Spiced Mahi-Mahi with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa

I love salsa. 

It's got great, fresh and bold flavors using the simplest ingredients.  This recipe includes fresh pineapple, black beans, some lime juice and other veggies.  It's so versatile too, I served it with this amazingly flavorful spiced fish but it would work so many other ways.  Steak, chicken, pork...some tortilla chips, your left shoe...

It's actually a super easy recipe, I served with some bitter greens just to offset the flavors but you'd be fine with just about anything. 

Start by marinating your fish or chicken.  I took the mahi-mahi and seasoned with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and lime juice.  Rubbed it in really well and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then I heated up a pan with about 1-2 tsp olive oil and seared on both sides until cooked through. 

Here's the recipe for the salsa- I hope you enjoy it! 

Black Bean and Pineapple Salsa
2 plum tomatoes, seeds removed and
chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 small red onion, minced
1/2 can low sodium black beans, washed and drained
1 cup diced pineapple
Juice of one lime
1 tsp olive oil
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped (I HATE cilantro, but use it if you like it!)
Sea salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Mix ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. 

That's it!  I laid out the salsa, and placed the fish on top and went to town! 

Tip- Try with some really good quality salmon, grill it with just a little bit of lime or lemon juice.  Simple, clean and delicious. 

(21 Day Fixers- I counted one purple container of the salsa as one half yellow and one half purple. That's my best estimate! )

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Cool Hwhip (Not a typo)

I am so in love with squash right now.  They replace every fattening and delicious starch you can think of!  Sweet potatoes, spaghetti, mashed potatoes...squash can fill any void and satisfy any craving.  That sounds dirty...now I like it even more.

Roast it, mash it, stuff it, fritter it, grate it, bake it, boil it, just cook it and eat it.

I knew I was making Herbed Chicken Meatloaf  tonight but I just wasn't in the market for heavy mashed potatoes tonight and with my husband working late and a 13 month old attached to my legs I just didn't have the time to peel and chop.

This recipe was PERFECTION.   The satisfaction of mashed potatoes with half the carbs and calories and twice the flavor.  Enjoy it!


Maple Whipped Butternut Squash

1 large butternut squash
Coconut oil spray
Sea salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or whatever you have on hand)
1 tbsp fresh thyme
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 400. Cut the top and bottom off the squash and cut in half (be careful, they're bastards).  Scoop out the seeds and spray with coconut oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet CUT SIDE DOWN.  Bake for an hour.

Place the butter,half the almond milk, thyme and syrup in a large mixing bowl.  When the squash is done, remove from the oven and scoop the flesh from the skin immediately and place into the large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.  Whip with a hand mixer for 1 minute or until smooth.  Add more milk if needed.



Tip- Honey would be a great replacement for the syrup, just don't use as much.  Also, any homey herbs (sage, rosemary) would work.

(21 Day Fixers- Good news!! This counts as GREEN! (And a tsp for the butter)

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More Stuff.

Get it?  I stuffed some more stuff.  Are you surprised by now?

This was my first attempt at stuffing a pork tenderloin!  I'd never tried it before, honestly because it made me nervous!  But I'm so happy I did it, and I'm even more happy I was moderately successful.
If you're not comfortable handling molesting raw meat, you can ask your butcher to butterfly it for you! Then you stuff it, roll it up and you're done.  If you want to try it like I did, this is the tutorial I used for the method.  I did not, however, wrap it in caul fat.  I didn't even watch that part because it sounded too tempting.

I also decided to stuff this bad boy with Mediterranean flair.  Truthfully, I had a bit of leftover goat cheese to use up and I knew it would taste awesome with the pork and the rest of the flavors.  I also did not use twine to bind it, which left it open to fall apart.  I was lucky it didn't, so I'll definitely be working with the twine next time.

Not the easiest recipe, but not the hardest either!  Enjoy!


Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin
2 cups spinach
1 half red onion, sliced thin
4 oz soft goat cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced and seeds removed

Spread goat cheese on the pork loin, then the tomato, red onion and spinach.  Roll the loin up around the ingredients until it is tightly wrapped.  Then tie with twine or wrap tightly in tin foil or saran wrap and refrigerate for an hour (at least).

Heat a pan to medium high heat with 2 tsps olive oil.  Unwrap your pork loin and sear each side until browned.  If your loin is twined, add to a baking dish.  It it isn't, place in tin foil and wrap tightly.  Please in the oven at 375 for 45 minutes (this was a small loin.  Add time if your loin is bigger).

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  I served this with sauteed Brussels sprouts and a baked potato!

Tip-Some low sodium ham, spinach and provolone would be amazing stuffed in some pork loin.  Try it out!  (I'm going to next time for sure!)

(21 Day Fixers- I used my best judgment on this since I didn't want to destroy the pork trying to measure it.  I counted two slices as 1 red, 1 blue, 1 tsp.  The vegetables wilted down so much inside the pork, I didn't count them)

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Big, Bold, Blam.

As a home cook/foodie, I definitely like to branch out with my flavors.  But, I have a huge love affair with the BIG BOLD flavors of Thai, Asian, and Mediterranean foods.  Not only because they taste great and are so easy to adapt but also because they're usually so fresh tasting, and don't weigh you down like heavy gravies or sauces might!  The flavors are bright and happy, and that makes me bright and happy !

The use of peanut butter in this recipe might give you pause, but please trust me!  It adds such a solid and creamy back flavor to this fish, you won't be sorry you tried it!

