Quinoa Tabbouleh + Summer Berry Cobbler from the Skinnytaste Cookbook

I know a lot of you are really excited about The Skinnytaste Cookbook release. Well guess what?, so is Target! So excited in fact that they are carrying my cookbook which is now available for pre-order on Target.com.

The Skinnytaste Cookbook has 150 recipes – 125 of those recipes are brand spanking new and have never been published on my blog. But I gave Target a sneak peak inside the cookbook and shared two exclusive recipes and photos from the book. (photo credit: Penny De Los Santos)

I chose two of my summer favorites so you don't have to wait until September 30th – you can start making them now while the weather's warming up. The Quinoa Tabbouleh tastes so fresh – a perfect summer salad whether you serve this as a main dish or a side dish with grilled chicken or lamb. And this Summer Berry Cobbler – cobbler is my weakness and this is my absolute favorite way to utilize those sweet summer berries.

Did I tease you enough? Well that wasn't my plan... head on over to Target's A Bullseye View and get the full recipes!!!

Grilled Cumin Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Summer parties and dining al fresco doesn't get more convenient than this – lean pork tenderloin seasoned with a quick, flavorful rub then grilled to perfection served with the easiest salad ever!!

I love having my friends over in the summer for BBQs, but I don't love spending hours in the kitchen. Instead I prefer to keep things simple so I can actually enjoy my company, which is why I love these new DeLallo SaladSavors.

If you're not familiar with DeLallo; I first discovered them last year. They are the only brand of whole wheat pasta my family will actually eat, but they sell tons of other quality ingredients like olive oils, vinegars, olives, roasted peppers, marinated artichokes and more. So it only makes sense that they took those ingredients and conveniently packaged them to create quick and easy salads – all you do is add the lettuce!

Whatever you throw on the grill; whether it's pork tenderloin, shrimp kabobs, pesto chicken kabobs, harissa lamb chops or even just burgers – making a salad with one of these salad toppings takes minutes to put together – EASY!

These are brand spanking new so at the moment they're only available in select supermarkets, but I'm sure you'll be seeing them everywhere soon! And here's the BEST news – I've partnered with DeLallo Foods and a few of my food blogging friends: Sommer from A Spicy Perspective, Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil, Ali from Gimme Some Oven, Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod and myself to host the Ultimate Al Fresco Dining Giveaway!

You could win A YEAR of SaladSavors (10 SaladSavors® sent monthly), plus tons of stuff from Crate & Barrel and West Elm: a beautiful patio set, a salad bowl, platter, serving tub, flatware serving set and more!! If you love entertaining outdoors in the summer as much as I do, click here for a chance to win this giveaway.

And back to the pork tenderloin – it's super lean, a serving is under 175 calories (4 points plus) and is gluten-free, clean, paleo-friendly, & takes 25 minutes to make. You can easily double the recipe to serve more. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Aloha Teriyaki Shrimp Burgers

If I can't be in paradise, at least I can bring a little paradise to my backyard with these grilled shrimp burgers topped with grilled pineapple and a homemade pineapple teriyaki sauce – just under 300 calories!

It's June and the weather is getting hot out there, which means most of my dinners are being cooked outside on the grill. Last year I created a shrimp jalapeno patty which I modified slightly to come up with this Hawaiian inspired burger. I found making the burgers ahead of time and keeping them refrigerated before grilling helped them maintain their shape perfectly and I had no issues with them sticking to the grill.

They only take a few minutes to grill on each side and you can grill the pineapples at the same time. This recipes makes 8, but if you want to halve it, you can certainly make enough for 4, although I would probably keep the teriyaki sauce as is and use it for another day.

I served these on whole wheat potato buns but you can skip the bun and serve it over lettuce if you wish to go low-carb.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Avocado Coconut Popsicles

These creamy popsicles are a real treat! Made with just 4 ingredients – nutrient dense avocados, coconut-almond milk, raw sugar and sweetened coconut flakes. They are also dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.

It’s no secret, I'm pretty avocado obsessed! I grew up eating avocados all my life and I usually incorporate them into a meal just about every day! In fact, I love them so much I created an entire Pinterest Board devoted to avocados. But I usually eat them in some type of savory dish such as guacamole, BLT, egg salad, in my salad dressings, with my soups and more.

