Stuffed Jalapeño Chile Poppers

Looking for a fun appetizer this Memorial Day? Look no further. These hot little peppers are incredible on the grill. Cut the tops off, scoop out the seeds and stuff them with any variety of cheese, bacon, chutney, you name it. Once you've had these succulent little poppers you won't believe you've lived without them for so long.










Wondering how to grill these babies? Well leave it to Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible and How to Grill, for coming up with the Chile Pepper Grill Rack. This stainless steel, dishwasher-safe device makes it easy to impress your friends with poppers and anything else you can think to do with it. It comes with a chile corer that makes removing the membrane and seeds a snap.

Of course if you're having company for Memorial Day like most of us this rack holds 18 Jalapeño peppers. Although that may sound like a lot believe me it's not. You may want to purchase two of these racks since they are going to be the hit of the party. They're so good you just can't get enough of them.

I'm sure you're wondering how to make them. Well here's a video I found that SurLaTable put together using one of Raichlen's recipes. However, be creative and come up with your own.

Here are a couple other stuffing ideas that you might like to try.

4 ounces of goat cheese, softened
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
½ teaspoon Asian Chili Sauce

In a bowl, mix together the goat cheese, chives, zest and Chili Sauce and put into a pastry bag or zip lock baggie with the tip cut off.

After cutting the tops off the Jalapeño Peppers and coring out the seeds, insert the tip of your pastry bag and squeeze the cheese mixture inside. Place chile peppers in the Chile Pepper Grill Rack then pop on the grill and see the magic happen.

You can also use a mixture of equal parts mango chutney or apricot jam and cream cheese. Stuff the same as above.

Trust me, if you grill these poppers up, family and friends will be talking about them for weeks. YUM!

Check out your local stores for these incredible racks or find them here.

You'll wonder how you ever lived without them!

Pineapple Sorbet

I just happened to be going through the grocery store yesterday when they were having their samplings of various summertime recipes. The one I sampled was so smooth, cool, refreshing and delicious that I went through the isles to pick up the three simple ingredients that were required to make it.

This recipe takes all of 10 minutes to prepare and can be whipped up in no time in your blender or food processor.




Since it was so hot out yesterday none of us felt like eating much for dinner. Tuna fish salad and fresh fruit was what appealed to us. So for dessert I thought this Pineapple Sorbet would be divine. And it was! It was just enough to satisfy the sweet craving we have after eating dinner.

If you're looking for a quick and delightful dessert to put together try this. It's wonderful.

Not a fan of pineapple, then try using peaches or mangoes instead with either vanilla yogurt or one that you like. I honestly don't think you could mess this up whatever you select.

Here's the recipe:

Pineapple Sorbet

1 package (16 ounces) frozen pineapple chunks
1 container (6 ounces) light or fat free lemon chiffon yogurt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
fresh berries for garnish (optional)

In a food processor or blender add first 3 ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve immediately garnished with fresh berries if desired or place in the freezer and serve later for a firmer texture.

Now how easy was that? Delicious!!!

Cool Beans Ice Cube Tray

Cool Beans Ice Cube Trays are cool in more ways than one:

It cools your iced coffee, iced cappuccino or latte.
It looks cool doing it.
Since you make Cool Beans ice cubes with coffee or espresso, your drink won’t dilute, like it would with regular ice cubes.

The goal of these jumbo coffee bean-shaped cubes is to keep your beverage strong and undiluted. You don’t have to brew coffee just to make the cubes. Make it from the coffee you brew for daily drinking, especially since there's usually some leftover.

So instead of pouring out the unused brewed coffee left in the pot, pour it into the Cool Beans Ice Cube Tray. Don't have enough leftover? Then store it in a jar and put it in the refrigerator and keep adding to it until you have enough to fill a Cool Beans Ice Cube Tray.

No more ice cubes melting in your coffee. With Cool Beans your iced coffee will never dilute again.

Ice Coffee Tips:

A fun thing you can do is to add a rock sugar swizzle stick to your iced beverage. These are stir sticks with thick rock candy on the end. You can buy these in most candy stores. Another idea is to use a cocktail shaker. Mixing your iced coffee drinks in this will make them extra frothy.

When making iced coffee it's important to remember that the taste depends on the bean. A darker roast coffee blend yields a better iced coffee. Experiment with different roasts and flavors to see what you like the best. Maybe you could mix a couple of flavors of coffee together and use this custom blend to make your iced coffee with. Short on ideas? Check out the menu variations at Starbucks.

