Creamsicle Smoothie with Cantalope

Filling and refreshing!

1/2 cup dry, uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup cantaloupe chunks
Good squeeze of honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vanilla flavored almond milk
Crushed ice

Chill wet ingredients in advance, whirl and twirl in blender. Adjust flavors as needed.

Asparagas Soup

I'm back. Life journey around the sun a few times later. Still cooking. Vegetarian. Not because I'm an animal advocate, but because after I returned from visiting India, it just happened. I tend to follow my heart trends. First up Asparagas Soup.

1 lb thin fresh asparagas
2 cups vegatable broth
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon tarragon
Good tug of cilantro off the bunch
Chives - snip snip
Olive oil
Nooch (nutritional yeast) to taste

Trim asparagas from tough ends. Lightly coat asparagas in with olive oil, bake at 350 degrees until tender.

Add to a pot, cook a little longer with tarragon and chives. Add vegetable broth, salt and nooch. Heat. Set aside until cool.

In blender or food processer, whirl until smooth.

Serve hot.

I like it with leftover Thug Kitchen's Coconut-Lime Rice in it to make it a bright tasting hearty soup.

Watermelon Salad

A great summertime salad!

Watermelon chunks
Goat cheese or mozzarella
Basil leaves sliced into thin strips
Diced tomato
Balsamic vinegar reduction

Mix all together. Chill. Enjoy!

A visit to the produce stand salad

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Ranch Dressing
3 TablespoonsnNon fat greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon real bacon bits

Mix, set aside

1 cooked beet, diced
1/4 C sliced cooked baby carrot
1/3 C cooked peas
1/4 C diced avocado for topping or small cubes of cheese
Arugla / Rocket
Spinach

Mix beets, carrots, peas with dressing. Place on a bed of arugula and spinach. Top with avocado or cheese.

Pretty, a little pink and quite tasty.

I ate it before I got a picture. Maybe next time.

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema

I found this recipe on Culinary in The Desert which referenced Cooking Light and here it is on Oh-Oh.

Fish Tacos With Lime-Cilantro Crema

I avoided fish tacos like the plague until a couple of years ago. I was in Dallas at a conference and was at a restaurant that I felt might be able to pull it off. I became an instant fan. The place not to have them is at Red Robin. To me, theirs is like a fishstick in a torilla repleat with tartar sauce. NOT!

Some places give them a cajun kick, others basic with a lime-ish sauce. This offers both - cajun kick on the fish and a lime/cilantro jolt on the sauce. It's very easy to make. The sauce can be made ahead of time and the fish seasoning mixed ahead too. Cooking the fix is a snap-per. I made it with talipia and it was great!

Ingredients
Crema: 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream 1 teaspoon grated lime rind 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 garlic clove, minced Tacos: 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets Cooking spray 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas 2 cups shredded cabbage
PreparationPreheat oven to 425°.
To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 394(14% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.5g,poly 1.5g); IRON 3.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 233mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.1g; SODIUM 857mg; PROTEIN 40.3g; FIBER 5.5g



This is about 400 calories per serving. It can be trimmed by putting more filling (and maybe using a fork too) and dropping one of the tortillas. And, if you eat it with a fork you can use a single tortilla to mop up the tangy, kick your chaps goodness.

Penzey's on Pizza

I had some personal pizzas in the freezer. One was a plain cheese one. I sprinkled some Chili 9000 and black pepper on it and proceeded to microwave it (sorry). Yummers.

Turkey Pot Pie

It's been awhile since I posted this recipe, but I figure y'all are about ready for it at this post-Thanksgiving point on the calendar.

http://terisinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/12/turkey-pot-pie.html

Enjoy.

P.S. I'm back in the kitchen again. I'll be posting more soon!

Limey

I cooked some Giggly Pig lime and sweet chili bangers / sausages that I bought this weekend from a farmers market. From my taste tests at the market I knew they were quite spicy. What to have with them? A nice big salad with a cooling dressing.

2 generous tablespoons of greek yogurt (I use reduced fat)
3/4 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ginger paste (from the squeezy tube)

Mix together the first three ingredients (love my Aero Latte), then add the ginger. Let them party for awhile and pour it on!

My dinner was one giggly piggy and a big salad of mixed greens, spinach, grated carrot, halved cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, chives and parsley from my birthday present herb garden and seeded batch (bread) croutons.

Simple Salad and Dressing

I'm following the Carb Lovers Diet and am really craving the veggies now. I like salad, but the choices of tasty dressing whilst keeping down the fats can be a challenge.

So tonight's salad  was this:

• A hefty handful of lettuces/greens. Love the rocket in it!
• Four cherry tomatoes, halved
• Half a slice of grainy bread, sliced for croutons and baked.

With a salad dressing made of this:

• 2-3 tablespoons of low fat greek yogurt
• 3/4 - 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon honey
• tiny pinch salt
• tiny pinch pepper

I have one of those battey operated whisks that you can buy in kitchen stores or holiday fayres (As Seen On TV type demos!) It's perfect for blending small amounts of ingredients quickly and effeciently. The dressing, for me, made two sevings. Enjoy guilt free!

Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

First - I used Penzey's herbs, not fresh. I give them each a little grind with the mortar and pestle.

I apologize in advance that is in American and metric measures. I'm living in England and have a mix of both going on with my American and English utensil combination. Look in the back of your cookbooks - it'll translate and this was cobbled together so a bit more of this, or a little less of that will not hurt this recipe.

1 small onion, diced small
Olive oil
Soft butter
1-2 Portobella mushroom caps, diced large. They'll reduce in size as they cook.
1-1/2 cups baked pumpkin (not canned), mashed, drained
1 litre vegetable stock
175 g risotto rice
handful of grated parmesan cheese
double cream
salt
pepper
thyme
rosemary

Heat vegetable stock (I make mine with my electric tea kettle and xoxo cubes and keep it in a small pan heating on the stove). After making the recipe a few times, pouring from a measuring cup will work instead of ladle fulls.

Cook onion in a little olive oil and butter. When translucent, add a bit more butter and the mushrooms. Add the rice, coat it with the butter and toast it lightly. At medium-medium high heat, start adding the stock to the rice, a half to one ladle at a time. Do not let the rice get dry nor drown it. Keep stirring and keep it creamy. Add some salt and pepper along the way. Eventually add the rosemary and thyme. Keep going until rice has lost most of it's cloudiness but you still have a bit of stock left.  Add the pumpkin and warm it to the bubbly temperature again. By now the rice should be nearly clear and starting to tender a bit. Add a couple of plops of butter, some cream (enough to flavor it, but not to "soup" it)  and the handful of parmesan. Stir carefully to mix and cover for two minutes.

Stir again and eat.

(If you run out of stock you can continue to add boiling hot water as your liquid - still a half ladle at a time)

Homemade Tahini

1/2 cup sesame seeds
Scant 1/4 cup olive oil

Roast sesame seeds in a skillet on the stovetop. Stiring constantly until lightly browned. Remove from pan to a plate to cool. Stir for a few seconds so they discontinue cooking.

Grind sesame seeds in a chopper/grinder/food processor until paste like in consistency. Add oil and continue grinding/blending until smooth.

Simple Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, broken in to florettes
2 tablespoons olive oil

Coat cauliflower florettes with oil. Roast in 400 degree oven turning occassionally, until tips are slightly browned.

The cauliflower will be tender and sweet.

Teri's Tzatsiki

2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 seedless cucumber
2 cloves garlic

Chop mint leaves, chop cucumber, mince garlic. Mix all together. Add a pinch of salt. Let flavors meld in the refrigerator. Serve with Indian Naan (flatbred) or celery (yup it makes celery good).

"Old Bay Seasoning" Mix

And I'm going to be needing this too. I found this at About.com

Make your own Old Bay Seasoning mix to store in your pantry.
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. ground bay leaves
2-1/2 tsp. celery salt
1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground mace
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Store in an airtight container and store in a cool place. Use with seafood or chicken. Makes about 1/4 cup

Jambalya

Based on Smoked Sausage Jambalya by Epicurious.com / Gourmet / November 2009

1 pound chicken cajun sausage (approximately 3 links)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups long-grain white rice (1 pound)
1 (28-ounces) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon peeper
1 tablespoon cajun spice mix
Deglazing liquid (approx. 1 cup), 14 oz (1 can) chicken broth, water to make 3 1/2 cups of liquid.
1 tablespoon

Cook sausage in oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a dish to cool slightly. Slice at an angle into 3/4-1 inch slices. Pour oil onto a large stock pot. Add 1 cup of water to the skillet and deglaze over heat. Set aside.

Chop peppers in food processor, followed by onions and celery. Hand chop garlic.

Cook peppers, celery, onion, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in fat placed in pot, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in rice, sausage, tomatoes with their juice, water/both liquid, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a rolling boil.

Reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer (3), covered tightly with lid, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.

Makes 8 Servings

Cajun Spice

I found this site today. She's done a great job with it. Need a spice mix and you don't want to run to the store. Head here: Teri's Kitchen!

The mix I was seeking - Cajun Mix for my Jambalaya is below:

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Teri's Lemon Drop

Teri's Lemon Drop

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, chilled
1/2 oz vodka, chilled
1/2 oz simple syrup, chilled
ice
martini shaker
baking sugar, ground fine
chilled martini glass

Mix first three ingredients in shaker with ice. Dip the rim of the glass in water and coat with ground sugar. Shake, shake, shake. Pour. Drink. Smile.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Cookie Dough Truffles
(tasteofhome.com)

These are the most fabulous little candies. Easy and so very yummy. I got my recipe from a co-worker. I thought I'd better check their origin and found it at the site noted above.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or regular chocolate chips roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I prefer pecans)
1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped - I prefer Ghiradelli Chocolate.

Directions
In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating, using two forks, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined or paarchment-paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 5-1/2 dozen.

