Roasted Pepper Pesto

This pesto is fun the jalapeño gives it a nice kick. I love that about it. It would be great with quesadillas, crackers, vegetables, baguettes etc... Yum!


Ingredients

2 bell peppers red or orange
1/2 jalapeño minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 T vinegar
1 T chia

Directions   Heat oven to 350

1. Cut peppers open and take out the seeds. Lay them face down on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Roast for about 15 min. Then flip over to the other side and roast another 15 min. Take out of the oven place them in a bowl and cover with plastic. Let them sit for 10 min. Then peel off the skins.

2. Put peppers into blender and pulse until smooth. Then add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.

3. Serve at once or store in fridge in air tight container.

4. Use on quesadillas, crackers, vegetables, baguettes etc...

Thanks to natural family for posting our muffins. :)
http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/quinoa-recipes/quinoa-muffins-recipes/

Raspberry Jalapeño Jelly

I was looking for cooking inspiration at the store yesterday when I saw a jar of Raspberry Jalapeño Jam. I usually like Jalapeño jelly, and the idea of combining it with raspberries sounded particularly exciting. But, as usual, I don't buy things without checking the label first. Waa waa--the first ingredient listed was sugar. So I decided to make my own. 

This turned out to be easy to make and especially delicious. We poured some over cream cheese and ate it with some whole grain crackers. I'm still snitching bites as I write.

Ingredients
1/2 C water
1 C frozen raspberries
1 to 1 1/2 jalapeños (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 T honey
dash of salt

Greek yogurt cream cheese and  whole grain crackers

Directions

1. Slice the jalapeño in half. We left in the seeds and didn't feel like it was too spicy. If you don't tolerate spicy things well, only leave in half of the seeds. If you like it spicy, add in 1 1/2 jalapeños and leave in all the seeds. 
2. Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Turn on medium heat until you get a low boil and then reduce heat to low, stirring frequently.
3. Continue to stir frequently until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Serve over cream cheese with crackers. 

Grape Peach Salsa

By posting this recipe I am entering in a recipe contest sponsored by the California Table Grapes Commission and am eligible to win prizes. I was not compensated for my time.

One last grape recipe for you! We couldn't let the Recipe Redux's challenge go away without posting this last recipe. This was fun to make a salsa with grapes. I have never done that before. The grapes added a nice sweetness to salsa. We put this salsa on our baked chicken last night. It would also be delicious on chips, fish, beef, pork etc... Be creative.

Grapes of all colors are not only tasty, they are good for you. Grapes contain resveratrol, a polyphenol antioxidant that appears to be involved in reducing the risk or slowing the development of cancer, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, viral infections, and Alzheimer's disease. Resveratrol is especially found in the skins of grapes. One serving of grapes (3/4 cup) contains just 90 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, and virtually no sodium, and also provide potassium and are good source of vitamin K. 

Ingredients
1 clove of minced garlic
3/4 C of quarted purple grapes
1 jalapeno minced
3 green onion chopped
1 ripe peach (or switch out for mango!), diced into small pieces
2 T diced purple onion   
1/2 lime juice
salt and pepper and to taste

Directions
1. Place in bowl garlic, grapes, jalapeno, green onion, peach, purple onions, Stir all together.
2. Then stir in lime juice and salt and pepper. Let the flavors meld together if possible. Serve.

Jalapeno Bean Dip with Black Beans

Bean Dip with home made salsa and chips

I was talking to a friend the other day about what they do for fun for the Christmas holidays. ( I love hearing other people traditions.) She said they make mexican food on Christmas Eve. That sounded like a lot of fun. We have had it on Christmas day before. I seem to always change around what we have on Christmas. What do you eat for the holidays? I tried out her bean dip that she makes for their meal. It was so good. I will be making it again. I am planning on Mexican food on Christmas Day this year. I will be making the bean dip for the meal. It was delish. Thanks Lexie!   

Ingredients:
2 15 oz can of black beans or homemade :)
2-3 T  jalapeno
1/2 C chopped onion (I used purple)
1/2 plain yogurt.
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C salsa
1 to 2 C grated cheddar cheese ( I think I used less than a cup. Closer to 1/2 C)
 
Directions:

1. Throw all the ingredients in the blender and blend till smooth. 
2. Pour into oven proof dish.
3. Place in oven at 350 for about 25 min. Or until all warm.

Shitake Mushroom and other Vegetables Omelet

This was a nice breakfast for our holiday today. It was loaded with a lot of great vegetables. I was excited that my son enjoyed eating it. He sometimes is not a fan of lots of vegetables. The Parmesan cheese was a nice touch. The dried mushrooms worked great I have never used them before. :)

Ingredients: 2 servings
1 whole egg
3 egg whites
salt and pepper
2 T oil
1/4 Green pepper diced in pieces
1/2 C dried shitake mushrooms
1/2 C purple onions chopped
1 small jalapeno diced in pieces
2 Roma tomatoes chopped in small pieces
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 T oil (I used grape seed oil)
fresh Parmesan cheese grated

Directions:
1. Beat egg and egg whites together for a couple minutes. Heat frying pan on medium heat.

2. Pour in half the mixture. Swirl around in the pan. Heat and then lift up edge and let uncooked egg slide under. Let cook a couple minutes.

