Fresh and Easy Ceviche: 2-Ways

Fresh and Easy Ceviche: 2-Ways - Salmon Mango and Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Ceviche are tasty dishes that can be served over nachos, tostadas, avocado boats, or with chips!

This is sad to say, but my first experience eating ceviche was about six months when I was trying out a new Peruvian restaurant with a girlfriend. She ordered ceviche for the table and after having one bite, I was blown away! Why haven’t I had this before!? It seems like I was doing a disservice to my taste buds for not having it sooner!

So instead of dragging her to the restaurant every time I need translating: “I need ceviche!”, I just make it at home! And you can, too! Ceviche is actually very easy to make. 

The ingredients for ceviche:

• Raw fresh fish (snapper, sea bass, halibut, mahi-mahi, tilapia, shrimp, salmon, octopus)

• Citrus juice (lemon, lime, oranges)

• Salt

• Add-ins: mango, red onion, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes

To show how easy it is to make ceviche, I have provided 2-ways that you can make ceviche as well as 3-ways to serve it. You can serve ceviche over nachos, tostadas, avocados or with chips; the possibilities are endless!

Ceviche pairs perfectly with a margarita or a Paloma, just saying! ;)

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Fresh and Easy Ceviche: 2-Ways - Salmon Mango and Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Ceviche are tasty dishes that can be served over nachos, tostadas, avocado boats, or with chips!

Ingredients

Salmon Mango Ceviche

• 1 lb raw salmon (skinless and cubed)

• 1 fresh mango (diced)

• 1 cup lime juice from 6 limes

• 2 roma tomatoes (diced)

• ½ red onion (diced)

• ¼ bunch cilantro (chopped)

• 1 large avocado (cubed)

• 1 small shallot (minced)

• ½ tsp pink himalayan salt

Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Ceviche

• 1 lb shrimp (raw or cooked) peeled, deveined, and diced

• 1 cup lime juice from 6 limes

• 2 roma tomatoes (diced)

• ½ red onion (diced)

• ¼ bunch cilantro (chopped)

• 1 large avocado (cubed)

• 1 large jalapeno (diced)

• 1 small shallot (minced)

• ½ tsp pink himalayan salt

Directions 

1. Add chopped shrimp or salmon to a large bowl and stir in 1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, ½ tsp salt, and minced shallots. Refrigerate and marinate. See Notes for marinating times.

2. Dice remaining ingredients: avocado, tomato, red onion, jalapeno, mango, and cilantro. 

3. Once the seafood is done marinating, stir in the diced ingredients. 

4. Season with salt and pepper and serve over nachos, tostadas, avocado boats, or with chips!

Notes

• Spicy mayo to go over nachos? ¼ cup mayonnaise + 2 tsp sriracha + ½ tsp lime + 1 tsp water.

• Feel free to sub shrimp or salmon for ahi tuna and diced cucumber to the ceviche.

• Marinating times:

• 1 ½ - 2 hours for raw shrimp and up to 30 minutes for cooked shrimp 

• 30 min to 1 hour for raw salmon

Rosemary & Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

Rosemary & Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs - These tender wine-braised short ribs will soon be your go-to for healthy comfort food. Ribs braised in a dutch oven and served over brown butter sage mashed sweet potatoes - can’t beat it!

‘Tis the season for comfort food, chaotic schedules, and holiday parties. What better dish to appease all three things than a staple braised short rib recipe, amiright?! That’s why I created a dish that requires one pot, very few ingredients (and most you will have on hand), and high-quality meat that is cooked in less time than most short rib recipes. 

In my opinion, braising short ribs is the way to go if you want to develop the best flavor!

The Art of Braising

1. SALT - Salt your meat generously on all four sides and let sit overnight or salt at least 30 min to 3 hours in the fridge. The longer the better! 

2. BROWN - Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat using quality oil. Sear meat on all four sides until you get a nice browning. More space between meat gets it brown(er). 

3. BUILD - Layer ingredients in the pan. I.e. use deglazing liquid from browned meat plus water/stock, add the meat back in, aromatics, and herbs. 

I paired these short ribs with my favorite brown butter sage mashed sweet potatoes but you can use any side dish you like! 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Rosemary & Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs - These tender wine-braised short ribs will soon be your go-to for healthy comfort food. Ribs braised in a dutch oven and served over brown butter sage mashed sweet potatoes - can’t beat it!

Ingredients

• 3.5 lbs bone-in short ribs (use 3 lbs if using boneless beef short ribs)

• 1 can (28 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes

• 1 large white onion (sliced)

• 4 cloves garlic (minced)

• 2 cups organic low-sodium beef broth

• 2 cups red wine (cabernet sauvignon)

• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 Tbsp low-sodium Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tbsp light brown sugar

• 4-6 fresh rosemary sprigs

• S&P to season to taste

Directions

1. Generously season your meat on all four sides with salt and pepper and let sit overnight or for at least 30 minutes to 3 hours in the fridge. The longer the better. 

2. Heat oil in dutch oven or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. 

3. Add short ribs to hot oil and sear for 3-4 minutes per side until browned. Try not to move the short ribs once you put them down and make sure they have space between the meat. 

