Kelli's Kitchen

Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry and Blue Cheese Salad

There is no better way to celebrate the beginning of Summer then by strawberry picking.  We found a great u pick farm in Maryland and had a wonderful time.  The strawberries were so sweet and juicy. This is one of our favorite things to do as a family, and we always pick much more than we need. This time was no exception.  We were able to freeze some, make jelly with some, and enjoy the rest in many of my recipes.  I was able to put this salad together with greens from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and our freshly picked strawberries.  I also made my own balsamic vinaigrette, but you could use whatever you have on hand.  If you are interested in joining a CSA you can visit, www.localharvest.com, or if you are looking for places to pick your own fruit and vegetables then visit, www.pickyourown.org.

Ingredients
1 bunch lettuce
Strawberries sliced
Walnuts
Blue cheese crumbles
Green onion sliced

Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Once you have put your salad together, then whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together and pour over salad.  Enjoy!
 

Tilapia and Pineapple

Sometimes you just want something light and fresh.  A summer fish recipe that will help you get ready for bathing suit season.  Yes, it's right around the corner!  Since my husband was eating on the run tonight  I put the fish and the pineapple relish in a whole wheat hot dog bun with some mayonnaise that I mixed with lime juice and the same seasonings I used on the fish.  I called it my tilapia Po-boy.  I think he was impressed and thought it was tasty.

Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 2 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
1/3 cup sliced red onion
1/3 cup chopped tomato
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Juice of one lime

Directions
Season both sides of tilapia with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add fish to pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes on both sides.  Fish will flake easily when tested with a fork.

Combine pineapple and the next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Serve pineapple mixture with fish.

Simple Pasta Dinner

This is another simple and fast dinner thrown together right before practice. I didn't want anything heavy but something that would be filling. This dish would even be great without the meat. 


Ingredients
1 box fusilli pasta
1 pound ground turkey Italian style
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
Cook pasta per box instructions.
Brown the ground turkey. Once the turkey is completely cooked, add sliced tomatoes and let cook until soft. Add drained pasta and cheese to meat. Drizzle olive oil over pasta and serve. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Crispy Cereal Chicken

Like most mom's, I have a picky eater.  This one small detail controlled our dinner table for the longest time.  After many years of battling and trying to convince my child to eat, I finally threw my hands up.  Once the battling stopped and he we no longer made dinner stressful things started to change.  I realized he wasn't going to starve and he realized some of my cooking taste good.   Once he realized this, I was able to cook more foods and he was inclined to try them since the stress of dinner was gone.  Now he nibbles on things without me asking, Praise Jesus!!

I found this recipe in a cook book and thought he likes cereal, so why not.  He actually liked it a lot, and then named it cereal chicken.  The cereal gives the chicken a good crunch and a little sweetness. The first time I made this, I used frosted flakes, then moved to regular organic corn flakes.  He hasn't noticed. These also are great to make ahead and they heat up nicely.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into strips
2 cups corn flakes cereal
1 egg
1 tsp water
Salt and Pepper


Directions
Preheat oven 350'
Grease a baking sheet
Using a food processor pulse the cereal into very small pieces.  Another way you can do this is by using a ziploc bag and rolling pin.  Put the cereal in the bag and use the rolling pin the crush the cereal.
Pour cereal in a bowl with salt and pepper.  In another bowl crack the egg, adding the water beat the egg to make the egg wash.
Place chicken in the egg wash and then the cereal mixture. Coat it with cereal, then place onto the baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then turn the chicken over and cook for another 15 minutes.

Broccoli Cakes

I have never been a fan of steamed broccoli.  I enjoy it raw or roasted in the oven, but steamed is not my favorite.   I also love burnt crunchy broccoli, hey don't judge we all have our things.  I thought of these today when I was searching through my fridge for something new to eat.  These have tasty things like cheese and panko in them, along with healthy broccoli.  I was happy to see number 3 eat an entire cake, but as some of you may know he will eat anything.  The true test will be when number one and number two get home from school.  Number one and two both like their veggies raw.  I am not complaining, but I would love this to be another dinner option.  I enjoyed these with some whole wheat couscous.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions chopped
1 broccoli head steamed and chopped
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt/pepper


Directions:
Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Mix ingredients until well incorporated.  Divide mixture into four equal parts.  Smash each part into a patty much like making a burger.  Carefully place patty in the oil and brown on both sides.  It was easier for me to make these in batches.  I added a little salt after I took them out of the oil while they were still hot.

Whole Wheat Gnocchi with a Gorganzola Sauce

  I was happy to see these whole wheat Gnocchi is the commissary of all places and thought I would try them.  They are usually found with the pasta or in the bakery. Gnocchi can change up Italian nights, which usually consist of pasta in our house. ,These guys are easy to cook and the sauce is an easy basic white sauce.  Gorgonzola cheese has a nice bite and is melts very smooth, but you can use any cheese here.  You do want something with a sharp taste to really make the dish.  As you can see, there are not many Gnocchi in my dish, because I kept eating them while I was cooking.


Ingredients
1 box whole wheat gnocchi cook
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3 oz Gorgonzola cheese


Directions
Cook Gnocchi following box directions.
In a sauce pan over medium high heat melt the butter.
Add the flour and mix well with butter.  Let cook for a minute or so to flavor the flour.
Pour in the milk and bring to a boil. Stir the sauce often, the sauce cans stick to the bottom of the pan. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and let the sauce thicken. It should coat the back of the spoon.
Once thicken, turn the heat off and add the cheese. Stir to melt the cheese.
Pour over Gnocchi and serve immediately.

Lighter Fish Taco

San Diego has been by far my favorite place we have been stationed.  I love everything about San Diego.  The weather, the people, and the food.  I am a big fan of Mexican food and, let us not forget margaritas.  Really, who doesn't love a margarita.  I was introduced to the fish taco while in San Diego, and instantly fell in love.  There is nothing like it.  I have made both the fried and the grilled and both are wonderful.  It's actually quite easy and a great way to get the kids to eat fish.  I made these last night for Taco Tuesday.  I won't lie, my picky eater had a cheese quesadilla but the other two devoured two fish tacos.  I used an avocado sauce for the tacos last night, but I will share the more common baja sauce later, when I do my fried fish tacos. This is the lighter version.


Fish
1 fillet of white fish per person
Season the fish with
salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/8 teaspoon of ground coriander

Heat a non stick pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook Fish on both sides for 4-5 minutes until fish is flaky.


Sauce
2 ripe avocados
1 cup salsa verde
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon jalapeno, seeded and cored
1 lime juiced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.


Tacos
corn or flour taco shells
frozen corn
black beans
chopped tomato
cabbage

If you have a gas stove, turn a burner on, using tongs, toast both sides of the shell. If you do not have gas stove you can warm your shells up in the microwave under a moist paper towel for 30 seconds.
Assemble your tacos with your favorite toppings.