Cranberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans

Once again horrible, quick photos. You will have to overlook them please, because these two things are very tasty.

First up, Cranberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits. My son chose dinner the other night and he wanted fried eggs, sauteed swiss chard & spinach, and biscuits. I know for a fact that these were not the kind of biscuits he wanted, but I was ready to try them, so I made half of them without the cranberries. This recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour and it makes a very tender, delicious biscuit. My daughters and I thought the ones with cranberries were very good and my son enjoyed those that were cranberry free.

Second, this Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad. I'm happy to say that I have completely overcome my dislike of sweet potatoes. The key for me is to combine them with savory and/or spicy ingredients. I made this salad for a Christmas party and it was really delicious. Pretty simple too. I didn't follow the directions exactly because I wanted to add the lime juice and olive oil bit by bit, so I could adjust the taste and I also wanted the little bites of jalapeno to be in there, not pureed. I loved this salad. Many people requested the recipe. It is a fun, healthy alternative/salad that can be shared at this time of year.


Here is the recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans
* I didn't puree the dressing, I just added the jalapenos, lime juice and other ingredients
the the roasted veggies & beans
* I used less olive oil than called for, both when roasted the sweet potatoes and when dressing the salad


Here is the recipe for Cranberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
* I used low-fat buttermilk
* I only added frozen cranberries to half of my biscuits

Thai Summer Slaw

This Thai Summer Slaw from Cooking Light is summer perfection. It combines napa cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, bell peppers, carrots, radishes, jalapeno, and green onions in a light, slightly spicy dressing. It is crunchy, flavorful and completely delicious.

I was planning on making this for a potluck dinner that we were going to attend, but I forgot to buy a lime. I debated going ahead and making it with lemon juice instead, but I decided to wait, buy the lime and follow the recipe. I'm glad I waited! I don't think lemon would have given the dressing the right flavor.

The day I was planning on making this for dinner, I prepped all the veggies (the photo above) and the dressing and kept them in the fridge until I was ready to serve it. Cutting all the veggies took a little bit of time, but getting that out of the way earlier in the day really made this a fast and easy dish to serve. I grilled some tuna steaks to serve along with it and it was a really great dinner.

Here is the recipe for Thai Summer Slaw
* I only added a 3/4 tsp of sugar to the dressing

Pomegranate-Cranberry Granita

A couple of months ago I was contacted by Ryan from POMwonderful and he asked if I was interested in trying some of the new POM Cranberry juice. I was excited about the new flavor and what I might be able to create with it, so I jumped at the chance to receive some of it in the mail.

I had all sorts of ideas and recipes that I wanted to try with this new, delicious POM juice, but it was so popular with my family as a drink that I literally had to hide the last little bottle so that I would be able to make something with it. Since the weather has been quite warm here in Georgia for quite a while, I decided to make something cool and crunchy- POM Granita.

It's really quite simple, really. You make a simple syrup, stir that into the POM juice, add a little lime juice, and then freeze the mixture in a shallow pan, scraping it every 30 minutes or so.
The result is quite delicious. Perfectly cool and refreshing. My friend and I finished the last of it off while we were outside watching our kids run through the sprinklers and play with water guns. Perfect, just perfect.

Here is the recipe for POM Granita from POM Wonderful

Thai Red Curry Eggplant with Mustard Greens

I'm not exactly sure if I have ever had mustard greens before. I think I probably have, but I didn't realize it. I mean, I do live in the South, after all. Anyway, I think this was a possible first. At least it was the first time I have purchased mustard greens and prepared them. Dark greens are my friends. I love kale, collard greens, spinach, swiss chard- all of it. These guys were a little bit bitter/spicy/peppery- I'm not sure how to describe it. But, if you are familiar with them, then you probably know what I mean. That's probably why the word mustard is used to describe these greens.

Last week was a crazy-busy week. I had a few fun jobs-( cupcakes, cake, catering lunch), lots of responsibilities, kids activities, and I didn't feel well for a few days. This dish came to the rescue one night because it was super fast and easy and I felt like it was a good meal. I served it over brown rice and we had some fresh corn on the cob also. I'm getting so excited about all the fresh veggies and fruits that abound in summertime! I absolutely love this time of year.

I reduced the amount of red curry paste by about 1/2 Tablespoon, because it can carry a lot of heat and I wanted my kids to eat this. I also used vegetable stock, instead of water. I think this would be tasty if you wanted to use a different dark green in place of the mustard greens.

Thai Red Curry Eggplant and Mustard Greens from Vegetarian Times Magazine

2 Tbls Thai red curry paste
1 Tbls sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbls canola oil
1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small onion, sliced
1 lb mustard greens, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup light coconut milk
lime wedges, for garnish

1. Whisk together curry paste, sugar, garlic, and 2 Tbls water in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and onion and cook 5 mins, or until eggplant is browned. Stir in curry mixture and cook 30 seconds, or until vegetables are coated.

3. Add mustard greens and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until leaves are wilted. Stir in coconut milk, and 1 1/2 cups water, and season with salt, if desired.

4. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

5. Serve with lime wedges.

Cornmeal Lime Cookies

Having my brother here was a great excuse to bake everyday. I knew that he would eat whatever I baked and that his youthful metabolism wouldn't mind at all about the butter, sugar and flour he was consuming.

Somehow I found these cookies and they looked like a great treat to make when he was here. We had a sort of citrus thing going on while he was visiting.

These cookies were easy to mix up, bake and devour. The cornmeal added a great little bit of texture and the glaze was the perfect way to top them off.

Between my brother and my kids, these were gone within 24 hours or so. Well, my husband ate quite a few too, but he said it was only because they had the glaze.
:D Gotta love the honesty!


Cornmeal Lime Cookies as seen here

Originally published in Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang

Makes 14-16 cookies (I made smaller cookies and got about 26 or so)
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest (about 4 limes)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup medium-coarse yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Lime Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 – 1 1/2 limes)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest (about 1 lime)

Position rack in the center of the over and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon), cream together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. (This step will take 10 minutes if using a handheld mixer or a spoon). Stop the mixer a few times and use the rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle to release any clinging butter or sugar. Add the lime zest and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute to release the lime flavor. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bowl and the paddle again to make sure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. On low speed (or with the wooden spoon), slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and then mix until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough is evenly mixed.

Drop the dough in scant 1/4-cup balls onto a baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand. (I used my cookie scoop, which made the cookies a bit smaller than that, maybe a Tablespoon and a half, or so of dough per cookie. I baked them for 10-12 minutes.)

To make the glaze:

While the cookies are cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, water, lime juice, and lime zest until smooth. You should have about 1/2 cup. (The glaze can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature).

Brush the cookies with a thin layer of the glaze, then allow the glaze to set for about 10 minutes before serving or storing.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The unbaked dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Strawberry Sorbet

When I was a child, we would go to my grandparents house on the weekends. The first thing we would do on Saturday morning was head out to the garden to pick the produce.
I remember going out before the sun was all the way up and hoping that my job would be picking strawberries. They were close to the ground, so it was easy to kneel and go through the strawberry plants and find all the red, ripe berries. It was so much better than having to go into the raspberry patch! Most of the time, we got to pick both. There isn't much better than a fresh picked strawberry. Juicy, flavorful and delicious.

Strawberries are coming into season and we have been consuming quite a few of these yummy berries. My kids can easily eat a pound or two in an afternoon, so when I buy strawberries, I know they won't last very long.

I wanted to make this simple sorbet to bring out the beautiful color and flavor of strawberries right now. It was really simple to make, just a few steps involved. I made a few substitutions, mostly because I happened to be out of lemons. Next time I would reduce the sugar by about 1/4 or 1/3 cup- this time I reduced it by a couple of tablespoons. I prefer fruit desserts to be less sweet and more about the natural flavor of the fruit.

This makes me excited about spring!

Strawberry Sorbet
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
3/4 cup sugar (I used a little less than this)
1 tsp. kirsch (optional) (I didn't use this)
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used lime juice)
Pinch of salt

Directions:
Slice the strawberries and toss them in a medium bowl with the sugar and kirsch, if using, stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve (I just sliced my strawberries right into the food processor, so I wouldn't have to move them). Cover and let stand for 1 hour, stirring every so often.

Puree the strawberries and their liquid with the lemon juice and salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Press the mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds if you wish.
(I skipped this step because I prefer to leave the seeds and pulp in these types of things. They don't bother me)

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, seen on Annie's Eats

Chicken, Kiwi, and Mango Salad

Finally, it is beginning to warm up around here! I think Spring might be right around the corner. I'm so happy about this because the cold is going to leave and go away for a really long time!

The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside. Those two things make me think of fresh, springy (or summery) salads.

This is a salad that will make you feel happy and it is really easy to make. You just need a handful of ingredients. The dressing is made with mayo, but I used lowfat greek yogurt instead and it is flavored with ginger and lime. The kiwi and mango are delicious with the chicken and those cashews add just the right amount of crunch. Yum.

Recipe for Chicken, Kiwi, and Mango Salad
* I used greek yogurt instead of mayo

Greek Night- 2 dips, soup, salad, appetizer, main dish, drink and dessert

A couple of weeks ago my son studied Ancient Greece at school. He had multiple options for his final project and we decided to have a "Greek Cafe" as part of the experience.

When I was a kid, I used to love to do restaurants to surprise my dad when he would come home from work, so I knew this would be really fun for all of us.
The kids dressed up and placed all the appropriate signs annoucing our cafe. The cutest part was how they thought that someone driving down our street might just be hungry and stop in to join us.
My son made the signs and came up with the name for our cafe. I asked for his input on the menu and spent the afternoon getting all the dishes ready for our Greek Night.

We started with a drink called "The Greek Lantern". I have absolutely no idea if it is really a Greek drink, but it sounded really interesting, combining a large amount of fresh parsley leaves, lime juice, lime zest, club soda, water and ice. It actually was quite refreshing and surprisingly yummy.
Next we had a Roasted Red Pepper with Feta dip and Lemony-Garlic Hummus with homemade pita chips. Both of these were really good, although the red pepper one was deemed "spicy" by my youngest child.

Then we had mini spanakopita, which were really delicious and not as time consuming as I thought they would be.
The soup was everybody's favorite. I have had it at Greek restaurants before and it was very simple to recreate at home. It is called Avgolemono Soup- which just means Egg, Lemon and Rice soup. You have to temper eggs to make it, but boy was it delicious. My kids loved it.
I made a light version of Baklava that I found from Cooking Light. It was also much easier than I thought it was going to be to make. It turned out good, but was quite sweet, so could only be enjoyed in small portions. I actually had some leftover baklava mixed into this lemon ice cream a few days later and that was an amazing dessert.

What Greek menu would be complete without some sort of Greek salad? I actually made 2 versions of this salad since we have two people in our house who don't like tomatoes. The second version I made with chopped red pepper to replace the tomato. These leftovers were delicious on a green salad and also in a pita sandwich.
We had Chicken Souvlaki skewers, which my son loved. The Tzatziki sauce that went along with this was my youngest child's favorite thing. She was eating it plain and dipping all sorts of veggies in it.

Here's a closer look at the Baklava. We had lots of fun on Greek Night!

The Greek Lantern

Ingredients

• 1 cup (packed) Parsley Sprigs
• ½ tsp Lime Zest, grated
• 1 cup Cold Water
• ½ cup Fresh Lime Juice
• ½ cup Sugar
• 1 (10 ounce) bottle Club Soda

Instructions

• Blend all the ingredients, except club soda, in a blender, for about one minute.
• Take a large glass measure and strain the preparation through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Put ice into tall glasses and pour the prepared drink.
• Top with club soda and serve

Lemony-Garlic Hummus

Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

2 16 oz cans of chickpeas (Bush’s is my canned bean of choice!)
1/2 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
juice and zest from 3 lemons
3 TB tahini
4 cloves garlic, crushed
big pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
5 TB olive oil

Combine first 6 ingredients into bowl of food processor. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Slowly stream in olive oil until combined and smooth. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Serve with fresh cut veggies, crackers, chips, pita chips or crostini for a nice appetizer platter.

Note: this recipe makes a large batch. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe for Roasted Red Pepper with Feta Dip


Recipe for Greek Salad
* I drastically reduced the amount of olive oil and feta cheese that this recipe called for. I just drizzled the mixture with a little olive oil and then used more lemon juice. I only added a couple of oz of feta cheese.


Recipe for Mini-Spanakopitas
* the egg white/olive oil mixture they said to brush the phyllo dough with, didn't work for me.
I used cooking spray instead.

Recipe for Avgolemono Soupo (Egg, Lemon, and Rice Soup)

Recipe for Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce
* I used greek yogurt

Recipe for Baklava with Wildflower Honey
* I used orange blossom honey

Orzo & Shrimp Salad

I went to random.org to find a winner for my fig giveaway and the winner is #6- Rachel, who said "I would love a bunch of fresh figs, I love anything with fig but I've actually never had fresh ones - I love the way they look inside! =)".

