Haha, you thought I meant my muscles….Oh dear no. I meant the mussels from the water. Thanks to the folks from Mussel King we had a feed of mussels on Christmas Eve as well as the day after as there were so many. But talk about delicious! When I made them on Christmas eve, the comments were over the top with amazement at how plump, juicy and full these mussels were.

For the preparation of these mussels – I kept it simple.  Things this good, you just need to keep it simple.

Ingredients

• 5lbs. Mussels, rinsed and clean
• 3 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Cup dry white wine
• Handful of fresh parsley
• Handful of cilantro

Method

1. Preheat a large stock pot on medium to high heat.
2. Add butter and onions and cook for a couple of minutes until translucent
3. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper – cook for another 30 seconds
4. Add the white wine, cilantro and parsley – Stir together.
5. Toss in the mussels, throw on the lid and let steam about 5-7 minutes.
6. Let steam until all the mussels have opened.
7. Serve into a bowl
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  The butter is the key here… steaming the mussels in butter with a little wine intensify the flavor and make them even juicier.  This is a must try for anyone who LOVES mussels.

Well, Happy Friday everyone.  Hard to believe Christmas is over and a new year right around the corner.  Tell me your New Year’s eve plans in the comments and I will talk to you all on Monday.

Happy New Year

zesty

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How To Enter the Kitchen Aid Giveaway Today:

For today’s entry – Tweet about the contest: “@ZestyCook is hosting a 12 Days of  @KitchenAidUSA Christmas giveaway!  Enter to win a KitchenAid mixer!  (http://wp.me/pimYR-1Kv).”   Must leave a comment on this post with the link to the tweet for the entry to be valid.  If you do not have twitter, you can just comment and tell a friend about it and let me know.

Super Yum Basil Hummus

Get your crackers ready, slice that pita bread in triangles and get ready for a dip.  You know what I am talking about.  Who does not like homemade hummus?  Who does not like basil infused hummus?  Well, roll up your sleeves, grab your food processor and give this a whirl.  It takes all of 5 minutes to make and you will not be disappointed in the least.

It sort of makes sense, doesn’t it? Like a cross between hummus and pesto. The basil and the pine nuts bring life to the hummus. A little tomato paste adds a touch of sweetness and the hot sauce adds just a little zing. This was a hit with everyone who tried it, so I hope you like it too.  Basil is pretty easy to get all year round but fresh homemade basil in late summer would be the cat’s *%s for this dish.

Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup pine nuts
• 2 Cups sweet basil leaves, packed
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed then minced
• 2 19 oz cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 1/3 Cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Hot Sauce
• 1 Tsp. Tomato paste

Method

1. Heat the pine nuts in a small skillet on medium high heat. Stir them when they start to brown. When most of them have lightly browned, remove them from the pan into a bowl to cool. (Reserve a few pine nuts for garnish.)
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place the basil leaves and the garlic. Pulse until finely chopped.
3. Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, tomato paste, and a few dashes of Tabasco. Pulse several times, for several seconds each time, until the hummus is smooth.
4. Add more Hot sauce and salt or lemon juice to taste.
5. Add water to the point of desired consistency.
6. To serve, place in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts. Serve with pita wedges, crackers, or rustic bread.  Maybe even just a spoon!

Zesty Tip:  If the hummus sits for a day or two in the fridge, I like to drizzle a little olive oil over the top as it will begin to tighten up.  The olive oil will bring it back to the correct consistency.

Contest Recap

For today’s entry – Tweet about the contest: “@ZestyCook is hosting a 12 Days of @KitchenAidUSA Christmas giveaway!  Enter to win a KitchenAid mixer! (http://wp.me/pimYR-1Kv).”   Must leave a comment on this post with the link to the tweet for the entry to be valid.  If you do not have twitter, you can just comment and tell a friend about it and let me know.

Previous Ways to Enter

1. Please “like” the Zesty Cook facebook page and come back and tell me you did it. If you are already a “liker,” leave a comment telling me you are already a fan.
2. Tell me your favorite holiday tradition and leave a comment telling me.
3. Tell Zesty your favorite Holiday dish

Please be sure to leave separate comments for each entry to increase your chance to win! 

Ok, I better get going here and get to the office.  Try this hummus and tell me if you love it!  I received a nice comment last night on my about page from a long time reader apparently.  Made me smile.  Have a great day and talk to you on Friday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

A Friday treat is hear for all! Well not all but everyone who loves potatoes, cheese and bacon. Heck even if you don’t love bacon, I am pretty sure you will still love these little bits of comfort.  Some days when you get home from work or are sitting on the couch taking a breather, comfort food is all you need.  Whether it is your favorite fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, some chocolate cake or baked potato skins and bacon – food can definitely change your mood.

