Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing

I can’t believe that here in Georgia, summer is technically over as most of the children in public school return to classes today!!  Maisie has two weeks remaining to her summer break but she would happily return to school today as she loves school and her teacher.  In my mind it’s still summer as it’s Georgia and HOT outside!  With that being said, most meals are quick, cold or made on the grill.  Those three factors were a consideration this month when choosing a recipe for this Secret Recipe Club reveal.  This month I was assigned Sawsan’s blog, Chef in Disguise.  We were super excited when we perused Sawsan’s blog because she lives in the UAE and shares easy and authentic middle eastern, Levantine and arabic recipes and we adore middle eastern food.  We also knew that it would be a great opportunity to use some of our rarely-used pantry items in a new and different way.  Sawsan had quite a few recipes that caught our attention including her Kofta bi tahini which would have been made with sweet potatoes to better fit in with our diet; and then two totally off-diet and non-middle eastern treats, sfogliatelle, one of my favorite Italian treats and my all time absolute-favorite-cake-ever, Swedish prinsesstarta. But as I said, it’s hot here in Georgia and we’re trying to eat healthy so a new and interesting dressing on a salad topped with some sesame crusted seared Ahi tuna won the recipe contest.  We chose Sawsan’s Ponegranate molasses salad dressing because it sounded totally delicious AND we had all the ingredients in our pantry.  Big Win! 

I don’t know why the lemon and garlic were left out of this picture, but trust me, they made it into the dressing.  I love that we were able to use two of our rarely used ingredients in a new and delicious way.  We generally use pomegranate molasses when making Fesenjān and sumac combined with garlic powder, dusted onto poultry before roasting, makes for an easy and delicious way to make a bird. 

We followed Sawsan’s recipe for the dressing pretty closely, but since we have an abundance of mint growing in the garden, we used fresh instead of dried.  Also, Sawsan mentioned in her post that balsamic or apple cider vinegar could be used, each giving the dressing a different flavor profile.  We decided to split the difference and play off the sweet, sour and the tart notes of the dressing and used both types of vinegars.  Our decision to use both vinegars made for a totally delicious sweet, tart, complex and well balanced dressing.  I especially liked the mint component of the dressing, subtle and a wonderful addition.  We stored the extra dressing in a glass jar in the fridge and just gave it a shake each time we used it. 

Check out Sawsan’s blog for not only fabulous recipes and photos, but also for an interesting look at her culture, the country in which she lives and of course a few glimpses of her cute little kids.

Pomegranate molasses salad dressing (adapted from here)

• juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 2 TBS. Vincotto 
• 2 TBS. apple cider vinegar  
• 4 TBS. pomegranate molasses
• 2 large cloves of garlic minced
• 2 large fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon sumac
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• half of a red onion finely chopped
• black pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients to the jar of a blender and process until well combined.  

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Zucchini Hummus

Our neighbor and cruise planner extraordinaire Anne, recently brought some Zucchini Hummus to a neighbor’s gathering and I was beyond delighted as it not only fit in perfectly with my diet but it was crazy delicious!  I couldn’t stop eating the hummus and those who tasted it side-by-side with traditional hummus made with chickpeas, preferred the Zucchini Hummus.  This Zucchini Hummus is wheat, egg, dairy & legume free so healthy, delicious and safe for all in the Cook Lisa Cook house.  We changed Ann’s recipe a bit, increasing the amount of zucchini and garlic in relation to the tahini & olive oil, really just to cut the calories somewhat.  Ann’s recipe was a bit more rich but this version has all the wonderful flavor of hummus but extra oil and tahini can be added if you choose.

Zucchini Hummus

• 1 3/4 lbs. zucchini
• 3/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4 lg. cloves of garlic
• 1 TBS. ground cumin
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Himalayan salt, to taste
• extra olive oil for serving
• paprika 

Peel and slice the zucchini into half rounds.  Place into a colander and salt well coating all pieces.  Allow the zucchini to sweat for 20-30 minutes.  Discard the accumulated liquid and rinse the zucchini well then quickly pat dry and add to the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and cumin and puree until creamy smooth.  Season to taste with fresh ground pepper and salt.  Place in serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil.

Serve with sliced veggies for dipping.

Enjoy!!

Coconut Crusted Tilapia in a Coconut Garlic Lemon Sauce

A fast but fancy, perfect for family or company, delicious way to enjoy tilapia or other white flaky fish.  The fish cooks quickly in a pan making a crunchy delicious crust while keeping the fish moist and tender.  The coconut milk adds a creaminess to the strong lemon garlic sauce without adding dairy so perfect for everyone in our home with diets and allergies.  Interestingly we all love this fish freshly made but I think we like it even better the second day.  Got to love easy leftovers! 

