Balsamic Sirloin with Cilantro-Lime Rice

The sweet balsamic steak pairs well with the sour lime and cilantro rice and sweet sauteed red onions. This recipe makes two very filling portions that combines many fresh flavors into one amazing dish!

Rice Ingredients:

3/4 c. basmati rice
1 c. water
1-2 tsp. cilantro, chopped
zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup water on high heat until a rapid boil forms. Add the basmati rice and a pinch of salt, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. To the rice, add the chopped cilantro, lime juice and zest, and season with salt and pepper.

Onion Ingredients:

1 small red onion, sliced
1 tsp. evoo
salt and pepper

In a small pan, heat the oil to medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3-5 minutes until the red onion is soft but still holds it's shape.

Steak Ingredients:

12 oz. sirloin steak
2 Tbs. balsamic
1 tsp. evoo
salt and pepper

In a shallow dish, combine the balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. Season the steak on both sides and place the steak in the balsamic on each side for 10 minutes. Heat a large pan over medium high heat and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Add the steak when the pan gets hot and cook on each side for 4-7 minutes. Set to rest for five minutes before slicing.

To assemble the dish, heap a large portion of rice onto two serving dishes. Divide the onions in half and place in the middle on top of the rice. Cut the steak into thin slices, and fan out on top of the onions. Finish the dish with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge!

Lime Kissed Coconut White Chocolate Cookies

Although the weather so far this winter has been unusually warm for us, my mind is still thinking of Spring and warmer weather. I want to go stick my feet in the water and squish them in the sand and just feel the sun on my face again! Hopefully just a few more months. But in the meantime, these cookies, for a brief moment that is, brought me to that sunshine and paradise that everyone around here is craving!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks margarine, softened
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. lime extract
1 1/4 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. organic unsweetened coconut chips (plus extra)
4 tsp. white chia seeds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In an electric mixer, beat the margarine and sugar together until a paste forms. Add in the egg and lime extract, and mix just until the ingredients are combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt and mix on medium speed until the dough starts pulling away from the mixing bowl. On low speed, add the white chocolate, coconut and chia seeds until just incorporated. Using a batter scoop, place heaping tablespoons of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet and put in the freezer for at least a half an hour. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place staggered frozen cookie dough balls at least an inch apart on the lined sheet. Top with a few more flakes of coconut and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Even if they look not fully done to you, remove them from the oven! They continue to cook for a few minute when out. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool fully on a wire rack.

Key Lime Shortbread Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks margarine, room temperature
2 Tbs. key lime juice

In an electric mixer, beat the margarine for 1-2 minutes until slightly fluffy. Add all of the dry ingredients, slowly incorporating. Add the key lime juice and mix until just combined. Dust your work surface with powdered sugar. Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a 10 inch log. Wrap tightly in Saran Wrap and stick in the freezer for at least 2 hours until the dough is firm.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut into 1/4 inch slices (you may need to re-configure some of them if they get flattened while cutting, so that you have more of a circular shape). Place on the parchment paper and make a finger indent in the very center of each cookie. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool fully on a wire rack.

When the cookies are fully cool, spoon the key lime glaze on top, which consists of 3/4 c. powdered sugar and 1 1/2 Tbs. key lime juice. Add green edible glitter if you want to give them more of a shine! *If you are packaging these cookies by overlapping them or stacking, make sure you wait until the glaze hardens, at least 30 minutes after spooning onto the cookies.

"Just a hint of lime" Cake

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
9 Tbs sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lime extract
1/4 c. apple butter
1/2 c. reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. 1% milk
colored sugar
non stick cooking spray


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 pan with non stick cooking spray. Set aside. In an electric mixer, whip the eggs and sugar together until fluffy. Add the vanilla and lime extract, apple butter, sour cream and melted butter. Beat until well combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients and the milk alternating, until combine well. When the batter is smooth, pour into the greased pan. Bake for 25-27 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with colored sugar so that as the cake cools it sticks to the top from the heat. Let cool slightly before cutting. (Serves 16, 4 WW points a slice.)

"Goblin Slime" Punch

Ingredients:
1 46oz. pineapple juice
1 12oz. limeade concentrate
1 14oz. jar sweetened condensed milk
24 oz. water
24 oz. sprite

Combine all of the ingredients in a punch bowl. Make sure you stir until the limeade and that it is fully melted and mixed into the punch.