I hope she enjoys her fresh figs!

Now onto today's recipe, which is something I threw together a couple of weeks ago.
We eat roasted shrimp at least once a week and this was one of the version's that I made recently. I thought it would taste great with some orzo and roasted vegetables. I also added some fresh corn kernels since summer is winding down a little bit, I thought I would get some fresh corn in while I can.
This was a really delicious dinner. Sorry the instructions are a little crazy, but I just tried to record what I did, since I just made this one up. I make up dinners all the time, but usually don't post them. This one was just too good to pass up.

Orzo & Shrimp Salad by Mary Ann
First, get your water boiling for your orzo (I used half a box). Prepare that according to the package directions. Then roast your vegetables- I used asparagus and red bell pepper this time. Set them aside while you prep the other parts of the salad.
Turn down the oven temperature and roast your shrimp. While the shrimp is roasting, cut your corn off the cob.
By this time the orzo should be ready, drain the orzo and put it in a large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and corn kernels.
Then add about 1 Tbls olive oil, the lime juice, 1 Tbls red wine vinegar and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil, vinegar or lime juice, to taste.
Serve in bowls and top with roasted shrimp.

Roasted Veggies
1 pd of asparagus
1 red bell pepper
olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Chop vegetables into 1-inch pieces and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 12-15 minutes or until veggies are crisp- tender.

Roasted Shrimp
juice of 1 lime
olive oil
salt
pepper
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 pd peeled and deveined shrimp

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the thawed shrimp on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, the lime juice, and season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top and toss everything together with your fingers. Roast for 8-10 minutes, until shrimp is pink and firm.

To finish off the salad you need-
2 cobs of fresh corn, kernels cut off
1-3 Tbls olive oil
juice of 1/2 or 1 lime
salt
pepper
1 -3 Tbls red wine vinegar
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley

Mint Limeade

I planted some mint in a pot outside my front door a couple of months ago and it is trying to take over the front steps!

This was one of the recipes that I wanted to try from a recent issue of The Food Network Magazine and since I had all that mint, I decided it would be a good way to some of it up.
We had this for our Father's Day dinner and it was pretty good.

The limes that I purchased for this weren't very juicy, so I had to really work to get enough lime juice. It was really strange, how hard the limes were. I thought I had seen a tip from somewhere about warming the limes in the microwave and rolling them on the counter to get more juice out of them. That technique did work, but it made for a very hot, lime-y mess.

The flavors in this were pretty strong, so we added lots of ice.
It's nice to have a cold, flavorful drink every once in awhile and this was definitely flavorful.


Recipe for Mint Limeade

Watermelon Blueberry Pops

Me and the kids just got back from a little vacation. One of my best friends was here visiting me and we decided to drive to DC to visit my sister and some other friends. On the way back we went to Savannah and then arrived home yesterday.

In DC they were already getting ready for the 4th of July festivities. It reminded me of the great time we had there last year celebrating the 4th.

On a side note- my sister took us to eat at Zaytinya in downtown DC and it was fantastic. It features small plates and great flavors. If you are in the area, you should definitely give it a try.
A couple of weeks ago I made these Watermelon Blueberry Pops.
I had been waiting for a good price so that I could buy a watermelon and the one I finally picked was amazingly delicious. It reaffirmed my belief that I could live on watermelon alone.
I saw this recipe in Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook and these popsicles really were just that- so easy.
You just have to puree watermelon chunks (making sure you don't eat the entire watermelon in the process) with a little powdered sugar and lime juice.
Then you put the mixture in popsicle molds or plastic cups and drop in blueberries.
I wish I would have made these in popsicle molds because they were slightly difficult to eat due to the large size. They were still delicious though.

The fun part is that in the freezer a white layer forms at the top of the popsicle and makes this frozen treat truly patriotic looking.

Perfect treat for a hot afternoon or sticky summer night!

Watermelon Blueberry Pops adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy
3 cups cubed seeded watermelon (from about 2 pds with the rind)
2 Tbls fresh lime juice
2 Tbls confectioner's sugar
1 cup blueberries

Puree the watermelon, lime juice, and sugar in a blender.
Distribute the blueberries among six 8-ounce popsicle molds or paper cups, then fill each with the watermelon mixture and place in freezer.
If using paper cups, place a popsicle stick in the center of each cup after a 1/2 hour in the freezer.
Allow to freeze completely, about 4 hours.

