Lime Pie Paletas

Although I think I've come a long way bridging the cultural gap between my darling Hispanic students at OMBC and my very Caucasian self, there were some interesting learning moments along the way. 

On our very first trip as student minister and youth group, we were canvasing flyers in an apartment complex. And every time we went, tinkling music played as an older man pushed a freezer cart full of frozen treats. The kids would get super excited, dig for their cash and run after him. 

"Where are you going?" I asked one student. "The paleta man!" she replied. 

Insert confused face here. "Huh?" I had no clue what they were talking about. Thankfully one of them took pity on me and explained that a paleta is basically a popsicle- a frozen treat on a stick. It was my first experience with paletas (which I also coughed up a dollar daily to enjoy) but definitely not my last! This past year I lived right by an elementary school and the paleta cart was there at the corner every day for the children (and neighbors) to enjoy.

I came across Paletas by Fany Gerson and some $1 popsicle molds at Walmart and it has been a beautiful combination.  I bookmarked so many recipes to test! These lime pie pops got my immediate attention because I happened to have sweetened condensed milk in my pantry and limes are currently 10 cents each. They are fantastically creamy, tart and sweet! I love how the fresh squeezed juice really shines through. Plus, they're ridiculously easy to make. Juicing the limes is the hardest part. 

This recipe makes 8 full size pops or 24 mini pops. The photo displays paletas molded in 1 oz measuring shot glasses. I think these are the perfect size for a party or just for casual snacking! 

What You'll Need:

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup half and half

3/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 4-5 small limes juiced)

1 tsp lime zest 

pinch of salt 

green food coloring (optional)

2 cups crushed Graham Crackers 

What To Do:

Whisk together the milk, half and half, lime juice,  zest and salt until completely uniformly mixed. Add food coloring if desired and stir well. 

Pour into your molds. (If using shot glasses/Dixie Cups or other unconventional molds, freeze for 1 hour and then add popsicle sticks.) Freeze for 4-5 hours. 

Run warm water around the molds before gently removing your paleta. Before serving, roll each paleta in cracker crumbs to complete the perfect pie combination! 

Recipe adapted from Paletas

DIY Mocktail Bar

Sometimes skimming Pinterest can be a little disheartening for non-drinkers. Cocktails look so pretty in their fancy glasses with fresh fruits, herbs and bubbles. Well if you're not drinking alcohol for whatever reason, you're in luck. Here is a basic recipe to get you started experimenting with mocktails!

We set up a DIY bar at our Girls Day for ladies to create their own handcrafted soda/mocktail. It's so easy!

What You'll Need:
clear glasses
a muddling tool- we used a metal ice cream scoop
fresh, juicy fruit- we used blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries
a carbonated beverage- we had Ginger Ale and Sprite. (Plain club soda works as well but consider using agave nectar, simply syrup or honey for sweetness)
citrus- we used limes but lemons, oranges or grapefruit would be fantastic too.
(optional- herbs such as basil, mint, rosemary or lavender) 
ice 
pretty straws

What To Do:
Be sure all of your fruit, even citrus, is thoroughly washed!

In your fancy glass, muddle a handful of berries (or fruit of the choice) in the bottom. Pour ice and soda over the fruit. Squeeze citrus over the top and leave peel in the drink for added flavor. 

Garnish your drink with a slice of citrus and a pretty straw and enjoy!

The flavor combination possibilities are endless! Here are some to get your started:

peaches + club soda + honey + lemon

blackberries + Sprite + lime

strawberries + ginger ale + basil + orange 

blueberries and raspberries + club soda + agave nectar+ mint + lemon

What is your favorite mocktail?

Summer Vegetable Saute

There are so many good things about summer. One of my favorites is the huge selection of fresh, delicious produce. I love being able to just wash produce and enjoy it raw, with all its nutrients, but cooking truly brings depth of flavor especially when you combine so many complementary tastes. 

This saute was packed with fresh summer flavors and can be adjusted to include all of your favorites! Heating tomatoes brings out their delicious natural sweetness, which pairs beautifully with sweet yellow onion and fresh corn. Savory notes from the garlic and zucchini balance the dish. A little kick of crushed red pepper rounds out the flavors nicely. I added a little protein with some diced summer sausage and topped everything off with a sprinkle of creamy feta cheese. 

And with only about 20 minutes from prep to serving, this dish is great for those in a hurry or for anyone wanting to avoid turning on the stove for too long! 

What You'll Need:

(serves 2)

2 tbsp olive oil or butter, divided 

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ear of corn

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup grape tomatoes

1 cup diced summer sausage

sprinkle of feta cheese

1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste 

What To Do:

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add oil, onion, and corn, stirring frequently until corn is slightly charred and onions are translucent. Add garlic and continue cooking for one minute. 

Add zucchini, tomatoes, and summer sausage. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add crushed red pepper. Add more oil as needed to keep saute from burning. 

Continue cooking, stirring often, for about ten minutes or until tomatoes are slightly charred and zucchini is tender crisp. Sprinkle with feta and serve immediately.

Serve in a bowl as a standalone meal, plate over brown rice/quinoa, wrap it up in whole wheat pita bread or layer over your favorite greens with dressing. This versatile dish can take so many forms!

