Grilled Pineapple-Jicama Salsa

We woke up this morning to snow on the ground. Yes, snow. On March 27th. Only about an inch and it was gone by mid-afternoon, but snow nonetheless. So, in my effort to bring in some warm grilling weather, I am posting a recipe for a delicious salsa. I made this last summer and loved it. I actually ate it as a side, but you can use it in tacos or dip chips in it. So wish some good weather my way so Matt can fire up the grill and I can post a picture of this!

Makes 4 1/2 cups

3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 cups diced grilled pineapple*
1 cup jicama julienne
3/4 cup small-dice red onion
3/4 cup small-dice red pepper
2 teaspoon minced jalapeno, or to taste (optional)

Whisk together the lime juice, oil, cilantro, salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Add the pineapple, jicama, onion and peppers and toss to combine well. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the salsa until ready to use. Store any unused salsa in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

*How to grill the pineapple:
Cut the pineapple into 1/2 inch thick rings. Grill over direct heat, turning as necessary, until both sides are well caramelized. Approximately 6-8 minutes.

This recipe was from Grilling, by The Culinary Institute of America.

Spinach Enchiladas and Strawberry Shortcake

Tonight we had a great dinner and dessert. I will give credit where it's due...Matt made the spinach enchiladas. They were delicious, and so filling! I will admit, I had my doubts when I looked at the recipe and even while he was making them, but they turned out great. We'll definitely be making these again. It is from Holly Clegg's Trim and Terrific Cookbook. Then I made a strawberry shortcake, which was, again, delicious, but not what you'd call low-calorie. But, it was made with all-natural ingredients, from scratch, so at least there were no artificial ingredients or icky additives. I even made whipped cream from scratch, for the first time! I'd seen my sister (the amazing pastry chef) do it and it tastes so much better. And it's hard to find organic whipped cream.

Here are the recipes, we used as many organic ingredients as we could. I recommend doing the same.

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas
Makes 8 enchiladas
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed - we used a 16 ounce package, a little extra green
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
8 (6-8 inch) flour tortillas - we used whole wheat
1 (10 ounce can) enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sliced green onions (scallions)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a non-stick skillet, heat the spinach, black beans, taco seasoning mix, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream.
On each tortilla, spread 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce, about 1/3 cup spinach mixture, and 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up each tortilla placing the seam-side down in an oblong baking dish coated with non-stick spray. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the filled enchiladas, cover, and bake for 15-18 minutes. Uncover and garnish with the remaining cheese. Continue baking for 5 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted. Serve with the green onion.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories 266, Protein 14g, Carbohydrate 39g, Fat 5g, Calories from Fat 18%, Saturated Fat 3g, Dietary Fiber 5g, Cholesterol 11mg, Sodium 1195mg

Strawberry Shortcake
cake:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Mix the milk and eggs in a small bowl, then add to the dry mixture. Pat into 2 round 9" pans, greased. It will be very thin, but it will rise during baking. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then place on a wire rack until completely cooled.

Strawberries:
3 quarts strawberries, washed and sliced
1/4 cup sugar

Combine the strawberries and sugar in a bowl and let soak until soft and juicy.

Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar (more or less to taste)

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the cream until it has the desired consistency. Once it has the right texture, add the sugar and mix well. You can always add more sugar, so I recommend starting with a little less than 1/3 of a cup and add to taste. It's hard to find organic or all-natural whipped cream and most are made with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, so making your own is a great alternative. It was much easier than I expected and tasted so much better than what you can get at the store.

I always try to use all-natural and organic ingredients in recipes. I will substitute whole wheat for white flour and organic evaporated cane juice for sugar. My goal for my family is to eat whole foods, avoid artificial and processed ingredients and to eat well balanced meals. We aren't necessarily always trying to eat super low-calorie, low-fat foods, we aim for real food in moderate quantities. Keep in mind, when cooking, what your goals are and alter your recipes as needed. It's OK to indulge in your cravings once in a while, just control your portions and use real food that your body can process easily. And enjoy!