California Avocado Tacos

Alight, I’ll admit it. I am from California where the sun shines and it is always amazing. Coming with that is all the fruit and vegetables, that I can and will testify too, that are about twice as big in the supermarkets than they are here in Utah. Oh the sacrifice that I make for living in Utah and going to BYU.   Anyways, what I meant to get at was the fact that avocado’s are superb. Other than the fact that trying to remove the pit is sometimes near impossible without massacring your fingers, it is great in just about any meal. Because I am from Southern California (no, it is no called So Cal) there is huge influence of Mexican food as well as the American version of Mexican food. Either way, it is all delicious. What is more interesting about this recipe from FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters is the fact that in these tacos, there is NO meat. It is purely spices, fruits and veggies. Weird, right? So give it a whirl… can’t hurt. Ingredients 1 cup (1 medium) tomato, diced 1/3 cup onion, diced 2 tsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped ½ clove garlic, minced ½ tsp. jalapeño pepper, minced 2 tsp. fresh lime juice pinch ground cumin 2 medium green bell peppers, cut into thin strips 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into thin strips 1 medium onion, sliced 1 ripe avocado, cut into 12 wedges ½ cup celery, chopped 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, lightly packed 12 7-8 inch flour tortillas, warmed
Directions In a small bowl, mix together the first six ingredients. Set aside. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft.   Assemble the tacos: Fill each warm tortilla with the bell pepper mixture, avocado, celery, and cilantro and top with some tomato salsa. Roll up and serve. Variation: Grilled fish or chicken is a nice addition to this recipe.
Serves: 8
½ Cup of Fruits and Vegetables per Serving
Nutrition Information per Serving:
Calories: 18 Total Fat: 0.1g Saturated Fat: 0.0g % of Calories from Fat: 2% % of Calories from Saturated Fat: 1%		Protein: 1g Carbohydrates: 4g Cholesterol: 0mg Dietary Fiber: 1g Sodium: 77mg

Oven French Fries

One of my favorite parts of summertime when I was little were the times that my parents would cook the vegetables that we grew in our garden. Amongst all the tomatoes, corn, squash, and kale, there were also potatoes. Other than the mounds of mashed potatoes with all their garlic and butter, there were also french fries.

So even though December is quickly approaching, there is still not good reason as to why homemade french fries should not be a part of the mix of foods that we consume. They’re so good and about 100 times better than anything you can buy from a fast-food joint. Thank you to the momswhothink that provided this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 (2 lb) large potatoes
8 C ice water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Directions:

1. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch strips.

2. Place potato strips into ice water, cover, and chill for 1 hour or longer.

3. Remove potatoes and dry strips thoroughly.

4. Place garlic powder, onion powder, salt, white pepper, allspice, and pepper flakes in plastic bag.

5. Toss potatoes in spice mixture.

6. Brush potatoes with oil.

7. Place potatoes in nonstick shallow baking pan.

8. Cover with aluminum foil and place in 475 °F oven for 15 minutes.

9. Remove foil and continue baking uncovered for additional 15–20 minutes or until golden brown. Turn fries occasionally to brown on all sides.

Serving size: 1 cup

Per serving:

Calories: 238
Total fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 163 mg
Total fiber: 5 g
Protein: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 48 g
Potassium: 796 mg

Honey Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Dijon

Let’s hear it for some protein! Yeah! Because of the simplicity of the meat, I probably eat chicken the most out of any other meat. And you can never go wrong with honey dijon… it’s as though they were made for each other. Luckily, foodfit.com was kind enough to put this recipe out for the world to see.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 5 pounds
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4 cup honey
1 lemon, zested, halved and juiced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 yellow onion, quartered

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with salt and pepper.

2. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan.

3. Roughly chop two sprigs of the rosemary. In a small bowl, mix together Dijon mustard, honey, chopped rosemary, lemon juice and lemon zest.

4. Place the remaining sprig of rosemary, a lemon half, the onion quarters and garlic in the cavity of the bird. Using a pastry brush, coat the outside of the bird with the lemon honey glaze.

5. Place the roasting pan in the oven and baste the chicken every 15 minutes with any remaining glaze. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thigh reaches 180° and juices run clear, about one hour. Remove and discard the skin. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serving Size: 1/4 of chicken

Per Serving

• Calories: 341
• Carbohydrate: 24 g
• Fat: 7 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 47 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Sodium: 333 mg

Porcini Mushroom Pasta

Who doesn’t love some good, fresh, and homemade Italian food? Mmm.. my mouth is watering already. What is great about this and all the other recipes is that most of the time (unless you are entertaining people), there will be leftovers. Which means some delicious lunch next day that spreads its aroma all around the office, and you got it from allrecipes.com.  See, even being an advocate for healthy food without even knowing it.  Add 5 more gold stars to your chart.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, julienned
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup rehydrated porcini mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (12-ounce) package jumbo pasta shells

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute for 4 minutes, then add red bell pepper and carrots and saute for 4 more minutes. Add red wine, raise heat and boil for 1 minute; then reduce heat to medium low, add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, basil and rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve sauce over cooked noodles.

Nutrition

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Calories: 310

• Total Fat: 4g
• Saturated Fat; 0.5g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 17mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 52.7g
• Dietary Fiber: 6.2g
• Protein: 12.4g
• Sugars: 4.9g

Jeweled Golden Rice

Oh the rice. I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of rice. (You’ll soon learn though, that I am a huge fan of all food).  Nonetheless, sometimes rice can become the same routine meal. With the below taken from the amazing foodnetwork.com, it is sure to wake up those taste buds and remind them of the amazing food that comes out of your kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown basmati rice
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon mild or hot curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 generous pinch finely crumbled saffron threads (see Note)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions or chives, divided
• 1 cup fresh dark sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
• 3/4 cup unsalted mixed nuts, preferably pistachios, almonds and cashews, chopped, divided

Directions

Combine rice, broth, water, curry powder, turmeric and saffron in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes more. Fluff with a fork.

Combine oil, lemon juice, honey, orange zest, ginger and salt in a large, non-reactive bowl (see Note). Stir in the cooked rice, celery, dried cherries and 1/4 cup scallions (or chives). Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

To serve, fold fresh cherries and 1/2 cup mixed nuts into the rice mixture. Serve at room temperature, garnished with the remaining 1/4 cup scallions (or chives) and mixed nuts.

Considered the world’s most expensive spice, saffron contributes a pungent flavor and intense yellow color. It is sold in threads and powdered form. A non-reactive pan—stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass—is necessary when cooking acidic foods, such as lemon, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor in acidic foods.