Coconut Crusted Tilapia in a Coconut Garlic Lemon Sauce

• 1 lb. tilapia filets, or white flaky fish of your choice
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt 
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 c. arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut 
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 2-3 TBS. coconut oil

Sauce

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 14 oz. can coconut milk 
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
• Himalayan salt
• fresh ground pepper

Rinse and with paper towels, pat dry the filets and then season with 1/2 tsp. salt and fresh cracked pepper. Set aside.  Prepare 3 shallow bowls.  In the first mix the arrowroot, garlic and onion powders. In the second bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and water together. In the third bowl, mix the shredded coconut, paprika, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

In a large skillet, melt 1-2 TBS. of coconut oil over medium-high heat. Lightly dredge the fish in the arrowroot mixture, shaking off any excess. Then dip the fish in the egg mixture and finally dredge it in the coconut mixture, again shaking off any excess.  Lay the filet carefully in the hot pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

Cook until you see the edges of the filets turn opaque and the bottom crust is golden brown and crispy, then carefully turn the filets allowing the second side to crisp and brown.  Do not over-cook as you want to keep the fish moist.  Add additional coconut oil if necessary. Once cooked, remove the fish to a plate.

In the hot pan add the minced garlic and sauté quickly until fragrant but not browned.  Add the lemon juice and stir in any remaining crunchy bits in the pan.  Add the coconut milk and stir well.  Simmer the sauce until reduced and it thickly coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt & pepper.  Plate the fish and top with the sauce.

This was served with a delicious and perfect accompaniment, Coconut Carrot Soufflé, click on the link for the recipe.

Enjoy!

Lemon Almond Biscotti

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again, one of my favorite times of the month.  I love receiving my secret cooking pal assignment, going through their blog, checking out all their recipes, choosing one to make and feature and of course reveal day is best of all as I we all post and see what everyone has made.  This month my assignment was to cook from Kate’s Food Babbles.  I have been a reader of Kate’s blog for a while as I not only participate in the Secret Recipe Club with her but we also both participate monthly in the Improv Cooking Challenge.  I also “know” Kate from the lovely and kind comments she always leaves on my challenge recipes.  Kate’s blog is filled with so many gorgeous food photos, I just wanted to make everything,  I think that this month I was craving sugar as I had a real rough time deciding on a recipe.  I narrowed it down to Kate’s peppermint patties, maple bacon caramel corn, bacon caramel tart, potato chip cookies, Mexican hot chocolate and her Lemon Biscotti. In the end the biscotti won out as I had everything in the house and I’ve also been craving lemon, but trust me, a few others from the list will be made soon. 

I’ve made biscotti in the past and both Eammon and I love them with our tea and coffee but I’ve never made them with a citrus and as I’ve been craving lemon, these biscotti were just perfect.  I changed Kate’s recipe a little, really just bumping up the lemon a bit with the addition of lemon extract and in place of her almond extract I used vanilla bean paste and then to get that bit of almond flavor back in, I chose to add toasted slivered almonds.  These biscotti were simple to make, super crunchy, the lemon flavor really shined through and the combo of the lemon, almonds and white chocolate was light and delicious.  These biscotti were a big hit here in the Cook Lisa Cook home and I’m looking forward to making more of Kate’s delicious recipes.  Hop over to Kate’s blog to check out the original recipe and all of her other wonderful treats.

Lemon Almond Biscotti (slightly adapted from here) 

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste 
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted 
• 8 oz. white chocolate 

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper and set aside.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla bean paste, lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk at medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and holds its shape.  Using a silicone spatula, fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture and then fold in the slivered almonds.

On a lightly floured surface, with damp hands, divide the dough into 2 portions and shape each into a 3-inch diameter log.  Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.  Bake for 16 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet.  Reduce oven temperature to 300F.

With a sharp slice each log into ½”-thick slices.  Arrange cookies, cut sides up, in a single layer on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake until firm, about 20 minutes, flipping midway through baking.  Cool completely. They will get crunchier as they cool.

Line a cool baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Chop the white chocolate and place in a glass or metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted.  Dip the bottoms of the biscotti into the melted chocolate and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Allow the chocolate to set completely.