"Grubworms" dipped in "Swamp Water"

Ingredients:
2 limes (2 tsp. zest, 1/4 c. juice)
2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
2 inch. piece of ginger, peeled and minced
30-40 frozen cooked shrimp, peeled deveined and no tails, thawed
6 Tbs. soy sauce
1 egg
1 Tbs. water
flour
1 pkg. Puff Pastry, thawed according to package

Stir the first 4 ingredients together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, add the shrimp, 2  Tbs. soy sauce, and half of the lime mixture. Toss slightly, and then refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg and 1 Tbs. water together. Set aside. Sprinkle flour on your work surface. Unfold the pastry sheet. Cut in half, and then cut each of the halves into thin strips. Repeat for the second sheet. Wrap the pastry around each piece of shrimp, and place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining shrimp. Brush the tops of the shrimp with the egg wash. Bake for 15-17 minutes. While the shrimp are cooking, mix the remaining lime mixture with 4 Tbs. of soy sauce. Remove the shrimp from the baking sheet and let cool slightly.

Strawberry Lime Cupcakes

                                                (photo by KPC Photography)

Ingredients:
1 box French vanilla cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/3 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. rum extract
1/4 c. lime juice
Homemade or store bought strawberry frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners. Pour each cup 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18 minutes. Let cool in the muffin tins on a wire rack. Remove from the tins and make sure they are fully cool before frosting. Pipe strawberry frosting on top using any tip you prefer. Decorate and enjoy!

Lemon-Lime Tarts

Ingredients:
1 box Pillsbury pie crust (softened)
3 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbs. powdered sugar
2 Tbs. whipping cream
1 tsp. grated lime peel
1/4 c. lemon curd
Garnish:
Lime and lemon zest


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll pie crust onto work surface. Use the bottom of a shot glass to cut our circles. Place each cutout circle into a mini muffin tin. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden. Cool completely. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and whipping cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spoon into a Ziplock bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, and pipe onto your pie crust circles. In another bowl, stir the lime peel into the lemon curd. Spoon or pipe on top of the cream cheese mixture. Garnish with the lemon and lime zest.

Makes about 60 mini tarts.

A Tropical Dinner

I was in the mood for something tropical, and I had a gorgeous pineapple to use so last night for dinner I made Southwest shrimp, grilled pineapple, and green beans with lime, almonds and caramelized shallots. Recipes to follow...


Southwest Shrimp:

 

30 cocktail shrimp, uncooked with tails still on

Mrs. Dash, Southwest seasoning

2 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. chopped fresh Parsley

In a small saucepan on medium heat, add the shrimp. Brown nicely on both sides of the shrimp and then add the butter to the pan. Sprinkle about 2 tsp. of the Mrs. Dash on the shrimp and stir. When the shrimp are fully cooked, toss in the parsley and stir just to combine. (I served them in a hollowed out bowl made from the bottom of the pineapple.)

Grilled Pineapple:

 

1 large pineapple

Pam cooking spray

Spray a saucepan with cooking spray. Heat the pan to medium/medium-high heat. Add the pineapple and cook for about 3 minutes on each side so that each side gets golden brown. 

Green Beans with Almond, Shallots and Lime:

 

Small bag of fresh green beans (about 20)

2 large shallots, sliced thin

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 lime

Salt and Pepper

1/4 chopped almonds

Heat a saucepan to medium heat. Add the olive oil and shallots. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until the shallots are caramelized. Add the green beans and season with salt and pepper. Add the almonds and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Squeeze the juice from the lime and stir to combine. Serve warm.

Mojito Freeze

 

Ingredients:
1 c. finely chopped pretzels
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 pkg. cream cheese
2/3 c. sugar
zest and juice of one large lime
2 tbs. finely chopped fresh mint
2 c. thawed cool whip

Mix pretzel crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of a plastic wrap lined 9 inch pan. Freeze until ready to use. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, zest, juice and mint with a mixer until well blended. Whisk in 1 1/2 c. cool whip; spoon over crust. Freeze for 4 hours. Use plastic wrap to remove the dessert from the pan. Top with the remaining cool whip.
*I made a pattern with the cool whip before I froze the dessert, and embellished with the lime wedges and mint. Then froze.

Lemon Coconut Mini Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups vanilla wafers

Filling:
2 8oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/3 c. toasted coconut

Garnish:
toasted coconut
finger lime "pearls"

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a blender and mix until well combined.  In a food processor blend the vanilla wafers until it forms small crumbles, almost like a powder. Line a mini muffin tin with cupcake liners. Place 1 1/2 tsp of the vanilla wafer on the bottom. Top with 1-1 1/2 tbs. of the cheesecake filling. Make sure it is even and smooth on the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool before garnishing.

Makes approximately 30-36

New Addiction

 I am now obsessed with a fruit called Finger Limes. They look like baby pickles on the outside.

 But when you cut into them....

they look like this on the inside!

They are also known as "lime caviar" and trust me, each tiny pearl packs a punch! I can't wait to try some new recipes using these!

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