Vegetarian |

I have found it. A way to make super easy, delicious potatoes, that are full of flavor and texture and require almost no work. I may never make potatoes another way again. I found the idea for smashed potatoes on Pinterest and haven’t looked back.

I cannot even begin to explain how awesome this method is, but I’m going to try…

First, wash potatoes thoroughly. Poke all over with holes and microwave until they are almost cooked through, but not fully cooked. Two medium sized russet potatoes cooked for about five minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Once potatoes have cooked in microwave, transfer to a greased baking sheet. Using a fork, smash the potatoes enough so that they are broken up, but still hold some shape.

Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and seasonings of choice. I usually use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.

Cook potatoes in oven for 20 minutes. And as easy as that you have smashed potatoes!

The edges have the crispy texture of french fries or chips and the inside tastes super flavorful with the smoothness of mashed potatoes. The varying textures are what make this method amazing. I especially love the crispy skin and eat the whole thing.

Over the weekend, I made smashed potatoes, BBQ pulled pork, and kale chips for Marcus.

I had the same, minus the pork, plus two scoops of cottage cheese. Awe-some.

Last night, I used the smashed method but with sweet potatoes. I made Marcus’ sweet (along with kale chips and baked chicken and mushrooms) and mine savory. Delicious! I can’t get over it.

Another thing that has been awesome this week?

Kale…eaten raw, with olive oil, and minced garlic or made into chips. We tend to go through kale cycles. Right now we are on the wagon, big time. So good.

And now I’m hungry! Have a wonderful day! 🙂

Last night’s dinner was on point! Chock full of real ingredients, simple food and all mushed together to make a delicious mess of burrito-y flavors.

But before I get to that, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all those who ordered t-shirts from the “I’m Not Fast” store. During the month of October, all money made was to be donated to FORCE. Since the company only pays once a quarter, I just got the commission this week. As soon as I got it, I made the donation to FORCE. So thank you everyone for helping out and taking a small step to spread hereditary breast and ovarian cancer awareness.

And don’t forget, the “I’m Not Fast” store is still open. I am adding more shirts soon. A portion of all proceeds will be continuously donated to FORCE, an organization that has really helped me and my family through this BRCA craziness.

Now, onto the food! In the past, I have made tofu, veggie, chicken, ground turkey and ground beef burrito bowls…but I have never made tempeh burrito bowls. Tempeh is my favorite form of vegetarian protein. It is super high in protein and fiber and is less processed then tofu. To begin, I crumbled up the tempeh using a cheese grater.

Tempeh crumbles pretty easily, but I used a grater to ensure that I got small pieces. I wanted to have a ground beef-like consistency when cooking. After the tempeh was grated, I added it to a hot pan of olive oil and cooked it until all the pieces were browned evenly. At the end, I added a tablespoon of TJ’s taco seasoning.

Using the same pan, I browned up a package of ground beef and taco seasoning for Marcus. While that was cooking, I went to work on all of the other burrito bowl ingredients. Last night we had, sautéed peppers and onions, roasted corn, black beans, salsa, lettuce, mashed avocados and yuca chips.

I found the yuca chips at TJ’s. On some Paleo discussion boards they get approval because they are cooked in palm oil. Some stay that tubers (potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) should be avoided or eaten in moderation. But in my opinion, a vegetable is a vegetable. I know potatoes are considered too starchy and carby for those trying to lose weight on Paleo, but it all kind of depends on your own goals and reasons for choosing this diet. Anyways, yuca chips are awesome and gave our burrito bowls some crunch.

*Another side note…corn is also on the questionable list for Paleo eaters. I always thought of corn as a vegetable. But it looks like it’s considered a domesticated grain. I guess I still have a lot to learn and Marcus will have to decide if it gets the green light for him.

Marcus’ bowl was served Paleo style – all veggies, ground beef, no beans. Mine was served vegetarian style – all veggies, no beef, add beans.

The mashed avocados and salsa brought all the ingredients together. Neither one of us missed the cheese or sour cream. So technically, my meal was vegan. And that is what I love about this dish. It is so easily adaptable to all kinds of eating habits. And it wasn’t much extra work to ensure that Marcus and I had ingredients that we could both enjoy.

The best thing? Leftovers!! Is it lunch time yet??

Have a fab one! 🙂