Citrus Infused Turkey

 

This recipe was actually given to me by Jecca's husband Arthur, he's an excellent cook.

After your turkey has thawed in the refrigerator, you will need to place it in a brine overnight. The directions on how to brine a turkey can be found here: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/11/turkey-brining-101-how-to-brine-that-bird/

I just used the basic brine recipe, because I want most of my flavor to come from the recipe below.

1 - 15 lb Turkey (thawed and brined)

2 tlbs lemon juice

2 tlbs olive oil

2 1/2 tlbs spice rub

3 oranges

3 lemons

1 pkg fresh sage leave

Remove turkey from your brine. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Mix your lemon juice and olive oil together and then rub all sides with it. Rub spice mix onto the turkey. Quarter the lemons and the oranges. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with them, the remainder that won't fit can be placed around the bird. Place your sage leaves on and around the turkey. Cover with foil and then let sit in the fridge for 12 hours. Remove from the fridge (Do NOT remove aluminum foil, it will help keep the bird moist) and place in preheated 350 degree oven. Cook turkey 16 minutes per pound for a total of 4 hours. If you place it in the oven at 7:45 in the morning, it will be ready by 12:15 in the afternoon.

Turkey Spice Rub

(You may want to make this in advance and place it in it's own container and label it, as it will make more than for just one use.)

4 tsp onion salt

1 tsp cardamon

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp ground all spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

I know this is alot of work, but it is very much worth it. This recipe will feed about 15/16 adults. I was able to even pull enough turkey meat off what was left for a nice turkey soup tonite. I hope y'all enjoy it!

Red Pepper Tilapia

This is not a spicy dish. I just wanted to put that out there, so when you taste the dish you don't get mad and feel like I led you on. Although I suppose with a hot little title like that, who could blame you in thinking you were going to get a spicy little number of a recipe. Sorry to break your culinary hearts, but if you want to heat up the recipe, you'll have to do that on your own and in the privacy of your home.

5 fresh Tilapia fillets
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 medium sweet white onion
Ground black peppercorns
Sea Salt
1 tbs of olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat in non-stick skillet. Slice your onion and bell pepper lengthwise and saute in skillet until tender. Using a grinder, grind peppercorns over the tilapia. Cover both sides. Remove onion and bell pepper from skillet and set aside. Place tilapia in skillet, cover with onion and bell pepper. Let cook for 5-7 minutes. (You will flip the tilapia ONLY once.) Scoot the onions and peppers aside and with a spatula gently flip the fish. The underside should be golden brown and the edges crispy. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Plate the tilapia and veggies.  Serve with a fresh garden salad and seasoned Basmati rice. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies

The best 2 pre-made brownie mixes that I have tried so far would have to be Bob's Red Mill GF Brownie Mix and Betty Crocker's GF Brownie Mix. However for this recipe to really have that moist gooey texture the Bob's Red Mill GF Brownie Mix is the way to go.

For the Cream Cheese Mix you need to prepare it first.

You will need:

- 8 oz room temperature cream cheese
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sugar

Then in your mixer, blend these ingredients together on low. When well blended, increase speed and beat until it's frothy.

Follow the directions on the back of the package to mix up your brownie mix. (I do add 3 ounces shaved and melted Belgian Dark Chocolate to the mixture.)
Stop at instruction #3, you don't want to pour all of the batter in just yet.
Pour only half into your pan.
Then spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie mix you already put in the pan.
Using the remaining brownie mix, spoon it on top of your cream cheese mixture and then carefully smooth over with a spatula.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clear.

These are so good. I hope you enjoy them!!

Paitence is Always Rewarded

I know you all have been extremely patient with me as I have not posted any new recipes at all lately. However, I have one that should make up for all the neglect. :)

Moroccan Braised Chicken with Carrots

1/2 tsp whole cumin seed
1/4 tsp coriander seed, crushed
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
6 chicken thighs,(about 1 lb) skin removed.
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 large carrots peeled and cut on the bias into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup quinoa (pronounced keen-wah)

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large oven proof pot over medium high heat. Toast spices for about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl. Add oil to the pan and heat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Cook until golden, about 6 minutes and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and saute onion. Add wine , scraping up brown bits with a wooden (not metal) spoon. Add carrots, stock, chicken and accumulated juices, and spices. Bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is very tender, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring quinoa (after thoroughly rinsing), 2 cups water and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes covered. Fluff with fork.
Sprinkle chicken with cilantro when done and serve with quinoa.

