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30 Minutes or Less

Steak Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

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close-up image of dressing being poured over steak salad

Perfectly pan-seared steak atop a bed of fresh greens, finished off with a drizzle of tangy cilantro-lime vinaigrette! Super quick and easy, this steak salad comes together in under 15 minutes.

Overhead image of steak salad on parchment paper with cilantro lime dressing on the side.

What You’ll Need To Make This Steak Salad Recipe

Flank Steak – Flank steak is a thin, lean cut of beef, and takes just a few minutes to cook. I love pan-searing flank steak, which gives it this incredible brown crust. We also keep the seasoning on the steak simple, since the rest of our salad is loaded with flavor. A generous sprinkling of salt and black pepper is all you’ll need, followed by a drizzle of avocado oil for cooking.

Mixed Salad Greens – Feel free to use any type of salad greens you’d like! I love a good spring mix for my steak salad, but really any bed of greens would taste delicious. I’ve made this recipe with fresh arugula, chopped kale, and baby spinach – all of which turned out perfect!

Cilantro – I’m one of those people who looooves cilantro. It’s perfectly fresh and flavorful. However, if you don’t like cilantro, you can use fresh parsley in its place. And whichever herb you use, make sure to reserve a little extra to top off your finished salad.

cilantro lime dressing being poured over steak salad.

Tips and Tricks

  • Have fun with this healthy lunch or dinner recipe! Add or remove any fresh herbs and/or veggies you’d like. This is also a great meal to use up any leftover produce you have lying around …before it goes bad!
  • Add this steak salad to your weekly meal prep! The best way to prep this recipe is to cook the steak and assemble your salads, then store them separately from your dressing. When ready to eat, toss in the cilantro lime vinaigrette and enjoy!
  • If marinated steak is more your thing, then marinate the flank steak in half of the cilantro lime vinaigrette for 30 minutes before cooking. If you have the time, this extra step truly takes this recipe to the next level!
close-up image of steak salad.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan/Vegetarian: Replace the flank steak with either cauliflower steaks or tofu steaks for an easy, healthy vegan meal.

Add Cheese: If not dairy-free, sprinkle a small handful of crumbled queso fresco, or herby goat cheese into this steak salad!

Steak Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

5

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

Perfectly pan-seared steak atop a bed of fresh greens, finished off with a drizzle of tangy cilantro-lime vinaigrette! Super quick and easy, this steak salad comes together in under 15 minutes.

Ingredients

  • For the steak:

  • 1 pound flank steak

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or any high-heat oil

  • For the salad:

  • 6 cups mixed salad greens

  • 1 ear sweet corn, sliced off the cob

  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

  • 1 avocado, sliced

  • 1/2 English cucumber, chopped

  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

  • small handful fresh cilantro, chopped

  • For the cilantro-lime vinaigrette:

  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 2 limes, juiced

  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  • Pat steak dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt and pepper, then drizzle steak in avocado oil.
  • Place steak in a hot pan, and cook about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare steak.
  • Remove steak from pan and let rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes, before thinly slicing against the grain.
  • Make the cilantro lime dressing by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Make the cilantro lime dressing by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Fresh and Easy Guacamole Salsa

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close-up image of guacamole salsa with chips on the side

Super fresh and addictive guacamole salsa is the perfect game day, party, or potluck appetizer! Simple, yet delicious ingredients are blended into a smooth and creamy dip. Enjoy this guacamole salsa with crispy tortilla chips, or sliced carrots and celery for a healthy snack!

guacamole salsa in a bowl with chips on the side along with tomatillos and a sliced avocado

What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe

Tomatillos – These little green Mexican tomatoes are sold in most grocery stores. They’re wrapped in a papery green husk, that’s easily peeled away to reveal a beautiful, bright green tomato. To prepare your tomatillos for this dish, simply peel away the husk. Then, give each tomatillo a good rinse before using them in this recipe!

Jalapeño – A whole jalapeño may seem like a lot, but trust me, it yields very little spice in this guacamole salsa! One jalapeño is perfect for a mild salsa, while two is ideal for a medium salsa, and three for a full-blown spicy salsa. So pick your poison and add as many jalapeños as you’d like!

