Blackberry Lime Muffins

(I turned around to get the camera and one went missing!)

1 lime, juice and zest of
1/4-1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh blackberries, halved

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

1. Spray a muffin tin and set aside.
2. Zest a lime, and set aside. Melt the butter and let it cool.
3. Squeeze the juice of the lime into a measuring cup over a sieve to catch the seeds and stuff. Pour enough milk into the measuring cup to make up a half cup. Stir in vanilla and the lime zest. Set aside for now. Yes, it may get buttermilk-looking....that's okay!

1. In a large bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix well.
2. To the lime/milk mixture, add the egg and the cooled butter and mix well. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix just to combine.

1. ONLY MIX UNTIL EVERYTHING IS WET. Do not overmix.

1. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling them only halfway.

1. Sprinkle a few berries on each one and then continue to fill the muffin tins to the top. Why? Well, 'cuz if you mix the berries right into the batter, you will end up with SMURF MUFFINS. Trust me.

1. Bake in a 400 F oven for 25 minutes until the tops are springy.

1. Cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Pretty Quinoa Salad

Found a big bag of Organic Quinoa (organic and pre-rinsed for convenience) on my latest Costco adventure...cooks faster than rice and better for you.  Love it!!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah):

Considered a "super-food" by many, Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain (an average of 16.2%, compared with 7.5% for rice, 9.9% for millet and 14% for wheat). It’s also a good source of dietary fiber and is high in magnesium, potassium and iron and a good source of phosphorous, calcium, vitamin E and several B vitamins. Quinoa is also gluten-free and easy to digest. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans.

Quinoa is not a true cereal grain but technically a fruit of the Chenopodium family. Quinoa’s relatives include spinach, beets and Swiss chard. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of its cooking characteristics.

 Pretty Quinoa Salad

(adapted from Michael Smith, Chef at Home)

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• pinch salt
• 1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
  
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 cucumber, washed and diced
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• The zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Rinse the quinoa well in cold running water. This will easily rinse away the natural bitter coating on the seeds. Drain and toss into a small pot. Add the water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover with a tight fitting lid, turn the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool until lukewarm.
   
2. Meanwhile get all the colorful veggies ready. Toss them into a bowl and when the quinoa is done, add it as well. Add the lemon and olive oil, toss well, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Have fun with it, mix and match different veggies, add in some cooked chicken or turkey...change up the dressing...keep it light and colourful.  Good tasting and good for you!

Enjoy!

Salmon Ceviche

Ceviche is basically a way of cooking foods in citrus juices. Yes, don't worry, it is perfectly safe and absolutely delicious!

Hubby and son recently had a very productive salmon fishing trip on the west coast so I made up a batch of this to test out the oh so very yummy fresh salmon they brought home.

Ingredients:

Approximately 8 ounce piece of raw salmon, skinless and boneless
3 limes
1 tomato, diced
I small red onion, diced
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, fine diced (optional for you but not around here)
1/2 chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste



Instructions
Slice the limes in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl (glass or stainless is always my preference when dealing with raw foods). I use a stainless steel reamer. Pick out any seeds that are in the juice.

Add the olive oil, chopped tomato, onion, minced pepper, and cilantro/parsley (or both) and mix it up.

Slice the salmon on the diagonal into 1/4" thin slices. Make them bite size so cut them into smaller pieces if necessary.

Add them to the bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Stir gently to coat all of the salmon. Let it sit (cook) in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

Serve it with a slotted spoon along side of a crusty baguette.

Yummy, pretty, easy, and super impressive!!