Spicy Honey Smashed Potatoes with El Yucateco

This post is sponsored by El Yucateco® and all opinions are my own.

Can you even believe the holiday season is already upon us? It certainly came up quick, but I am definitely ready! I'm that person that had out the lights and festive colored pillows on November 1st. There's really nothing I love more than the holidays, and more specifically, the delicious holiday food!

So, of course, I've already been recipe testing some new ideas and was really feeling like it's time to spice things up this season! That's where this spicy honey smashed potato recipe comes in. I love a good potato recipe, but I wanted something a little more fun, delicious, and with that extra flavor!

These potatoes are made with El Yucateco® Red Habanero Hot Sauce which is the #1 habanero sauce in the US and is made from the whole fruit of the pepper. It's a non-vinegar based hot sauce with the most perfect flavor that really is the star of this recipe. Whether you're heating up the holidays with these smashed potatoes, spicing up your own favorite holiday recipe, or just looking for a delicious gift or stocking stuffer, El Yucateco® is the way to go!

So let's get to it!

Here's What You'll Need:

• 1 lb creamer potatoes

• 1 tbsp El Yucateco® Red Habanero Hot Sauce

• 1 tbsp ghee (or unsalted butter), melted

• 1 tbsp EVOO

• 1 tsp honey

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 green onion, chopped

Instructions:

1. Cook your creamer potatoes until tender and easily pierced by a fork. You can do this by microwaving them for about 5 minutes or by boiling them.

2. In a bowl, mix together the El Yucateco® Red Habanero Hot Sauce, melted ghee, EVOO, honey, salt, and pepper.

3. Toss the potatoes with the mixture.

4. Spread out the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet, reserving any extra sauce.

5. Using the bottom of a jar or mug, smash the potatoes on the baking sheet.

6. Bake the potatoes in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.

7. Flip the potatoes and bake for an additional 10 minutes until crispy.

8. Drizzle any extra sauce over the top of the potatoes and top with the chopped green onion.

9. Serve and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Crispy Spicy Tofu and Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad

Crispy tofu AND brussels sprouts?! Yes, please! That’s the best way to enjoy two of my favorite foods. Add in some heat, warm grains, and a delicious creamy dressing, and you have yourself the perfect cozy fall salad. This salad is a delicious mix of textures and flavors, and, trust me, it’s going to a be a favorite you’ll be making over and over again! It’s also super versatile and can be made gluten free or vegan depending on your grain and dressing choice. Let’s get to it!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 1 bunch of brussels sprouts, de-stemmed and sliced

• 7 oz tofu, pressed and cut into 1” cubes

• 4 tsp nutritional yeast, separated

• 1/4 cup hot sauce of choice

• 4 cups spinach (or salad greens of choice)

• 1/2 cup whole grain medley, wild rice, or grains of choice

• 1/4 cup Organic Girl White Cheddar Ranch Style Dressing (or dressing of choice)

Instructions:

1. Toss the brussels sprouts with enough avocado oil to coat them, sea salt, and pepper, and roast in the oven for 15-20 mins at 450 degrees until crispy.

2. In the meantime, toss the tofu with 2 tsp nutritional yeast.

3. Heat a pan with just enough avocado oil to coat the bottom over high heat. Once hot, turn down to medium high and add the tofu (it should sizzle immediately). Cook, rotating the tofu every 2-3 mins until all sides are crispy (~12-18 mins total).

4. In a bowl, mix together the hot sauce and 2 tsp nutritional yeast. Toss the tofu with the sauce until fully coated.

5. In 2 separate bowls, split the spinach, roasted Brussels sprouts, grains, and dressing. Toss together, and top with the spicy tofu.

6. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Cauliflower Nachos

Cauliflower has easily become one of my favorite veggies. It's delicious on its own or roasted, and it can literally be made into or the vehicle for basically anything - pizza crust, rice, buffalo "wings", you name it! It just has a naturally great flavor without being overwhelming. 

So earlier this week when I was craving nachos, I figured why not?! Sweet potato nachos are delicious, so why not swap out the chips (or sweet potatoes) for cauliflower this time. I just sliced the cauliflower into thin, chip-like pieces, seasoned them a bit, and they were the perfect base for some delicious nachos.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 head of cauliflower, sliced into 1/4-1/2" strips (they will naturally break into "chips", and you can cut them into smaller pieces if desired)
-2 tbsp avocado oil
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp Just Spices Flavors of Mexico Seasoning (the code juststacy15 will get you 15% off)
-1/2 cup black beans
-1/2 large tomato, cubed
-1/4 cup red onion, chopped
-1/2 avocado, cubed
-1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
-1/4 cup salsa
-1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions:

1) Toss the cauliflower pieces with the avocado oil, sea salt, black pepper, and Flavors of Mexico spice blend, and spread the cauliflower evenly over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2) Cook in a preheated oven at 450 degree for 15-20 minutes until tender.
3) Remove from the oven, and evenly spread all of the other ingredients over the cauliflower.
4) Return the cauliflower to the oven at the same heat for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
5) Remove, serve, and enjoy!

