Dry Rub For Salmon And Other Fish

1. 2 TSP Cumin
2. 1 TSP Cinnamon
3. 1 TSP Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
4. 1 TSP Salt Free Chili Powder
5. 1/4 TSP Brown Mustard Seed
6. 1/2 TSP Lemon Peel
7. 1/2 TSP Lemon Juice Powder
8. 1/2 TSP Lemon Oil
9. 1/4 TSP Ground Black Pepper
10. 1/4 TSP Crushed Bay Leaf
11. 1/4 TSP Crushed Thyme
12. 1/4 TSP Celery Seed
13. 1/4 TSP Crushed Fennel
14. 1/4 TSP Dehydrated Minced Onion
15. 1/4 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
16. 1/4 TSP Crushed Basil
17. 1/4 TSP Oregano

1 Bowl
1 Baking Sheet

1 Pound Wild Alaskan Salmon Fillets
1 TSP Garlic Oil
1-2 TSP Lime Juice
1 Skillet

Add Items 1-17 into bowl and mix together
Coat Each Salmon Fillet With Dry Rub And Let Sit For 10-15 Minutes on Baking Sheet
Heat Garlic Oil in SKillet
Add Salmon Fillets And Cook Until Salmon Flakes Into Small Pieces
Add Lime Juice On Salmon When Finished
Eat As Is, In a Taco, Or On top of a salad with with my Black Bean Peach Salsa & Green Apples Slices

Salmon Cooking With Dry Rub

Sliced & Ready To Eat

Served Over Romaine Lettuce
With My Black Bean Peach Salsa
And Diced Green Apples And Some Balsamic Vinegar

Add Some Tri Color Tortilla Strips
For Color And Extra Crunch

Peach Black Bean Salsa

1. 15 Oz Can Black Beans No Salt Added or 15 Oz Dry Beans Cleaned/Soaked & Prepared To Use
2. 6 Oz Frozen Corn No Salt Added or Fresh Sliced Of The Cob 
3. 10 Oz Can Diced Tomatoes With Cilantro And Lime Juice
4. 14.5 Oz Can No Sugar Added Diced Peaches or Fresh Without Skin
5. 1/4 Cup Fresh Diced Cilantro
6. 1/4 - 1/2 Cup Splenda

1 Bowl
1 Skillet

Empty all items into bowl and mix together
Add mixture to skillet and warm until cilantro becomes slightly wilted
Can be eaten as is or with fish, chicken, steak in a salad, taco, wrap, burrito, omelet or with chips.
If you like add in some fresh guacamole.

You Can Eat Eat Plain

With Guacamole Added

Chicken Portabella Mushroom Tortilla Soup

Now that I only go to the grocery store two times a month instead of every week it has become a habit for me to make larger servings so I always have something healthy prepared and ready to heat up or take down from the freezer.

Perhaps it is the warmer Spring weather that makes me lazier when it come to cooking?  Once the Summer hits with those 90 and 100 degree days then I stick with  fruit, salads, veggies, beans, potatoes, pasta, tofu, smoothies, cereal, wraps, soup in my Vitamix. Basically when it gets that hot I try to avoid using my oven and naturally I have much less of an appetite for winter type foods.

1 Dutch Oven or Large Stockpot With Lid And Vents For Steam To Escape During Cooking
5 Cups Very Low Sodium Chicken Broth Not More then 95MG Sodium Per Cup
10 Ounces Portabella Mushrooms Diced
2 Small Onions Diced

1. 1 TBSP Minced Garlic
2. 1/2 TSP Ground Black Pepper
3. 1 TBSP California Parsley 
4. 1/8 TSP Sea Salt
5. 2 TBSP Litehouse Italian Seasoning Blend
6. 1 14.5 Oz Can No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
7. 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
8. 2 Grilled Chicken Breasts Cut Into Cubes ( Used Tyson Frozen Grilled Chicken Breasts)
9. 8 Oz No Yolk Egg White Noodles
10. 1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro Diced 

0.5 Oz Package of Tri Color Tortilla Strips for Topping
Optional to Add 2-3 Avocado Slices Into Soup

Steam Mushroom And Onions In Microwave, Remove And Set Aside
Add Chicken Broth to Dutch Oven
Add Steamed Mushroom & Onions to Your Dutch Oven

Add in Items 1-8, Stir And Bring To a Boil Uncovered

Add In Your Noodles And Boil for 8-10 Minutes With Cover On

Add In Cilantro and Cook for 1-2 Minutes, Cilantro Should Look Wilted

0.5 Oz of Tri Color Tortilla Strips For Topping

Optional to Add 2-3 Avocado Slices Into Soup

Cooking

Finished

Tortilla Strips Give This A Nice Crunch

Lemon Hashbrown Potatoes With Gardein Chick'N Scallopini, Peas, & Cheese

Today's Meal Uses Healthy Packaged Frozen Boxed Products to Still Make a Healthy Meal

