‘Out of this World’ Stuffing from Bethenny Frankel (Gluten Free)

I can’t not share that this is ‘Out of this World’ stuffing because that’s the name that Bethenny’s titled it.  Truth is…it’s better than out of this world.

This was my first ever attempt at making stuffing (or dressing for those of you that call it that).  I’d never had to make it before because other women in my extended family took care of that each year for my entire life.  Outside of Thanksgiving, I had the StoveTop version of stuffing.  Anyway, now that I’ve been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and must eat gluten free, I had to take matters into my own hands.  I was NOT prepared to not have stuffing for Thanksgiving (or Christmas).  I was determined to make it happen.  Since Bethenny has yet to fail me with delicious recipes, I decided to trust her on this one.

Further to that, since bread is the main thing involved in any stuffing recipe, I had to ensure that I was selecting the right bread for this.  In true Krista fashion, I should have baked the bread myself.  However, I wasn’t trying to overdo it this time, so I selected Udi’s Whole Grain bread!  I’m quite disappointed in our local grocery stores only selling the small loaves.  Ugh.  It’s just not enough.  Fortunately, I discovered that since Jason’s Deli serves this same bread, you can purchase it straight from their store!  Better still, they sell a LARGE loaf of this bread.  I purchased 2 loaves from them (just in case), and it was much more economical and efficient.

As for other details of this recipe, dried morels were difficult to find.  I did find them (finally) at Whole Foods.  FYI, they are not cheap, but they ARE worth it!

If you decide to proceed with your recipe as being gluten free, just be sure that your bread, turkey sausage, and chicken stock (if used) are gluten free.

I so enjoyed every bit of this recipe, and I’m no longer scared of making stuffing.  I’m so thrilled to have found a recipe that makes eating gluten free more exciting than not eating gluten free.  I know this recipe wasn’t intended for the GF world, but, when modified, it’s fantastic!!!

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon pepper, plus more as needed
1 or 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
4 sprigs sage, finely chopped
Leaves from 6 to 8 sprigs of thyme, finely chopped
½ pound turkey sausage (choose your favorite)
Splash of good dry white wine
1 teaspoon butter
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (whatever kind you like or use an assortment)
½ cup dried morel mushrooms, coarsely chopped and soaked in water until soft
½ loaf of 9-grain or multi-grain bread, toasted and chopped (reference my comments above on making Gluten Free)
½ to 1 cup chicken stock, mushroom broth, white wine, or other richly-flavored liquid
1 egg beaten
Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sauté the onion and celery in olive oil in a nonstick pan. Add salt, pepper, garlic, sage and thyme.
Remove the sausage from the casing (if it is in casing) and break into small pieces. Add to the pan and sauté until browned. Add the wine and butter. Stir in the mushrooms, morels, and the water the morels were soaked in.
Place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Pour the sausage mixture over the top and toss to coat. If the mixture seems dry, add a splash of chicken stock, mushroom broth, wine or other flavored liquid. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add a beaten egg and mix well. Put it into a large baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then turn the oven to broil. Broil for five minutes to make the top crunchy -- but watch closely to be sure it does not burn. By the way, yes, I am VERY behind on posting

Bethenny Frankel’s Zesty, Cheesy Mac and Cheese (Gluten Free)

Gluten Free notes at the bottom of this post.

First of all, I’ve never been the greatest at making homemade mac n’ cheese.  Somehow, I never get the cheese mixture to look right despite my determination to follow the recipe as instructed.  Nevertheless, I’m sure I didn’t manage to get this recipe to look just right, but it definitely tastes amazing!  The butternut squash completely brings a sweeter taste; plus, it’s helpful that it’s presence reduces the amount of cheese!  Less calories and fat, of course.  I definitely prefer this mac n’ cheese recipe in our household now!

Zesty, Cheesy Mac and Cheese from Bethenny Frankel

Ingredients

12 ounces whole wheat mini pasta shells (these hold the cheese better than elbows)

1 cup soy milk

1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup frozen butternut squash, thawed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. chili powder or a few dashes of Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs

2 tablespoons reduced fat Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta shells in salted water until slightly firm, according to package directions.

In another saucepan, combine the soymilk, Parmesan, cheddar, and butternut squash over medium heat until melted and combined. Turn off the heat. Add salt, mustard, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder or Tabasco.

Drain the pasta but don’t rinse it. Add it to the cheese sauce (use a large bowl if necessary) and toss to coat the pasta. Taste and add more salt or pepper, according to your taste.

Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray and put the pasta-cheese mixture in it. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Monterey jack cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Make it Gluten Free!

• Of course, be sure to use gluten free pasta.  Specifically, quinoa pasta would be fabulous for this recipe, but brown rice pasta will work great as well.  The photo you see above is with brown rice pasta!
• Make sure you use gluten free breadcrumbs, though I would not suggest buying the pre-packaged brown rice breadcrumbs.  YUCK!  Ter-ri-ble!  Simply dry out a piece of gluten-free bread or two, then crumble up to use as the topping here.  Obviously, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t use these breadcrumbs; you will still have some great mac n’ cheese.

Ina Garten's Mustard Roasted Potatoes

I don’t know what it is about roasted potatoes, but I’ve always been so nervous to make them.  I know I know.  With all the stuff that I make, how could I possibly be scared of roasted potatoes?  It’s true!  I just always imagine them coming out of the oven completely charred on the edges.

Each Thanksgiving, my mother is famous for making these oven roasted potatoes that are to die for!  No literally, I think they are a recipe to kill you with all the oil and butter that is used.  I’m not knocking it, don’t get me wrong, because I serve myself some each and every year.  I do it happily.  I know how good they taste!  I wake up on Thanksgiving morning thinking about how I’ll be eating them in just a few short hours.  That said, I know my mother doesn’t love making something so unhealthy just the same as others don’t love eating something so unhealthy. 

After making these mustard roasted potatoes, I informed my mother that I had a way out of all that guilt!!!  These potatoes are FABULOUS!!!  Plus, I know how much easier they are than my mother’s oven roasted potatoes.  I know she’s always a fan of me making something easier  

Thus, Kornegay Klan, if you are reading this, get ready for a new recipe for oven roasted potatoes this year.  That’s right; these babies are headed for annual Thanksgiving Day reunion.  What?  You said you weren’t coming?  Oh….these should make you RECONSIDER!!!

Source: Beantown Baker

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the potatoes into one-inch cubes (halves or quarters for the small potatoes, several more cuts for the larger ones). Place potatoes into a large plastic bag with a zipper seal. Peel onion and cut in half. Slice crosswise to about 1/4 inch thickness to make half rounds and add to bag.

Add the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to bag; seal, and toss together. This can be prepped a few hours in advance and left in the plastic bag until ready to roast.

Line a sheet pan with foil and spread potatoes and onions onto pan. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour; until potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes occasionally to prevent sticking and for even browning.

Garnish with chopped parsley and more salt if needed and serve immediately.

I enjoyed my potatoes with Bison steak!

Mexican Corn Salad

Put down what you’re eating.  Put down the phone.  Stop whatever you’re doing.  You have to to start imaging how this will taste!  It’s amazing!!!  There is no doubt in my mind that I’ll be making this again.  It’s so full of flavor!  You don’t need much of it at one time as it’s pretty rich, but that doesn’t mean that it’s in any way bad tasting.

The recipe that Pink Parsley shared specifies using mayonnaise or Greek yogurt.  I’m not a big yogurt fan, so I used mayonnaise (gluten-free mayo to be exact).  Additionally, I skipped the ears of corn and went straight for the frozen corn; I don’t feel like we missed out on flavor at all.

I would feel sad for your grocery list this week if the ingredients for this recipe weren’t on it.
Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon minced red onion
3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
6-8 ears of corn, husked
vegetable oil
1/3 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt (Use gluten-free mayo to keep a gluten-free recipe)
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
4 ounces cojita, ricotta salata, feta, or queso blanco, crumbled (about 1 cup)
3 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
kosher salt and ground black pepper
hot sauce

Directions

Prepare grill, and brush the corn with oil.

Combine the garlic, onion, and lime juice in a medium bowl and toss to coat.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes.  Whisk the mayonnaise (or yogurt) and chile powder into the onion mixture.  Set aside.

Grill the corn 10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes, until lightly charred and tender.  Allow to cool slightly, then cut the kernels off the cobs and add to the dressing.  Toss with the cheese and cilantro, mixing well to coat with the dressing.  Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. 

Serve with additional hot sauce if desired.

Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Corn Muffin

Gluten-Free notes at the bottom of this post.

I bookmarked this recipe way back in January, but I had yet to get around to making it.  Well, I finally did, and these were fabulous!!!  My bosses both loved them, and, of course, the sous chef did, too :)  These would be a GREAT side to your tomato pasta dish.

