Month: June 2021

Plantain Chips with Mint Sauce

Plantain Chips with Mint Sauce

Sweet plantains are sure to take you to the tropics.  These taste amazing even without the mint sauce.  I saved the mint sauce to use as a salad dressing. Ingredients: 2 yellow ripe plantains Zest and juice from 1 lime (2 tablespoons lime juice) Zest 

Jerk Chicken Thighs with Tropical Chutney

Jerk Chicken Thighs with Tropical Chutney

Are you dreaming of the tropics, but stuck at home?  This dinner will take you to a culinary paradise and have your taste buds thinking you are on vacation. The chicken thighs are tasty and so tender.  The tropical chutney is so good you will 

Orange Chicken, Carrots, and Broccoli

Orange Chicken, Carrots, and Broccoli

If you are craving orange chicken without the sodium this dish is packed with flavor and loaded with vegetables.

Ingredients:

6-7 boneless skinless chicken tenders

1/2 onion sliced

½ cup orange juice

½ cup orange marmalade (or jam)

4 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce

2 garlic cloves minced

4 cups broccoli/cauliflower florets

2-3 large carrots sliced into ¼ inch slices

¼ cup sweet Thai chili sauce

Serve over: cauliflower/sweet potato rice, brown rice, or ramen noodles

Directions:

  1. Place chicken in a bag or covered dish with orange juice and soy sauce.  Let marinate for at least 15 minutes or overnight.
  2. Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil spray.  Pour chicken and marinade into dish.  Cook on medium heat.
  3. Steam vegetables.  Place 2 inches of water in a large pot.  Set carrots in a steamer basket and cover.  Turn heat to high.  Steam until carrots begin to soften.  Then add broccoli and cauliflower and steam until vegetables are soft.  You can also microwave vegetables and drain excess water. 
  4. Add onions, orange marmalade, and chili sauce to the pan with the chicken.  Mix to help break up the marmalade. 
  5. Add the vegetables to the skillet and mix to coat.
  6. Serve over cauliflower/sweet potato rice, brown rice, or ramen noodles. 
Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Green Goddess Dressing

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Green Goddess Dressing

Buffalo chicken in any form makes me smile.  These lettuce wraps are so light and fresh. I can’t believe I had never tried lettuce wraps in the past.  The green goddess dressing was so delicious I made a second batch to use on salads. Ingredients: 

Parmesan Roasted Zucchini

Parmesan Roasted Zucchini

Roasted zucchini topped with breadcrumbs, herbs, and parmesan cheese make a side dish you will want to make again. Recipe adapted from Food Network Ingredients: 2 zucchini or yellow squash halved lengthwise 1 garlic clove 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh parsley 2 

Rhubarb Raspberry Blueberry Crisp

Rhubarb Raspberry Blueberry Crisp

I go crazy every spring when I finally find rhubarb at the grocery store.  I have so many recipes saved it is hard to decide what to make.  This recipe is a combination of several recipes I had saved.  This was so good I will be making it again.  Note: I used an 8×8 dish to measure the fruit for this recipe, so I may not have used an even cup of each. 

Ingredients:

Filling-

1-2 stalks rhubarb diced into 1/8 inch thick slices

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blueberries

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

Zest from 1 orange

Topping:

½ cup old fashioned oats

½ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons melted extra virgin coconut oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Layer fruit in 8×8 pan: Rhubarb, raspberries, blueberries.  I had an even layer of each fruit.
  3. Sprinkle orange zest over fruit.
  4. Sprinkle sugar and flour over fruit.
  5. Add oats, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, and coconut oil to food processor.  Pulse to mix.
  6. Sprinkle topping over the fruit.  Use a fork to spread it out to cover the fruit.
  7. Bake 30-35 minutes.
  8. Let cool and then enjoy!
Jicama Mango Slaw

Jicama Mango Slaw

Jicama has the texture of an apple and picks up flavors from dressings and other fruits.  This slaw is full of texture and flavor. Ingredients: ½ jicama sliced into matchsticks 1 mango diced 1 cup pineapple chunks 2 radishes sliced in matchsticks ¼ cup red 

Vanilla Chip Rice Crispy Treats with Lucky Charms Marshmallows

Vanilla Chip Rice Crispy Treats with Lucky Charms Marshmallows

My son Caleb is always coming up with ideas of recipes he wants to try.  These were made with ingredients he pulled from the pantry. Ingredients: 2 cups rice Crispy cereal 3 tablespoons butter ½ cup vanilla funfetti chips (divided) 1 10 ounce bag mini 

Espresso Energy Balls

Espresso Energy Balls

Coffee is one thing I look forward to every morning after I workout.  These energy bites taste like mocha lattes and are packed with protein to really help fuel a busy day.

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats

10 dates soaked in hot coffee

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

2 tablespoons espresso powder

½ cup cocoa almonds

3 tablespoons coffee

2 tablespoons lite maple syrup

¼ cup espresso chips

Directions:

  1. Add oats, protein powder, espresso powder, and almonds to food processor.  Pulse to mix and chop almonds.
  2. Add dates and maple syrup.  Pulse to mix.
  3. Add espresso chips.  Pulse to mix.
  4. Add coffee to moisten enough to form balls.
  5. Use a cookie scooper to form balls.
  6. Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate until they disappear.
Mexican Chorizo Burgers

Mexican Chorizo Burgers

The spiciness from chorizo mixed with lean ground turkey and lime and garlic seasoning make for a burger you won’t forget. Ingredients: Burgers- 1 pound lean ground turkey 1 pound ground chorizo ½ cup diced carrots ½ cup diced red onion 1 tablespoon chipotle lime