One complaint I hear from people about trying new recipes is that they have NO idea what the end result should look like. That was a fear of mine before I really started putting my heart into cooking. I used to only cook from a box that had a picture on it. Ha! Glad I got over that! I hope that this recipe tempts your tastebuds!!! It has become a weekly staple in our home, the good news is that you can use ANY white fish you like – flaky or steaky type fish 

Now this isn't my recipe, but I wanted to share it with you because it taste so delisious! You can find the originial recipe at foodnetwork.com just look for Chef Robert Irvine's Seared Mahi-Mahi with Mango Sauce & Fragrant Rice. Honestly I didn't change but a few things and only made enough to serve two. The recipe below is for four. You don't need to change anything if you use less fish. The mango and rice is so good together!

Ingredients

Rice:

• 1 cup jasmine rice

• 2 cups water

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

• 2 scallions, green parts only, chopped

• Salt(good pinch so it doesn't stick together)

Mango Sauce:

• 1 mango

• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil 

• 1 lime, juiced

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

• 1 clove garlic, quartered

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

Fish:

• 4 mahi-mahi any white fish fillets(I used skip jack, bar jack & basa)

• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 scallions, chopped, for garnish (I omitted this)
  

Directions

Sasiate your taste with this yummy bread recipie.

My first memory of dill is when my Mom used it for pickeling cucumbers and green tomatoes. It's zesty taste and fresh aroma did magical things to otherwise bland veggies and food.  This bread is quick and easy and makes yummy toasted sanwiches or gormet grilled cheese.

Ingrediants:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1 c. low fat cottage cheese

4 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. dried dill weed

1 tsp. onion powder

2 c. all purpose flour

Mix yeast in with the 1/4 c. warm water. Warm cottage cheese in a saucepan. Add yeast mix to cheese. Add sugar,baking soda, egg, dill, and onion powder. Stir in well. Add flour gradually, mixing well. Cover and let double in bulk. Punch dough down and place in a well greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

When cooking for those with food allergies always beware every ingrediant, read packaging and labels. If there's an allergy to ANY thing just simply do not use it!

Sugar Cookies

1 cup Earth Balance soy free margerine

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 TBS applesauce or egg replacer for 1 egg

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

Mix well then slowly add while mixing

2 3/4 cups of flour*

My flour mix for these cookies is: 1 cup white rice flour,1 cup tapioca flour,3/4 cup of brown rice flour

Roll mix into balls and flatten a little bit, bake at 375. This should make around 12 cookies. When the cookies are done they will not brown like an everyday cookie. They get small cracks in the sides and top and are not mushy in the center. I've found that baking these was easy and if i didn't burn them I'm sure you won't either :0)

   Ingredients:

      2 tablespoons un-salted butter

      1/4 cup grated white onion (use large teeth on box grater)

      1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

      2  medium garlic cloves

      1 (28-ounce) can of high quality crushed tomatoes.  I used Tuttorosso

      1/4 teaspoon sugar

      2 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

      1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

       ground black pepper

Instructions:

Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add grated onion slush, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onions turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. 

Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Take off heat and stir in basil and oil; season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes about 3 cups or enough for one pound of pasta.

So what's for dinner tonight?

I have to be honest with you, there hasn't been much cooking in my kitchen since my husband deployed. Ha! There hasn't been much cooking since I became pregnant, which turns out to be the same length of time. I do apologize! I had a hard time wanting to cook anything, not because I wasn't hungry, but because there wasn't anything that smelled good to me when I opened the fridge. Needless to say, I wasted a lot of food! Finally I am here, knee-deep in my second trimester and those pesky food aversions are G.O.N.E! YAY!

So on our Salad Diva Facebook page and through texts and phone calls people are asking for quick, easy and tasty meals! Healthy is a plus too! I have committed myself to complete your requests! Just remember that dinner doesn't have to be complicated or expensive and you can take shortcuts, just try to take healthy ones when you can. Tonight's dinner is one just for you! It took all of 15 minutes to cook and plate this meal. Now I didn't have a side with this dinner, but you can! Try pairing with your favorite steamed veggies (you can even add those veggies to this dish). Try a nice salad or add some chicken! A rotisserie chicken would be a great quick add! Enjoy! I did

Here's what you need:

• 1 package of fresh Buitoni pasta (found near the dairy section of your store)
• 1 container of Buitoni of Pesto with Basil. (for two servings I used a little less than 1/2 the container)
• 5-10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or grape seed oil
• Sea salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

All you have to do is this:

1) Boil the pasta per directions, add a dash of salt so that the pasta does not stick together.