Ingredients

2 (8 1/2-ounce) packages corn muffin mix
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (from an 8-ounce jar)
2/3 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl combine the muffin mix, corn, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the muffin mix. Stir to combine. Spoon the mix into the muffin tins, filling up the cups about halfway. Bake until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.

Make it Gluten-Free!
-Use this mix for the corn muffin mix.
-Make sure to use Daisy brand sour cream to ensure a gluten-free sour cream.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

If it’s possible for you to believe, I had never eaten sweet potatoes until August 1st.  What’s harder for me to believe is that I’d never eaten the fabulous potato created by a Texas A&M professor! :)  Nonetheless, so far I at least know I like them in baked french fry form.  I have yet to try them any other way.

The following day, I  decided to make some at home to go alongside our Mexican Turkey Burgers.  This recipe was perfect!  I should say that I should have sliced these potatoes into a smaller fry; I think they would have cooked better.

Ingredients

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
1/8 tsp black pepper
*you want 1 lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Directions

In a small bowl combine cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, parsley, and pepper.

Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated. Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat.

Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp. Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Corn Salsa with Lime

So this corn salsa from Gina is much like the Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango salad I made previously.  Obviously there are some added ingredients in the later, but the prep is much the same.  This particular corn salsa is like that of Chipotle’s corn salsa.  Sadly I must say that I wish I had made Chipotle’s recipe.  This recipe isn’t bad by any means.  It’s still tasty.  We actually ate it as a side along the crab cakes.  Later that week, I also used some of the leftovers of this corn salsa on top of some baked tilapia.  It’s just my recommendation, however, that you select the Roasted Corn recipe above or the Chipotle recipe above.

The recipe also calls to make 6 cups, which I could never have consumed in our household, so our recipe below is halved.

Source: Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 3

Ingredients
2 cups (10 oz) cooked sweet yellow corn, cut
1 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 scallion, diced
1 jalapeño, diced (remove seeds unless you like it really spicy)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
3/4 limes, juice of
chipotle chili powder, to taste
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate for about an hour. Makes about 3 cups.

Zucchini Casserole

So sorry for my disappearance!  I did not schedule my time very well before my trip recently and did not have posts set up to keep you intrigued while I was away.  So sorry! Here’s a yummy dish that a friend of mine made recently from Gina’s WW blog.  The sous chef and I thought this was a great recipe as a side dish.  I’m not so sure that this could be the only thing I ate for dinner at night, but I suppose it could be if weren’t too hungry one evening.  Either way, it’s a yummy dish!

4 cups grated zucchini
1 cup bisquick
1 small onion, grated
3 egg whites, 1 whole egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix everything together in a bowl. Spray a pie dish or a casserole with Pam and pour mixture. Bake approximately 45 minutes, until golden brown. Put a toothpick in the center to test if it is done. If it comes out clean, it is ready. Divide into 12 equal parts.

Mother’s Day 2010

It’s time to honor Mom!  How are you planning to dine with Mom this Sunday?  Is this your first reminder that Mother’s Day is THIS weekend?  If so, I hope I can help you get ready :)  Here’s some ideas from Krista Kooks to help you enjoy time with Mom at home.  Click on any of the pictures to be directed to the original blog post. Blueberry Delight-Great for breakfast or brunch with Mom. Bacon Quiche Biscuit Cups- Also great for breakfast or brunch.

Fish Oreganata- Perfect main dish for a light lunch with Mom.Roasted Vegetables-Use this preparation method for your favorite vegetable.

Parsley-Paprika Potatoes- Delicious compliment to the 2 above.    Spring Summer Ziti-Just make a simple pasta to share with Mom.Fruit Cookie Pizza- Help Mom keep it light for dessert with this fruit cookie pizza!

Whatever you do, I hope you have a great Mother’s Day with Mom!

Chipotle-Glazed Chicken Breast and Grilled Chopped Veggie Salad

I’ve actually made this recipe once before, but it was pre-Krista Kooks time.  I was actually in college when I made this.  In fact, the first time I made this recipe, it was not NEARLY as good or as pretty :)  As I prepared this recipe the 2nd time around, I kept asking myself, “What were you doing when you made this before?”  Haha!  I kept remembering how silly I was before in how I prepared it.

