June Cookbook Club: Skinnytaste Fast and Slow

Good morning! And how are we already into mid-June?! The summer days are slow and easy but time still seems to speed by. 

For the June edition of Cookbook Club, Allie and I chose a book by one of our favorite food bloggers, Fast and Slow by Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste. I love love love this book and I love Gina even more. She is one of the very first food blogs that I started reading and still remains one of my favorites. Her recipes are wholesome, healthy and super family friendly! I'm confident that anyone who frequents her blog or owns any of her cookbooks will tell you the same. 

I love Gina's approach to cooking so much. Her recipes never lack flavor and I've never made anything of hers that disappointed. Fast and Slow is filled with recipes that come together quickly as well as ones that cook all day in the slow cooker- all things that are especially appreciated during the busy weeknights that we all seem to have! 

I'm pulling out an old recipe from my archives to share with you all from the book because it's one I seriously go back to over and over again. I have made so many things out of this cookbook but the Caulflower Potato Tacos have been my favorite by far. It's such an unexpected combo of ingredients and flavors which is why I think we love it so much. I've only actually made these as tacos twice, but the cauliflower potato mixture is on regular rotation on our dinner menu as a side! The flavor is unbelievable and the addition of the Lime-Cilantro Chutney takes it to another level. We love this dish so much! Perfect for a meatless Monday or using the cauliflower potato mixture as a flavorful side like we do most times. You can find this recipe on an older post HERE.

Here are a few other favorites from this cookbook!

I especially love panzanella salad in the Summer and this one is DELICIOUS! Especially with farmer's market or garden fresh tomatoes.

Cold Peanut- Sesame Chicken and Spiralized Cucumber Noodle Salad- this is RIDICULOUS. So good, light and fresh for Summer! I pick up a rotisserie chicken when I made this meal and will often times sub in almond butter for the peanut butter and it's just as delicious. The dressing is my favorite part of this and I always like to make a little extra to dip veggies in as a snack!

If you follow any Whole30 or Paleo bloggers, you know that eggroll bowls are all the rage right now. I've tried several and this is the best recipe I've found. It comes together seamlessly and in no time at all.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I've had it for over a year now and it is still front and center when I grab a stack of books to look through as I meal plan on Sundays. 

Don't forget to link your favorite recipe from the book below! We are taking a break from Cookbook Club for the Summer but will likely pick it back up again in the fall. If you have any book ideas or books that you want to see featured, leave it in the comments below. Happy Cooking!

An InLinkz Link-up

Skinnytaste's Cauliflower Potato Tacos + Lime- Cilantro Chutney

We went meatless on Monday night AND had tacos so it was almost like we were living on the edge. I'm telling you though, these tacos. I cannot stop thinking about them. The flavor was crazy in all of the best ways and the combo of potatoes and cauliflower is so unexpected.

I cannot take any credit for this recipe, as it came from Skinnytaste's Fast and Slow (one of my favorite cookbooks right now). If you don't already have this book, it's a great one to add to your collection. Everything I have tried has been excellent but this comes as no surprise. 

We LOOOOOVED these tacos. They have a lot of smoky spice with a little bit of heat. The roasted potatoes and cauliflower would totally be a great side on their own but if you are going big with this meal, just put it in a taco. The lime-cilantro chutney makes this meal! Don't skip out on it. Make your next Monday meatless. Or your next Tuesday Taco- filled. Whatever you do, just give these a try!  

Skinnytaste's Cauliflower Potato Tacos + Lime Cilantro Chutney

Filling:
3-4 cups cauliflower florets, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch cubes
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 TBSP olive oil
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt

Chutney:
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1.5 TBSP fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

For the tacos:
Soft corn tortillas
1/4 red onion, slivered
plain Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, potatoes, garlic, olive oil turmeric, cumin, crushed red pepper and salt. Toss it all together and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through.

For the chutney, add cilantro, jalapeno lime juice and salt to a bowl of a small food processor. Pulse until well chopped, adding water if it's too thick.

Head a cast iron skillet on high heat. Warm tortillas, for about 30 seconds on each side, until they start to blister. 

To assemble tacos, spoon a layer of the cauliflower potato mixture and top with onions, chutney and Greek yogurt.

Shawarma- Spiced Grilled Chicken with Garlic Yogurt

I snapped this photo and posted it on Instagram the night I made it. I tagged Skinnytaste, hoping she would see it and what do you know...I was her regram of the day! Giada replied to a tweet once and you know what? This was just as great! A social media shining moment for sure and a fun way to connect with one of my favorite bloggers! That's the fun thing about social media.

Skinnytaste never fails me and is one of the very first food blogs that I ever started reading. Her recipes and fresh and mostly simple and perfect for weeknight dinners. This recipe is packed with TONS of flavor and the chicken marinade will be one of my new go-tos when we grill chicken. This would be the perfect chicken to grill a lot ahead of time and eat throughout the week on salads for lunches! 

I cannot express my love for this recipe enough. The spices are complex and great for Summertime grilling. I topped my chicken on a bed of chopped romaine, cucumbers and grape tomatoes and served baby roasted red potato wedges and grilled onions on the side, with a friendly helping of the garlic yogurt on top! 

Shawarma- Spiced Grilled Chicken with Garlic Yogurt
recipe from Skinnytaste

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Garlic Yogurt-
1 7oz. container of 2% Plain Greek Yogurt
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
chopped parsley, for garnish

Place chicken breasts in a ziploc bag.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and spices and pour into the bag with the chicken. Move the chicken around in the bag to coat it in the marinade. Refrigerate and marinate for 3 hours, up to overnight. 

Over medium- high heat, grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side. Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes after cooking before serving.