Lox and Cheese

This post is brought to you by Omega 3s! Eat more of them! They are good for your brain, your hair, and who knows what else. 

Lox and Cheese. 

Toast a bagel

Top with cream cheese

And smoked salmon

Add capers

Add fresh chopped dill

Add finely chopped red onion 

Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice 

Enjoy! 

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

This salad is one of my favorites. It's satisfying and savory and delicious. Make sure you buy fresh herbs vs dried. It makes a huge difference. 

Buy enough goat cheese so every person can have one 2 inch slice of the goat cheese log. 

Buy a spring mix of lettuce. 

Marinate your goat cheese slices (like hockey puck sized) in 2 cups of walnut oil. You can sub olive oil if needed. Add 2 tablespoons each of freshly chopped rosemary, tarragon, thyme, and chives. Macerate the herbs in the oil before you add the goat cheese pucks. Marinate at least 4 hours, overnight is best. 

Take pucks out of oil and bake on sheet pan at 400 degrees for about ten minutes. Cheese will begin to spread out and about double in size. 

Dress your spring mix in the left over oil and then serve immediately once pucks are placed on individual salads. 

This is sooooo good. 

Cayman Fish

Tonight my husband cooked me dinner. He cooked me a dish that he first had in the Cayman Islands. Captain Marvin served it to my husbands family on the beach after an excursion at sting ray city. I was a little worried this dish wouldn't be good because we all know food tastes better on vacation and maybe all this was was a fond memory for my husband. But this dish is quick, easy, and very unpretentious. 

Can't you picture this dish simmering in a pot on a cayman woman's stove? 

Warm 4 tbs olive oil in sauté pan 

Caramelize 1 chopped onion 

Along with 2 chopped bell peppers

Add 3 tbs pickapeppa sauce*

Add 3 tbs ketchup 

Add 1 Tsp salt 

Add 1/2 cup water 

Add 2 tsp honey 

Then add 4 mahi mahi filets (6oz each) or any white fish you'd like. These should be cut in half before you add to pan. Then reduce sauce for about 15 minutes or until fish cooked. 

Then add 2 tbs fresh lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with rice, some steel drum music, and a drink with an umbrella in it and your night is made! 

Power Pancakes

Our BFFs introduced us to "powerlifting" pancakes about a year ago. They are high in protein, low in fat, low in sugar, and gluten free. Basically they are a delicious healthy breakfast. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large eggs (or 4 egg whites)
• 1/2 cup low fat free cottage cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened rice milk

Cook like you would normal pancake until golden brown. You could also add my favorite, chocolate chips, peanut butter, or berries as well. And for all you banana haters out there, don't worry you can't even taste them. Oh, and don't forget to use organic pure maple syrup! If you haven't tried the stuff you will fall in love! So much better than all that processed thick corn syrupy stuff. Good luck and enjoy! 

Easy Quiche

This morning I think I think I threw the easiest party in my hostessing history. It was a birthday brunch for a friend of mine. I bought everything from costco, (including their dangerous ginormous chocolate cake), clipped a few blossoms from the tree out front, and called it good. 

The only thing I actually made was the quiche. This recipe was surprisingly simple and yummy. 

1 premade frozen pie shell

6 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

Salt and pepper

1 onion (sautéed and caramelized) 

1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese 

1 cup cubed ham 

1 tsp dried tyme 

Heat oven to 375. Cook your onions, mix all ingredients, pour in pie crust and bake for 45 minutes. The beauty of a quiche is that you can swap out any kinda cheese you want, omit the meat, add bacon, add veggies, it's a great dish to use whatever is left in your pantry. This was a hit at my party today and came together in a snap. 

Passover Popovers

happy Easter! Today after our egg hunt I realized I didn't have any plans for a good Easter breakfast. On a whim I remembered a recipe I pinned from the kitchn.com for popovers. I decided to try them as it seemed different enough to feel festive. They turned out great! Buttery, fluffy, crispy, and best of all I just used a regular old muffin tin! No fancy popover pan needed. See how pretty? 

My husband was utterly impressed and are half the pan! He declared pop overs a new Easter tradition. 

Use a large 6 muffin tin pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a blender, mix the ingredients listed above until frothy and bubbly. Let the popover batter rest while the oven heats. Put the empty muffin tin in the oven for 2 minutes to warm. Remove from the oven and melt an extra 2 tablespoons of butter then divide the butter between the cups. Pulse the batter in the blender one more time to froth and then fill each cup halfway.

Place the pan into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Do not open the oven door during baking unless you want to unpop your popovers. Still without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes. Finished popovers will be golden-brown, feel dry to the touch, and sound hollow when tapped.

Eat and enjoy! I'm hungry just thinking about it! 

Falafel with tahini sauce

Tonight I made falafel with tahini sauce. It was surprisingly easy. It was pan fried but I might actually try baking it next time. 

For the falafel:
1 chopped white onion
3 garlic cloves
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup parsley leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder 
1 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil, for pan frying
Pita or naan bread, for serving

Lemon slices to squeeze over 

For the tahini sauce:

1 single serve cups plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup tahini 
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper 

Pulse onion and garlic in food processor until minced, set aside. Pulse spices, herbs, beans until just chopped. Add back onions and baking soda and pulse till combined. Slowly add flour 1/4 cup at a time till firm enough to mold into patties. Put in fridge while you mix sauce together, preferably leave it In fridge for like an hour. Pan fry in hot oil for 3 minutes per side. Salt as soon as done, squeeze lemon over top and serve with sauce on naan bread.