Lime Spiked Black Bean Dip

 Ingredients

• 2  (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  cup  grated carrot
• 1/2  cup  fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped green onions
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper

Directions

Place beans in a food processor, and pulse until almost smooth. Combine the beans, carrot, and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until well blended. Let stand 30 minutes. Serve with baked tortilla chips. Makes 5 cups.

This recipe, from Cooking Light, is a great appetizer that is very easy to do and also shows that you put some additional time and energy into an appetizer beyond just purchasing it from a store.  We brought this along with different colored tortilla chips to one of the music festival evenings up at Arborcrest Winery as our contribution to an appetizer potluck.  Delicious and healthy... a hit with the group!

Citrus Herb Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp, tails on
6 T chopped fresh mint
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c fresh lime juice
2 T peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add shrimp, cook 5 minutes until shrimp are done. Drain. Rinse under cold running water.
2. Place shrimp in a large bowl and chill.
3. Combine all remaining ingredients.  Add to shrimp, toss well to combine.
4. Chill 1 hour, serves 10.

 

   

We took this appetizer to one of the music nights up at the Arborcrest Winery this summer.  It was definitely a hit with the group, and when someone recently asked for the recipe, I thought it would be a great time to post it.  It wasn't difficult to make at all, but needs a bit of pre-planning for the chill time.  It is a recipe only slightly adapted from one I got from a Cooking Light cookbook.

White Chicken Chili

Disclaimer:  This dish is "semi-homemade."  I first tasted this chili when my good buddy, Nate made it for us.  I have adapted and made several additions to the recipe since then to make it work for dinner club.

Ingredients:

2 Schilling's White Chicken Chili spice packets
3 cups water
2 - 10 oz. cans of small white beans, undrained
1 pound of chicken breast tenders, cubed
non-stick cooking spray
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
8 oz. frozen sweet petite yellow corn
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1/2 cup light or non-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
Greg's addition: Fritos scooper chips

Directions:

Heat skillet to medium-high, spray with non-stick cooking oil and brown both sides of the chicken breast tenders, approximately 5-7 minutes on each side.  After chicken is browned, remove from heat, cut into cubes and set aside.

In a large saucepan, mix together contents of spice packets, water and undrained white beans.  Heat saucepan to medium-high and bring contents to a slow boil, add chicken, corn, onions, and bell peppers.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

I serve the chili in a bowl topped with sliced, fresh avocado, a dollop of sour cream and shredded colby-jack cheese.  Greg likes it with the Frito scoops and lots of sour cream.  As a side, I always bake corn bread muffins, which pairs nicely with the spicy chili.

Mexican Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb. extra lean ground turkey
1/2 cup salsa
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chipotle-flavored hot sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
non-stick cooking spray
1 large ripe avocado, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
romaine lettuce leaves
5 slices cheddar or colby-jack cheese
5 whole wheat hamburger buns


Directions:
Thoroughly mix ground turkey, salsa, red onion, hot sauce, cumin, salt and pepper in large bowl.  Shape turkey mixture into five 3 inch-diameter patties.

Coat large skillet or grill with non-stick cooking spray and heat to medium-high.  Add burgers, cooking on each side for 7-10 minutes depending on desired doneness.  With only two minutes remaining cook time, top each patty with slice of cheese and melt.

Heat buns on grill or in oven on broil until toasted.  Place romaine leaves, sliced avocado and tomato on hamburger bun.

Notes:  Originally I found a recipe similar to this on epicurious.com, but after reading the reviews, I had to adapt the recipe A LOT and add the burger accompaniments.  So, now it's my own - and this is how we enjoyed the burgers...the only condiment I added to the burger's bun was a splash more of the chipotle hot sauce and it was PERFECT!  This burger definitely tastes Tex-Mex, so mainstream condiments like ketchup and mustard would take away from that taste.  We had a side of baked sweet potato fries with our burgers, but it would go really well with tortilla chips and salsa/guacamole, or a light side salad, because the burger is super filling.  I hope you love it!

Chicken/Shrimp Osaka

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken cut into bite-sized pieces OR 1 1/2 lbs shrimp peeled and cleaned
• 1 T oil (I use olive oil)
• 2-3 slices ginger
• 3 slices of fresh lemon
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1/2 c fresh lemon juice
• 2 t ground dry mustard (in the spice section of the grocery store)
• 3 T sugar
• 2 T sesame oil
• 2 T white vinegar
• 1/4 c oil (I use olive oil)
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1/4 c milk

Directions:

1. Heat large frying pan, add oil.  When oil is hot, add shrimp/chicken, ginger, and lemon slices.  Stir fry on medium heat until chicken/shrimp is cooked through.  Drain any remaining liquid and remove/discard lemon and ginger slices.
2. Blend soy sauce, lemon juice, dry mustard, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, and oil until smooth. Add to chicken/shrimp.  Continue cooking on medium heat for 1 minute.
3. In a small bowl, stir and dissolve cornstarch in the milk so there are no lumps.  Add to the chicken/shrimp and sauce.  Continue cooking on medium for another 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens.
4. Serve over rice.  Serves 4.

 
If you've ever tried this at the Mustard Seed and enjoyed it, you will L.O.V.E. this recipe and also flip-out at how easy it is to make.  When I make this for dinner club or a large crowd, I actually cook chicken/lemon/ginger slices in an 8 qt stockpot so there's plenty of room.  This is a huge hit in my family - Emma loves it too!  Try serving with this thai cucumber salad - delicious!

Thai Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 c water
• 1 T Taste of Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
• 1 t salt
• 2-3 cucumbers peeled and sliced thin
• 1/4 c sliced red onion
• garnish: chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, water, chili pepper sauce and salt.  Stir, cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add cucumbers to onion in an appropriately sized dish that will allow all the cucumber mixture to be covered with the marinade.
3. Pour vinegar mixture over the vegetables and let marinate for 30 minutes.
4. You can either serve with a slotted spoon to remove from marinade (what I do) or serve in small bowls with the marinade.
5. Just before serving, sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts.

We love this recipe, although it does has some kick.  You can either use less chili pepper sauce or strain out the chili peppers/seeds when you pour the vinegar on the cucumbers to lessen the spice.  I strain the marinade for Emma's cucumbers, but she absolutely loves this salad!  You can also put cucumbers and onions in a tupperware with a good-sealing lid and shake marinade around if you don't have a shallow dish.

Chicken Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

*9 lasagna noodles
*1/2 c butter (I used EVOO instead)
*1 onion, chopped
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/2 c all-purpose flour
*1 tsp salt
*2 c chicken broth
*1 1/2 c milk
*4 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
*1 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided
*1 1/2 c sliced mushrooms
*1 tsp dried basil
*1 tsp dried oregano
*1/2 tsp ground black pepper
*2 c ricotta cheese
*2 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts (I shredded mine to make them easier to distribute)
*2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
*1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
*1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese for topping
**For the cheeses, I just used an Italian mix as well as some Parmesan.

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Melt the butter (or heat the EVOO) in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 c mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, ricotta, chicken, and sliced mushrooms. Arranged 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 c mozzarella and 1/2 c Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.