Nonetheless, we loved the slight spice this chicken has against the very fresh tasting salad.  Best of all, this is a great good-for-you recipe!  Here’s another Rachael Ray Get Real meal! Ingredients

5 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons honey
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper, cut in half, cored, and seeded
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch rings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 16-ounce sack of coleslaw mix (on the produce aisle)
2 rounded tablespoons honey mustard, such as Guilden's Spicy Honey Mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (half a palmful)
2 rounded tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt

Preheat a grill pan or charcoal grill to high.

To make the chipotle glaze, in a small saucepot heat about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, honey, chipotles, and 1/4 cup cider vinegar, and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes, or until glaze has thickened. Reserve the sauce on low heat.

While the chipotle glaze is cooking, season the sliced veggies, apple, and chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a generous amount of vegetable oil. Place the veggies, apple, and chicken on the grill. The veggies should be cooked in 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they are well marked by the grill, then remove to cook slightly. The chicken should be cooked for 6 minutes per side. For the last 2 minutes of cooking time, baste the chicken using a pastry brush with the thickened chipotle glaze. Both sides of the chicken should be well coated with the glaze. Remove the chicken from the grill to rest while you put the rest of the grilled chopped veggie salad together.

Chop the cooled veggies into bite-size pieces and transfer to a salad bowl.  Add the coleslaw mix. In a small bowl whisk together the honey mustard, cumin, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar; stream in the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil while you continue to whisk the dressing. Stir in the sour cream or yogurt. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat.

Slice the chicken breasts on an angle and serve them on top of a mound of the salad.

Roasted Broccoli

“Krista Kooks, this is the best broccoli I’ve ever had.”

Those are the words of my sous chef.  Need I say more?

Well, this is a blog, so yes, I do :)  Haha!  It’s all thanks to Aggie’s Kitchen that this is the best broccoli we’ve ever had.  We’ve actually already had it once again after these pictures were taken!  That’s because I ate all the broccoli the first time.  What?  I needed my daily servings of vegetables!

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, cut in florets
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Toss broccoli florets with a little olive oil, salt and pepper (and some chopped garlic or red pepper flakes if you like). Roast in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until slightly crisped and browned.
Krista Kooks’s highly suggests using the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Be sparing with the flakes as it can get spicy with just a 1/4 teaspoon.  Keep it at about 1/8 of a teaspoon for the flakes.

Enjoy eating your veggies!

Chicken Parm Bites

With just 2 people in the house, there tends not to be a lot of snacks around as I don’t typically buy anything at the grocery store that I’m not using in recipes.  Anything else that I could buy would likely be bad before even half of whatever it is has the chance to be eaten.  Thus, I decided to make a homemade snack.  Silly me thought it might last throughout the week; not with my sous chef around.  Once he learned of this delicious snack, I never got another bite.  Literally. 

All that said, these little bites are DELICIOUS and the tomato pesto sauce that goes with with is very refreshing!  I had some leftovers bread crumbs that I used, however, if I could have, I would have used Panko bread crumbs.  If you can, you definitely should use them!
This recipe is another fabulous one from Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book recipe!  Click the photo to order from Krista Kook’s Amazon store.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 pounds chicken tenders, each cut into thirds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup homemade basil pesto or store-bought

Directions

Arrange three shallow bowls on the counter and fill one with the flour, one with the eggs and one with a mixture of the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, lemon zest and parsley.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and coat each piece first in the flour, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumb-cheese mixture.  Set the coated chicken pieces on a baking sheet.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons EVOO. Cook the chicken pieces in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes.

While the pieces are cooking, place a small pot over medium-high heat with the crushed tomatoes and bring up to a bubble. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pesto.

Serve the chicken bites with the tomato-pesto sauce alongside.

I also used Organic chicken for the first time when I made this recipe, and I really like it!I absolutely believe that hardly anyone would ever taste the difference.  I completely get that.  However, it’s the way I feel after I eat this chicken.  I don’t feel tired like I do with regular chicken.  We’ve had it for several meals now (still to come), and they all have the same effect.  I think I’m changed :)

Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas

This is Part 1 of a fabulous dinner that the sous chef and I shared recently.  I separate them, however, because they can be individual players in any meal.  I will share pictures of them paired together for the meal though.

This recipe introduced me to a new ingredient: mascarpone cheese.  I’ve never ever used it before, and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten it before.  I’m not quite sure.

I would like you to take note that I did not slice my mushrooms; I took help from the grocery store and bought them pre-sliced.  Some were a little thick, so I sliced them smaller, but this otherwise made preparation a little quicker.  I’m always a fan of finding ways to make things a little easier if I think I can get basically the same taste out of the shortcut.  It’s kind of a Sandra Lee way, but not to that extent.  Also, this recipe makes a lot of pasta, so I would recommend halving this recipe, even for four people.