Avocados – Select three medium to large avocados for this recipe. The key to any avocado is making sure it’s ripe, but not overly ripe, before eating. The best way to tell whether an avocado is ripe is by giving it a gentle squeeze. If the skin feels firm, but gives just a little bit, then the avocado is perfect! Though if it’s hard (feels like you’re squeezing a rock), then it’s not yet ripe – store at room temperature for another day or two before it’s ready.

Cilantro – A large handful of cilantro gives this guacamole salsa its delicious, fresh flavor! Cilantro also has a number of great health benefits. It’s high in antioxidants, is a proven antibacterial, and has even been studied to reduce the risk of heart disease. You’ll want to wash your cilantro well under cold water before using in this, or any recipe. Once clean, gently pat it dry with a dish towel before slicing and removing the stems. Then, toss the cilantro leaves into a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.

Top Tips

  • Boil the tomatillos and jalapeño until they’re soft and are easily pierced with a fork. Not boiling enough will make them tough to blend, and boiling too much will cook off some of their delicious flavor. Therefore, just about 10 minutes in boiling water is all they’ll need.
  • After you’ve blended your guacamole salsa, give it a taste! At this point, you can adjust the flavors in this recipe based on your preferences. Sometimes an extra pinch of salt or squeeze of lemon juice is all your dip needs!
  • Serve this easy app any way you’d like! I love enjoying mine with a big ole’ bowl of grain-free tortilla chips for a healthy, yet delicious snack. Though for an even healthier option, serve your salsa with some fresh cut veggies such as carrots, celery, and/or bell peppers!

How To Store It

To keep this guacamole salsa looking bright green and fresh, follow the storage steps below:

  1. Place in an airtight container, but do not secure the lid just yet.
  2. Take a sheet of plastic wrap and place it over the container, gently pressing down until it comes in contact with the top of the salsa. Ensure that all of the exposed salsa is in contact with and covered by the plastic wrap.
  3. Then, secure lid on top of the container before storing it in the fridge for up to three days!

When ready to serve, simply remove the lid and plastic wrap, then give everything a gentle stir before enjoying.

Fresh and Easy Guacamole Salsa
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Fresh and Easy Guacamole Salsa

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: AppetizersCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

Super fresh and addictive guacamole salsa is the perfect game day, party, or potluck appetizer! Simple, yet delicious ingredients are blended into a smooth and creamy dip. Enjoy this guacamole salsa with crispy tortilla chips, or sliced carrots and celery for a healthy snack!

Ingredients

  • 10 tomatillos, husked and washed

  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and deveined

  • 3 avocados, peeled and pitted

  • 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled

  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil tomatillos and jalapeño until soft, about 10 minutes.
  • Strain tomatillos and jalapeño from water, then add to a high-speed blender or food processor with remaining ingredients.
  • Blend until smooth, then serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Air Fryer Fish Tacos

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air fryer fish tacos on a plate with beer on the side

Fish tacos are a favorite around here, and making them in the air fryer is SUPER easy! Light, flaky fish is smothered in a smoky spice rub and rests atop a bed of homemade mango jalapeño salsa. Throw these tacos together in under 20 minutes and enjoy with friends, family, and loved ones!

air fryer fish tacos on a plate with beer on the side

What You Need To Make Air Fryer Fish Tacos

Firm White Fish – Cod, mahi mahi, and halibut are a few examples or firm white fish that would taste great in this recipe. I used wild caught cod fillets in my air fryer fish tacos and they cooked up perfectly flaky and delicious!

Smoked Paprika – Different from regular paprika, smoked paprika contributes this essence of smokiness to recipes that simply can’t be beat. If you don’t have smoked paprika at home, I highly recommend you go pick some up. It’s a great spice to use in all sorts of recipes and tastes especially delicious on fish, chicken, beef, and pork.

