I have been obsessively watching cooking YouTube videos lately. It’s amazing how engaging some of these people are and you can easily see why they have so many followers. Chef Buck is one that I really enjoyed. This guy is no-frills, sounds like he comes from NOLA, and used to be overweight and unkempt in his videos. That last detail made the videos even more engaging because it just seemed so backwards that this guy would be making cooking videos. The recipes he was dishing out, however, were top notch and his following grew over time. More recently, Chef Buck found a razor and found a new interest in cleaner cooking.  He clearly got healthier, lost weight and worked on his image, but he kept his same down-home charm.

One of his most popular recipes is his Best Brussel Sprouts. I just happened to have a bag in my fridge that I needed to use. He wasn’t lying when he said these would be these best Brussel Sprouts I’d ever put in my mouth. They were! I’ll be making them again and again.

Check out this video here and subscribe to his channel:

And here is how mine turned out!

Last week I voluntarily ate beets. The apocalypse must be coming. When you see a beet in the grocery store, they do not look appetizing. They look like they were literally pulled out of the ground and stuck on the produce shelf. My memories of beets are from when my parents would buy them in cans,  heat them up and throw them on my plate. I had no idea what they were or where they came from, and certainly no clue that they came out of the ground. I guess I just always thought they came out of a can!

My friend, Kelley, had been trying to convince me to incorporate them into my diet, but I told her I’d rather eat dirt. It was not until I found a recipe for Honeyed Beets in my new Paleo Cooking in the Instant Pot cookbook that I decided to give it a try. I was blown away. Yummy!!! This fresh salad was inspired by the recipe in the cookbook.  This would be wonderful with a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc and some candied pecans sprinkled on top! If you are dairy-free, skip the cheese!

Instant Pot Burgundy and Gold Candied Beet Salad
INGREDIENTS:

3 Burgundy Beets

3 Golden Beets

2 TBSP Honey

2 TBSP Maple Syrup

1.5 TBSP Avocado Oil (or oil of your choice)

Dash of Sea Salt

Crumbled Goat Cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Wash, peel, and chop beets. I would advise cooking each color beet separately to preserve the beautiful colors. The burgundy beets spread their color like crazy!

Place beets in the inner pot of the Instant Pot, add remaining ingredients, and stir well to coat beets.

Place lid on Instant Pot and set Manual HP for 5 minutes with a quick release.

Serve on a bed of greens like arugula, and sprinkle goat cheese over beets.

Stir and serve warm or chilled!

(This post may include affiliate Amazon links for products that I use and love! All opinions are 100% my own, and proceeds support this blog!)

I have a love/hate relationship with Brussels Sprouts. Plain steamed Brussels Sprouts? Ugh, no thanks. Brussels roasted with bacon? Oh yeah, now, we’re talking. By the way, am I the only one who didn’t know that it was Brussels with an “s” on the end instead of Brussel? Probably. Learn something new everyday.

Anyway, I digress. I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram the other day when a food post stopped me in my tracks. It was Brussels Sprouts of all things, and it looked damn good. When I went to click that little heart, I realized the poster was none other than my niece, Ali! She got herself an immediate invitation to share this delectable dish with my readers. I knew that Ali was becoming quite the talented photographer, but I had no idea she was also so creative in the kitchen! We made a deal. She said she would share her recipe and photos as long as she didn’t have to write. No problem-o. Hopefully this will be the first of many posts from Ali – and one day maybe I’ll get her to say hello too!

Ali’s Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Dried Apricots

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ lbs fresh Brussels Sprouts, washed and cut into quarter spears

1- 6 oz Package dried Apricots, julienned

½ lb Bacon, thinly sliced (julienned) width wise.

1 tsp refined coconut oil (or any cooking oil you prefer)

2 TBSP water

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prep Brussels sprouts, apricots and bacon.
2. Add coconut oil to skillet over medium/high heat, add bacon and cook until almost crispy.
3. Add julienned apricots to pan with bacon and continue cooking until bacon is crisp, about another minute.
4. Remove bacon and apricots from pan using slotted spoon or mesh skimmer. Reserve 2 tsp of bacon drippings for later, drain pan, but do not rinse.
5. Return pan to stove over medium heat, add Brussels sprouts and water, cover and cook until tender but not soft, should take about 4 minutes but adjust time if necessary.
6. Once sprouts are tender, add the reserved bacon drippings and the cooked bacon and apricots to pan and turn heat to high.
7. Sauté sprouts, bacon, and apricots until most of the sprouts have some color. Add salt and pepper as desired, (Ali recommends using a lot of pepper as it adds another layer of flavor)
8. Serve immediately.

**If you don’t like apricots or can’t find them, substitute with cranberries!

This dish is a great side for pork or chicken.  Thanks for sharing, Ali!

xo Jaime

Sometimes you just need some Southern Green Beans in your life. And, sometimes, you only have twenty minutes to throw dinner together. Don’t fret! You will never look at your canned green beans the same after you throw them in your Instant Pot. The Instant Pot has the amazing ability to give you that same “simmered for 8 hours” taste in a fraction of the time. You can improve the taste of your canned greens in a number of ways that range from clean eating to pre-diabetes Paula Deen (butter, honey!).

