Tasty Tuesday: Wicked Good Salmon Cakes

Today’s YUMMY recipe is from Rachel at Wicked Good Spice Mixes.  If you haven’t tried any of their products, you are missing out on some AMAZING things.  I am a HUGE fan their spices and love to use their flavored vinegars on my salad in place of dressing.  A little goes a long way…

Ingredients:

• 1 14.75 oz can of salmon
• 1 medium onion, finely minced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup of coconut flour
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, finely minced
• 2 tsp of Wicked Good Pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• juice of whole lemon
• 1 tsp of Wicked Good Garlic Explosion
• 1 tsp of Wicked Good Very Veggie
• coconut oil for pan frying

Instructions

1. Drain liquid from canned salmon
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Shape into 6 large salmon cakes or 10 small cakes.
5. Place 2 tablespoons of coconut oil into a medium size skillet and heat over medium heat
6. Place three of the salmon cakes into the skillet  and cook for approximately for 4 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Flip and cook until other side is golden brown

Serve with Wicked Good Achilles Mediterranean Roasted Veggies.

A Wicked Good Idea is Born

The main reason the company was started was to show people how easy, healthy and fun it can be to make a delicious meal at home!  Rachel always thought the hardest thing about cooking is how much of this spice and how much of that spice you should add.  So go ahead and throw all of those spices you use infrequently and start using our spice blends! They are fresh and economical!  Our blends are perfectly formulated to use for just about everything you like to cook.

BREAKING NEWS!

Renowned Chef Greg Manning from The Serenity Cafe in Toms River  is now using our spice blends and fruit infused balsamic vinegars to prepare some of his fantastic meals!  Greg now has three restaurants, The Serenity Cafe in Toms River, The White Butterfly Serenity West in Jackson and Serenity South in Wareton, Ne Jersey.  If you are looking for a great place to eat with friendly and attentive staff, look no further!  Eat Local! Shop Local! Support Local Business!

Have a recipe you want to share?  Send me an email.  If we use it in our blog, you will receive some “happy mail” from me.

Have a blessed day!

Saturday Spotlight: Wildtree

Wildtree is today’s product spotlight.   What is Wildtree?

Wildtree offers the highest quality herbs, spices and culinary blends that are free of preservatives, additives, fillers and promote a healthier lifestyle. We believe in the value of making cooking a quicker, easier, more healthful project for those who are short on time. 

Leslie Montie never dreamed she would become the founder of a company that helps families enjoy great tasting, nutritious meals in minutes.  Leslie’s two young children had medical conditions that require special dietary restrictions so she began her search for healthy alternatives. Her sincere desire to help others was the inspiration that led her to found Wildtree in 1996.

  I was looking for a different kinds of salad dressing.  Low in Weight Watcher point value and where a little went a long way.  I found it in the Beet Citrus Dressing.  Just 1 SP for 4 TBSP.  It is more than enough to cover a BIG salad and tastes great with my kale. It is deep, earthy beets pair with sweet orange and acidic white vinegar to make a nuanced dressing that will enhance everything from salad to pizza to a marinated steak! Makes a salad for 6, six times.

 I had heard AMAZING things about organic coconut oil but I was afraid that it would test like coconut.  The only way that I like coconut is in my pina coladas.  Most places had LARGE jars and were a bit pricey.  This size jar was perfect and was only $9.00!  Coconut Oil can be used for oven roasting, pan frying, and in place of butter in many baking recipes. I didn’t find it to have any taste or change the flavoring when I cooked but I know they say it can give food an “exotic taste”.  Maybe our taste buds are just a little OLD!  Here are some health facts about Coconut Oil:

• Coconut oil is 86.5% saturated fatty acid. 
• 58.1% of the saturated fatty acids are medium chain fatty acids 1 which compose medium-chain-triglycerides (MCTs). 
• As part of a balanced diet, plus exercise, using coconut oil in the place of a selection of other fats or oils has been shown to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.

  I wasn’t sure how I was going to use this.  The suggestion was combine it with oil for dipping but I’m not a big fan of the bread/oil combo.  So I decided to use it on my roasted veggies.  OMG!  This with some olive oil was amazing!

I was not paid for this review, these are all products that I have used or use.  Click HERE to check out more AWESOME products.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Tasty Tuesday: Sweet Potato &Turkey Frittata

Thank you to the Food Babe for this YUMMY recipe!

As you know we have health struggles in our house and one of our goals is to battle them in a holistic manner.  So we stumbled onto Vani Hari and were immediately hooked.

This can be used for brunch but I actually like it for dinner with a salad or some fresh veggies roasted in the oven.  Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite veggies and they are full of beta carotene – a potent antioxidant for fighting aging – along with lutein which make them fantastic for your eyes and vision. We are blessed to get fresh eggs from a family member so I know they are organic eggs.  I swear they taste better too! Eggs are a good source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin D & B12.

Prep time:  5 mins     Cook time: 20 mins     Total time:  25 mins     WW SmartPoints: 11 Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
4 ounces ground turkey (vegetarian: use 1 cup chopped kale)
1 sweet potato, peeled and small dice
5 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
⅛ teaspoon ground pepper, more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add the sweet potato and cook until tender, adding water to the pan if needed.
• Pour the sweet potato mix in an oven safe dish. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the chili powder, salt and pepper. Add to the sweet potato mix and place in the oven.
• Bake for roughly 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are set. To serve, place a slice of the frittata on your plate and top with some chopped parsley. Enjoy!

