You are here: Home / Archives for In the Kitchen / Recipes

Gorton’s Tilapia Tostadas with Chipotle Aioli Sauce {Recipe}

April 15, 2013 by 21 Comments

fish tostadas recipe
Tastiest fish tostados ever! I wanted to put a little Mexican-dish spin on the tasty fish, Tilapia. I did this by making Tilapia Tostadas with Chipotle Aioli sauce – and I was shocked how simple and delicious it was!

Tilapia Tostadas with Chipotle Aioli sauce
Serves 2
Tostadas with fish and aioli instead of Mexican beans!
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
1 box Gorton's Signature Grilled Tilapia Fillets
4 tostadas or 4 corn tortillas
Frying oil (as needed)
Chipotle Aioli Sauce
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 stalk of garlic chives
1 tablespoon chipotle sauce
Salt (to taste)
Toppings Optional
1/2 cup tomatoes
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup sautéed onions
1/2 cup olives
1/2 cup peppers
Instructions
Cut up all the topping you want to include. We used tomatoes, lettuce, sautéed onions, olives and peppers.
Fry small corn tortillas. You can fry these easily in oil and a deep frying pan. Fry each side and watch them carefully as they over cook quickly!
Make the chipotle aioli sauce while following the Gorton's Signature Grilled Tilapia Fillets cooking instructions. For the aioli: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Roast the garlic and olive oil in pan for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from heat and mash. Add sour cream, lemon juice, garlic chives, chipotle sauce, and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
After the fish is cooked, compile the tostada! Spread the chipotle aioli sauce on the fried tortilla. Flake the fish in small chunks and place on top of the sauce. Dress tostada with the toppings of your choice!
With Our Best http://www.withourbest.com/
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by Recipe Card
I choose to use Gorton’s Signature Grilled Tilapia Fillets because they are healthy and quick! They are seasoned perfectly and easy to prepare in the microwave or the oven. Plus, they’re 80 calories per fillet and gluten free!

Connect with Gorton’s Seafood by checking out their newly-redone Gorton’s website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages.

Wanna Win Gorton’s? One winner will receive 5 Gorton’s Seafood product coupons, a branded spatula, oven mitts, and an apron. For your chance to win, enter below!

:: Giveaway ::

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a sample product from the sponsor for the purpose of this honest review. This did not affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.
Filed Under: Giveaways, In the Kitchen, Recipes

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread {Recipe}

March 22, 2013 by 1 Comment

Irish-Soda-Bread gluten free recipe

Irish soda bread came from mid-nineteenth century Ireland. As baking soda became available, bakers quickly integrated it into bread. In the 1800′s, soda bread consisted of salt, flour, buttermilk, and baking soda. This recipe is a modified version for those who are gluten free. A favorite way to eat Irish soda bread is toasted with salted butter generously applied.

This gluten free recipe is brought to you by Boulder, Colorado’s Rich Coffman of Indulge Bakery, champion of real foods made from scratch.

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Ingredients
2 cups of gluten-free sorghum blend
1 tsp of baking soda
3 tbsp of cane sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1 large egg - room temperature
1 cup of buttermilk thinned with 1/4 cup water - shaken
1 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum
1/2 stick of butter
1 tbsp of caraway seeds, toasted
1/2 cup of dried currants
Instructions
Set oven to 375 F. Apply grease to a 6-inch nonstick round loaf pan.
Using a large mixing bowl whisk together the baking powder, sorghum blend, sugar, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Mix in the milk, egg, butter, currants, and caraway seeds.
Using an electric mixer, slowly mix together all ingredients. Distribute the batter into the pan. Using a wet spatula, even the top. Once smooth, take a sharp knife and slice an X across the top to allow the bread to expand as it rises.
Place in the center of the oven and bake for 55 minutes. It will be done when the top of the loaf is browned and there is a hollow sound when the loaf is tapped on. To be sure the loaf is complete, test the internal temperature which should reach 205 F.
After removal, let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. After than remove the loaf from pan and continue to let cool until ready to eat.
With Our Best http://www.withourbest.com/
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by Recipe Card
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.
Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes

5 Ways to Enjoy Granola plus Recipes {Giveaway}

March 13, 2013 by 28 Comments

Ola Granola review

Granola is a delicious snack that can be very versatile! From breakfast to bedtime, granola is a great anytime treat for everyone in the family!