But the fact is, in Brazil where my Dad lived for many years, avocados were never eaten with salt; instead they were treated as the fruit that they are and were often sweetened with sugar. My dad used to make a smoothie years ago with avocados, milk and sugar which he called Vitamina. Because I love coconut, I took his smoothie idea and added coconut flakes and loved it! And since avocados are so nutrient dense, you're also getting a good dose of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to boot!

PS - The popsicle mold I used is from Progressive which I bought on Amazon, click the link if you're interested.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Sweet Ginger Peach Tea Quinoa with Jalepeno, Peaches and Pecans #RecipeRedux

Is there anything better than a freshly made glass of ice cold tea on a hot day? Not really IMHO. One of my favorite go to teas is Ginger Peach Tea from Republic of Tea. It's subtle peach flavor is perfect for sipping on the patio on a hot summer day. We have paaalenty of those sort of days here in the Valley of the Sun.

Have you ever thought of using tea in your cooking or baking? To tell you the truth I hadn't ever really considered it as an option except for maybe this Green Tea Soup and this Miso Green Tea and Ginger Zucchini Noodle Soup. When the Recipe Redux team challenged us to come up with a recipe starring tea I had to rack my brain, then scour some of my favorite magazines for help.

I came across some surprising recipes using tea many of which I've bookmarked to make later. Some of my favorite's and most interesting are these Tea Smoked Chicken in a Wok by Jeanette's Healthy Living. Cooking Light's Green Tea Honey Cake is screaming summer back yard pool party as is this Vanilla Jasmine Sour Cream Tea Cake! I know I won't make it until Christmas without making these Chai Tea Cutout Cookies from Brianne at Cupcakes and Kale Chips.

I finally settled on making a sweet ginger peach tea bowl of quinoa using warm, ripe, juicy peaches and automatic toasted pecans for warmth. I added some chopped mint from our little herb garden to compliment the ginger peach flavors. I suppose this would be considered a side dish, perfect to bring to your next backyard potluck but I was content in sitting on the porch watching the kids play in the pool and eating  two  a big bowl of this.

recipe adapted from Southern Living Magazine May 2011

TIME    30 MINUTES        SERVES 4-6

2 cups sweetened Ginger Peach Tea {make strong}

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used multi colored)

1 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2  fresh peaches, peeled and diced {peaches are on the Top 10 must eat Organic least and only pennies more expensive when in season}

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

1. Pre make 2 cups of Ginger Peach tea. Leave in pot {or pour from kettle into medium size stock pot}. Add 1 cup *pre-rinsed quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. 
2. Meanwhile, melt coconut oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat; add pecans, and roast, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Add jalapeno, and saute 1 minute. Transfer to quinoa bowl and toss to combine. Add chopped mint and mango and toss. 

Serve warm. 

notes 

Baked chicken would go good with this if you are a meat eater. However, I found this plenty flavorful and filling all on its own. 

Quinoa has a natural 'soapy' film on it and must be pre-rinsed in a fine mesh sieve. Most quinoa these days come pre-rinsed but I always rinse mine anyway. Nothing ruins a bowl of quinoa like a soapy flavor. 


The tea flavor was very, very subtly in this quinoa and while I couldn't pick it out amongst the quinoa's nutty flavor I did find that it added a bit of depth and interest to the dish. The original recipe called for white rice and I'm sure the tea would be more pronounced. 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Naked Turkey Bruschetta Burger

Lean, delicious, juicy turkey burgers made with zucchini and topped with a summer garden tomato bruschetta topping over a bed of baby arugula – no bun required!

I thought I would share this fabulous turkey burger recipe from the archives for those of you who may not have tried this.

This dish was inspired by a meal my girlfriend ordered during a girl's night out. I always get inspired when I go out to eat, and created this lighter version which turned out delicious. For the turkey burger, I went with my skinny turkey burger recipe I posted a few years back, it's made with shredded zucchini which gives it lots of moisture and great flavor. They are delicate, so I prefer to make them on a skillet instead of the grill.

This is the perfect summer meal for under 300 calories, especially if you have lots of tomatoes in your garden. You can easily make these vegetarian by using a boca burger or veggie burger of your choice. By the way the lovely fork is by For Such A Time Designs. Hope you enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Caramel Sauce

Summer dessert doesn't get any better than this grilled pineapple in a simple coconut caramel sauce. Just throw it on the grill alongside some fish or jerk chicken and then commence lounging on the patio in complete bliss. I snuck one of these glazed pineapple pieces straight from the grill, and wasn't ready for the magic that happened. I love pineapple and something seriously amazing happens when you throw it on the grill. The natural sugars are brought out by the flames and the pineapple juices become a smokey caramel flavor.