Store in an airtight container up to one week.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Baked Bananas

It is now month 16 of the Improv Cooking Challenge and this month our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the two given ingredients of bananas & nutmeg.  Unlike last month where I just was uninspired, but still managed to make a wonderful White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark, this month there were so many delicious things I wanted to make.  I’m talking about cakes, cookies, pancakes, muffins, fritters, ice cream and smoothies, so many wonderful things to be made with bananas and nutmeg.  But here it is, a new year, and after all our indulging over Thanksgiving, during our trip to Savannah, during our two weeks in Aruba, over Christmas, New Years Eve and then visiting with friends and our week at Disney…well I needed something delicious but very healthy.  With that in mind, may I present, Baked Bananas.  I saw this recipe on Epicurious and knew that I had found a winner. 

And a winner it is, just minutes to make, all the ingredients are staples in my home and delicious…well just insanely!!  I have made these Baked Bananas a few times already, once as a dessert with a little bit of whipped cream sprinkled with nutmeg and a few times I’ve put them over plain oatmeal, a delicious breakfast.  One night I served these Baked Bananas as a sweet little side dish along side some roasted pork (amazing combination) and I even just baked up a half recipe one night when I was craving something sweet.  I’d bet that these bananas would be fabu over some vanilla ice cream…one day I will give that a try.  I suggest that you give this recipe a try as you’ll be amazed at how just a few ingredients and a tiny bit of time totally transforms simple bananas into an insanely delicious treat.      

Baked Bananas (adapted from here)

2 bananas

Juice of 1 lemon

1 TBS, dark rum  

1/4 tsp. ground roasted cinnamon 

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 

1 TBS. Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 

1 TBS butter 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel the bananas and slice in half lengthwise. Lay the pieces into a buttered 9x9x2-inch ovenproof dish. Pour the lime juice and rum evenly over the bananas. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Dot on the butter and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot with a bit of whipped cream sprinkled with a pinch of nutmeg.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

December 2012  Chocolate & Marshmallows:  White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark    
November 2012  Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp 
October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Mom’s Curried Chicken Salad

My Mom has been making a curried chicken salad for years and as she’s been raving about how wonderful it is, I decided to give it a try…but of course I made a few little changes, but what else is new.  This Curried Chicken Salad is a little different from my Curried Grilled Thai Chicken Salad but just as delicious.  My Mom often makes this recipe with leftover turkey so perfect for your Thanksgiving leftovers.  This is just one of those recipes which can be tailored to what you have in hand or to your tastes.   

As I’ve been avoiding carbs lately, I’ve been enjoying this Curried Chicken Salad as pictured, atop a thick slice of fresh tomato and wrapped in a leaf of Romaine lettuce, so basically an awesome lettuce wrap…Delish!!

Mom’s Curried Chicken Salad

• 1/4 cup sour cream (I prefer Breakstone sour cream)
• 1/4 cup real mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann’s mayonnaise)
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 4 tsp. Jamaican curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
• 3/4 tsp. spicy brown mustard (I prefer Gulden’s mustard)
• 1 TBS. fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS. finely chopped mango chutney (I prefer Raffetto Chut-Nut Colonial Chutney)
• 1 lb. cold cooked chicken, diced (I prefer my leftover “Rotisserie” Chicken)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, whites and greens
• 1 large peeled apple, diced (I prefer Granny Smith apples)
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup finely diced celery
• 1/4 cup golden raisins 

In a large bowl mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, curry powder and cayenne.  Add the mustard, lemon juice and chutney and combine well.  Add the diced chicken, green onions, apple, almonds, celery & raisins and toss to mix.  Cover and refrigerate.  This is best made a day in advance so that all the flavors can come together.  Serve cold on a salad or in a sandwich.

Enjoy!

Skinny Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I seem to have an addiction, but it’s not what you might think.  It’s not to muffins, blueberries or even to my much adored lemon, it’s an addiction to my monthly recipe challenges, The Secret Recipe Club, The Improv Cooking Challenge and today’s Crazy Cooking Challenge.  Here’s why I say that I have an addiction… The way that the Crazy Cooking Challenge works is that each month there is a dish that our hostess Tina, of Moms Crazy Cooking challenges the participating bloggers to make.  We all go out searching non-celebrity blogs looking for what we think is the ultimate recipe for that dish and once we find it, we make it and then on the same day we do our post featuring the recipe and the blog where it was found.  Well this month we were challenged to find the ultimate blueberry muffin recipe.  Sounds easy enough as the internet is littered with food bloggers who have posted gorgeous blueberry muffin recipes to their blog so finding one is up to what really just suits your fancy.  My problem though is that I’m anaphylaxis allergic to blueberries so as a general rule, I don’t cook with them.  But…BUT… I have participated in the Crazy Cooking Challenge since the beginning and I just couldn’t miss a month, so I was going to make it work.