Despite these skins taking a little bit of effort – the end results are well worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 6 Large baking potatoes
• 1/4 Tsp.salt
• 1/4 Tsp. pepper
• 1 Cup Cheddar cheese, Swiss or Asiago cheese
• 6 slices slices bacon, cooked
• 3 Green onions, chopped

Method

1. Scrub potatoes; prick several times with fork. Bake in 450°F (230°C) oven until tender, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle. (Make-ahead: Let cool completely; refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 days.)
2. Cut lengthwise in half; scoop out flesh, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick walls (reserve flesh for another use, such as soup or mashed potatoes).
3. Arrange, cut side up, on baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cheese.
4. Bake in 450°F (230°C) oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
5. Top with bacon and green onions and serve immediately.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For an extra kick, you can add some crushed red pepper flakes or chili powder to give it a little heat or you can have sour cream on the side spiked with hot sauce.

I don’t mean to cut this short but let me tell you these potato skins are pretty darn yummy and I would like for you to try them… ok?    Let me know what you think of them after you make them.

Movember Update – Week 2

The Mo is growing… slowly but surely.

I have to go get down to the conference for the final day.  I hope you have a great Friday and a fun weekend.  I will catch up with you on Monday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Ummm is this thing on?   Oh there we go… much better.  Happy Wednesday to you!  A couple of weeks ago I had a huge craving for scallops on the way home from work.  So of course, I pulled in and picked up a few handfuls of fresh scallops as a snack before dinner.  I know, I know… crazy but true.  As I was walking around the store, thoughts were running through my head as to how I wanted to prepare the scallops.  For me, simple is best when it comes to a plump juicy scallop.  Today, i switched things up a little and added a bit of sweet with a bit of sour in the form of raspberries and lemon juice.

The combination was excellent.  The only problem I had with this is that I didn’t buy enough scallops as I was wanting more when the plate was empty.  If you have 6 minutes – make these and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients

• Fresh scallops
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tsp. Olive oil
• 1/2 Cup Raspberries
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• Zest of a lemon
• Juice of a lemon
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the pan to medium-high heat.
2. Pat dry the scallops and season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Add the butter and oil together in the pan and then start to sear the scallops.
4. Sear on each side until golden brown about 1-1 1/2 minutes and then remove from the pan.
5. Leaving the butter and oil in the sauce and add the raspberries, lemon zest and juice.
6. Cook down for 2-3 minutes and add the scallops back in the pan.
7. Spoon the sauce over the scallops and serve
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Make sure the scallops are patted dry with a paper towel and the pan is really hot when you start the searing process.

Alright, I am going to head to work, dodging rain drops as it is pouring from the skies.  I hope you have a great Wednesday and I will touch base with you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Simple things in life make me happy.  On Saturday night, we decided to have homemade pub food for viewing of Modern Family season 2.  Just as an aside, I find that show super funny.  I cannot figure out if I like Cameron or Phil the most.  Too funny.  OK back to the eats.  The line of snacks included some homemade baked chicken wings, some perfect nachos and I started the evening off with some of these.

OMG, I love good onion rings.  Nothing rots me more than getting an onion ring at a diner and you feel you can ring them out before eating them.  So I started backing them and avoiding that problem and well partly because we don’t own a fryer.

Taking a few onions, slicing them thick, seasoning with salt and pepper and dredging them in a little buttermilk mixture.  Then you toss them in some panko bread crumbs and roast them in your oven for 10-15 minutes.  Talk about a killer snack that your “peeps” will be fighting for.  The crunch and flavor are really a hit with this little rings.  I am a bit lame as I like to dip mine in ketchup, but feel free to dip these in whatever your heart desires.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs ( dried)
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Low Fat Buttermilk
• 1 Medium Onion ( Vidalia, Spanish)  Sliced and broken into rings
• 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/8 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• Coarse Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450 Degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, cayenne, and pepper
3. Dip onion rings into egg mixture ( letting excess drop off ) and dredge into panko mixture; place on a large platter
4. Pour oil into rimmed baking sheet and heat in oven for 2 minutes
5. Remove sheet from oven and tilt to coat evenly.
6. Arrange rings onto sheet.  Bake for about 15 minutes turning once or until rings are golden brown.
7. Season with salt.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: get them crunchy!  Keep rotating and turning the pan in the oven to ensure they are done evenly throughout.  The wait is worth it.

