Guacamole

Well... how can I post a salsa recipe without guacamole! Silly girl... So I went back to one of my first blog posts and dug it up. Of course, there's a story...

My sister, who lives in Arizona, makes the best guacamole I’ve ever tasted. I've been eating it for years. All this time I thought she used sour cream and Mexican cheese, but during my last visit to Arizona she made it. To my surprise, she doesn't use either one of those ingredients! It's still the best ever, and it's just one of those things... the girl has it down!

Now, I hope this doesn't disappoint you, but what follows isn't her recipe. She really doesn't have one. Figures. So this is mine. It's very good, really! 

Guacamole

3 avocados
1T. lime juice or more to taste
½ C. red onion, diced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 minced garlic clove
2T. cilantro, chopped
½ t. cumin
½ t. salt
Pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together and serve. I keep it fresh by placing plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole, pushing down so it's air tight, and placing it the in refrigerator.

Tomato Salsa

We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant last night. I just can't get enough of that cuisine. The beans and rice, the corn tortillas, the sauces and salsa. Ahh yes... the salsa. I could eat salsa everyday. It has an addictive quality. I like making it too!

I've posted this recipe before and I decided to post it again, not just because I love it, but because my daughter was looking for a "favorite recipe" to give to a friend at a wedding shower. Cute idea, right? Everyone brings their favorite recipe to go into a cookbook for the bride. As my daughter brought the recipe card in to the kitchen she went right to my salsa recipe. I love that girl.

The truth is everyone LOVES this recipe. Whenever I make it, it's gone fast! It's an adaptation on a recipe given to me by my sister-in-law. I tweaked it to suit our tastes and I hope it suits yours. Enjoy this easy and delicious salsa!

Tomato Salsa

Easy
15 minutes

1 - 28oz. can Dei Fratelli Seasoned Diced Tomatoes
1 T. cilantro, chopped finely
½ small red onion, chopped finely (approximately ¾ C.)
½ - 1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped finely
1 t. of fresh lime juice
¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Drain the can of diced tomatoes. Add all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour. Serve with chips.

Easy Schmeezy White Bean Salad

Looking for a simple, quick, delicious salad? Then try this. It's a light, healthy side dish.
 

 Easy Schmeezy White Bean Salad

2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 C red onion, chopped
1/3 C celery, chopped
1/4 C chopped parsley


Dressing
1/8 C + 1 T white wine vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. sea salt
1/8 t. black pepper

Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a medium to large bowl. Add the rest of the salad ingredients and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I know I haven't been blogging, but there's a reason. One you can all relate to... stress!

Work had been crazy and I felt like I wasn't doing anything well. I had been in the middle of reading a book (for about a month), my house was screaming "CLEAN ME" as I walked through every room, the weeds wouldn't stop growing (no matter how I looked at them) and I wasn't cooking. I was a mess.

Still, there are those beautiful moments that happen in the middle of all the chaos, and you just can't ignore them. In this case, it was on Mother's Day. Everyone (including the dog) let me sleep late. I laid in bed and read all morning. My girls came home. They cleaned the house, shopped and cooked dinner. What a gift. They probably won't understand what that meant to me until they're a little older, but I know the gift will be returned to them one day.

So, when I saw what they were making for dinner I decided to help out, just a little. I had the ingredients to make a pico de gallo that would fit in nicely with the dinner the girls had planned. So I made it.

I really love adding pico de gallo to a Mexican menu. In fact, I think it's a great condiment most any time. It's also called salsa fresca. It's a fresh, uncooked condiment made from chopped tomato, onion and chilis.  Other ingredients are often added, such as lime juice and fresh cilantro. My recipe is well liked and very versatile. You can easily build onto it and I hope you do.

Also, I know it's seriously late in the year, but Happy Mother's Day ladies!

Pico de Gallo

3 plum tomatoes, about 1 3/4 - 2  cups
3/4 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon diced jalapenos, seeded and de-veined
1/2 cup cilantro
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to almost ready to serve. Let it sit out for about 30 minutes if you can. Serve.

Note: The pic is not mine.

Summer Sandwich

Yes, I know it's still spring, but I posted this recipe last summer. Hence the name. It's my daughter's creation. She recently made it again and I was reminded just how much I love this sandwich. It's simple and fresh. There's no added fake cheese for creaminess, no sauce or dressing to make. It doesn't need it! It goes together quickly and it's delicious!!

