Clara's Cooking | Hawaiian Meatballs

In addition to meatballs, this sauce is a great compliment to any baked chicken or fish. 

If you follow my blog, this is my basic meatball recipe that I use for all meatballs. It's great for all types of dishes, whether sweet, savory, or spicy. It can be used in multiple cuisines (Swedish, Italian, Thai, etc.). Although I have published the recipe before, I included it below for the sake of completion. Enjoy!

I like to prepare the meatballs first, so that while they are baking in the oven, I can prepare the sauce.

Clara's Meatballs Recipe Ingredients:

1lb ground lean beef
1lb ground lean turkey
3/4 cup onions, finely diced
2 large eggs
3 tsp Coconut Aminos (optional, can also use soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce)
1/2 to 1 TBSP garlic powder (based on preference)
Olive oil
Salt & black pepper
Optional: 3/4 to 1 cup chopped vegetables such as carrots or sweet potato to bulk up your meatballs.

Clara's Meatballs Recipe Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Heat olive oil on medium heat in pan, and cook onions until silvery. Cook additional (optional) vegetables such as carrots.
3. Set pan aside to cool. 
4. Add beef, turkey, eggs, Coconut Aminos, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to bowl (and other seasonings your wish). Mix well. Add veggie/onion mixture. Mix again.
5. Form meatballs that are of a diameter of 1.5 to 1.75 inches, forming somewhere between 25-28 meatballs (I just use my hands, but you can use a large ice cream scoop or spoon if you wish).  Place on ungreased cookie sheet. 
7. Bake meatballs for 20-23 minutes.

Clara's Hawaiian Sauce Recipe Ingredients:

1 can (12-15oz) mango slices (don't have to drain)
1 cup pineapple chunks (don't have to drain)
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 tsp red curry paste
1 tsp ginger powder (more or less to taste)
1/4 cup lime juice (more or less to taste)
3/4 to 1 cup chopped cilantro (save a bit for garnish)
1/2 TBSP crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Clara's Hawaiian Sauce Recipe Directions:

1. Place mango and pineapple in food processor and blend well.
2. Cook onions in olive oil until silvery.
3. Add mango and pineapple mixture to pan. Add curry paste and stir.
4. Add ginger, lime, salt, pepper, and cilantro.
5. Stir mixture and taste. If you prefer more heat, add crushed red pepper to taste.
6. Simmer on low to medium low for 20 minutes, depending on how thick you wish the sauce to be.
7. When meatballs are finished baking, top with sauce and cilantro garnish. Enjoy with a side of rice and broccoli if you wish!



love + light,
Clara

Clara's Cooking | Shrimp & Zucchini in Almond Sauce

Shrimp & Zucchini in Almond Sauce

YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ_QXqVtmwM

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise then chopped

1/4 onion, sliced

1/2 cup almond butter 

(I use Trader Joe’s brand)

1/3 cup milk (I use coconut milk or skim, depending on how creamy I would like the sauce)

1 TBSP lime juice

1/2-1 TBSP fresh ginger, 

peeled and minced

1 TBSP minced garlic

30-40 medium cooked shrimp, defrosted

Olive oil (1-2 TBSP)

Crushed red pepper (optional)

Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Defrost cooked shrimp if needed.

2. Heat olive oil in pan, cook zucchini and onion.

3. While vegetables are cooking, use a fork to mix almond butter, milk, lime/lemon juice, ginger, and garlic. Use fork to mash the almond butter, and when the consistency is more fine, use a whisk to further mix the sauce.

4. Taste sauce, add salt and pepper as desired. Mix well.

5. Add shrimp and sauce to pan and mix with vegetables. Taste sauce again and add crushed red pepper if desired.

6. Allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so sauce won't burn. Enjoy alone or with 

Tips:

If you dislike ginger, consider using soy sauce and/or onion powder instead.

If you don't have lime juice, may substitute lemon or calamondin juice.

To make Whole30 compliant, replace the milk with water or a compliant coconut milk or almond milk. Also, make sure your almond butter is compliant and doesn't have any peanut oil!

Consider adding water if sauce seems too thick, in 1/4 cup increments until you achieved your desired consistency.

Enjoy!

love + light,

Clara

Clara's Cooking | Fried Tofu

I admit that it took me a few tries to get this right. I've learned that to be successful, I must have the following:

1. DRY tofu (absorb as much of the water as possible before cooking)
2. FIRM tofu (otherwise it falls apart)
3. PATIENCE 

Wait, why do I need patience? Because in cooking I feel the need to stir food every few minutes. But - NOPE! Don't do that when frying tofu! Just like with pan frying chicken, it'll get the best brown color if you leave it UNDISTURBED for at least 5-7 minutes. Trust me! 

