Daily Archives: June 2, 2014

Sunday Lunch

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There are a few recipes that need to go in here… so I’ll start with the simple.

Beets:

Fresh beets, cut up and boiled for 20 minutes. Then, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. YUM!

Guacamole:

2 avocados, sliced and diced
the juice of 1 lime
1/4 sweet onion
splash of hot sauce
1 small bunch of FRESH cilantro (about 1/4 cup)
grape tomatoes sliced in half (I used around 10)

Shrimp Caprese Orzo Pasta

Original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2746948

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 10
Number of Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

Orzo Pasta, 1 cup 
Grape Tomatoes cut in 1/2, 1 cup 
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Basil, 1 tbsp
 White Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp 
Salt, 1 dash
Pepper, black, 1 dash
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Juice of 1 lemon, plus the zest
Shrimp, raw, 10 medium
1/4 of a cucumber, sliced
FRESH mozzarella cut into slices
While orzo pasta is cooking according to box instructions, mix the tomatoes, half the garlic, the basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and mozzarella cheese in a serving dish.In the oven, at 350 degrees, cook shrimp in the remaining garlic and the EVOO. About 8-15 minutes (depending on size and if they were frozen).

Drain pasta and stir together with diced tomato mixture and then top with cooked shrimp.

Serving Size: Makes 3-4 Dinner Portions

Number of Servings: 4

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

 

Greek Chicken:

adapted from this recipe: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/06/greek-marinated-chicken/

Ingredients
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • ½ Tbsp dried oregano $0.08
  • 1/2 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 medium lemon
  • ½ tsp ground himalayan sea salt
  • freshly cracked pepper $0.05
  • ¼ bunch fresh parsley $0.20
  • 3½ to 4 lbs chicken pieces $6.86
  • Instructions
    1. To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.
    2. Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
    3. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.
    4. To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9×13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

 

 

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Tikka Masala

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tikkamasala

Indian food – not spicy!!

my recipe is adapted from this original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=65763

Minutes to Prepare: 20
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: 4
6 Chicken tenderloins diced small
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 to 3/4  onion chopped finely
1 tsp ground (powdered) ginger 
2 tsp garlic, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup (to 1/2 cup, depending on how thick you like it) tomato puree
Salt to taste
Coriander to garnish1/4 cup waterPut the oil into a pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the ground cardamom. Add the onions and cook while stirring, until brown. Add the spices , garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and chili powder and stir. Add the remaining ingredients. Add the tomato and puree and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour in the water and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Taste the sauce and season with salt.
Add the chicken cubes and mix well into the masala. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and tender. Garnish and serve .Number of Servings: 4

My LOVE of Grapefruit

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grapefruit

Grapefruit…

Do you like grapefruit? Have you ever tried it warmed up with Brown Sugar melted into it??? If not… DO!

I have memories of going to visit my grandparents in Tampa and going out and picking a grapefruit off of their tree and bringing it inside and making it like in the picture. MMMMMM!!!!

So, what you need: 1/2 grapefruit cut and sectioned
1-2 TB of brown sugar

Cut the grapefruit in half and then take a serrated knife and cut out each individual triangle in-between the membrane. Then, take the same knife and cut around the outside of the citrus, but not into the pith. Then, top w/brown sugar and microwave for 1 minute.

ENJOY!!!

Holy Yum Chicken!

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holyyumchicken

Holy Yum Chicken!!

Ok…. #1, this picture does NOT do this justice. Not at all. My plate is too big. That’s 1 1/2 chicken thighs… seriously. But this chicken… oh man. The name fits it perfectly! I did not change anything in this recipe. I cannot claim it as my own. So… if you want to experience this AMAZING chicken (you MUST like mustard to like this)…. go to this website for the recipe. You’ll be glad you did. Holy Yum chicken… mmmmmm!!!!!

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/holy-yum-chicken/

AMAZING!!!!!

Creamy Dill White-fish

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CreamyDillFish

Adapted from this recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2673535

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

1.5 cup 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried (or fresh) dill
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
6 (3-ounce) fresh tilapia fillets (I actually used Dover Sole. I prefer wild caught fish, and tilapia only had farm raised available.)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toasted panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 TB grated parmesan cheeseCombine the cottage cheese with parsley, dill, garlic, salt, parmesan cheese and pepper in a small bowl. Arrange tilapia fillets on a foil covered sheet pan. Evenly spread the cottage cheese mixture over each filet. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of panko breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, at the end, broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes until crispy.

