A Grateful Meal

Citrus

Instant Pot Carne Asada

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This Instant Pot Carne Asada is full of fresh flavors like citrus, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, and is SUPER easy to make.

I love carne asada. Carne asada means grilled beef in Spanish. While I usually would grill my steak to make carne asada, I’m taking a slightly different approach and not using my grill. Instead, I decided to try making Instant Pot Carne Asada for those times that I don’t feel like firing up the grill, or the weather isn’t grilling-friendly. 

Platter of Instant Pot Carne Asada sliced up with cilantro garlic sauce and tacos on the side.

This recipe is super easy. It involves making a quick marinade, then cooking quickly in the Instant Pot under high pressure. The marinade helps tenderize and flavor the meat, and the high pressure from the Instant Pot helps tenderize and cook quickly. 

Carne Asada Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need:

  • Lime and orange juice: The acid in the citrus juice helps tenderize the meat. Plus, the sweetness from the fruit balances the acid. 
  • Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire has an umami flavor similar to beef, which makes it perfect for including in a beef marinade. 
  • Olive oil: This gives the steak a nice coating of oil to help prevent sticking in the Instant Pot. Plus, flank steak can be lean, so the fat helps with flavor. 
  • Jalapeño: A hot pepper for a little heat. If you’re heat adverse, you can skip the seeds to ease up on the spiciness factor. 
  • Cilantro: Cilantro adds a fresh burst of flavor to the marinade. 
  • Garlic cloves: You can leave the garlic cloves whole if you’d like to make it easier or you can mince them. If you use them whole, just give them a little smash before throwing them in the marinade. 
  • Seasonings and spices: A little chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper round out the Latin-inspired flavors.  Flank steak: Flank steak can be a bit tough, so that’s why this recipe marinates the steak for a few hours before cooking. Also, you’ll need to make sure to cut the steak into pieces that will fit in your Instant Pot – see below. 
Close of instant pot carne asada on a platter with cilantro garlic sauce drizzled on top.

How to Make Instant Pot Carne Asada

  • First, you make the marinade by combining all of the ingredients except for the steak into a large shallow dish that can be covered or a large ziplock bag.
  • Before putting the flank steak into the marinade, make sure that the steak is cut into pieces small enough to fit the length of your Instant Pot. For example, I used a little less than 2 lbs. of steak, and I only had to cut my steak into two pieces before cooking. 
  • Once you’ve marinated the steak for at least 4 hours, you’ll sear the steak in the Instant Pot using the sauté feature. Note: don’t discard the marinade!
  • After the steak is browned on all sides, you’ll add the marinade to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for about 4-5 minutes for a medium-well steak (3-4 minutes should get you medium). Use the quick release to depressurize the Instant Pot. 
  • Allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain, meaning slice in the opposite direction of the muscle fibers. This helps break up the tough muscle of the flank steak, making it more tender and easier to eat. If you’re going to use the carne asada for tacos, you definitely want nice thin strips of meat rather than big tough chunks. 
  • After you’re done, you’ll want to drizzle some of my cilantro garlic sauce on the steak. You can check out the link or the recipe card has a link as well. It technically could be optional, but really, it’s not optional. At least in my opinion. 
Platter of Instant Pot Carne Asada sliced up with cilantro garlic sauce and tacos on the side.

How to Serve Carne Asada

Tacos are my favorite vehicle for this Instant Pot Carne Asada. I’ve included my favorite taco toppings in the notes section of the recipe. But, this steak recipe would be equally good served up on a burrito bowl, salad, or just by itself with a side of rice and beans. You really can’t go wrong any which way you eat it. 

