Clean eating cranberry salmon
Posted: November 26, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Low Carb Leave a comment »You all know my love of fish, especially salmon. So when I find a new recipe, I am all over it. Especially this one. I had extra cranberries on hand from 2 other recipes, so I thought I would use the last few for this recipe. I love how simple this recipe is, but impressive enough to serve for company and healthy too!
****Sorry no picture again, my neck was hurting while cooking so by the time I was done cooking, I just ate….but it was WONDERFUL!***
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup fresh cranberries (sweeten if possible)-I used fresh unsweetened
2 tbsp maple syrup
Direcitons:
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare cookie sheet with foil sprayed with a bit of evoo oil.
Marinate the fish in the other ingredients for 20-30 mins.
Place on cookie sheet and pour over with marinade.
Bake on lined sheet for 20-30 mins or until thermometer reaches 135 degrees. Serve immediately!
Holiday treats
Posted: November 23, 2010 Filed under: Random Thoughts about cooking Leave a comment »Well, the holiday season is almost here. Even here in Fl, I love to bake up a storm throughout December. I crank up the holiday music, make some peppermint coffee and bake away. Soon, I hope to get back into the kitchen to bake up some treats, but first I wanted to share some pasts holiday favorites!
ENJOY and HAPPY HOLIDAYS:
A must make for our friend Dave. He has to have these at our annual holiday party!
Oreo Truffles
Husband’s favorite and even tho it does take some time to make, definitely worth it!
Baklava
If you dont like to take the time do to cutouts, these are perfect!
Italian sprinkle cookies
My holiday favorite
Peanut butter balls
Nothing says the holidays like cinnamon
Cinnamon cupcakes
I love making a plate of biscotti for friends and family. It is easy to make, makes a lot, and makes for a great holiday goodie plate..here are a few of my faves:
Gingerbread Biscotti
Candy Cane Biscotti (my favorite!!)
M and M Biscotti
Lighter Chocolate Cherry Biscotti
Lighter Double Chocolate Biscotti
To satisfy your love of eggnog:
Eggnog cupcakes
Candies
Pecan Balls
Fudge (EASY!)
Chocolate Eggnog Truffles
Peppermint bark (easy and oh so good)
Breads and breakfast items:
Cranberry Nut Bread
Cinnamon rolls
Cranberry walnut-orange muffins
And the one thing everyone must make—CUTOUTS
Cutouts
Ethel’s sugar cookies and a great glaze for the cookies (add almond extract for an old-fashioned flavor!)
Sugar Cookie Bars with butter cream frosting
Fun for the kids:
Use red and green for Christmas and holiday cutters, or blue and white for snowy look with snowflake cutter or make to fit any December holiday you celebrate:
Jell-o cutouts
And much much more…check out Dec 2008, Dec 2009, and holiday recipes for appetizers, drinks, and other holiday treat ideas!
Crockpot cranberry pork tenderloin
Posted: November 22, 2010 Filed under: Crock Pot, Holiday Recipe, Pork Leave a comment »While I am out of the kitchen, I thought I would post some of my drafted recipes..
As the holidays start rolling around I start craving cranberries. I love cranberries in the winter. Whether it be savory, sweet, desserts, appetizers, drinks, etc…I love them all! I even love cranberry sauce in a can….yes I said it!! So when I saw this recipe I had to try it out. This was not only easy to make as all crockpot recipes are, but it was very very good and would make for a perfect holiday meal. Pair with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and rolls! Holiday meal done!
**Sorry no pic. This was made right before my car accident and I never got to take a pic of it. It is very very tasty tho and super easy to make!!***
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 (2.5-3 lb) pork tenderloin trimmed
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/2 small lemon, thinly sliced
Directions:
Use a 4 quart crockpot. In a plastic zipper bag, put dry spices and cornstarch and add meat. Shake to coat. Put contents into your slow cooker.