And just to make things even better we drizzled the hot pieces of grilled fruit with a coconut caramel reduction. Thick, gooey and hot coconut caramel paired with grilled pineapple is a match made in dessert heaven. We had this alongside our grilled fish tacos and not a peep was uttered during dinner on the patio that night except for Mmmmmmmmmm's and the occasional Oh yeeaaahhh!

Instead of spending time in the kitchen baking dessert this summer try throwing different fruits on the grill for a super simple after dinner treat. My other favorite fruit to grill are nectarines, the flavor brought out from grilling them is out of this world!

recipe from Sunset Magazine


TIME     20 MINUTES          SERVES     6

1 large pineapple

1/2 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup coconut milk (the kind in the can)

handful of shredded, sweetened coconut

Pre heat outdoor grill to medium high. 

In a small saucepan over medium high heat bring water and sugar to a steady, low boil stirring just to combine.  Continue to boil rolling the pan to swirl liquid occasionally. Do not stir. This will take about 15-20 minutes before the liquid reduces and turns into a caramel color and consistency. Continue to boil gently swirling pan until you have a thick caramel reduction.  

Meanwhile trim the top and end off of the pineapple. Trim of the outer skin and discard. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise then cut each half lengthwise again so you have four long pieces. Cut the core from each piece and save for use in a green smoothie the next day.  Cut pieces in half again lengthwise if they are too thick, then cut them in half to make smaller pieces.  

Remove pan from heat and carefully pour in coconut milk while whisking to combine. The caramel sauce will bubble and splatter so be careful. Pour some of the caramel sauce into a small serving bowl reserving the rest to brush over the pineapple.  

Place pineapple pieces in a large serving tray or plate. Brush with the coconut caramel sauce to coat them. Using tongs, place them on the hot grill. Let them sit for 2-3 minutes then turn them over and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately!  

Drizzle with more caramel and enjoy!

What are your favorite summer desserts?

Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Chopped Salad

Chopped romaine tossed with sweet, juicy watermelon, grilled shrimp and goat cheese and a golden balsamic vinaigrette – I'll be making this salad all summer!!

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you, it's so good I plan on making it again for dinner tonight so my husband gets to try it. I put this together in about 20 minutes, so it's perfect for busy weeknights. The dressing is DEE-LICIOUS, I used DeLallo's golden balsamic vinegar, which is made from white grapes rather than red and has a sweetly rich taste – it's fabulous! They sell it at my local supermarket, or you can buy it online, but if you want to use regular balsamic, that would work fine too.

I love watermelon in my salad, mostly because I'm not much of a tomato lover. A few weeks ago while in the airport headed to Seaside Fl, I stopped to grab a bite at Marcus Samuelsson's new restaurant Uptown Brasserie located at the new JFK Delta terminal 4, and ordered a salad just like this. Eating healthier while traveling is getting so much easier these days, a good thing although they also have a Shake Shack which after seeing the calories on the menu, I opted not to try.

Hope you enjoy this salad, I'll be making this one all summer!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Spring Pea and Pistachio Pasta with Ricotta #SundaySuppers

Simplicity is what I think of for Mother's Day. Simple, home made gifts from my children made from the heart. Hugs and kisses and I love you's first thing in the morning served with oddly shaped pancakes on a platter next to a flower picked from the garden.  note to self: we need a garden.

Also, I like to remind myself how lucky I am to have three mothers in my life each of them special to me in very unique ways. My own mom who has lived with me for most of my adult life has taught me by devoted example how to live a very natural lifestyle and has always been there to help watch our children and love them (sometimes I'm sure they love her more than me ;) She is my constant friend, companion and shoulder to cry on. 

My step mom who married my dad when I was at the tempered age of 15 loves me despite those first few years of resentment, anger and the confusion of divorce and joining two large families into one. I've grown to know her as a true friend and someone I look up to and love for her sweet and understanding spirit.

My mother in law, well we have different ways of thinking at times, both of us strong willed and opinionated. She values family first and foremost and is a dedicated mother and wife. We have grown to understand and respect each other in most ways and it is a relationship I look forward to growing. Mostly, I love her for raising a man I love beyond words. 


