A lighter fare::Asparagus & Prosciutto Melts

***Hello All, I found this in my drafts(from a long time ago)... thought I would still share.

Fresh asparagus is one of my favorite veggies! I was thrilled whenever I moved to Ohio to find Thane's family has a few patches, which they most generously share with us (:

Here is a sandwich melt that I came up with last year when I needed a quick meal one evening.

 * a little tip
[wither picking fresh or from the grocery] ....

 store in a little water in the fridge- stays fresher 

Slices of  sourdough bread lined up on baking sheet

Spread on the basil pesto
homemade would be extra yummy but I didn't have any at the time

 Prosciutto
or ham works great also

Asparagus cut to size

Steam 3 mins

Place asparagus on top of prosciutto  

Top with cheese. Broil 5 mins.
(I used muenster cheese this time
but mozzarella or provolone would be good also.) 

And enjoy
 ....one or two or if like me, three (:

A Lighter fare::Cilantro Lime Salad with Grilled Chicken

Hello, Hello All this recipe is per request of Joni and Rachel and was given to me by her... from her... from her.... -you get the point!

OK to start off I took this pictures in a hurry as I was making this last minute(imagine that!) for a church carry-in and I forgot all the steps to show you visually but I thought I would share anyways.

I also chose to not add the grilled Chicken this time which can make this Salad a yummy simple all in one meal-- A lighter fare for these summer days

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Cilantro lime dressing using my personal fav-- The immersion blender

oil-lime juice-red wine vinegar-sugar-cilantro-pepper-salt

all blended smoothly

*notice the tiny flecks in the dressing, that is the first batch of cilantro I put in!! amazing huh

**If you are ever interested in one of these handy little blenders my main advise is get one that comes apart to wash

Here is a little shout out to these fabulous Dorot trays. You find them at Trader Joes of course. They are the next best thing to fresh. I keep a couple in my freezer and use them when fresh isn't as readily accessible (not out my kitchen window) or sometimes just for convenience -when I'm not in a chopping mood

SALAD PART

First off you need a bowl of crisp greens, I used Romaine hearts

then...

open your can of black beans, drain and rinse

add the beans to bowl....

then add Canned Corn

...... Fresh chopped Tomatoes

....add your diced Avocados

....add Shredded Cheese- I used-Monterey Jack & Cheddar

.....Sweet Spicy Chili Chips, crushed

Mix and add dressing right before serving

--------Cilantro Lime salad with Grilled Chicken---------

• Grilled Chicken(marinated in teriyaki sauce)
• Romaine lettuce
• Black Beans, drained & rinsed
• Corn
• tomatoes, diced
• red onion, diced
• avocados, diced
• Shredded Cheese
• Doritos Chips

( cool ranch, sweet spicy chili -what ever you desire)

• fresh cilantro, chopped

------------Cilantro lime dressing----------

• 1 cup oil
• 1 T lime juice(if using fresh add the zest too)
• 6T vinegar
• small bunch of cilantro
• 6T sugar
• 1t salt
• 1t pepper

Blend together!

Enjoy sweet friends

A lighter fare::Mahi Mahi Tacos

Summer time always brings longings of lighter(easier,quicker...) meals for our family.

I'll start out by sharing this yummy Mahi Mahi Tacos. (inspired by my Dad, he loves fish tacos)

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I started out with 4 frozen mahi mahi fillets (any mild white fish works) put them in a baking dish and smothered them with a cilantro lime dressing(left over from a delish salad that I'll share later to appease Joni!!)

OK going back, so if you don't have a fresh cilantro lime dressing in your fridge

this is what you do instead....

First drizzle olive oil over fillets, then sprinkle two or more fresh crushed garlic cloves, add fresh chopped cilantro, squeeze 1-2 limes for the flavorful juice , of course add some lime zest,

and lastly salt and fresh ground pepper to taste .

I baked my for 20 mins @ 350 until white and flaky

[grilling is great also just make sure to marinate at least an hour ahead of time]

then I went looking for my garnishes.....

.....and found an avocado, a lime, a tomato, radishes and of course some cilantro.

( sliced cabbage would be great also... I was out)

I put them on the cutting board and that's when I decided I needed my camera

loving all the vibrant colors

I just got started chopping and my helper quickly came....

* note if you can't tell that is a table knife, wrong side but still just a table knife
** another note- a great activity for your toddlers is to give them some veggies, a cutting board and a table knife/plastic knife and let them chop away. They love it. Then to not be wasteful just add your interesting chops to a pasta dish.
(tomatoes are probably not the best idea unless you like the red splatter look)
This is an activity from an early intervention classroom I use to work in. We would always take the opportunity to teach labeling,color, sizes etc.

avocados.....mmm...
avocado greens..... fun paint colors
*and another side note- for those who can't eat a whole avocado in one setting. Don't throw the other half away!! Either bring it to my house, I'll make avocado toast or keep the side with the pit still in it and put it in a sealed bag. It should be good until the next day.
Sorry I guess being as I can't seem to share very many posts these days I'm trying to put all the info/side notes I know in one!!


Prep for tacos all done

"Make your own" style

Mahi mahi flaking and ready

Using the comal given to me by my sis-n-law I warmed the tortillas( I prefer flour,corn is good also) then layered the fish , veggies of choice and squeezed limes over the top.

Need a closer look....

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Mango and Strawberry Toss
"our dessert"

Sliced up some Mango

Added some strawberries.

The juice from both fruits made the toss so flavorful that nothing else was needed!

Our meal Complete!

When Thane came to the table he said "that looks good"!!

This is coming from a man who could eat popcorn for dinner every weeknight so I was excited to find a meal that's not to heavy but a balanced one for the rest of us.

Orrin and Arabella munched it right up.

*** If I used my camera during every meal preparation... Dinner wouldn't be served until 9pm!! Luckily this night Thane was home early and occupying the children most of the time.