Add fresh cranberries and sugar. Put in raisins and garlic. Pour in cranberry juice, and top with lemon slices.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (I cooked mine for 12 hours), or high for about 4. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will be. Serves 7 (about 5 ounces after being cooked).
Nutrition Information (per serving): 374 calories; 7.8 g. fat; 128 mg. cholesterol; 261 mg. sodium; 28.3 g. carbohydrate; 1.1 g. fiber; 46 g. protein
Blog on hold…
Posted: November 10, 2010 Filed under: Random Thoughts about cooking 3 Comments »Hi all,
I will be out of the kitchen for a bit…….but hope to be back up and running for the holidays!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
See you soon…

Check back soon!
Fish tacos
Posted: November 9, 2010 Filed under: Fish/seafood, Mexican, Quick Leave a comment »I am part of a great chat board, the Nest, and decided to participate in a Nestie Test Run. We test run products, recipes, equipment, etc and then review them. The first time we reviewed different coffee makers. This time is a recipe. I was given a fish taco recipe.
Check out the Nest winter issue for the review, below is the excellent and quick recipe:
ENJOY!
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 tomatillos, husked and roughly chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoons cumin
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1/4 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
1/4 jalapeno chile (ribs and seeds removed, for less heat), minced
2 boneless, skinless tilapia fillets
6 corn tortillas (6 inches each)
Directions
Preheat the oven to broil with the rack set 4-6 inches from the heat
In a food processor or blender, combine tomatillos, cilantro, 1 1/2 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set salsa verde aside.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, shredded cabbage, and jalapeno; mix with salt and pepper. Set red cabbage slaw aside.
Place tilapia fillets on a lined baking sheet; season generously with salt and pepper.
Broil until opaque throughout, about 5 minutes; using a fork, break up into small pieces.
Meanwhile, use tongs to toast tortillas over a gas flame until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds per side. Or, using damp paper towels, wrap a stack of tortillas and microwave for about 1 minute or until warm and soft.
To serve, fill tortillas with broiled tilapia and cabbage slaw; top with tomato salsa verde.
Recipe courtesy of: Kelsey Nixon, host of The Cooking Channel’s Kelsey’s Essentials.
Clean eating-Pizzadilla
Posted: November 8, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Light and healthy, Pizza, Quick Leave a comment »Another clean eating hit! This is super quick, uses a lot of things you would normally have on hand, and is delicious. All while being healthy! BONUS!
This can be adapted with flour/corn/any tortilla you like, any toppings you like, and grilled if you prefer!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 whole wheat tortilla-I used Ezekiel wraps
1/4 cup plain tomato sauce -I used fresh tomatoes sauteed with browned turkey meat and garlic
1/4 cup of 2 or 3 different veggies, cut small or shredded-I used onions and orange peppers
1/4 cup low fat cheese
Direcitions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place your tortilla on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Add your sauce. Layer the veggies. Top with cheese. Place in oven for 10 minutes.
Fold in half, cut, cool and serve.
Clean eating pumpkin and chocolate cupcakes
Posted: November 5, 2010 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Chocolate, Clean eating, Dessert, Frosting Leave a comment »I had a few problems with this recipe from Gracious Pantry. The first batch I made came out gummy and firm. But the 2nd batch I made came out light, fluffy and delicious, so I have no idea what went wrong on the first batch. Then my first batch of frosting came out wayyyy too runny, so I tried it again and once again the second batch was perfect….who knows!
While these arent like your usual cupcake they do satisfy a sweet tooth for someone following the clean eating lifestyle!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
Cupcake Ingredients
1 cup canned pumpkin (be sure it’s NOT pumpkin pie mix. Just pure pumpkin.)
1/2 cup almond milk
2 egg whites
1/2 cup safflower oil (or whichever light-flavored oil you have handy)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Frosting Ingredients
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line your cupcake tins with cupcake papers or grease the tin itself.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your pumpkin, almond milk, egg whites, safflower oil, honey and vanilla extract.
