Fourth of July Fiesta!

Photo via www.marthastewart.com

For many, Fourth of July marks the beginning of hot Summer weather, a perfect time to start up the grill and have an outdoor picnic. Why not put a healthier, fresh twist on your Fourth of July cookout?

Try these recipes and make a delicious meal that will make this

holiday weekend fun, festive & healthy!

Tequila Flank Steak

This steak is wonderful served with warm tortillas, served over rice or

on top of a bountiful salad.

(You can also make steak sandwiches with the leftovers.)

2 flank steaks (1 1/2 pounds each)

Marinade:

3 tsp. lime zest

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup tequila

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. dried oregano

Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together. Pierce the meat with a knife. Add the meat to a large baking dish or two resealable plastic bags. Pour the marinade over, turning to coat the steaks. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove steak from the marinade and grill steaks to medium rare- about 4 minutes. Discard the marinade. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm- let stand for about 10 minutes. To serve, slice thinly on a diagonal across the grain.

Guacamole

Top your tequila flank steak fajitas with this for a healthy treat!

2 avocados

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the avocados into halves. Remove the seeds, and scoop out the pulp into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the avocado. Stir in lemon juice, onion, salt, and olive oil. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Fresh Salsa

Nothing tastes better in the summer time than vine ripened tomatoes.

Dress up your steak with this salsa and use the leftovers to top an omelette!

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup finely diced onion

4 serrano chiles, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lime juice

In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, onion, chili peppers, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Grilled Peppers

3 pounds red or yellow bell peppers (8 medium), quartered

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 balsamic vinegar, to taste

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, using a wire whisk, combine the spices with the vinegar and then slowly whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream. Add the peppers and stir to combine. Let marinade at least 2 hours. Grill the peppers over medium high heat, 5 minutes on each side. Peppers should be charred in spots but not completely charred. Makes 4 cups.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

This is a delightful side dish or can also be a wonderful light lunch topped with guacamole.

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups cooked corn kernels, fresh or frozen

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

Chipotle Cream

Dollop on top of grilled steak, chicken or beans for a spicy kick!

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/4 tsp. chipotle flavored hot pepper sauce

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt.

Rice with Summer Squash & Pepitas

The pepitas add such a wonderful crunch to this delicious side dish.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)

1 medium yellow zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium green zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice (about 10 ounces)

3 cups chicken or veggie broth

3 tablespoons roasted salted shelled pumpkin seeds or pepitas

3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add yellow zucchini, and green zucchini; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add rice; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in pumpkin seeds and parsley.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Thursday night (another rainy evening) we had company for dinner and I decided to make zucchini & corn enchiladas, sweet pepper rice and salad. This dressing is one of my favorites as a companion to any mexican meal.

I tossed in mixed greens, chunks of avocado, red pepper, red onion and pepitas.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

4 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cored

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

In a blender, combine the lime juice, jalapeno pepper, garlic, cilantro and oil. Blend until the dressing is creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We were invited to my sister's new house this weekend for a potluck dinner.

One of my favorite dishes to bring to potlucks is a platter of roasted sweet potatoes with quinoa tabbouleh. I do not eat eat hamburgers or hotdogs so in the event that that is what is being grilled, I can politely pass and the sweet potatoes will be plenty to fill me up.

My favorite way to roast them is to set the oven to 425. Place 2 tbsp. of virgin coconut oil on a baking sheet and place in the oven as it preheats. In the meantime, peel and slice 2 medium sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch rounds. When the oven is preheated remove the baking dish and place your sweet potato rounds in one layer and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook for about 15 minutes and carefully turn the potatoes and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Delicious!

My big sister (she's the shorter one..)

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

I thought for just a moment that summer had arrived, but alas, more rain. Is it ever going to end? I had officially sworn off warming soups until this past weekend. Spending a few hours watching my son play his last baseball game in the pouring rain was enough for me to come home and break out the Le Creuset and make this delicious, warming soup.

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

1 cup / 7 oz / 200g yellow split peas
1 cup 7 oz / 200g red split lentils (masoor dal)
7 cups
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or butter
8 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
one small handful cilantro, chopped

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. Place the coconut oil or butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, and the remaining ginger. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time, if you like. Or simmer longer for a thicker consistency. The thicker this soup got, the more I liked it. Sprinkle each bowl generously with cilantro and the remaining green onions.

Serves 6.

White Bean Dip with almonds

Last night we had two families over for a laid back, easy meal. The weather was great, the food was wonderful and one of the families surprised us by bringing 4 lobsters that they had caught in their lobster pot that morning! It was a very delightful Maine barbeque.

I whipped up this dip and if you have all the ingredients on hand it can be made in 10 minutes.

It is a great alternative to cheesy, dairy based dips that I personally do not enjoy.

Try it and let me know what you think!

White Bean Dip with Almonds

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 gloves of garlic, sliced thin

2 cups cooked white beans

3/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds

Fine grain Sea Salt

1 tbs. fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed

1/4 cup water

In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Over medium low heat, slowly warm, until the oil just barely starts to sizzle, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Pour the oil through a strainer and discard the garlic and rosemary.

In a food processor, combine the beans with 1/2 cup of the almonds, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Pulse a couple of times to bring the ingredients together. Add the water slowly and pulse until the dip is a consistency that you would enjoy. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Scoop the dip into a bowl and top with the remaining almonds and drizzle with the garlic rosemary oil.