MexiCali Spread

Always a crowd-pleaser

This MexiCali taco dip is always a hit at parties. Great for crowds and excellent spread when you're hosting the game!

Ingredients
1 (18 ounce) package of light cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) tub of sour cream
1/2 package of powdered taco seasoning
2 diced hot house tomatoes

1 cup of diced green peppers

2 diced green onions
2 cups of fresh organic salsa

2 cups of finely shredded old cheddar cheese

sliced black olives (optional)

1/2 cup of jalepeno chopped (optional)

Directions

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning in mixing bowl

Place mixture in serving dish
Top with fresh organic salsa
Cover with shredded cheese and veggies

Serve with warm tortilla chips

Dinner or Side: Tofu Almondine

Tofu Almondine

This is a personal favourite of mine as an entree- this time I served it separate over basmati rice, but often I make it with quinoa or CousCous too for a crunchier texture.

What you will need:

2 lb. tofu, drained, pressed and cut into cube size of your choice
**note if you are using quinoa or CousCous you can also incorporate silken tofu into the mix which helps bind everything together and is less tofuish- for the nouveau tofu eaters**
4 tablespoons tamari (sub 2 tablespoons soy sauce if you don't have tamari)
1/2 cup almond butter
2 cups water or veggie broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion finely chopped
1 green pepper chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup tamari or regular almonds sliced (optional:garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, place tofu cubes in baking dish and coat with 4 tablespoons tamari, bake for 20 minutes- middle rack of the oven.

While your tofu is baking, heat a deep frying pan over medium heat and fry your chopped onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add celery, carrots (if you have I didn't this time-oops) and green pepper. Sautee for 5-10 minutes and reduce heat.

Prepare basmati, cous-cous or quinoa as per package directions (or rice cooker directions)

Remove tofu from oven and toss in frying pan with veggies. Add mushrooms, veggie broth, almond butter and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer back into baking dish that tofu was baked in. Let everything settle into the pan and then sprinkle with sliced almonds. bake for 10-15 minutes.

Serve over grain of choice. Enjoy!

  

Entree Starter or Side: Candy Cane Beat salad with grilled veggies and goats cheese

Entrée, Starter or Side

Candy Cane Beat Salad with grilled veggies and goats cheese

What you will need:

4 medium sized candy cane beats (these guys are brilliantly pretty)

2 handfuls cheery tomatoes

Quarter white/Spanish onion sliced

1 green zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced

1 yellow zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced

Half a red bell pepper, cut into large chunks or slices

½ Bag of baby spinach

4 large medallions of goats cheese (disk shapes)

3 TBS Olive oil

1TBS cayenne pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dressing of choice *(I used maple balsamic dressing)

Directions:

Scrub down beats with vegetable scrubber, or with clean wet rag. Cut off top and bottom of beat salvaging as much of the body as you can to slice. Slice beats in medium thickness disks so they will withstand boiling without falling apart.

Bring water in a soup pot to boil; just enough water to cover beats (using full pot of water just takes longer to boil and risks boiling over, and hello it’s wasteful!!! J) Add 1 TBS olive oil, Cayenne pepper and salt to taste into water. Boil beats until fork slides easily through flesh or el dente, (*I don’t like eating mushy food) drain away water and fill pot with cold water then set aside on counter or in sink so beats don’t continue to cook.

Heat up grill pan, BBQ, Oven or in my case Panini grill for grilling your veggies. Grill (BBQ or Bake; on baking sheet) onion, zucchini, and red bell pepper, adding 2 TBS olive oil so it won’t stick to Panini grill. Grill for aprox. 10 minutes until Zucchini are almost falling apart.

Arrange clean, dry baby spinach leaves in two pasta bowls or on plates, cut cherry tomatoes in half’s and arrange evenly on top of spinach. Arrange goats cheese medallions (as a whole disks or crumble), then top with warm grilled veggies, and finish with drained cooled beats slices. Finish with the dressing of your choice and pepper to taste.

Something so magical about these guys, like Dr. Seuss, or Willy Wanka invented them.

Layer warm veggies on top of your goats cheese; it melts and blankets your spinach to perfection!

YUM!!!!!

Entree or Side: Pumpkin Risotto

 Pumpkin Risotto


Prep Time: 5-10
Cook Time: 35 mins
Skill Level: Intermediate- Advanced

What you will need:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine (chardonnay or German Riesling)

About 6 cups of vegetable stock

1 butternut squash, one half baked in the oven and then pureed; the other half, peeled, cut into small dice, and Sauteed in a little oil and butter until tender

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Shaved parmesan to garnish (you can use a vegetable peeler or microplane)

Directions:

In a medium-size heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring continuously, just until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and continue to stir, using a wooden spoon, to coat the rice with the oil.

Add the white wine and continue cooking, stirring often, until it has been absorbed by the rice. Pour in enough vegetable stock to cover the rice completely, about 3 cups, and continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed.

Pour in 1 cup more of the remaining stock and stir and cook until it has been absorbed. Repeat with 1 more cup. Add the remaining cup and cook, stirring, until the rice is al dente, tender but still very chewy, and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir in the pumpkin puree and the diced pumpkin and reduce the heat to very low so that the risotto doesn't simmer anymore. Stir in the Parmesan and butter to give the risotto a nice, creamy finish. Spoon it immediately into heated (you can microwave plates for 4 minutes on 50% power) shallow serving bowls/pasta plates garnish with shaved Parmesan. Enjoy!

Higher protein Alternative:

Cube tofu and microwave in orange juice bath for 5 minutes before risotto is done

top with tofu chopped apricots and finish with shaved Parmesan garnish.