DRESSINGS

The secret of a salad lies in its dressing, when freshly made,provides a memorable flavor. The following are a few 
of my favorites. Fresh squeezed juices are the best!


CHIPOTLE-LIME VINAIGRETTE

1/3 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice(2-limes)
1-2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tsp pureed chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
look for canned chiles(smoked dried jalapenos)
packed in adobo sauce in the mexican food section
2TBL honey(you can use splenda or omit if you want)
1/2tsp kosher salt
3/4 c canola oil
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems and leaves

mix together stream oil in add cilantro and pulse 
to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning 

We like to use this as dressing for salads, lettuce or
tortilla wraps with chicken and veggies

adapted from Cook's Illustrated


SPICY PEANUT DRESSING

1/2 cup canola oil
3TBL smooth peanut butter(I use whatever I have)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice 3-4 limes
2TBL water
3 cloves garlic grated
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2TBL brown sugar(you can use splenda brown sugar)
1 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
(I've left out the pepper flakes and added a jalapeno with
seeds and membrane removed depending on the heat you like.

combine in a blender till smooth. put in a container can be 
made ahead of time, whisk to recombine before using.

We use to put this on pasta and add chicken, broccoli, 
green onions and have it as salad.  I'm thinking about 
trying it with spaghetti squash. You could add cucumbers, carrots, green onions and cilantro, tossed with chicken 
and cilantro. Serve over salad greens
adapted from America's Test Kitchen


CAFE RIO DRESSINGS

Vinaigrette 
3 TBLS veg oil 
3 TBLS olive oil
1/4 c cilantro
2TBLS lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
2 TBL vinegar
1 small jalapeno(seeded and deveined depending on 
heat preference)

Mix in blender to combine.

CREAMY CILANTRO

1 PKG. ranch dressing 
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayo
2 tomatillos
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 small jalapeno

Mix in blender till creamy.  If you don't have tomatillos
you can just leave them out.


A LIGHT POPPY SEED VINEGAR DRESSING

1/4 cup sugar (give or take on amount can substitute splenda)
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. cider vinegar
3/4 c. oil
1TBL. finely chopped or grated onion
1TBL poppy seeds

Put in bowl and whisk or shake in a jar.
Good with greens apples, pears, mandarin oranges, almonds 
or walnuts

Coconut pancakes

Coconut Pancakes (Adopted from allrecipes.com)
About 5 pancakes
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1. Combine coconut cream and milk with vinegar and set aside.
2. Mix together the liquids (egg, butter, and soured milk mixture).
3. Then slowly whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt until most lumps are gone.
4. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto an oiled/buttered pan.
5. Cook both sides until they are brown.

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/01/recipe-for-roasted-green-beans-with.html

Roasted green bean and mushrooms, with balsamic and parmesan 
This is what was for dinner tonight with Lemon Dill chicken 

                      http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/lemon_dill_chicken.html

This Lemony Dill chicken was very good just the right amount
we put the sauce over some potatoes they went well with the
green beans it was quick and easy a winner with us.

Buttermilk lemon poppyseed pancakes

http://www.pickycook.com/breakfastandbrunch/lemonpoppyseedpancakes.aspx

Yummy poppyseed pancakes from the Picky Cook, we didn't have strawberries so
we had apricot syrup we made last summer and greek yogurt on them.  They were
very good lots of nice lemon flavor, we did reduce the poppy-seeds to 1/4 cup
instead of 1/3 (thats a lot of seeds) and they were just fine.  If you don't use all
the batter just cook it up someone will eat them later.  They're DELICIOUS

Yummy Bread

Our best bites does another good one!  I don't think I've ever tried a recipe
 that I haven't liked.  It was easy and turned out great.  I'm sure it'll be
gone in no time. If you go to their site you can see pictures of the steps.
I used some leftover 9 grain cereal that we had from breakfast that morning.
It worked well just make sure your cereal is about wet as theirs in the pic.
on their site.  It would be a great paring with the salad in the post before
this one, another one of theirs.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Multigrain Bread

Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup (6 1/4 ounces) seven-grain hot cereal mix
2 1/2 cups boiling water
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour (not bread flour)
1 1/2 cups (8 1/4 oz) whole wheat flour
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled*
2 1/2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 tablespoon salt
Optional (I omitted): 3/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats

*If you’re using salted butter, just decrease the additional salt by just a bit.

Instructions
Place cereal mix in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour.  Whisk flours together in separate bowl.

Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, butter, and yeast and mix on low speed until combined.  Add flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, and knead until cohesive mass starts to form, 1 1/2-2 minutes; cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes.  Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes (if it does not clear sides, add 2-3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and knead until it does.  Don’t add more!) continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes.  Add seeds (if using) and knead for another 15 seconds.  Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, round ball.  Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans.  Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide in half.  Press 1 piece of dough into 9×6 inch rectangle, with short side facing you.  Roll dough toward you into firm cylinder, keeping roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go.  Turn loaf seam side up and pinch it closed.  Repeat with second piece of dough.  Spray loaves lightly with water or vegetable il spray.  Roll each loaf in oats to coat evenly and place seam side down in prepared pans, pressing gently into corners.  Cover loaves loosely with greased plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size 30-40 minutes.  Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.

Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake until loaves register 200 degrees, 35-40 minutes.  Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.  Remove loaves from pans, return to rack, and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before slicing and serving.

Storage: Bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Wrapped with additional layer of foil, bread can be frozen for up to a month.

For those without a stand mixer, Cook’s Illustrated recommends:  “Stir wet and dry ingredients together with a stiff rubber spatula until the dough comes together and looks shaggy.  Transfer the dough to a clean counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, roughd ball, 15-25 minutes, adding additional flour, if necessary, to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter.  Proceed with recipe as directed.”

Citrus-Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 medium red onion, minced
1/4 cup fresh minced cilantro or parsley
1 cup pomegranate arils
1 can garbanzo beans or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or chicken (or vegetable) broth
1-2 avocados, cut into small cubes (depending on how much you love avocado and how big the avocados are)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 medium orange)
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 medium juicy lemon)
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 medium juicy lime)
2-3 teaspoons sugar, honey, agave, or Splenda (just add it to taste)
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
1/2 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
A few cracks of freshly ground black pepper
1 clove minced garlic

Instructions:

Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.

Combine diced cucumber, minced onion, chopped cilantro, pomegranate seeds, and drained and rinsed beans in a large salad bowl. Toss with quinoa. Drizzle the dressing over the mixture and toss to combine, then chill until ready to serve. Before serving, add diced avocado and eat immediately. Makes 6-8 main dish servings and 10-12 side dish servings.

All credit given to Our Best Bites  food website. Very delicious dish, its a good one to try. 

Spicy Mahi Mahi and Mango Tacos

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound mahi mahi, rinsed and patted dry, cut into bite- size chunks
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon chopped red onion, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon seeded, chopped fresh red chile
• 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
• 4 (8- inch) whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the orange juice, the garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
2. Add the fish and gently stir to coat.
3. Let stand for at least 10 minutes, or cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
4. In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine the mango, onion, cilantro, chile, and remaining 1 tablespoon each lime and orange juice. Stir gently until well combined.
5. Set aside in the refrigerator if you are marinating the fish longer than a few minutes. Let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.
6. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fish and its marinade and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning frequently, until the fish is opaque.
7. While the fish cooks, wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on high power for 30 seconds.
8. Gently fold the avocado into the mango mixture.
9. Divide the fish evenly among the tortillas. Divide the mango mixture among the tacos, spooning it on top of the fish. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional information

• Calories: 405.2 kcal
• Fat: 13.9 g
• Protein: 26.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 43.9 g
• Sodium: 409.2 mg

This Mama’s tips

• If you cannot find (or afford) mahi mahi, tilapia is a good substitute.
• Personally I prefer corn tortillas over whole wheat. Not only do they taste better, but they’re more authentic. But Jillian wants you to avoid starchy vegetables like corn, so I completely understand why she uses whole wheat tortillas instead.
• I’m shocked that there’s no cilantro in this recipe! In the The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook, Jillian writes that it’s a “form of natural chelation therapy, helping to detox the liver and remove heavy metals from the body.” Whatever the case, you cannot have fish tacos without cilantro, so add some!
• If you can’t find virgin coconut oil, use olive or grapeseed oil instead.

Bandito Sauce

must be a utah thing never heard of it but had it at RS

kinda taco salady 

Bandito Sauce

1 lb. hamburger

1 small onion chopped(I also added peppers)

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

2 Tbs. chili powder (I think it needs more)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp. sugar

1 small can tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup water

1-2 cups cooked rice/Quinoa(The night before we had russian chicken we had

leftover rice that I had added part Quinoa in it when I cooked it, was good)

Brown hamburger with onion and peppers add seasonings and sauces and water. 

Let simmer 30 min. Add rice.  We put olives and red kidney beans in it also.  

If your going to freeze the meat you should probably not.

I think it would be ok to leave the rice in though.  

Let it come to room temp. before you bag and freeze.

Serve with chips(I used tortilla but I've heard some use corn chips and mix it altogether), 

chopped lettuce, salsa sour cream, chopped tomatoes, olives, kidney beans, cheese.

This would serve 8-10

Baked Potato slow-cooker soup

I went to  Mama loves food to find this wonderful baked potato soup that
is made in the crock-pot the recipe she has there is quite a large one so
I suggest you down size it for your family. Its one of those fix it and
pretty much forget it kinda dinners.  It was easy and everyone
liked it!

Dump dinner

Ok this is my version of the Dump dinner that is going around, saw it on pinterest.
sorry we didn't take a picture but its real easy to do
Most of these amounts should be varied by how many your serving

dump a bag of frozen chicken in your crock-pot
dump in a bag of frozen corn
dump in a can of black beans
dump in 1-2 cups of salsa
dump in 1 can of cream of chicken soup(reduced fat) add 1tsp of cumin and 2 TBL
taco seasoning in the can and mix before you dump.
dump one 8oz cream cheese cubed

Let it cook on low all day or high half the day you can shred or chunk it
or leave the chicken whole

I made rice to go with it kind of a mexican rice
brown in olive oil-1/2 onion, 2 grated garlic cloves and I had green peppers and a
jalapeno I chopped and added them.  Add 1 1/2 cups of rice brown a little add 3 cups
of water I added 2TBL tomato paste simmer on low or till done.
You can serve with tortilla chips, tortilla's and a little cilantro.
Was good!