My friend Lisa (yes Lisa is a popular name) is doing Weight Watchers (and doing great at it I might add) and she recently had surgery so while she was recovering I brought her dinner one night.  For her meal I decided to make Slimmed Down Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole and I also wanted to bring her some WW friendly sweet treats.  I decided that her sweet treats would be my blueberry muffin challenge.  Up front I knew that I wasn’t going to use fresh or frozen blueberries but rather blueberry yogurt as I felt it would be safer for me.  I then set out searching the internet looking for my, well really Lisa’s, not me Lisa but friend Lisa’s, ultimate blueberry muffin recipe.  I knew that the recipe I would choose needed to include yogurt and because of Lisa’s diet I wanted to avoid recipes which included a lot of oil, butter or eggs.  In my search I decided to look for recipes which included yogurt (my blueberry addition) and applesauce in place of the fat and as far as the sugar, well that I knew I could easily substitute.  When I happened upon Ruth’s She-Fit.com and her Skinny Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, well I knew that I had found my recipe.  I’ve heard that lemon and blueberry go fabulously together and with Ruth’s recipe all I had to do was swap out her lemon yogurt for my blueberry yogurt, easy-peasy!!  I held pretty true to Ruth’s recipe just switching out the yogurt flavor and I didn’t bother with the additional sprinkling of Splenda on top of the muffins.

As the muffins cooked the house smelled absolutely delicious and I do wish that I was able to sample one of the muffins but Maisie (because of her food allergies) and I (because of my blueberry allergy) had to just watch as Eammon was our taste tester. 

The results, both Eammon and Lisa had thumbs up for this recipe and said that even though it’s skinny and healthy you’d never know it as these muffins were moist, tender, delicious and full of flavor.  Sounds like a winner to me!

Skinny Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins   (Adapted from here)

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 c. Splenda
• 5.3 oz container fat-free Greek fruit-on-the-bottom blueberry yogurt
• 2 TBS. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 Cup unsweetened applesauce 
• 2 large egg whites
• grated lemon peel of 1 fresh lemon
• 1 TBS. poppy seeds 

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and Splenda together.  Add the yogurt, lemon juice and applesauce, lemon peel and poppy seeds.  Stir to combine.  This will make a very thick batter.  In a separate bowl whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.  Add the egg whites to the flour mix and fold in.  Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.  Using a large cookie scoop place approximately 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin mold.  Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the muffin comes out clean.

Enjoy!

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:

Spaghetti with Red Sauce Challenge:  Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter 
Chocolate Cake Challenge:  Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake
Chicken Noodle Soup Challenge: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup 
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge 
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki 
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps 
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese

Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

This is my fifth month participating in the Improv Cooking Challenge which is hosted by Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.  As always I looked forward to participating and finding or coming up with a great recipe which included the two theme ingredients.  This month the participating bloggers were asked to make any recipe of their choosing using the two given ingredients of ginger and carrots.  At first I was going to make a soup, being that it’s winter…supposedly…as our temperatures had been balmy and gorgeous…well until this past week when we hit the deep freeze…but even so, I decided to make something light, healthy and fresh, thus my Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing.  I loved this salad so much and as I had plenty of dressing, I ended up eating it for lunch five days in a row,.

This Carrot Ginger Dressing is very similar to what is served in Japanese restaurants so if you enjoy it out I’d suggest making it at home as it’s super simple and it keeps in the fridge for about a week.

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake 
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies 

Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

raw shrimp, peeled & deveined, tail left on
Shichimi togarashi
chia seeds
baby salad greens
avocado, peeled & sliced
tomato, sliced
carrot, julienned

Dry the shrimp well and then lightly sprinkle with the Shichimi togarashi and chia seeds.  Cook the shrimp under the broiler or in a lightly oiled hot pan until they are opaque and just cooked through.  Arrange the salad greens, avocado, tomato, cooked shrimp and carrots on a plate and drizzle on the Carrot Ginger Dressing.

 

Carrot Ginger Dressing

1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 TBS. chopped peeled fresh ginger
fruit pulp from 1/2 of a lemon
1 TBS. ketchup
1/4 tsp. Shichimi togarashi 
2 TBS. water
1/2 cup Grapeseed oil

Put all the dressing ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about a week.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake

It’s Crazy Cooking Challenge time again and this month our hostess Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking challenged the participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate chocolate cake recipe.  Once we find what we think is the ultimate recipe we are to make and feature that recipe and the blog where we found it.  I posted recently in my Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel post that since making my Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart I’ve been on a major lemon kick so when I saw Mimi’s Double Chocolate Tangerine Mousse Cake I knew immediately that I could tweak the recipe a bit switching out the tangerine for lemon and I could get my tangy lemon fix, still meet the requirements of making a chocolate cake while also making the ultimate chocolate cake.