In a second mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Whisk the flour mixture into the liquid mixture and blend well. If your batter is too thick, add a little extra almond milk (about 1/4 cup at a time until you reach a thick, yet runny consistency.)
Pour into tins, and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
Frosting:
Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, and whisk until well blended.
Remove cupcakes from oven, allow to cool and spread frosting over the tops.
Yellow butter cake and chocolate frosting
Posted: November 4, 2010 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Chocolate, Dessert, Frosting Leave a comment »Ummm I think I could have just eaten the frosting on a spoon and been juuuuussstt fine! WOW it is good stuff. I made this cake into cupcakes but check out Annie’s Eats for a gorgeous looking cake! I included the original recipe below, but if you want to do cupcakes it makes 24 and bake 18-22 mins or until done.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pans
1½ cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1¾ cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cups milk
For the frosting:
1 lb. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
6 tbsp. boiling water
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
Directions:
To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 350F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour the edges of the pans, tapping out the excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together to blend well and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk. Beat each addition just until incorporated.
Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans to help remove the cakes. Invert the cakes onto the rack and peel off the parchment. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. Level the cakes if necessary.
To make the frosting, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until the cocoa is dissolved.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1-2 minutes. Beat in the cocoa mixture until well blended. (Note: My frosting was still a bit runny for decorating at this point. I let it cool longer before frosting the cake so it could firm up slightly.)
To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a serving platter. Top with 1 cup of the chocolate frosting and smooth over the top of the cake. Top with the remaining cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting as desired. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.
Wild mushroom and goat cheese quesadilla with cranberry relish
Posted: November 3, 2010 Filed under: Appetizer, Cheese, Holiday Recipe, Quick, Vegetable 1 Comment »Once again H wasnt here for dinner, so I pulled out one of the recipes I was saving for a night he wasnt here. H hates mushrooms. So this was a perfect no-H night meal. I loved the relish on this. I was a bit skeptical with all the different, strong flavors going on, but it ended up being great. This would be a great dish to pass at the holidays since the orange/cranberry flavors in the relish instantly reminded me of Christmas! Recipe found on Pink Parsley.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
Cranberry-Pecan Salsa
1/2 cup whole pecans
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 shallot, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet and toast 7-9 minutes, until deeper brown and aromatic. Cool, and coarsely chop.
Combine the vinegar, olive oil, sugar, mustard, orange zest and juice, and salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the cranberries, shallot, and jalapeno, and pulse to coarsely chop.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, fold in pecans.
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 pounds mixed wild and commercial mushrooms, sliced (stem the shiitakes)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
8 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded monterey jack cheese
3 cups (15 ounces) crumbled fresh goat cheese
Directions:
Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute about 4 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and Worcestershire sauce, and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add the white wine and pepper, and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, at least 5 minutes.
While the mushrooms cook, coat a griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and heat to high heat. Reduce heat to medium when it is preheated.
Lay a tortilla flat on the cooking surface, and sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese over the whole tortilla. Top half with about 1/3 cup of the mushroom mixture, then sprinkle with a thin layer of goat cheese. Use a stiff spatula and fold each tortilla in half. Cook until light brown and crisp on the bottom, then carefully flip and cook until the other side has browned.
Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining tortillas. To serve, cut each into 3-4 wedges, and serve with salsa for dipping.
Agave Pumpkin Muffins
Posted: November 2, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Clean eating, Muffins, Quick Leave a comment »I was thrilled with the Agave banana muffins I made, so I wanted to make some more muffins using agave. This time I had pumpkin on hand and decided to try agave pumpkin muffins. These baked up well and tasted great. I did use one cup ww pastry flour with 1/2 cup ap flour. That resulted in a perfectly moist and soft muffin!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour-I used 1 cup ww pastry flour and 1/2 cup ap flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup agave
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Directions:
In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until light; beat in agave, egg and pumpkin. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just blended; stir in walnuts. Spoon into 12 greased or paper-lined 2 1/2-inch muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.





