Grouper & Pineapple Mango Salsa over Wilted Spinach

It's been so cold.  Okay so, yeah I get it....20s, 30s & 40s aren't super cold to everyone.  But, this chic was born and raised at the beach and that is COLD to me.  Especially days and days and days of it...with ice crusting in all my potted plants.  We needed something light and cheerful, full of color and reminiscent of those Summer Days.  When my husband said this was one of his favorites and that he missed it...I figured that was the perfect opportunity to run with it and have a Summer Dish to warm up these stark February days.

I love the color and the contrasting flavors in this salsa.  It's all raw & crispy, sweet & tangy, and the herbs give it such a fresh kick.  It's a quick prep and easy to make ahead.   I like to make the salsa ahead, then all you have left is basically to sear the fish and wilt the spinach...both of which my husband can do...so......yeah...easy.

What you need...
Salsa
1/4 cup fresh pineapple, diced
1/2 fresh mango, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 small shallot, diced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 fresh jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime

Chop all ingredients.  Add to a bowl with a lid stir or shake to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Fish
1/2 - 3/4 lb. of Grouper or Other white flaky fish (dare I say it is actually great with Wild Cod)
 1 tablespoon olive oil, ghee or coconut oil
salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.  Wash the fish and pat dry.  Salt and pepper both sides of fish.  Add butter or oil to an oven safe  sauté pan and turn to medium/high heat.  Allow to heat until melted or oil begins to thin.  Add fish, sauté 1 minute on each side.  Transfer to preheated oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until fish is flaky and white all the way through.  (This will vary depending on oven and thickness of fish.  The piece shown here took about 15 minutes.)  Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Spinach
5-7 oz container fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil

Add oil to a sauté pan and turn to medium/high heat.  Once oil is hot, add spinach and toss continuously as it wilts, once it is mostly wilted remove from heat and continue to stir.  About 2 minutes.  Plate spinach, top with fish, and salsa, serve.

What you need...

To seed the tomatoes, cut them in half and scoop out the insides with a small spoon or your fingers (over the sink).

Mango - I have found the best way to do this is to treat it kind of like an avocado.  Slice it in half all the way around and twist until it comes apart in to two halves.  The pit is large and oblong, you can see it in the top half.

Slice a grid into the mango and turn it inside out, then slice off the exposed fruit.

Chop, dice, slice...

Toss to combine well!

Wash fish and pat dry.  Salt and pepper both sides.

Heat butter or oil, add fish and sauté 1 minute on each side...

Transfer to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes...

Wilt spinach over oil on medium/high heat...

Enjoy!!!!

Chicken Mediterranean (Slow Cooker)

The toughest part about this meal was making the zucchini noodles, and since Tucker did that for me...that really leaves nothing!  Who doesn't like a hot meal with red saucy meat on a COLD day?  Whenever it's really cold, I crave Italian!  So, as the temps didn't reach out of the 30s...and the rain was pushing in...I threw this into the slow-cooker in less than 1 minute, at 3:30pm...just in time for it to be ready for dinner.  And the best part...I didn't even touch it!

What you need...

26oz. jar your favorite sugar free Pasta Sauce - I like HT Organics Tomato Basil

14oz. can artichoke hearts, quartered - drained

2 tablespoons capers

4-6 organic chicken breasts

Place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker, top with sauce, artichokes and capers.  Turn to high heat for 2.5 hours or low for 4 hours.  Serve over zucchini noodles.

Noodles: Spiralize zucchinis.  Add to a large saute pan, drizzle with a 1-2 count of olive oil and turn to high heat.  Sauté while tossing for about 3-4 minutes, until just softened.  Serve topped with sauce and a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese!

See...I told you this was easy!

Add chicken to slow cooker...

Top with sauce...

Add artichokes and capers...

2.5 hours later....

Cook noodles, tossing for 3-4 minutes...

Just until softened...

Top with sauce and a dash of fresh parmesan and serve...could it be ANY easier???

Baked Onions & Sweet Potato Fries

I love all foods that smell bad....lol...onions, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli.  If it's stinky, you can bet it's on our menu, A LOT!  Really...onion smell wonderful to me.  Mmmmm....I love to smell a mixture of onions and garlic cooking.

These baked onions are so easy....like you peel them and wrap them in foil easy.  I bet you could prepare these in less than 1 minute, plus baking time!  They go great with everything!  Toss them right on top of a grilled ribeye, or on a bed of wilted spinach with some baked fish!  Cheap, easy, yummy...perfect!

And then there's the fries!  They make a great side but also a great appetizer!  They are fabulous served with a little honey mustard dip sauce or even a garlic herbed cheese!  And with cinnamon, honey butter....Holy Cow!  Very little prep, nothing fancy needed!  Serve these 2 veggies up with some roasted brussels sprouts and you have yourself a 30 minute, zero prep, oven masterpiece!




Baked Onions and Sweet Potato Fries

What you need...
2 sweet potatoes
1 sweet onion
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper
foil

Preheat oven to 400F.  Peel sweet potatoes and slice them into small planks for fries.  Add them to a container with a lid.  Drizzle with olive oil, 1/3 tsp salt, a heavy dash of pepper.  Add the lid and shake to coat.  *I usually prepare them to this point and put in to the fridge until ready!  Add an oven safe cooling rack to a pan or use a broiler pan, place the fries spaced out on the pan.  They can be close together but don't let them touch or they will steam each other and not get crunchy!  Bake at 400F for 40 minutes.