Summer Sandwich

Serves 4

You're favorite artisan bread
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
1-2 avocados, sliced
red onion, a few slices
spinach
colossal green olives, sliced
olive oil

Slice the bread into thick slices. Lightly oil one side of each and grill or broil until golden. Begin layering the rest of the ingredients onto the toasted side of one slice... spinach, tomato slices, red onion, avocado and olives. Yum!

Note: The photo isn't mine. I ate the sandwich before I thought about taking a picture.

Avocado Quesadilla Appetizer

So... I've been watching Dr. Oz lately, and he said I need to eat more avocados. Rough prescription, but I'll do my best!

Avocado Quesadilla Appetizer

4 flour or corn tortillas
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cherry tomatoes, diced
2 T red onion, diced
2 t. fresh lime juice
pinch of coriander
pinch of sea salt
Tabasco Sauce to taste
canola oil or a spray oil for cooking

Salsa for serving

Mix the avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, coriander and sea salt together. Add the Tabasco Sauce to taste (I used 5 drops) and mix. Get out 1 tortilla on a work surface. Place about a quarter of the mixture on one half, not too near edge. Fold the tortilla in half over the filling to form a semicircle. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Slide uncooked quesadilla onto the pan. Press briefly with a spatula. Cook until golden, about 1 minute, then flip and grill 1 minute more. Transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board and slice into 3 wedges. Serve immediately with your favorite salsa. This recipe will make 24 wedges.

Note: The pic is not mine.

Ratatouille Appetizer

My husband and I went north for New Years Eve and spent it with family. My sister Kathy organized the celebration and did nearly all of the cooking. She's an amazing cook. She thinks of everything! So when I walked in to find a vegan appetizer, I wasn't surprised. As usual, it was fantastic.  I begged her for the recipe and she sent it on to share along with this note.

"Here is the recipe for the ratatouille! This is my tweaked version of a recipe from a newspaper insert. I can't remember which one! You can use it as a main vegan dish or do the appetizer. If doing the appetizer, you should still have leftover ratatouille. I think this would also be great served over pasta."

I cannot adequately express how beautiful this appetizer is to look at, and it's soooo delicious! Thank you Kathy!

Yummy over pasta too!

Ratatouille

  

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium red onion, diced 

1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced

1 medium orange bell pepper, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 medium yellow squash, diced

1/2 medium eggplant, diced (My sister used a bit less and left the eggplant unpeeled, but you could peel it if desired)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large ripe tomato, seeded and diced

1/2 t coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

30 - 45 mini phyllo cups

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add yellow and orange bell peppers and cook for another 2 minutes. Add zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant and cook for 2 more minutes. Add garlic, tomato, salt and pepper and cook for about 1 minute.

To make into an appetizer, spoon ratatouille into the mini phyllo cups and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until heated through.

Black Beluga Lentils with Spinach and Mushrooms

Lentils are an excellent source of protein. They have the 3rd highest level of protein by weight of any plant-based food. They are also a great source of fiber as well as being inexpensive and plentiful. I love the look of these black beluga lentils and I find the taste is more desirable than that of green or red lentils. If you add rice as a side dish, you'll end up with a tasty dinner that provides complete protein.

Black Beluga Lentils with Spinach and Mushrooms
Serves 2-4

1T olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
2T finely minced carrot
2T finely minced red onion
2T finely minced celery
1/2 C. black beluga lentils
1 1/2 C. veggie stock

In a sauce pan saute the garlic, carrot, onion and celery for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the black beluga lentils stirring to coat the lentils with the oil. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer very gently for 25-30 minutes until the lentils are tender. As the lentils are about half way thru cooking, begin sauteing the mushrooms.

2T olive oil
4 oz. of shittake mushrooms or wild mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 lg. packages of spinach
Sea salt to taste

In a saute pan heat 1T olive oil. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender. Set the mushrooms aside and add 1T olive oil and the sliced garlic. Saute until fragrant then add the spinach handfuls at a time as it cooks down. Season with salt to taste. Plate the dish with spinach and garlic on the bottom, black beluga lentils over the spinach and mushrooms on the top.

Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad

There's little better in this world than fresh sweet corn and tomatoes at the end of the summer. This is a recipe I posted two years ago. I made it again recently and its wonderful.