This cake used both white and dark chocolate and that combined with tangy lemon, well it was exactly what I had been craving.  The chocolate cake is flourless so it’s dense and rich.  The mousse uses gelatin which is something that I haven’t done before but it seemed to help the mousse keep it’s shape but the mousse remained light, soft, rich and creamy.  Everyone who tried the cake thought it was beautiful and adored the rich flavors…and they were rich so small slices are a must.  If you adore dark chocolate and lemon like we do, I think you will find this to be a favorite in your home too.

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:
Chicken Noodle Soup Challenge: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese 

Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake  (Adapted from here)

Cake
1 cup butter
9 oz. dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 cup ground toasted walnuts

Mousse
1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
1/3 cup lemon sugar syrup from making the Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel
2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
12 oz. white chocolate chips 
6 TBS sour cream
2 cups chilled whipping cream

Garnish:
Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel
walnut halves, toasted

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan with cutter and then dust with cocoa powder.  Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, checking and stirring often until smooth.  Whisk in the sugar, eggs and ground nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out with very moist crumbs attached, about 45 minutes. Cool completely on rack (cake will fall and crack).  Once cool, using the pan’s cutter release the cake from the pan.

Lightly brush the sides of a 10-inch springform pan with vegetable oil. Set the cooled cake in center of pan (there will be space around cake that will be filled in with mousse). Refrigerate cake.

For Mousse:
Place 3 TBS of the lemon juice in a small bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften.  Meanwhile, simmer the remaining lemon juice and lemon sugar syrup, stirring until combined, about 3 minutes.  Add the gelatin mixture to the lemon juice mixture and stir to dissolve.  Add 12 ounces white chocolate and whisk over low heat just until melted.  Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream. Pour the lemon white chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Chill the mixture until cool and thickened but not set, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Beat the chilled whipping cream to stiff peaks. Fold into the lemon white chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse over the chocolate cake in the springform pan, covering the top and sides completely. Refrigerate cake overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Place cake on platter. Garnish as desired.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel

I’m on a bit of a lemon kick right now.  After the totally awesome Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart which I made for my last Improv Cooking Challenge I’ve just wanted more tangy lemon desserts.  For my upcoming Crazy Cooking Challenge I managed to find a dessert which includes lemon and still meets the criteria for the challenge.  This post is a bit of a sneak preview for that challenge which will post this coming Tuesday.

All I can say right now is that my Crazy Cooking Challenge recipe includes these delicious Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peels and that it’s lucky that any of them made it onto the dessert as I swear, every time I walked by the tray of these I’d grab one or two to snack on.  The combination of the dark chocolate and the chewy sweet and tangy lemon peel is pure perfection.

You can use any lemon of your choice but I chose Meyer lemons because the rind is so thin so I didn’t have to work at peeling away the white pith.

Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel

8-10 Meyer lemons
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
extra sugar for dipping (about 1 cup)
3 oz. dark chocolate chips
2 - 3 tsp. Crisco solid shortening

Cut the lemons in half and using a lemon reamer juice the lemons.  Remove the remaining fruit pulp and as much of the white pith as possible using a spoon or butter knife.  Cut the rind into strips.  In a medium saucepan bring the water to a boil and add the lemon peels. Boil for about 5 minutes until tender. Remove the peels from the water and stir in the 2 cups of sugar until dissolved. Return the sugar water to a boil and add the peels.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the peels uncovered until transparent and tender, about an hour. Using a slotted spoon remove the peels from the sugar syrup and lay the peels out on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Allow the peels to dry uncovered overnight.  Reserve the lemon syrup to use in other recipes or to sweeten tea.

Place about one cup of sugar in a small bowl (add more if necessary.)  Dredge the dried peels in the sugar until they are coated and place them on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Place the sugar coated peels in a warm 100F oven and allow them to dry out for about an hour or allow to sit overnight uncovered on the counter. 

Once the peels are dry, melt the chocolate and stir in a bit of Crisco to thin it out a bit. Dip the peels 2/3 –3/4 of the way up into the melted chocolate.  Lay on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow the chocolate to harden.  Store the candied peel in a dry location and if you can keep from snacking on them, they’ll stay for a few weeks.

Enjoy!