Food and drink are your love languages, vomFASS is your translator! In Mall of America's Culinary on North (N345), we delight in experiencing extraordinary olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spices, wine, whiskey, brandy, liqueurs and more. Free tastes daily. Cooking, wine and spirits classes weekly. Gifts of great taste, customized as desired. Only the best, always.
1 C. tri-color coleslaw mix OR shredded cabbage 1/2 cup TOTAL of chopped cilantro, diced red or yellow bell pepper, sliced green onion, sliced fresh jalapeno, proportions to your preference
7 oz cooked shrimp, tails and shells removed
OR you can start with raw shrimp, seasoned with Viola’s Thai Curry seasoning, sautéed in vomFASS Chili Sunflower Oil
Cubed Avocado (optional)
4 – 6 lettuce leaves or 2 egg life wraps (I like to lightly brush the egg life wraps in Chili Sunflower Oil, then lightly toast in a cast iron skillet)
Dressing:
2 Tbs. powdered peanut butter aka PB2 or PB Fit
1 Tbs. water
2 t. lite soy sauce or liquid aminos
1/8 t. Viola’s Thai Curry seasoning
¼ t. sugar stevia powder, or a couple drops of Stevia liquid
2 tsp. vomFASS Ginger Sesame Oil
Directions:
Combine cole slaw mix and cooked shrimp in a medium sized bowl. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a small bowl. Pour over shrimp and slaw. Toss to coat. Best if you can let the mixture sit for 30 minutes or more to let flavors blend. Pile mixture onto lettuce leaves. Enjoy!
Optavia Lean & Green guidelines: each recipe is 1 Lean, 3 Greens, 2 Condiments, 2 Healthy Fats and 1 Snack, WITHOUT the avocado and WITH the lettuce boats. If using egg life wraps, reduce shrimp to 5.6 cooked ounces. This is a very filling recipe. It’s a great one to use on days when you are splitting your lean & green into two meals – just reduce the volume of shrimp and veggies as needed to accommodate your daily total.
Viola’s Congratulations! Seasoned Sea Salt, to taste
1 tsp. garlic, minced
Calamansi Caper Butter Sauce:
1 T. vomFASS Calamansi Balsam vinegar
1/2 C. white wine (I used Chardonnay)
4 T. chilled butter, cut into small cubes or slices
2 T. capers, drained
Directions:
Cut salmon into 4 equal pieces or leave the filet whole. Place salmon on aluminum foil, in a plastic zipper bag, or in a covered dish. Whisk the marinade ingredients together and drizzle onto salmon. Refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Remove salmon from the marinade, or if you made a foil packet, leave in the foil and vent it.
Grill or broil for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness. Remove any cover and finish grilling or broiling, to your preferred level of cooked.
While salmon is grilling, place the wine and Calamansi Balsam vinegar in a saucepan over medium high heat and allow it to come to a boil for 5-10 seconds. Keep your nose away from the vapor!
Reduce heat to lowest possible, whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The butter must never come to rest, or the sauce will separate and become oily.
Once the butter has completely incorporated, remove from heat and stir in capers.
Serve over the salmon.
Lemon Almond Rice
1 Pkg. Viola’s Lemon Almond Rice
1 T. vomFASS Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or your favorite)
2 1/2 C. chicken or vegetable stock (more if needed)
Viola’s Congratulations! Seasoned Sea Salt, to taste
1 – 2 tsp. Calamansi Balsam vinegar
1 T. butter (optional)
Add olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir until glossy and warm. Add broth and seasoned sea salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook about 20 minutes until al dente or your preferred texture, adding more liquid if needed. Add more seasoned salt, if needed, the splash of Calamansi vinegar and butter, if using. Stir and serve or cover and keep warm until serving, adding more liquid if needed prior to dishing up.
2 cans (15 oz) legumes, drained and rinsed (Garbanzo, Cannelini, Great Northern, black beans, etc.)
