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Peruvian Roasted Chicken with Dipping Sauce

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Get ready, because this recipe is really mouth watering. The ingredients are surprisingly uncomplicated — you probably have them in your kitchen already. The dipping sauce is the big draw — its explosion of flavor will blow your mind. The hardest part of cooking this Peruvian Roasted Chicken with Dipping Sauce is marinating the chicken overnight (because you’ll have to wait til tomorrow night to taste it). But it’s definitely worthwhile.

 

Peruvian Chicken
Ingredients

2-3 Lbs leg quarters cleaned and deboned (bone in is OK)
1 lime juiced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
2 jalapeño peppers (seeds removed)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1 scallion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon white sugar

After chicken is cleaned and with the skin on. Put the following ingredients into a food processor to make your marinade:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lime juice only
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons oregano
1 teaspoon sugar (Stevia OK)
1/4 teaspoon of salt & pepper

Blend until smooth. Now, loosen the chicken skin from flesh and spoon in a generous amount of marinade underneath the skin. Place in a large bowl and pour remaining marinade onto the chicken. Cover tightly and marinate overnight.

Dipping sauce ingredients and instructions

Add these to your food processor: mayonnaise, sour cream, jalapeño, parmesan cheese, scallion, cilantro, 1/2 lime juiced, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper. Blend until smooth. Store in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

To prepare the chicken:

Preheat oven to 400*
Place marinated chicken on a roasting rack, in a large roasting pan with the lid off. Bake for 45- 60 minutes until baked.

Serve your Peruvian Roasted Chicken with tomato flavored rice and a side salad for a filling meal. Also, give your fellow diners a small portion of your amazing dipping sauce in a separate serving cup on the side. (They’re probably going to want more!)

Enjoy !!

Posted by Eve

Pan Grilled Fish Fritters

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If you are looking for an easy, low-calorie, healthy seafood recipe this could be it. These fish fritters not only make a terrific main dish for dinner, but are really nice for lunch as well. You can use whichever fish that you prefer — I prefer whiting or tilapia.

 

Fish Fritters

Ingredients

3 whiting fish fillets skinned, all bones removed and cut into small chunks
1 scallion chopped
1 mini red pepper finely diced
2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl add raw fish, scallions, red pepper, old bay seasoning and flour. Gently combine all ingredients. Place a large non-stick griddle on medium heat and add olive oil. Next, make your fish into patties and grill on both sides until golden brown. Make sure to only flip patties once to ensure that it doesn’t break apart.

Serve with a small portion of egg noodles and steamed spinach. Or as a lunch, serve with a side salad (or on top of the salad) with a vinaigrette dressing. Also, a squeeze of lemon on top of the fritter will add more flavor.

Enjoy!!!!

Posted by Eve

5 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids

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When school is back in session, so are the hectic mornings. Kids need a healthy and filling breakfast to start their day, instead of a breakfast filled with sugar and processed foods. You can’t rely on the school’s breakfast options to provide your children with proper real nutritional value. Most of the meals that are prepared in schools today are filled with sugar.

Sugar as we all know gives the child a burst of energy that soon fades. So your child’s attention span will diminish as the sugar “high” begins to come down, making them feel tired and unfocused. Give your kids meals that will help them stay mentally and physically alert throughout their day at school, so that they will have the best shot at getting good grades. Here are 5 healthy breakfast ideas for kids that are relatively easy to prepare.

 

blueberry pancakes

1- Oatmeal With Honey And Raisins
Make a small batch of steel cut oatmeal for a healthy kids breakfast. Add some organic honey, and top it with raisins or dried cranberries.

2- Breakfast Wraps
Fill a whole wheat (low carb) wrap with scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and a few slices of ripe avocado. Wrap it up in aluminum foil so that your child can eat it at the bus stop.

3- Bran Banana Muffins
Make a batch of bran banana muffins on Sunday and use them for breakfast for the next couple of days. Add ripe bananas, crushed bran cereal, coconut flour, vanilla and organic honey to your mix to help make it tasty.

4- Blueberry Pancakes
For a healthier breakfast, add a handful of organic frozen blueberries to your pancake mix in the morning. If your child is not a fan of blueberries than substitute them with the organic frozen fruit that they prefer.

blueberry pancakes

5- Fruit Smoothie
When you’re really in a rush, make a fruit smoothie for your child to take on the school bus. Add almond or coconut milk, pineapple and/or strawberries, organic honey and some organic Greek yogurt to your smoothie maker. You can even try adding a bit of kale or spinach to give them more vitamins — it depends on what their taste buds will agree with.

