Fennel Apple & Endive Salad
This is a delicious, crunchy salad- a departure from your regular, green variety. It has a combination of fresh fennel and endives. I added a crunchy apple to add some tartness and amazing flavor. I then complemented the salad with an orange dressing. The whole combination is delicious!!
- 1 fennel bulb, core taken out, cleaned and sliced thin
- 1 medium Pink Lady apple, core taken out, sliced thin
- 1 green endive, cut in half and sliced thin
- 1 red endive, cut in half and sliced thin
Transfer all the ingredients to a salad bowl.
Orange Dressing
- Juice of 4 clementines
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Add all the ingredients to an airtight container and mix really well until all the dressing is emulsified. Pour on to the vegetables and toss well. Add salt and pepper if necessary.
Mexican Style Quinoa
I usually make Mexican style rice when I serve tacos, etc. We don’t eat that much rice any more- so instead I decided to substitute quinoa for rice. I made it exactly how I would make the rice- it came out delicious! Don’t hesitate to substitute this recipe for rice…
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin, powdered
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- ½ yellow/orange/red pepper, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ½ cup tomato puree
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
Heat a medium sized saucepan with the olive oil. Add the cumin and chipotle powder. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the shallot, ½ pepper and garlic. Saute for a minute on medium heat. Add the tomato puree and sauté for 1 minute. Add the quinoa, broth and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer till the liquid is cooked off on the surface. Cover with lid and lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Serve with tacos.
Avocado & Cucumber Guacamole
I love making guacamole, especially with any Mexican food I make. This one is a bit different as it has a nice crunch which guacamole desperately needs. I added half of an English cucumber. Why an English cucumber, you ask? Well, I like it better than the regular one as it is sweeter and with less seeds. Try this recipe next time you want to make a delicious guacamole!
- 2 avocados, chopped
- ½ English cucumber, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- Juice of a large lemon or lime
Mix all the ingredients and serve with tacos.
Fish Tacos
I love making fish tacos with all different varieties of fish. This one in particular is quite delicious. My husband’s favorite fish is black cod, also known as sable fish. It is super buttery and very flavorful- not fishy at all- which he doesn’t like. I usually cook this fish marinated in miso.. but this preparation is very different. I felt like eating fish tacos and I had this fish in my freezer and decided to use it. The tacos came out really well, especially topped with the yummy salsa- enjoy!!
- 1 pound black cod or any other fish of choice, cut into fillets
- 2 teaspoons chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoons chipotle powder
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of half a lemon
Mix the adobo sauce, chipotle powder, olive oil, salt and lemon juice in a small bowl. Marinate the fish with the mixture for 2 hours.
Place on a lined cookie sheet and broil in oven for 4 to 5 minutes till the fish is just cooked through (cooking time will vary according to the fillet size).
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- Small corn tortillas
Heat the tortillas and place the cooked fish fillets and top with tomato salsa.
Mediterranean Meatballs
Here is another delicious recipe for one of our favorite things to eat. I am afraid, I will be running out of ideas soon for making different kinds meatballs. I realize I can use different kinds of meats, etc but I do love using turkey meat as it is so healthy to eat, especially since I am trying to reduce the amounts of red meat I feed my family.
This particular one has a mixture of sundried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts and basil. The mixture adds a delicious flavor to the meatballs as well as the sauce. The trick to soft meatballs is the panko breadcrumbs soaked in milk. The meatballs come out melting in the mouth. The sauce is made with fresh cherry tomatoes- super simple to make and the most delicious as well.
Overall, it is a fabulous meal to make. I also made a warm spinach salad and served red wine with dinner- yum!!
- 1 pound ground turkey (dark meat)
- 4 to 5 sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup basil, chopped
Add the shallot, garlic, into a food processor and process till smooth. Add the sundried tomatoes and basil. Process till smooth and take out into a medium bowl with the turkey.
- ½ cup panko crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 15 minutes.
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
Add the soaked breadcrumbs, egg and salt into the turkey mixture. Mix with both hands. Keep aside.
Marinara Sauce
- 1 can (28 oz) cherry tomatoes (or any other)- put through the food mill
- 1 small yellow onion, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- A pinch of sugar
Heat a heavy, wide saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, thyme, basil, salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for at least 20 minutes.
In the meantime form meatballs (the mixture makes about 14 meatballs). Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce as you form them. Once all the meatballs are in the saucepan, simmer covered for 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons salt
Once the pasta is done, drain it well and place it back into the pan. Add the oil, basil and salt. Mix well and keep ready for the meatballs.
Serve the meatballs on top of the seasoned spaghetti.