Turkey and Rice Burrito with Mexican Potato Salad

This is a fabulous meal that features the Jicama (aka, Mexican potato), at it's best!  I love having Jicama around the house because the boys love it and eat it like fruit, little do they know it's a root vegetable!   Jicama tastes a little sweet, has the texture of a crisp water chestnut and keeps in the refrigerator for approximately 2 weeks in a tightly sealed plastic bag!  They also contain a fair amount of the vitamins C and potassium.  So buy some Jicama and start eating...they are also low in calories which is always a bonus!

SERVES 4
MEXICAN POTATO SALAD

1 Jicama, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch sticks
1/2 cup small spinach leaves, cleaned
4 baby kale leaves, cleaned (Optional)
4 large Romaine leaves, or other lettuce of your choice, cleaned & cut into strips
10 baby tomatoes, sliced in half
1 avocado, pitted and sliced

Add all ingredients to a bowl and top with dressing below

DRESSING FOR MEXICAN POTATO SALAD

2 tablespoons, olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place this dressing on top of Jicama and lettuce listed above.

Thought you might want to see what a Jicama looks like prior to cutting it up!

TURKEY and RICE BURRITO

1 lb. ground turkey
2 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Splash of white wine or 2 tablespoons water to de-glaze pan
Brown rice, made according to package directions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, added to the rice after cooked
Grated cheddar or hot pepper jack cheese
4 large tortillas, (NOTE: You can buy a wheat free variety)

Method

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2) After browning the turkey, add the green onions and cumin and continue browning for 2 minutes longer.  At this point the pan should be pretty dry.  Add water or a little white wine to deglaze the pan.
3) Simultaneously, make the rice according to package directions, when finished drain and add the chopped cilantro, mix well.
4) Lay out a tortilla in a piece of non-stick foil!  Layer rice, cooked turkey mixtuxe, and top with cheese of your choice.  Wrap up tightly and place in oven for 10 minutes.
5) When the burrito is finished top each with the Mexican potato salad and topping such as sour cream and fresh salsa.  ENJOY!

This is a wonderfully crisp and healthy meal!  ENJOY!

The wonderfully inspired flower arrangement that made the meal look even better:)

Printable Version

Lemon Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Sauce

Yesterday was my Birthday and I love... Angel Food Cake!  Especially, this one!  I made this at Easter and then again for myself!   WHAT A PIG:)  If you love angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipping cream then give this one a try!  Enjoy!  But, beware this does have wheat/gluten.  If you have any major issues I wouldn't have the cake portion and would stick to the strawberries and whipping cream.  I definitely had a little tummy ache afterwards but, Oh well, it was my birthday:)


CAKE:
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
14 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter
2 tablespoons lemon zest
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Method

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Combine the cake flour with 3/4 cup of the sugar.  Sift the mixture and reserve.
3)  In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixture until foamy.  Add the cream of tarter and continue to blend until thick and has doubled in volume. Sprinkle half the remaining sugar over the egg whites and continue beating until the sugar is mixed in well. Repeat this step with the remaining sugar and continue to mix until everything is glossy.
4) Fold the cake flour mixture in with the sugar mixture and mix well.  Then add the lemon zest.
5) Spoon the cake batter into an greased angel food cake pan with a removable bottom.  Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake is golden in color.

LEMON CURD FILLING:
O.K you can either make a lemon curd or just buy a jar at the store you decide:)
Here is the recipe I use if I'm going to add this to the cake:

8 egg yolks
3/4 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon rind, grated

Method

Whisk all the ingredients in a steel bowl over a pan of lightly boiling water.  Make sure to constantly whisk the mixture until until it becomes thick, fluffy, and pale yellow.  Do not allow the mixture to come to a boil or it will curdle.  Allow the mixture to cool completely until adding as a layer to the cake above.

STRAWBERRIES SAUCE:


1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1 tablespoon stevia
NOTE: If you prefer to use regular sugar make sure to triple the amount, stevia is much sweeter than regular sugar.

Method

Place sliced strawberries in a metal bowl, mix in stevia and mash with a fork or a masher until it becomes slightly juicy.  Refrigerate until ready to use.  NOTE: Make ahead to allow more juice to form.

Salami & Honey Ham on a Orange!

This is an easy appetizer I made up after remembering different quick appetizers my Grandmother would make at Easter.  Of course, I took this up a notch by adding fancy olives from an olive bar, found at an upscale local grocery store!  They were amazing and I only purchased the amount I was going to use for the appetizer!  I chose these because of there colors, they reminded me of colored Easter eggs!  I think these appetizers would be wonderful for any spring or summer party!  The extra bonus is by changing the type of olive you not only change the taste but you can change the look!