Close up of a taco with instant pot carne asada.
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Instant Pot Carne Asada

Platter of instant pot carne asada with cilantro garlic sauce drizzled on top and a jar of the sauce on the side.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 4 hours
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours, 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: beef
Scale

Ingredients

  • juice of 2 limes
  • juice of 1 orange
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 jalapeño, chopped (with or without seeds) 
  • ½ cup packed cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves (whole or minced)
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder 
  • 1 tsp. oregano 
  • salt/pepper
  • 1 ½ –2 lbs. of flank steak, cut into pieces that will fit into your Instant Pot
  • cilantro garlic sauce, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients together. Add steak and allow to marinate for 4 hours. 
  2. Preheat Instant Pot on the sauté feature. Sear steak on all sides in Instant Pot (save marinade). Add marinade to Instant Pot to deglaze. Cook steak in the marinade on high pressure for 4-5 minutes for medium-well steak, then quick release Instant Pot valve. 
  3. Allow steak to rest on cutting board for 7-10 minutes. Slice against the grain. Serve with cilantro garlic sauce. 

Notes

To aim for a medium-well steak, aim for 4-5 minutes on high pressure for thicker steaks.

If your steak is thinner, decrease the time to 3 minutes for medium-well. 

If you’re making carne asada tacos – try the following toppings/fixings:

  • Extra cilantro, in addition to the cilantro garlic sauce
  • Red onion
  • Guacamole or avocado
  • Crumbled queso fresco or cojita cheese
  • Corn or flour tortillas 

Keywords: beef, carne asada, tacos, Instant Pot

Cilantro Garlic Sauce

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This cilantro garlic sauce is light, fresh, and citrusy, making the perfect sauce that you can use as a salad dressing or drizzle on just about anything. 

I’m always looking for a good sauce or dressing to liven up my meals. Especially during warmer weather, I’m looking for sauces that taste light, fresh, and citrusy. This Cilantro Garlic Sauce is the perfect combination of all three qualities. Made with ingredients that I almost always have on hand, it’s easy to whip up at a moment’s notice to jazz up a boring meal. Plus, if you’re like me, you buy cilantro for recipes but have a hard time using it all up before it goes bad. This sauce will use up all of that leftover cilantro that you have hanging out in your vegetable crisper. 

Jar of cilantro garlic sauce surrounding by a spoon, limes, garlic clove, and cilantro on a white counter.

Ingredients for Cilantro Garlic Sauce

  • Cilantro: Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs. If you add it to anything, it instantly makes it taste fresher. Some people love it; others hate it. Me? I’m squarely in the LOVE it camp. I definitely don’t taste soap when eating cilantro. 
  • Plain yogurt: Plain yogurt adds a little sour tang to the sauce or dressing. You can use Greek or regular yogurt; it doesn’t matter. I used Greek yogurt. But it is essential to get the PLAIN yogurt – you don’t want to add vanilla yogurt to this sauce accidentally. That would not be good.
  • Garlic clove: Raw garlic is super pungent, so I found that adding just one small-medium clove is a perfect balance. If you have a larger clove, I would only use half. 
  • Lime juice: Just like cilantro, lime juice adds a fresh flavor and vibe to anything. I prefer fresh, but if you only have bottled, it’ll do. 
  • Olive oil: When you blend everything in the food processor or blender, adding a little fat from olive oil emulsifies the sauce making it extra creamy and rich. A little goes a long way, so this recipe only calls for two tablespoons. 
  • Seasonings (salt and cayenne): A pinch of salt goes perfectly with the cilantro, lime, and garlic. I like a little heat, so I used 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. It’s just the right amount to give a kick without being all out spicy. 
Food processor bowl with cilantro, lime juice, cayenne pepper, yogurt, and garlic inside the bowl getting ready to be made into cilantro garlic sauce.

How to Make the Sauce 

If you can push a button, you can make this sauce. Everything is added directly into the food processor or blender bowl and pureed until entirely smooth. Once you’re done, inspect the sauce to ensure that the garlic is chopped very finely, so you don’t end up taking a big bite of raw garlic later. If you want to be sure that the garlic is fully pureed, try mincing the garlic before blending. 