Watermelon Limeade

This has been a summer of fun, fresh, fruit flavors- including strawberry pineapple lemonade (pureed strawberry, canned pineapple and lemonade powder), sparkling strawberry limeade, mango ague fresca, and now- watermelon limeade.

If you think biting into a juicy slice of watermelon is refreshing, wait until you take a sip of this balanced, sweet and tart, fresh fruit juice! The notes of watermelon leave a stunning pink color and a distinct taste- with almost the same hint as cucumber- light, lovely and summery. The limes add complementary tartness, coupled with simple syrup (or agave/honey/etc), to make this drink well-rounded. 

There is plenty of room to adjust according to taste with the recipe. In fact, I did not follow a recipe when I prepared the giant batch for our group- I just adjusted by taste. I am including estimations of how much you'll need, but adjust for your liking!

What You'll Need:
1 cup diced watermelon
2 cups cold water
2 limes
1/4 cup simple syrup*

What to Do:
In a blender, combine watermelon and water until homogeneous. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer to catch any seeds and pulp. Squeeze limes directly into watermelon mixture, add simple syrup, stir and pour over ice! 

*To make simple syrup, simmer one cup water with one cup sugar, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool and then measure and add to your drink!

___

After posting on Instagram, my friend Jackie posted a photo of her girls making the watermelon limeade and I was so tickled! If you ever try a recipe I have posted, please let me know! I love seeing how they turn out in other people's kitchens :)

Infused Water

As warmer weather approaches, I am reminded of the necessity of staying hydrated. [Okay actually I tried to sell plasma to raise money for a friend's mission trip and they told me I was too dehydrated to donate. Lame.]  And I don't actually like water. I would much rather have Dr. Pepper or iced coffee... or lemonade... or really anything with some flavor! In an effort to satisfy by taste buds and my hydration needs, several infused water flavors were tested.

So here are some simple and delicious ways that I spiced up my water- by infusing them with fruits, vegetables and herbs! I stored the water in Mason jars, mostly because they're airtight and I don't have any pitchers with lids. I removed the lime slices after 3-4 hours because the rind started to leave a funny taste in the water. 

Pineapple-Blueberry Infused Water. This flavor was really delicious! The blueberries tinted the water a pretty pink hue and the pineapple left sweet notes in every sip. 

Cucumber Lime, Blueberry Lime, and a mess of Cucumber, Lime, Jalapeno and Cilantro.

The Cucumber Lime water was crisp and refreshing! I really liked it. 

The blueberry lime was very pretty and pretty tasty as well- be sure to muddle the blueberries for more of their flavor! 

The spicy water was super spicy. If I do it again I will definitely cut down on the amount of jalapeno I use and how long I let it soak. 

I have gotten some great suggestions for other combinations to try such as strawberry basil, watermelon mint and raspberry lime. What is your favorite flavor of infused water?

Baked Coconut Tilapia with Strawberry Avocado Salsa

So, Shawnda posted this recipe and I was greatly intrigued by this strawberry-avocado marriage. After all, those are two of my very favorite things and two sure signs of warm weather and happy days. 

But (and hopefully this will change at some point), I'm not a huge fan of salmon. Then I remembered that I had this recipe bookmarked from Jessica. I ended up adjusting that a little as well and the end result was light, summery, and delicious- a blend of sweet, spicy and savory. 

What You'll Need:
for the salsa:
1/2 pint of strawberries, hulled and diced
1 large avocado, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
Small handful of cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1/2 orange
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
for the fish:

4 tilapia filets  
2 egg whites
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

What To Do:

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small small, beat egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Place cornstarch and coconut on two separate plates. 

Dip the fish lightly in the cornstarch, then the egg whites, then finally in the coconut coating, being sure to coat them well. Place coated fish on cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until coconut is golden brown. Flip over halfway through to ensure even browning.

Serve hot, covered in salsa! 

Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Chipotle Crema

These tacos were fresh, delicious and healthy.

Plus they're very quick to prepare! I spent the majority of prep time dicing produce.

I also didn't use a recipe... hooray! 

But that also may mean my measurements are a leetle bit off.
The salsa is a perfect balance of sweet, spicy and refreshing.

What You'll Need:

Serves 2

for fish:

2 med-large tilapia fillets 

for salsa:

2 mangos, diced 

1 limes 

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided in two

1/2 large jalapeno, diced 

1/2 cucumber, diced

black pepper to taste

for crema:

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

2 tbsp reserved adobo sauce

1/2 cup buttermilk 

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 lime

1 tbsp sugar 

warmed tortillas (I prefer the uncooked flour tortillas that you warm on the stove)

avocado, sliced 

black beans

What To Do:

Dice your mango, onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, cucumber and jalapeno into very small pieces. If you've never diced a mango before, watch this video first! 

In a separate bowl, combine mango, cucumber, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and the juice from one lime. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

In a food processor, combine chipotle, adobo sauce, buttermilk, mayo, sour cream, garlic, remaining cilantro, juice from 1 lime, and sugar. If you'd like a thinner consistency, add more buttermilk and/or less mayo and sour cream. 