1/4 pound Salami Slices
1/4 pound Honey Ham in slices, rolled and cut into 2 pieces
18-20 olives, your choice
2 oranges, cut the peeling off allowing one side to be flat
Fresh Rosemary cut and dusted across the appetizer
1/4 box toothpicks

Method

Layer salami, orange, ham and top with olive, place on serving tray.  Repeat, until you finish enough to fill the tray, dust with rosemary and any other herb you desire and serve at once.  These could be made one day prior to using, just cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Easter & Spring Things

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter with all of their favorite, memorable foods and family traditions.  Ours was wonderful this year!  It included amazing appetizers, the main course... which could have fed all of us for a week, plus desserts that should have been published in magazines around the world!  Obviously, with all the cooking that was taking place I had little time to blog but, I thought I could give you an idea or two for next years Easter and up coming Spring Events like, May Day and the Kentucky Derby, which is a great reason to get together with friends.  So... without further a due here is some photo's from our Easter Table, Enjoy!

The Centerpiece is made taking a plain old basket, lining it with moss, and filling with dyed Easter Eggs. (NOTE: Liquid dye seems to make the best colors, never bye the Easter kits!  Just mix liquid colors of your choice with water and add approximately 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to every cup of dye).  The results Beautiful!

Side view of the Adult table!  So Pretty!  See another use for the Egg Topiaries I spruced up earlier in the month!

Another view of the Easter Table!  It looked so pretty we didn't want to get anything dirty:)

One of the desserts that I made for the Feast was this Lemon Angel Food Cake...Oh ya I'll be posting this to the blog!

The kids table was terrific!  It was everything kids LOVE but, done with a fancy flair!  The centerpiece was a clear container filled with pastel M&M's.  Each plate had a milk chocolate bunny sucker and a chocolate egg...too cute!

If you are wondering why we used dark blue napkins rather than yellow, pink or another Eastery color it was because we knew the kids would destroy a light colored napkin!

This was a last minute purchase that we fixed up by adding Coconut grass colored green and a little fluffy tail with black jelly beans coming out the back (Of course only to amuse the kids, pictured below)!

    My husband played this little joke!  I have to admit it lightened the mood and made us all laugh!

Turkey Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

Today's little burst of winter made me long for the days of summer...again!  In fact, I don't want to see SNOW for a VERY, VERY long time.  So... when it came to making dinner tonight I pretended it was a warm sunny day and made BLT's for the boys!  Of course, I made these a little healthier by using turkey bacon, instead of regular bacon and Lemonaise instead of mayonnaise.  They loved it and never mentioned that it tasted any different!  Yippee, I successfully tricked them again!

4 slices bread, I used wheat free but you pick what is good for your family
6 slices turkey bacon
4 romaine leaves, washed and dried
1 tomato, sliced
3 tablespoons lemonaise (or mayonnaise if you prefer)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1) Place the turkey bacon in a skillet and cook on the stove top until lightly browned on both sides. Remove and allow to sit on paper towels until bread is prepared.
2) Meanwhile, toast the bread in a toaster until lightly browned and place 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemonaise on one slice of bread per sandwich.
3) Layer the lettuce, turkey bacon, tomato on the lemonaise lined bread and salt and pepper to your liking.  Top with another slice of toasted bread and serve at once.  Yummy!

Printable Version

Chicken with Wheat Free Noodles and Vegetables

Hello everyone!  Sorry I haven't been making all kinds of yummy food!  But, I made a dish tonight that was worth writing about and sharing with you!  So... here it is!

Ingredients:

6oz. bag broccoli florets
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 inch piece fresh ginger root, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, cut into 2 inch sticks
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons roasted red chili paste
1/4 bag. Rice Stick Noodles (Made with rice flour and water, product of Thailand)
1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup peanuts, optional

Method:

1) Boil broccoli in a pan of lightly salted water for 3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
2) Heat a wok over high heat until almost smoking, add the oil, and then add the ginger root and garlic.  Stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add the onion and chicken and stir-fry for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is sealed on all sides.
3) Add the remaining vegetables to the wok, including the broccoli, and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, in a separate pan of boiling water place the rice sticks and boil according to package directions, 3-4 minutes.  Drain the noodles and add to the stir-fry pan.
5) Add the soy and Hoisin sauce to the wok and stir-fry an additional 1-2 minutes, then add the peanuts and cilantro and serve at once.  Enjoy!

Printable Version

Wheat Free Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ah.... I can feel the warmth in the air!  Which made me long for the summer dinner's I put together using the organic herbs from the garden.  One of my top favorite herb is Basil!  I bet you didn't know basil was called the "royal herb" by ancient Greeks!  This annual is a member of the mint family believe it or not and is an essential in a lot of different Italian dishes, which I'm pretty sure everyone knows!  In this particular dish I used Sweet Basil, but some of my other favorites are: 1) Lettuce leaf basil 2) Opal basil (purple color) 3) Lemon basil 4) Clove basil 5) Cinnamon basil! 

5 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 fresh mozzarella balls, diced
3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound wheat free spaghetti (I use Jovial brown rice Wheat Free pasta...THE BEST)
Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD

1)  In a large bowl combine tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olives, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
2)  In a large pot of boiling water cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, about 11 minutes.
3)  Heat the oil in a small frying pan over moderately low heat.  Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Poor over the pasta and toss.  Then add the Tomato mixture and adjust the salt and pepper and serve at once. Enjoy!

Printable Version