2) Heat oil to med-high heat and saute the tomatoes, once they start to pop and burst turn heat to med-low. Let set until the pasta is finished.

3) Strain the pasta and place back in the pot. Add the tomatoes but not the liquid!! Then add the amount of pesto needed to the tomato liquid. Stir pesto until it is warm. Finally add pesto mixture to the pasta and stir to combine.

Ok, I know what you're thinking! Saffron in mashed potatoes AND isn't that stuff expensive? The answer is yes and yes! Saffron is a wonderful delicate flavor and goes really well with just about any starch. Among my favorite uses for saffron include orzo, long grain white rice, couscous and red or yellow potatoes. They key to cooking with saffron is to add it to your food at the very end of the cooking process. It doesn't need long to get incorporated into your food. For the mashed potatoes, I added it right after I drained the water while they were still hot. Saffron is also a tasty addition to grilled chicken and Spanish Paella. Spanish Paella is a rice dish that often includes chicken, rice, clams, mussels, lobster and any other seafood item you dare try – all are delish!!!

Your second question, is it expensive? Yes, admittingly so. However, it can last you a very long time. Saffron comes in a pouch and is thin red threads. You only need to use a pinch of the threads to taste their savory flavor in your dish!!!

I decided to make this dish on Thanksgiving for  parents, brother and grandparents. They are midwestern meat and potato eaters and I really wanted to mix it up a bit for them and show them how different and flavorful your traditional mashed potatoes can be. Share your potato comments in the "comments" section below this post. I would love to hear how you make yours!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 potatoes per person (I use red and leave the skins on)
  
• 3-4 springs green onion, chopped into small ringlets
  
• 1 pinch of saffron (about 6-10 stems)
  
• 1/4 sour cream or 1/8 of a cup of cream cheese!
  
• 1/4 of half/half, milk or buttermilk
  
• 4 pats of butter
  
• sea salt & pepper to taste
  

In a large pot add chopped potatoes and enough water to fill 1-2 inches above waterline. Turn heat on to medium-high and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain water and add all ingredients. Use a masher to mash potatoes. A hand held mixer tends to make them like paster of paris!

Serve with a few extra pats of butter before serving and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot!

Well folks, it's that time of year! The pumpkins are here, the pumpkins are here and I'm not talking about the little cutie you drop off at school each day. Nope, instead I am talking about that wonderful pumpkin flavor that takes you back to your childhood. That special memory that takes you back to that first pumpkin patch you visited to pick out the BEST carving pumpkin, or better yet, going to grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner! Can you smell it, can you close your eyes and see grandma cutting that first piece of pie, wondering if you are going to get the first piece?

Ok, so this may not be pumpkin pie or even pumpkin bread, but I promise you it IS the next best thing!!! Nature's Pride bread company came up with the idea of a contest to make the best recipe using their bread. I found myself searching the Internet for recipes and ideas that I hoped that I wouldn't find. Yes, maybe that is a little backwards, but it's how I roll. I get an idea for a dish, I Google it, I don't find anything like it, I create it! I did find pumpkins and squash stuffed with random things, what I didn't find was anything like I am giving you here. I had to make this several times until I had the best recipe, I also taste tested it with friends. They were quite pleased with the outcome.

Before I tell you what all is in this and how I made it, I want to tell you about the bread and why I selected this flavor of bread. First of all, I was skeptical that wheat bread would really toast up in the oven the way I hoped it would. Thankfully, I was wrong. I selected Nature's Pride Honey Wheat bread. It was soft, had a subtle flavor of sweet honey and a great thick crust! A crust that crisped up nicely! Enjoy!  

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 loaf Nature's Pride Honey Wheat Bread, cut into crouton sized pieces
• 1/2 pack of Sage ground sausage
• 1 medium yellow sweet onion, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, sliced lengthwise and then chopped
• 3/4 bag of arugula (about 3-4 handfuls)
• 1/2 can of pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon each of, Salt, Pepper, Sage, Thyme, & Pumpkin Spice
• 1 Pumpkin, about the size of a cantaloupe or a little larger
• 1-2 teaspoons of extra pumpkin spice for the bread

Here's what you do:

Preheat the oven to 400

Placed sliced bread on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice. Toast until crispy and not blackened. Cooking times vary….

