Super Ripe Fruit Smoothie

The super ripe plums really make this smoothie sweet. Must try!

Serves 2 - 8 ounce Smoothies

2 Super Ripe Plums
1 cup halved strawberries
1 super ripe black frozen banana
1 tsp flax seeds
1 tbsp Honey
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
a few ice cubes for desired consistancy

Throw everything in the blender and combine. Enjoy!

Shrimp Diavelo

This is a great dish for the spice and white wine lover. Lots of red pepper flakes along with some tart, dry white wine make these little shrimps sing! Serve over pasta or just serve alone, either way, full of delicious, complex flavors.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a meal with pasta. Enjoy!

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus just a pinch when serving
  
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced (red or yellow, your choice)
  
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
  
• 1 cup dry white wine (rec. Barbadillo)
  
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside.

Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

Veggie Cream Cheese

I just realized that I need to create a new section on the blog that is specific to condiments, dressings and spreads. I make most of my condiments and dressings. Here's one I came up with last night. I had tons of radishes, big ones from the Farmer's Market so I'm looking for anyway to use them up. This was great on toast and with veggie crudite.
Makes about 1 cup.
Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped carrots
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion, white and green part
• 1 large radish, finely chopped
• 3 inches piece of celery, finely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce or Worcestershire Sauce

Roasted Marinated Zucchini

It's Zucchini Time! Here's a simple, easy recipe for all that zucchini that seems to be piling up in the fridge.

1 Large Zucchini
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
Fresh ground pepper

Slice the zucchini into long narrow strips.

Combine the remaining ingredients into a jar with top and shake until the olive oil is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the zucchini, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Lay the zucchini over a baking sheet. Place on the top rack of the oven and roast 7 minutes or until edges start to brown.

Enjoy!

The roasted strips can be eaten straight OR a great sandwich or wrap filling.

Yogurt Veggie Dip

I thought I bought Vanilla yogurt but I bought plain! So I decided to make a dip so I could eat all the veggies I got this weekend at the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market.

1 cup Plain Yogurt
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 scallion chopped.
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp lemon

Mix together, chill and enjoy with vegetable crudite.

Baked Jasmine Rice with Chicken and Black Beans

I bought a rotisserie chicken from Safeway yesterday, it was on sale for $5. I made a sandwich which was delicious and then shredded the rest of the chicken. I made chicken stock out of the chicken bones which yielded 12 cups of stock. Then I made the following the recipe. Note - I still have almost a cup chicken left that I'm going to put in my famous "big" salad tomorrow for lunch. So this is really what is called "stretching your dollar".

Baked Jasmine Ric with Chicken and Black Beans

3/4 cup yellow onion chopped
1 garlic glove minced
1/2 chili pepper chopped (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 cup black beans
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (white and dark meat)
3/4 c. jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion, garlic and peppers for 5 minutes, add spices, salt and pepper. Add black beans and chicken, stir until combined. Lower heat Do not overcook. Stir constantly about 3 minutes. Put into 8 x 8 glass casserole dish. pour rice over chicken mixture. Pour chicken broth over entire dish. Make sure rice is covered throughout.
Cover with aluminum foil tightly. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Serve hot.
Enjoy!

Spicy Veggie Tofu Soft Tacos

I was very absent in May so I will make up for it in June. Here is a great tofu recipe and very healthy. When I get back from Sayulita, Mexico next week, I will be blogging my face off about Mexico food and hopefully lots of different spices and flavors I have yet to learn.

These are great, quick and healthy. I love cooking new things that combine zucchini and tofu that are not your typical stir fry. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices (about 2 cups)
1 cups sliced mushrooms (I used button, whatever you have on hand is great)
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, cut into 1/4″ strips
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-oz. can of tomato paste or 6 oz. from cooked can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin or 1/4 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 pkg. 12 oz Tofu Extra Firm, cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 2 cups)
3 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 1 cup) or 1/2 can tomatoes from puree
10 soft taco wheat tortillas

Optional: avocado slices for garnish.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat olive oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine tomato paste (or cooked tomato puree), water, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, cumin and pepper in a small bowl; add the mixture to the skillet.
5. Gently stir in the tofu cubes and plum tomatoes. Reduce heat to low; cover and heat through, about 5 minutes.
6. To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of mixture into each of the heated tortillas.