Search the various recipe web sites for different types of iced coffees. The possibilities are endless! Do a search for iced coffee recipes and just see what you can find. Flavor packets are also available to add to your iced coffee for additional flavor combinations.

Of course, you can make coffee ice cubes in any ice cube tray. But Cool Beans adds some charisma to your iced coffee, plus it's a fun gift for any coffee lover. I think they'd make a great gift for Father's Day or as a hostess gift for a summer luncheon or bbq.

I love gadgets, I just wish I'd start coming up with some of these ideas.

High Energy, HIgh Protein Granola Bars

It's that time of year when everyone starts coming out of the woodwork. With the weather warming up we tend to stay outdoors for hours or all day doing yardwork, biking, swimming, running, hiking, etc.

However, oftentimes that means being out someplace where you don't have access to the refrigerator. So you have to bring along a beverage to quench your thrist and something to keep your energy level up so you don't collapse.




I love to make homemade granola like I made in a previous post as well as granola bars. In fact when we're hiking in the mountains of Colorado for hours on end we always bring some with us and even some sort of wrap, usually turkey, in our backpacks.

Here's a simple recipe for high energy, high protein granola bars. This isn't a low fat bar but packs the punch to fuel your body for hours.

Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients for ones you prefer. I'll give a list of some other alternatives at the bottom of the recipe.

High Energy, High Protein, Granola Bar
(serving size depends on how you slice them)

Preheat oven to 350 degree

Line a 9 1/2 x 13" pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Dry Ingredients:

3 cups whole grain cereal (I used Kashi GoLean w/13g of protein)
1/2 cup nuts or seeds ( I used chopped raw almonds and sunflower seeds)
1 small pack of ground Flax Seed - approximately 1 tablespoon or more if you like
(Flax Seed is high in Omega-3 Oils and Lignans)
1/2 cup dried fruit or a mix - (I used figs & apricots)


Mix dry ingredients together and set aside

Wet Ingredients:

1/4 cup sunflower butter
3/4 cup honey
plus 2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix wet ingredients plus cinnamon in a sauce pan and heat to a boil. Pour over the dry ingredients and blend together.

Spread out into your sheet pan edge to edge and pack firmly down.

Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Pull out block of granola by foil and turn over onto a cutting board. You can slice into squares or make a horizontal slice down the center and then cut into individual bar shapes. Can wrap individually in wax or parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Note:

If you don't want to use sunflower butter feel free to use any other kind such as: peanut, almond, cashew, etc. If it's all natural and doesn't contain salt add a pinch to your wet ingredients after cooking.

Any type of combination of dried fruits would be great. Just make sure they are cut up into small squares so they're easy to eat. You can add dried craisins, raisins, pineapple, etc.

In place of honey you could use Agave Nectar, Maple Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, etc.

Any combination of nuts will work depending on what you like. If you're allergic then don't add any. Sunflower seeds and butter are a good alternative to those with allergies. If you love chocolate add chocolate chips or m&m's

Be creative and if you like you can add different extracts or oils, even sesame seed oil for some great flavor.

Have fun with these.

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

I think most of us try these days to eat a healthy diet. Of course we all have our moments when we have to eat pizza or ice cream or even chocolate plus a whole host of other junk foods.

What I hate though is when you try to eat right and be textbook, so to speak, only to find out that what you've been eating all these years is harmful to your health.

What I'm talking about is the news that came out the other day about pesticides on your fruit and vegetables. I eat oatmeal every morning with frozen mangoes and blueberries on top sprinkled with cinnamon. Now they tell us that the blueberries have such large doses of pesticides that even washing the frozen ones won't get enough of them off. Here I thought I was being so good and health conscious.

Making healthy food choices is simple, especially if we have the right tools to guide us down the produce aisle. The Environmental Working Group provides this easy-to-use list so we can all shop smarter, save money and be that much more healthy — and happy.

This list shows the "Dirty Dozen" those with the highest levels of pesticides and the "Clean 15" those with the lowest levels. You can view that here.

In addition, below Dr. Andrew Weil, renowned medical expert on natural health and wellness, tells us why and how he uses the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.



Although it's not always easy to purchase organic foods whether it's due to cost or the location we live in, it's still very important for us to stay abreast of what's going on environmentally, for the sake of our children and ourselves.

I suppose I'll have to start adding something from the "Clean 15" to my oatmeal instead of my usual blueberries or I'll just have to double up on the mangoes.

Roasted Vegetable Tower with Sauteed Tomatoes

I had such a craving today for vegetables and fruit. So I loaded up with grapefruit, pears and cantalope and then hit Whole Foods during the lunch hour and purchased lots of great veggies for dinner tonight plus some salmon which I always love.

