Zippy Zucchini Bites

I made these zippy zucchini bites for my coworker's birthday (along with these). I call them zippy zucchini bites because I couldn’t remember the name from the original recipe I found on Pinterest when my coworkers asked me what they were. I called them zippy because they have sweet mint, spicy harissa, zesty lime & tangy goat cheese all rolled up into one little tasty bite, hence the original name. To me that warrants the name zippy, which is also just fun to say & who doesn’t love some alliteration(? <— nerd alert).

I’d make these again. You can make them ahead of time. I chilled mine overnight & then served them at room temperature. I think they’d be a perfect fresh bite for pre-Thanksgiving appetizers because they’re not heavy & really easy to eat! They're also gluten-free & a great non-carb to have on the table. Plus, any kind of rolled appetizer always looks super pretty & fancy, so your guests will be super impressed.

Thirsty Thursday: Summer (Detox) Mojito

This week’s Thirsty Thursday installment is at the other end of the spectrum from last week’s boozy brunch post - we’re talking detoxing today. My cousin - who is really more of a little sister to me, Irena Lambrou, is embarking on a new endeavor in juicing, keep an eye out for Zen Blendz Juice (!!!).  Irena desires to help others be the healthiest they can be through movement & nutrition.  This passion stems from her life as a yoga teacher (practice with her here if you're in Bellingham, Washington) & her grad school studies in Anthropology. 

One of Irena’s favorite juicing recipes comes from Choosing Raw. Since Irena knows I love a good mojito she thought this one would be right up my alley & it was. I will definitely make it again & maybe if I’m feeling less detox-y I’ll spike it with some rum! Plus, it's really pretty! Just look at that green frothy juice. Yum!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Salad with Mint, Walnuts & Arugula

Last week we were in Charleston, SC (ahhhh I love that place & I will share some pictures soon). Truth be told the majority of the food we ate was either fried or seafood - leaving little room left for anything green (unless you count fried green tomatoes).  Now that we’re back into the swing of a full week I’m doing my best to eat fresh - plus it’s spring (finally) so I always find myself wanting to eat more green things & just lighter in general.

I was flipping through the pages of Bon Appetite magazine & came across a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb salad. Being a forever fan of the pie version (my mom still makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie!). Coincidentally, my sister-in-law, Dulcie, asked me how else she could prepare rhubarb.  Clearly the universe was telling me that I needed to try out the salad.  It did not disappoint. It was every bit tangy & sweet that the pie is but in a healthy salady-bite. I did change it up a bit from the original recipe swapping out hazelnuts for walnuts & adding some arugla because it’s what I had on hand - & I just love arugula. (Check out this unexpected way to use arugula in your Cinco de Mayo cocktail that I stumbled upon at work & had to try out.)

PS: This recipe calls for mint. I could only find a small potted plant of the mint - wish me luck keeping her alive & green because my thumb is not.

PPS: Bon Appetit suggests not making this salad the night before in fear that the rhubarb will breakdown too much & become too soft. Make it as close to serving time as possible.

UPDATE: I ate all of the arugula out of the salad for dinner & had a lot of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture left so I refrigerated it overnight. I packed some arugula on top & some avocado & am currently enjoying it for lunch - maybe I didn't cut my rhubarb super thin but I have to say it's just as delicious on day 2.

Crunchy Spring Salad

Most Saturday mornings I make breakfast (this past week I made these five ingredient pancakes again) & then I get sucked into the Food Network vortex. It starts with just one show & then before I know it it’s noon & The Kitchen is on - a show I’m still deciding if I like but since I watch it every weekend I guess I do. Geoffrey Zakarian is one of the hosts of the show. He intimidates me. He has iron chef status & I’m pretty sure if we met in real life he’d have a difficult time taking me seriously. But this is why he lives in my TV & I can live vicariously via his cooking tips he dishes out on Saturday mornings & then blog about them here. This weekend he made this salad that just screamed spring to me. It had cucumber, green apples, mint & lemon.  So I had to make it given Saturday was the first day we’ve had where there was a break in this polar vortex & the sun shined through & the temps peaked in the high 50s!

This time of year always makes me want to eat a little cleaner & feel a little lighter in the process so salads are always on the menu. What’s your go-to spring food?

