Kiwi and Mango Nigiri : It’s Easy Being Green : Marx Food Contest!

ZestyBeanDog has entered another Marx Foods Contest!  They are just too much fun to not partake in! Marx Foods send you a box of sample sized goodies and the rules are simple:  You have to use at least two ingredients and then blog the recipe. This time around there will be 2 winners, one from internal vote and one from public vote (that me means YOU, my dear friends). Voting will begin on Tuesday at which point I will add the new link to my blog. Then you can check out all the recipes and vote for your favorite one!  The winners get $100 in Marx Food Store Credit and you know I need that BAD!!! I’m all out of  YUZU juice! 😉

I chose to use the Bamboo Rice, Cardamom, and the Mint Herb Crystals to create a Kiwi and Mango Nigiri. This was a tasty and whimsical play on dessert and sushi that I will be making it again for sure, probably for a dinner party. The cardamom infused bamboo rice was subtle yet alluring and the slight crunch of the crystalized mint paired surprisingly well with the mango and bamboo rice.  I couldn’t resist doing kiwi not only because it’s green but also because I love it and the little seeds gave a great texture to the nigiri. The nigiri was then served with a orange honey marmalade and rice wine sauce. Overall it was a fun dish, to eat and to make!

Prep Time: 60 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: Makes 8 Nigiri

Ingredients:

• .5 Cup Bamboo Rice
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
• 5 Cardamom pods broken crushed with seeds
• 1 Kiwi
• 1 Mango
• 1 tsp Crystalized Mint
• 4 Mint leaves, small
• Marmalade

Instructions:

1. Boil 1 Cup of water add crushed cardamom pods and seeds, let sit for 10 min on simmer. Strain and reserve water for rice. 
2. Add rinsed bamboo rice to water bring to a boil, add 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, cover and simmer for 20 min or until done.
3. Cut up kiwi and mango thinly to arrange on top of rice.
4. Let rice cool for about 20-30 min.
5. Make 8 nigiri mounds with your hands and place fruit on top and garnish with crystalized mint and real mint.
6. Serve with honey orange marmalade with a splash of rice wine.

Enjoy with a glass of wine!

4 STEP Simple Chicken Thigh and Veggie Soup in the Crock Pot

This is a super easy dish to prepare in the crock pot for busy days! It’s healthy and prepared in four simple steps. Cooking this dish with bone in thighs give it a great flavor and is easier than other methods where you have to cut, cube, brown, pull etc…

Prep: 10 min

Cook Time: 7.5 hrs on LOW

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Free-Range chicken thighs, most of fat removed (as much as you can) I just peel it off with my hands and discard.
• 32 oz Kitchen Basics no sodium chicken broth
• 32 oz Kitchen Basics regular beef broth
• 3 Large organic tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups or 1.5 cans).
• 4 Stalks of celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 Can of black beans
• 1.5 C. Corn, fresh is best (or one can).
• 2 Limes, juiced
• 1 TBS Sea salt, fresh ground pepper, mexican oregano, and chili powder (1 TBS each of these).
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Cumin powder, freshly ground is always better 🙂
• 2 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 TBS Zestybeandog Fine Herb Blend (Coming soon for purchase).

Instructions:

1. Cut produce that needs to be cut up and place in crock. Empty (drained) can of beans into crock as well.
2. Skin chicken thighs and place in crock.
3. Add stock to crock.
4. Add spices. Cook for 7.5 hrs on LOW or 4 on high. Chicken should come right off the bone.

Serve with a little Monterrey Jack or cheese of your choice and crackers if desired. Watch for the bone. I serve one thigh for each person with the soup, the meat comes off the bone very easily.  You can remove bone from thighs if desired before serving.

Hatch and Serrano Chili Panko Encrusted Tilapia with Smashed Potatoes and a Pistachio and Citrus Salad

This is a great way to use the hatch chilies that you might be seeing all over town right now!  I chose tilapia for this dish but you could use catfish or cod.

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Fish filets, your choice on how big (a little under 1/2 a pound each will do).
• 1/2 Hatch chili, minced finely
• 1 Serrano, (1/2 sliced very thin, 1/2 minced finely).
• 1 Egg
• 1 C. Panko bread crumb
• Salt, pepper, and fine herb blend 1/2 tsp of each
• 2 Potatoes, scrubbed, cut up to boil (leave skin on, that’s where all the nutrients are).
• 1/4 C. Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 C. Light sour cream
• 3 TBS Butter
• 1 tsp. Black truffle salt
• 2 TBS Shallot, minced (for whole recipe you will need one medium sized shallot, half for potatoes and half for dressing).
• 2 Green onions, sliced
• 1 Clove of garlic, minced
• 2-3 Cups of fresh baby spinach
• 1 Grapefruit, cut this way
• 2 TBS Pistachios, shelled (Fresh)
• 1/2 Orange, zest it
• 1/2 Orange, juiced
• 1/8 C. Red wine vinegar
• 2 TBS Olive oil
• 1 TBS Agave nectar
• 1 tsp Fine herb blend
• 1 TBS Shallots, minced
• 3-4 TBS Olive oil or you can use Pam to cut calories

Instructions:

1. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium pot, add cut up potatoes and cook until tender/done. While potatoes are cooking…
2. Prepare fish, wash, gather two bowls and a plate. Crack egg in first bowl, whisk. Add panko, hatch and serrano peppers, and salt, pepper, and fine herb blend 1/2 tsp of each to crumbs and mix with hand.  Take fish filets and dip into egg mixture then into panko and coat whole filet throughly on both sides. Repeat. Place breaded fish on plate and place in fridge.
3. Drain potatoes and place back in pot, add sour cream, cheese, butter, garlic, 1/2 of the shallots, truffle salt, and green onion and mash roughly. Cover to keep warm.
4. Heat large skillet on medium high with olive oil or pam, add filets, and cook for 4 min without turning!!! After 4 min turn and cook for an additional 4 min without turning, after you have browned both sides cook until done (about 2 min on each side more).
5. While fish is cooking make up your salad and dressing add spinach to bowl, add grapefruit and nuts.  For the dressing, get a plastic container with a tight sealing lid and add:
• 1/2 Orange, zest it
• 1/2 Orange, juiced
• 1/8 C. Red wine vinegar
• 2 TBS Olive oil
• 1 TBS Agave nectar
• 1 tsp Fine herb blend
• 1 TBS Shallots, minced

And shake to mix well.  Dress salad and check on fish.  Once fish is done plate up your meal, garnishing with a few serranos that you sliced thinly earlier.  Enjoy!

Cheers!

Broccoli and Cheese Soup…It’s got a whole pound of Broccoli in it!

Mmmm… Mmmm… Good and NOT in a Processed Campbell’s Soup Kinda Way!

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 15-20 min

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1LB Organic broccoli (fresh, not frozen).
• 1 Medium shallot, chopped
• 1/4 Large onion, chopped
• 2 Large organic carrots, sliced
• 3 Cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 and 3/4 C Sharp Cheddar
• 4 C. Chicken stock, look for free-range and free of MSG (or vegetable stock).
• 1/2 C. Organic half and half
• 4 TBS Organic flour
• 3 TBS Butter
• 1 tsp Fresh organic thyme
• 1/4 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, boil fresh broccoli and carrots for 2 min, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking.  Reserve a handful of broccoli for the very end.
2. Melt 3 TBS of butter in pot on medium, add onion, shallots, garlic, and thyme cook for 2 min, stirring constantly.
3. Add 4 TBS of flour then slowly whisk chicken stock into mixture until dissolved.  Add broccoli and carrots and cook for 2 min on high.  Add garlic powder, paprika, and pepper.
4. Puree mixture with either a hand blender or food processor.  (May want to do this in batches, depending on your blending method).
5. Return to pot if need be and add half and half and cheese, stir well until all of the cheese is melted.
6. Add broccoli reserve to pot of soup and salt to taste (about 1 tsp of sea salt to start).
7. Serve with croutons or crackers.

Broccoli

Whole Snapper Paella

Valencians use the word paella for all pans, including the specialized shallow pan used for cooking paellas. However, in most of Spain and throughout Latin America, the term paellera is more commonly used for this pan, though both terms are correct, as stated by the Royal Spanish Academy, the body responsible for regulating the Spanish language.^[15][16] Paellerasare traditionally round and shallow, made of polished steel with two handles.^[17]

Prep: 15 min

Cook: Time 30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 whole wild snapper, 1-1.5 lbs
• 1 C whole wheat couscous
• 1/2 C chicken stock
• 12 asparagus tips
• 12 thick mushroom slices
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 medium shallot, diced
• 1 lime, juice
• 1 lemon, sliced thin
• 2 TBS butter
• Spices ground together in mortar and pestle: 20 saffron threads, 10 peppercorns (mixed colors), 1 tsp sea salt, 8 dried tepin chiles, 1/4 tsp sumac
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped and roasted in oven on 350 for 15 min or until golden brown ( sprinkle on paella when done before serving).

Instructions:

1. In a large paella pan spray a few shots of Olive Oil Pam and then lay the couscous down.
2. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture onto couscous evenly and lime juice.
3. Lay snapper in the middle of pan.
4. Arrange asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, and shallots in a circle around snapper.
5. Pour chicken stock on the circle around the fish.
6. Lay lemon slices on top of snapper.
7. Sprinkle remaining spice on top of everything.
8. Top fish with 2 TBS of butter.
9. Seal tightly with foil or parchment paper.
10. Cook  for 30-35 min @ 425 degrees.
11. Sprinkle paella with garlic crunchies and serve up snapper with a side of couscous!

Enjoy!

Mortar and Pestle

Healthy Curried Chicken and Veggie Skewers with Crispy Garlic and Sumac

These delicious and healthy kebabs are filled with powerful, natural anti-inflammatory agents and disease fighting compounds, see what Dr. Weil has to say.

Prep: 10-15 min

Marinate Time: 2 hours at least, the longer the better.

Cook: 10 min for garlic, around 15-20 min for the skewers

Serves: 2-4 depending on how many other things you are serving.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Onion, cut in half then quartered, into squares
• 1 Squash, sliced in 1/2 inch think rings
• 1 Zucchini, sliced in 1/2 inch think rings
• 7 Large mushrooms, quartered
• 1 large chicken breast, cubed 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch
• 1 green bell, cut into squares
• 5 limes, 1 lemon, juiced
• 5 cloves of toasted garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Sumac, I got this from my husbands parents that are currently in South Korea and I’ve never cooked with it until now, it’s lovely!  It can be found at specialty shops and could be omitted if you don’t have any luck finding it, just replace it with some lemon zest (1/2 tsp).
• 2 tsp olive oil, one for marinade and one for garlic
• 1 TBS Curry
• 1 TBS Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp red pepper, dried
• 1 tsp pepper, freshly ground (I used 3 types, black, pink, and white).
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, chop up garlic and place small baking dish with 1 tsp of olive oil, bake 10-15 min or until golden.
2. Cut up produce and chicken as described above and place in a large casserole.
3. Add all spices, cooked garlic, citrus juice, and olive oil, mix well coating all the pieces.
4. Marinate for two hours at least, you can marinate over night as well.
5. Soak skewers in water (7-8 skewers).
6. Skewer up your kebabs alternating veggies while adding chicken here and there, I put 2-3 pieces of chicken on each skewer, so they were predominately veggies.  Reserve the marinade if there is any left and put in a small stock pot and boil for 30 sec, use this to drizzle on kebabs once they are done BBQ’ing.
7. Grill on charcoal or broil, turning to get all sides for about 15-20 min, or until chicken is done.
8. Drizzle with reserved marinade if desired.

Serve with couscous.  CHEERS!

Marinating

Super Healthy Chicken and Veggie Soup

This low fat treat is great for a cold night like tonight!  It’s got OVER 10 veggies in it! 🙂

 

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 20-30 min

Serves: A lot 6-8?

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1/2 head of purple cauliflower, broken down into small florets (JBG*)
• Broccoli florets, same amount as above (JBG)
• 4 carrots, sliced (JBG)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cubed
• 1 onion, cubed
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 squash, sliced
• 1/2 bunch mustard greens, chopped (JBG)
• 2 handfuls of collard greens, sliced
• Green Onion, chopped for topping (JBG)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 TBS fresh ginger, minced
• 3 limes
• 1 lemon
• 5 sprigs of thyme, pulled off stems
• Salt,  pepper, and cayenne  to taste
• 6-7 C. Chicken Stock, use a good quality one (without MSG) or homemade, I used 7 cups because I had extra in the fridge but two boxes is equal to 6 cups.
• 1 tsp butter

Instructions:

1. Cook onion and garlic in 1 tsp of butter until browned
2. Pour chicken stock in a large stock pot and turn on medium high, once onions and garlic are done transfer to stock pot with broth.
3. Wash all veggies and slice, cut, break up accordingly.
4. Transfer veggies to pot along with citrus juice and simmer for about 20 min.  Then season broth with spices to taste.
5. Cut up chicken breasts and let them cook for about 5 min or until done.

Serve with crackers or toast if desired.  Also this is great without chicken too!

*JBG means these veggies are locally harvested organic produce from Johnson’s Backyard Garden

Vegetables

SIMPLE and HEALTHY – Chicken Vegetable Soup in the Crock Pot

Prep: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 hours (3 on high 2 on low)

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 small can of corn
• 1 large can of organic diced tomatoes
• 2-3 carrots, sliced
• 1-3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1/2 container (80z) of mushrooms
• 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice
• Thyme (1/2 tsp) Pepper (to taste) Celery Salt (1/2 tsp) Oregano (1 tsp) Cayenne Pepper (1/4 tsp) Sea Salt ( to taste)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except chicken, salt, and pepper and cook in crock pot for 5 hrs.  Mix in cooked chicken during the last 5 min to warm.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve with crackers, a salad, or a grilled cheese.

This is a super easy recipe and leftovers are a treat the next day for lunch!

Chicken Breast- صدور الدجاج