by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables
I wanted to make a gazpacho that was thirst quenching, nutritious and refreshing, so I married some juicy heirloom tomatoes, seedless watermelon, with the traditional bell peppers and cucumbers. All of which have a high water content, making it unnecessary to add tomato juice. This recipe was pretty simple even though the list of ingredients seems a bit daunting. As long as you have the right measuring tools it’s quite simple to make. Optional: make a big batch and store in the fridge for up to five days.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of diced heirloom tomatoes + 2 tbsp for garnish
- 1 ½ cups of diced cucumbers – seeded and peeled + 2 tbsp for garnish
- 1 ½ cups of diced red pepper – seeded + 2 tbsp for garnish
- 1 cup of diced onions
- 2 cups of chopped watermelon – seeded + 2 tbsp diced for garnish
- 1 cup of croutons
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp for drizzle on garnish
- 1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp diced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill the soup for minimum 4 hours but can be stored in the fridge over night. Mix all the reserve garnish (tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, and watermelon) with olive and salt. Place a tbsp onto each serving. Serve with a cool cocktail, perhaps a watermelon margarita or mojito.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Dips, Favorite Recipes, Vegetables
Here is a fun appetizer I created using some (store bought) pizza dough, ricotta, and some veggies. It’s not too heavy and you can make a little extra whipped ricotta as a dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
For the Whipped Ricotta
- 16 oz. ricotta
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary
- 4 small cloves roasted garlic
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
For the Flatbread
- 1 ball of pizza dough
- flour for dusting surface and pizza spatula
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sliced zucchini (with cheese slicer)
- 5 Roma tomatoes (sliced same thickness as zucchini)
- 8 leaves of basil (sliced into strips)
Directions for Whipped Ricotta:
Place ricotta, rosemary, roasted garlic, salt, and goat cheese crumbles into the blender, blend on low speed, and slowly add in the olive oil until you reach a smooth consistency.
Directions for Flatbread:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees or grill. (I normally cook pizza on a pizza stone.) Roll out the pizza dough on a smooth floured surface, stretching on the edge of a counter then tossing in the air, as my husband normally does, (getting flour all over the place) until the pizza dough is evenly thinned out. You can leave the edges thicker (similar to regular pizza), which can be used for dipping into the sauce. Place 1/2 – 1 cup of whipped ricotta onto the center and spread to within one inch of the edges. Sprinkle with salt. Add the tomatoes and zucchini. Place onto the pizza stone and cook until the edges brown, and the center is cooked – approximately 5-10 minutes. Remove flatbread and drizzle the olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with the basil. Serve the extra whipped ricotta on the side. Slice into 3″ pieces and serve. Enjoy!!! Serves 4 as an appetizer.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Vegetables
I was slacking off in the kitchen for a while, and I can tell my husband was really looking for something new in our culinary lives, so I whipped up his favorite type of greens (or rather yellow ;-). Endives! I personally think they are a little bitter, so I added some balsamic reduction, a little sweetness to balance it. In addition, the stinky gorgonzola “paired” really well with the sweet pears. And for a little crunch, I added in the chopped walnuts. This is a super easy and simple appetizer to make, as long as you’ve made the balsamic reduction ahead of time. (Click here for that recipe). Enjoy!
This only took a couple of minutes to throw together. Using the Endive as the serving utensil, you can scoop up the ingredients for a single bite, without the double-dipping.
