Tutu Sisters

We finally had a break from the constant rain we've been having the past few days, so I took the opportunity to dress the girls in their tutus and snap a "few" shots....

Blooper shot....

(Kyla stuck an acorn on Lola's head just as Lola did a high-speed crawl away from her and Kyla leaped to grab it off her head)

Bbq Chicken Salad

We have a wonderful cafe, Jeannine's, here in SB that has the most wonderful coffee, pastries, soups, sandwiches and salads. One of my all time favorite salads is their Mexican bbq chicken salad. It's light and extremely flavorful! I picked the salad apart one day while eating it and came up with the "recipe", or my version at least. 

Serving size: 3

Ingredients:

1 head shredded romaine lettuce

1 head shredded red leaf lettuce 

1 can black beans

2 ears of fresh shucked corn

3/4 cup finely shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 -1/4 cup jicama sliced into 1/2 pieces

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast 

3 white corn tortillas

1/4 cup olive oil + more to drizzle over corn 

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp paprika 

1 avocado sliced

1/2 cup Bbq sauce plus more to garnish salad

Ranch dressing

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Clean chicken breast and place into a large plastic ziplock bag. Pour 1/2 cup bbq sauce and let marinade in the fridge for up to 30 min.

Mix olive oil, cayenne and paprika in a small bowl. Brush the olive oil mixture on both sides of each of the tortillas. Stack tortillas on top of each other. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Cut tortillas in 1/2 in width and 1 1/2in length pieces and place on baking sheet. Try not to overlap the tortilla pieces. Place in oven for about 7-10 minutes. Turn tortilla pieces over halfway through cooking time. Take out of the oven and set aside. Do not turn oven off.

Place shucked corn drizzled with olive oil on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes. Just until corn is slightly browned. Set aside.

Heat and prepare grill on med-high heat. Place chicken on grill and slather with remaining bbq sauce. Grill for about 7-10 minutes each side. Set aside in a sheet of aluminum foil. 

Drain black beans and place in a small sauce pot and simmer for 5-7 minutes. (You can always skip this step but I like my beans slightly cooked.) 

Place lettuce, corn, black beans, jicama in a large salad bowl toss with desired amount of ranch dressing. Place lettuce mixture on plate sprinkle 1/3 of cheese, 1/3 of tortilla strips, chicken and top with a few slices of avocado. Drizzle bbq sauce on top and enjoy!

Chicken fajitas with a chile and cheese rice

Fajita Ingredients:

• 1 cup minced cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish. (I used 1/2 cup cilantro. I'm not a big cilantro fan.)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 scallions, cut into 1-in pieces
• 2 cloves garlic (although I ALWAYS go heavy on garlic!!)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded
• 1 Tb honey
• Salt for taste
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 red onion skinned and cut into 1/2 rounds
• 1 orange and 1 yellow bell peppers , quartered, seeds removed
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 greek yogurt ( I used fage)
• 6 corn tortillas

Preparation:

• Place cilantro, lime juice, broth, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, honey and salt in a blender, puree until smooth. Reserve 2 Tb ; do not wash out blender.
• Place chicken breast into a bowl and the peppers and onions in a another. Divide the remaining cilantro mixture evenly between the chicken and the pepper/onion mixture. Toss well to coat; let stand for at least 3 min at room temp.
• Add avocado, 1/2 cup water, and the reserved 2 Tb cilantro sauce to blender. Puree until smooth and season with salt and pepper, set aside.
• Heat oil in skillet set over med heat until hot. Add cumin and coriander and continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 sec-1 min. Pour the spices over the yogurt and set aside for the flavors to blend.
• Preheat grill on med-high. Oil grates and grill chicken for about 12-15 and grill the veggies for about 5-8. 
• Let chicken rest for 10 min before serving. Place tortillas on grill until warmed.

Rice Ingredients:

• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1/4 large white onion
• 1 cup lon grain white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 ears corn kernels removed
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper
• 2 poblano (pasillas) chiles, charred, seeded, peeled, stemmed
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese

Preparation:

• Heat oil in med size skillet over me-high heat. Add onion until translucent, about 5 min. Add rice and cook until rice is opaque, about 10 min. Stir in the chicken broth and the corn kernels, then season the broth with salt and pepper, to taste, Bring mixture to boil. Reduce the heat to me-low heat, cover, and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 min.
• Preheat broiler. Using a fork. fluff the rice and stir in the chopped chiles, 1/2 sour cream, 1/2 cheese. Transfer rice to a 8 by 8 baking dish. Drizzle with remaining sour cream and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil until top is browned about 5-8 min. 
• Place onion/pepper mixture in the tortillas followed by the chicken topped with the fage and guac and sided with the rice.

