Avocado, Tomatoes and Mango Salsa

This tropical version of salsa makes a great side dish to meat, poultry or fish. It takes only 10 minutes to prepare it. Salsa is refreshing and kid friendly.

Ingredients:
2 mangoes
2 ripe avocados
2 medium tomatoes
Juice from half a lime
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Tricolor Quinoa-Stuffed Cornish Hens

Mouthwatering Cornish hens stuffed with tricolor quinoa make a filling tasty dinner on any day of the week.

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine Couscous-Stuffed Cornish Hens website. I have tweaked original recipe to make it gluten and guilt free.

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of water

½ a cup of homemade or store bought chicken broth

½ of a cup of slivered almonds

Salt to taste

1 tablespoons of butter or ghee

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons of orange juice

1 teaspoon of herbs de Provence

2 Cornish hens

Figs with Tiramisu Mascarpone Cheese and Hazelnuts

This delicious, light and gluten free desert can be done on in minutes.

Ingredients:

4 figs

4-6 teaspoons of tiramisu mascarpone cheese

16 or so hazelnuts

6 large strawberries (any fruit can be used for this recipe)

Icy Cold Lemon, Lime and Mint Water

A  perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day

If you are looking for a refreshing, calorie free thirst relief, look no further. It will take you about ten minutes to prepare this delicious drink.

Ingredients:

5 cups of icy cold water

1/2 cup of ice

1 lemon

1 lime 

1/4 of medium mint bunch

Salad with Pomegranate seeds and Cranberry-Gorgonzola-Walnut Dressing

If you are in the mood for a light and fruity taste, this salad is exactly what you need and can be done in minutes.

Ingredients:  3 cups of spinach 1 cup of cherry tomatoes 2 Israeli cucumbers Seeds from ½ of a large pomegranate 1 large ball of Burrata cheese

Ingredients: 

3 cups of spinach

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

2 Israeli cucumbers

Seeds from ½ of a large pomegranate

1 large ball of Burrata cheese

Summer Salad with Seared Scallops

I love making and eating this salad. I love the greens, the blues, the the yellows and the reds of this flavorful dish

Ingredients:
1lbs of sea scallops
15 cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons of corn kernels (I used  organic frozen)
4 cups of baby spinach
1 cup of blueberries

2 tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons of balsamic glaze

Directions:

Drain and rinse scallops thoroughly, then pat them dry with paper towels. Scallops have an adductor muscle on the side. It's a tough little tab of meat that should be pulled off before cooking the scallop because it can be kind of chewy. Heat a non-stick pan over a high heat and add butter. Let the pan get hot and butter melt, place scallops flat side down in the hot pan. Make sure there is enough oil on a pan and do not lower heat. Sear scallops for about 2 minutes, they will form a gold crust and then turn them to another side, continue cooking them on a high heat for another minute. Remove scallops from pan, place them on a dish and set them aside.

Tips: Once you placed scallops on a pan, do not move scallops around and do not turn them over right away, all you'll be doing is preventing them from forming the nice brown crust that you want. It is easily to overcook scallops, do not sear them for more than 3 minutes, they will become chewy and inedible.

You will have some left over butter on a pan after searing scallops, place corn kernels on a pan and fry them over medium heat for about a minute.

In a separate dish place washed spinach, blueberries, cherry tomatoes and corn with formed sauce from frying scallops and corn add balsamic glaze. Mix all the vegetables and dressing well.  Transfer salad to a serving dish and top with scallops, garnish it with balsamic glaze.

   

Skirt steak and Cauliflower Mash

This skirt steak takes very little time to prepare; it’s delicious and looks fancy. Cauliflower mash is not only a low-carb, gluten free, Paleo friendly and vegetarian side dish, but it also tastes and looks great.  Steak and cauliflower mash make a great presentation and will impress your guests, if you decide to serve this dish at a party.

Skirt Steak

Ingredients:

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

3 tablespoons and 1-3/4 teaspoons of liquid aminios

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1-1/4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound skirt steak

Shrimp Scampi with Stuffed Tomatoes, Carrot salad and beet chips

This is one of my favorite dishes to cook and present when I have guests over. It is a colorful, beautiful dish that is rich in flavor.

Shrimp scampi on skewers

Ingredients:

If you are using frozen shrimp, defrost shrimp quickly by placing it in a bowl of water. Dry shrimp with paper towel before frying.

16 oz (1 lbs)-shrimp shelled and deveined

2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoons of finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoons of ghee or organic butter

2 tablespoons of lemon

¼ cup of white cooking wine

Salt, pepper