Serving Size: 6 servings; 1 piece of fish per serving

Crispy Pan Fried “Mexican” Chicken

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Adapted from this original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=838597

1 pound boneless, skinless frozen chicken tenderloins
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup low-sodium salsa
1 cup coconut milk (or buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Combine the panko, taco seasoning. cumin and salt in a shallow dish.
Soak the chicken in a bag w/the buttermilk or coconut milk for 30 minutes in the fridge. Then, coat in the seasoned bread crumbs. The original recipe called for you to then place on a sprayed baking sheet, and bake the chicken: Bake for 20 minutes or until the meat reaches 165 degrees. I personally thought it didn’t get crispy enough. I, therefore, heated 2 TB of olive oil in a skillet and pan fried the chicken for approximately 5 minutes per side. Serve with salsa. I also made a salad and corn to go with it. The salad dressing is my recipe as listed in a previous post.

Each serving: 3 ounces chicken and 1/4 cup salsa

#cookinghealthy #500caloriesorless #quickcooking

Hawaiian BBQ Burritos

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Adapted from this original recipe: http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2014/05/dinner-tonight-hawaiian-bbq-chicken.html

Ingredients:
5 Frozen Chicken Tenderloins
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1/4 cup of salsa (or use 1 seeded jalapeno)
1/2 (4 oz used) can of crushed pineapple
2 green onions (scallions) chopped
3 burrito sized tortillas
Shredded Cheese

(This recipe makes 3-4 burritos, you can add more chicken to make more. I usually cook for 2 people and have 1 person leftovers)

Put 1 TB of olive oil in the bottom of your skillet. Place the chicken tenderloins (still frozen) into your skillet, and top w/half of the BBQ sauce, and place lid. Cook on medium-medium high heat. It will take 15-20 min. to cook through. Then, take 2 forks and shred the meat. Then, add the remaining BBQ sauce, salsa and pineapple. Cover again, and just before serving, top with scallions.

Serve on burrito tortilla w/shredded cheese.

30-minute Southwest Chili

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My recipe is adapted from this original recipe: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/southwestern-beef-chili-corn-00000000006977/index.html

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, garlic and bell pepper and 1/4 cup rotel and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
  2. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute.
  4. Stir in the beans, chili powder, 3 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Then add the corn. (I used 1/2 cup of frozen sweet white corn)
  5. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the corn.
  6. Divide the chili among bowls and top with the Cheddar and scallions.

Curried Rice with Shrimp

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curriedshrimp

Original Recipe Credit: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/curried-rice-shrimp-00000000006830/index.html

I have adapted my recipe from the recipe listed above.

I used brown rice in my recipe… I’d actually recommend white rice, I just didn’t have any left, so I used what I had.

Step 1: Put 1 cup of rice into the rice cooker, and fill it with water until the water reaches the first crease on my pointer finger. That’s how my mom measured… so that’s how I measure it. Don’t even know how much water that turns out to be, but it works! Then, I add 1 tsp. of minced garlic and 2 tsp. of curry powder. I close the rice cooker, and press cook. (If you do NOT have a rice cooker, I recommend you following the original recipe link above.)

Step 2: Peel and cut 4 carrots. I cut the carrots into about 1 1/2 in to 2 inch pieces. Then, I chopped up 1/4 of an onion. I put the carrot and onion into a skillet w/1/4 cup of water and 1 TB olive oil and 1/2 tsp minced garlic and a dash of curry powder. I put the lid on and simmered on med-low heat. (15-20 min).

Step 3: While the carrots and onions are simmering, I put the shrimp, still frozen, on a tin-foil lined cookie sheet and drizzled olive oil over top. (2 TB?). I then sprinkled with salt, pepper, garlic powder and just a touch of curry powder (to continue with the theme). I baked them at 375 for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble. All things should get done right around the same time. Carrots should be firm, but tender. Shrimp should not be translucent at all, and cooked through. Rice should be sticky and a nice curry-yellow. Put rice in bowl, then carrots and onions, toss, and add shrimp to top. Garnish with basil as desired.

Enjoy!

Changing Skin, Changing Lives

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R&F

Rodan and Fields…. changing skin, changing lives. And it’s SOO true. I can enjoy cooking because I am a consultant for Rodan and Fields. I can be home because of this company. I know, you’ve heard it before. These products speak for themselves though. Go to www.rcain.myrandf.com and check out the amazing testimonials and then email me with questions. You won’t regret it!