Salt and pepper fish fillets. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are white and flake with a fork. 

Serve each taco in a warm tortilla with 1/2 fish fillet, scoop of salsa, chipotle cream, and a slice of avocado. Serve with black beans and tortilla chips.

The salsa is also great with tortilla chips, and the chipotle crema is perfect for salads!

I warn you... I'm kind of a wimp but I thought the crema was preeetty spicy. If you're not a big fan of hotness, you might add half a chipotle first!

Fish Tacos with Avocado Pico de Gallo and Chipotle Ranch Dressing

This meal was super quick to prepare,

refreshing and delicious.

Plus it can be adjusted to feed any number!

I love buying frozen tilapia because each fillet is individually packaged 

and only takes about two minutes to defrost. 

What You'll Need:

(2 servings)

warm tortillas (I prefer flour) 

3 tilapia fillets

2 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 large avocado, diced

1 large jalapeno, deveined and diced

1/4 cup diced cilantro

2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 lime

chipotle ranch dressing (or this)

What To Do:

Heat oil over medium heat.  Season fillets generously with salt and pepper. Cook fish for three minutes per side, or until it is white and flakes with a fork.

Mix together tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, avocado, and the juice of the lime. 

Serve 1/2 fillet per tortilla. Cover with pico de gallo mixture and top with chipotle ranch dressing. 

How are you working off Girl Scout Cookies and Valentine's Day Candy?

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Y'all, ranch dressing makes everything better. 

I was eating it on steak well into high school (and that's just a shame!).

But as I try to fill my diet with more fresh fruits and veggies, 

this is something that will definitely help! 

And I can feel better about it because it's homemade 

and not a bottled store bought version with lots of preservatives. 

(I still love you Hidden Valley...)

Plus I had buttermilk, sour cream and mayo leftover from other recipes 

so this one helped me clean out those containers to reuse!

I took the recipe from Annie's Eats and modified it 

to what I had in my kitchen

So, instead of chives, I used cilantro

Instead of lemon juice, I squeezed a lime

and it still tastes pretty dang good!

I ate it on this lovely salad with dinner

and on pita chips for a snack. Yum!

What You Need:

¾ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup sour cream
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼-1 cup buttermilk
1 small bunch chives
Small handful parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

What To Do:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor starting with ¼ cup of the buttermilk and blend for 10 seconds.  Check the consistency and taste and blend in additional buttermilk as desired.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What helps you eat more vegetables?

Green Bean Bundles

These green bean bundles made an impressive presentation 

as part of our Christmas dinner party. 

They are fairly simple to make, 

although there are a few steps involved.

I really like my green beans a little crisp so these are great.

plus, the brown sugar sauce adds an unexpected 

but perfectly cohesive surprise of flavor to the dish.

And if you'd rather not  make a perfectly healthy vegetable 

into a bacon heavy dish,

you can always substitute with turkey bacon

But, you know, calories don't count during the holidays

so I went with real bacon. ;)

What You'll Need:

• 1.25-1.5  pounds fresh green beans
• 1 pkg bacon 
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon soy sauce

What To Do:

Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove to paper towels. 

Drain beans; place about 12 beans on each bacon strip. Wrap bacon around beans and secure with a toothpick. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, garlic salt and soy sauce; drizzle over bundles. Bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes or until bacon is crisp. 

Serves 8

Adapted from Taste of Home

Hungry Monday- Mama Fu's

Don't wok. Run.

Mama Fu's is a Austin-owned, fairly-young business boasting made to order Asian food in a fun and casual environment. When you walk in there's bright decor and a clean, modern feel to the space. At the Triangle location, if you look carefully at the large dots on the wall, they have little sayings on them that are all plays on the word 'wok' (Because you're mine, I wok the line; Wok tall). I still chuckle when I see them.


Keep in mind that this is not "authentic" Asian food. However, the dishes are super tasty AND much healthier than traditional Asian cuisine. 


All of the dishes come with your choice of protein -chicken, beef, tofu, and shrimp, as well as veggie only- and can be cooked traditional, which is lightly breaded in potato starch, or wok seared, which has no breading and is the healthier option. In addition, each dish comes with white, brown or fried rice, or egg or rice noodles. 

The best part for me is that extra veggies are no charge, AND since they make every dish to order, if you don't like anything in the dish you can nix it or exchange it for something you do like. So, for example, when I get sweet and sour chicken, it comes with red bell peppers... but, I don't like those. So instead I get green beans and mushrooms and snap peas and carrots and whatever else sounds good that day. The vegetables are super fresh, also, always prepared the day of. 

So, if you're aiming for healthy eating habits, get your entree wok seared with brown rice and pile on as many veggies as you'd like! There's also an extensive gluten free menu with many gluten free sauce options. 


My favorite meal is probably Potstickers along with the Honey Seared Chicken with Brown Rice and every vegetable on the menu (except bell peppers of course).

Other recommendations include: Mongolian Beef, Sesame Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Pad Thai.

There are several area locations (and Mama Fu's has recently expanded to other states as well!). They have dine-in, take-out, delivery and catering options.  Check out more info at www.mamafus.com !