Crazy Corn

I needed to come up with a simple recipe to teach Danny how to grill. It was then when I remembered the good times I had in Guatemala City eating Crazy Corn. Vendors in the Central Park grill the corn in the cob and then add anything you want: Lemon, mayo, mustard, chilli, ketchup and top it off with cheese. They are AMAZING! To make mine low-fat, I substituted the mayo for sour cream.

Crazy Corn

4 Corn in the cob
Olive oil to drizzle
1 tbs sour cream
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp ketchup
½ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat the grill at medium temperature.

Mix the sour cream, mustard, and ketchup in a small bowl and set aside.

Peel the corn and save some of the husk for serving.

Drizzle the corn with olive oil and grill for about 10-15 minutes on low to medium heat, rotating them to avoid burning.

Remove from the grill and brush the sour cream paste.

Sprinkle generously with cheese.

Enjoy!

Grilled Zucchini with Pesto Butter

Grilled Zucchini with Pesto Butter

2 zucchinis
2 yellow squash
1 tbs store-bought pesto
1 tbs melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Wash and slice the zucchinis and squash lengthwise.

Season with salt and pepper and drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil. Mix the melted butter with pesto and set aside.

Grill for about 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove from the grill and brush them with pesto butter.

Can’t get any simpler than that! Enjoy! ;-)

Variations:

1. Add chilli flakes to the butter for an extra kick.
2. Sprinkle parmesan before serving.

Orange Quinoa with Dried Cherries and Pistachios

Orange Quinoa with Dried Cherries and Pistachios

1 cup quinoa
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vanilla honey
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup pistachios
Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Bring to a soft boil the orange juice and honey. Add the quinoa. Let it boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover it. Quinoa takes almost the same time to cook as white rice, about twenty minutes. Cook it until the orange juice is reduced. Remove from the heat and chill over night or for at least 4 hours.

Variations:

1. As a side dish, serve the quinoa with the dried cherries and pistachios on top. Garnish with mint leaves.
2. As breakfast, mix the dried cherries and pistachios with the quinoa and add cold milk.

Enjoy!

Spring Pasta Salad

Spring Pasta Salad

In this hectic times, people rush in and out from home to work and vice-versa. This recipe gives a quick alternative for healthy eating when rushed. I make it when I’m so tired, I can’t even think!

2 lbs whole wheat rotini pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 package diced grilled chicken breasts
1 bag cut broccoli heads
1 small can black olives
1 small bottle roasted bell peppers, julienne
1 bottle Low-Fat Italian Dressing
2 cups shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta as directed in the package. Drain and sprinkle olive oil to prevent sticking.

In a large container mix broccoli, olives, peppers, chicken, and the whole bottle of Low-Fat Dressing. Add pasta and cheese. Incorporate all ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups shredded carrots
4 cups water
Ice water
½ tsp salt

Dressing
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 cup Romano cheese or ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
2 tbs buttermilk
Zest of a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil, add the cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the cauliflower from the water and put them in iced water to stop the cooking process. Remove cauliflower and put them on towel paper to dry. Pat dry if necessary.

Use the same salted water to blanch the frozen peas for about two minutes and repeat the same process as the cauliflower.

In a medium size bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Season to taste. Add cauliflower, carrots, and peas. Toss them with the dressing and serve warm or chilled.

Enjoy!

Delectable Vanilla Pineapple Salsa

So Chris, my husband, went to Alaska a month ago to fish and brought home delicious salmon. I have been trying to be creative and use the salmon as much as possible, so when I had friends over for dinner last night, I took the opportunity to have a luau themed dinner. Okay so the only reason it is luau themed, is because pineapple was on sale at the grocery store and I have been dying to try Patty’s Vanilla Pineapple salsa recipe. The salsa was a really quick recipe and tasted like a Hawaiian sunset. I used the salsa over shrimp lettuce wraps as the appetizer and also over baked salmon. The meal was fab if you ask me, the vanilla pineapple salsa was very good it was sweet and tangy, with a hint of spice and over the seafood it was the perfect combination of salty and sweet! You have to try it. To drink I made Patty's Vanilla Orange-Pineapple smoothie, it was so refreshing. Whether you are looking for a dinner party menu or just a fun meal, this is a great one to try, it was a hit at my house.

The Menu

Appetizer - Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Vanilla Pineapple Salsa
Entrée – Baked Salmon with homemade teriyaki sauce topped with vanilla pineapple salsa
Drinks – Vanilla Orange Pineapple Smoothie

The Recipes

Vanilla Pineapple Salsa
1 fresh pineapple – peeled and cut into small chunks (you can hollow out half of the pineapple and use it to serve the salsa in.)
½ Jalapeno
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp basic vanilla oil
Combine ingredients in a medium bowl, chill and enjoy.

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
2 cups medium cooked shrimp
5 – 10 leaves of romaine lettuce
Wrap shrimp in lettuce leaves with salsa

Vanilla Orange-Pineapple Smoothie

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 - 8 oz glasses Ingredients:
1 12 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup ripe diced Pineapple
1 cup vanilla sugar
6 cups water
Ice cubes
Preparation: Mix all of the ingredients in the blender.

Grill It Up! - Asparagus with Tarragon-Vanilla Butter

Asparagus in Tarragon-Vanilla Butter

Ingredients

2 bundles fresh asparagus
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 pinch Totonac Madagascar Pure Ground Vanilla
½ tsp fresh tarragon leaves
Kosher salt

Preparation

Preheat your grill at medium heat.

Melt butter, add vanilla and chopped tarragon leaves.

Spray your grill with non stick oil and place your asparagus. Brush them with the tarragon butter and season them with salt.

Remove them from heat after 2 – 3 minutes.

Note: Madagascar vanilla was used to add creaminess to the asparagus.

Enjoy!