Campfire Burritos

Cooking burritos over a campfire is a fun way to enjoy a meal together.  Your family and guests get to be involved in preparing the food.  Start by building a campfire and then let it burn down for about an hour so you get a nice coal base.  While the fire is burning you can prepare your favorite burrito fillings and set them up buffet-style.  Set out corn, flour, whole-wheat, or sprouted tortillas and sheets of foil.  Everyone can pick and choose their favorites and build their own custom burrito.  When the fire is ready, set a cooking grate over the coals and place foil-wrapped burritos on the grate.  You can use anything for fillings, steak, chicken, seafood, vegetables etc.  Here are a few ideas:

Take a couple of ripe avocados, add some fresh garlic, salt, lime juice
and mash it up to make a simple guacamole.
Add some onions, cilantro, tomatoes and jalapenos if you wish.

Saute some onions, jalapenos, garlic and cumin in a little olive oil.

Add a can of black beans and warm.

Chop up some tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro.
Add a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt to make a fresh salsa.

Saute some onions and peppers.

Grill a few chicken breasts and shred.

The burrito buffet.
Brown rice, black beans, chicken breast, grilled peppers and onions, fresh salsa,
guacamole, a variety of cheeses, sour cream,
green salsa, lettuce, whole wheat tortillas.

Fill tortilla with desired fillings.

Fold the top and bottom towards the center.

Roll up and wrap in foil.
You can use a sharpie to write names on the burritos.

Place on a cooking grate over a hot fire.
Cooking time will vary depending on how hot your fire is
and how close the burritos are to the heat.
Just open the foil and check on them.

Enjoy!

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

My friend Patricia recommended my husband and I see the movie "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead", so we  watched it on Netflix last night.  It is an amazing story about an Australian man named Joe Cross who was overweight and suffering from an autoimmune disease.  He decided to do a juice fast for 60 days as he traveled through America.  As a result he lost weight, controlled his disease without medications, and motivated others along the way.  Joe is charming, blaming only himself for his condition, and shares what he has learned without being judgmental.  This film was very well done and is a great testimony to the power of the micronutrients found only in fruits and vegetables.  I highly recommend it and hope you find it as inspiring as we did!    

Maple Glazed Salmon with Fresh Peach Salsa

I received some beautiful organic Colorado peaches from my fruit share last week.  My family went through them pretty fast, and we had just a few left this afternoon.  I decided to make a fresh salsa with last two, and serve it with the wild sockeye salmon I was baking for dinner.  The flavors complemented each other really well, and the colors were gorgeous!  

I will definitely be making it again soon!  

I served it with my Cauliflower Puree which added a nice creamy texture to the meal.

Skin and dice 2 fresh peaches.  If you have trouble removing the skin, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut an x on the bottom of each peach and drop them in the boiling water then quickly pull them out. The skin should peel off easily. 

Add 1/3 cup of finely diced red pepper.

Add 1/4 cup of finely diced red onion.

Add 1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, a pinch of sea salt and dash of crushed red pepper flakes.

Stir well, cover and refrigerate.

Let sit at room temperature 15-30 minutes before serving.

Saute one clove of minced garlic in 1 teaspoon olive oil for 2 minutes over medium-high heat.  Add 3 Tablespoons of pure maple syrup and 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce and whisk well.  Cook for 2 more minutes and remove from heat.

Cut a filet of salmon into 4 pieces and place in a baking dish.  I lined mine with foil for easy clean up. Pour maple glaze over salmon and bake at 425 for 12 minutes.

Serve with the fresh peach salsa.  Enjoy!

Healthy Eats at the Fair

My daughters and I went on our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair yesterday with my mom.  In the great sea of everything fried and on a stick, we were determined to find some healthier, but still tasty options.  I have no problem with occasional indulgences, so I am not being judgy here.  I like to indulge too, but wanted to avoid the unpleasantries that come with a full day of consuming your typical state fair food.  We always start early and leave when the crowd starts getting too thick for some people in our group's comfort levels, so we didn't cover the entire fair.  I am sure there are many more great dishes that we didn't discover.  Here is what we found:

The Caribbean smoothie stand by the horse barn
serves all-fruit smoothies and chocolate covered fruit kabobs. 

Raspberry smoothie made with raspberries, strawberries, peaches, banana, ice
and nothing else.

Dark chocolate covered  fresh strawberries.

My mother found a perfectly tender grilled pork chop on a stick.
The stand is next to the dairy barn. 

The Midtown Global Market tent behind the Agriculture building
features amazing fresh ripe fruit, peaches and cream, World Famous coconut macaroons
from the Salty Tart, naked juices and coconut water.

The amazing Salty Tart coconut macaroons.  To die for really.

Fresh fruit cup

Snack packs with pretzels, cheese, apples and grapes.

Coconut water for efficient rehydrating.

In the apple area of the Agriculture building we found frozen cider pops.

Apple, caramel and pecan sundae from the food building.

Veggie Pie stand in the food building.

Fresh fruit and vegetable pizzas, watermelon, veggies and dip at the Veggie Pie stand.

What are some of your favorite fair foods?

Summer Squash Pasta

Using squash for pasta is a delicious way to include more vegetables in your diet.  It also makes a great alternative for people who can't eat wheat.  To make the pasta, you cut squash into pasta-like strands.  I have found that the best way to do this is with a spiral vegetable slicer.  I purchased mine from Amazon for around $35.  I have also used a hand held julienne slicer.  It is a little clumsy but works too and costs about $15.  For this recipe I lightly saute the squash noodles, but they can also be quickly blanched or served cold.

Using a spiral vegetable slicer or julienne slicer, cut two summer squashes into strands.
I used one zucchini and one yellow squash for this recipe.

The squash comes out in curly strands .

Place squash pasta on paper towels to absorb excess water.

Wash and dry 1 cup of loosely packed basil leaves.
 Make stacks with the leaves and roll like a cigar.
Slice cross-wise to chiffonnade.

Have your squash, basil, 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan, 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
and sea salt ready to go next to the stove top.

Over medium heat warm 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the squash and 1/2 tsp. sea salt.
Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the parmesan and pine nuts and saute for 1 more minute.

Toss with basil and serve.
Enjoy!

North Shore Chicken Salad

This is a wonderful recipe from my mom.  It is very nutritious and simple to make.  

If you don't have the time to cook the wild rice yourself, you can use canned.  

I believe the brand I have used in the past is Canoe, and it was good.  

This recipe serves 6 generously as an entree.  

You can also omit the chicken and serve it as a side dish.  

Garnish with lettuce leaves.

Rinse 1 1/2 cups of wild rice well.

Add the rice to 6 cups of boiling salted water.
Stir and return to a boil.  Turn heat to low and cover.
Let simmer for 45 minutes or until done.

Drain rice and cool.

Place 2 cloves of garlic minced, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp honey,
1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 cup rice vinegar in a small food processor and blend well.

Slowly add 1/3 cup olive oil to the food processor and blend.

Toss the cooled wild rice with the juice of half a lemon.

Add 1 red pepper diced, 4 green onions diced, 3 oz. snow peas cut into 1" pieces
and 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed.

Toss with dressing, cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Add 1-2 avocados chopped and 1 cup of toasted pecan halves.
Toss gently.

Enjoy!