While my husband loves to eat granola by the handful or in trail mix, I like to cook with granola or add it as a topping to something creamy – yogurt, ice cream, or even a smoothie! I have added granola to simple cookie recipes in the past, but when I found out about Ola! granola… I saw that they had even more ideas for recipes!

About Ola! Granola

Ola! Granola, a USA company, began in the Houser family kitchen.  Dina Houser launched Ola! Granola on Earth Day in 2009.  Recreating an old family recipe- using only the best ingredients like whole grains, aromatic flavors such as vanilla and cinnamon along with pure Vermont maple syrup as natural sweetener, Dina’s hand-baked granola has quickly become a favorite go-to healthy snack for families everywhere. 

Ways to enjoy granola olaRecipe Ideas 

When you visit the Ola! Granola recipe page, you will scroll through a ton of original and tasty recipes of ways to incorporate this delicious granola into snacks and meals.

Breakfast: Treat your family to a fun new kind of scone; try the Cranberry Orange Pecan Scones recipe with Ola! Orange Pecan Granola.

Desserts: A favorite classic cookie with a sweeter crunch, try the Ola! Granola and Raisin Cookies recipe with Ola! No Nut Vanilla Granola.

Dinner: For a twist on traditional pork chops; try Really Really Stuffed Pork Chops with Ola! Cranberry Orange Pecan Granola.

My Thoughts

I am a big fan of Ola! granola. I love that is is a family company, USA made, and that the ingredients are pure and simple (non-GMO). The unique flavors are delicious by themselves or in a recipe. I loved the variety of recipes on the Ola Foods website, and look forward to trying many of them! This granola was tested and approved in our house, hope it is in yours too!

Purchase & Connect

Available in Vanilla Almond, No Nut Vanilla and Cranberry Orange Pecan, Ola! Granola can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ola! Granola can be found at www.olafoods.com and on Facebook and Twitter @olafoods.

:: Giveaway ::

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a sample product from the sponsor for the purpose of this honest review. This did not affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.
Filed Under: Giveaways, In the Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With:

Recipe: Ice Cream Cupcakes with #LightIcedCoffee {+Games & Prizes}

March 4, 2013 by

IMG_1617y

I am a sucker for a huge bowl of ice cream. And most of the time I overdue it…scooping out way too much of the delightful treat (guess that’s what happens when I use my soup bowls for dessert!)  I always regret it. So, I decided to come up with a recipe that is easy to make, satisfies my ice cream desire and the portion size is just perfect!

It is creamy and delicious… and not overdoing it! This is my recipe for Ice Cream Cupcakes!

Cookies with Coffee Delight - Ice Cream Cupcakes
Serves 16
This is an easy-to-prepare-ahead-of-time dessert that will last in your freezer all week for a delicious and satisfying dessert!
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
30 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
1 cup of International Delight Light Iced Coffee
1 container of Cool Whip
1 jar of hot fudge
16 Oreo cookies
1 plastic zipper bag
vanilla Ice cream
(optional) food coloring
(optional) candy Easter eggs
Instructions
Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Place Oreos (a few at a time) in a zipper plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.
Put approx. 1 crushed cookie (now in pieces) into each cupcake liner.
Drizzle a tablespoon of International Delight Light Iced Coffee into each cupcake liner.
Heat the hot fudge in microwave as pr directions. Drizzle a spoonful of hot fudge into each cupcake liner.
Spoon a single scoop of semi-softened ice cream into each cupcake liner and spread evenly.
Spoon in Cool Whip for the remaining amount of cupcake liner.
Put in freezer overnight (make sure to lay it flat so no spills happen!)
Notes
(optional) Dye Cool Whip to match the season - I did green for St. Patrick's Day and Easter coming up! Just a few drops for your desired color!
(optional) Add candy to the top of the cupcake to match the season - I did Cadbury eggs for Easter!
With Our Best http://www.withourbest.com/
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by Recipe Card
recipe icecream cupcakes

Mmmm… they are delicious – and surprisingly easy to prepare! They will last in your freezer all week too! We’ve been enjoying just one a night, and are completely satisfied!

So if you are a dessert person like me, try these out – that way you can enjoy a creamy and luscious dessert but not feel guilty about it (especially if you use all light ingredients like the New Light Iced Coffee – it contains 33.3% fewer calories and 39% less sugar and only has 100 calories a serving).

Check Out International Delight FUN!