Sauteed Broccolini

Back in the spring, I had the chance to choose the bonus recipe for Barefoot Bloggers. I am no longer a part of that particular cooking group, but at the time, I could not find Broccolini anywhere!
It was so frustrating. I must have checked at 6 or 7 different stores and just gave up.

So, imagine my surprise and excitement, 6 months later when I spotted Broccolini at Publix!
As soon as I saw it, I decided that I would make this very easy, Barefoot Contessa side dish and find out exactly what I had missed.

Well, if you have had Broccolini, then you know that it is delicious!
This recipe is so easy. It takes only a matter of minutes.
First, you blanch the broccolini and then, you saute it with a little garlic and lemon zest, except I didn't have a lemon, so I used lime. It was soo good with the lime zest.

The best thing about broccolini, is that you can eat the entire stem and it tastes good. It is 20x better than normal broccoli.

We ate ours with our fingers, while we were having a picnic in the front yard, with pizza.
My kids went crazy for it, but who doesn't love finger food?


Recipe for Sauteed Broccolini

One Year Ago-Pink Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies and Grapefruit Mousse

Mexican Street Salad

This is my new favorite food.

Nancy, shared the link for Mexican Street Salad from Jamie Oliver, when I sent out a tweet asking for ideas for side dishes to take to a dinner at my MIL's.

She said she was going to make it that night and I have to admit, after looking at the beautiful picture of all the colors and veggies, I was intrigued.
I decided I was going to make it and take it as a side dish for this dinner.

Nancy told me that she and her husband enjoyed it but that it had a little bit too much heat for some of the other people that tried it.
When I made it, I decided to cut back on the jalapenos a little bit, so that it would be crowd/kid friendly.
It is made with white cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, radishes, cilantro (fresh coriander), jalapeno, red onion, and then dressed with lots of fresh lime juice, a little olive oil and sea salt.

Jamie also notes that whatever veggies are in season would be a great addition to this salad.
So, I added 1/2 of a finely diced green pepper, chopped fresh green beans, and the celery hearts with their leafy tops that I was saving for soup.
I also shredded my carrots, so they would be the same thickness as the cabbage. I used angel hair coleslaw mix, which comes in a bag by the lettuce, because it is very finely shredded and easy to use.
I left out the red onion to reduce the heat a little bit and added a sprinkle of garlic powder and cumin.

The fact that this takes literally minutes to throw together is wonderful, but it is also one of the most delicious things I have tasted. The simplicity of the lime juice/olive oil/ coarse salt dressing (kind of) just really brings out the great flavors of the cabbage and other veggies. The radishes add a nice touch of heat.
When I was mixing this up, I took a bite and was blown away. It was soo good.
I took it to the dinner, to share, and the kids, as well as adults, loved it.

I actually made a very large bowl of it saturday night and ate it for dinner while everyone else was eating pizza. I had some last night and will have some today too.
I know Nancy has made it again as well.
The great thing about it is that you can make it super spicy and hot if that is what you like, or you can hold back a little bit on the spice depending on how much jalapeno and red onion you use and totally make it great for whatever taste you prefer. And it is so fresh.
Did I mention I love it?

Recipe for Mexican Street Salad

One Year Ago-Edamame Soup with Feta Croutons and Shrimp or Chicken Summer Rolls with Honey-Lime Dipping Sauce

Lime Curd Ice Cream

Here is the delicious ice cream that we used to make our ice cream sandwiches.
Nancy shared the link for this recipe and since I had leftover lime curd, I decided this was going to be the way I used it up.

This ice cream is custard based- egg yolks and milk- and when you take it off the heat, you stir in the lemon/lime curd. The custard then chills overnight and the next day you whip cream to soft peaks, and stir it into the custard. Then, it is ready to churn!

The recipe has all the measurements in grams and ml- instead of being particular and using a kitchen scale- I just kinda estimated the amounts needed (not a great thing to do necessarily, but in this case it worked out fine for me).
I didn't even bother measuring my lime curd- I just used all that I had left, which was more than the estimated amount the recipe called for. I also did not strain out my lime zest.

The flavor was fantastic and the texture was perfect. This was really great ice cream.


Recipe for Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Recipe for Lime Curd

One Year Ago-Blackened Tilapia