Easy peasy, right?! And it's oh so delicious! You won't be missing those chips, trust me! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below.

Vegan Stuffed Poblanos (GF)

I headed to a local farm market yesterday afternoon with my niece. She gets to a point where she is just sick of being in the house (totally understandable), so she will find her shoes and come up to me and say, "GO". She's just under 18 months, so vocabulary is limited. But I'm pretty sure I've got this one figured out. Plus she's basically shoving her shoes in my face, so we put them on and do what she says, go.

Unfortunately it's been about 9723753892 degrees the past week or so, so the last thing I want to do is take her for a walk in her stroller. There are also limited places that I really want to take an 18 month old indoors, so I thought we could try this local farm that has a small market. I've taken her before. We spend 15-20 minutes looking at animals going over which is which. I let her walk about 5 feet until she tries to run away, and then I have to carry her to the little market.

But yesterday we got to the market, and I was already sweating. We walked over to the animals (half of whom were hiding in the barn because it was hot AF), she said goat, I took that as my cue to pretend I heard "go", and we headed to the farm's market. Seriously SUCH a relief! Once in the store, I felt obligated to buy something, but to my pleasure there was TONS of organic greens and other produce. I spotted some poblanos and instantly had a plan for these babies. So long story short, everything happens for a reason? I don't know. How about always say yes to organic, local poblanos.

Here's What You'll Need:

-4 poblano peppers
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 red onion, chopped
-8 oz cooked quinoa
-One 15.5 oz can chickpeas
-1 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-2 tbsp olive oil, separated
-3/4 cup Herb 'n Zest tomato chive cooking sauce
-Salsa (optional)
-2 tbsp green onion, chopped (optional)

Serves 2-4

Instructions:

1) Turn your oven onto broil on high.Coat the poblanos in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook the poblanos for 3-5 minutes per side until skin starts to blister.
2) Remove them from the oven, and switch it to bake at 375 degrees. Let the peppers cool. Once cool, remove the blistered parts of skin.
3) Use a small knife to remove the stem of the poblanos and make a slit down one side. 
4) In a skillet on the stove top, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat.
5) Add in the garlic and red onion and allow to cook down for about 3 minutes.
6) In the meantime, strain and rinse the chickpeas. 
7) Add the chickpeas to the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
8) Add in the sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook until the sauce is heated (about 3 minutes).
9) Mix in the quinoa, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
10) Equally distribute the filling to stuff each pepper.
11) Place, the peppers in a lightly greased baking pan, cover with aluminum foil, and cook for 10 minutes.
12) Take the peppers out, remove the foil, add any salsa if desired, and place the pan back into the oven (uncovered) for an additional 10 minutes.
13) Remove the pan from the oven, plate the peppers, top with green onions if desired, and enjoy!

Besides the obvious subject (poblanos), the real star of the show is this Herb 'n Zest tomato chive cooking sauce. This is just one of MANY ways you can use this delicious sauce. All of their sauces and condiments are vegan, gluten free, and use non-gmo ingredients. If you'd like give them a try, you can use the code GET25ARLTH to get 25% off their home chef starter pack which includes 6 sauces. You can click the picture below to go straight to checkout.

If you use this code, you'll be entered into their summer giveaway worth $50 if you post a picture of yourself with a jar of Herb 'n Zest to Instagram and tag it with the hashtag #herbnzest. The winner will be selected 8/15/16.

I honestly LOVE these sauces (or I wouldn't recommend them), so the home chef start pack is a great way to give them a try! Plus who doesn't love the chance to win a giveaway?

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Tempeh

I promise that I won't only post grilled recipes from now through like November (even if I want to), but in the meantime, another grilled recipe.

I had picked up some tempeh the other day and decided it needed to be grilled. So I started playing around with marinade ideas. One thing led to another, and I had some sort of sweet but salty but spicy but DELICIOUS marinade. I didn't really know what to call it, so you just get "Sweet and Spicy". But's it's good, like really good. And you will be pouring the marinade on top of the grilled tempeh, trust me. So I recommend not throwing it out.

Here's What You'll Need:

-8 oz package of tempeh, cut into 4 triangles
-1/4 cup maple syrup
-1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
-1-2 tbsp sriracha (depending on how spicy you want it)
-1 clove garlic, minced

(Serves 2)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the marinade in a bowl or bag, and marinate the tempeh for at least an hour.
2) Heat up your grill, and toss the tempeh on. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side until lightly charred.
3) Remove from heat, add some additional marinade as sauce, serve with your favorite sides, and enjoy!

So easy and so delicious. Does it get much better than that?

Let me know what you think!