Donna's Shrimp Guacamole Salad

Hello to you all during this very special time of year!  We have been blessed with so many friends and family, and the holidays is a perfect time to get together and celebrate.  The inspiration for this salad came from my homemade guacamole recipe but adding shrimp as a twist and leaving the ingredients on the chunky side.  I tripled this recipe to take to our friends', Margaret and Keith's, Christmas Eve Brunch and it complemented the brunch menu nicely.  Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah to everyone!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Shrimp Guacamole Salad

Ingredients:

2 large lettuce leaves

1/2 pound cooked shrimp (size 41/50), rinsed 

12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

One ripe avocado, coarsely chopped

1 cup salsa, medium (La Mexicana or other brand)

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice 

2  Tablespoons cilantro (or basil), chopped 

Salt and pepper to taste

Corn tortilla chips

Method:

Place each lettuce leaf in salad bowl or au gratin dish.  Mix remaining ingredients and spoon half of the salad on top of each leaf.  Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

Serves 2.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Chicken Enchilada Pie

Hello Friends and Family, tonight's dinner is a test drive for an easy, informal Christmas Eve dinner that we are planning for our family next week.  It is a combination of my favorite chicken enchiladas recipe and tortilla pie.  The enchilada pie is easy to assemble especially if you have the chicken pre-cooked (I like to cook it in the slow cooker the day before so that it is ready the next day).  Happy Holidays!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Chicken Enchilada Pie 

Ingredients:

3 UDI’s Gluten-Free plain tortillas

3 cups chicken breast meat, cooked and shredded

1 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup fresh salsa

1 cup chunky tomato sauce

1 cup Mexican blend cheese, thinly shredded

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a springform pan with foil and spray with cooking oil.  Mix together the chicken, sour cream and cilantro and set aside.  Also mix the salsa and tomato sauce in a separate bowl.  To assemble the pie, spoon ½ cup of the salsa-tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Top with 1 tortilla, 1-1/2 cups chicken mixture, ½ cup salsa-tomato sauce mix and ¼ cup cheese.  Repeat for next layer.  For 3^rd layer, top with tortilla, spoon the last ½ cup of salsa-tomato mix on top and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese.  Place pan on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool about 5 minutes before slicing into wedges.

Serves: 4

Copyright 2014

Donna's Grilled Corvina with Herbed Balsamic Strawberry-Macadamia Nut Salsa

Hello to All, we are reeling from the death of our beloved yellow labrador companion of almost 10 years, Boomer.  Not feeling like eating but knowing he would disapprove, I came up with this very simple yet healthy meal to tide us through.  I hope you try it.  Best, Donna:

Donna's Grilled Corvina with Herbed Balsamic Strawberry - Macadamia Nut Salsa

Ingredients:

1 pound corvina, a Peruvian whitefish

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon each of fresh basil, chives, and rosemary, chopped

2 Tablespoons crushed macadamia nuts

8 large strawberries, chopped

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Coat fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill fish at 350 degrees F on direct heat for about 10 – 12 minutes per side until cooked through.  Mix rest of ingredients for salsa and serve on top of fish when done.  Serve with grilled vegetable kebobs and rice or quinoa.

Serves: 2

Copyright 2014

Donna's Stir-Fried Rice

Hello!  Sometimes making dinner just for yourself seems like more effort than it is worth.  However, I came up with this quick, healthy and delicious updated fried rice recipe that takes minutes to prepare and cook.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Stir-Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon carrot, grated

¼ cup tomato, chopped

~12 baby spinach leaves, washed

1/3 cup Donna’s Millet, Quinoa & Rice (or cooked rice) - see 06 December 2014 blog entry for recipe

1 teaspoon Mirin

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sliced almonds

Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), if desired

Method:

Heat oil in medium-sized pan on medium-high.  Add garlic, carrot, tomato, and spinach to the pan and stir for about 1 minute.  Stir in the grain mixture and add the Mirin and stir for about another minute.  Add in the beaten eggs and stir until cooked through, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Place in serving dish and top with sliced almonds.  Serve with Tamari on the side, if desired.

