Cooking Light ~ Lunch with MoM

Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper club is celebrating 'Lunch with MoM' this month ~ How I would LOVE to have lunch with Mom.
She has been gone to many years ~ but I often think of the conversations we'd have. Kids, grandbabies, weddings and even divorce. Careers and Holidays.
I do know this . . . she would be proud of her little girl. That, I feel in every part of my grown up freckle face.

I decided to go with something fresh and light . . . and found the perfect Cooking Light Recipe. I used the fresh herbs out of my pots.
Cous~Cous Chicken Salad
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 (10-ounce) package couscous
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup extravirgin olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup sliced green onions
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken using a slotted spoon; set aside. Cool slightly, and coarsely chop.

While chicken cools, (I brown my couscous first) add couscous to broth; stir well. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Place couscous in a large bowl; cool completely. Fluff with a fork. Stir in basil and next 5 ingredients (basil through garlic). Add chopped chicken, tomatoes, onions, and chickpeas; toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

The flavors do improve as the couscous pearls have time to soak up all the juices.
Now let's see what everyone else has brought for our Lunch with MoM...
Jerry has made a French Martini Sorbet (MoM would like that!)
 Val is bringing a Pea and Mint Salad with Pecorino
Roz has a Raspberry Orange Sunrise
Giz has our main dish, a Spice Rubbed Salmon with Lemon Garlic Spinach.

Y'all enjoy~
Sandi

Flavors ~Tuna~ 'Citrus Tuna Salad with Ginger and Pecans'

Y'all know by now that the flavor of the week is Tuna. I first thought about some beautiful Ginger Tuna steaks . . . when I looked at the price, I decided to go with frozen tuna. When I took the frozen tuna out of the bag. . . I decided a tuna salad was in order.
I still wanted to include the strong citrus flavors and Ginger. As usual, I have included the flavors that are recommended by the flavor bible.
Citrus Tuna Salad with Ginger and Pecans
2 large fresh tuna steaks
2 Tbs OLIVE OIL
2 LEMONS
2 Tbs minced GINGER
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mandrin ORANGES
1/4 cup pecans
2 Tbs CILANTRO
Put olive oil in a skillet, place tuna steaks in a hot pan. Cover with minced ginger. Sprinkle the zest and lemon juice evenly over the tuna. Cook over high heat, flipping once. The tuna should flake easily with a fork when it is cooked through. Allow to cool.
In a small bowl, combine chopped cilantro, and chopped pecans (I used praline pecans from Trader Joes) Add the cooled tuna, stirring with a fork to break it up. Add the yogurt to desired consistency and stir to combine. Finally add the mandrin oranges and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Join us for the ride on Facebook and our blog Flavors .

Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi

Friday's Favorites ~ Panzanella

This week on facebook, we had the great Panzanella debate. Panzanella is a traditional Italian bread salad. It is made with the leftover bread and the freshest ingredients.
It flung a cravin' on me. So I, of course, went to the source of all things Italian and beautiful . . . Giada :-)
Giada's Panzanella
1 (10-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (about 2 cups)
3 cups whole-wheat bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 large, red tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cup pitted black olives, halved
3/4 cup chopped, fresh basil leaves (about 1 bunch)
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
Directions
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the bread and artichoke hearts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the bread and artichokes until golden brown at the edges, about 6 minutes total, turning every 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bread and artichokes from the grill and transfer to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives and basil to the bowl and toss to combine. In a small bowl stir together the 2/3 cup olive oil, white wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Toss to combine and serve immediately.
I messed with Giada's recipe a bit (she can call and fuss at me anytime!!!) I didn't grill my bread, and added some cucumbers and parsley. It was awesome!
Now that's a friday's favorite for sure :-)

What is your favorite today?
Y'all join in~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Summerfest Beach Party

Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is going to the beach this month! We are having a Summerfest Beach Party.
Y'all know how much I love the beach!
This recipe is the perfect beachy side dish. I'll be using it again!
Orange Scented Couscous
1 cup orange juice, divided
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/3 cup chopped red onion
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbs extravirgin olive oil

Combine 3/4 cup orange juice, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, coriander, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a saucepan; bring to a boil.

Remove from heat; add couscous and cranberries. Cover and let stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Transfer couscous mixture to a large bowl.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add nuts to pan; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Add nuts, chicken, and next 3 ingredients (through cilantro) to couscous; toss. Combine remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, lime juice, and mustard, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil to juice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over couscous mixture, tossing to coat Don't forget, that y'all are welcome to join in our virtual supper with the blog hop!