With less calories and less sugar, International Delight Light Iced Coffee lets you enjoy MORE of what you love! For more fun ways to break up your day, visit ID’s new online games today for a chance to win sweet prizes and coupons to use on your next purchase!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes

EverRoast® Chicken Quinoa Pilaf {Recipe}

February 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Boar’s Head. All opinions are 100% mine.

Whether you eat it sliced, in chunks or strips, Boar’s Head deli meats are hearty, healthy and a perfect addition to many recipes!

Boar’s Head has been providing high quality meats for over 100 years. Some of their meats include ham, chicken, turkey, roast beef and more. Boar’s Head is proud to meet the criteria to be heart-healthy including criteria for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, specified limits for sodium and more.

Here is a delicious recipe that includes one of Boar’s Head heart-healthy deli meats: EverRoast® Chicken Quinoa Pilaf

Ingredients

  • 2 TBSP Olive oil
  • 1 CUP Yellow onion , finely diced
  • 1 CUP Celery , finely diced
  • 1 CUP Carrots , finely diced
  • 1 CUP Quinoa , dry
  • 1 TSP Black pepper
  • 2 CUPS Low sodium chicken stock
  • 1/4 CUP Golden raisins
  • 1/2 LB EverRoast® Oven Roasted Chicken Breast , diced
  • 1 CUP Green onion , finely diced

Directions

  1. In a heavy, medium sized saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add yellow onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft (about 4-5 minutes).
  2. Add Quinoa and pepper and continue cooking, stirring vigorously, until the grain is coated in the oil and smells toasted (about 1 minute).
  3. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes).
  4. Turn off heat. Add raisins & EverRoast Chicken, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
  5. Place in a serving dish and top with green onion.

I tried the EverRoast® Oven Roasted Chicken Breast and think it is great on sandwiches and in this delicious recipe! I was happy to hear these meats are heart-healthy since heart disease is the nation’s leading cause of death for both men and women. It is important to take small steps, like eating healthy to take care of my heart!

Visit Sponsor's Site

Filed Under: Recipes

Restaurant Reviews: Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill

February 18, 2013 by 3 Comments

rubios-fresh-mexican-grill

Widely known in Southern California, this was my first experience with Rubio’s Restaurant. Little did I know that they were in Colorado too – let alone just about 15 minutes away from my house.

This fresh Mexican grill food dining experience is similar to the sorta-fast food places like Chipotle or Qdoba. I don’t consider these places fast food because there is no drive up window and you can actually have a decent sit down experience, but they are less restaurant-y than somewhere like Red Robin or California Pizza Kitchen.

Anyway, my first experience with Rubio’s Restaurant was a good one. My husband and I were pleased with our meals, the service and the salsas! Just take a look at the awesome salsa bar:

rubios-restaurant-salsas

We ordered a bowl and a salad to split and asked the sweet register gal what her favorite meal was. We got that too. Gotta love recommendations, you never know what you will miss out on if you don’t ask, right?

Here is the Mango Habanero Pacific Mahi Mahi Tacos she suggested:

mahi-tacos-rubios

Dang these were good. Pacific mahi mahi, a mild, white fish, house blackened then grilled on an authentic comal and topped with mango pineapple salsa, a smoky red chile sauce made with guajillo, ancho and red jalapeño chiles, along with crema and serrano cabbage slaw. Served on a warm flour tortilla and garnished with a slice of lime. By far our favorite plate, so thanks for the suggestion!

The meal ingredients were fresh and delicious. The company is dedicated to providing fresh ingredients that are sourced locally whenever possible. The plates have a nice presentation and they came out warm (or in the salad’s case) cold. The portions were large, and quickly we realized getting three orders for just the two of use was over-doing it! But, we ate until we couldn’t eat any longer, it was too tasty to pass up.

rubios-salad

Overall, I recommend Rubio’s Restaurant for a quick fresh Mexican-style meal. For lunch or for a delicious dinner you can find these restaurants in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah … check out the locator for a store near you.

You can learn more at http://www.rubios.com/.

Disclosure: I was given meal coupons in exchange for my honest review.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: ,

Recipe Challenge: Minty Risotto Soup with Peas

February 7, 2013 by 1 Comment

Recipe Risotto with Peas Mint Pancetta

This week, I had a fun experience taking on a culinary challenge from Marx Foods (a online market with lots of fine foods and wholesale products.) This was my first challenge, and the theme for this challenge was: green. That’s it! I was sent small samples of bamboo rice, dill pollen, green eston lentils, whole cardamom and mint herb crystals.