Tortillas – I use and love the Siete Almond Flour tortillas for all of my tacos! They’re a delicious grain-free tortilla that are pliable and hardly ever bottom out. However, you can use any kind of tortillas you’d like in this recipe. For a cheaper gluten-free alternative, I recommend corn tortillas. And if you’re not gluten-free, go ahead and use flour tortillas instead!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

Make Them Air Fryer Chicken Tacos: Easily swap out the fish for a half a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, then season and cook the chicken exactly how you would the fish in this recipe!

Make it Paleo: To make this dish paleo, use either Siete Grain-Free Tortillas or lettuce wraps in place of the tortillas.

Tips For Making Air Fryer Fish Tacos

  • Don’t forget to lightly coat your air fryer basket with a little bit of oil before placing the fish filets inside. Due to it’s light and flakiness, fish is at risk of sticking to the inside of the basket once cooked. Therefore, to avoid the hassle, quickly either sprits the inside of the basket with spray cooking oil or drizzle it with a little avocado oil before cooking!
  • Serve these air fryer fish tacos however you’d like. I love topping mine with sliced avocado and a little bit of chipotle mayo – YUM!
  • Store any leftovers in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Avoid storing pre-assembled tacos in the fridge, since any moisture on the tortillas will sauce them to get soggy and break apart.
Air Fryer Fish Tacos
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Air Fryer Fish Tacos

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

Fish tacos are a favorite around here, and making them in the air fryer is SUPER easy! Light, flaky fish is smothered in a smoky spice rub and rests atop a bed of homemade mango jalapeño salsa. Throw these air fryer fish tacos together in under 20 minutes and enjoy with friends, family, and loved ones!

Ingredients

  • For the fish:

  • 1/2 pound firm white fish, see Notes

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • For the salsa:

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1 cup fresh mango, diced

  • 1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • For serving:

  • 6 tortillas, see Notes

Directions

  • Mix together the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl then evenly sprinkle over the fish.
  • Lightly coat the inside of air fryer basket with oil, then transfer fish to basket and cook at 400° Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
  • While fish cooks, add all salsa ingredients to a bowl and toss to combine.
  • Warm tortillas then place a bed of homemade salsa and a few pieces of flaked fish into each taco.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Firm White Fish: I used cod, though mahi mahi and halibut would work great as well!
  • Tortillas: I use and LOVE Siete Almond Flour Tortillas, though any tortillas will work in this recipe.

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30 Minutes or Less

Avocado Crema

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avocado crema being scooped from a bowl with a tortilla chip

This avocado crema is tangy, creamy, and delicious! Whip this naturally vegan recipe together for friends and family with just five super simple ingredients.

We love a good guac around here. And while yes, guac is pretty easy to make, this avocado crema is even easier! It requires just five easy-to-acquire ingredients and is blended together in a few minutes. Before I forget, I must mention my most FAVORITE thing about this simple recipe. You know how when you make guacamole it pretty quickly turns brown? Well friends. this avocado crema stays bright green for hours! The lime juice gives this recipe a delightfully tangy flavor and helps to preserve the color of this dish. I just love throwing this easy dip recipe together when friends or family come over. Not only does everyone go crazy for it, but it looks delicious and appetizing until it’s all gone!

What You Need To Make Avocado Crema

Avocados – Use perfectly ripe avocados in this recipe. To know when an avocado is ripe, gently but firmly press on the outside. If the avocado gives a little without feeling too mushy, then you know it’s ripe and ready to eat! However, if the avocado feels hard, place it in a plastic bag with a bunch of bananas to help it ripen quickly (typically in a day or two).

Lime Juice – If you love a ton of lime in your guac, you’re gonna go insane for this avocado crema recipe! Loaded with fresh lime juice, it’s incredibly zesty and bright. However, feel free to adjust the amount of lime juice to your preferences. And while fresh lime juice is always best, bottled lime juice will work in this recipe as well.

Garlic – If you’re anything like me, you add garlic to literally everything. A single garlic clove contributes a bit of spice and an essence of that delicious garlic flavor to this simple dip recipe. If you’d like, you can add even more garlic to this recipe or leave it out altogether!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

  • Add Dairy: If you’re not dairy-free, you can add 1/2 cup sour cream to make this avocado crema even creamier!
  • Sub Cilantro: I know a handful of you are averse to cilantro, therefore you can easily swap the cilantro in this recipe for some fresh parsley instead.