Spicy Thai Peanut Tuna with Gingered Quinoa

Four 4 oz. Tuna steaks
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp Sriracha (more or less is just fine)
2 tsp pure maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup water

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and marinate the fish for 1/2 hour.  Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium high heat and spray a little coconut oil.  Sear the fish for 2 minutes on each side, spooning a little of the marinade over top at the end. (I cooked these med rare-med.  If you like them more rare, cook for 1 minute.  If you like them less rare, try 3 minutes)

Gingered Quinoa

1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive or coconut oil
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup chicken broth

(I used a rice cooker but you could follow the same method on your stovetop).  Allow oils to warm up in the bottom of your rice cooker, then add the ginger and garlic.  Let saute for a few minutes until softened.  Add quinoa, soy sauce, water and chicken broth.  Cover the rice cooker and cook as usual.

I served with steamed broccoli with a little orange zest and garlic.

Tips:  This could very easily be translated to chicken, or shrimp.  You'd also have the option to pour all of the marinade in with the protein and allow to thicken, then it would be yummy over some brown rice!

(21 Day Fixers- My entire plate was 2 red, 2 teaspoons, 1.5 yellows, 1 green.  If you use the Tip offered above and use the marinade to make a sauce, please increase your teaspoons accordingly).

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Can I say something crazy?

Cauliflower makes the best cheese sauce.  I know, it's bizarre.  Cauliflower is becoming one of the new trendy vegetables; it does anything we want it to!  It can become a pizza crust, rice and now a creamy, delicious cheese sauce.

I was given a challenge in my Just A Mommy With MS group on Facebook to come up with a healthy alternative to macaroni and cheese.  (I do Healthy Recipe Friday in that group) I had seen a recipe with steamed cauliflower to make Alfredo sauce, so I thought I could try to turn that over into a cheese sauce.  And I'm so glad I did, it really makes a creamy and rich sauce.  You'd never believe it's mostly veggies! (Great way to sneak it to your kids!)

I hope you like it as much as I do!


Cauliflower Mac N Cheese-

1 cup cauliflower steamed in a bit of chicken broth
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
Milk
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Once the cauliflower is nice and tender, transfer to a blender with some of the cooking liquid.  Add the cheddar, cottage cheese, salt and pepper and a splash of the milk.  Blend until smooth (if it's too thick for you add a little more milk).  Pour over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

Tip- Omit the cheddar and add some parmesan and a little garlic if you'd like.  Alfredo!

(21 Day Fixers-  This is enough for two servings of pasta so it counts as 1 green, 1 red, 1 blue, 2 yellow)

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Breakfast Frittata

This is one of my favorites!  Some Sundays my husband and I just like to have a nice brunch, something healthy but nice and satisfying.  

I love to make these frittatas, or "crustless quiche" and the great thing about them is that you can add pretty much anything you have in the fridge! Get creative! 

Breakfast Frittata:

Two cups onions, halved and sliced 
Four cups spinach loosely packed
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tsp olive oil
6 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese

Caramelize the onions in 2 tsps of olive oil on med low heat (Low and slow til they're nice and brown and creamy. I like some thyme in there too)
While they're going, saute mushrooms and add to a baking dish (6X6). Add sauteed spinach on top of the mushrooms, then the onions. Then add the cheese. Whisk the eggs last and pour over veggies. DO NOT STIR. Move the pan around and tap to make sure the eggs distribute.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes- serves 4

21 Day Fixers- 1 serving would be 1 red, 2 green, 1 blue, 1 tsp 

Tip: Layer the bottom of the pan with thinly sliced potatoes.  They get crispy and are great with the eggs.  (21 Day Fixers- add a yellow) 

Adventures in Shakeology 

I've always had the same Shakeology...chocolate.  And I always put the same ingredients in it.  Frozen banana, peanut butter, spinach and almond milk.  I received a bag of strawberry from a friend and got to try it, I actually really enjoyed it.  I'm looking forward to trying vanilla next! 

If you don't know what Shakeology is, ask me about it!  It's dense superfood in a delicious shake, with all natural ingredients.  Curbs cravings, boosts energy, etc.  And as someone with MS I can tell you between my new lifestyle changes, and the exercise with the Shakeology I can really see a difference in the way I feel.  Amazing! 

Strawberry Marzipan Shakeology 

1 scoop Strawberry Shakeology 

1/2 frozen banana 

2 tsps almond butter

1 cup (1 green container) spinach  

4 oz almond milk

4 oz water

1 cup of ice. 

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy!  Enjoy!

 

Healthy Pumpkin All The Things!!

Fall is here, and Halloween is right around the corner!  I love Halloween, and Thanksgiving...especially Thanksgiving.  Enjoying the pumpkin madness has been a little bit difficult for me, mostly because of my relocation to South Florida from Pennsylvania.  It's hard to feel that Autumn joy in a tank top and flip flops.  But, I live near the beach so I can't really complain! 

Since beginning my healthy lifestyle I really like to keep healthy snacks in the house, especially for when my sweet tooth hits! These have been a wonder, for soothing the sweet tooth and for giving me a little taste of Fall! I hope you like them as much as I do! 

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies

2 tbsp+ 1 tsp almond butter
1 cup pure pumpkin puree 
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips 
1/4 cup chopped pecans 
1 cup rolled or quick cooking steel cut oats 

Preheat oven to 350.  Place parchment, wax or tin foil on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, almond butter and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Add chips, pecans and oats and mix until combined.  Spoon by tablespoon full onto cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!  

(21 Day Fixers- Two cookies equals one yellow treat replacement) 

Tip:  Sprinkle a little pumpkin pie spice into your coffee filter in the morning with your coffee grinds before brewing.  Automatic pumpkin spice coffee!