Y'all enjoy~ Sandi

Cooking Light ~ 100 miles of Flavor

Jerry came up with the theme for this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. Our task was to find a recipe using products within 100 miles of our home. Our recipes all come from Cooking Light ... this was a bit of a challenge! I found my recipe HERE. I am really trying to eat more local foods. Shopping at the local markets not only gets fresher foods, but also supports the local Mom and Pops. We are all about that! In an attempt to stick with the 100 miles of flavor, I had to change the recipe up a bit. I used local pecans instead of walnuts. I also used basil from my garden, rather than the arugula that the recipe called for. Fresh peas from the market and orzo from the Fresh Market as well. The Parmesan isn't local; but I carried it back from my last trip to Italy... so I think it counts! Orzo with Pesto and Fresh Peas Pesto: 2 Tbs coarsely chopped walnuts 1 garlic clove, peeled 1 1/2 cups torn spinach 1 1/2 cups trimmed basil 3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese 2 Tbs water 1 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil Remaining ingredients: 2 cups hot cooked orzo (about 1 cup uncooked rice-shaped pasta) and 1 cup shelled green peas. To prepare pesto, drop walnuts and garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Add spinach and next 6 ingredients (spinach through pepper); process until finely minced. With food processor on, slowly pour oil through food chute; process until well-blended. Cook the orzo in salted water until tender. Just before done, toss in the fresh peas and cook for 1 minute, drain. Combine pesto, orzo, and peas in a large bowl, and toss well. Serve warmed or at room temperature. Now let's see what everyone else has brought for our 100 mile Virtual Supper Club... Jerry has made Beef Tenderloin with a Mushroom Red Wine sauce. He used local beef, went to the mushroom farm, and barrels of red wine from Niagara. Jamie is bringing Grilled Ginger Lime Shrimp, using our fabulous Gulf Shrimp Val is bringing a Fallen Chocolate Cake with Cherry Red Wine Sauce with local ingredients from the Okanagan Valley MaryAnn has made a salad with Mixed greens with a Local Blueberry Vinaigrette Roz has made a Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Marscapone Cheese. Don't forget, that y'all are welcome to join in our virtual supper with the blog hop! Y'all enjoy~ Sandi

Pomodori e Vino ~ Insalatone

My challenge this week was to build an Insalatone. In Marcella's own words this is a 'magnificent cooked salad'. It can be served at room temperature or still warm, with a light toss of good olive oil and rich red wine vinegar, a little coarse salt and ground black pepper... Quanto Basta! Each of the vegetables need to be cooked according to it's needs. Peppers are roasted over a flame for easy peeling. Beets are roasted until sweet and tender, then peeled. (For some unknown reason I could only find golden beets, even though two days ago they had plenty of red beets!)

The onions are roasted in their skins, then quartered. Potatoes and green beans are cooked until tender.The only thing missing was the velvety red from the beets in the color of the dish... other than that, it was a flavorful melody of vegetables. 

Remember to follow us along daily on Facebook or on the Pomodori e Vino Blog ... 

Ciao Y'all~

Sandi

Friday's Favorites ~ Pomodori e Vino

This is my Friday's Favorite for this week . . .
Fresh and simple salads... just in time for Spring!
This is a salad that is so simple and so full of flavor. It goes with almost any dish.
Romaine Lettuce Salad with Gorgonzla Cheese and Walnuts

Use the tender crunchy leaves of a head of Romaine Lettuce. The dressing is made with Olive Oil, Red Wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Bits of the Gorgonzola are blended into the oil and vinegar.
The salad is then assembled by tossing in the dressing~ then topped with walnuts and more cheese.
Next time I make it I am also going to include some slices of pear.
We have had so much fun following Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Italian Cooking. It's a Favorite...
What is your Friday's Favorite today?

Y'all join in,
Sandi

Cooking Light ~Heart Healty Red Food

Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club had become a little more exciting this month with the edition of 2 new bloggers. I am super excited that my friend Jerry has decided to join in from Canada. He is an adventurous cook and a brilliant writer. We are both a part of the Pomodori e Vino group and are cooking our way through Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Italian Cooking. Roz's blog is La Bella Vita and I 'm sure that she is also going to offer a nice variety to our Cooking Light Supper Cub.