4. Remove the short ribs from dutch oven/skillet and set aside. They won't be fully cooked yet, and that’s okay!

5. Return dutch oven to stovetop and lower temperature to medium heat. Add sliced onions and minced garlic. If the pan looks too dry, add another splash of olive oil. Saute until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes. 

6. Add the broth and wine to deglaze the dutch oven. Make sure to scrape down any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. 

7. Add the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sauce, brown sugar, rosemary sprigs, and S&P) along with the short ribs and mix until combined. Once the mixture is boiling, bring the heat down to low medium and cover the dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. 

8. Cook on stovetop for 2 hours - 2 hours and 30 minutes or until short ribs easily pull apart with tongs/ fork or the meat is falling off the bone. 

9. Serve short ribs with reserved leftover broth over mashed potatoes or over brown butter sage mashed sweet potatoes. 

10. Garnish with fresh rosemary and pomegranate arils for a festive look!

Notes

• No dutch oven? That’s okay! The crockpot will do the trick. Just simply brown short ribs in a skillet and then transfer all ingredients along with short ribs in crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. 

• If you do not wish to use wine or have it on hand, you can sub out the 2 cups of wine with more beef broth or use cranberry/cherry juice! The flavors will be different but still very tasty. 

Chicken Shawarma Bowl

Chicken Shawarma Bowls - Bursting with flavor, fresh and full of color!The fascination for chicken shawarma started fairly recently. I put sole blame on this cute Mediterranean restaurant, Cafe Arazu, located a little too close to my work, lol.

This type of chicken shawarma is very different than what I’m typically used to but is still amazing in its own way. The classic way of cooking shawarma is to mount large marinated chicken chunks onto a large rotating skewer. The chicken then slowly roasts against a gas burning grill. The restaurant that I typically go to for lunch does it differently by marinating the chicken in a wonderful blend of cumin and turmeric. They finish it off by grilling the chicken.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, grilling is the exact route I’m going as well! While it would be nice to have a rotating meat skewer with a gas burning grill at my house, it’s not ideal or practical!

Now you can prepare just the chicken shawarma and add them to wraps or just as appetizers with a nice aioli sauce, but what I have found to be my favorite is to put everything in a bowl. Bowls are an easy way to load up on veggies while adding a grain and protein to keep you full and nourished.

The ingredients that I added to my bowl can be interchanged depending on your preference so have fun with it! I paired a quick and easy tomato salad to go along with the chicken. You can find the ingredients for the salad below. I also added some roasted sweet potatoes which I seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic, and oregano.

Being an advocate of meal prepping, this recipe has been in my lunch meal prep for three weeks straight! (Okay, mainly for recipe testing but hey, I cannot complain!) And I could go on and on about this recipe but the biggest thing I love about it are the flavors! Every part is bursting with flavor that you can’t help but want more!

Not pictured: asparagus (for the meal prep picture)

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

Bursting with flavor, fresh and full of color! Gluten free, dairy free and meal prep option!

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ingredients

Chicken Shawarma Marinade

• 1 lb boneless chicken breast

• 1 lemon

• 3 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt (more for seasoning chicken)

• 2-4 tbsp EVOO

Sweet potatoes

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (diced)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp oregano

• 2 tbsp EVOO

Tomato salad

• 1 small cucumber

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 red onion

• 1 small bunch of parsley

• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp EVOO

• S&P to season

Garnishes

1 small bunch parsley, lemon wedges, feta, goat cheese, tahini, aioli

Other ingredients

Veggies of choice, 2 cups cooked quinoa

instructions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and add to a Ziploc bag. Combine the seasonings, oil, and lemon juice to chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight preferably.

2. While your chicken is marinating, prepare the sides by starting with quinoa first. Cook quinoa in a rice cooker or stove top as directed.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To a small bowl, add diced sweet potatoes, seasonings and oil. Toss with tongs until sweet potatoes are fully covered in oil and seasonings. On a parchment lined large sheet pan, place sweet potatoes on a single layer. You should have room to add the asparagus but make sure that the veggies are not too crowded and on a single layer.

4. Cook veggies for 20-25 minutes, flip veggies, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until nice and crispy. (if you are cooking with asparagus and not broccoli, you may need to take the asparagus out after the first flip)

5. Prepare the cherry tomato salad by dicing all veggies and adding to a small bowl. Add the vinegar, maple syrup, chopped parsley, and oil and toss until combined. Add salt and pepper and season to desired taste. I like this with more vinegar so I usually add another tbsp of ACV or a squeeze of a lemon wedge.

6. When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat a medium skillet on medium high heat with oil. For a faster cooking time, dice chicken then add to the heated skillet and cook 3-4 minutes per side. You should have some marinade left over in the bag, I like to add that to the skillet so the chicken is covered in the sauce (the flavors are amazing!)

7. After the chicken is cooked through, prepare your bowls or meal prep containers by adding the mixed greens first, then cooked quinoa. Add your veggies such sweet potatoes, asparagus, etc. Then, add your tomato salad, chicken, and top with a lemon wedge and parsley.