Have yourself a super Monday and I don’t know about your locale but it has been raining here for days.  I will keep my spirits up and see you all on Wednesday.  Maybe share a sweet treat with you for the mid week visit…. good idea?

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Earlier this year I had Chipotle Mexican Grill for the first time in California.  Needless to say I loved it.  I especially loved the guacamole and chips.  After a bit of research, I realized that the recipes for their food items were published online so you can try them at home.

If you have never heard of Chipotle Mexican Grill or have never tried the food there… you must!  Their food with integrity philosophy is really eye catching and hits close to home when you think of prepared food in a restaurant setting.

Chipotle’s Story

“Food with Integrity” is our commitment to always look closer, dig deeper, and work harder to ensure that our actions are making things better, not worse. It’s our promise to run our business in a way that doesn’t exploit animals, people or the environment. It is the philosophy that guides every decision we make at Chipotle.

Well of course I had to try it out.  I did this a while ago and just never posted it for you to enjoy.  Here is the low down on what I feel is one of the top 5 guacamole I have ever had.

Ingredients

• 2 Hass Avocados
• 1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced
• 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 of a lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mash together until smooth.
2. Add additional lime juice or salt to taste. For extra spicy guacamole, you can leave in the jalapeno seeds!

Zesty Tip: This recipe is an approximation based on the original Chipotle recipe. Please use it as a base for your guacamole creation, and feel free to make improvements based on your own personal preferences.

Ok, I have to get to work…. 3 million things to do after being away last week and away all weekend.  Have a great start to your week and I cannot wait to hear your favorite guacamole recipe in the comments.  You know you have to tell me them so don’t be shy.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Ummm Hello… is this thing on?  Yay!

It is Friday.  Another week down the tubes and believe it or not – we are expecting sunshine.  I will celebrate that later I guess with a cut of the grass and a weed of the garden.  But before we get into the house chores take a look at this recipe.

This issue of the G! was all about celebrities and what I would feed celebrities if they came to our gentle Island.  Of course you have to go with local ingredients and blow their minds with flavor.  This steamed mussel dish could be no easier than firing a few things in a pot and cranking up the heat to create steam.  When the mussels pop open.  EAT.

Ingredients ( Based on 4 lbs of Mussels )

• 1/4 lb Butter
• 2 Large Onion diced
• 1  head of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 Cups of grape tomatoes
• Fresh Cilantro ( for garnish)
• 3/4 Cup white wine
• 1 Bay leaf
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Method

1. In a large pot over medium heat add the butter and onion and begin to saute for 3 minutes.
2. Once the onion is opaque throw the rest of the ingredients in the pot.
3. Throw the lid on and let the mussels steam until they are cooked (open)
4. Keep an eye on them.  Serve them with some crusty bread so you can dip the bread in the broth!
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If a mussel does not open in the pot, don’t bother wrestling with it to try and open it, just discard and stay safe.

Did you know that Prince William and Kate are coming to the Island?  Kind of fun… but I doubt they will pop over to our house but you never know.  Some big musicians are dopping in this summer as well for a big concert on the beach.  Meatloaf, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Johnny Reid and Eddie Money.  If they show up at the zest house – i will have to whip up a batch of these mussels.

Have an awesome Friday and an even better weekend!  Talk to you on Monday.  Oh- we were invited to a pizza party tomorrow at the zesty inlaws with the brick oven.  I think next week will have some awesome pictures!

Take care

zesty

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Hi All, Gena here from Choosing Raw with you today while zest and family are enjoying the sunshine and excitement of Disney World. Zest asked me to share with you my homemade potato chips that I somewhat stumbled upon in one of my ravenous states a few weeks back. The story goes a little something like this….

What do you do with a potato when you are starving and about to go into food withdrawals?

We could slice the ‘taters so thinly that they’d crisp up quickly. Which is exactly what we did. Using M’s mandoline, I cut two large potatoes into thin slices (I’d say 1/8-1/4 inch is fine). I tossed them in a “glug” of olive oil—maybe 2 tbsp or so—and sea salt and black pepper. I then laid them out on two baking trays and sprinkled them with just over a tablespoon of dried rosemary and another dash of pepper. After about 25 minutes at 400 degrees, they were crispy, crunchy, salty, and superb.

Advantages of these chips, over other chips:

1) Baked, not fried. These golden-brown treats are some raw foodists’ idea of a nightmare. But I think that balanced diets of raw and cooked foods can allow for some burnt edges here and there. And if you’re hooked on conventional chips, these guys are less caloric and lower in fat.