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)
- 1 head of endives (10-12 leaves)
- 2 tbsp gorgonzola
- 1 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 bosc pear (cubed)
- a drizzle of balsamic reduction
Mix all above ingredients in a bowl, except for the endives. Place the endive leaves on a plate, and add the mixture into the center, then drizzle with the balsamic reduction.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Meats, Paleo
Here is a great light Thai inspired dish that I have made numerous times! And falls into the Paleo category. I have been trying to find other alternative recipes to red meat (beef), and honestly after watching “CowSpiracy” I have been avoiding red meat about 95% of the time. That movie was such an eye-opener! Surprisingly, Leonardo DiCaprio was the executive producer. Anyway, hope you enjoy this simple light recipe, it was inspired by a recipe I found in Women’s Health Magazine back in 2012.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp organic canola oil
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 small shallots, diced
- 1 piece of lemongrass (4″ long) minced
- 1 Thai or Serrano chili, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 lb of 99% fat-free ground turkey
- 2 tbsp of sriracha (optional for a bit more “kick”)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 head of organic butter lettuce
Directions:
- In a bowl, whisk lime juice, lemon juice, fish sauce, and honey.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, lemongrass, and chili. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add turkey to skillet and Siracha. Season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently and making sure turkey does not stay in large chunks. Cook until meat and vegetables are cooked through, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add dressing to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mint and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon turkey mixture onto lettuce leaves and serve.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Favorite Recipes, Fish, Salads
Last year, while dining at one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Boulder, Pizzeria Locale, we ordered their Mare Chiaro (“Clear Sea”) salad. But unfortunately, it is no longer on the menu, so I surprised my family, and tried to recreate it at home. This salad is a great combination of bitter, sweet and salty. I purchase this incredibly authentic Italian jarred Tuna, which is the belly cut of tuna in oil giving it a rich tuna flavor with a little added salt. The dressing is one that I have made for my arugula bean crostini. I used the Eden organic brand cannellini beans (white kidney beans) as they pack them in bisphenol-A (BPA) free can linings.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1 can of organic Cannellini Beans (or white kidney beans)
- 1 jar of Tuna Ventresca
- ½ cup sliced Parmesan Cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing, mix the lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl, stirring so the sugar dissolves. Then Slowly whisk in the olive oil, ensuring it doesn’t separate. Split the dressing in half. Add in arugula to one large bowl lightly toss. Add the beans, tuna and parmesan into the second bowl of dressing and toss. Add some salt and pepper to the bean and tuna mixture. Place a bunch of arugula on to each plate, then add 2 heaping tablespoons of the tuna and bean mixture. For decoration you can also add one slice of the parmesan on top of the tuna mixture.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Fish
I love being in the kitchen with my son! He is able to identify missing ingredients, textures and even color in a dish. We made this Spicy Tuna Poke together, taking inspiration from several recipes on the internet, and made our own alterations in order to improve taste and texture, customizing it to our (his) liking. 😉
Tuna Poke Ingredients:
- ½ lb diced ahi or maguro
- 3 tb minced red or sweet onion
- 2 tb tobiko (flying fish roe) plus more for use as a topping
- ⅓ cup mayo (Hellmans or Best Foods)
- 1 tb sugar or honey (for paleo)
- 2 tb shoyu
- 3 tb Sriracha (or more to taste)
- 1 diced red chili-pepper (optional)
- 1 tb sesame oil
- 2 stalks scallions minced – green parts only
- 1 large pealed and julienned cucumber
Directions for tuna:
– Combine mayo, sugar shoyu, and Sriracha
– Gently mix together tuna, onions, chillies and green onions
– Add mayo mixture and tobiko, mix gently
– Add sesame oil, taste an adjust flavoring
As you can tell, I had some fun with my food and plated on a bed of finely diced cucumber. I used a Spam musubi mold to get the shape.
Sushi rice cakes
- 1 cup cooked sushi rice
- 1 cup organic canola oil
Use round or square mold to create 1-½” thick layer of rice. Place oil in small sauce pan heat on high. Place molded cooked rice, into oil with a slotted spoon. Cook approximately 2 minutes, then turn over to cook other side. Should be a little browned on both sides, and crunchy. Place cucumber on a plate, add the crunchy rice patty and add the Spicy Tuna Poke. Top with 1 tsp of tobiko. Add a few slices of green onion and Voilá. Some other options are to add some diced avocado and cucumber into the tuna mixture. Be sure to mix gently as you do not want to squish the avocados. 