Nature's Spaghetti

While I have finally found a gluten free pasta substitute, I decided to try the 'rarely heard of ' spaghetti squash. Turns out it's one of the easiest of the squash family to cook. Not to mention it's really neat to see the flesh turn into spaghetti, it's like a food experiment. Here is a quick recipe that you can make in addition to your favorite sauce.

Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms and Herbs

Makes 2 servings

1 - 2 to 2 1/2 lb spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, (refrigerate other half for another time)
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
2 tbs minced parsley
1 tbs minced chives
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Wrap the squash half in plastic wrap and microwave it, cut side up, at high power for 10 to 12 minutes. (Easy, huh?!?) Let it stand for 5 minutes. Combine the butter, onions,and mushrooms and microwave for 5 minutes stirring once or until the mushrooms are tender.  Scoop the squash seeds out of the squash. Then scrape the flesh with a fork into a bowl and toss with your mushroom mixture, parsley, chives and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It's surprisingly good.

Artichoke and Potato Casserole

OK for the record, the only artichokes I have ever eaten were usually in a dip. I haven't used them much in cooking and I've never been too sure as to what to do with them as it takes so much work to get to the heart of an artichoke. In that respect I guess they are kind of like people. :) It was the day before grocery shopping day and I was trying to make do with what I had left in the freezer and the pantry. There in the back, behind last summers frozen blueberries was a box of artichoke hearts, and I had a red bell pepper and 3 potatoes left. This is what happened.

Artichoke and Potato Casserole

4 average size potatoes, scrubbed and sliced (to where they look like steak fries)
1 tsp salt (divided)
1 onion (sliced into rings)
1 red bell pepper (seeds removed and sliced)
1 package frozen artichoke hearts
Black Pepper
1 tbs thyme
1 tbs parsley
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk (You can use cows, almond, soy, whatever suits you.)
1 cup Swiss cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup GF cracker crumbs (Crunch master brand has a great gluten free cracker in a variety of flavors and they are now being sold at Wal-Mart and you can get a double pack at Sam's!! Score! I used the original flavor for this recipe. But feel free to experiment.)
1 tbs olive oil

2 quart casserole dish
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1.) Bring the potatoes, salt and water to a boil in a medium size pot. Turn heat to medium low after bringing to a boil and cook til they are almost done, but not quite. Remove and Drain. Arrange in your dish
2.) While your potatoes are cooking, saute onion, bell pepper, and artichoke hearts in olive oil. Pour over the potatoes and sprinkle with black pepper, the rest of the salt, your thyme and your parsley.
3.) In a small bowl mix your milk and sour cream together until well blended. When blended, pour over your vegetables.
4. ) Bake @ 425 for 20 minutes. Remove, and sprinkle with Swiss cheese and your cracker crumbs. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Even my anti-vegetable husband loved this dish, although he did suggest adding sliced chicken breast to the dish. So however you decide to use this dish, whether as an accent to the main meal, or as the main meal, it will leave you satisfied and happy.

Herb Roasted Chicken

I cannot help but love the combination of shallots, saffron, and rosemary. There is something about the incredible combination of these ingredients that seem to heighten the senses. At least the smell and taste ones. :)

Herb-Roasted Chicken

1 - 4 lb free-range hen
1/4 cup white wine
2 shallots coarsley chopped
kosher salt
1 tsp saffron
2 tsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 tlbs extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Scrub hen with kosher salt inside and out, rinse, and pat dry. Place your saffron and shallots inside of the hen. Mix together the olive oil, ground white pepper, garlic, rosemary, and white wine. Rub onto hen. Place inside a foil lined pan. Cover hen with foil and bake for 3 hours at 300 degrees. Take out and remove foil from the hen. Place back into the over and let the top crisp for about 15 to 20 minutes. The chicken will be fall apart tender and incredibly moist, so don't worry about having to get a knife out. :)

Have a chocolate craving? Not after this you won't....