When selecting my vegetables I decided I wanted to make a vegetable tower so I purchased vegetables that had about the same circumference.

Here are the ingredients I purchased for this luscious dish:

Roasted Vegetable Tower with Sauteed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

portabella mushrooms (1 each for how many you're serving)
red onion, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
butternut squash, peeled and sliced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds
eggplant, sliced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds
salt and pepper

6 Roma Tomatoes, cut in 1/4 inch dice
clove of garlic, minced
extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions:

Slice the red onion, butternut squash and eggplant. Lay on a sheet pan lined with heavy duty foil and rub olive oil over them with S & P sprinkled on top. Then place the veggies in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. Add the portabella mushrooms also drizzled with olive oil, for an additional 5 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting in the oven, place approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saute' pan with minced garlic. Heat for about 30 seconds then add the diced tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes release their juices and begin to soften but still vibrant in color. Remove from heat.

On a plate layer the veggies like a tower by placing the mushroom, onion, butternut squash then the eggplant and ladle a couple of heaping spoonfuls of the tomato mixture over the veggie tower. Top with freshly grated cheese and serve.

Delicious, light and beautiful. Enjoy!

All it takes is a few steps to create this lovely tower of roasted vegetables.

My Favorite New Tool!

The tools that I use most in my kitchen and are perfect for almost everything are my knives. Let's face it, if you have a great set of knives they can get you through almost any task in your kitchen. However, it's fun to pick up a gadget or funky tool now and then.












Well, yesterday I experienced the OXO - Corn Peeler. I couldn't believe how effortlessly it worked and did the job perfectly. I even tested it on raw corn and it was amazing. In fact, I had so much fun with it, I ended up peeling more corn off the cob than I needed. It was so simple!

There's nothing better than using fresh corn in a recipe instead of frozen. Although the frozen works fine but fresh off the cob is still best.

Check out this remarkable tool.

If you're wondering what recipe to use it on try my Southwest Chipolte Chicken and Rice Salad. It's delicious and great to place in tortillas the next day for a delightful wrap. Plus the most fun will be when you use your new OXO - Corn Peeler. A must for anyone that likes to peel fresh corn off the cob without any effort at all! At least in my opinion.

Honey and it's Many Health Benefits

It's that time of year again when everything is in full bloom. The winds are blowing and so does everything else outside that appears to cause my eyes to water, throat to itch and periodic sneezing.

A few years ago I happen to go into the local pharmacy only to find that they were selling honey from the local farmers. I thought it was odd but then the gal behind the counter told me it helps to ward off allergies. Apparently if you purchase local made honey and take 1-2 teaspoons a day it will help to rid you of those unwanted allergies that crop up during the spring and summer months. So I've been taking it ever since. I can't say for sure that it's helped me but since I love honey anyway, I've decided to take a daily regimen.

So yesterday I decided to go online and explore honey and if it actually does ward off these allergies. Most comments didn't say it was proven but that it can help.

In addition, I learned so many other amazing facts about honey that I wanted to share with you.

Here's a bit of what I read:

The fact is, researchers are turning up more and more new evidence of honey's medical benefits in all directions. The benefits of honey don't just stop at satisfying the palate; honey also offers incredible antiseptic, antioxidant and cleansing properties for our body and health, hot beauty and skin care tips for ladies, and amazing healing properties as a head-to-toe remedy, from eye conjunctivitis to athlete foot.

Its powerful healing attributes have long been used thousands of years ago and known to promote healing for cuts, cure ailments and diseases, and correct health disorders for generations after generations. The renowned UMF Manuka honey, perhaps the tastiest natural medicine, is commonly cited in many discussions on health benefits of honey. This honey not only fights infection and aids tissue healing but also helps reduce inflammation and scarring. In addition, it is often used for treating digestive problems such as diarrhea, indigestion, stomach ulcers and gastroenteritis.

Among other interesting facts I learned that:

1. Next time before you go for a workout, take a spoon of honey to enable you to go for the extra mile. I would have never considered taking this for energy. I will now!

2. If you are feeling low and lethargic in the morning, instead of reaching out for a can of carbonated energy drink , try honey. Spread it on hot toast or replace the sugar in your tea with it for a refreshing surge of energy.

3. If your kids are finding it hard to cope with the physical strain from the buzzing activities at school, prepare them some sandwiches with honey, butter and ham to make sure they have enough energy to sustain through the day. I can recall when I was younger my grandmother would make me honey and butter sandwiches. Sounds strange now but I remember gobbling those up. I guess she must have had some insight on the health benefits of honey that the rest of us were unaware of.