FRIED TOFU RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1lb tofu (extra firm)
2-3 TBSP olive oil
Garlic powder (at least 1 tsp)
Onion powder (at least 1 tsp)
Salt & black pepper

Directions:

1. Drain the tofu and gently squeeze it with paper towels. 
2. With a sharp knife, cut into 1/2 slices. Gently pat again to soak away any remaining water.
3. Season both sides of tofu with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
4. In a pan (I like the ceramic lined pans from Aldi), heat olive oil on medium-high.
5. Place tofu gently in pan, and space at least 1/3 inch apart (each slice needs sufficient airflow to evenly and to prevent from sticking to each other).
6. Let tofu cook, UNTOUCHED, for at least 5-7 minutes. You'll know it's time to flip them when you see a brown crust appear along the bottom edges.
7. Flip the tofu to cook the other side, leave untouched 4-6 minutes. The second side will take about 1-2 minutes less than it took the first side to cook. Enjoy!

Tips:

- Enjoy these in any kind of stir fry, or even in just a quick snack on their own! I sometimes like to eat these with a spicy chili sauce or coconut amigos (like soy sauce).

- Don't be afraid to experiment with spices! You could try curry powder, turmeric, nutmeg, etc.! Just go EASY on the spices at first, as tofu itself typically has a mild taste.


Enjoy!

love + light,
Clara

Dollar Tree Succulent Decorations!

Combining obsessions is always fun. Dollar Tree? Good. Succulents? YES. Milk glass? Even better! See how I decorated with Dollar Tree succulents and a few pieces of my milk glass collection here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QaH1wdSOvs&feature=youtu.be

See video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QaH1wdSOvs&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy!

love + light,
Clara

Clara's Cooking | Whole30 Chili

I think a nice thing about a lot of soups and chilis is that you can have flexibility with the vegetables. You can change them up depending on the sales in your grocery store, you can add several varieties or just a few. For me, it seems like as long as the general flavors and spices are added, a "chili" is still a "chili", and a "minestrone" is still a "minestrone."

WHOLE30 'CHILI'

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 large can (29oz) crushed tomatoes
2-3 zucchini, cut into half rounds or quarter rounds, depending on size
2 carrots, finely diced
1/2 TBSP crushed red pepper
1/2 TBSP chili powder
1/2 TBSP cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
Garlic powder (to taste)
Salt & pepper
Olive oil


Directions:

Tips:
- Top with avocado slices or cilantro for a nice presentation!
- If too thick, add water in 1/2 cup increments until you achieve desired consistency.
- These are Whole30 friendly, but if you wish to add some non-Whole30 ingredients, consider adding kidney beans for more bulk, plus it adds protein and fiber. You could also add corn.

Enjoy!

love + light,
Clara

Clara's Cooking | Coconut Chicken Vegetable Soup

This is a great recipe for any time of the year! I have modified this recipe to include items I ordinarily have in the pantry, but you can also add lime leaves, ginger, and lemongrass to deepen the flavor further!

Coconut Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed
1/4 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 broccoli head, with stalk finely diced and floret separated into small florets
1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
1 can (approx 12-14oz) coconut milk
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp red curry paste
1 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP lemon juice
4 TBSP fish sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1-2 cups water


Directions:

1. In a medium soup pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Cook onion until silvery.
2. Add carrot and broccoli and cook until slightly softened. Add mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add chicken, coconut milk, cilantro, red curry paste, lime juice, lemon juice, and fish sauce. Stir.
4. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir. 
5. Reduce heat slightly, and add 1 cup of water or more to achieve desired soup consistency.
6. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Tips:
- Save 1-2 TBSP cilantro for when you serve the soup; it looks great as a little topper.
- Add chopped serranos (or your favorite spicy pepper) to make more spicy.
- As stated above, add lime leaves, ginger, and lemongrass to deepen the flavor further!


Enjoy!

love + light,
Clara

Clara's Cooking | Cauliflower Rice (Whole30)

This is a great side dish, especially to chicken. Much simpler than it may seem. To be honest, I was unable to use a food processor (my Cuisinart blade was recalled and I'm STILL waiting on a replacement grrrr), so I just finely chopped the cauliflower by hand. A bit messy, but totally doable.

Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can coconut milk (12oz)
1/2-3/4 cup chopped cilantro (or may substitute parsley, but I LOVE cilantro with coconut!)
Dash of lime juice
Olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee
Salt, black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat large pan to medium. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until slightly browned.
2. Add cauliflower and mix well. 
3. After about 5 minutes, add coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked.
4. Gently mix in lime juice and half of cilantro. Top with remainder of cilantro when ready to serve.

Tips:
 - To reduce fat, replace 1/2 of coconut milk with water. The dish will be less decadent, but still tasty.
 - To switch things up, substitute other citrus for lime, such as lemon, orange, or calamondin juice.
- To make the cauliflower less soft, squeeze excess water out of the cauliflower in a cheesecloth after blending (before cooking).

Enjoy!

love + light,
Clara

Dollar Tree Desk Organization 2017

New Dollar Tree organizing video is out! AH YES, it feels so good to get my desk organized. Absolutely, hands down it was THE messiest place in our house. It's where upcoming projects go, and where stuff of previous projects go when they aren't properly put away!

