Grilled Corn on the Cob with Roasted Jalapeno Butter

Ingredients:
1 Jalapeno Pepper
Cooking Spray
7 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ears shucked corn

Directions:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat
2. Place Jalapeno on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill for 10 minutes or until blackened and charred; turning occasionally.
3. Place jalapeno in a small paper bag and fold tightly to seal. Let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Peel and discard skins; cut jalapeno in half lengthwise. Discard stem, seeds and membranes.
5. Finely chop jalapeno and combine with butter, lime rind, honey and salt in small bowl; stir well.
6. Place corn on grill rack. Cover and grill for 10 minutes or until lightly charred, turning occasionally.
7. Place corn on a serving plate; brush with jalapeno butter.

...perfect side dish with grilled chicken, flank steak, etc.

Shrimp 'n Grits

...Thanks to my dear friend, Tory!! xo

**Sauce will be more red in color than this picture because of the hot sauce and salsa...but this is just for a visual! (You can remove the tails when cleaning the shrimp as well so that there is less work to do when devouring this delicious dish!)

Sauce:
4 tbsp. butter
2 cups 2% milk
1/4 cup flour
2 cups freshly grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup fresh salsa
Tabasco or Cholula –OR a different hot sauce—to taste!
Cayenne pepper (powder) —to taste
Salt & pepper—to taste

1. In a frying pan melt butter, add flour over medium high heat. Mix until mixture looks like dough.
2. Slowly add milk stirring rapidly. Cook until mixture is same texture, add more milk, continue until thickness desired.
3. Add cheese, salsa, hot sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce becomes nice and cheesy!

Grits:
To make it easy, buy instant grits and use 6-7 packets.
Empty all packets into a pan and add hot water –follow directions on the packet for the amount of water to use x how many packets you use! Stir until good consistency (thick, not runny).

Shrimp:
Clean shrimp –approx 20-25 shrimp if they are medium to large in size or more if they are small.
1 tbsp butter
**Cook in a frying pan for approx 2-3 minutes until pink.

Place 5 shrimps over a dollop of grits, cover with the spicy, cheesy sauce and top with green onions (green onions are optional—it tastes great without them as well)!

Perfect Summer Smoothie

What tastes better for breakfast or lunch on a HOT Spring/Summer day than a delicious smoothie?!

**ALL INGREDIENTS FROM TRADER JOE'S** AKA: My favorite place, ever! :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup TJ's Vanilla Nonfat Yogurt
• 1 small-medium banana
• 3/4 cup TJ's Orange, Peach, Mango Juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth!

That is all. Enjoy! :-)

Rhubarb Crisp With Cinnamon Ice Cream

...the perfect summer dessert! :)

Ingredients:

Rhubarb: 

• 24 ounces fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted.
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Streusel:

• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.

Preparation:

For rhubarb: 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in large bowl to combine.
3. Divide mixture among six 1-cup ramekins (mini-dishes) OR a pie dish.
4. Place 6 dishes on large baking sheet if  you use the ramekins or pie dish with mixture in oven.
5. Bake rhubarb for 10 minutes.


...while baking the rhubarb, prepare streusel:
1. Mix golden brown sugar, chopped walnuts, flour and butter in a medium bowl.
2. Crumble streusel over rhubarb, dividing equally.
3. Bake until rhubarb mixture is bubbling and streusel is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.
Serve with a scoop of cinnamon, buttermilk or french vanilla ice cream.

Sumi Salad

Also Known As: Chinese Cole Slaw.

Salad:
1 large head cabbage, shredded (6 cups) OR cheat and buy the pre-shredded cabbage at TJs.
1/2 cup green onions, chopped.
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted.
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted.
2 (3 oz) packages of low fat Ramen noodles, crushed.

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Dressing:
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup water
2 seasoning packets from Ramen noodles
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a jar with a screw top lid, combine all dressing ingredients, shake well, pour over the salad and toss well.

...Add some grilled chicken on top for the perfect healthy lunch OR serve as a side dish with Teriyaki chicken and rice! It makes the perfect summer meal---refreshing and delish!

Southwest Chicken Skillet

...If you are a Chipotle Burrito Bowl fan, you'll love this!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts --cut into strips.
• 1 tablespoon Chipotle seasoning (Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle-flavored salt-free seasoning works well.)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon (or more if you're a garlic lover, like me!) minced garlic
• 1 lime
• 1 medium red bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 small zucchini cut into thin rounds and halved.
• 1 small onion cut into strips
• 1/2 cup fresh salsa
• 1/2 cup frozen or canned whole kernel corn
• 1 can Ranch Style Pinto Beans w/ Jalapeno Peppers--rinsed and drained.
• 2 cups Uncle Ben's instant white rice
• Fresh Cilantro
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• Salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic salt --to taste!

Skillet Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken with chipotle seasoning, garlic, fresh squeezed lime juice and oil.
2. Heat over medium-high heat in a very large skillet.
3. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until chicken is browned on all sides.
4. Add red bell pepper, zucchini and onion; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more or until crisp tender.
5. Add salsa, corn and beans to skillet; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through and chicken is no longer pink. **Add salt, pepper or chili powder to taste.

Rice:
1. Follow preparation directions on box. When completely cooked, mix in one tablespoon butter and finely chopped fresh cilantro.

Serve Southwest Chicken Skillet on top of the rice. ~Tastes great with fresh avocado, extra salsa, hot sauce and/or sour cream! ENJOY!

Healthy Crock Pot Meat Sauce with a Kick!

Are you serving dinner to a large amount of guests but do not have enough time to slave away in the kitchen all day? This is the perfect recipe! It takes 10-15 minutes (prep time), feeds a large amount of people, tastes like you have spent all day in the kitchen and will fill your home with a delicious aroma! Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 lg. onion-chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped--or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 (1 lb.) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. minced parsley
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1-2 tbsp. Italian Spices
• 2 tsp. salt (or more, to taste!) ...& I add a sprinkle of garlic salt as well.
• 2 tsp. pepper
• Red Chili Pepper flakes --to taste! ( I use approximately1 tbsp.)

***If you have a bottle of red wine open, add some for a little extra flavor!

1. In a large skillet, crumble meat and saute with onion and garlic.
2. Break up pieces of meat with fork and cook until it loses its pink color. Drain off excess fat. (If you buy 99% lean ground turkey, there shouldn't be any fat to drain!)
3. In crock pot, combine meat mixture with remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve over whole wheat pasta if you are health conscious! :) ....and do not forget the freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top! <3

This recipe makes an entire crock pot of sauce and will definitely feed a large dinner party! (8+ guests). OR freeze the leftovers and enjoy another time!