1 Saute Pan
1 Skillet

Fat Free Cooking Spray

1/4 TSP Canola Oil & 1/4 TSP Smart Balance Olive Oil Butter Blend

1 Package Hungry Jack Instant Hashbrowns
2 Small Onions Diced
1 TBSP Capers
2 Gardein Chick'N Scallopini Breasts Cooked & Cut Into Cubes
1 10-12 OZ Package of Frozen Peas Cooked & Drained
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro Diced
1 Package Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme

Add Hot Water To Fill Line
Hydrate for 12 Minutes

In Sauté Pan Add Canola Oil And Sauté Onions Till Soft, Set Aside
Once Hash Browns Are Hydrated, Drain Water From Container
Add Butter Blend to Skillet Pan, Heat on Low Heat
Add Hasbrowns to Skillet Pan And Stir for 3-4 Minutes
Add in Gardein Cooked Scallopini Breasts
Add in Capers
Add in Lemon Juice
Add in Peas
Add in Cilantro and Cooking Creme, Stir and Cook for 5 Minutes And Your Done

Gardein Scallopini Lemon Caper Hashbrowns
You Could Stop Here if You Do Not Like Peas or Garlic Cream Cheese

Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cream Cheese & Peas
Finished Product

Kale Chicken Sausage Soup

Saturday was another cold, rainy & gloomy day in Illinois. I spent the day in transit and attending my 2nd cousin's bridal shower and then meeting a friend from High school for a cup of coffee before my long drive back home. Once home, I immediately changed out of my dressy clothes and put on my comfy sweats so I could just hang out on my Lazy Boy couch with my feet up, be cozy under a blanket and watch a movie on my DVR.

There is just something about rainy and damp weather that makes me want to be lazy. Before I knew it 7:30 in the evening was here, and I had not prepared my soup to have for my meals for the next few days. Being single I make a big quantity of lots of foods, then have next day leftovers, and freeze some. There is nothing more comforting and helpful for me, then not having to prepare a meal every day of the week.

This allows me to have healthy meals in my freezer for several months and not to have go to the store sometimes for 3-4 weeks. This was also my first time preparing and eating Kale. Lately I have been watching the Food Network more then usual and every Chef seems to be making something with Kale.  Other then using Kale I have not adapted any Chef's recipes to come up with mine.With the nagging dead weight in the back of my mind that my Cancer could always come back or my current beingn (?) tumors could grow, or I could get a new Cancer, I am constantly trying to add more foods into my Diet that are supposed to be Cancer Protective. A friend from one of my support groups I belong too, who happens to also live in my Townhouse Complex came over today to be my Food Critic. She said my Soup was better then any she has ever had in a restaurant or out of a can, I think that is a wonderful compliment.

1 Dutch Oven
1 Stockpot
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
16 Oz. Ground Chicken Breakfast Sausage
2 TBSP Frontier No Salt Added Blackened Creole Powder
6-8 Oz Water
2 Small Yukon Potatoes Washed & Cut Into Cubes
1 Bunch Kale Diced & Blanched
2 Small Onions Diced
2 Yellow Bell Peppers Diced
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1 TSP Crushed Rosemary
1 TSP French Thyme
2 TSP California Parsley
1 TBSP Ground Cinnamon
1 TBSP Lite House Freeze Dried Italian Seasoning

2 Cups Very Low Sodium Chicken Broth ( Not More Then 95MG  Per Cup)

1 14.5 Oz Can of No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes

1/4 TSP Sea Salt

Add Kale to Boiling Water In Stockpot And Let Boil for 5 Minutes
Remove Kale And Immediately Add To Bowl of Ice And Let Sit for 2-3 Minutes
Remove Kale And Set Aside
Brown Chicken Sausage in Oil And Blackened Creole Powder in Dutch Oven
Add In Potatoes, Kale, Water, The Rest of Your Seasonings, Stir To Coat Evenly
Cook Covered for 15-20 Minutes,
Add In Peppers And Onions And Cook Covered for Another 15-20 Minutes
Add in Chicken Broth And Tomatoes And Cook for Covered for Another 1 to 1 1/2 Hours
Serve With Some Fresh Imported Pecorino Romano Cheese Crumbled On Top

Peach Cranberry Almond Quick Bread

2 Cups Wholewheat Flour

1 TBSP Ground Cinnamon

1 TSP Cardamom Powder

1 TSP Xanthan Gum

1 TBSP Baking Powder

1 Cup Crushed Sliced Almonds
1 Cup Unsweetened Cranberries
16 Oz. Diced Peaches
1/2 Cup Plus 2 TBSP Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Cup Light Vanilla Soymilk
4 Oz Unsweetened Applesauce
2 Egg Whites
1 TBSP Vanilla Extract