Serves 1.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Smoked Salmon Sushi Rolls and Steamed Salsa Mussels

Dear Friends, the holidays are all about celebrating with the people you care about in your life so tonight's menu centered around a dear friend, Susan Bracken, who joined me for a Girl's Night In dinner.  My intent was to produce a light yet filling dinner over the course of a few leisurely hours catching up.  I offered my Honey Mustard Dip with gluten-free pretzels as the appetizer and Susan graciously supplied the Chardonnay as an excellent accompaniment.  The steamed salsa mussels served as our main course sided with gluten-free croutons and spinach salad.  My smoked salmon sushi rolls topped off the main course, and the dessert was slices of leftover ice cream bombe (layers of dark chocolate ice cream, cherry frozen yogurt and sea salt caramel ice cream).  Yum!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Smoked Salmon Sushi Rolls

Ingredients:

3 ounces smoked salmon, sliced into 5 – 6 long slices

20 – 24 baby spinach leaves, washed and stems removed

¾ cup Donna’s Millet, Quinoa and Rice (see 06 December 2014 blog entry for whatsfordinneratdonnas.blogspot.com) or cooked rice

1 Tablespoon Mirin

6 slices pickled ginger

Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

Method:

Mix Mirin with Millet/Quinoa/Rice (or rice) mixture and set aside.  Place smoked salmon slices on cutting board.  Top each with 4 baby spinach leave and cover with about 1 Tablespoon grain mixture.  Add a pickled ginger slice to center.  Starting from one end, roll up into sushi roll and secure with toothpick if needed.  Chill and serve with Tamari.

Serves 2 – 3.

Donna's Steamed Salsa Mussels

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh mussels, debearded, if desired

2 cups Pinot Grigio wine

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ cup medium fresh salsa

2 Tablespoons garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Soak mussels in cold water with 2 Tablespoons of gluten-free flour for 30 minutes. Rinse well.

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except mussels.  Bring to boil over high heat and add mussels.  Cover pot and steam for 5 minutes or  until mussels have opened, discarding any that do not open.  Serve mussels immediately with broth and gluten-free croutons on the side, if desired.

Serves 2 – 3.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Gluten Free Millet, Quinoa and Rice, Grilled Plantain with Buttered Rum & Apple Cider Caramel Sauce, and Cinnamon Ice Cream

How time is flying by!  It is already almost a full week into December and there is so much going on!  Tonight's menu took about 30 minutes to pull together so it was quick to make before relaxing for a Saturday evening.  Gary had caught some ocean fish earlier in the week and he grilled those in a gluten-free flour mixture containing Old Bay Seasoning, salt and pepper after dipping in egg wash.  I contributed a trifecta of gluten-free grains in the rice cooker and the grilled zucchini (see 16 November 2014 post for recipe).  For a satisfying ending, we grilled plantain and served it topped with a buttered rum and apple cider caramel sauce and my homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream.  Have a great weekend!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Gluten Free Millet, Quinoa and Rice

Ingredients:

1/3 cup millet

1/3 cup quinoa (a mix of red and white varieties, if desired)

1/3 cup Basmati rice

1-1/2 cups water

2 Tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place grains in sieve, rinse with cold water and drain.  Spray interior of rice cooker pan with cooking oil and add rinsed grains.  Add water, butter and salt and pepper and cook until done.  Fluff with fork before serving.

Serves 4.

Donna's Grilled Plantain with Buttered Rum & Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

¼ cup apple cider (or juice)

1 Tablespoon golden rum

2 Tablespoons raw sugar

1 Tablespoon butter

Salt

1 ripe plantain (or 2 ripe bananas), peel removed and sliced in half lengthwise

Slivered almonds

Ground allspice

Method:

Mix first 5 ingredients in small saucepan and cook until thickened, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.

Drizzle small amount of olive oil on plantain halves and place on hot grill at about 375 degrees F, turning for even cooking and browning, about 5 minutes per side.  When golden brown, remove and spoon sauce on top of plantain.  Sprinkle with almonds and allspice, and serve immediately.  A delicious addition is a scoop of Donna’s Cinnamon Ice Cream on the side.

Serves 3 – 4.

Donna’s Cinnamon Ice Cream

¾ cup sugar

2 cups half n half

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Using whisk, mix sugar and half n half.  Add vanilla and mix again.  Add cream but don’t over stir.  Place in ice cream maker and process for 25 minutes.  Add ½ cup toasted chopped pecans or almonds during last 5 minutes of processing time, if desired.  Makes 1 quart.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Turkey Shepard Pie

Hello everyone, and here's hoping that you all had a very special Thanksgiving holiday!  I have not had a chance to post our Thanksgiving dinner but will do so in the near future.  In the meantime, following is the recipe that I have traditionally used with all of the appetizing leftovers and you can make it your own with whatever you have on hand: It is just a simple layering of all of the leftovers into a "pie" which melds all of the flavors together and is so soothing on a cold autumn evening.  Another thing to be so grateful for this season!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Turkey Shepard Pie

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked leftover turkey, chopped

2 cups leftover curried corn pudding (or other leftover vegetable side dish, e.g., green bean casserole)

1½ cups leftover homemade gravy

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Method:  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In round casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking oil, layer ingredients in order given and top with cheese.  Place on cookie sheet to catch any drips and bake for 1 hour.  Serve hot from the oven with homemade cranberry sauce on the side.

Serves 6.

Copyright 2014.