Piña Colada Smoothie

When I was in Clearwater, Florida two weeks ago, I went to the beach one day with my friend Lori while my other two friends went golfing.  The beach had a little tiki bar which we ponied up to while we contemplated lunch. After seeing the bartender hand a piña colada to the guy next to us, sinfully rimmed in honey and shredded coconut, we decided to forget our diets and forgo lunch for one of those decadent drinks. As we slowly enjoyed the high-caloried rum cocktail and licked the honey off our fingers, we talked about how a low-caloried Piña Colada Smoothie could easily be made at home, even as a cocktail with a shot of rum. With today being Lori’s birthday, it seemed only fitting that I post this in honor of her and our memories of the tiki bar that sunny day.

I’m weird about my smoothies and prefer them made with frozen fruit instead of ice. Frozen fruit tends to blend easier whereas with ice, I can never get it as smooth as I like.  I already had frozen pineapple in my freezer and also had leftover coconut milk from the mahi mahi dish I made last week so all I had to add was a banana.  The coconut milk adds the slightest coconut flavor without adding sweetness but if you like more coconut, consider adding in a little shredded coconut (but keep in mind, it will add more calories).  A shot of white or coconut rum will make this a low-fat piña colada that you don’t have to feel guilty about.

Piña Colada Smoothie (makes 1 smoothie):

  • 1/2 cup frozen chunk pineapple
  • 1/2 small banana, sliced
  • 1/2 cup light coconut milk

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry. To get even more decadent, rim your glass with honey and dip in shredded coconut for a fun presentation (like they did at the tiki hut – it was worth the sticky fingers!).

The ingredients:

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender.

Garnish with a pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry (or honey and shredded coconut).

Source: Me! 🙂

Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, and Potato Gratin

We’ve been so lucky in the Philadelphia area lately because the weather has been nice and warm, averaging in the 70s. But this past weekend, the temperate dropped to the 50s, the skies turned gray and down came the rain. Despite the fact that it brought a rainbow on Saturday afternoon and blue skies had returned by Sunday afternoon, it sent me right back into hybernation mode and all I wanted was comfort food. I initially thought that this recipe for Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, and Potato Gratin would be good for Easter but in my comfort food rage, I couldn’t stop myself from making it a little bit early.

I have to tell you that I looooooove turkey sausage. Pretty much any recipe I’ve made for this blog with turkey sausage has gotten my highest rating. I loved sausage as a kid, especially when smothered in maple syrup, and I regularly snacked on veggie sausage links when I was a vegetarian (and still do!). So, it shouldn’t surprise you when I tell you – I. Love. This. Dish! In fact, this is probably one of my favorite dishes I’ve made recently. Filled with creamy potatoes, spicy sausage, earthy mushrooms and topped with Swiss cheese and fresh thyme, this is a comforting dish that would be great for either brunch or dinner. I hunkered down with a bowl of this on Sunday afternoon while I watched The Shining for the 600th time. Comforting indeed!

The ingredients:

Heat sausage in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, breaking up the sausage into crumbles. Remove the sausage from pan and wipe the pan with paper towels.

Melt the butter in the pan and add onion, sautéing for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 6 minutes. Add the potatoes and salt and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned.

Stir in the cooked sausage and broth and remove from heat.

Spoon the mixture into a baking dish coated with cooking spray and top with cheese. Cover and bake in a 400°F for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with thyme before serving.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • White mushrooms

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

I know, I know, you can’t believe it.  I actually made an entree that isn’t chicken!  It took me a loooooooong time to start eating fish again despite the fact that I used to go fishing with my dad.  We ate fresh fish quite often, not to mention that mashed up fish sticks smothered in lemon-butter was one of my favorite meals.  Like, ever!  And although I’m sure I could probably scarf down a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish if I really wanted to, generally I can’t stand fishy-fish.  I’ve had a couple of mahi recipes tucked away that I haven’t had the nerve to make but after eating mahi mahi two (maybe three?) times in Florida over the weekend, I figured it was time to step up and get over my fear of cooking fish. 

This Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa seemed simple enough and luckily, I had all of the ingredients for the salsa already.  The fish is briefly soaked in a mixture of coconut milk and lime juice before being cooked in a grill pan (although I used a regular pan).  The salsa is filled with flavors of mango, cucumber, red pepper, ginger and jalapeño (the recipe calls for serrano) which taste super-yummy with the mahi mahi.  I’m no longer afraid to make fish at home anymore so this was a big step for me! 

The ingredients:

Combine coconut milk and lime juice in a shallow dish and add the fish.  Turn a few times to coat and let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, chop the mango, red pepper, cucumber, cilantro, ginger, cilantro and jalapeño (and onion, if using) and place in bowl with remaining coconut milk and lime juice.

Remove fish from the marinade and season with salt and pepper.  Place in a grill pan heated over medium-high heat.  Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until fully cooked (mine took an extra 2 or 3 minutes).

Serve with mango salsa.

Additions:  None

Omissions: 

  • Red onion

Substitutions:

  • Jalapeno pepper

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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