• HOME
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Main
    • Salsa
    • Sides
    • Soup
    • Tacos
  • Whole30
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Main
    • Sauces
    • Soup
  • Contact

Dash of Color and Spice

About

Welcome! Bienvenidos!  My name is Jessica, (but please call me Jess), and I am the home cook behind Dash of Color and Spice. I was born and raised in Kansas City but both of my parents were born and raised in Guanajuato, Mexico.  My first language was Spanish and I am proud to say I am fluent in both English and Spanish. I am a full-time oncology nurse and being a nurse is my number one job and passion. I cannot imagine doing anything else or working with any other population other than cancer patients. The job can be sad and emotionally exhausting but also very rewarding with many smiles and successes. I live in Kansas City with my husband, Zac, and two fur babies, Lola and Sonar.

Growing up in a Mexican household I had all the amazing Mexican dishes you can imagine, tamales, tacos, menudo, pozole… you name it! As you can imagine though, these were all wonderful indulgences full of all the glorious flavors and not the most nutritious benefits. Unfortunately being Hispanic also predisposes you to chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Another unfortunate thing: these tend to go hand in hand. So when I was diagnosed with the “trifecta” that I just mentioned at age 24 I was pretty devastated. I was, after all, only 24 years old, pretty fit, not overweight, and relatively healthy. It was then that I realized I needed to change my ways of eating and it included backing off of all the tortillas, arroz, tamales, etc. It was a pretty hard thing to do but I managed to do it, lose some weight, and control my conditions.

Fast forward 5 years when I realized I was spiraling out of control again with poor control of my diabetes and I found Whole30. After much research and prep work I did my first round February of 2018 and the results were amazing. My blood sugars with the best they had ever been and I felt amazing! It is then that my passion for re-creating Mexican recipes to make them “clean” and more healthy started. I wanted to show everyone you can still have delicious and flavorful food while eating healthy. I also wanted to show that I could still eat the traditional recipes I grew up eating but with a twist. You can read all about my Whole30 journey here. I am a firm believer that we can eat all the foods we enjoy, indulge in some goods, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and still be successful and satisfied. It’s all about balance and knowing your body and response to food. I didn’t want to give up all the dishes my abuelita and mom make and wanted to keep learning from both of them so I found a good balance and keep recreating and learning from them constantly.

  I share these recipes in hopes that you all try something new, add some flavor and spice to your life, and hope you create a meal or dish that you, your family, friends, and loved ones truly enjoy. My recipes stem from the love and passion for cooking my grandma and mom shared with me and I share them with you all with the same love and passion.

SHARE THIS POST:

Hola! I'm Jess, a full-time oncology nurse who loves to cook and create flavorful and delicious food. I enjoy re-creating recipes to make them healthy and keep them full of flavor with some spice! You will find many Whole30 recipes here but also plenty of delicious recipes to indulge in because life's too short, right?!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

ARCHIVES

CATEGORIES

POPULAR POSTS

Large white pan with chicken and rice with vegetables

Arroz con Pollo

Whipped Goat Cheese

Mexican Chicken Lentil Soup

Albondigas in Chipotle Sauce

Grilled Chicken with Fried Goat Cheese Salad

Steak Salad with Herb Roasted Potatoes

Sausage Spinach and Gnocchi Soup

Salsa Verde Chicken Chili

Chicken Chile Verde

Salsa Roja

Bacon Goat Cheese Burgers with Caramelized Onions

Quesabirria Tacos (Birria Quesadillas)

Blackberry Bourbon Smash

Blackberry Bourbon Smash

Tray with Mexican Carne Asada

(Mexican) Carne Asada

Chili lime salmon on a white plate with rice

Chili Lime Salmon

Growing up Mexican-American

Bowl of lemongrass thai curry with rice

Thai Lemongrass Curry

Authentic Mexican Rice

Plate with flautas topped with onion, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, sour cream, and salsa

Chicken Flautas

four blood orange ricotta cookies

Blood Orange Ricotta Cookies

Birria de Res (Beef Birria)

Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Soup)

Large pot with chile colorado

Chile Colorado

White mugs with red rim filled with arroz con leche

Arroz con Leche

Instant Pot Lasagna Soup

Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

Authentic Mexican Tamales

Apple cider margarita in a glass with a slice of apple and a cinnamon stick garnish.

Apple Cider Margarita

Bread pudding slice on a white plate with brow sugar bourbon sauce

Bourbon Bread Pudding

Creamiest Mashed Potatoes

Cinnamon apple empanadas

Cinnamon Apple Empanadas

Bowl of southwest chicken enchilada soup with tortilla strips, jalapeno, and lime

Southwest Chicken Enchilada Soup

Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup)

Tray of loaded chorizo fries

Loaded Chorizo Fries

Carne Al Pastor

Spinach Poblano Dip

Carne Asada Meatballs

Street Corn Pasta salad in a white plate

Street Corn Pasta Salad

Cauliflower Arroz con Pollo

Bistec con Papas (Mexican Steak and Potatoes)

Salsa Verde Wings

shrimp ceviche in white bowl

Shrimp Ceviche

Casserole dish full of red enchiladas

Enchiladas Rojas

Mexican Chicken Salad in big white bowl.

Mexican Chicken Salad

Mango salsa in a blue bowl

Mango Salsa

Mexican Street Corn Dip

Frozen Strawberry Margaritas

Mexican flan with caramel sauce

Mexican Flan

Mushroom Asada Tacos with onions, cilantro, salsa and radishes. Taco on baking sheet pan.

Mushroom Asada Tacos

Orange Mango Margaritas

Pork Belly Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

Ahi tuna tacos with slaw and mango on black plate

Ahi Tuna Tacos

Crispy potato tacos with tomatoes, onions, queso fresco, sour cream, and salsa

Tacos de Papa (Potato Tacos)

Chilaquiles Rojos with fried eggs

Chilaquiles Rojos

Mexican Fideo

Bell peppers stuffed with chorizo and potatoes

Chorizo con Papas Stuffed Peppers

shrimp red curry with zucchini noodles, lime, nap peas

Thai Shrimp Curry Soup

Pozole Rojo

Champurrado

Chorizo Queso Fundido

Creamy Potato Cauliflower Soup

Pork Chile Verde

Pozole Verde

Albondiga Soup

Salsa Verde

stuffed poblano pepper with red sauce on black plate

Chiles Rellenos

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

© 2019 DASH OF COLOR AND SPICE

THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS

Privacy Policy