I used the rice and mint and got my green mojo flowing with this very green meal! It is a minty version of Risotto… I hope you enjoy.. it is really delicious!

Minty Risotto Soup with Peas

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 finely diced onion
  • 6 ounces of cubed pancetta
  • 1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen peas
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 3/4 cup of bamboo rice
  • 5 cups of low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
  • 2 tablespoons of mint herb crystals
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and pancetta. Cook on low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened.

2. Defrost/cook peas. Put half of the peas, a splash of broth and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a food processor. Blend until puréed.

3. Add rice to the butter mixture. Stir well until completely coated with butter. Pour in the remaining broth and pureed peas. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until rice is tender. Add the remaining peas, mint herb crystals and season with salt and peeper. Cook about 5-10 minutes longer. **Broth will soak into rice, if you like a thinner soupier soup add more stock as needed.

4. Ladle into bowls. Pepper to taste. Drizzle with grated parmesan cheese or leave off – I enjoyed it without, my husband added cheese – both ways are delicious!

**Note: This soup can be served as a main dinner dish or an appetizer! It is plenty filling and the mint gives it a uniquely tasty twist! Serves 4. Enjoy!

Recipe-for-risotto-soup

Disclosure: I did receive a sample from the sponsor for the purpose of this recipe. For full disclosure click here.
Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

I Will Actually Scream for this Ice Cream

February 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment

graeters-ice-cream-logo

When someone says "This is the best ice cream I’ve ever had"… It needs to be taken very, very seriously. The best ice cream ever? After two bites? That is a statement that can’t just be thrown around lightly.

Then I tasted the ice cream too.

Wow. Incredible. Indulgent. Delicious. The creamiest ice cream I’ve ever tried. My husband, who does exaggerate sometimes, was not exaggerating this time. His statement was an undeniable fact.

What is Graeter’s?

Graeter’s is a family owned ice cream company based out of Cincinnati. Now on it’s fourth generation of family ownership, not much has changed in the making of the beloved ice cream. They just keep getting more and more popular.

graeters-ice-cream-flavors

Why is Graeter’s so Creamy?

They perfect ice cream by making it the old fashion way – in a traditional french pot freezer. They create just TWO GALLONS at a time! When making they do a folding process, rather than whipping, which prevents air from getting into the creamy and dense consistency. This mean Graeter’s achieves creaminess that is completely unlike any other ice cream. To give you a better idea – a typical pint of ice cream can weigh as little as 8 ounces, and Graeter’s pints weigh nearly a full pound!Graeters-ice-cream-new-flav

What is new with Graeter’s?

Graeter’s ice cream is making 2013 a little sweeter with the addition of its newest flavor, Black Cherry Chocolate Chip. The new flavor is NOW available online at graeters.com – added a few days ago – February 1st and will be hitting grocery stores this spring.

Graeters-ice-cream-taste-reThe first new Graeter’s flavor in 3 years, Black Cherry Chocolate Chip, is all-natural black cherry ice cream made with heavy cream, pure cane sugar and loaded with fresh black cherries and Graeter’s signature dark chocolate chunks.

How did the new flavor stand the test?

Well, you know how we felt about Graeter’s earlier? This new, creamy, natural flavor also passes the test! The chocolate chunks are rich, velvety and smooth and overall the ice cream is deliciously indulgent.

We truly think this stuff is amazing (we are not the only ones – we join the list with big celebrities and magazines… Oprah being one of them!)

Where to Find Graeter’s?

Now I encourage you to check out the tried and true flavors of Graeter’s! You can find Graeter’s ice cream near you when you search the store locator (I found it at multiple near by Kroger stores). You can also have it shipped right to your door! We had it shipped to us, and it arrived perfectly frozen!

Connect with Graeter’s on Facebook and Twitter and visit their website at www.graeters.com

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review. I did receive a sample product from the sponsor for the purpose of this honest review. This did not affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.
Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Game Day Recipe: Football Cupcakes

January 30, 2013 by 1 Comment

Football cupcake recipe party

What’s the best thing about a Superbowl party? The food! Last year I made these Football Cupcakes for a Superbowl Party and they were a touchdown! These cupcakes only require a few ingredients, are fun to make and turn out super professional!Football Cupcake Recipe

STEP 1: CUPCAKES 

Bake chocolate cupcakes as directed. (I didn’t want the extra work, so I just used the box kind – the chocolate fudgy and moist – YUM!)Making colored coconut flakes

STEP 2: TURF GRASS

1 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp. water
green food coloring

Dyeing shredded coconut is an easy way to get the perfect grassy look. **Note: I prefer Tropical Traditions Shredded Coconut because it is a lot smaller than large flakes and doesn’t bulk up the top of the cupcakes.