How to Use the Sauce

While this recipe is called a cilantro garlic sauce, I like to use it as a dressing as well. If you’re looking for a fresh, tangy dressing to use on salads, this is the ticket. I like blending this up on Sundays when I do some meal prep to use throughout the week. You can use it for:

  • Drizzling on tacos or burrito bowls – it’s an absolute must for my Instant Carne Asada
  • Tossing salads
  • As a dipping sauce 
  • As a marinade for meats 
  • The possibilities are endless! 
Jar of cilantro garlic sauce with a spoon in the jar and cilantro in the background on a white counter.
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Cilantro Garlic Sauce

Jar of cilantro garlic sauce surrounding by a spoon, limes, garlic clove, and cilantro on a white counter.

This cilantro garlic sauce is light, fresh, and citrusy, making the perfect sauce that you can use as a salad dressing or drizzle on just about anything. 

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 small jar 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • ½ cup chopped cilantro stems removed
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne (optional for spice)

Instructions

Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Serve or refrigerate for up to 1 week. 

Notes

When storing in the fridge for up to 1 week, mild separation may occur. Simply shake or stir until re-incorporated. 

Keywords: dressings, sauces

Braised Lemon Chicken with Spaghetti Squash

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Overview of a plate of braised lemon chicken with spaghetti squash
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One of my favorite easy recipes that I make is Braised Lemon Chicken. I have been making it for years, and it’s always a hit for potlucks and dinner parties, not to mention as a super simple weeknight meal. I frequently am asked for the recipe, but I never wrote it down until now. I once had to type out the basic idea of how to make it over text message to a friend that wanted to make it for herself at home. It wasn’t too hard to describe, but texting a made-up recipe was rather amusing. It’s a simple chicken breast that is dredged in flour and Italian seasoning, seared in a pan, and braised with chicken stock and lemon juice. I’ve paired the chicken dish with all sorts of sides, including potatoes, salad, lentils, and other various vegetables. But, one of my favorite side dishes to go with the chicken is spaghetti squash.

A plate of braised lemon chicken with spaghetti squash with a fork

I have not always been a spaghetti squash lover. I tried it years ago, and it was just so watery and flavorless. The problem was that I tried roasting it whole. It essentially steamed the squash from the inside out, which kept all the water inside, making the texture off-putting and hard to season to give it real flavor. A couple of years ago, after hearing of my dislike for spaghetti squash, a coworker insisted that I try making it again. Instead of roasting it whole, she recommended splitting the squash in half and roasting at high heat, which would evaporate the water and carmelize the natural sugar in squash. Made sense to me, so I tried again. Boom, a spaghetti squash lover was born. I never expect it to replace pasta for me because no one can replace pasta. But, I do like spaghetti squash as a simple vegetable option. 

Close up of spaghetti squash being scooped up by a fork

Moral of the story, if you don’t like a particular food, you don’t have to write it off forever. In fact, I certainly haven’t always been a vegetable lover. I was a notoriously picky eater when I was a kid and into early adulthood. The problem was, at least when I was an adult, that I was not too fond of the way some vegetables were cooked. It was all about texture and seasoning. Plain, steamed, soft green beans? Hell no, I hate mushy vegetables. Roasted green beans? I’ll take seconds. Other people? They might like soft vegetables and hate crisp vegetables. You do you, but you may not have discovered the way you like a particular food. And, taste preferences change over time. If you like it, great! If not, that’s okay too! I haven’t figured out how to make cauliflower taste good to me yet, but I try it every so often. The day I post a cauliflower recipe on here, you’ll know. But for now, I do like roasted spaghetti squash. 

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Braised Lemon Chicken with Spaghetti Squash

Overview of a plate of braised lemon chicken with spaghetti squash
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/4 lb. of chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped fine
  • 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 50-60 minutes or until flesh is tender and can easily be poked with a fork. 
  2. Place flour and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken through flour mixture. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear chicken breast in pan, browning each side. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Place on plate and set aside. 
  3. Melt butter in the same skillet. Add garlic cloves and saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add broth, rosemary, and juice of half of the lemon. Add chicken back to skillet and simmer for at least 5 minutes or until chicken cooked thoroughly. 
  4. Once spaghetti squash finished roasting, scoop out flesh of squash. Top squash with chicken, pan sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Slice remaining lemon and serve with chicken. 

