Fruit Dip

This fruit dip is super good!! I used the pineapple to be a container for holding the dip. It was such a cute presentation for the baby shower. The dip makes a lot so I would plan this for a large group or do half the recipe. Original Recipe found here.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup marshmallow creme
• 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
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Directions

Blend together the cream cheese, marshmallow cream and thawed topping. Add enough pineapple juice to make it dipping consistency. Chill for 1 hour.

Enjoy !!

-Christina

Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta

A beautiful hot day calls for a light and FRESH meal! The basil with the shrimp and asparagus are the perfect match for a spring (feels like summer) day.

This recipe is done in no time at all, I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to have it again. In my book, shrimp have to have a crunch, so does the asparagus. Do you have a preference?

Here it is folks: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 package of linguine or spaghetti
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 Tbs olive oil, separated
• 2 Tbs lemon juice (fresh if available)
• 2 Tbs cold water
• Salt to taste
• 1.5 lbs of fresh asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 lbs large shrimp, cleaned and deveined (you can also use pre-cooked shrimp, just add the shrimp later so that they don't get soggy)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain them and toss them in 1 Tsb olive oil.
2. In a food processor or blender, add basil, garlic, lemon juice, water, 2 Tbs olive oil, and 1/2 tsp salt until smooth. 
3. In another pot, add asparagus, and cook until tender crisp (don't over cook). Drain, and set aside.
4. In a large skillet, add 1 Tbs olive oil. Add shrimp, red pepper, and 1/4 tsp of sea salt. If the shrimp are not pre-cooked, cook for 5-6 minutes until pink (don't over cook). If they are pre-cooked, cook for about a minute to heat them up and to mix with the red pepper and salt.
5.  In a large bowl, toss pasta with basil mixture. Stir in shrimp and asparagus and toss again. 
6. Serve and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

Cathy

Sichuan Dan Dan noodles

• Another Friday is here! Made this about a month ago, and it was delicious and reminded me of pad thai, and it's simple!

I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:

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• 12 ounces wide rice noodles
• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs chopped peeled ginger
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 Tbs oil
• 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 4 tsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
• Pinch of sugar
• 4 Tbs chopped roasted peanuts
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

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Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the noodles according the package directions.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until partially cooked but still half pink. 
3. Add ginger and continue cooking until pork is cooked through and starting to brown.
4. Stir in chicken stock, chili oil, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, tahini, and fresh ground pepper. Season with a little sugar, then bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens, 7-10 minutes.
5. Add noodles to the skillet and toss well in the sauce. Once noodles are heated through, taste for salt and sugar. Transfer to bowls and top with peanuts and scallions. Serve immediately.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cathy

Best Chicken Marinade EVER

My hubby is obsessed with chicken and he is always looking for new marinades. We found one similar to this but tweeked it to fit our likes.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbs. mustard
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh parsley 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Stir in mustard powder, salt, pepper, and parsley. Use to marinate chicken before cooking as desired. The longer you marinate, the more flavor it will have.
   
   
   
   

Note: You can freeze the marinade when done using it and reuse it in the future.

Enjoy!
Christy

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu with Wok Steamed Collards and Quinoa

So when I made this, it actually didn't smell very good. Usually you know something will taste good when it smells good, and when it smells bad, well that's not a good sign at all. When my husband came through the door, he secretly thought the same thing, "what on earth is she making?"

Well to both of our surprises, it tasted delicious! You can find the original recipe here over at the 'VeganYumYum' site (with more appetizing pictures demonstrating every step!)

We actually WILL make this again, and it's a great dish and very different from our usual.

Here we go: Serves 2-3

1 Block Tofu, extra firm, 14 oz

Sweet Chili Lime Sauce
3 Tbs Sugar
3 Tbs Reduced Sodium Tamari (or soy sauce)
1 3/4 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 Zest of the Lime
1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes (or 1-2 fresh hot chilies, minced)
1 Clove Garlic, pressed, optional
1/4 tsp Salt
4 Mint Leaves, chiffonaded (optional, I didn't have these and it was still good)

Quinoa
3/4 Cup Quinoa, rubbed/rinsed in cool water, drained
1/2 Zest Lime
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/3 Cup Water

Wok Steamed Collards
1 Bunch Collard Greens, middle veins removed, washed
2-3 Tbs Water
1 Pinch Salt
1 tsp Lime Juice

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the quinoa in a pot that has a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, then turn off heat. Do not open lid. Let steam for 10 minutes before serving.
2. Prepare the sweet chili lime sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together until the sugar and salt is dissolved.
3. Drain tofu and cut it into small squares or triangles.
4. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. A 10″ skillet will fit all the tofu, so if you’re using a smaller skillet, you’ll need to do this in batches. In order to properly “dry fry” the tofu, you’ll need a pan the tofu won’t stick to even without any oil. 
5. Spread the tofu out in one layer in the pan. Using a spatula, press the tofu. The liquid will squeeze out and boil away, and the tofu will begin to turn golden. The more water that evaporates, the sturdier the tofu will be, so be gentle at first to prevent the tofu from breaking up. After several minutes, flip the tofu over and press the other side. After about 10 minutes of dry frying proceed to adding the sauce (step 7 is how to finish the tofu).
6. While dry frying the tofu, stack the collard leaves on top of each other, 3-4 at a time, and roll. Slice the roll in 3/4 inch segments. Run your knife through the chopped collards to make smaller pieces, then add them to a wok with the water, lime juice and salt. Cover with any lid that will contain the collards and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes until the collards are steamed and tender.
7. To finish the tofu, you want to heat the pan and the tofu over high heat, making sure the tofu is hot all the way through. Add the sauce and stir to coat the tofu. Turn off the heat. The sauce will bubble up, reduce, and form a glaze. If it isn’t bubbling up and forming a glaze, turn the heat back on high and cook until it glazes.

For plating, arrange the collards atop of a bed of quinoa. Add tofu over the top, drizzling any leftover sauce over the dish. Garnish with lime slices and mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Cathy

Chocolate Scotcheroos

I absolutely love these. I remember the first time I had them. I kept going back for more...until they were all gone, awesome. The original recipe was found here.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and corn syrup, and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter. Mix in the rice cereal until evenly coated. Press the mixture into the prepared pan.
3. In a glass bowl in the microwave, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips, stirring occasionally until smooth and well blended. Spread over the top of the bars. Chill until set, then cut into bars.

Note: in the picture I tried "icing" melting butterscotch chips on the top but it looked horrible...seriously. So instead melt the butterscotch chips and dip a spoon into the melted chips and drizzle over the chocolate topping.

Enjoy !!

-Christy

Spinach Cheese Bites

These are so stinkin' good! This is a mama B original and she used to make them all the time when we had company over. They are so quick and so easy to make.


Ingredients

• 6 oz. swiss or havarti cheese, grated
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 package of fresh spinach, chopped finely
• 2/3 cup mayonaise
• 8 English Muffins (plain or cheese)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl to form a thick paste.

2. Slice the muffins in half. Spread the paste mixture onto each muffin slice.

3. Bake 10-12 min at 350 degrees F

4. Cut each slice into quarters.

Note: If you wash the spinach leaves, make sure they are completely dry before chopping them. Also, This can be prepared early in the day to be baked later that night. 

Enjoy !!

-Christy