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
½ C. sliced Kalamata Olives
½ C. vomFASS Jalapeno Extra Virgin Olive Oil (substitute another infused oil if you don’t like spicy) ¼ C. vomFASS Apple Balsamic Vinegar 2 – 3 tsp. vomFASS Greek Seasoning, more or less to taste vomFASS Mediterranean Sea Salt, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve with bread, on crostini or as a garnish, in a pita pocket, as side dish or salad topping. Flavors will bloom and blend, and this will taste even better in a day or two or three. Substitute veggies for what you have or like. Change up the flavor by using different oil, vinegar and spice combinations.
There should be a drum roll to introduce this recipe! It gets my vote for Most Versatile Player (MVP) recipe for quick, easy, delicious and healthy meals, even on my busiest days!
This shredded chicken recipe SO versatile in several ways.
Infinite number of flavor options
Wide variety of delicious ways to use it
Different methods you can use to prepare it
Cook once, eat now, and use in recipes over the next few days and weeks
Method is applicable to any protein, including chicken, turkey, pork, beef or game
The combination of oil, vinegar and spice adds flavor, obviously. In addition, the oil helps keep the meat moist and the vinegar helps tenderize – and then, of course, the health benefits of good quality olive oil, vinegar and spices are a huge bonus! See the notes below for alternatives to the basic recipe.
Shredded Chicken – Instant Pot Method
Ingredients
1 C. low sodium chicken broth (or more if you want extra broth at the end for soup)
Loaded Lettuce Boats with shredded chicken
1 T. Viola’s Blackening/Southwest seasoning
1 T. vomFASS Smoky BBQ Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T. vomFASS Apple Balsamic Vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, medium size
Directions
Place broth, oil, vinegar and seasonings into Instant Pot and blend. Add chicken and turn to coat with liquid. Place lid on cooker and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes to come to pressure and start counting down. Once the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, using quick release to finish. Open the lid and drain most of the liquid (save for soup!), but leaving enough liquid to keep the chicken moist. Shred the chicken breasts with the remaining liquid in the pot, or transfer to a bowl for
Shredded Chicken and Veggie Soup
shredding. See notes below for variety of uses.
Versatility notes:
Infinite number of flavor options
With vomFASS oils, vinegars and spices at your service, it is SO easy to change the flavor this recipe to use in different cuisines and with different proteins. Here are just a few pairing ideas to launch your creativity. Drop a note in the comments with your favorite vomFASS flavor combo suggestions!
Ginger Sesame Oil, Plum Balsamic and Asia Tandoori spice blend
Having shredded chicken or other protein prepared is a fantastic short cut to really great meals all week long. It is great in soups, salads, pastas, sandwiches, pizza, lettuce wraps, stir fries, egg bakes, tacos, nachos, enchiladas – if you can imagine it, you can use it!
Different methods you can use to prepare it
If you don’t have one, or don’t want to use your Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, there are certainly other cooking methods that will provide similar results. You just need to do a little research on Google in cookbooks to determine the appropriate cooking time. Use a slow cooker, a dutch oven on the stove top, or a covered pan in the oven. We would love to hear how you prepare this, so please share the method you used how it worked in the comments!
Eat now, and/or use in recipes over the next few days and weeks
In addition to using it for a meal today, package into amounts that you will use for one meal. Keep some liquid with each package. Refrigerate up to three days. Freeze up to one month. I usually package in a plastic zipper back or a glass container with tight sealing lid and use a sharper (on tape for the glass container) to note the type of protein, flavor and date on the package. I recommend removing the protein from plastic before defrosting, if you are using a microwave oven.
Method is applicable to any protein, including chicken, turkey, pork, beef or game
Adjust cook time for type of protein, size of pieces or roast, and amount you are cooking. I recommend over-cooking for this recipe, versus under-cooking, for easier shredding. As mentioned above, use Google or your favorite cookbook for help on estimating cook time.
Now all that’s left is to make it and enjoy! Please share your favorites with us as a comment below!
Tamra Kramer, Optavia Health Coach and Owner, vomFASS TwinCities
Cheers to easy, delicious and healthy cooking and eating!
Tamra
My passion is teaching people how to cook easy, delicious and healthy meals at home with quality olive oils, vinegar and spices, and coaching people along their health journey. Looking for support with starting your own health journey? Check out my Optavia website for more information.
