Salsa Recipe

So while my dad was in Mexico he went to this guy's house and watched his mom make salsa and I tried it last night and it was yummy and super easy so I thought I would share it with you all!

In a small sauce pan put about 1/4 cup of water or so, enough to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/2 inch and turn it on med-high, cover.

2 large tomatoes
3-4 serrano chiles
1 clove garlic

cut the core out of the tomatoes, peel the garlic and cut the tops off of the chiles. When the water is simmering, put the ingredients into the water and steam for 5 minutes. Take all of the ingredients in the pan (water included) and dump them into the blender. Blend until smooth.

I'm not so fond of hot salsa so I refridgerated it until cold.

It has 16 cal per 1/4 cup and .9mg sodium

Chicken and Vegetable Tostadas

I tried this recipe the other night and really liked it! So, I'm sharing:

1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
12 ounces chicken breast tenders (I used chicken breasts that I chopped into approx. 1" cubes)
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
1 cup fresh corn kernels - I used canned corn, but if you use fresh it's about 2 ears
1 cup chopped zuchini - I hate zuchini, so I substitued yellow and red bell pepper
1/2 cup green salsa - I substitued one 7 ounce can of diced green chilies
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 (8 inch) fat-free flour tortillas
cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Optional: black beans - I added 1 14.5 ounce can, rinsed. It was delicious!

Preheat Broiler.

Combine first three ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; saute for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zuchini to pan (and black beans); saute for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center fo each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, an dcheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately

yield: 4 servings

Calories: 393 (30% from fat)
Fat: 13.1g
Carbs: 36.7g
Calcium:236mg
Sodium: 799mg
Protien: 32.5g
Fiber:3.1g

The above nutrition info is if you follow the recipe. The beans add a bit more fat and protein and calories.

I found this recipe on http://www.CookingLight.com

Shrimp Tacos

In Cabo San Lucas (where my dad lives) there is a taco shop that is right on the beach, so you can sit in a lounge chair soaking up the sun while the waiters bring you tacos and margaritas. Justin and I were thinking about those tacos and the beach and decided to try to make them. They have a habanero salsa that is seriously the best thing I have ever eaten so it was missing that but other wise I would say we nailed it! Here is what we did:

Marinate the shrimp for 10 minutes in:

we used medium shrimp
2T lime juice
1t seasoning salt
1t mexican spice
1T olive oil
sautee the shrimp in the marinade for a few minutes until it is tightly curled

Toppings
monterrey jack cheese
lettuce
pico de gallo with cabbage
sliced avocado

So with 2 tacos with puro maiz tortillas which are like 60 cal and 12 g of carbs plus an ounce of cheese 2 tbls of pico, 1/2 an avocado and lettuce the meal was 328 calories and 26 g of carbs.

Crab Cakes

This is a favorite recipe of mine. It's delicious and pretty easy to make. I found it in Cooking Light magazine. The recipe includes some baked vegetables and a butter sauce, but I've never made either of those, so I'm not going to include them here. You can find the recipe on myrecipes.com. It's titled: "Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce." The nutrition information is there, also, but it takes into account that you're eating the entire meal, not just the crab cakes, so I don't know the exact numbers. I usually just pair these with salad or nothing at all. I use imitation crab because the real thing is pretty much always out of my price range.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
3 Tbsp light mayo
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 lb. lump crab meat, drained and shell pieces removed
1 1/2 cups Panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs - I have used regular bread crumbs as well, if you don't have panko or can't find it.
1 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided
Cooking spray

Preparation:
1. Combine first seven ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crab meat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

2. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape into 3/4 inch thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in shallow dish. Working with one patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining patties and panko.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of patties with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook seven minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook seven minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remain 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray and remaining 4 crab cakes.

I have a big enough skillet that I can cook all 8 crab cakes at once and it works just fine. I usually use about 2 Tbsps. of olive oil at once when doing this, but that's just me.

Serving size: 2 crab cakes.

Hope you enjoy!

Gyros

Last night we had Gyros, Justin and the kids had pitas and I had a big salad. It was really good, and pretty good for us, I thought I would post the recipe.

For the Meat:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
• 2 pounds ground lamb (I used chicken instead)
  
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
• 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (I left out the salt)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

I chopped the onions in the food processor then mixed all of the ingredients together. Put into a loaf pan and bake in oven for 1 hr. Allow to rest for awhile before slicing thin. Put on a pita with onions tomatoes feta cheese and tzatziki sauce.


For the sauce:

16 ounces plain yogurt (strained on cheesecloth or a tea towel)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (food processor, then squeeze out the excess water with a tea towel)

Pinch kosher salt (I left out)

4 cloves garlic, finely minced (I put in the food processor with the cucumber)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tblspoons of dill, finely minced (I bought dill paste)

Mix all ingredients and chill.

So the meal with 2 tblspoons of sauce, 1/10th of the loaf of meat, tomatoes, feta, onions, and a pita was 435 calories or 310 if you had a salad.