3. In the meant time. Heat another pan and pour in the oil. Throw all the vegetables into the oil and cook until tender about 5 min.

4. Scoop a couple spoonfuls of cooked vegetables on one side of the omelet. Fold the other half on over the top of the vegetables. Grate some cheese on top.

5. Repeat the process with the remaining egg. Serve warm. Top with salsa or ketchup.

Salmon with Boysenberry Jalapeno Sauce

I am always looking for new ways to eat Salmon. I have found I enjoy it more when there is some added flavors to it. I had never had it with berries before so I decided to give it a try. I was happy with the end result. It was a nice meal and the family enjoyed ti as well. I like finding nice ways to eat salmon. Salmon is a great source for Vitamin D. :) You get a nice combination of sweet and spicy with this recipe.

Ingredients:
4 Salmon fillets about 1 lb
2-3 T Oil I used coconut oil
3/4 C boysenberries or black berries
1 T honey
1/2 fresh jalapeno diced small pieces
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions: Feeds 4

1. Heat skillet on Medium heat. Put in oil and heat. Place the salmon in the pan grill on both sides till nicely cooked.

2. In the meantime while fish is frying. Heat up the berries, honey and jalapeno. Stir until the berries are broken down a little bit. Then pour the sauce on top of the fish and put the lid on top of the frying pan. Turn to low and let cook a couple minutes. Serve

Tomato Relish on Wraps with Hummus and Chicken

These colors are so fun to look at it is kind of mesmerizing. It is fun to be able to grow all these wonderful vegetables. It was nice to eat them raw, so it the colors didn't fade much. Eating vegetables can be fun when you find the right combination. This relish would taste great with chips or just eating plain by the spoonfuls. Yum
I chopped them all up on the cutting board.

Then tossed them all together.
Then added lime juice, salt and pepper
Then we put it on wraps that had a little bit of hummus spread on them. Put on a few pieces of chicken and dinner is ready.

Ingredients: feeds 6 or more
2 green peppers chopped small pieces
1/2 jalapeno deseeded and diced in small pieces
6-7 Roma tomatoes diced in small pieces
1/3 C diced red onion
3 to 4 ripe avocados copped in small pieces
2 1/2 T fresh lime juice
2 tsp sea salt with iodine
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp chili powder* optional
hummus * optional
6 whole grain wraps or tortillas (I made homemade)
1 to 1 1/2 C cooked diced chicken * optional (I put some taco seasonings on it.)

Directions:

1. Cut up all the vegetables. Toss into a bowl. Toss in the lime juice, salt pepper and chili powder.

2. Spread a thin layer of hummus on the wrap. Spoon on some of the tomato relish and put on a few pieces of chicken.

Enjoy! It was a very tasty meal. :)

Spicy Grilled Cashew Lime Chicken

This is a fun recipe to try on the grill. It has a little bite to it, which I really liked. It was fun to use cashews in the sauce as well. It made a tasty dinner for our family. I made extra that are nice to have for lunches.

This was what the chicken looked like after being grilled. I was pleased the way it grilled. Sometimes putting the sauce on it makes it burn easier.

Ingredients:
10-12 chicken tenders
1 tsp sea salt with iodine
1/2 tsp ground pepper

sauce:
1/2 cashews
3 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves
4 T soy sauce
1 T honey
1 Jalapeno seeded and chopped (If you want it less spicy you could use 1/2)
2 1/2 T fresh lime juice
1/2 C chopped cilantro for garnish* optional

Directions:

1. /coat chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Pour all the ingredients in the blender for the sauce. Pulse until a smooth consistency.

3. Take 1/3 C of the sauce put the remaining 2/3 C in the fridge.

4. Baste the chicken with the 1/3 C sauce. Let it sit for 10 min.

5. Preheat the grill.

6. Place chicken on hot grill cook on both sides till nicely golden.

7. Pour remaining sauce on the chicken. (You could heat up the sauce ahead of time if you desire, I did not. ) Serve and enjoy!

Tropical Salsa Chicken with Brown Rice

Oh, I am so sad to not have my better camera fixed. Hopefully I will have it in about a week. This picture does not do the food justice. It tasted really good. It was a tropical salsa, the jalapeno gives it some spice. The combination with the chicken and brown rice were wonderful.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken tenders
4-5 T Lime Juice divided
1 med red onion chopped up coarsely
1-2 T Jalapeno (depends on how much spice you want)
1 20 oz can of pineapple tidbits drained save the 1/2 of the juice
4 T oil
1/2 tsp pepper
2 C cooked brown rice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat up frying pan to med high heat. Pour in 2 T oil. Then add the onion and pineapple. Stir and cook till onion is soft.

2. Add 2 T of lime juice, pepper to the pineapple mixture and the jalapeno. Cook 4 min and then set aside.

3. Heat frying pan add 2 T oil and then add chicken 2 T lime juice, and the pineapple juice. You could brown the chicken if you wanted to, before you add the juice.) Put on the lid and steam it, stirring it occasionally. Chop into smaller pieces.

4. Combine the pineapple salsa, rice and chicken and heat thoroughly.(You could serve them separately) Serve! You can garnish with cilantro.

*Taking seeds out of the jalapeno makes them less spicy!