Recipe Adapted from Food Network

Organic "Green" Smoothie

After my pilates class last Thursday I noticed my instructor sipping on a delicious smoothie, and I couldn't help but ask what the concoction was. Colleen, my pilates instructor, said it was mostly a green veggie drink consisting of kale and dandelion greens. She added some fruits and fruit juice to add some sweetness and a dash of color. I, of course, ran home to make it and it was YUMMY!! I also made a smaller version for Kyla and Lola but just added some yogurt for a creamier consistency. Both girls ate it right up! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 organic bundle of kale 
• 1/2 organic bundle of dandelion greens
• 1/2 organic cucumber
• 8 oz organic strawberries
• 6 oz organic blueberries
• 1 banana 
• 1 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 Tb organic flax seeds
• 3 oz yogurt any flavor (if desired)

Preparation: 

• Thoroughly wash all of the fruits and veggies in a veggie wash for 30 sec, rinse and let the kale and dandelion greens air dry or spin in a lettuce spinner. 
• Slice the cucumber and banana into 1 in thick pieces.
• Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth (about 3 min)
• Place in the freezer for 15 min and enjoy (if you don't have time to put in the freezer throw a few ice cubes in the blender.)
• Garnish with strawberries and blueberries.

Baked Salmon w/a Shallot, Tomato Sauce

This fish was extremely light and juicy. I usually sear my salmon and bake it but I think I may change my salmon ways. Baking/poaching the salmon really makes it very tender and soft. Instead of using just foil paper I placed parchment on top of the foil and wrapped the salmon. The salmon is very mild and I would suggest rubbing the salmon with minced garlic, subtracting the 1tsp oregano for 1/2 tsp, use 1Tb fresh thyme instead of dried and add extra spices to entice your taste buds!  

Ingredients:

• 4 (5 oz) Salmon fillets
• 2 tsp olive oil plus 2 Tb 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 3 tomatoes chopped
• 2 large shallots chopped
• 1Tb garlic, minced
• 2 Tb Lemon juice
• 1 tsp oregano (I used 1/2 tsp oregano)
• 1 tsp dried thyme (I used 1Tb fresh thyme)
• Add any other spices (I used 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe's)
• 1 cup brown rice (I use sweet brown rice)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper taste rice

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Rub the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Stir 2 cups chicken stock with 1 cup brown rice in a pot, bring to a boil then simmer covered for about 45 mins, stirring occasionally. 
• In a medium bowl stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 Tb olive oil, lemon, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and extra spices.
• Place salmon fillet skin side down on the parchment and foil paper spoon the tomato mixture on top of the salmon to completely cover the fish and seal the packet close. Repeat with the remaining salmon fillets.
• Place the wrapped salmon fillets on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. 
• Scoop the brown rice on a plate and place the salmon fillet on top of the rice. Spoon the sauce over the salmon and serve.

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Fontina, Caramelized-Onion and Pancetta Pizza

This pizza was an excellent blend of sweet (onions) and savory (pancetta). We loved this pizza! I modified this recipe by combining the canadian bacon and the pancetta together and adding about a 1/4 cup more fontina. This will definitely be a keeper in our menu rotation! 

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (either homemade or store bought. I get mine from our local organic grocers Lazy Acres)

1 Tb Olive oil

1 1/2 oz pancetta and canadian bacon combined

4 cups thinly sliced onion

1 Tb minced fresh thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup grated fontina cheese

Thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)

Cracked black pepperfor garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Prepare the pizza dough

Heat 1Tb in a large skillet over med-high heat; add pancetta, and saute for two mins. Add onions, salt, thyme and pepper; cook for 25 min or until onions are golden brown, stirring frequently. 

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.

Brush each prepared crust with olive oil; sprinkle half of the fontina on crust. Followed by the onion mixture topped with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 9 minutes or until the crust is browned. Garnish with thyme and sprinkle with pepper. 

Adapted by Cooking Light