Tag: Em’s Kitchen Original

Quick Pickled Vegetables

Quick Pickled Vegetables

10 minutes || My rating: 5/5 || Difficulty: Easy I don’t know about you, but I love pickled vegetables! They are super versatile and can be used on pretty much anything. The best part? They last a long time, so you can make a bunch 

My Bloody Mary Chili

My Bloody Mary Chili

25 minutes || My rating: 10/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy In a large pot, brown 1 pound of ground turkey (I used ground beef this time). Add 1 large diced onion, 2 cups of diced celery, and 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook until 

Taco Salad

Taco Salad

15 minutes || My rating: 9/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy

Directions:

  1. Brown ground beef or turkey and cook with taco seasoning
  2. Cut up romaine lettuce and place in a bowl
  3. Add meat, shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream to your bowl. Pro-tip: you can substitute the sour cream with Greek yogurt for a healthier replacement.
  4. Optionally add olives, jalapenos, corn, tomatoes, beans, etc.; whatever you like!
Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Broccoli

Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Broccoli

20 minutes || My rating: 10/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy Chop broccoli into florets and boil until fork tender.  In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add in 1 container of cherry tomatoes. Saute on medium high temp until the tomatoes start 

Homemade Meatballs

Homemade Meatballs

35 minutes || My rating: 10/10 || Difficulty: Easy These meatballs are great for a party or for some awesome spaghetti and meatballs. This recipe yields 30 large meatballs.  Mix all the following together until blended, but do not over mix: 2 pounds ground beef 

Texas Breakfast Tacos

Texas Breakfast Tacos

45 minutes || My rating: 10/10 || Difficulty: Moderately easy

I was recently in Austin, TX and I fell in love with their breakfast tacos and needed to add it to my recipes to frequently make. My husband and I even had them this morning! Recipe yields 6-8 tacos. 

1. Roast potatoes

  • Dice 3-4 large potatoes (I prefer red potatoes, but any potato is fine) in ½ inch-1 inch chunks. Add to a large bowl, diced potatoes, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1 tablespoon of paprika, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of black pepper. 
  • Mix ingredients until the potatoes are covered evenly with the seasonings. Dump onto 1-2 greased sheet pans. Pro-tip: For best results, do not overcrowd your sheet pan. You want your potatoes to cook evenly, so they need some space.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes until browned and fork tender inside.

2. Scramble eggs

  • Crack 8 eggs into a medium size mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup of water or milk to the eggs. Pro-tip: adding milk or water will result in a fluffier egg – milk will be more rich. Mix vigorously until the liquid is mixed into the eggs and all the yolks are broke. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste to season your egg mixture. 
  • In a pan on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter, once melted, add the egg mixture. After about 1 minute, continuously stir with a rubber spatula until the egg is fully cooked (there should be no browning). Remove from the pan to avoid additional cooking. 

3. Add cheese to your eggs

  • I love to use american cheese for this because I love that salty creamy texture it gives, but I think a shredded taco mix cheese or pepper jack would be excellent as well. 

4. Put potatoes, eggs, and cheese in a warm tortilla

  • It’s critical to use a warm tortilla! No one wants all these delicious fillings with a cold tortilla. The best way is to turn on your gas stove and put your tortillas right on the flame. Continuously turn the tortilla to get even browning and charring, but don’t let it get on fire! The next best way (and fastest) I have found is put them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds until they are warm. 
  • Add all your filling (potatoes, eggs, and cheese) into your tortillas. 

5. Add additional toppings, if desired

  • This part is up to you, add what you love! My recommendations: sour cream, salsa verde, Frank’s Red Hot, lime & cilantro vinaigrette, Chipotle sauce, bacon or sausage, steak and mushrooms, and/or avocado.
1 Pan Mexican Casserole

1 Pan Mexican Casserole

20 minutes || My rating: 9/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy In a large skillet, brown 1 pound of ground turkey. Season with 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin, salt, and pepper. Remove from skillet.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the 

Salmon with Broccoli and Rice

Salmon with Broccoli and Rice

30 minutes || My Rating: 10/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy This is one of my husband, Kenny’s, and my favorite meals. Directions for the Salmon: For the marinade, mix ¼ cup Italian dressing, 2 tablespoons of honey, 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of 

Chicken Lo Mein

Chicken Lo Mein

30 minutes || My rating: 8/10 || Difficulty rating: Moderately Easy

Directions:

  1. Slice chicken in small thin slices, cook in a skillet on medium high heat with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper until cooked through. Remove from pan. 
  2. In a large pot, boil ½ box of rice noodles (I used pad thai noodles), per the directions. Set aside. 
  3. In the skillet, cook 1 cup of diced onion until translucent. 
  4. Add ½ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of worcestershire sauce, and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce to the pan and cook on medium heat. 
  5. Mix in chicken, cooked noodles, 1 tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce, 1 cup of shredded carrot, 2 cups of shredded cabbage (I used kale in the picture because I didn’t have any cabbage). Cook until heated through and sauce it soaked into the noodles. 
Sauteed Bok Choy

Sauteed Bok Choy

20 minutes || My rating: 7/10 || Difficulty rating: Easy Directions: Take your fresh bok choy and cut off the bottom inch to get rid of the tough part of the vegetable.  Chop the bok choy into large chunks, about 1-2 inches by 1-2 inches.