Nonetheless, here’s another fabulous Rachael Ray Big Orange Book recipe!
Ingredients

1 pound farfalle, bow ties
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 slices center cut bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
12 white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 (28 oz.) can San Marzano tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded or torn

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the EVOO in a deep large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to crisp.  Add the onions and mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender but not browned, 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, crushing them up with a wooden spoon, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.  Salt the boiling water and add the pasta.  Cook to al dente.

Stir peas into sauce, return to bubble and stir in mascarpone cheese.  Adjust seasoning.
Drain pasta, toss with sauce and wilt basil into pasta.

Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango Salad

Party

In

My

Mouth!

I wish I had discovered this before our wedding because I would have asked Behind the Bash to serve it. This fabulous salad recipe tastes so fresh yet has a kick of spice and some crunch from the onions and bell pepper. As my sous chef and I sat down to dinner to eat the Caribbean Chicken with this fab side dish, he laughed at me as I could not stop ohhhhh-ing and awwww-ing about how delicious this was. Unless you are allergic to some part of this recipe, you must make it! Whatever it is you are allergic to, leave it out and make it anyway. I'm serious!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil (Krista Kooks just used olive oil)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 3 ears) (Krista Kooks used frozen corn)
1 large ripe mango (about 1 pound), peeled and diced
1 15-ounce or 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (Krista Kooks used green bell pepper)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 small canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (see Ingredient Note), drained and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the corn mixture to a large bowl. Stir in mango, beans, onion, bell pepper, lime juice, chipotle, cilantro, cumin and salt.

Ingredient Note: Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos with a fiery taste that are canned in adobo sauce. Look for them in the Hispanic section of large supermarkets and in specialty stores. Are you making this yet? If not, why are you still at the computer?! Get up! Go make this now!

Creamed Spinach

Wow, so sorry all! It's been really busy around the Krista Kooks household. Among many other things, I was preparing for our housewarming parties that we had this past weekend. Believe it or not, I forgot to take pictures of all the food! Thus, I won't have any posts from the food at the party :( Sad day. That said, I have plenty of other things to share!

That said, to resume my posts on exciting things I've cooked, I'm sharing some creamed spinach with you. I selected Tyler Florence's recipe on FoodNetwork.com. My sous chef loved it and ate it all up! This makes a great side dish, as it did for our pork tenderloin.

Parsley-Paprika Potatoes

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I'm still playing some catch up on all the recipes I've made this month. These mashed potatoes were a fabulous side dish to our dinner early this month (the main dish is next to come).

This recipe, once again, comes from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book. We thought these potatoes were fabulous! We liked the spice of the hot sauce and the flavor of the sweet paprika all at once.

Ingredients:

4 pounds baby red-skinned or baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved if large

Salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls, finely chopped

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon sweet paprika, a palmful

Black Pepper

Place the potatoes in a deep pot and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the hot pot. Add the butter, stock, parsley, hot sauce, and paprika and smash the potatoes to the desired consistency. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.

Baby Red Potato Salad

It's been a while ago, but one night I decided I would make a healthier 'meat and potatoes' dish for my sous chef. When I think healthy, I think Gina. :) Thus, I decided to try her Baby Red Potato Salad as a side for our steaks.

You should definitely have a look at her posting of this salad as I let our potatoes cook too long, thus mine have a mushier texture. Personally, I like potatoes that way, even in potato salad, so it wasn't a problem for us. However, I can imagine that most people would probably like them much better as Gina made them since they weren't so mushy.

That said, these were a yummy and refreshing side!

Sautéed Zucchini with Plum Tomatoes

When I made the Mac N' Seafood the other night, I wanted a great side to go with it. Thus, I check out Gina's blog once more. I love what she cooks up! I decided upon this fresh and tasy side: Sautéed Zucchini with Plum Tomatoes. Don't be discouraged by the Herbs de Provence though; I highly suggest making these types of spice blends on your own. I used Emeril's recipe for Herbs De Provence to make my own blend. I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy a few of these to make my spice blends. They are magnetic and are affixed to our refrigerator.

We really loved the fresh taste of this recipe since it's basically all fresh ingredients! It's also a very quick side dish.

Here's the side dish accompanying the Mac N' Seafood!