We have fun planning our menues from month to month. This month our 'theme' is Red Heart Healthy~ Red Food. I found my Cooking Light Recipe with red onions and the bright flavor of mint. I couldn't resist a little taste of spring.

Spanish Salad with Fennel, Red Onions and Mint
2 cups thinly sliced red onion
3 large navel oranges
3 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
3 Tbs plain fat-free yogurt
2 Tbs frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Place thinly sliced red onion in a medium bowl; cover with ice water, and soak 15 minutes. Drain well.
Carefully remove rind and white pithy part of rind from oranges; discard rind and pith. Cut each orange in half vertically; remove white pithy core portion, and discard. Cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, reserving about 1/3 cup juice for dressing.

Layer red onion, thinly sliced fennel, and orange evenly in a bowl or on a platter, and sprinkle with fresh mint leaves. Combine reserved juice, plain fat-free yogurt, juice concentrate, and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk to combine. Drizzle evenly over salad; serve immediatelyI served it last week with a nice grilled salmon fillet... making this one Heart Healthy meal!


Now let's see what everyone else has brought for our Red Food Red Heart Virtual Supper Club~~
Jamie is bringing the appetizer plate of Bruschetta with Warm Tomatoes
Val has picked red meat and red potatoes with a Bourbon Brown Sugar Flank Steak and Potatoes (Yum!)
MaryAnn has a salad with Red Radish and Radicchio with a Warm Walnut Viniagrette.
Jerry is bringing a vegetable of Roasted Sweet and Sour Beats with Carrots and Parsnips (yum-yum!)
Roz is in charge of desserts and she has a Almond Jelly Roll with Rasperry filling
Don't forget, that y'all are welcome to join in our virtual supper with the blog hop!

Y'all enjoy~

Sandi

Summer Slaw

I love the fresh taste of coleslaw in the summer time... But I don't like the idea of mayo baking in the heat.


This is a combination of 2 slaws that are family favorites. Easy to make and just what you might be looking for on the 4th of July.
Thai Summer Slaw
3 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup yellow squash
1/2 cup cucumbers
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup frech cilatro
2 pkgs ramen noodles
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 Tbs fish sauce
Combine oil, sugar, vinegar and fish sauce in a cup. Add one package of ramen noodle spice. Stir briskly and set aside. Julienne slice the squash, cucumbers, peppers and cabbage. In a large bowl; crumble the ramen noodles. Combine all the other ingredients. Stir the dressing in and serve.
Now for the rest of the story... I used two bags of cole slaw mix (cabbage and carrots) then all I had to do was add the squash, cucumbers and peppers. You can also add sunflower seeds to the mix to add a bit of extra crunch, if you'd like.

We are about to move on to our new series of Sunday cooking adventures... Next week starts Sunday Sides! We'll have recipes for side dishes from all over the world. This in addition to Pomodori e Vino and my Cooking Light Supper Club. It looks like we'll be cooking again in the WhistleStop Kitchen.
Y'all enjoy!
Sandi

Sunday Salad Samplers

For the past several months, I have joined my friends at Slow Travel posting salad recipes. A group of us from all over the world have joined in making a different salad every week. We have used every imaginable ingredient to make a salad... some I'll admit were a stretch for this southern cook!

The recipes are all on my sidebar (along with ALL the recipes on this blog), but here is a list...

Blood Orange Salad

Black Bean Salad

Raw Asparagus, Pea and Arugula Salad

Thai Chicken Salad

Summer Shrimp Salad

Grilled Romaine Salad

Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto

Watermelon Salad

Ceviche

Israeli Salad

Spicy Thai Beef Salad

Tropical Rice Salad

Couscous with Chickpeas, Dates and Cinnamon

Southern Mustard Potato Salad

I missed a few salads while I was in Italy, and another while at the beach. It is hard to keep up with this cooking crowd! We agreed to allow time off for travel~ we do love our travels.

Our gang of Slow Cookers have baked from Dolce Italiano, we scooped from The Perfect Scoop, we made soups through the winter and salads through the summer.

Now we are starting a new venture... this includes using a secret ingredient each week. This will be perfect as we come into football/holiday party season. Email me if you want to join in!

Next Sunday starts the Small Bites and our secret ingredient is Shrimp! Everyone will post a different recipe~ we'll have lots of recipes to share.

Y'all stay tuned!