Citrus Winter Farro Salad

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Overview of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus
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Happy New Year, folks! 2019 was quite the ride, and I’m ready for 2020. 2019 was a year of change for me. I quit my secure, well-paying job to move onto entrepreneurship. And I haven’t regretted it one bit. I’m genuinely excited about what the roaring twenties have in store for me and my little corner of the internet. It’s been a busy holiday season, and lately, I’ve been craving some fresh flavors like citrus, which is in season, so this Citrus Winter Farro Salad has been hitting the spot perfectly. It’s chock full of whole grains, crispy Brussels sprouts, and vitamin C-rich citrus. I recently went to a local tapas restaurant, which had fried, crispy brussels sprouts with grapefruit, and it was so good. I knew immediately that I needed to recreate it at home and for the blog as this Citrus Winter Farro Salad. It keeps well in the refrigerator, tastes great served warm or cold, and is an easy dish for weekend meal prep. 

Drizzling of citrus vinaigrette on farro salad with brussels sprouts

I know it seems cliche that a recipe posted on New Year’s Day would be a salad, but I assure you that this post is encouraging you to eat only salads this year. I’m not big on resolutions, but I do like the idea of setting intentions. I’ve set some intentions this year for peace, including cultivating more peace with food and my body. One area I think we (as a culture and society) could use is making peace with food. “Making peace with food” is the third principle of Intuitive Eating. Making peace with food means giving yourself unconditional permission to eat anything you want. Yes, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist just told you to give yourself unconditional permission to eat anything you want. It shouldn’t be shocking, but sadly, it might be for many. If you want to eat cake, eat cake. If you want to eat a salad, eat a salad. By giving yourself unconditional permission to eat whatever you want, you’ll never feel deprived or look at a meal as if its the “last supper.” If given permission, no one would only eat cake for the rest of their lives. At some point, it would become awful; you would start craving crunchy and savory foods. This would probably happen sooner than you might think.  

Close up of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus

I think that’s exactly how this recipe was born. I was craving crunchy vegetables, grains, and bright citrus flavors after having a lot of rich, soft foods around the holidays like mashed potatoes/gravy, desserts, etc. And I love me some rich, soft foods like mashed potatoes with gravy and desserts and plan to eat plenty of them in 2020 as well. But, this is the way life goes. Honor those cravings. Eat the “good” food and the “bad” food. And, challenge yourself this year to make peace with food and changing your vocabulary to not label foods as “good” or “bad.” Eat the salad, eat the cake, and get on with your life. And if you’re going to eat a salad, eat this one. It tastes so good. 

Overview of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus with some portioned on a plate

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Citrus Winter Farro Salad

Overview of farro salad with brussels sprouts and citrus
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of farro 
  • 1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tbsp.
  • 3 tbsp. lemon juice (juice of about 1/2 of lemon)
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1 large orange or grapefruit,  peeled and segmented
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions

  1. Cook farro to package directions, then place in a bowl to set aside to cool. 
  2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss sprouts with 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss again (or shake the pan to move around), place back in oven and cook an additional 5 minutes. Set aside. 
  3. While sprouts cook, make the vinaigrette. Mix lemon juice and dijon mustard together. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil while continually whisking until dressing is well blended.
  4. Toss farro, brussels sprouts, vinaigrette, and citrus segments together in a bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Bourbon Hot Toddy

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Overview of bourbon hot toddy with lemon slices and cinnamon sticks
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Alright, folks, we’re in it. The first day of Winter was yesterday, and there won’t be an end in sight until March unless you live in Charleston, of course, in which case, we’ll be out of it in about 6 weeks. Everyone else: don’t worry, it’s fine. Everything will be fine, so long as you cozy up with this Bourbon Hot Toddy. The tart lemon and soothing sweet honey take the bite and edge off the bourbon with a tiny kick from the cinnamon, making it the most perfect hot, spiked beverage of the season. If I do say so myself. And most importantly, it’s warm, cozy, and calming.