Instant Pot Southern-Style Green Beans

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (15oz) can of green beans, drained
• ½ cup of finely chopped white onion (optional and I did not use)
• 1 garlic clove or 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ cup or more chopped ham or bacon (optional and I did not use)
• 2 cups  chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon of butter or if you love bacon use 1 Tablespoon bacon fat
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Optional 1/4 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Throw all the ingredients in your pot. Set HP 10 minutes with a QR. Add extra seasoning, if desired. Enjoy!

Note: I try to cook clean for my family so I left out the bacon. My husband does not love onions so I left those out too! If I was making this for a get-together, I’d definitely use all of the above! Who doesn’t love BACON??

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Boy, oh boy. Lately, the kitchen has been my great escape from the world. It’s tough out there right now, y’all! I know I’m preaching to the choir, but it seems everywhere you turn negativity is all you encounter. We have to put on our blinders and forge ahead. It’s hard not to fall into the rabbit hole of a political conversation, or get roped into choosing “sides” among friends. Don’t fall for it, friends! Misery loves company. But, I’m sorry. Misery ain’t being served up at this party! But, you know what is? Mashed ‘taters! That’s what!

Some relatives came over for dinner the other night and I of course waited until the last minute to decide what to make. The Instant Pot came to my rescue again. I had seen tons of posts where folks had made mashed potatoes in their pots and I was anxious to see how it went for me. I tried out my nearly famous Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes recipe, and it was a show-stopper served under a Mississippi Roast. (Look for the roast post coming soon! Hey, that rhymes!)

Here’s how it went down:

I gave a thorough wash of my red potatoes. (I used around 20 potatoes.)

Then I cut them in half.

Put ’em in the pot.

I added 1/2 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder and a 1/2 Tablespoon of salt.

Then, I added one cup beef broth.

I set my Instant Pot for Manual HP 8 minutes with quick release.

I drained the broth from the potatoes and returned them to the pot.

I added 1/4 cup whole milk and 2 TBSP real butter. (Note: If I find the potatoes are too thick, I add more milk, as needed.)

Blended them with my hand mixer right in the pot!

I love the pops of red from the peel.

Lastly, I just added salt and pepper to taste. Mashed potatoes can never be salty enough for me!

These were a hit!

Ingredients:

20 Red Potatoes

1 cup broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)

1/2 TBSP garlic powder

1/2 TBSP sea salt

2 TBSP real butter

1/4 whole milk (add more if potatoes seem to thick)

Directions:

Wash and halve the potatoes. Add to inner stainless steel pot with one cup of broth. Set to manual high power for 8 minutes. When cooking has completed, release valve with a Quick Release. Strain broth from potatoes and return to the pot. Add garlic powder, salt, butter and milk. Blend with hand mixer until desired texture. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, and enjoy!

xo Jaime

This post contains Amazon affiliate links which simply help generate income for my blog and help me keep it going. I only posts link for products I actually use and love!

My neighbor, Sharon, is always cooking up the tastiest dishes. She’s back on the blog serving up a roasted veggie side dish for our readers today!

(Post and Photography contributed by Sharon Harrod)

I adore roasted veggies. They are like candy! My new favorite is butternut squash. Serve with pork tenderloin, steak, salmon or… why not just eat the whole pan like candy or a sleeve of cookies?!?

Peel the butternut squash. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice it and one half inch pieces.

Place on a cookie sheet drizzle with olive oil sprinkle either cayenne pepper or for the faint-of-heart who don’t like spicy use chili powder salt and pepper.

Bake on 400 for 20 to 30 minutes or until brown.

Getting enough vegetables in my diet is a constant struggle for me. I just do not love the texture of cooked vegetables when I prepare them at home. I much prefer the crunch of raw vegetables so I steer more towards fresh green salads and chopped raw veggies. While the rest of my family loves steamed broccoli or canned green beans, I often will buy a packaged chopped salad kit and eat that instead. When I stumbled upon this recipe from the Ultimate Reset nutrition plan, I was excited to run right out to the store and get the ingredients.

Speaking of grocery stores, do you guys have a Sprouts? We just got one about four miles from my house and I am in love with it! For one thing the produce is mostly local and does not have all that icky vegetable grade wax all over it. They also have a nice selection of Paleo and gluten-free options that is similar to what you would find at Whole Foods. And, they sell nuts, beans, flours, and candy (!) in bulk. The prices are fairly reasonable and the staff is super friendly and helpful. Two thumbs up from this girl.

I left my local Sprouts armed with beautiful red cherry tomatoes and firm cucumbers. This recipe turned out beautifully and I only made a few adjustments based on my family’s preferences. We don’t do raw onions so I left those out. And, I only had dried herbs on hand so I used those. It still tasted flavorful and delicious! If you are trying to find tasty way to get fresh vegetables into your diet, this Cucumber and Tomato Salad might be a great addition to your menu.

Cucumber – Tomato Salad (courtesy of Ultimate Reset)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp . red wine vinegar

1 tsp . balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp . fresh lemon juice

2 tsp . extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium cucumber partially peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 Tbsp . chopped red onion (optional, I did not use)

1 Tbsp . chopped fresh Italian parsley (or 1/2 Tbsp dried)

1 Tbsp . chopped fresh basil leaves (or 1/2 Tbsp dried)

Himalayan salt to taste; optional

Instructions

Combine red wine and balsamic vinegars, lemon juice, and oil in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.

Combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion (if desired), parsley, basil, and salt (if desired), in a large bowl; mix well.

Enjoy!

–Jaime