Sandi

Potato Salad Sunday

It was my week to pick the Sunday Salad Sampler. This has been a tough decision. Everyone has a family favorite potato salad. This recipe is a combination between the southern potato salad with hard boiled eggs and the German mustard potato salad that is served warm. Call me indecisive!

I'll just call it a southern mustard potato salad.
Southern Mustard Potato Salad
1-2 pounds potatoes
4-5 hard boiled eggs
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup pickle relish
3 Tbs spicy mustard
1/2 cup mayo
Clean potatoes then boil them whole. Once tender, 15-20 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Dice onion and celery. Dice potatoes into large chunks. In another bowl whisk together mayo, mustard and pickle relish. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Stir all ingredients together. Finally, slice peeled hard boiled eggs and stir those in as well. Serve warm or cold.
It'll be fun to see what everyone else will post this week. They can use my suggestion, or come up with one of their own. Check out the other Sunday Salad Samplers and their fun 'Travel' blogs..

Jerry's Rants!
Baked Alaska
Churches in Venice
Happy Trails To Us
Keep Your Feet in the Street
My Place in the Sun
Old Shoes-New Trip
PalmaBella's Passions
A Winelover's Wanderings
Wanderlust


Y'all enjoy!
Sandi

Sunday Salad~ couscous

Annie's blog is Churches in Venice. She does a lot more than just visit churches in Venice!

Her suggestion for this Sunday's Salad is Couscous with chickpeas and cinnamon. Annie says she found this recipe when looking for something to do with her Vietnamese cinnamon, she also suggests that you could substitute dried apricots for the dates.
What the heck... We love couscous so I'll give it a try!

Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Dates & Cinnamon
3 green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 (10 ounce) package couscous
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions
Finely dice white end of green onions. Slice green parts of green onions and reserve for salad. Gently cook white onion pieces in olive oil 5-7 minutes in a medium saucepan. Stir in chicken broth, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and red pepper. Bring to a boil; add couscous. Cover and remove pan from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and olive oil in a small bowl.
Fluff couscous with a fork; put in a large bowl. Toss in sliced green onions, chickpeas, carrots, dates, pinenuts, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; add vinaigrette and toss again. Serve right away or chill. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
(Vietnamese cinnamon is pretty strong so if you're using regular cinnamon, you might want to use a little bit more.)

I did change it up a bit... I used the apricots that Annie suggested, I added more cinnamon since mine was the piggly wiggly variety. I forgot the carrots and I also toasted my garbanzo beans and pinenuts.

To my surprise these southern boys pronounced the cinnamon couscous a winner! I made extra thinking I'd have leftovers for work... not a cous!

I guess I'll be eating carrots this week.
Y'all enjoy!
Sandi

Sunday Tropical Salad

This Sunday's salad is from my friend PalmaBella. She lives in a tropical paradise... also known as Palma Desert. It is perfect that she decided to post this Tropical Rice Salad.
Palma says to mix it ahead of time to let the flavors blend. My salad will be ready to take to work tomorrow.

Tropical Rice Salad
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup white rice
1 cup halved snow peas
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3/4 cup celery
2/3 cup (or one can) sliced water chestnuts
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can crushed (or chunk) pineapple, drained well
Dressing:
2 tsp orange juice concentrate
2 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp minced ginger root
Cook rice in chicken stock. Drain well. Cool rice. Put rice in a large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over rice mixture and toss. Chill six hours, and toss again before serving.
This would be perfect for a hot summer's day or along side some grilled salmon. It'll be lunch for me Monday.
Y'all enjoy!
Sandi

Spicy Sunday Salad

This week's Sunday Salad Samples a little Spice! It is just like the Yam Neua we get at Surin West here in Birmingham.

Maria brought us a recipe for a Spicy Thai Beef Salad from her family. Here is her blog My Place in the Sun.

Thai Beef Salad

1 lb tender beef steak, such as top sirloin.

For the salad:

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

1 tomato, cut into wedges

1 cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise in half and thinly sliced

1-2 Thai bird’s-eye chilies or according to taste (I use 1-2 serrano chilies)

For the sauce:

1/4 cup Thai fish sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup chopped scallions

Grill beef until medium. Slice thinly on the bias and set aside.

Combine all the salad ingredients and add the sliced beef. Make the sauce by mixing together all the ingredients and toss with the salad.

Serve over a bed of green lettuce (e.g. Romaine) whole or chopped, or place individual servings over a large lettuce leaf.