Slice the top and bottom off of the onion, just enough to remove the root, so that it sits flat.  Peel the outer layer off the onion.  Use a spoon to scoop out about 1" deep in the center of the onion (see pics).  Using a knife, slice from the center out, about every 1.5" around the onion (see pics), GENTLY pull onion apart from the center creating the bloom.  Place it onto a sheet of foil.  Pour about 1 tsp olive oil into the center and add balsamic vinegar.  Pull the corners of the foil up and twist to secure.  Bake onion with fries for 40 minutes!  Slice the foil open over a bowl and serve!

Cinnamon Honey Butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Mix well and serve!

Quick Pizza Rollups

So I got home from out of town and needed a quickie idea for the kids for dinner!  This is a super fast "piece" meal that you can easily stuff with a few veggies and have ready in minutes with VERY little effort!  It's funny how kids LOVE anything that is in pieces and anything that is dip-able...well this is both!  And Moms love fast easy things...so boom...here you go...

*You can easily layer a bit of spinach between the cheese and the pepperoni and it will go virtually unnoticed!!!  Our kids love them with pepperoni, olives, mushrooms and artichoke hearts!

What you need...

Gluten Free or other Tortillas

Cheese - shredded or sliced (I like the slices, they are just less messy)

Marinara or Pizza sauce (HT Organics Tomato Basil is our favorite and doesn't have sugar)

Pizza Toppings

mushroom

artichoke hearts

olives

sausage

pepperoni 

onions

garlic

spinach

fresh basil

fresh parsley

fresh oregano

anything!

*For the mushrooms, spinach, peppers, onions, garlic... I like to gently sauté ahead in just a bit of olive oil, a minute or 2...just long enough to soften them.  The roll ups cook quickly and the cheese melts fast, so just enough to help them along ahead of time!  Leave the herbs and olives fresh!

What you need...

Prepare toppings...

Lay out tortillas, top with cheese, then top with topping all down the center line...drizzle a little sauce if you like!

Fold over one edge, and roll up...

Place seam side down on a lined baking sheet...

Bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes...just until cheese is melted...

Slice and serve...

Serve with marinara dipping sauce and fruit!

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas

First, if you haven't heard me say I am part Mexican...I so am...maybe there was one too many trips to Mexico during college, ehhhhhh....it started way before that.  In high school my boyfriend used to take me to the local Mexican joint every weekend.  He would always try to step it up and go somewhere nice...no need.  Not much beats good Mexican food.  Right?  Anyhow...I love it all.

Recently, I got to go away for the weekend with some of my oldest and dearest friends; a group of awesome and impressive women who always take me back and push me forward.  (I love you ladies!)  I wanted to fix something yummy, easy, make ahead and something that travels well.  This was perfect!  That's why some of the pics are disposable pans! ;)  I made it and assemble up to the avocado, onion, cilantro...and added that when I got there!  Ready to roll!  We just served up some chips with salsa and fresh guacamole while it baked!  Ole' Fiesta Night on the road!

*Warning - this stuff can be addictive!  A couple of us ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, twice...LOL.

*Chipotle in Adobo Tip- Buy the can and pour it into a freezer safe ziploc and freeze.  Then break off pieces when you need them!  I honestly add tiny bits to just about everything for a little smokiness!  

What you need...

12 oz. bag frozen corn (Alexia)

10 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 bell pepper (red or orange), chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

4+ garlic cloves, chopped

1 chipotle in adobo with sauce, chopped

10 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, lightly drained (I open it, leave the lid on and just turn it over to let some of the liquid out)

4 split chicken breasts, bone-in (you can totally use boneless and I have but I think the split breast give it more flavor in the slow cooker, and they're cheap)

1 red chili enchilada sauce (I ALWAYS use Frontera, I love their products)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ancho cili powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 medium sized tortillas (Rudi's makes a great gluten free one)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 ripe avocado

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

sour cream or greek yogurt

1 chipotle in adobo with sauce chopped

Turn crock-pot to high heat.  Add first 7 ingredients to the crockpot, stir.  Place chicken on top of veggies and top with enchilada sauce and spices.  Cover and cook for 4-5 hours, depending on your crock-pot.  When chicken is tender and pulls easily off the bone, pull chicken out and remove meat, return meat to pot and stir to combine.  Cook UNCOVERED for 30 minutes to help the liquid reduce a little!  It will seem a little soupy, that's okay!!!  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F and ready your assembly line with the remaining ingredients.  

To assemble:  Lightly spray your 9x13 dish with your choice of cooking spray.  (In some of the pics I used disposable pans so that I could travel this dish).  Layer in tortillas with flat side against the pan (see pics).  It nay takes 4-5 for the whole dish!!!  Top with about 2 cups of the filling.  I use a measuring cup to dip it out!  Spread out, add more if you like!  Top with half of the cheese.  Add second layer of tortillas, second layer of filling, top with cheese.  Sprinkle with avocado, green onions and cilantro.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, uncovered and finish for 10 minutes.

Spicy sour cream - Mix a little chipotle in adobo with sour cream for some awesome heat, still with that cool contrast!  You can also use Greek yogurt for the sauce too!

Add veggies, turn to high heat...

Place chicken on top...

My favorite!

Top with enchilada sauce and spices...

Cook for 4-5 hours...

Remove chicken, pull meat and return to crock-pot...

Return meat and stir to combine...

Cook UNCOVERED for 30 minutes to help liquid reduce...

Set up your assembly line!

Spray pans, layer in tortillas with flat side out.

Top with 2 cups of filling...

Spread to cover...

Top with half the cheese...

Add another layer of tortillas...I only had 1 left in the bag so I used it too!

Filling...

The rest of the cheese....

Sprinkle with avocado, cilantro and green onions...

Bake covered with foil for 40 minutes, then uncover and finish for 10 minutes...

Serve with sour cream or spicy sour cream!