Close up of hot toddy with bourbon, lemon, and cinnamon sticks.

Just like everyone else’s family this time of year, our’s was struck down by the dreaded common cold a few weeks ago. This is one of my favorite go-tos to soothe my ailment. (HUGE caveat and disclaimer: Before drinking alcohol while sick and/or taking medication (especially cold/flu medications), check with your doctor or pharmacist – drinking alcohol while taking certain medications can be a BIG no-no.) I mean, you would think there would be a cure for the common cold by now, but at least hot beverages are soothing. While there’s no proof that hot drinks have clinical results on the common cold, a little warm water, lemon, honey, cinnamon, and whiskey sure do feel good. 

Holding a cup of bourbon hot toddy with lemon slices and cinnamon sticks

No matter how you’re cozying up with this Bourbon Hot Toddy, it’s sure to keep you warm and toasty this season. To keep the good times rolling, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter.
Happy Winter, y’all.
xoxo,
Your wimpy, Southern friend, Melissa

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Bourbon Hot Toddy

Overview of bourbon hot toddy with lemon slices and cinnamon sticks
  • Author: admin
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
Scale

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pour hot water in a mug or other heat resistant cup. Add bitters, honey, and lemon juice. Stir until honey is completely dissolved.
  2. Add bourbon, cinnamon stick, and lemon slice(s). Stir and serve immediately. 

Keywords: Bourbon Hot Toddy

Easy Cranberry Sauce

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Overhead view of cranberry sauce in a bowl with orange slices and cinnamon sticks
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We all have grand ideas of the holidays, and what they should or shouldn’t look like. We feel pressure for perfect table settings and to make everything from scratch. It’s not necessary for everything to be homemade to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving, but I do want to offer you a recipe for an EASY cranberry sauce that might make your meal just a little more special for very little effort. It’s a win, win for sure!

close up of cranberry sauce in the bowl with orange slices

I’m pretty sure that I’m actually one of the few people on earth that like canned cranberry sauce (I prefer the jellied if I’m getting the canned variety). It’s what I had growing up (yes, even in a family of food-obsessed chefs, we had canned cranberry sauce). Nostalgia is a potent ingredient no matter what the food. Yet, I have come to love homemade cranberry sauce for two reasons. One, it’s the easiest thing on the face of the earth. You can dump all the ingredients in a pan, stir a few times, and wait for the berries to pop and congeal. That’s it. Pack it up into a container and it can sit in your fridge for 10-14 days. Today is November 12, you can make it today, freeze it, and pop in the fridge the day before Thanksgiving. And despite it being so easy, everyone is always so impressed that you made HOMEMADE cranberry sauce. Little did they know it took like 10 minutes, but whatever, take the credit. 

Second, it tastes much better than the canned, nostalgia be damned. This cranberry sauce is made with orange, which is a natural pairing. And, I also added a cinnamon stick while it’s simmering that I remove after it’s done cooking. Why the stick and not ground cinnamon? It adds a subtle spice to the cranberry sauce when paired with the brown sugar. I’ve used ground in the past, and it’s a little overpowering. You want your cranberry sauce to be fresh, bright, and with a little something tasty that people can’t place. That’s the cinnamon stick. When people ask, you can tell them it’s your secret ingredient. 

close up of cranberry sauce in the bowl with orange slices

If you’re part of my email list, you’ll know that last week I shared five ways that I’m prepping for Thanksgiving now. Add this cranberry sauce would be my number 6. If you’re sad about missing the other five ways, subscribe today!

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Easy Cranberry Sauce

close up of cranberry sauce in the bowl with orange slices
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • zest of 1 large orange
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries

Instructions

  1. Heat orange juice, zest, brown sugar, and cinnamon stick over medium-high heat in a saucepan until sugar dissolves.
  2. Add in cranberries and simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the cranberries have popped and sauce is thickened. Cool and serve or keep in the fridge for up to 14 days.