This salad uses many of the same ingredients in Jerry's Thai Chicken Salad, so the same seasoning guidelines posted for his recipe can be followed for this salad:

**Adjust the seasonings – there should be a balance of hot, sour, and salt. To adjust seasonings in Thai food follow these rough guidelines . . . if it is too sweet add more fish sauce . . . too salty add more sugar . . . not tangy enough - add more lime juice . . . not hot enough - add more chili .

Rules to cook by~

Y'all enjoy!

Sandi

Sunday Salad~ Fresh!

This week's salad is from Terry from Philadelphia. She first had this salad in Israel, and now is sharing it with us!

Israeli Salad

1 large English cucumber, or 2 6" regular ones (the English cucumbers have fewer seeds)

2-3 medium-sized ripe tomatoes

12 radishes

1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives

2 scallions

1 large Kosher pickle

1 medium green pepper

3/4 cup (packed) fresh parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

juice from 1 large lemon

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cut the cucumber and tomatoes into small cubes and place in large bowl. In your food processor, place the radishes and olives; pulse until roughly chopped. Add to the large bowl.

Place the scallions, pickle, and green pepper in the food processor and mince. Add to the large bowl.Mince the parsley in the food processor; add to large bowl.Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to your salad, and toss everything together gently. Chill.

Optional additions: feta cheese on top, or you can serve with yogurt or sour cream or little cubes of cream cheese on top.

I didn't use a food processor, but I did blend the parsley, lemon juice and oil in my bullet.

I really enjoyed the combination of fresh ingredients in this salad. I served it on a bed of cous cous.

The perfect blend of freshness for summer!

Y'all enjoy~

Sandi

Sunday's Salad~ Ceviche

This Sunday's Salad Sampler comes from Candi. Her SlowTravel blog is Wanderlust and Passions, you have to check it out for the amazing variety of travel and culture.

Candi picked a ceviche salad, which is a popular fish salad in South America and Mexico. Usually the fish is 'cooked' in lime juice (more like pickled). This recipe calls for actually cooking the fish, using lime juice to add flavor. That sounded better to me!
Ceviche
To cook the fish: 3 cups of water or chicken broth
1/2 cups white wine
juice of two limes
1 jalapeno or Serrano chili sliced in half
3 gloves of garlic,crushed
1 Tbs Old Bay seasoning
1/2 lb firm white fish fillet (halibut or the like)
1/2 lb large shrimp,peeled and deveined
Coat the fish and shrimp with old bay. Bring the broth,wine, lime juice, chili and garlic to simmer. Add fish and shrimp and simmer(do not boil) until fish is opaque(about 5 minutes) and shrimp is pink(about 2 minutes). Remove from poaching liquid and cool in the refrigerator.

To make the salad:
2 large tomatoes,diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno,seeded and diced(or more if you wish)
juice of two limes
1/4 cup cilantro, diced
hot sauce to taste
sea salt and cracked black peppers to taste
Mix tomatoes, onion, jalapeno,lime juice and cilantro together. Season to taste with hot sauce,salt and pepper.When the fish is cool, cut shrimp in half and fish into bite-sized pieces. Mix into tomato mixture. Chill for at least one hour and up to four hours.

I loved the freshness of this salad. It was not the least bit 'fishy'.

You need to give it a try!

Y'all enjoy!
Sandi

Fun on the 4th!

We had a fun day on the fourth. The weather held out and it was a beautiful day to share with family and friends.

Our Sunday Salad this week was perfect for the 4th of July party. Nancy at A wine lover's wanderings picked a watermelon salad. She gave us several suggestions for a variety of ingredients, check out her blog for several different recipes. Since my garden overflows with mint and basil... I used those.

Watermelon Salad

1 seedless watermelon

1/4 cup thinly sliced purple onion

1 cup fresh basil and mint leaves

2 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup feta cheese crumbles.

Make a pesto paste with the olive oil, lemon juice and herbs in the blender- or mince the herbs and whisk together. Pour over the feta and allow it to marinate.

Cut the watermelon into bite sized pieces. Slice the onion very thinly.

Toss everything lightly in a large bowl, garnish with freshly torn mint and basil.

It looks beautiful and the flavors blend so well~ The sweet watermelon, the salty feta, the peppery basil and olive oil.

But... in this southern family, guess which watermelon went first!

Why ruin a perfect thing?

Y'all enjoy!

Sandi