**Please use all organic ingredients if possible.**  Let us know if you try this and what you think.  Have a recipe you want to share?  Be sure to send it to me!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

How To Save Water in Your Kitchen

Despite the crazy weather in some parts of the country  – flash flooding and lots of rain – some areas are struggling with a drought where their water use is restricted.  If you have never been without water, this probably seems foreign to you, right?  What is the big deal, you can’t water your lawn or wash your car?But have you ever thought about what life would be like without water? You go to brush your teeth and suddenly the tap runs dry. Annoying, right?

Many people are making a conscious effort to conserve water.  Many are doing their bit. Let us do ours too.  The kitchen and the bathroom are the two rooms where water is a necessity, be it cooking or cleaning.

Here are some ways to save water in the kitchen:

 1.  A sink full of dirty dishes to wash.

When you are washing dishes, don’t keep the water running. Make sure that you scrape the dishes clean before putting in the sink. Try and use the same pot or pan for cooking multiple dishes, one at a time.

2. Choose utensils wisely

When picking a pan for cooking, pick one that is the right size not TOO big.  If it is too big for a smaller quantity or food, it will need more water to cook.  I usually make this mistake when cooking pasta.  What if you ditched the pans, and eat more of raw veggies and fruits. Feel healthy and save water!

3. Oops!! I forgot to thaw chicken for dinner.

Don’t throw frozen meat in running water to defrost it for dinner. Take it out of the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator for use, well in advance.  Or use a crock pot and place all of your ingredients including the frozen meat in it to cook.  Save time and energy with dinner preparation.

4. Steam away

Did you know that steaming food (especially veggies) instead of boiling is healthier. When steaming multiple foods, try to steam in one go, using separate sections in the steamer.

5. Washing the produce

Use a pan full of water to wash fruits and vegetables rather than using running water. This will reduce water use and the dirty water can be reused for watering house plants.

6. Choose your menu wisely

Try sautéed dry dishes, which will be more flavorful. Do you know sautéing in oil originated in arid regions of the world because of scarcity of water?  Coconut oil is one of my favorite to cook with.

7. Measure me!

Put only required quantity of water while cooking food. Adding more water will consume more fuel and time as well as waste water too. It will also lead to more loss of nutrients.  I am so guilty of this!

8. Gosh!! It leaks!!

This may seem like a no-brainer BUT get your leaky faucets repaired. Constant dripping wastes a big amount of water.

Remember, small adjustments can make a BIG impact. There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.  What do you do to save water in your house?  Share your best tips with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

The benefits of Coconut Oil

Did you know that coconut oil might be the most versatile health food on the planet.  The coconut tree is considered the “tree of life” in much of Southeast Asia, India, the Philippines, and other tropical locations. And today, there are over 1,500 studies proving the health benefits of coconut oil.

That being said, it my favorite cooking oil.  I have seen it used for natural beauty treatments. I have heard the rumblings of how great “healthy coffee” is but I was skeptical.  The vision of oil in my coffee was a little more than I could handle.  I LOVE my coffee just the way it is.  I have one cup in the morning and I didn’t want anything to spoil it.

So when hubby STRONGLY suggested that I add 2 TABLESPOONS to my morning coffee to help with some health issues, I was NOT happy.

According to Dr. Oz adding coconut oil to your coffee can give you an extra boost of energy and replace dairy creamer.  Okay, so I wasn’t ready to replace my fat free french vanilla creamer but I was willing to try it.  You know what, it wasn’t bad.  I started with 1 tablespoon but grew to 2 because of the health benefits professed by so many doctors.

Here are the 3 reasons that hubby felt it was important to add it to my diet DESPITE the fact that 2 Tablespoons = 6 points on Weight Watchers.  Of course, I was more worried about how it would effect  my weight loss and maintenance.  Time will tell I guess.

Coconut oil can:

• Prevent bone loss and Osteoporosis risk – Free radicals and oxidative stress are linked to the development of osteoporosis, a metabolic disorder. According to a recent study, virgin coconut oil is effective in maintaining bone structure, and preventing bone loss in estrogen-deficient rats. The report specified virgin coconut oil due to its high polyphenols and exerts antioxidant properties.  I have already shrunk an inch on my first bone density test and didn’t want to become the incredible shrinking lady!
• Help in Alzheimer’s Treatment and Brain Health Protector – There are several reports that coconut oil may be an effective natural treatment for alzheimer’s disease. Since this runs in the family, it can’t hurt, right?
• Be a Fat Burning Supplement – The MCT’s found in coconut oil have been proven to support weight loss and help your body burn fat for energy. The truth is not all fats are created equal. Add a tablespoon a day to reap the benefits of these fatty acids that may help to reduce abdominal fat. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, consumption of MCT oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than olive oil.  This one caught my attention BIG time.

I found lots of information online like a list of 77 Coconut Oil Uses, Coconut Oil Charms the Health Field as well as information on WebMD and Dr. Oz.  Yes, hubby is a devoted fan of Dr. Oz.  So despite the fact that I may need to exceed my daily point allowance and use my weekly points on Weight Watchers – I will be using coconut oil in my coffee.

Who else does this?  Share your best recipes for coffee.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!