Roasted Tomato Salsa

Last night we made fish tacos.

Being that is was a Sunday afternoon if wasn't the fast version I would normally make on a busy week night.

The hubs grilled cod on the barbecue, Kristina made flour tortillas, and I made roasted tomato salsa.

Roasted Tomato Salsa (inspired by Martha Stewart)
2 large tomatoes
2-3 jalapeno peppers
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 small onion, or 1/2 of a large onion
1/4 cup lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
1.Set the oven to broil and place the top rack in the highest position. Spread the veggies out on a baking sheet.
2.Leave the tomatoes whole, cut off the tips of the peppers, leave the garlic cloves unpeeled, and peel and quarter the onion.
3.Roast the veggies under the broiler until charred. You will want to keep an eyeball on them and turn then as necessary. This should take no more than 1o minutes.
4. When done put the veggies into a food processor and whirl until desired consistancy. Add the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

The salsa will keep in the refridgerator for up to three days or it may be frozen for up to three months.

I also tossed some prepackage coleslaw mix with some sour cream and lime juice. And I chopped some cilantro and sliced some more limes to go with the tacos, which were, I must say, delicious!

And that is this gal's view for today.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

For tonight's dinner I am trying a strawberry and spinach salad.

I know, that may sound a bit odd, but you'll just have to trust me.

I think this will work out because the other night I had a similar salad at my daughter's house and it was delicious. The only difference was that she served strawberries with romaine lettuce and I plan on using raw spinach.

You see I have a big contianer of fresh spinach that I would like to use before it goes bad. Now my first thought was a wilted spinach salad, but I decided to go with strawberries because it will be healthier.

As a matter of fact this will be one "super foods" concoction with the spinach, strawberries, and almonds.

One cup of raw spinach is packed with vitamin A and has vitamin C, calcium and iron. And spinach is a powerful antioxidant full of lutein and zeaxanthin.

A serving size of strawberries is loaded with vitamin C.

And almonds are not only low in saturated fat but they contain calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and compounds called phytochemicals, which may help to protect against cardiovascular disease and even cancer.

So I think this salad will be a delicious way to get lots of good things into the family tonight.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1/4 pound baby spinach leaves
1 cup sliced strawberries
slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
dressing:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoonrice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste.

In a large salad bowl toss the spinach with some of the dressing. Add the
rest of the ingredients and toss again. Serve immediately.

I plan on serving this with broiled salmon with garlic, mustard, and herbs and pretzel bread made by Kristina courtesy of Butter Yum

And that is this gal's view for today.

Fabulous Friday

This Friday's tip has to do with seasoning mixes.

Being on the quest for real food as I am, I like to make my own seasoning mixes.

I always keep my dry rub around, mixed and ready to go.

And I have a delicious taco seasoning mix which I'd also like to share with you:

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1& 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
Mix together and store in an air tight container. Use 2 tablespoons per pound of meat.

What I do is to chop and cook 1 lb of ground beef. I add 1/2 onion, chopped and 2 cloves of garlic, chopped. When cooked I drain the fat and add the 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix and 1/4 cup of water. Cook and stir occasionally until the water has absorbed.

Now for the tip:

I like to double my seasoning mix recipes and store them in air tight containers. And I've found it helpful to write out the recipe on the lid of the container. That way, when it comes time to make more of the mix I don't have to hunt down the recipe.

And that is this gal's view for today.