Looking to improve your skin and keep it healthy? Here's a simple facial mask that you can make at home:

For Normal Skin:
Apple Honey Mask

You will need

1 Apple, cored & quartered

2 Tablespoons Honey


Drop the apple pieces into a food processor and chop. Add honey and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Pat the mixture onto your face with a light tapping motion, tapping until the honey feels tacky. Leave it on for 30 minutes and then rinse.

To find more facial masks for normal, dry, oily, or tired skin check this out.

To learn more amazing facts about the benefits of honey from allergies to weight loss plus a whole host of benefits, check out this site. With honey so readily available and the amount I read and keep myself updated about foods, I'm shocked that I'm just reading about this now.

I hope you find this article to be helpful to you as well.

Arugula Salad with Grilled Chicken & Strawberries

The weather was so unbelievably beautiful today especially since originally the forecast was for rain and storms all day.

I felt like something light for dinner this evening so I decided to make a salad. My family didn't mind since I always make big meals. So tonight was light and easy.

I had some chicken (which I grilled), strawberries, Ciliegene Mozzarella, and Arugula on hand and made some fresh croutons.

Then I made a Pomegranate Raspberry Vinaigrette to go with the salad. For those of you that purchase store bought vinaigrette's it's so easy to make your own. A simple rule of thumb is:

3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. I tend to make it with 1/2 the amount of vinegar to the oil. That's because I like mine with a little more tang. Then I added some Dijon mustard, Agave Nectar for sweetness and a little salt and pepper. You can also add some chopped shallots and minced garlic if you like. I didn't add those this evening.

Tonight's dish was simple and delicious. In fact, the croutons I made by just using some whole grain slices of bread. Then spraying them with Pam, adding a little salt and pepper and putting them in the oven until brown and crispy. Then I just sliced them into cubes and added them to the salad. Easy, delicious and low fat.

So if you're in the mood for something light, why not whip up a salad for yourself using the ingredients you have around. Whether you have red wine vinegar, balsamic, strawberry or any type of vinegar you can make a vinaigrette with the oil you have on hand, although Olive Oil would be my preference. It's that simple. Give it a try!

Mother's Day Dessert

Well I made my Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce for Mother's Day but, instead of using grilled peaches with my homemade frozen yogurt, I used cubed Angel Food Cake. The store I went to wasn't carrying peaches yet and I didn't have the time to run down to the Farmer's Market to pick some up. However, it still turned out absolutely delicious.

This is a recipe you could serve anytime. It was light and fresh with just a bit of tang to it.

I decided to use 0% plain Greek Yogurt when making my frozen yogurt. I think it tasted great. However, for those of you that haven't acquired a taste for Greek Yogurt you may just want to stick with the normal variety of plain yogurt that isn't quite as tangy.

Here's how I made it.

Frozen Vanilla Yogurt
serves 6-8

3 cups plain Yogurt (I used 0% Greek Yogurt)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine all together and blend to dissolve the sugar.

Add contents to your ice machine (follow manufacturers directions)

When frozen yogurt is finished, cut up pieces of Angel Food Cake and add to individual plates or bowls. Add a scoop(s) of frozen yogurt on top of the cake, then drizzle Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce on top of yogurt and serve. YUM!!

I hope you enjoy this luscious dessert!

First Low Carbon Restaurant

For those of you that are vegetarians or vegans you might find this restaurant to be a MUST on your list the next time you're in New York or London.

I discovered this restaurant while reading one of my foodie magazines today. I found it so fascinating and amazed that it's actually taken this long for one to open.

The restaruant is called Otarian. Their menu looks delicious to me and I like how they describe their vision. Of course, if you eat meat it may not appeal to you. I eat meat but claim I could be a vegetarian since I could eat veggies all day and prefer them over almost anything. I'm not sure that I could become a vegan though.

Check out their site and the menu. Each menu item lists their carbon comparison with nutritional information and ingredients. I especially like the looks of the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna.

Browse their website and please let me know what you think. It doesn't say that franchises are available but it does have career opportunities for those of you that may be interested.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and if you're a vegetarian or vegan how has it changed your life.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

This weekend for Mother's Day I thought for dessert I would make Grilled Peaches, which have just come in season, with Homemade Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and a Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce to go on top.

I made the Strawberry-Rhubarb sauce last week and put it on top of sliced pound cake with vanilla ice cream. It was amazing, and everyone else thought so as well. But I thought I'd try to make the meal light and healthy for everyone so I'll be using frozen yogurt in place of ice cream and grilling up peaches instead of using the pound cake.

However, if you try this recipe and don't feel like going to the trouble of grilling fruit and making homemade frozen yogurt then purchase the store bought ice cream/yogurt and pound cake, it's sure to be a hit.

This recipe comes from a wonderful book called, "Eating Local." It talks about farmers throughout the U.S. and their stories, plus recipes that they've created with the foods they grow. It's a beautiful book with an important message to everyone. Support our local farmers by purchasing sustainable foods.

Strawberry -Rhubarb Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, cored and quartered lengthwise
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
6-8 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Put the berries, rhubarb, orange juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Set over moderate heat and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit softens and forms a sauce, about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the saucepan, reducing the heat if the mixture threatens to bubble over. Cool slightly, then taste and add more sugar if desired. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill thoroughly.

Prepare your dessert as desired and spoon approximately 1/3 cup sauce over each portion. Serve immediately.

I know you're going to love this. If for some reason you're not comfortable using the fresh Rhubarb then you can purchase the frozen kind using the same amount. Although the purpose of this stunning book is to use farm fresh ingredients. Here's some information that you might like to read about Rhubarb from Friedas.com that might help you feel more comfortable about cooking with it.

Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo

Well tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. So many people I know love to go out and celebrate drinking Margarita's and eating lots of great Mexican food. But if you're not up to going out why not celebrate at home with your own great fiesta?

Tomorrow night I'll be fixing Grilled Shrimp with a Tomatillo Sauce, Grilled Beef Fajitas and a kicked up Coleslaw. Of course we can't forget the Margarita's.

If you've never made a tomatillo sauce you have to try this. It's simple and delicious! But first let me share with you a few facts about the Tomatillo that maybe you didn't know.











Tomatillos are a staple in Mexican cuisine and the key ingredient in Salsa Verde. Sometimes referred to as green tomatoes, Tomatillos are similar to tomatoes, but feature a papery outer husk. Roasted or boiled, then pureed, Tomatillos have a vibrant tart-lemony-grassy taste that adds a bright note to salsas, enchiladas and other Latin-inspired dishes.

Whether hosting a fiesta or getting together with family, home cooks can add a delicious Mexican flair to dishes with the bright and tangy Tomatillo, currently available at local supermarkets.

Tomatillo means “little tomato” in Spanish. Cultivated since Aztec times, Tomatillos are closely related to Cape Gooseberries and Chinese Lantern Plants with their beautiful papery calyxes that cover the glossy green fruits like little lampshades.

Tomatillos range in size like tomatoes, but their greenish-yellow skin and flesh is much firmer, less juicy and contains very small seeds. They feature a slightly acidic taste with a bright, lemony flavor, but they are mild with no spiciness or peppery heat.

Select Tomatillos that are firm and dry, with clean, close-fitting husks that show no blackness or mold. The fruits should be hard; they do not give like tomatoes. Store loosely wrapped in your refrigerator’s vegetable drawer for up to 2 weeks.

When ready to prepare, remove the husk (a slightly sticky residue underneath the husk is normal), chop up the fruit and boil or puree until tender. Or, roast husked fruits whole in the oven or on the barbecue.

When combined with vinegar, onion and a bit of spicy chile peppers, Tomatillos make a divine Salsa Verde (“Green Salsa”). Add to that some fresh cilantro and roasted corn, and you’ve got a lip-smacking multi-purpose sauce, dressing and dip. (If you find the flavor too tart, mellow it out with a touch of honey or sugar.) Use homemade Tomatillo sauce for enchiladas, Tex-Mex casseroles, tacos or quesadillas. (Although Tomatillos can be eaten raw, most preparations involve some amount of heat for tenderizing the firm flesh.)

To find out more about Tomatillos or other vegetables or fruits in season check out Frieda's. It's a wonderful site with a wealth of information.

Here's a great recipe for Grilled Shrimp with a Tomatillo Sauce.




Grilled Shrimp with Tomatillo Sauce
Serves 6

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed (tohm-ah-tee-oh)

1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon seeded and minced jalapeno
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

24 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare grill.

1. Cook tomatillos in a large pot of boiling salted water about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to blender or food processor. Add onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Process sauce until smooth.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium sauté pan. Add tomatillo sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, set aside to cool.

3. Toss shrimp with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, toss to coat shrimp. Grill shrimp over medium hot coals or gas grill for about 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Ladle sauce onto 6 plates. Arrange shrimp on top of sauce.

Whether you decide to celebrate this festive holiday or not you still have to try out this recipe. It's really good!