So who has NOT heard of the Neiman Marcus cookie? Well thanks to relishmag's Tamar Haspel and to Rowena for giving me the clipping, here is one better. Eat your heart out ya'll!

Chewy Flour less Chocolate Cookies

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted ( I am NOT a fan of either, so here is where i changed the recipe I used 1 1/2 cups of toasted sliced almonds....mm mm I cannot describe the wonderfulness that it was.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add egg whites, stirring with a spoon until the mix forms a dough. It should be thick enough to form into balls, if not add more powdered sugar and cocoa. Add nuts, mix well.

Form dough into 15 balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 16 to 19 minutes, until glossy and crackled. Cool completely....though it will be very hard to resist snagging one while hot..trust me... oh and your going to want like a full half gallon of milk to go with these. :)

Makes 15 cookies
110 calories each
7 grams fat
0 grams cholesterol
1 gram protein
16 grams carbs
1 gram fiber
45 mg sodium

New Recipes!!

I know, you thought they would never come. However, your patience has paid off!

Paprika Roast Chicken with Sweet Onions

1 tlbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 tlbs paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 1/2 lbs chicken
1 sweet Vidalia onion cut into 1/2 inch wedges

Preheat oven to 500 with rack in the upper third position. Mix oil with spices, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken and onion ,tossing to coat. Arrange chicken (skin side up)  and onion in a 3 quart shallow baking dish. Bake until chicken is cooked through and skin is golden. - About 30 minutes.

I was thinking that this recipe would be good on the grill as well, I would use chicken breasts and cook over Direct High heat for 5 minutes on each side and then move the chicken to Indirect Medium heat for around 25  to 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!!

I know, I know, I've been neglectful....

However I am going to make it up to all of you....btw I am on twitter now..so if any of you have any questions regarding cooking or cooking gluten free feel free to ask me. My twitter name is melfrose. Now as promised are 3 recipes that have been tweaked and made GF Friendly....

Pigs in a Blanket

Now these pancakes are much lighter than what you will be used to, so don't freak out about the consistency or how much batter the recipe makes..I promise it all works out.
First off, go ahead and cook 8 sausage links of your choice.
While they are cooking go ahead and make up your batter
Pancake Batter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon GF baking powder
1 cup rice flour (or substitute corn, chickpea or tapioca flour)
Extra butter for frying pancakes

1.) In your mixing bowl stir quickly or on speed 2 all liquid ingredients. Slowly add the baking power and flour.
2.) Heat griddle pan or large frying pan to medium. Drop a teaspoon of butter on it; when the butter sizzles, start pouring the batter to about 2 inches in diameter.
3.) When bubbles come to the top, continue to cook until mostly done. Add your sausage link to the pancake and quickly roll it up and allow it to finish cooking.

Warning: These pancakes are very thin, almost like crepes so they will not be thick or heavy or fluffy.
Note: For lighter pancakes, separate the eggs and beat the whites stiffly. Then add to batter.

These really are scrumptious and light, you can add whatever topping that you prefer on to it.


Next up:
Grandma's Cornbread
Goes wth everything, is moist, and incredibly delicious.
The smart thing to do when deciding to make cornbread is to go ahead and fix breakfast, b/c you will need the bacon grease for the cornbread or it just won't taste as moist. The bacon grease is imperative and there is no substitute.
You will also need a sifter that you hand turn, trust me this is integral as well. While mixing your ingredients together you want your bacon grease to be in a well seasoned cast iron skillet (medium size). Heat oven to 450 and place your skillet in the oven to melt the grease.

Ingredients:
Barely 1 cup yellow stone ground cornmeal ( I use Lamb's)
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp GF baking powder
a dash of sugar
(NOTE: In a large bowl place your sifter. Add all of these ingredients to the sifter and sift them together, allowing them to fall into the bowl below.)
Then add the following:
1 egg
Barely 1 cup buttermilk
Stir ingredients thoroughly. Take hot skillet out of the oven and pour off bacon grease into your mixture. Stir again, and pour into hot skillet. Immediately place back into oven and cook for 15 minutes exactly.
When ready take out your skillet and flip cornbread out onto a plate by turning the skillet over, if you have a well-seasoned skillet this will be no problem.. if you do not, I suggest you heavily oil your skillet before use.
Enjoy hot with butter!

And finally recipe #3:

Pork Steaks
2 tlbs vegetable oil
4 pork steaks
onion powder
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 large onion chopped
4.5 ounces of sliced mushrooms
2 cans GF cream of mushroom soup
1 cup water
1 pkg GF dry onion soup mix
1 tablespoon Worcestershire

Heat oven to 350.
Heat oil in heavy skillet over medium/high heat. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. While browning, season both sides with onion and garlic powder to your liking. Transfer steaks into a baking dish and sprinkle chopped onion and sliced mushrooms. In a small bowl combine mushroom soup, water, onion soup mix,  and worcestershire sauce. Mix until smooth and pour over steaks. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 90 minutes.

I hope you all enjoy these recipes, I will be leaving for Panama on the 1st of March, and if I have a spare moment I will try to share some of the recipes that I gather from there. I will go ahead and post one more before I leave,  but I didn't want to post it with these.. I figure I can't tell all of my secrets.   :)

Crustless ....that's right Crustless Pumpkin Pie....

Well sort of a pumpkin pie, more like pumpkin bars with a pumpkin pie taste.....

1 15 oz can pure canned pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
3/4 cup Splenda Sweetener
2 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Place into a baking dish and cook for 45 minutes. When done cut into equal bar sizes.( You can serve this dish hot or cold, it's your choice.) Serve with whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon and a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Gram's Famous Stew Gluten Friendly-fied

My grams makes the best stew ever!! Unfortunately I haven't been able to have it in a while....until I tweaked with the recipe long enough to make it GF friendly. I hope you all enjoy!!

1/2 cup Potato flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 lbs stew meat cut into bite-sized pieces
4 tlbs shortening
6 cups boiling water

3 medium potatoes
1 medium turnips
4 carrots
1 green pepper
1 cup celery
1 onion
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Orrington Farms Beef Flavored Gluten Free Soup Base

After cutting the stew meat into bite sized pieces, coat it in the flour, salt, shortening, and pepper. Place in pot. Add boiling water to meat. Cook for two hours on low. Add vegetables, and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stew will thicken. Enjoy with fresh and warm cornbread.

It's raining meatballs .....

I am going to try and get a headstart on October and get back into a once-a-week posting habit. The Granary is now carrying Kinnikinnick's 7 inch personal pan frozen pizza crusts. They have a rectangular shape and can accomodate both thick crust and crunchy crust lovers, it all depends on how long you cook the crust in the oven. I found the texture to be pleasing and the taste to be as close as one can get to a regular pizza crust.  As for the rain we have all been drowing in lately, it may not be raining meatballs, but this recipe will at least let you enjoy them while it rains outside....

GF Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti

Meatballs:
1/2 lb mild italian sausage ( Thomas likes his with italian sausage, but if your not a fan it can be omitted.)
3/4 lb lean ground turkey
1 cup fine dry crackercrumbs (The brand Glutino carries a buttery cracker that works well with this recipe.)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesean cheese
3/4 cup minced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning

Sauce:
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic salt
4 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
2 bay leaf
1/4 tsp of basil
4 8oz cans of tomato sauce (organic)
2 cans whole peeled tomatoes (organic)
2 jars mushrooms (optional)

1 pkg Mrs. Leepers rice spaghetti

Meatballs:
In an oiled skillet saute onion and garlic (for the meatballs). When done set skillet aside and combine sausage (optional), turkey, crackercrumbs, onion, eggs, parmesean cheese, garlic and next three ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Shape mixture into 30 1 and a 1/2 inch balls. ( I like to take 15 and freeze them for the next time I want to make the recipe, and use the other half for the batch I am currently cooking.) Place on a cookie sheet and stick in the fridge while you put your marinara together.

Marinara:
In a pot, combine tomatoes and tomato sauce with onion, salt, garlic salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, bay leaves and mushrooms, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to let simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove your chilled meatballs from the refrigerator, and place them in the skillet you sauted your onions and garlic in. Cook over med-high heat until cooked through. Them place them into your sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes.

While your sauce is simmering, go ahead and boil the water for your spaghetti. Make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging explicitly. GF pasta can be very finicky, too much cooking time and it won't hold together, not enough cooking time and it's crunchy.

When spaghetti is done, serve up with your sauce and meatballs and a nice salad. :)

Fall is around the corner....

And with hopefully cooler temperatures, we will all want to be warming up.

Gluten Free Fresh Tuscan Tomato and Basil Soup
Serves 4

4 tbs butter
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves (stems removed)
2 tbs fresh oregano leaves
2 cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup cream
Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Salt


Please remember that since this recipe has cream in it, do not boil the soup! If you boil it, you will end up with curdled soup. So remember: watch the stove and heat without boiling.

Make a roux with the butter and cornstarch; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Blend tomatoes, basil and oregano in the blender until smooth. Stir the mixture into the hot butter mixture. Bring to a boil and add the milk, cream, and tomato sauce. Heat over low heat or a low flame and sprinkle with salt, garlic salt, and pepper to taste. Goes great with a toasty GF grilled cheese. :)

Blueberry Crisp

I picked about 3 gallons of blueberries earlier in the summer and I am still finding things to create with them, as I have so many left. The following is a Gluten Free Blueberry Crisp that is incredibly decadent. It must be served with either Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream or a tall glass of milk. For those of you who are not gluten intolerant, you can substitute regular flour for the GF Pancake flour in the recipe or you can try it as is.

2 pints fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
1 cup GF (gluten-free) Pancake or Baking flour
3/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup shortening (such as Crisco)

Using a pie dish or 8x8 baking dish, smear some shortening onto dish. Sprinkle a pinch of your GF flour onto the blueberries and toss. Pour blueberries into dish. In a separate bowl, combine GF flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Using your hands, mash up the 1/3 cup of shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Layer on top of blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream or a glass of cold milk.

Bringing back the BLT with a Twist

When did we stop eating BLT's? I remember when I was growing up that it was a summertime mainstay. Maybe it's because we became too conscious of how greasy and fat the bacon was or how salty it was. This afternoon for lunch, Thomas and I put a twist on it and had a very satisfying light lunch. For all those that are gluten intolerant, I suggest you use Kinnikinnick White Sandwich Bread in order to enjoy this toasty sandwich.

Thomas' T.T.B.L.T:

3 slices deli sliced turkey breast meat

2 slices Jennie-O turkey bacon

1 fresh whole tomato - sliced

Fresh baby butter lettuce

2 slices toasted Nature's Own Honey Wheat Light (only 40 calories a slice)

1 slice Muenster or Provolone cheese (optional)

Light Mayo or Light Miracle Whip (optional)

1.) Cook bacon in a George Foreman or similar inside grill
2.) Toast bread
3.) Put together your sandwich and enjoy with some scrumptious pop-Chips (http://popchips.com/, they are so tasty and can be found at The Granary or any local health food store) or kettle cooked chips.

Gluten Free Pizza

For those of you who don't know, I cannot have gluten. I haven't had pizza in almost a year and have been scouring the web and the local health food stores for a good pizza crust recipe. I have found the answer: http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/consumer.home.html

They haven't missed so far when it comes to gluten free products. Below is my pizza recipe that even my mother in law and husband couldn't tell the difference.

2.5 cups of kinnikinnick pizza crust mix (Follow the directions on the package.)
1/2 quart canned tomato juice
6 large fresh tomatoes
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp parsley
2 tsp oregano
1.5 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 cup onion finely chopped
Turkey pepperoni (70% less fat than regular pepperoni, people!!)
cheese
and toppings of your choice

First you want to make your pizza sauce. ( Yes, it's OK to skip this step and just use a pre-made pizza sauce, I just ask the you use an organic one. Trust me it does make a difference with the taste.)Take 6 large tomatoes, core them, cut off the top, and boil them until the skins split and easily come off. Pour your olive oil into the bottom of a medium size saucepan. Saute your garlic and onion for about 3 minutes. Add your half of a quart of tomato juice, then add your tomatoes and smash them up. Add your parsley and oregano.Let simmer for about 45 minutes. When done, pour into a blender and puree. Your sauce is done.
Follow the directions on your pizza crust mix. Spray your pans with an olive oil spray. I would also oil your hands with olive oil before you roll out the dough on to the pizza pans. It makes the dough much easier to handle. ( I figured this out the hard way.)
Bake your pizza crust for about 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees. Take out and top with your tomato sauce, cheese, turkey pepperoni and whatever other toppings you desire. Pop back in the oven for about 12 more minutes. Take out and enjoy!
This is truly, wonderfully delicious.....pizza never tasted better!!! :)

P.S. A special thank you to Grams for showing me how to can tomato juice, and for the wonderful tomatoes out of her garden.

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa:
1 1/2 cup chopped, peeled mango's
1 1/2 cup chopped tomato
2 tbs cilantro
2 tbs lime juice
1 tbs jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onions

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and refrigerate. I personally prefer mine to be finer and I put all of it in the blender on the chop setting for about 45 seconds. It all depends on whether you prefer a chunky salsa or a finer salsa.

Fish Tacos:
1/2 of a red onion thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 jalapeno, stemmed and chopped
1 pound flaky white fish (halibut, cod, or tilapia work well)
salt
8 fresh corn tortillas
2 limes cut into quarters
Mango Salsa

Step 1: Marinate the onion. Put the sliced onion in a small bowl and pour in enough red wine vinegar to cover well. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2: Marinate the fish. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and add the oregano, cumin, chopped cilantro and jalapeno. Mix well. Place the fish on a dish and pour the marinade over it, making sure to coat the fish well on both sides. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Cook the fish. Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and place in the hot pan. (There is no need to add more oil.) Season the fish with salt. Cook the fish for 4 minutes undisturbed and then turn over and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and flake the fish with a fork, making sure to mix in all the marinade that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.
Step 4: Place 4 of the tortillas on a plate and sandwich them between two slightly dampened paper towels. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Place the tortillas in a towel-lined basket or plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Step 5: Assemble and serve. To assemble tacos, place a heaping spoonful of the marinated flaked fish onto the center of the tortilla. Top with the marinated onion. Serve with mango salsa and garnish with lime wedges.

Serves:4

Enjoy!

Low Calorie Low Sodium Lunch

For those of us going to the conventions this summer (and still trying to lose weight), it can be a scary prospect. You want your lunch to taste good, but you don't want all the calories that come along with it. This is a tasty quick lunch that leaves you full and happy.

Indian Chicken Salad Pita

1 1/2 tbs light mayonnaise
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbs cucumber (without skin, pared, seeded, chopped)
1 1/2 tbs chopped fresh red onion
1 Gluten Free Pita Bread (4 inches) or use regular Gluten Free sandwich bread. ( I like Rudi's, it doesn't have a funky aftertaste.)
2 pieces of fresh lettuce

1.) On the grill or under the broiler, grill the chicken breast. Chop.
2.) In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, lime juice and curry. Add the chicken, cucumber, and onion, mixing well.
3.) Spoon the mixture evenly into the pita halves. Add the lettuce, serve immediately.

You can double or even triple the recipe to make sure you have enough for the three days. Make sure that you remember to place your chicken salad in a sealed container and keep it cold via ice chest or the hotel room fridge.

Nutritional Stats:
Calories: 310
Carbohydrates: 21.4g
Fat: 10g
Sodium: 426.8mg
Protein: 33.6g
Potassium: 554.6mg

Better than Chili's Mashed Potatoes

When going to Chili's most people(that I know) order the mashed potatoes because of how good they are. Here is a recipe for mashed potatoes that hits Chili's out of the park, so to speak. It took a lot of trial and error to perfect this, but it's absolutely scrumptious.

3 lbs organic red skinned potatoes
1 tbs salt
1 tbs pepper
3 tsp garlic salt
1 tbs parsley
2 1/3 sticks butter (melted)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbs sour cream

In a very large pot bring your potatoes to a boil, cook until the skins start to split. Remove potatoes into a very large bowl. Using a potato masher, squash the potatoes. At this point, if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer I suggest you put the squashed potatoes in that bowl. If you don't but you have a handheld mixer that will work as well. (Saves you a lot of arm work on mashing them yourself). Add in your butter, sour cream and milk, beat on 4 for about 5 minutes. When done, add your seasonings. Beat on 4 for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and your done!