Chermoula Sauce, by Diane

I first tried this sauce on a piece of red snapper that I got at a restaurant in West Palm Beach. I don't typically like fish, but I've been trying more and more to find ways to eat it. The waiter at this restaurant assured me that not only would I love this fish, but that I should pick the chermoula sauce to pair with it and I would clean my plate. So I trusted him, and he was right! Not only did I find that I liked red snapper, but the sauce was out of this world and I found myself dipping veggies and bread in it as well.

I looked it up online and there were a couple of different versions, this recipe is the first one I tried. I didn't like it as much as the restaurant version, but it did pair nicely with some tilapia I made this week. It was quick and easy to make, and is incredibly healthy for you! I'm going to contact the restaurant and see if I can get them to share their secret with me! Until then, I'll use this recipe, which also would go nicely with chicken or grilled veggies.


Ingredients:

1 cup cilantro leaves (smaller tender stems are fine to use)
2 cups flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
3 to 4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika (or some of each)
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes or 1/2 jalapeno chile pepper (seeds and membrane removed)
Large pinch saffron
1/3 cup of good, fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)

Directions: Blend in a food processor until nearly smooth. Keep in airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Kuvana Krtola - Potatoes w/ Yogurt & Cheese (Montenegro), by Cheryl

This may not look like much, and it may look like something anyone can just put together (and you can), but this Montenegrin recipe is super tasty and so easy! I don't remember seeing these on the menu in Montenegro, but I wasn't exactly looking for them either. Apparently it's the first and foremost thing a traveller has to try when in Montenegro - Diane, maybe you can keep this in mind when you visit! Anyway, the combination of a hot potato, fresh cheese, and yogurt is very very good and is a great snack or appetizer. Yum!

Ingredients (Recipe from here):

1 potato
2 tablespoons yogurt (I used much more than that)
2 tablespoons cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Bake the potato until tender (I microwaved it since I was short on time).

2) Cut into halves, maintaining the long shape.

3) Mix the rest of the ingredients and spread them on the potato halves. Dig in while it's hot!

Zucchini "Pasta" with a Tomato, Garlic, and White Wine Sauce, by Cheryl

This is something I whipped up quickly when I was in the mood for something pasta-like, but not in the mood for the heaviness that accompanies pasta. In comes my vegetable spiraler device, which turns ordinary pieces of produce into long strands of "linguine". The sauce is great and I've used it many times when making a quick pasta dinner. I love how the Parmesan cheese gives it an extra punch! Adding chicken, shrimp, or cannellini beans makes this dish a very healthy alternative. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, spiraled
10-15 grape tomatoes, cut in halves
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
parmesan cheese (optional)
grilled chicken, shrimp, beans (optional)
salt

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil over medium heat with the garlic. Add in the tomatoes and let cook for about 10 minutes or until the juices come out.

2) Add wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and salt and mix. Cook until zucchini softens, or about 7-8 minutes. Add cheese if desired and cook until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Watermelon Pizza, by Diane

This dessert could not have been easier to make, and yet it totally won over the crowd at my parent's 39th anniversary cookout this weekend. It's fresh and summery, and you can add whatever toppings you like. It's also really unique and impressive. I really liked the combo of the mint, lime and coconut that I had on hand! I thankfully made several "pizzas," because this one was gone before I had the chance to upload the photo on my phone! We even put a candle in it like a real cake to celebrate. This will definitely be on hand this summer as a great healthy option for dessert!


Ingredients:

1 large circular watermelon slice, about 2 inches thick
2 cups cool whip
5 strawberries, cut lengthwise into slices
20 grapes, sliced in half lengthwise
3 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp mint, finely chopped
1/2 tsp lime zest


Directions: Cut the watermelon into wedges, then frost with cool whip and top with fruit and toppings!

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Malt, by Diane

This creation is my latest smoothie obsession, because it tastes exactly like a reeses peanut butter cup malt from an ice cream shoppe, and yet it's made from amazing healthy and energizing ingredients! This recipe is extremely customizable, you can add any types of protein powders, seeds, boosters or milks. I've found that making this smoothie with a greens powder, using energizing chia seeds, and using my homemade oat milk as a base works best. My booster of choice is maca, an amazing powder that both energizes and calms you at the same time. When I drink this smoothie, I typically feel extremely relaxed, like I can breathe a little easier, and yet at the same time I have the clarity and energy to get through my day. You can also use fresh bananas here, but the use of frozen bananas will get you that thick, ice cream consistency to make it even more like the real thing.