 

fruit smoothie

So there are 5 healthy breakfast ideas for kids to try — they might inspire you to think of even more. Once you get into the routine of preparing these nutritious meals for your kids, it will get easier and easier. You’re providing your child with the necessary energy and nutritional content to get them through their day successfully. Your extra efforts may not be fully appreciated today, but you’ll see the results when you get their report cards.

Posted by Eve

Image credits: Flickr/geishabot, Flickr/ktylerconk, Flickr/75628061@N03

Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce

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Tartar sauce really brings out the flavor or fried fish. You can purchase a jar in any supermarket, but when it’s processed it can have all sorts of preservatives and unnecessary ingredients. Just make it fresh instead — it’s so easy! Homemade tartar sauce consists of just a few simple ingredients that are probably in your kitchen right now. If you try this recipe, purchasing the store brand tartar sauce will be a thing of the past.

 

 

Homemade Tartar Sauce
Ingredients

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet relish
1/2 tablespoon of shredded carrot (optional)
A pinch of salt and pepper
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon (a whole lemon if you really like it tart)

Instructions

In a medium bowl add all ingredients and mix well. Taste sauce to ensure that it tastes to your liking.

It’s just that simple. You can feel free to use the mayonnaise of your choice for your homemade tartar sauce. If you tend to like your sauce a little spicy just add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Allow the tartar sauce to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Check out our recipe for Battered Fish and Shrimp with French Fries.

Enjoy!

Posted by Eve

Asian-Inspired Pork with Brown Rice

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This recipe for Asian-Inspired Pork with Brown Rice is packed with Asian flavors that are sure to stimulate your taste buds. It’s a meal that will taste like you’re enjoying it at a top Asian restaurant.

Asian Pork Plate
Ingredients

1-2 Lbs pork (you can use pork loin, pork ribs, chicken or even steak)
2 tablespoons of Olive oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
One medium piece of ginger grated and peeled
Three large garlic cloves
One stalk of lemongrass peeled and coarsely chopped
One cup of brown rice made with chopped scallions

Instructions

The meat needs to marinate for one hour. For the best results, marinate meat overnight in a sealed flat container. Begin by adding all spices except the olive oil to either a food processor or blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined. Place the meat into a container.

Now poke holes in the meat with a knife or fork. Make plenty of holes in the meat so the marinade can seep in. Then pour the entire marinade over the meat. Let meat sit for 30 minutes then flip over, cover and put back into the refrigerator.

Asian PorkTo cook the meat, place it on a grill or skillet on medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Carefully placed me into skillet. While cooking, pour half of the marinade on the meat. Repeat this step when you flip the meat over. Allow the meat to cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Be aware that the sugar will make the meat caramelize and brown, so don’t worry.

Serve this Asian-Inspired Pork with Brown Rice and chopped scallions. For added flavor add a half of a teaspoon of soy sauce to the rice.

Enjoy!

Posted by Eve

Battered Fish and Shrimp with French Fries and Tartar Sauce

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This simple recipe for Battered Fish and Shrimp with French Fries and Tartar Sauce is an awesome seafood dinner. It is packed with tons of flavor. A bonus is that the batter and tartar sauce are homemade, so you know exactly what’s in it. They consist of simple ingredients that you have in your refrigerator and pantry already.

 
Battered Fish and Chips
Ingredients

2 Lbs Skinless Fish Fillets (flounder, whiting, talapia, perch and cod are all OK to use for this recipe)
1/2 Lb Shrimp Peeled, Deveined And Butterflied
2 Cups Frozen French Fries

– Homemade Batter –
1 Cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 Cup Seltzer Water

– Homemade Tartar Sauce –
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet relish
1/2 tablespoon of shredded carrot (optional)
A pinch of salt and pepper
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon (a whole lemon if you really like it tart)

Instructions

First, prepare your batter, by mixing flour, seasoning and seltzer water in a large bowl or dish. Batter should be thick enough to generously coat fish and shrimp. Next, in a large fry pan add the oil and place on medium high heat.

Now, fry your French fries until golden brown and place on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven on warm. Then allow the oil to reheat for two to three minutes. Meanwhile, coat fish fillets with batter on both sides. Carefully, place fish in the oil. Allow fish to cook for three minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat this process to fry the shrimp. Remember that shrimp cooks faster than fish. Also, don’t forget to place fish and shrimp on a cooling rack to allow excess oil to drain.

Finally, combine the ingredients for your fresh tartar sauce and adjust ingredients as needed for taste. Place a dollop on the side and use it as a dip for your fish and shrimp.

Enjoy your Battered Fish and Shrimp with French Fries and Tartar Sauce!

Battered Fish and Chips
Posted by Eve