Mango Peach Lemonade

This may be the best lemonade I've ever had!

1 mango, pitted and peeled
3 medium peaches, pitted
1 cup fresh lemon and/or lime juice
3/4 cup agave nectar (may substitute 1 cup sugar)
water

Put all ingredients in blender with some water and blend until smooth. Add water and ice to make 2 quarts. This recipe can be adapted in dozens of ways. You can use 2 mangoes and no peaches, or 4 peaches and no mangoes. Try using blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, nectarines, cherries, or kiwi!

Salsa de Tomatillo (Green Chile Salsa)

I am in love with this recipe. I always buy canned enchilada sauce and I'm never really satisfied with it. It's too hot, or too mild, or has too much fat, or is too thin. Well no longer! From now on I'm making my sauce from scratch! If I knew how easy this was I would have done it a long time ago! This makes a thick, flavorful sauce that you can dip chips in, use in your enchiladas, throw on top of tamales, you name it! Its totally healthy, so you can eat as much as you want. Use more or less peppers according to your taste. Throw everything in the blender and simmer for 15 minutes. Hello! Why didn't I make this years ago?!

Salsa De Tomatillo

1 pound tomatillos, husked and quartered

1 small onion, quartered

2 cloves garlic

1 serrano chile pepper, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

Handful of fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Place all ingredients into blender and blend to desired consistency. Pour into saucepan and simmer 15 minutes.

Aloha Chicken Salad and Pina Colada Vinaigrette

Richard found this recipe to use for a scout campout. Those boys were spoiled with gourmet food! This salad is a knock-off of Zupas salad. The Vinaigrette is SO yummy!

Aloha Chicken Salad

3 romaine lettuce hearts, chopped

2 large cans mandarin oranges, drained

1 large can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 red onion, diced

1/2 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 chicken breasts, cooked, cooled & cubed

1 1/2 cups tortilla strips, optional

toasted coconut, optional

Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl or layer on a platter.  Top with tortilla strips and toasted coconut if desired. Serve with Piña Colada Vinaigrette dressing.

Piña Colada Vinaigrette

1 1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup Mr. & Mrs. T's piña colada drink mix (a white liquid in a tall bottle, find it in the liquor isle, with the cocktail mixes)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. ginger powder

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

In a blender combine all ingredients. Keep blending until the dressing is emulsified & thickened.  

Adapted from www.ourrecipeclub.blogspot.com

 

Coconut syrup

Divine. What more can I say?

1/4 cup butter *see note   
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 cup sugar        
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract
1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Place butter, buttermilk, corn syrup, and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda, flavoring, and coconut. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

*You can substitute extra virgin coconut oil for the butter. Very delicious. Coconut oil is a saturated fat like butter, but it is all healthy fat and no cholestrol! It works great in this recipe. I also love to spread it on my toast instead of butter. Delicious!

Sourdough Waffles

I have a recipe for Overnight Waffles on here that is quite similar. This recipe is MUCH healthier than that one and I think it tastes just as good!

1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry flour makes for a very good texture. You can buy it in bulk at Winco.)
1 Tablespoon sugar, splenda, or honey

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg whites or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites

1. Before going to bed, combine the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients except for the eggs. The mixture will be loose. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside overnight at room temperature

2. Preheat the waffle iron and spray with cooking spray if needed. Beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter. Batter may be thin.

3. Pour batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your iron. Serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.

Chile Relleno Casserole

This is actually nothing like a chile relleno, but hey, it still tastes good! I used 93% lean ground turkey instead of ground beef, and it was so delicious. Adapted from allrecipes.com.

 

Chile Relleno Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 packet taco seasoning

1 or 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers, drained

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

4 eggs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, combine the ground beef, onions and garlic and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned; drain excess fat. Add taco seasoning and green chiles and stir to combine.

3. Spread mixture in a 7x11 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, flour and milk, whisking until smooth. Pour into the baking dish over the cheese.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Everyone loves chicken enchiladas. There are so many ways to make them and so many recipes out there to choose from. I am in love with this recipe. Why? Because not only are they SO good, they are much healthier than your 1 pound of cheese and 1/2 pound sour cream variety. You won't miss the extra calories. To make this way easy, cook a bunch of chicken breasts in the crockpot with chicken broth or bouillon for 5 or 6 hours, then shred. Freeze the leftovers for another day! Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

 

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

2 cups (8 oz) shredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

1 2/3 cups plain nonfat yogurt (I like Zoi brand Greek yogurt)

1/3 cup salsa

1 small onion, chopped and sautéed

1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

8 (8 in) flour tortillas or 12 corn tortillas

1 (14 oz) can green enchilada sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except for tortillas and enchilada sauce in a large bowl. Remove 1 cup of chicken mixture and set aside. Wrap tortillas in a clean dish cloth and microwave 1 minute or until warm. Coat a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray. Place a tortilla in the pan; fill with chicken mixture; roll up and place seam side down. Repeat with all the tortillas. Spread any remaining chicken mixture plus reserved chicken mixture evenly over enchiladas. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas if desired. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  If desired, uncover; sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheese and 1/4 cup diced green onions and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.