Not in the mood for hot soup this summer? Try this gazpacho recipe for a refreshing and nutrient packed treat!

You will need:

6 plum tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 lrg cucumber
1 lrg leek
1 green serano chile
1 red chile
1/2 white onion
3 cloves garlic
Handful cilantro

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce/strained or pureed tomatoes*
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth*
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sriracha
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Roughly dice all the veggies and quickly pulse them separately in a blender or food processor. Don’t blend too long or they will turn mushy. You want a nice crunchy texture. In a large bowl, combine veggies and remaining ingredients. Refridgerate. Best if left overnight to marinate.

Serve chilled. Can garnish with sour cream, avocado, or a splash of good olive oil.

Enjoy! I did

So I love nuts and berries and grains and all that stuff, but it can add up at the store.  Making granola can really help stretch those super foods in a delicious and healthy one-stop-shop. It’s also a great way to combine leftover ingredients from other recipes. As always, my “recipes” are to be taken as a suggestion tailored to my taste, so feel free to mess with it! I used what I had in my kitchen, but there are tons of nuts, dried fruits, and grains to use…

Here’s my recipe for making homemade granola:

Ingredients:

4 c. rolled oats (not instant)
2 c. chopped walnuts
1 1/2 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. sunflower seeds (try to find unsalted, if unavailable, don’t add salt until tasting.)
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. canola oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne (that’s where the sass comes from!)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt (less if using salted sunflower seeds.)

Preheat oven to 350º.  Combine oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine honey, syrup, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix until evenly distributed. Pour the mixture over a greased baking sheet and spread it out evenly.  Place in the oven and stir every 5-7min for 20 min.  You want it nice and golden brown, but not burned.  Remove the granola and let it cool, then add the cranberries.  Store in an air tight container and enjoy!

You can eat your granola with yogurt and berries,  milk for cereal, with ice cream or just by the handful.

I’ve already mentioned my affinity for fish tacos or any taco really, so I decided to share my recipe for fresh and delish fish tacos for two.

What you’ll need:

2 Tilapia Filets
1/4 head of Green Cabbage, finely sliced
2 tbsp Vinegar
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
S+P
Cayenne Pepper, to taste
2 limes, One cut in half, the other into wedges
1/4 c Sour Cream
1/2 tbsp Sriracha
1 Red Tomato, diced
1 Yellow Tomato, diced
1 Med Avocado, peeled and diced
3 stalks Green Onion, sliced
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa- See my previously posted recipe

Sounds like a lot of stuff, but every taco has lots of fixin’s!!

Start by combining the cabbage with the vinegar, cover and stick in the fridge. Heat the olive oil in a lrg skillet over med-high heat. Add the garlic and saute for 2 min. Season your tilapia filets with S+P, Cayenne and the juice of half of one lime and saute for 4 min on each side. In the meantime, combine the sour cream, sriracha and juice of the other half of the lime and place in the fridge. Combine your red and yellow tomatoes with the green onion and avocado and place in the fridge. When your tilapia is almost done, heat a small skillet over med-high heat and heat your tortillas for about 1 min on each side. With a fork, break up your tilapia and place in a bowl for serving. Lay out all your trimmings (Cabbage, tomato-avocado salad, tomatillo salsa, cream sauce, and lime wedges) with your tilapia and tortillas and load ‘em up!!

Great, now I want some… Let me know how you like it!!

I’ve always heard of Tomatillos and had Tomatillo Salsa (or salsa verde), but I never worked with it in my kitchen. Soooo, when I came across some beautiful tomatillos at the Farmers Market this past Sunday… I had to get them! Here is my “recipe” for Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. I put “recipe” in quotes because I rarely measure out my ingredients so feel free to tweak as you see fit!

What You’ll Need:

Approx 1 lb Fresh Tomatillos
6 cloves of Garlic (unpeeled)
1 lrg Shallot
1 Jalapeno Pepper
1 Lemon
1 Lime
Olive Oil (approx 2 tbsp + 1/4 c)
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
S+P

Baking sheet or pan + food processor (or blender)

What You Do:

Preheat your oven to 400. De-husk and rinse your Tomatillos and peel your Shallot. Place your Tomatillos, Shallot and Garlic in an oven-safe pan. Drizzle with ~2 tbsp Olive Oil and season with S+P. Roast for 15-20min, until brown and softened.

In your food processor, combine your roasted veggies (remove peel from Garlic) with the Jalapeno, juice from the Lemon and Lime, ~ 1/4 c Olive Oil, 1/4 tsp Cayenne, and S+P to taste. Blend until combined, but not pureed.

Use it to top fish tacos, tortilla chips or really any of your fave dishes….