconut Noodle Salad

Lime and Chile Butter Chicken Skewers

Please, please, please! Say it ain’t so! But yes, it’s true, we’re headlong into the wind down of summer.

Sniffle here and sob there, I’m harboring some serious resentment at the fact that summer is quickly fading into fall. This is mostly due to the fact that in mid-July I broke my wrist and the elbow of my other arm (of which I’ve lamented about my gimpness on the blog and you’re sick of hearing about since it happened) and that the wrist required surgery to give me a fancy new metal plate and 10 screws surgically inserted into my limp old wrist. Yep, I’ll be the one setting off the alarms, bells and whistles at the airport security line.

It also turned most of my summer of bar-b-ques on the deck and hostessing of summer fun into a self-imposed 3 week marathon of feeling-sorry -for-myself-BRAVO-watching-reality-show-obsession because I couldn’t chop, cook or even pull my hair into a top knot. And if any of you know me in person, the top knot is what really put me under.

But, I gave myself ’til this week to finish my sulk and now I’m back at ‘em, working the wrist so it doesn’t turn into a stiff log of a limb and I even took off my bandages all by my-freak-out-at-any-medical-condition-that-may-result-in-blood-self. I was happy and surprised to see a completely healed 3-inch scar.

Friends, I’m back.

And it’s a good thing too, because yesterday, when Smudge asked me why we haven’t had any parties with and of our friends who are parents of her friends who we would usually have summertime parties with, I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling the lack of party pain. Remedy solved, we’re having a party tonight and putting our summer party slump to bed.

This recipe doesn’t require a party to make it special. In fact, if you’re in need of a fast dinner with minimal effort but big flavor, this chicken skewer recipe is a keeper.

continue to the recipe… about Lime and Chile Butter Chicken Skewers

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits Banh Mi in a Waffle Cone

Presented by Spike TV’s Frankenfood. Premiers Sunday, June 22 at 10/9c.

Do you guys watch cooking shows? Oh man, I am such a fan. And I have been for years. And because of it, I often catch myself bringing the cooking show slang into my own cooking world vocabulary.

“BAM!”, “E.V.O.O.” and “How easy is that?,” have all eeked their way into my vernacular. But when I catch myself saying, “That’s money!” I have to physically take a step back, remove the sunglasses hanging off the back of my head, re-think my bleached blonde ends and check myself at the kitchen door.

But there’s a few cooking show phrases I find myself adopting more often than not. Like when Ina says, “Let’s turn up the volume,” and Emeril exclaims, “It’s time to kick it up a notch.”

Roger Wilco, foodie fans, I’ll be doing exactly that thanks to the new cooking show, Frankenfood.

continue to the recipe… about Cheesy Shrimp and Grits Banh Mi in a Waffle Cone

Mango Margarita with Chile Salt and Lime

Frozen cocktails aren’t really my thing. I save my frozen tendencies drinkable with a straw for milkshakes and smoothies.

My idea of a great margarita is to make it strong and put it on the rocks.

That is, until, it’s a Mango Margarita. Then I say make it fruity, a bit limey and add some spice and bring me another.

The first time I had a mango margarita was on a Mexican vacation in the small beach town of Todos Santos (if you haven’t been, you HAVE to go) with my little family of three and my BFF Kim and her husband. We’d rented our other friend’s vacation house (see it here) where we blew up the pool toys and made the very necessary trip to the Mexican market to stock up on essentials: Chips and salsa, Mexican pancake mix (loaded with sugar and insanely delicious,) Nutella, mangos, lime and tequila.

Bienvenidos! Let’s get this party started.

continue to the recipe… about Mango Margarita with Chile Salt and Lime

Thai Coconut Cauliflower

Spinach, I love. Broccoli, bring it on. But cauliflower? I can usually leave it at the kitchen door.

I’m DEFINITELY a late convert to this cruciferous’ fan club. So what made me cross the picket line? Well, it has to do with a favorite flavor addition which totally made my Thai Coconut Cauliflower a new fave.

Lately I’ve been in a Thai state of mind thanks to my Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup. But then any dish with coconut milk? Hello, lovely.

So when my husband pulled this recipe out of his…um…thin air, I was like, WHA? WHA?

Me eat cauliflower? Okay, maybe. If its coated with melted cheese.

continue to the recipe… about Thai Coconut Cauliflower

Indian Butter Chicken and Friday Faves

There is a glaring omission in the recipe repertoire of FoodieCrush which I am in the process of remedying as we speak. Chicken. Simple, easy and basic chicken.

While this recipe for Indian Butter Chicken tastes far from basic, it’s one I really can’t forget to share and is so simple to bring together it works great as a weeknight meal. Even the picky kids will love it’s creamy, tomato flavor. Well, minus those pesky peas of course.

I’m such a fan of chicken thighs. I know, everyone boasts about the virtues of boneless chicken breast but where’s the flavor? It’s all in the thighs people.

continue to the recipe… about Indian Butter Chicken and Friday Faves

Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings and Friday Faves

It’s officially here. Summer!

The best part: swimming with my Smudge, backyard barbeques and playing outside ’til the night sky glistens with stars as the moon crests the mountain tops.

The worst part: The longest day of the year has officially come and gone. June 20, my dad’s birthday marked summer solstice and the march toward the days all food bloggers dread: winter. Which equals shorter days. Which means come dinner time we’ve lost all the natural sunlight to shoot our beautiful food.

But that’s a long time away yet and we have much to savor and stock up on.continue to the recipe… about Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings and Friday Faves

Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp

Wow, what a week its been. And before I can even think of digging into one of my favorite recipes, I have to say thanks. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This week Maria and I launched Cookie Cravings, Two Peas and Their Pod’s first foray into the cookbook arena and another publishing adventure for me. We both agree its been such a rewarding project to create and finally share with our readers.

So again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of you for your amazing feedback and support; I can finally uncross my fingers and toes thanks to the digital delivery process going off without a hitch. If you haven’t already, visit my cookbook page for all of the cookie details.

continue to the recipe… about Garlic Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp