Month: June 2018

Pico and Salsa

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As a big taco and bean bowl fan, both frequently find their way onto my menu since it can be prepared with practically any protein and veggies of choice. For my wild rice and black bean bowls this go round, I wanted some fresh mango pico de gallo. Since I made a large quantity, I knew I could also blend leftovers with a couple additional ingredients for salsa. The salsa of course is great with chips, but  is an easy way to get in extra servings of vegetables by dipping carrots, jicama sticks or broccoli for some added crunch packed with nutrients. Check out the recipes for both below.

Mango Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

2 large mango

3 medium tomato

2 jalepeno diced

1 cup diced onion

1 juiced lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Rinse all fruit and peppers well.
  2. Peel mango by cutting off each end and standing it up to cut away skin. Cut off mango around pitted center. (Think of cutting peach slices from around the core.) Dice mango small.
  3. Peel and dice onion. Slice jalepeno in half longwise and remove seeds if preferred before dicing.
  4. Add to a medium bowl. Dice tomato and add to bowl. Cut lime in half and squeeze juice over mixture. Mix well and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Enjoy. 

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1/2 large mango

2 large tomato

1 jalepeno diced

1/2 cup diced onion

3 tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

  1. Rinse all fruit, herbs and peppers well.
  2. Peel mango by cutting off each end and standing it up to cut away skin. Cut off mango around pitted center. (Think of cutting peach slices from around the core.) 
  3. Peel and dice onion. Slice jalepeno in half longwise and remove seeds if preferred.
  4. Cut tomato into fourths and add all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth or fine.
  5. Enjoy.

Salmon with Flavor

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Eating at least two servings of fish like salmon, tuna and sardines, is a great way to get it good omega 3s which are great for heart health. Pair it with a healthy fat like avocado and you’ve got a dual hit of nutrients needed for brain health and cognition! Fish is easy to come by whether canned, frozen or fresh. These days the challenge comes in whether to get wild caught options or farm raised as nutritionally, the fish seem equal. There is lots of literature out there about sustainability with wild caught and contaminants in farm raised options, so certainly there is no wrong choice.

For this dish I used a frozen wild caught salmon fillet that was large enough for two.  I was inspired by my Granny who cooked the salmon when my mom and I visited for Memorial day. She has been seriously loving youtube and all of its infinite wisdom which has inspired her to get in the kitchen! I love the use of simple flavors like lemon, garlic and honey and the flavor it can bring to a humble salmon fillet. Leftover fish would be great over some arugula as a salad. Check out the recipe below and share your thoughts.

Garlic Lemon Seared Salmon

1 1lb fillet of salmon

1/2 tbsp. olive or avocado oil 

1 juiced lemon

1 grated cloves of garlic 

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup wild rice

1 1/2 water 

1 cup fresh Swiss chard

Directions:

  1. Bring water and rice to a boil in a small pot. Cook as described on package.
  2. Heat a large sized skillet over medium high heat and add oil.
  3. Season fish on one side with salt and pepper and place seasoned side down into skillet. Season other side and cook for three minutes.
  4. Flip and squeeze in lemon juice and cook for another three minutes. Turn off heat and continue cooking on residual heat for 5 minutes.
  5. Rinse and chop Swiss chard and wilt into rice. 
  6. Plate rice and Swiss chard mix with fish.
  7. Enjoy!

Energy On The Go

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Homemade snacks are a must when you want satisfying and healthy that you can control. I love to test our new ideas and combinations from what I’ve learned from others, what people have shared and what I just find will quench my curiosity. I’ve been exploring different types of energy bites which include a combination of nuts, seeds, nut butters, dried fruit and oats. I’ve gotten a couple of crows pleasers and wanted to share my personal new favorite. Check out the recipe below.

Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup dry oatmeal

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. honey or 100% maple syrup

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup almond butter

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup chopped almonds

3 tbsp. chia seeds

3 tbsp. hemp seeds

1/8 cup chopped figs

 

Directions:

1. Add oatmeal to a medium bowl, then nut butters. Roughly chop walnuts, almonds and dates.

2. Add nuts, seeds, cinnamon and honey or syrup and mix well with a spoon.

3. Roll into balls and place on parchment paper. Refrigerate and store in a medium container. (you can freeze extra for later use if preferred in Ziploc bags).

Pesto Quinoa

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Pesto brings lots of flavor to any dish and quinoa is no exception. Making pesto at home is easy and allows control over how much of what goes into it. I used fresh basil, orange mint, green onion, garlic and walnuts that I had on hand with a small amount of oil.  Paired with sautéed shrimp, baked chicken and roasted vegetables done two ways, it was easy to have different meals daily. Having the right cooking strategy for your week is important to being successful in eating more home cooked meals. For this week, I did the baked chicken, roasted vegetables and quinoa on the same day. The next day, I defrosted a couple of single serving bags of shrimp while I ate breakfast and cooked them afterward (5 mins). I also keep things on-hand like individual packs of tuna (ranch, herb and garlic flavored) and salad greens or canned chicken for and easy chicken salad if I need a little more variety in the week. The important thing is to stock up on healthful, easy options regularly (monthly, weekly) to supplement what you will be cooking.

Check out the recipe below. Serves 5-6.

Pesto Ingredients:

1/2 cup basil

1/4 cup mint

1/4 cup green onion tops

1 clove of garlic 

1 tbsp. chopped walnuts

1 tsp. avocado or olive oil

Roasted Veggie Ingredients:

2 cups chopped zucchini with skin

2 cups chopped carrots 

2 cups chopped broccoli 

2 cups chopped bell pepper

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. sherry vinegar 

1 tbsp. lemon olive oil (or regular and 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice)

1 tbsp. garlic olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste 

Other ingredients:

1 cup quinoa dry

2 cups of water

6-8 chicken legs

  • 5-10 shrimp (optional)

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 tbsp. onion powder

1/2 tbsp. oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Line a second baking sheet with foil and add chicken with an even coating of the seasoning and oil and mix with a gloved hand. Place in oven for 45 minutes.
  3. Rinse all vegetables. Cut ends off zucchini then cut in half. Cut each half  in half longwise. Cut into strips and then cube. Repeat with carrots.  Cut bell pepper in half and remove seeds and stem. Cut into strips and then dice. Add all to the baking sheet and roughly break broccoli florets by hand and add them. 
  4. Split vegetables in half and season half with the balsamic vinegar and garlic olive oil and the other with the sherry vinegar and lemon olive oil or juice and regular olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste and mix each well with a gloved hand. Bake in oven next to chicken for 30 minutes. Set timer.
  5. Add quinoa and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
  6. In a small blender or bullet device, add pesto ingredients. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth.
  7. Once quinoa is done, add to a bowl and and pesto. Mix well and salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Once roasted veggies and chicken is done, remove from the oven. Turn it off.
  9. Enjoy!

*For optional shrimp, cook in 1 tsp of oil with a pinch of salt and pepper and garlic powder for 2 minutes. Juice a half a lemon over shrimp and flip them. Add a little more juice and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 1 minute as it will continue cooking.