See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERgx4kZjYMM

Here's the disastrous BEFORE photo (YES, it really was this messy):

And, the AFTER photo (insert breath of fresh air and sigh of relief):

I keep jewelry out of the way with my Dollar Tree Jewelry holder:

( See video for my mini Dollar Tree Jewelry Holder here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQk5UMGpWDs )

I love their file folders and plastic label holders!

And their bins...oh yes the Dollar Tree bins. They have about a jillion different kinds of different shapes, sizes, and colors.

And of course, my desk would not be complete without cute little decor from Dollar Tree:

See the video for more organizing schtuff, plus I quickly go over the little process I went through when decluttering and clearing my desk. (Dollar Tree Desk Organizing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERgx4kZjYMM )

Everyone may use their desk for different things....homework, crafts, grading papers, doing your nails....how about you? :)

love + light,

Clara

Clara's Cooking | Meatballs (Whole30, Paleo)

Clara's Meatballs (Whole30, Paleo)

Ingredients:

1lb ground lean beef
1lb ground lean turkey
3/4 cup onions, finely diced
2 large eggs
3 tsp Coconut Aminos (optional, alternatives listed below)
1/2 to 1 TBSP garlic powder (based on preference)
Olive oil
Salt & black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Heat olive oil on medium heat in pan, and cook onions until silvery.
3. Set pan aside to cool. Beat eggs in large bowl.
4. Add beef and turkey to bowl. Mix well.
5. Add Coconut Aminos, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to bowl. Mix well.
6. Form meatballs that are of a diameter of 1.5 to 1.75 inches, forming somewhere between 25-28 meatballs (I just use my hands, but you can use a large ice cream scoop or spoon if you wish).  Place on ungreased cookie sheet. 
7. Bake meatballs for 20-23 minutes.


Tips:

- Mix with marinara or your other preferred favorite tomato sauce! While the meatballs are baking, I like cooking a mixture of sliced bell peppers, zucchini, onions, crushed red pepper, and Aldi's Simply Nature Organic Marinara Sauce. When the meatballs are done a slightly cooled, I add them to the mixture. Delicious!

- If you're not following the Whole30 nutrition plan, instead of Coconut Aminos you can use Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce. You can also leave it out altogether and the meatballs would still taste great; really the onion is the dominant flavor of the meatballs!

Enjoy!

Clara Slate

Cozy Broccoli Soup (Vegan, Whole30)

When I first started this recipe, I was afraid that the lack of cream or milk (even coconut milk) would make this soup less soothing. I was wrong!

Ingredients:

2 large heads of broccoli, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
1 large yellow potato, finely diced
4 cups of water (or Whole30 compliant vegetable broth)
0.5-1 TBSP garlic salt
Ground black pepper, to taste (freshly ground if possible)
1 TBSP olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat water in soup pot to boiling. Add broccoli and boil until very soft.
2. While broccoli is cooking, heat 1/2 TBSP olive oil in separate pan to medium. Saute potato, then remove from pan and set aside in a separate dish.
3. Heat another 1/2 TBSP olive oil to the same pan, and saute onion and mushrooms. Add additional olive oil if needed.
4. Once broccoli is cooked, put into a blender in increments and blend until smooth. Add small amounts of water if needed to blend broccoli.
5. Put blended broccoli back into soup pot, leaving about 1-2 cups of the blended broccoli in the blender. 
6. Add the cooked onion, mushrooms, and 3/4 of the potato to the blender (set aside 1/4 of the cooked potato to be added later). Blend until smooth.
7. Add blender contents, garlic salt, and black pepper to soup pot. Add diced potato you had set aside. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.

Tips: 
- If you prefer a chunkier soup, don't blend all the broccoli. Instead, set aside 1/4 of the broccoli to mash with a potato masher, then add to the soup. (THIS IS WHAT I DO :) )

- Add water as needed to reach preferred soup consistency.

- Add 1-2 cups of coconut milk if you prefer a creamier consistency.


Enjoy! This is especially nice on a cold Winter's day!


love + light,
Clara

Clara's Cooking | DIY Taco Seasoning (Whole30)

Until I followed the Whole30 in 2016, I never knew how simple it was to make your own taco seasoning! Even at just 50 cents a packet, this makes for some great savings!


Ingredients:

1 TBSP chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix well, store in airtight container. 

2. Use about 3 TBSP per 1 lb of meat. Adjust accordingly to taste.

Tip: Increase crushed red pepper by 1/4 tsp at a time to increase heat.

If you are following the WHOLE30, make sure your spices are WHOLE30 compliant, as some spices contain sugar! (Which is one reason why I make my own taco seasoning in the first place.)

Note r/t Whole30: I used a mix of brands from McCormick, Stonewall Essentials (Aldi), and Dollar Tree to make this taco seasoning. If you're following the Whole30, ALWAYS check your spices to make sure they are compliant, even if you've been purchasing the same brand for years, as sometimes ingredients may change!

Enjoy!

love + light,

Clara