Thai Tuna Wraps

This is such a great recipe! My understanding is that this is a recipe from Pampered Chef. I got it from a friend, who got it from a friend! I have altered the recipe to decrease some of the mayo.

Thai Tuna Wraps

2 TBSP Lime Juice
1/2 c. mayonnaise or miracle whip ( I use less)
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP sugar
3 c. cabbage, chopped (or use a bagged coleslaw)
1 medium carrot, shredded
3 green onions, sliced
1 can tuna, drained and flaked
flour tortillas

Mix the first 4 ingredients with wisk. Add the flaked tuna, and mix with the cabbage, carrots and green onions. I didn't have a carrot or the green onions, but I am undeterred by missing ingredients. It tasted great!

You can used spinach tortillas, or another specialty tortilla. This can be served without the tortilla, too!

Turkey Zucchini Cheeseburgers

This recipe came from February 2009 Family Circle magazine. It looked like a good recipe to try, and my intuition was right! These were really good! We started eating before I could get a picture, but I had 2 patties left, so at least I have something to show.

Turkey Cheeseburgers

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey
1 medium sized zucchini, grated (about 1 cup)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper

whole wheat or multigrain rolls
lettuce leaves
sliced tomato

Mix ingredients well. You can pan fry these, broil them, or cook them on the grill. Serve on whole wheat rolls with sliced tomato and lettuce. We put some thin slices of monterey jack cheese on ours while the burger was still hot.

Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs by Rachael Ray

I found this recipe in Every"Day with Rachael Ray. It is fully titled "Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Pecans and Sage Butter Pasta", but I just made the Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs.


First, pour some olive oil into a large frying pan, and put the chicken thighs in to cook once the oil is hot. Salt and pepper the chicken. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary on top (about 2 sprigs minced fine), and cook the chicken until crispy and brown, 8-10 minutes.



Transfer the cooked chicken to a platter. Whisk 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar and 1/4 c. orange marmalade into the skillet, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce.

You need to add 3 c. of arugula or baby spinach to the chicken at this point.

Stir it all in to with the chicken.

Looking yummy!

Serve this with pasta or rice. I had some leftover rice, so I served it along with some carrot coins I steamed in the microwave. It was a delicious meal!

Daisy's Mojo Ribs

I bought some ribs because I was getting them for nearly free after a beer rebate (I love these things...in Utah, they can't require a beer purchase!) After doing a bit of searching on the web, I found this recipe on the food network site. Paula Deen has it here with a fried mini cubans recipe. This recipe is by Daisy Fuentes.

I started out with about 5 pounds of boneless pork shoulder ribs. and browned them in my electric frying pan. I put salt and pepper on them before browning.

Here is the recipe for the Mojo sauce:

1 c. extra-virgin Olive Oil (I only used a few tablespoons)

10 large cloves of fresh garlic, peeled, chopped and sliced

1/4 c. yellow onion, minced

1/3 c. fresh orange juice

1 c. fresh squeezed lime juice

2/3 c. water

1/4 c. finely chopped parsley leaves

1/2 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp ground cumin

In a skillet over med-high heat, add about 2 TBSP of olive oil. Once heated, add the garlic and onion, cook until pale golden brown, stirring constantly. Stir in the citrus juices and remaining ingredients. Bring sauce to rolling boil. Remove from the heat and let cool.

I then transferred the ribs into a large roasting pan.

I am let my ribs cook in the oven for about 20 minutes at 325 without the sauce. I was able to drain a lot of fat out of the pan. This is most likely NOT typical cuban cooking. Sorry! Then, I poured the Mojo sauce over the ribs. Cover the pan with foil for a tight fit. Cook 3 hours, turning the ribs about once every hour or maybe a little more often to thoroughly coat the ribs with sauce while they are cooking.

I served these bad boys with sticky white rice, and black beans heated in olive oil and sauteed garlic. I added some pineapple chunks and blood orange to it. Man was this ever tasty! Loved it!

Bruschetta-Style Thin Spaghetti with Shrimp

I am making a bigger effort to stick with a healthy eating plan and at the same time be frugal. I went through the refrigerator and pantry and came up with a recipe on the back of the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Thin Spaghetti box. The recipe is called Bruschetta-Style Thin Spaghetti.

Here are the ingredients to serve 3-4. I just made enough for my meal.

1 box Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Thin Spaghetti (or equivalent)
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP minced garlic
3 c. fresh tomatoes, diced (I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes in the can)
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
Shrimp, sauteed in olive oil
Parmesan cheese

I sauteed the shrimp in the olive oil, then added the garlic from the tube. Next I added the balsamic vinegar and tomatoes and let simmer. I was cooking my pasta at the same time. Drain the spaghetti, put into a serving bowl or dish, and pour the shrimp mixture over the spaghetti. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

My low calorie, healthy meal included a Cara Orange. A delicious meal for under 400 calories. What is not to like about that? The best part about this is that it is easy to prepare. If you are at home during the day, think about preparing your own healthy meal instead of microwaving a frozen meal.

7 Layer Bean Dip: using food storage

Using the pinto beans from my food storage and making refried beans (posted here), I made a 7 Layer Bean Dip. Here are the ingredients:

2 cans refried beans (I used 4 cups of homemade)
Blend It Up Southwest Spice Blend
1 container guacamole, or 2 avocados mashed with 1 tsp lemon juice
4 green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. salsa
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1 small can black olives
1 c. sour cream

Here is my 1 1/2 quart casserole with my beans in it.

I sprinkled the Blend It Up Southwest Blend on top of the beans.

I used the avocados I had on hand...

I mashed them with a fork and added about 1/2 c. of Salsa to it to make a spicy guacamole. I also added 1 tsp lemon juice.

Layer the guacamole on top of the beans.

Take your green onions, and chop them up...

First layer your sour cream on the guacamole layer, then sprinkle the chopped green onions on top.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes.....looking real good!

Add the grated cheese and chopped black olives (I forgot to buy the olives....).

Serve with corn chips or as a side dish. This was a big hit at our house last night! Who says that food storage can't be yummy? Enjoy!

This is the refried beans that I had left over. I just put them into freezer containers, labeled them, and put them in the freezer for later use.