FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips With Gruyére

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Oh Thanksgiving! Or as I like to call it, casserole season!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons. It’s the first of the major family holidays I grew up celebrating. It’s paired with a long holiday weekend. And it’s filled with so many bites {and I love bites}.

I’ve never been a huge turkey eater. But I’m also extremely attached to the way my family did Thanksgiving, especially now that I don’t make the trip back to Florida anymore. So that means, I always cook a turkey. And it also means that I cook very similar sides that are made from real food ingredients. While not everyone in my family is on the healthy eating train, everyone is headstrong about cooking with real butter, real milk, real cheese, and fresh vegetables.

And because, all year long, I’m a fan of sneaking vegetables into ordinary dishes, I created a whole food, sneaky veggie casserole that’ll leave you feeling totally satisfied this casserole season: Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips with Gruyere {scroll down for recipe}.

If you’re new to cooking with turnips, there are a few things you should know. Most importantly, turnips are different than potatoes nutritionally. Turnips contain over three times as much Vitamin C, one third as many calories, and one third as many carbohydrates as white potatoes. Texturally, they aren’t as soft as potatoes, which can be great in certain recipes because they don’t fall apart. And flavor wise, they get a little sweetness when cooked. Ultimately, I don’t recommend completely swapping potatoes for turnips unless you’re a seasoned turnip lover. But I completely recommend swapping portions of potato recipes to increase the spectrum of vitamins you’re consuming as well as lower the calories and carbohydrates of your dish without sacrificing the use of real butter, real milk, and real cheese.

I was able to purchase all of the ingredients for this recipe at the new Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park, which is a huge plus especially during the busy holiday shopping season. I get super frustrated when I have to go to a separate store to find items and it was a huge relief to see that turnips and chives were both available in the Whole Foods Market 365 produce department.

The prices at Whole Foods Market 365 were also noticeably cheaper. I was able to purchase every ingredient for this recipe, and mostly organic products, for $20.80. Had there already been flour in my pantry and milk in my refrigerator, the I would have only spent $15.42, which is quite the steal for a casserole made with quality ingredients.

And lastly, I really loved the feel of the Whole Foods Market 365 store. It was clean and orderly beyond belief. The produce department was top notch. For almost every grocery item I purchased, there was a store brand available. And!! Oh, and this is the best part. The Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park collaborates with local companies like Juiceland {cold pressed juice to order}, Easy Tiger {freshly baked breads}, and Snap Kitchen {healthy eats to go}. Overall, shopping at this store was as pleasant as it gets. I’ll definitely be making the trip to the Whole Foods Market 365 Cedar Park store {20 minute drive} as often as I can to load up on 365 products.

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Simple Grilled Chicken For Salads

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Grilled Chicken for Salads

When it comes to meat, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not all that adventurous with seasonings and cooking methods. This is in part due to perpetually being in some kind of hurry.  But the reality is, it has mostly to do with how salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne just work.

Tenderized Chicken Breast

Below are the instructions for my go-to chicken recipe for topping salads.  And if you’re looking for additional simple recipes, check out this sautéed shrimp recipe and this broiled salmon recipe.

Grilled Chicken Cast Iron Grill Pan

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Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini Boats

There’s something about cold weather that makes me crave the coziness of meaty red sauce.  But it’s still January and I’m still in the constant process shedding the holiday fluff, so I got to thinking about a no-noodle alternative.

Zucchini Boats

And since I’m always stuffing zucchini into meat dishes, why not change it up and stuff meat into a zucchini dish? And that’s how this recipe was born.

Zucchini Boat Stuffing

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Simple Sautéed Shrimp

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Simple Spicy Shrimp

Anyone who has ever been at my house in a hunger bind knows that I always have a package of frozen shrimp in the freezer. They only take minutes to thaw and even less minutes to cook. And I love them at any time of day.

Peeled Deveined Shrimp Tails On

Sautéing in a tiny bit of butter and over-sprinkling with spices has been my favorite preparation lately. Whether you’re eating them solo as a snack, along side a veggie or another protein for dinner, or on top of eggs or grits for breakfast – you really can’t go wrong.

Sautéed Shrimp

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