In a zipper sandwich bag, mix all ingredients until well blended. I ended up repeating this process 3 times, using a total of 3 tsp. water and 8 drops of food coloring. (Honestly, it just depends on how dark you want the grass. Take it slow, and see how much you need.making mini footballs for cupcake topping

STEP 3: FOOTBALLS

handful of chocolate covered almonds 
handful of white frosting or white candy melts 

Fill a zipper sandwich bag with the warm melted white candy or white frosting. (I used white frosting because I didn’t have candy melts, but I think candy melts would stick better and have a better appearance.) Snip off the smallest bit of corner on a zipper sandwich bag and pipe it on to the almonds. Make a short center line, crossed with three perpendicular lines and one line at each end for the football stitching. Repeat. Set aside and let dry. frosting cupcakes chocolate

STEP 4: PREPARING THE FIELD

(1) Frost 1/3 of batch of cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I put the frosting in a zipper sandwich bag (yes, again!) and piped it back and forth on the top. I found I liked the look of this better, and the coconut stayed well in the crevices.

(2) Press the footballs lightly into the frosting so they stick to it, but aren’t buried. I placed mine off-center and a bit tilted.

(3) Drizzle your green shredded coconut grass on the top. If you choose to make field lines, just use the remaining white melt (may need to re-heat) or white frosting and draw lines across the top!Recipe for Superbowl Football Cupcakes

(4) Repeat this process on the next 1/3 of the cupcakes and finally on the last 1/3 of the cupcakes. ** Note: I say to only decorate 1/3 of the cupcakes at a time because I found that the cupcakes didn’t hold the grass as well when the frosting had time to harden and dry. So, my advice is do it in a rotation process.

There you have it! A basic and fun recipe for game day! Go team!single football cupcake

Delicious Football Cupcake Recipe

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Frozen Wine Mix Beverages with OWG

January 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

OWG-Beverages-gift-ideas-mi

Somebody get this girl a drink!

All day was spent running errands and paying bills. Non-stop anti-fun. Okay, it feels great to accomplish so much and now I’m crossing off all those items from my to-do list… but I swear being on hold with companies, dealing with traffic and dumb drivers… (I wasn’t so worried about me, but my dog in the back seat – as a lady almost sideswiped us!)… Argh, I didn’t even work today, but I still need a drink. Oh, that’s right I have one!OWG Beverage Mixers

Lucky for me, I just needed a bottle of wine and one of my favorite OWG mixers. (NO not OMG, it’s OWG… although OMG – do they make  delicious beverage additions!)

OWG has a tasty selection of innovative mixers. They have a fun line of frozen wine mixers called Vino-Licious. It’s crazy but it’s true – you mix their mixer with a bottle of wine and a yummy drink is the end result! Not only those, they also have drinks you mix with champagne, tequila or whatever alcohol you prefer.

Amazing flavors like Blueberry Pomegranate, Cosmopolitan, Peach Bellini, Lemon Margarita and more. Now you want a drink too?

My favorite so far is the Sangria Mix. It is the perfect blend – and so unique! The mixing instructions are quite basic – place the OWG blend packages into a pitcher or plastic zipper bag, add a bottle of wine and a bottle of water and then freeze for 3-4 hours. When you get it out of the freezer it is a perfect squishy, slushy consistency ready to be consumed in your cocktail glass!

Overall, I love these frozen wine drinks. I’d never heard of them before tasting OWG. They are just genius! No blender needed! OWG is sold online and in retail stores across the country. Any one of these (made in USA) blends would be a fun Valentines gift. It is a unique, fun and delicious!

Did Somebody Say Giveaway? OWG is taking part in our HUGE VALENTINES PRIZE PACKAGE too! Yay! They are offering one flavor from the dot box or Vino-Licious mixers to one lucky winner!OWG-Drinks-Mixers-Party

:: Giveaway ::

a Rafflecopter giveaway

** Please leave entries in above Rafflecopter form. It might take a bit to load. **

Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a sample product from the sponsor for the purpose of this honest review. This did not affect the outcome of this review. All opinions are 100% my own. For full disclosure click here.
Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,
«Older Posts