Fresh Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad

Serves 4
Dressing
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
¼ t. sea salt
¼ t. black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced


Veggies
½ C. uncooked whole wheat orzo
¼ C. red onion, diced
1 C. tomato, diced
4 ears of fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off
½ C. cucumber, diced
Italian flat-leaf parsley

Cook the orzo according to directions. While the pasta is cooking make the dressing by whisking together the ingredients. Drain the pasta and put it into a bowl. Spoon a little of the dressing over the pasta, stir to coat and set aside to cool. Prepare the vegetables. When the orzo is cool, mix the orzo, vegetables and remaining dressing together. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Avocado Veggie Dip

I use to make a mean vegetable dip. Everyone loved it, but it's base was in mayonnaise and sour cream. Since I no longer consume either one I've been dreaming about a veggie dip that will get the same response from family and friends. I'm not sure this is it, but the dip and vegetables disappeared quickly!!


Avocado Veggie Dip

1 large avocado, peeled and mashed
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely minced
3 T red onion, finely chopped
1/2 C Vegenaise
10 dashes of Tabasco Sauce - or to taste
1/4 t. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Add the lemon juice, garlic clove, red onion and Vegenaise. Mix to combine. Add the Tabasco, salt and pepper. Serve with cut vegetables.

Note: Once again, the photo isn't mine. My camera just couldn't get a good pic.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

A co-worker brought in some heirloom tomatoes for friends to try, and I took one home. I had never tasted an heirloom, until now, but I started noticing them in grocery stores about a year ago. They are always very expensive, so this was a great opportunity to see just why it’s such a pricey vegetable. I decided to make it into a simple salad to be able to taste it in all its glory, and guess what, the flavor was amazing. My conclusion? Yum…these should be a stable in every backyard garden.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1 large heirloom tomato – cut into bite size pieces
1/3 C red onion – sliced and cut into bite size pieces
2 leaves of fresh basil – torn
sea salt

Gently toss the tomato and onion together in a bowl. At this point you can tear the fresh basil and sprinkle balsamic vinegar and sea salt over the salad and serve. If you have more time, the dressing is very nice.

Tomato Dressing
1 large tomato
1 T vegetable broth
½ t. apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's)
¼ t. sea salt
Pepper

With a knife, make an X on the bottom of the tomato. Drop the tomato into a pot of boiling water for 15-30 seconds and remove to a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel, core and seed the tomato. Put the tomato, vegetable broth, vinegar, salt and pepper into a blender. Blend on low until smooth. Dress the salad just before serving.

Mexican Night - A Meatless Meal My Family Likes!

Everyone loves this salsa. When I make it, it doesn’t last long. This is an adaptation on a recipe given to me by my sister-in-law. I tweaked it to suit our tastes. I hope it suits yours. Enjoy this easy and delicious salsa!

Tomato Salsa

Easy
15 minutes

1 - 28oz. can Dei Fratelli Seasoned Diced Tomatoes
1 T. cilantro, chopped finely
½ small red onion, chopped finely (approximately ¾ C.)
½ - 1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped finely
1 t. of fresh lime juice
¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Drain the can of diced tomatoes. Add all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour. I serve this salsa with Tostitos Baked Tortilla Chips to keep it quick and simple.



My sister, who lives in Arizona, makes the best guacamole I’ve ever tasted. However, she uses sour cream and a Mexican cheese...no wonder its so good. This is my recipe. I can’t eat much of it, I’m trying to lower my cholesterol, but my family really enjoys it!

Guacamole

3 avocados
1T. lime juice
½ C. red onion, diced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 minced garlic clove
2T. cilantro, chopped
½ t. cumin
½ t. salt
Pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together and serve. I keep this fresh by placing plastic wrap directly on top of the guacamole, pushing down so it's air tight, and placing it the in refrigerator.



I have a confession. I love the bean burritos from Taco Bell, but I know I shouldn't eat them. So this recipe is about being able to eat a bean burrito that tastes like Taco Bell’s without the guilt.

Bean Burritos

Makes 6-10 depending on the size of the tortillas
Easy
15 minutes

2 - 16oz. cans of refried beans, fat free
½ C. diced red onion
Salsa
Tortillas – corn or whole wheat

In a non-stick skillet warm the beans and onions over low heat. Warm the tortillas, between paper towels, in the microwave for 30 - 50 seconds. Fill one side of the tortilla with the bean mixture and add one tablespoon of salsa the length of the tortilla. Wrap it up. If you need it warmer, place it in the microwave for 15 – 30 seconds.