This salad recipe has no proportions indicated because it is completely scalable to the number of people you are feeding. For a single serving, I use a combined total of about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of veggies, an ounce of cheese, 1 – 5 oz. can of tuna, and a total of about 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette. For the vinaigrette, use 1 part vinegar to 2 parts olive oil, season with mustard and spices to your taste. Adjust the contents and proportions to what you like to eat. Really, you can’t mess this up. You can do it!!! 🙂
Not Quite Nicoise Salad
Ingredients
Spring greens or baby spinach
Tomatoes, cut in bite-sized pieces
Green beans, steamed for 3 minutes and chilled
Red onion, sliced vomFASS Olives, with pimento
Feta Cheese, cubed or crumbles
Canned tuna (or chicken)
Vinaigrette made with these vomFASS products:
Honey Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dijon Mustard
Viola’s Mediterranean Fish Seasoning
Pyramid Sea Salt
Veggies of choice: eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, radishes, garlic, etc.
Pyramid Sea Salt vomFASS Pizza Extra Virgin Olive Oil vomFASS Aceto Balsamico Maletti or di Famiglia
Directions
Slice veggies into ½ inch to ¼ inches, depending on density of vegetable. Combine olive oil and sea salt in a large bowl or pan. Add veggies and toss gently until lightly coated. Place on grill mat on a 425 degree grill, or spread in a single layer onto a pre-heated sheet pan. Roast or grill at 425 degrees, turning halfway through to get a slight char on each side. Time varies from 10 – 30 minutes, depending on types of veggies and desired char.
Enjoy as a side dish (Drizzle with Aceto Balsamico for serving), cool for an antipasti plate with the remoulade below, enjoy as a healthy snack, blend into a dip (see recipe below), add to a salad, or make them into soup!
Roasted Veggie Remoulade
Ingredients
¼ C. plain Greek yogurt
¼ C. mayonnaise
1 T. capers, rinsed and chopped
½ T. vomFASS Calamansi Balsam Vinegar 2 tablespoons vomFASS Dijon mustard vomFASS Sea Salt and Viola’s Pepper with Herbs, to taste
Directions
Whisk together all ingredients. Serve in a small bowl on a platter with roasted veggies.
Roasted Veggie Dip with Flatbread
Ingredients
2 C. roasted veggies (see recipe above)
7 T. vomFASS Pizza Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 t, vomFASS Vingre Viejo de Montilla (Spanish Red Wine Vinegar)
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped (unless garlic is in roasted veggies) vomFASS Sea Salt and Viola’s Pepper with Herbs 2 t. Viola’s Smoked Paprika (spicy or sweet)
1 t. Viola’s Cumin
3 6-inch pitas, flatbread or cauliflower pizza crust
Directions
When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop vegetables and transfer to a food processor along with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped with some texture remaining. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to serving bowl.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together paprika, cumin and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut each pita or flatbread into triangles. Arrange triangles in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Lightly drizzle with remaining 3 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with spice mix. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Serve dip at room temp with pita chips or flatbread.
Have you ever entered a room to meet eight people for the first time and leave 90 minutes later with eight new friends? That’s an awesome feeling, and it’s how tonight’s cooking class went. In fact, the photos ended up being more about the people than the food, but the happy smiles are because of the food and the experience, so that’s OK, right?
Francis is not THE most common name, yet we had two people in the class by that name and almost every else knew or were related to a Francis, including me – so we got off on a congenial foot by declaring it Francis Night at vomFASS! The night was also special because Francis from Memphis was celebrating her birthday and because we were graced by the presence of newlyweds who joined the class during their 12 hour layover on their way to honeymoon in Iceland! (Coolest newlyweds of the year!)
But enough about how much fun we had (DO join us next time!), let’s get to the recipes!
Shrimp Salad / Dip / Tacos
Ingredients
2 C. cooked cocktail-sized shrimp (mini) vomFASS Chili Sea Salt, to taste 3 T. vomFASS San Domenico or Jalapeno Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 1/2 vomFASS Calamansi or Mango Balsam Vinegar 1/4 C. minced cilantro 1/4 C. sliced green onions 1/4 C. diced red bell pepper 1/4 C. Poblano pepper Tortilla chip scoops, romaine leaves, taco shells or salad greens Directions
Whisk together oil, vinegar and spices. Add remaining ingredients. Serve as desired: on greens for a salad, on lettuce leaves or taco shells, or with tortilla chips for an appetizer.
Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Pasta 6 servings
Ingredients
1 pkg vomFASS Basil Pasta OR 8 C. zoodles to replace pasta
1 t. Violas’ Caprese Salt or to taste
1 t. Violas’ Pepper with Herbs, or to taste
¼ C. vomFASS San Domenico Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 – 2 T. vomFASS Herb Garlic Sunflower Oil OR Chili Sunflower Oil
1 jar vomFASS Sun-dried Tomatoes
½ C. chopped sweet onion
½ C. chopped orange bell pepper
2 t. minced garlic (fresh or jarred)
1 C. chopped fresh baby spinach
Parmesan Cheese, to taste
vomFASS Aceto Balsamico di Famiglia
Directions
Chop sun-dried tomatoes and set aside. Sauté onion and pepper with sunflower oil over medium high heat, just until tender crisp. Add garlic and sauté about one more minute. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and seasonings. Set aside in pan. Cook pasta in boiling salted water 1 minute less than minimum recommended on package. Lift out of water and into the pan with sautéed veggie mixture, along with about ½ cup of pasta water. Add olive oil, spinach and adjust spices. Toss, cover and let rest in a warm place until ready to serve. Serve with parmesan and drizzle with Aceto Balsamico.
It’s January and its Minnesota. A healthy, delicious soup is just the comfort food your fitness goals and the weather call for! This Tuscan White Bean, Sausage and Veggie Soup will feed a family or provide a few meals for one or two! Skip to the end to read my “quick and easy” note, which was the path I chose for our Mediterranean Lifestyle cooking class tonight! This soup pairs beautifully with a Chardonnay (sparkling or still) or Pinot Noir.
Ingredients
2 T vomFASS San Domenico Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound Italian sweet or spicy sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced small
2 large potatoes, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Viola’s bay leaf
2 (15 ounce) cans white cannelini beans
2 small bunches of kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
8 C. low-sodium chicken stock (read the label to find one that doesn’t have sugar and a bunch of other stuff you don’t want in your soup!)
Violas Feta Seasoning, to taste (at least a couple teaspoons!)
vomFASS Herb Vinegar, to taste
Directions
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and brown, stirring occasionally to break into smaller pieces, approximately 10 minutes.
Add onion, carrots, potato, and bay leaves salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, approximately 10 minutes. Add garlic and beans; cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add kale and cook until slightly wilted. Add chicken stock, season and cover with lid.
Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and keep at a simmer for about 45 minutes, although a bit longer is completely fine. The soup will thicken as the potatoes begin to release their starch into the soup. Serve with a splash of Herb Vinegar.
Vegetarian option: eliminate sausage; replace San Domenico EVOO with vomFASS Smoky BBQ EVOO.
Fast and easy: Use pre-cooked Italian sausage (I used Chicken Italian sausage from Fresh Thyme Market), and pre-minced garlic. Add all ingredients, including olive oil, to crock pot or pressure cooker and cook as appropriate to appliance type. I used an Instant Pot on High Pressure setting for 6 minutes. Don’t forget that pop of Herb Vinegar right before eating!
Even Skinnier: Replace potatoes and carrots with a variety of other veggies, such as chopped or spiralized zucchini, cauliflower, shredded cabbage, celery, fresh fennel, or tomatoes. Reduce cooking time to adjust for higher water content veggies.
1/2 cup TOTAL of chopped cilantro, diced red or yellow bell pepper, sliced green onion, sliced fresh jalapeno, proportions to your preference
1 Tbs. water
foil, in a plastic zipper bag, or in a covered dish. Whisk the marinade ingredients together and drizzle onto salmon. Refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Player (MVP) recipe for quick, easy, delicious and healthy meals, even on my busiest days!
oil and sea salt in a large bowl or pan. Add veggies and toss gently until lightly coated. Place on grill mat on a 425 degree grill, or spread in a single layer onto a pre-heated sheet pan. Roast or grill at 425 degrees, turning halfway through to get a slight char on each side. Time varies from 10 – 30 minutes, depending on types of veggies and desired char.