Lawry's Substitute

Lawry's Seasoned Salt Substitute
(From tastebook.com)

I was making the Pioneer Woman's Macaroni and Cheese recipe and realized I didn't have any Lowry's, a staple in her mind. Thank goodness for the Internet and Penzey's. I had all the ingredients. P.S. This is the best Mac & Cheese recipe I've found.

This is an MSG-free recipe for Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. (5 min 5 min prep)
1 spice bottle
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Pour the blend into an empty spice bottle to store.

Weekend Baking for the Holidays

Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey Pot Pie

I credit the perfect ingredient list to Pioneer Woman and the Gravy Recipe to Chef Kent and the Pie Crust to King Arthur Flour. Get ready for a slice of heaven and actually looking forward to the weekend AFTER Thanksgiving.

Prepare pie crust divide into 2/3 and 1/3 sections. Roll out bottom third and line pie pan. Don't trim yet. Place in refrigerator to set. Form top 1/3 into a disk and refrigerate.

2-1/2 cups diced turkey
3-4 carrots
3-4 stalks of celery
1/2-1 onion (medium or small)
6 teaspoons butter
small bag of frozen peas
1-2 cups leftover gravy
1/4-1/2 cup cream
chicken or turkey stock or broth as needed to thin the gravy
thyme
salt and pepper (watch the salt if you brined the turkey!)
cornstarch/water if you over liquify
Pie crust for a 9-1/2 inch pie pan. I used the recipe above and squeezed off 1/3 for the top crust and 2/3's for the bottom crust.

Peel the carrots. Chop the carrots, onion and celery into a medium dice. Melt the butter and add the chopped mix to the butter and cook over medium heat until the onion is nearly clear. The carrots will still be a bit crunchy. Add the turkey, peas and thyme. Add about a cup to a cup and a half of your leftover gravy, let it melt and add some cream until you have the desired richness. Salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture is still too thick, add some stock. If you over liquify, add some cornstarch mixed with water. Allow to simmer (near boil) to thicken the liquid. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400.

Remove pie crust from refrigerator.

Add the filling to the pie crust. Roll out the top crust and withe the bottom crust. Cut in slits to allow steam to escape. Bake about 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serve it with your leftover cranberry sauce of an extra treat.

Stop eating before the pie plate is empty.

Fluffy Jello Stuff

Fluffy Jello Stuff

This recipe is easy to make and a crowd pleaser for young and old alike.

Small package of Jello gelatin - ORANGE flavor (You can use other flavors, but why would you want to?)
Small can of crushed pineapple, drained
Can of Mandarin oranges (I like the tall can), drained
12 ounces of Cool Whip or whipped cream
16 ounces of cottage cheese

Mix. Refrigerate. Dig in. Smile!

Doggy Biscuits

Doggy Biscuits

I do baked items for my out of state family every year. This year I added a bonus for those with pooches.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter (grind it yourself for extra love)
1 cup skim milk

Additionally you can add:
Ground or sliced almonds
Raisins
Carob chips (chocolate is bad for dogs)

Mix together. Prepare baking pans by lining them with parchment paper. Roll out and use cookie cutters to make shapes or a cookie scoop to make mounds (the bigger the dog, the bigger the scoop [Oh isn't that true for the other scoop too?]). Flatten the rounds with the bottom of a drinking glass that has been dipped in flour.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Woof!

B

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine / Gourmet Today cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup canned fresh or solid pack pumpkin (I loved it with the fresh!)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old brioche (about 1 loaf) or baguette or crusty bread (I prefer my homemade brioche)
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Whisk together cream, pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, yolk, salt, and spices in a bowl.

Cut brioche loaf into 1 inch thick slices. Slice the slices in thirds horizontally and in fourths horizontally. Toss bread cubes with butter in another bowl, then add pumpkin mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle the pecans over the top, followed by the brown sugar.

Bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes. The custard in the middle should be "just" set. It will continue to "bake" after it is taken out of the oven. Take care not to overcook it or the edges will be dry.

Serve warm or chilled. May be made ahead of time and reheated.

Teri's Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

I looked up various recipes on line and then made my own variation. These turned out really crunchy and didn't hide the pumpkin taste.

Teri's Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Plump, clean, freshly "harvested" pumpkin seeds.
Ghee (2 tablespoons for each 3 cups of pumpkin seeds)
Salt

Pick the pumpkin goop from the seeds. Discard thin, flat ones. I do not rinse them. Dry on parchment paper or baking sheet over night.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Melt approximately 2 tablespoons of ghee in a glass bowl. Put pumpkin seeds in bowl and coat with ghee. Spread in a single layer on a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides) or cake pan. I prefer stoneware. Roast for approximately 1 hour, stirring after the first 20 minutes and about every 10 minutes thereafter until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place pan on baking rack to cool enough to handle. Transfer the seeds to a rack or pan lined with a sheet of parchment paper and paper towels. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt. Place another layer of paper towels on top to blot any additional oil you want to have removed.

Notes: I prefer ghee because it has more flavor than oil, but is absent of the butter fats which can easily burn. Some people like to soak the pumpkin seeds in salted water before drying them so the salt taste is inside the seeds. I prefer less salt, so I add mine at the end.