Ways To Enjoy This Avocado Crema

  • with chips
  • in tacos
  • in burritos
  • over chicken
  • in salad
  • …or by the spoonful!
Avocado Crema
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Avocado Crema

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: SidesCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Total time

5

minutes

This avocado crema is tangy, creamy, and delicious! Whip this naturally vegan recipe together for friends and family with just five super simple ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 medium-sized ripe avocados

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1/4 cup cilantro

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 garlic clove

Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Store any leftover avocado crema in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

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Dairy-Free

Vegan Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

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vegan elote on a baking sheet with fresh lime wedges

This vegan elote is fresh, tangy, and delicious! Make this recipe for your next summertime party or barbecue – it’s crazy easy and even non-vegans love it!

vegan elote on a baking sheet with fresh lime wedges

This vegan elote is literally my summer dream come true. Elote, also known as Mexican street corn, is one of those things where if it’s on a menu, there’s a 1,000% chance I’m ordering eat. As soon as the weather warmed up, the corn cravings hit HARD. And I couldn’t wait to make it to a local Mexican restaurant to enjoy some elote. So I made it myself! I was also set on developing a recipe that both I (the dairy-free one) and my sister (the vegan one) could enjoy.

With literally just a few simple swaps, I took this classic summertime favorite and turned it into a classic vegan summertime favorite. And trust me, I’ve fed this vegan elote recipe to plentyyyyy of non-vegans and none of them (not a single one!!!) could tell the difference. Practically bursting with flavor, be sure to add this easy recipe to your 4th of July lineup. You won’t be disappointed.

What You Need To Make Vegan Elote

Corn – Ahh corn season, let us rejoice! Sweet corn peaks between July and September, making right now the best time to buy it and eat it. While we’ve literally just kicked off corn season, I’m already sad about it soon being over. Though short, corn season is oh-so sweet (see what I did there hehe). Anyway, back to the recipe – pick up four sweet corns on the cob with preferably the husk on. The husk on will make for a more fresh and flavor-packed vegan elote, though husk off will make for less cleanup. If the husk is on, easily remove it by peeling away at the green leaves (aka the husk) and be sure to remove as much of those stringy fibers as possible. Once clean, snap off the end where the husk attaches to the corn and start on this recipe.

Vegan Mayonnaise – Feel free to use whatever brand of vegan mayonnaise you’d like in this vegan elote recipe! I used the Follow Your Heart Vegenaise and had great results. Vegan mayo is quite a bit thinner than regular mayo, which is why I keep the lime juice to a minimum in this recipe. Though don’t worry, that lime flavor still manages to shine through! If you’re not vegan, you can use an equal amount of regular mayonnaise in its place.

Adjust This Recipe To Fit Your Diet

  • Add Cheese: If not vegan or dairy-free, sprinkle your finished elote with a little bit of queso fresco!
  • Make it Less Spicy: While I definitely wouldn’t classify this recipe as spicy, the chili powder add just the tiniest bit of heat. If you’re concerned about this, feel free to use just 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder instead. Or you can replace the chili powder with smoked paprika if you’d like.
  • Use Regular Mayonnaise: Regular mayo can be used as a 1:1 swap for the vegan mayo in this recipe!
Vegan Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
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Vegan Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: SidesCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

45

minutes

This vegan elote is fresh, tangy, and delicious! Make this recipe for your next summertime party or barbecue – it’s crazy easy and even non-vegans love it!

Ingredients

  • 4 corn on the cob

  • 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

  • 1/2 tablespoon lime juice

  • 2 teaspoons lime zest

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  • Wrap each corn on the cob in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, turning halfway through.
  • Mix together the vegan mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, chili powder, and salt in a bowl.
  • Once corn is done cooking, brush with mayo and top with cilantro.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Elote OFF the Cob: Feel free to remove the corn from the cob after cooking and then mixing the kernels in with the sauce for an easier to eat vegan elote off the cob!

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