Slice the pumpkin top off and remove all seeds and stringy insides. Rub cooking oil on the outside of the pumpkin and set on foil on a cookie sheet.

Next, in a skillet cook the onion and celery for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the sausage and all remaining spices, mix well. Cook sausage until thoroughly cooked. Now add the pumpkin puree, cook for another 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the arugula. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the arugula has cooked down a little bit.

Once the bread is crispy, remove to a large bowl. Pour skillet mixture into the bread and stir carefully, so not to break up the bread too much. Place the bread mixture into the pumpkin and stuff high and tight. Bake uncovered in the oven at 400 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes place a piece of foil over the top of the pumpkin and continue cooking for another 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

HINT: You can also wrap foil around the pumpkin top and place in the oven for the entire cooking time. Don't forget to cover the stem. Reserve the top for table presentation!

Stuffed Eggplant

Ok, so I decided to go out on a limb and try something a little different! I normally take easy street when cooking, but I wanted to glam up my food for you – in hopes that you try it!

Sadly, I will never make my stuffed eggplant like this again, that is, unless I am entertaining distinguished guests. Ha! Fat chance!

I did have a lot of fun taking photos of this dish, doesn't it look like it is going to hop away? Looks like a member of Veggie Tales – without the eyes and mouth, that is! Ok, so truth be told, I wanted to give you some elegance. How did I do? The challenge of gutting the eggplant was tiresome, eating it was just as difficult. I really didn't want to cut into it, it's just too pretty. Anyway, take my advice – make this dish, BUT most importantly, slice the eggplant lengthwise, gut it, and cook it up.

A truly delicious dish! It is versatile, can be made with or without meat and still be savory!

Here's what you need!

4 small eggplant 

2 cups cooked white rice

1 16oz container whole tomatoes, chopped. Reserving liquid!

1-2 cups tomato sauce

1 heaping tablespoon Italian seasoning or any flavors you like!

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 or more cloves of garlic depending on your taste, minced

1 cup of broth, your choice of flavor

1/2 of your favorite meat

Salt and pepper to your taste.

Here's what you do:

Slice off the top of the eggplant and gently hollow out the inside, careful not to get to close to the skin. Roughly chop the eggplant that you removed from the inside and set aside. Place hollow eggplants in a deep pot, fill the pot with water and 1 cup of broth. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and gently boil for approx 5 minutes, then drain. Place eggplant on paper towels and let cool.

*Throw the tops away or reserve for presentation!*

In a skillet on medium-high heat, meat and cook until medium rare. (the meat will finish cooking in the oven… Drain any grease. Return the meat to the pan, add olive, chopped eggplant, chopped tomatoes & garlic. If you choose to not use meat then just omit the meat. You can also add any other ingredients you selected at this point. Cook until the eggplant is lightly softened. Turn heat off and add half of the reserved tomato juice, cheese & rice. It should be slightly thick mixture. Mix all ingredients together.

Cooking options!

Option 1: Scoop mixture into each eggplant, fill until flush with the top. Place each stuffed eggplant in a deep sided baking dish, topside up. Add 1 cup of tomato juice to the bottom of the pan. Use to coat the eggplant during cooking. Baste every 10 minutes. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Option 2: Scoop mixture into each eggplant. Careful not to tear it. Fill to about 1/4 full. Place each eggplant top side up back into the deep pot. If there is extra room use a coffee cup to fill the gap. Finally, add the 2 cups of tomato juice and any other leftover juice into the pot. The liquid should come within 3/4 up the stuffed eggplant. If you need more liquid, add water.

You can also add a tablespoon of tomato sauce to the top of each eggplant. Bring all to a gentle boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes. Careful when removing the eggplant from the pan, they tear easily!!!

Option 1 is the easiest. Option 2 is hard only because you have to be creative with the pot so not to let the eggplant tip over and not tear them when you remove them from the pot….

This recipe was too easy! I hope you enjoy it!

Take one box of angelfood cake and prepare according to directions. Once you fill the baking dish insert your chopped fruit of choice, or if using blueberries or raspberries add them whole. Press the fruit lightly down and bake according to the box. Slice and eat when cool. Do not refrigerate, store in an airtight container…

Enjoy!