Simplicity in all things for Mother's day is what I look forward to the most. Breakfast in bed, a clean house that I had nothing to do with and a simple dinner we can sit down to and enjoy as a family. This simple pasta was creamy and light with one of my favorite fresh herbs, tarragon to add just a touch of unpretentious flavor. 


You could add any vegetables to make this more substantial, summer zucchini, sweet peppers, mushrooms. Chicken, diced ham, shrimp or crab would also go well in this dish.

Ingredients

1 cup roasted unsalted pistachio nuts (buy them in their shell, if possible)

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 small handful of fresh tarragon leaves

1/3 cup grated good quality Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of sea salt

6 oz whole grain pasta

zest of 1 large lemon

a squeeze of lemon juice

Put the first 6 ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse till nuts are finely ground. 

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until is is just al dente. Drain water from pasta reserving a few tablespoons and set aside.  

Pour pasta into a large serving bowl. Grate in the zest of the lemon, and add a squeeze of the juice. Toss the pasta with the pistachio mixture adding a tablespoon or two of reserved pasta water if too dry. Add most of the ricotta to the hot pasta until creamy and well coated. Spoon in additional small spoonfuls of ricotta for texture and extra bits of creamy goodness. Spoon pasta into bowls, serve with freshly ground cracked pepper and Garnish with tarragon sprigs.

This is my very first Sunday Supper post and I couldn't be more excited! There is a growing number of fantastic bloggers who commit to share a common value of families eating together at the table each and every Sunday. I have been in a blogging 'rut' for the last several months asking myself why exactly I put in the time that I do towards blogging when it doesn't seem to reach the masses or make a difference in the way people feel about healthy eating. I hope Sunday Suppers will help me continue to reach my goal of 'Family First' and "Healthy Habits'. 

I want to thank my friend Liz of 'That Skinny Chick Can Bake' for hosting this weeks Sunday Supper. I've been a follower of her blog for, well ever! If you haven't yet, please visit her site for creative and mouthwatering desserts and more. She's a real sweetheart.


Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our http://pinterest.com/thesundaysupper/sundaysupper/">#SundaySupper Pinterest board
for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Zoodles and Meatballs (zucchini noodles)

 

The weather is changing, and I kind of like it. I'm looking forward cooler weather, but I'm not quite ready for zucchini season to end – we've been eating "zoodles" all summer long!

This is sorta a two part recipe, I made a pot of my Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs at my toddler's request but rather than eating mine with pasta, I served it over zoodles (zucchini noodles) for a lighter low-carb alternative (perfect for using up zucchini from your garden).

A good rule of thumb is one medium zucchini per person, since you lose some when you cut them and the shrink a bit when they cook. To cut them I used my OXO mandolin with my julienne blade and I stop right about when I get to the seeds, then I rotate and slice. A word of advice, please be careful when using a mandolin, the blades are VERY sharp.

You can also use a spiralizer instead to make them more spaghetti-like. I'm going to be making these as much as I can as long as I can find zucchini at my local farmer's market!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas

Cheesy meatless enchiladas filled with zucchini and cheese, topped with my homemade enchilada sauce –so delicious whether you are vegetarian or not.

While zucchini is still in season, I'm sharing this recipe from the archives. You all know how much I love enchiladas, well these zucchini enchiladas are huge and filling, and one of my favorite meals in the summer. Perfect topped with chopped cilantro, scallions or jalapeños.

For more enchiladas recipes try; chicken enchiladas, chicken and white bean enchiladas with salsa verde, and turkey and black bean enchiladas. This meatless recipe is also a favorite, and since it has no meat I can splurge a little more on the cheese –yum!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Tomato and Zucchini Frittata

 

Garden tomatoes, summer zucchini, and Asiago cheese make a scrumptious frittata that highlights the end of summer's bounty.

Summer tomatoes are abundant and delicious right now – my garden is overflowing with them! I've been enjoying them in salads and quick garden sauces, over grilled flank steak, and in my egg sandwiches. But today I wanted to make something different, using up some zucchini that I bought at the farmer's market this weekend and I came up with this delicious frittata.

