Guacamole Stuffed Peppers

Last week I noticed a new item at my local grocery store, a bag of small, bright colored, sweet peppers. I picked up a bag with the thought that something that cute and vibrant had to be used in a new dish!

When I got home I realized I had purchased a bag of avocados last week that were now perfectly ripe, and so the guacamole stuffed peppers were born!

This dish is not only delicious, it’s also gluten free, vegan and paleo making it the perfect party appetizer for all guests!

Ingredients

• 10-12 small sweet peppers
• 3 avocados
• 1 small tomato (chopped)
• 1/4 onion (chopped)
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1 serrano chili (minced)

Begin by slicing the tops off of the peppers and cutting them in half, removing the white membrane and seeds from inside.

Next, place the peppers on the grill over medium heat for 7-8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool while preparing the guacamole.

Prepare the guacamole by removing the avocado from the shell and smashing in a small bowl.

Next add the tomatoes and onions.

Add the lime juice, cilantro and serrano chili, then mix well to combine.

Spoon the guacamole into each pepper.

Simple as that, you have a beautiful, easy and healthy dish to serve as an afternoon snack or appetizer!

With all the beautiful bright colors in this dish, it just screams summer to me! Am I the only one super excited for shorts everyday, pool parties and BBQs?

♣ Vegetarian Option: Omit the ahi to make this recipe vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

♠ Paleo Option: This recipe is paleo.

Grilled Romaine Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

With Cinco De Mayo right around the corner, I feel like all I’ve been thinking about in the kitchen is Mexican, Mexican and more Mexican!

From Margaritas, to Chipotle Lime Chicken, it’s been a fiesta in my house every day for the last week!

My inspiration for this recipe came from my desire to create a grilled romaine salad and my current obsession with Mexican food!

The result was a seriously delicious salad with several ingredients that add varying layers of texture and flavor, from creamy to crunchy and salty to smokey!

Ingredients

• 1 ear corn
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeño
• 3 hearts of romaine lettuce
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 avocado (chopped)
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup goat cheese (crumbled)
• 1/2 cup corn tortilla strips

Ingredients (Honey Lime Dressing)

• 1 garlic clove (chopped)
• 1 jalapeño pepper (chopped)
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 2 limes (juiced)
• 1/4 cup Enzo Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

Prepare the salad dressing by placing the garlic, jalapeño and cilantro in a blender or food processor.

Next, add the olive oil, honey, dijon mustard and ground ginger.

Blend into a smooth consistency.

I’m not going to say that this is the best salad dressing ever, but, ok, maybe I am.

I actually took a flour tortilla and dipped it in the dressing just to prevent myself from eating it with a spoon!

Now before you eat up all the dressing before the salad is even prepared, place the dressing in the refrigerator to chill.

Next, heat a grill to medium and place the corn, red bell pepper and jalapeño on the grill.

Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, then rotate until all sides of the corn are lightly browned and the skin on the bell pepper and jalapeño begin to blacken, then remove them from the grill and add the romaine hearts.

Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the lettuce begins to wilt.

Remove from the grill, chop the lettuce then add it to a large bowl.

Next, remove the grilled corn from the cob and place it on top of the salad.

Peel the red bell pepper and jalapeño, chop the peppers then add them to the salad with the black beans and tomatoes.

Toss the salad, then top with the avocado, cilantro, goat cheese and tortilla strips.

Remove the salad dressing from the refrigerator and drizzle on top.

Toss well and serve.

This is now my new favorite salad!  Such a great combination of so many amazing things!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

Strawberry Ricotta Salad

This salad is the first of 3 new low-sodium recipes I’ll be adding to Little Leopard Book in the next 24 hours!

Why the surge of new low sodium dishes you ask? Because I’ve been asked to host a low sodium cooking demonstration and segment on San Diego 6 News tomorrow morning!

This will be the first live cooking demo for myself and Little Leopard Book and I could not be more excited!  If you’re in San Diego, tune in at 8:20 AM.  If you’re elsewhere in the world, look for a link to the video on our Facebook page tomorrow afternoon!

You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter for live updates leading up to the segment tomorrow morning!

Now on to this delicious salad recipe!

In addition to being low sodium, the news station asked that the dishes I prepare be easy to make, consist of only a few ingredients and require no cooking. My mind immediately went to a fresh, summer salad!

Most of the sodium in a salad comes from the cheese and the salad dressing. The first step in creating a salad low in sodium is making your own salad dressing. The dressing I created for this recipe contains only 5 mg of sodium per cup.  Compare that to a light Italian dressing purchased in the bottle which is 380 mg for 2 tablespoons and you’re saving some serious sodium intake!

Ricotta cheese, as well as mozzarella cheese are the lowest in sodium of all cheeses, so I sprinkled that on top to give the salad a little creaminess.  The entire salad contains only 140 mg of sodium, making it a delicious low sodium choice for a scrumptious lunch or fantastic side dish at summer BBQ’s!

Ingredients

• 2 cups spinach
• 1/4 cup strawberries (stems removed and sliced)
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (crumbled)

Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup Enzo Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

Begin by whisking the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, zest, and black pepper together. Next, add the olive oil while whisking well to combine.

Next, add the spinach to a large bowl, then add the strawberries, blueberries and pecans. Top with the crumbled ricotta cheese.

Serve with 1/4 cup of the salad dressing and reserve the rest.  This salad dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

I decided to add a little protein with a sliced piece of Lemon Rosemary Basil Grilled Chicken.

Leave out the steak seasoning in my recipe for Lemon Grilled Chicken and one chicken breast only adds 70 mg of sodium to the salad, keeping it at approximately 200 mg of sodium total.

The recommended intake of sodium is around 2,000 mg per day, but can vary based on age, gender, height and weight.

Leave off the cheese and this recipe is also paleo!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian without the chicken.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

♠ Paleo Option: Omit the ricotta cheese to make this recipe paleo.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Philly Crab Fries

While perusing around the world wide web for baseball stadium recipe inspiration, I came across “Crab Fries”.

If you’re not a seafood fan, don’t worry, there’s no actual crab in this recipe. Crab Fries were created by Chickie’s and Pete’s in Philadelphia when crab was not in season, as another way to use their Crab Seasoning.

For Day 4 of LLB’s “Baseball Week” I’m sharing my version of the Philadelphia Phillies stadium staple!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup Enzo Garlic Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp old bay seasoning

Begin by slicing the potatoes into wedges, then placing in a large bowl and drizzling the olive oil over the potatoes.

Toss to coat all of the potatoes with the olive oil, then sprinkle the old bay seasoning on top.

Toss well to coat.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes.

Traditional Crab Fries in Philly are served with a cheese sauce. I served mine with the Cilantro Lime Dip I made for the Bratwurst Stuffed Jalapeños.

I really liked the slightly spicy crispy fries with the creamy fresh cilantro dip!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option:  This recipe is gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Mini Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

Nutella, cinnamon, sugar, icing…. you really can’t go wrong with these sweet little nuggets!

Made with 6 ingredients in less than 30 minutes, these are an easy weekend breakfast treat that everyone is sure to love!

Ingredients

• 1 can crescent rolls
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup nutella
• 2 tbsp cinnamon sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk

Begin by rolling out the crescent roll dough and pressing the perforations together.

Next, spread the butter over the dough, then the nutella.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the nutella.

Starting at one end, roll the dough up.

Next, slice the dough into the cinnamon rolls.

Place each roll into a pie plate.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Whisk the powdered sugar and milk together, then drizzle the icing over the cinnamon rolls.

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe for gluten-free crescent rolls can be substituted for traditional crescent rolls to make this a delicious gluten-free pastry.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.