Refreshing Israeli Salad

Living in Hoboken & working in NYC I am spoiled by food inspiration.  One of my guiltiest pleasures is the Taim Mobile that dangerously close to my lunchtime neighborhood. It's a ritual, I always order the falafel sandwich with everything on it in a whole wheat pita - because that makes it healthier!  On their amazing menu tacked to the side of the truck is a wide variety to sides & other dishes, one of which is Israeli salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley & a lemon mint dressing.  Sounded easy & spring enough for me to make it, so I did. It's great by itself of in a wrap (more on that later). Make sure to click through to get this super simple recipe.

PS: a special welcome to the world to little baby Jonathan! I can not wait to meet you!!

Peaches with Basil Sugar

I love the flavors of a mojito, sweet, citrus-y & refreshing.  But why should mojitos have all the fun? Theses peaches with basil sugar taste like a virgin mojito that you can actually sink your teeth into.  Take advantage of your local farmers market & pick up what ever fruit is in season, sprinkle some of this basil sugar on top with a squeeze of citrus & you've got yourself a fresh desert in no time.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup tightly packed fresh herbs (try basil or mint)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 lime or lemon
• fresh fruit 

Make it:

1. In a food processor combine herbs & sugar until it looks like green sugar.
2. Slice fruit & place on dessert dishes.
3. Sprinkle fruit with herb sugar & squeeze a lime/lemon on top of each pile of fruit.

Strawberry Basil Mint Yogurt Pops

Since we're going through another heatwave on the east coast I felt the need to make some cold & refreshing treats with stuff I already had in the fridge.  Using yogurt & some fresh produce I made yogurt pops.

I think they make a pretty perfect summer dessert or breakfast (no judgements please)!

Click through for more pics & to get the recipe.

Fresh Herb & Fruit Chicken Salad

 

Chicken can get kind of monotonous so I'm always looking for new ways to make it.  I had some leftover grilled chicken in the fridge, so on a whim I chopped it up & added a bunch of fresh ingredients for a fresh & simple dinner.  How do you make your chicken without getting bored of it? Please share!

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups grilled chicken (cut into cubes)
• 1/2 english cucumber (cut into cubes)
• 1 carrot (shred with a box grater or make curls with a veggie peeler)
• 1 clove garlic (mince)
• 1 mango (cut into cubes)
• 5 mint leaves (chiffonade) 
• 5 basil leaves (chiffonade)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 cups baby arugula

Dressing Ingredients:

• juice of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

Make it:

1. Toss all salad ingredient together in a bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup mix all dressing ingredients together.
3. Toss salad with dressing & serve immediately.

Blackened Fish + Green Bean Quinoa

After a super decadent Fourth of July bbq at  Brian & Dulcie's house [read: there was lobster... enough said] I felt it was fitting to post about a decadent, yet simple way to make fish.  Make it blackened.  Basically you take a filet of fish dip in melted butter, coat it in spices & cook it on each side until it's cooked through & is white & flakey.  I went off this recipe using pollock & served green beans mixed with quinoa, fresh mint & basil for a simple yet filling meal.

Pasta with Minty Hot No Cook Sauce

On Saturday, I caught up on some of my DVRed Food Network shows.  I watched Giada make a super easy sauce that looked interesting (mint + habanero peppers!)  & easy (minimal cooking required), so made it that night. Since all you are doing for this recipe is just boiling some water for pasta, this is really a perfect summer dinner.  I bet it would make great left overs - but there weren't any... next time.

Now, I'm thinking that maybe I dreamed the whole thing because I can't find the link on line, so I'll give you my rendition at the very least of what I believed to have watched Giada make.

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2. 2 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
3. 2 handfuls of fresh mint leaves
4. 1 jalapeno pepper (or habanero) - halved with seeds & ribs removed (leave the seeds if you want it extra hot!)
5. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
6. salt
7. pepper
8. 1/2 cup freshly grated roman cheese*

Make it!

1. Puree the first seven ingredients together in a food processor or blender & set aside.
2. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente.
3. Drain pasta & toss immediately with romano cheese (if you only have parmesan - use that too - this extra cheese helps the sauce stick to the pasta. mmm cheese!)
4. Add the minty hot sauce to the pasta, toss & serve.
5. If you're up to throwing another ingredient into the mix add some cut steamed asparagus.

 

Check after the jump to see if this recipe was hubby approved...