What I love about frittatas is that you can enjoy them for any meal and they are so inexpensive to make. Today's leftovers from lunch are going to be tomorrow's breakfast. Perfect for meatless mondays, gluten free, clean eating and low carb diets.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Agua De Sandia (Watermelon Water)

Can't think of anything more thirst quenching that this on a hot summer day like today – chilled watermelon pureed with water, a squeeze of lime juice over a large glass of ice. Agua fresca is as common in Mexico as ice tea is here in the States. And BONUS, since watermelon is naturally sweet, there's no need to add any sugar!

Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C, lycopene, beta-carotene and a great choice for it's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits, so eat as much as you can, before the summer's over.

Last weekend I spent a few days out in Montauk for a little family getaway. It's only about 2 hours away by car (if you don't count traffic) but since it's on the most eastern tip of Long Island, where all the highways from NYC merge into one road, there's always traffic. It's worth it though – the beaches, lighthouse, restaurants, shopping  – it's so much fun!

After a morning at the beach we went to the town to grab some lunch at La Brisa. Aguas frescas, horchata, fish tacos – I was in heaven. Probably had the best ceviche I've had in a long time (although a bit overpriced) but I couldn't stop talking about it all weekend. I had a fish taco and pork taco with the watermelon agua fresca. As I sat there, I kept thinking I can't believe I don't have this recipe on my blog. So of course, I came back, bought some watermelon and here it is, tasted exactly like the one I had in La Brisa.

And you may even want to make some skinny fish taco's to go with it!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Chicken with Black Bean Mango Salsa

Grilled chicken breast, seasoned with cumin and spices and topped with a fresh salsa made with sweet mango, protein-rich black beans and lots of lime and cilantro for flavor.

Let's face it, grilled chicken can be pretty boring, but not if you serve it with this zesty salsa. You may want to even make this salsa on it's own, it makes a fantastic dip if you serve it with chips – seriously good! Sometimes, I even throw in some diced avocado – yum!

This is perfect to make for a weeknight dinner, it's quick and light, high in fiber, protein, and gluten-free.
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Zucchini Pizza Bites

This recipe is an oldie, but goodie! I had a big zucchini that needed using up and I was sooo in the mood for these yummy (and guiltless) zucchini pizza bites!! A perfect way to use up all the zucchini in your garden and satisfy your craving for pizza in a low-carb way.

I make these all the time, sometimes for lunch or as snack. Even my husband thinks they are pretty darn good! They also happen to be gluten-free, and perfect for meatless Mondays. Of course, you could add some leftover sausage, pepperoni, basil, or whatever you like on your pizza. If you haven't tried these yet, they are a must while zucchini is in season!

Note: My zucchini was very large, if your zucchini is smaller, you can cut them on an angle for large ovals.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Boats with Sausage

A fun twist on eggplant parmesan - these eggplant "boats" are hollowed out and stuffed with sweet Italian chicken sausage and tomato sauce, then topped with melted mozzarella – Oh ma gaaaa!

I've been dreaming up this recipe since last year when I created my Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats. If you love eggplant parmesan these are going to knock your socks off! My husband loved these even more than the zucchini actually, but he's also more of an eggplant guy. I thought these were fabulous, you gotta give them a try!

I picked up some white eggplant at the farmer's market because they looked like the perfect size to make these boats. You could use any variety as long as they aren't too large. The pulp that gets scooped out goes right back into the stuffing so nothing gets wasted. One boat is a complete meal and super filling, you can serve it with a side salad if you have the room!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skillet Mexican Zucchini

This zucchini is incredibly delicious with a little bit of a Mexican kick from the jalapeno then topped with melted queso blanco. It's also easy and quick, a must try!

I'm a bit of a cookbook addict. It's a problem as I'm running out of room in my home for all my books, but that never stops me from buying new ones. But the biggest problem is that I kinda neglect them. But this weekend I was thumbing through the Aaron Sanchez's (who is one of the judges on Chopped - one of my favorite shows) cookbook Simple Food, Big Flavor who is also one of the judges on Chopped (one of my favorite shows) and I came across his Mexican recipe for zucchini. I can't get enough of zucchini in the summer, in fact I have an entire Pinterest Board devoted to skinny zucchini called Yummy Zucchini, so I decided to test this out...

You MUST try this! I only made a few tweaks using less oil, and and rather than making a cilantro pesto, I added Garden Gourmet cilantro paste and minced pickled jalapeno for kick. It totally exceeded my expectations.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...