Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to take a look at McCormick’s Global Flavor Forecast for 2013. With no surprise, the trend that immediately caught my eye was Empowered Eating. Basically, McCormick recognizes that more and more people are starting to take control of their health and what they are eating to support good health – this includes enhancing food that is already good for you to elevated flavors through spices and flavors.

I am all over this trend for so many reasons.

One of the recipes that McCormick featured under their Empowered Eating profile is a spice blend called Dukkah. When I saw this recipe, I immediately knew I was going to make it and probably love it and use it often. I was right.

What is dukkah? (I had no idea either.) Dukkah is a Middle Eastern aromatic spice blend made from a combination of nuts, seeds and whole spices. It can be eaten as shown here, added in olive oil along with bread for dipping – or as a spice rub to enhance fish and meats or to sprinkle over vegetables. After making a batch of dukkah earlier this week, I’m saying yes to all of the above. I personally can not wait to enjoy a piece of dukkah crusted fish very soon (cooked similar to this Almond Crusted Tilapia that I love). Not a bad way to incorporate healthier eating into the new year is it?

I prepared a batch of this dukkah in just a few minutes. All you need is a few spices, sesame seeds and your favorite nut (hazelnuts are traditionally found in this recipe, but I wanted to use pistachios – next time almonds?). After toasting up all the components, I crushed and blended them together in small batches using a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, the end of a large wooden spoon and a sturdy bowl would work well. You could also always use a clean coffee grinder (set aside for just spices), or run a rolling pin over everything tucked into a large ziplock bag.

(more…)

The post Empowered Eating: Recipe for Dukkah Spice Blend appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I asked Bev, from Bev Cooks over today to cook for you. If you don’t know Beverly yet, then you must get to know her. This girl makes me smile each and every day…she’s hysterical and can cook her butt off. I’ve been hanging out on her blog a lot the last few months and have enjoyed the heck out of it. Her cooking style is very similar to mine and I think you are going to really enjoy her Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups. I can’t wait to make them myself…the photos alone are making me drool.

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When the fabulous Aggie came to me about being a guest poster on her blog, I: A) Immediately ran down the street singing “What a Feeling” at the top of my lungs. B) Shaved my legs because in my head, IT TOTALLY MATTERS FOR THIS. And C) Threw on a red sequin gown and stilettos so high, I could give you a separate weather report.

So I got a teensy bit excited. What?

Thank you, Aggie.

. . . . .

It’s the end of summer and we’re all desperately clinging to the last bits and pieces of the relaxing, sun-soaked days of the season. The pool has closed. Pencils are sharpened and the smell of notebook paper wafts through the hallways at school. Echoes of the high school marching band and football team make their way through our windows in the early hours of the morning. New sitcoms prepare to air and entertain us weekly throughout the chilly months. And best of all, comfort food will be flying through our mouth holes for approximately the next 6 months. This time of year RULES IT, YOU GUYS.

With that in mind, I decided to post a light, end-of-summer meal with a kick. And when I say, “with a kick,” I mean go ahead and set up the sprinkler system to blast your eyeballs every 5 seconds. No, I mean it.

I love this type of meal because anything shrimp makes me giddy, anything with spicy, fiery, blow-your-face-off heat makes me sing love songs, and anything in the form of a wrap makes me dance the cha-cha.

I do hope I haven’t frightened you.

Please, try it!

Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups:

Here are the roasted peppers. You can’t see it with the human eye, but they are secretly plotting all kinds of sexy hotness for your taste buds.

The toasted cumin and coriander. Seriously, scents so beautiful you’ll forget your own name.

This is where it gets dangerous. And awesome. And you might need to open a window. Or stick your head in the freezer.

This is where it gets pretty. And even more awesome-er. You can pull your head out of the freezer now.

Toss the spicy, fiery hot-as-a-mama marinade with the shrimp for a few minutes.

Crisp lettuce cups. You just wanna pet them, don’t you?

Aaaand the finished dish. Go ahead, wave to your fans. They’ll understand if your face is melting off and your head is back in the freezer.

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups and a visit from Bev Cooks

• Author: Bev Cooks
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: Fish
• Method: Oven/Stovetop

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Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups – you will love EVERYTHING about these flavorful low carb, shrimp lettuce wraps.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed and leaves separated
•  4 jalapeno peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 Tbs. coriander seeds, toasted
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 Tbs.
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 lime

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the peppers with a little oil. Roast for 20 minutes, or until pretty charred on all sides.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Give them a rough chop.
4. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the toasted cumin seeds and coriander until finely ground. Add the minced garlic, and toss in a pinch of salt. Grind away, until it becomes slightly pasty. Toss in the peppers and grind grind grind again. It become a firey paste that will blow your face off. Add the cilantro and olive oil and grind more. Seriously, so hot. So awesome.
5. Toss the marinade with the shrimp and let sit a few minutes.
6. Heat skillet over medium-high. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer and sear 2 minutes. Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.
7. Add a little more oil if needed and add the red bell pepper. Saute 2 minutes.
8. Stuff each lettuce cup with shrimp, red bell pepper and diced avocado. Spritz with lime and  get ready to cry. And I mean, from the heat. Seriously, have that sprinkler system ready and aimed.

Thank you so much, Aggie, for letting me blab my face off on your blog today!

The post {Guest Post} Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups and a visit from Bev Cooks appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Aaah…home sweet home. We are back from our family vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN. It was absolutely beautiful up there. The scenery was stunning and the air felt good. Good, but COLD! Our thin blood survived the freezing temperatures and we had a great time exploring an area of the country we have never been before.

(My sister, brother and I at the top of the Smoky Mountain National Park…)

We took the trip with my immediate family – my sister, her husband and her little one, my brother, and my mom. My dad wasn’t able to make it because he had to stay back and run the family restaurant.

(Goofballs in action…)

(A couple of Floridians really excited about snow…)

(My son Sammy’s first time in the snow…)

(All bundled up ready to go…)

We got back to Florida the night before Thanksgiving. We celebrated a nice Thanksgiving at my parent’s house with a ton of good food and wine…we were stuffed, it was fun, but we were really ready to get back home to Orlando.

So here we are home again…refreshed and ready to get back into a routine. I know most of you spend the day after Thanksgiving shopping with the crowds, but my day after Thanksgiving tradition is hitting the gym. After being on vacation for a week, I really really needed a good workout….and some good healthy food. I knew before I left that I would be making Ina’s Mexican Chicken Soup when we got back…the recipe sounded wonderful with all the chicken and veggies…and it was just what we needed Friday night.

This month’s Barefoot Blogger recipe was chosen by Judy from Judy’s Gross Eats. I can’t thank her enough for choosing such a delicious Barefoot Contessa soup for all of us to try!

Ina’s Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (I used shredded chicken from a Rotisserie I picked up at the grocery store)
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
• 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
• 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade (Swanson's low sodium chicken broth works for me!)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed (I crushed them with my hands, but I'm thinking that diced tomatoes would work here too)
• 2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (my grocery store was out of jalapenos so I substituted a milder Anaheim pepper)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
• 6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas (I substituted whole wheat tortillas, and only used 2)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

 

Tip: Make your own healthier tortilla "chips" by slicing a whole wheat tortilla into strips, spray them with non stick spray, then crisping them up in a hot non stick skillet.

 

Recipe from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home

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The post Home Sweet Home…and Ina’s Mexican Chicken Soup appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.