1 Mixing Bowl
1 13 X 9 Inch Deep Baking Pan
Flour Cooking Spray

Add All Dry Items to Bowl, Add All Wet Items And Mix Until Just Combined
Pour Batter into Baking Dish
Bake at 350 or 375 And Cook Until Fork Tine Inserted in Middle Come Out Dry

Balsamic Yukon Potatoes & Gardein Chick'n Scallopini Breasts

3 Yukon Potatoes Cleaned And Cut Into Cubes
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TSP Rosemary
1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
2 Small Onions Minced
2 Frozen Gardein Brand Chick'n Scallopini Breasts
1 Skillet

Cook Gardein Brand Chick'n Scallopini Breasts
Remove Gardein Breasts, Cut Into Cubes And Set Aside

Add Oil to Preheated Skillet
Add Potatoes & Rosemary And Cook Till 3/4 Done
Add in Onion, Balsamic Vinegar, Capers, & Gardein Breasts.
Cook Until Done

Genuine French Sheep's Milk Feta

Most Real Greek Feta Cheese is typically made with Sheep's Milk & Goat's Milk. As a Foodie and Home Chef I feel that Goat's Milk is an acquired taste and you either like it or you don't. It might surprise those of you who have been reading my blog that I do not like Goat Cheese or Goat Milk. There is an American version of Feta Cheese which is made with Pasteurized Cheese sold with Full Fat or Fat Free. This usually means it is made with Cow's Milk or it is Synthetically processed.

You might say I hit the grocery jackpot while food shopping at my local Meijer. I almost bumped into another grocery shopper with my grocery cart when I saw the Feta Cheese in the Cheese Case from France made with 100% Sheep's Milk.

Quick Easy Inexpensive Way To Make Cornmeal Hot Cereal, Mush or Polenta

While shopping at my local Meijer Grocery Store I  found this great product there, that they recently started selling, which is ideal for making quick polenta or making hot cornmeal cereal. Of course you could always make the cornmeal mush as well.  I am both impressed with the quality of the product and how quick it is to create a meal. I was really blown away to find out the company that makes this product has been around since 1896.  Seeing that date of 1896 brings back fond memories of my Great Aunt Esther who was born in 1897 and passed away a while ago. I wish I would have thought back when she was alive to ask her historical questions about her life growing up. It would have been interesting to learn of her adventures, travels, hardships, inventions, etc.

Look for this at your Grocery Store.

Brand New Quick And Inexpensive Way To Make Hashbrown Potatoes

Hungry Jack which for years has made boxed mashed potatoes has now launched a small container of Hasbrown potatoes which cooks in under 5 Minutes. The directions on the box say to fry in a oil, but I made my mine in a non-stick skillet with fat free cooking spray and they came out great. Look for this in your grocery store.

Best Hot Dogs

Being allergic to Nitrates & Nitrites makes it harder to find a good quality hot dog that does not scrimp on the taste when those items are removed. Previously I tried the Trader Joes brand and they were not very good, I thought I would have to suffer with the ones at Trader Joes or just never have one again.  Applegate Farms makes an excellent Nitrate Free Hot Dog. I am usually all about saving as much money as possible with sales,  coupons and store discount cards. These are a lot more expensive then other brands but I only buy a package of these a few times a year. There are other mainstream brands that are now Nitrate Free but these still contain other ingredients in the hot dogs that I am allergic too.

Here is the package:

Grilled Chicken Pasta With Sun Dried Tomatoes, Cream Cheese & Peas

With the recent switch to cold weather once again in the Midwest part of Illinois I have been craving comfort food that are quick, semi-homemade and easy to prepare. Of course my version of comfort foods is much healthier then the typical meal must people tend to think off. With my continued Neuropathy flare-up in my hands  I am trying to have one pot dishes that I can eat both hot or cold.

1 12.5 Oz Box Of Vegetable Pasta Cooked & Strained
1 3.5 Oz Package of Sundried Tomatoes Not In Oil
1 10 Oz Package of Frozen Peas Cooked
5 Oz Frozen Chopped Spinach Cooked & Tripple Patted Dry
8 Oz Tyson Grilled Chicken Breast Strips Cut into Cubes And Cooked (You Can Grill Fresh If Your Prefer)
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1 8 Oz Package of Weight Watchers Cream Cheese or Other Low Fat Cream Cheese Spread
1 Large Bowl
1 Spoon

I cook my pasta in the Microwave. You can cook your pasta according to your package instructions.
Empty cooked pasta in bowl.
Add In Peas, Spinach, Chicken, Tomatoes, Garlic Powder, Cream Cheese And Mix
You Can Vary Your Vegetables And Use Broccoli if Your Prefer