Feta cheese, Apple and Spiced Pecan Salad

This is a salad that is very tasty, and I like the spiced pecans a lot!

Dressing:

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 T. sugar

2 T. vinegar

½ t. salt

1 T. parsley

dash of pepper

Spiced Pecans:

1 2/3 c. pecans

3 T. butter, melted

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

¼ t. cayenne pepper

Toss together and spread on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 300 and cool.

I head romaine lettuce

1 head red leaf lettuce

Spiced pecans

1 tart apple – thinly sliced (Granny Smith)

½ lb. feta cheese, crumbled

Combine and enjoy!

Paula Deen's Crab Cakes

This is a great, easy meal to make.  And other than the crab meat, you probably have most of the ingredients already.  I served my crab cakes the other day with some oven-broiled asparagus with balsamic vinegar and some baked sweet potatoes - yum!

Ingredients

1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells (I suggest lump crab meat.  It's more expensive than claw meat, but the flavor is more quality)
1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)
3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
Flour, for dusting
1/2 cup peanut oil
Favorite dipping sauce, for serving
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce.

Red Kidney Bean Curry

This is an Indian dish - tastes a lot like chili, but with an Indian flair. Once you're finished chopping the ginger, onion, tomato and garlic, its a very simple, fast dish.  I bought garlic naan from the grocery store and mixed some cucumbers and scallions in plain yogurt to serve with the curry and rice.  Yummy, flavorful and healthy!

Serves 6

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger (I use half this; I’m tepid in the fresh ginger department)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 plum tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green chili, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounce can of tomato sauce or 8 ounces of one of your choice
3 cups boiled red kidney beans or 30 ounces canned red kidney beans, undrained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley, if you’re cilantro-averse)

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, and let sizzle for one minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the kidney beans with water or canned red kidney beans (undrained) plus one additional cup of water, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve over rice or with naan. A dollop of plain yougurt on top is heavenly.

From "Smitten Kitchen" - http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/02/red-kidney-bean-curry/ 

Morocccan Chickpea Chili

Made this the other night for Justin. A little out of the box but we really liked it.

Moroccan Chickpea Chili  

4 TEASPOONS OLIVE OIL

2 CUP PRECHOPPED ONION

1 ½ CUP CHOPPED CELERY

1 CUP CHOPPED CARROTS 

2 TEASPOON MINCED GARLIC 

4 TEASPOONS CUMIN

4 TEASPOONS PAPRIKA

2 TEASPOON GROUND GINGER

1 TEASPOON TURMERIC

½ TSP BLACK PEPPER

½ SP SALT

¼ TSP CINNAMON

¼ TSP RED PEPPER SPICE

4 TBSP TOMATO PASTE

4 CANS CHICKPEAS, RINSED AND DRAINED

2 CANS DICED TOMATOES, UNDRAINED

4 TBSP CILANTRO

2 TBSP LEMON JUICE

3 CUPS WATER

HEAT OIL IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN.  ADD ONION, CELERY, CARROT, AND GARLIC TO PAN. SAUTE 5 MINUTES.  STIR IN CUMIN AND NEXT 7 INGREDIENTS; COOK 1 MINUTE, STIRRING CONSTANTLY.  ADD WATER, TOMATO PASTE, DICED TOMATOES, AND CHICKPEAS. BRING TO A BOIL.  COVER AND REDUCE HEAT AND SIMMER 20-25 MINUTES.  STIR IN CILANTRO AND LEMON JUICE

Creamy Spring Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 ounces French bread baguette, torn into pieces 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 1/2 cups (2-inch) diagonally cut asparagus 
• 1 cup frozen green peas 
• 6 ounces uncooked fettuccine 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk 
• 3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup packed)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Preparation

1. 1. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven.
2. 2. Place torn bread in a food processor; process until coarse crumbs form. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 garlic clove to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs; sauté 3 minutes or until golden brown and toasted. Remove breadcrumb mixture from pan; wipe pan clean with paper towels.
3. 3. Add asparagus and peas to boiling water; cook for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Rinse under cold water; drain.
4. 4. Add pasta to boiling water; cook 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and keep warm.
5. 5. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and the remaining 2 garlic cloves; cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Place flour in a small bowl; gradually whisk in chicken broth. Add broth mixture and milk to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; add cheeses, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheeses melt. Add pasta, asparagus, and peas; toss well. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and tarragon.

From Cooking Light

Mary's changes: Because making the breadcrumbs from the baguette can be time consuming, I just use normal bread crumbs. I also add 2 grilled chicken breasts to the recipe. Also if the sauce doesn't thicken use a little cornstarch. Lastly I put in a little more cream cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese than it suggests. Enjoy!

Spicy Fish Taco Bowls

So I made this recipe last week and it turned out great. If you're not a fish lover feel free to just use chicken even though I think tilapia would be better. Enjoy!


Spicy Fish Taco BowlsPrep time:  15 mins
Cook time:  15 mins
Total time:  30 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 3-4 tilapia filets (or other fish filet of your choice)

• 1-2 cloves minced garlic

• 1 cup fresh sweet corn kernels (sliced off the cob is the best)

• 1 red onion, diced

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 1 can black beans

• cooked brown rice (I used about 2 cups)

• fresh cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, or pico de gallo for topping

Instructions

1. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the fish filets. (I like to season my fish a LOT, but just sprinkle on however much looks good to you.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the fish filets to the pan. Grill the fish on each side for several minutes, checking the middle for doneness (fish should be completely white and flake apart easily). Remove fish filets and set aside.

1. Add corn, red peppers, and onions to the pan with no additional oil. Heat over high heat for several minutes WITHOUT stirring to get a brown/black roasted look on the outside. Repeat for several minutes (stir, wait, stir, wait) until the peppers and onions are tender-crisp. Add the black beans and heat through.

1. Layer rice, corn/peppper mixture, and fish in a bowl – or mix everything together in the skillet. Top with any of the toppings listed above!

Notes
My favorite toppings were the cilantro, avocado, and pico de gallo (or just salsa).

Grilled Shrimp with Garlic

Total Time: 15 min

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Special equipment: wooden skewers soaked in water

Directions

Heat the grill to medium.

Whisk together 1/4 cup of the oil, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, ancho powder and chopped garlic in a small bowl. Skewer the shrimp and brush with marinade.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of the oil in a small saucepan, add the sliced garlic and cook until the sliced garlic is lightly golden brown. Remove the garlic slices with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve the oil.

Increase the heat of the grill to high.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade, season with salt and pepper and grill until golden brown on each side, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skewers, transfer to a platter and drizzle with some of the reserved garlic oil and the garlic chips. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme and garnish with oregano leaves.