*Note: When storing frozen bananas, you need to peel them first as the peels will be extremely difficult to remove once frozen. I like to peel them and slice them into 5 big chunks before freezing to make it easier to fit into my blender.

*Also- sometimes I really want this to be chocolately so I'll sub 3 tbsp ovaltine chocolate malt mix instead of the cacao and malt powders. It's made from junk and is heavily processed, so I use it sparingly, but it makes this smoothie amazingly delicious!

Ingredients:

1.5 frozen bananas (7-8 chunks!)
1/2 cup oat milk
2 tbsp fresh ground peanut butter
2 tbsp maca powder
2 tbsp greens powder (I like amazing meal)
1 tsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1-2 tbsp vegan malt powder (depends on how much you like that malt flavor)


Directions: Blend in a bullet or other high speed blender until completely smooth. Add more liquid if desired.

Watermelon Salad, by Diane

This salad is delicious and easy to make! We had it tonight as an appetizer in our third round of "Best Of" meals, and it was amazing. This is great for parties, cookouts, or just a healthy snack!


Ingredients:

1/2 large seedless watermelon, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
4 tbsp EVOO

Directions: Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Stir again before serving.

Simple Oven-Baked Sea Bass, by Cheryl

Holy moly was this good! Soooo flavorful and the fish was perfect. Jon actually said, "WOW, this is awesome!" I don't get that reaction too often, haha. This is so simple and quick to make. I bought a nice piece of fresh Chilean sea bass from our local butcher and it's flavor really came through with this recipe. On the side we had asparagus, Israeli couscous, and roasted tomatoes. The recipe is from here. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb sea bass
3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I didn't use this and it was still fantastic)
2 teaspoons fresh coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 lemon wedges
1/3 cup white wine vinegar or white wine (optional) I didn't use this.

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 450.

2) In a small bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper together.

3) Place fish is shallow glass or baking dish (I used a regular baking sheet)

4) Rub fish with oil mixture.

5) (Optional: Pour wine over fish).

6) Bake uncovered for 15 minutes; then sprinkle with Italian seasoning and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.

7) Drizzle pan juices over fish and garnish with lemon wedges.

Pumpkin Empanadas (Mexico), by Cheryl

Mexico is next on my countries food theme! So I decided to do something different and shy away from the obvious choices of tacos, enchiladas, chicken mole, etc. and try my hand at some baking and something I haven't made before. I really need to start reading the directions of a recipe before I start making it! I didn't realize that I would need to let the dough sit for 1.5 hours before rolling out each empanada. It ended up being fine, but I got a little lazy at the end and didn't roll out the dough as thin as it should be. So the dough was kind of thick. I also misread the directions because I was annoyed and I ended up doubling the amount of sugar for the dough. So these were just okay.. I won't be making them again, because I get really annoyed working with dough, especially if I need to roll it out! And the pumpkin filling wasn't amahzing. But they were still good and I found myself grabbing one out of the fridge for a quick snack. Yum!

Ingredients (Recipe from here):

2 cans pumpkin
6oz brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground anis
1/4 tsp ground cloves

For the dough:
2.5 cups flour
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/3 cup warm milk
1 tsp dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg lightly beaten to brush the empanadas

Directions:

1) For the dough: Place the yeast in a small bowl with the warm milk and let it proof for 5 minutes.

2) In a large bowl place the flour, eggs, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix to form a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed.

3) Place the dough in an oiled bowl turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic and let it rest for 1.5 hours.

4) Place the pumpkin in a saucepan with the brown sugar, 1/4 cup of water, and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Add the spices and cook for another 5 minutes.

5) After the dough is ready, knead again for 2-3 minutes and divide into 12 small balls.

6) With a rolling pin roll out each ball until it's about 7 inches in diameter stretching where necessary. (Mine were only about 4 inches- too thick).

7) Place about a 1/4 cup of filling in each one. Fold dough to enclose filling and form a half moon. Seal edges by crimping with a fork.

8) Preheat oven to 375. Arrange empanadas on greased baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and dust with some sugar if you desire. Let them rest for about 30 minutes to let the dough raise (I didn't do this last part... I was way too impatient).

9) Bake until light brown, about 15-18 minutes. Rotate pans halfway through.