2) Gluten free-friendly. If you’re avoiding gluten, but missing your favorite crackers, these are good enough to distract you. Possibly forever. Or until you make them again.

3) Whole food snack option. Enough with your fancy organic crackers and crisps from Whole Foods or your local health food store. Those are yummy, but they’re also making you go broke. OK, maybe not, but these are the real whole foods: nothing but potatoes and spices. I’d recommend them any day as an alternative to conventional crunchy snacks, which have probably been through at least one level of processing!

If you need precision with the recipe, here goes:

Yukon Gold Potato Chips with Rosemary and Sea Salt (vegan, gluten and soy free)

Yields about 30-36 chips

Ingredients

• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thinly (1/8-1/4 inch, depending on whether you’re using a knife or mandolin)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Toss the potatoes with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
3. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and sprinkle the rosemary on top (as well as extra pepper if you like).
4. Bake for 20-25 min, or until very golden and crispy (this will vary with your oven).
5. ENJOY!

These are a great snack, but they’re also very handy as dippers:

This one worked nicely with up in smoke hummus!

Thanks so much and if you like this recipe or want to read more about me or my blog feel free to stop over at Choosing Raw.

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Happy Monday to you!  Did you watch the Super Bowl game last night?  It was a really great game, very enjoyable, lot of action, good commercials and the team I was cheering for won!  Whooo Hooo go Packers.

Speaking of commercials though, Did everyone see the doritos commercial last night?  Oh my, when I saw this commercial I thought I might actually have peed my pants slightly it was so funny.  Have a look and tell me what your favorite commercial was if you were able to watch the game.

Now onto the food.  I have been seeing kale chips around the blog world for a while now and finally thought I should give them a try.  I have had kale before and enjoyed it, I love potato chips and pretty much anything that dips into ketchup so I thought what the heck – let’s give it a go.  Out side of a little prep work, these fellas are pretty easy to whip out as a snack, side dish or just by themselves.

I served them with a little spicy ketchup and some baked tilapia fillets crusted in multi grain breadcrumbs….. YUM

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of Kale
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
• 8 Dashes Hot sauce

Method

• Wash and rinse the kale really well.



• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Dry kale and ensure the leafs are not wet, as this will cause them to steam and not achieve the desired crunch



• Place  them in the oven for 8-10 minutes ( until they are brown and crunchy on the edges.
• Combine the ketchup, mayo and hot sauce together ( mix well )
• Dip in your spicy ketchup creation.



• ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: One positive thing to note with the kale chips.  I had put them in a little too early ahead of the fish and sweet potato fries being complete but they held their crisp texture and were delicious even if they were not hot hot.

If you have not already done so, I suggest you try kale chips this week.  They are really tasty and a fun treat to eat.  I am thinking I could even sneak them by zesty junior because of the fun crunch.  I will let you know how I get along with that one.  Have a great start to your week and I will touch base with you on Wednesday.

Oh and by the way, I forgot my camera last night for the super bowl party but the food was sensational as always as Zesty in laws.  Homemade salsa and nachos to start, some sauteed shrimp, grilled scampi, oven baked chicken wings with soy and ginger, slow cooked chipolte  pork ribs and beef ribs done in the smoker for 12 hours…. oh YES – you read that right.

Take care

zesty

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Remember a while back we were doing Help the Student event, and I received this guest post from Jenny at Picky Palate?  Well I had to bring this one back because when I actually made these I thought I was never going to stop raving about them.  Then I thought to myself, wouldn’t this be a HUGE idea for a super bowl party.  They are different, delicious and down right simple to prepare.

This turkey burger has minimal ingredients with massive flavor.  You may have to shop around to find the right slider buns of your choice.  My only piece of advice is to try and find a bun that is not tough and hard to bite through.  You know what I mean right?  Sometimes you get rolls that you feel like you are chewing on the sole of your shoe.  With those you will have a problem keeping the burger in tact.  A fresh soft roll is the way to go.

Hope you try Jenny’s  little sliders.

I cooked these burgers right on the stove top in a large skillet.  Was just too lazy to fire up the grill.  By all means, grill them if you’d rather. If you are a feta fan, beware…you could quite possibly eat many of these

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 Cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 Cup sun-dried tomatoes, jarred in olive oil
• 1/2 Cup fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
• Pinch of Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley
• Baby hamburger buns or dinner rolls, split and warmed
• 2 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Sun-Dried Tomato Mayonnaise

• 1 Cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, drained

Method

1. Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Place turkey, feta, sun dried tomato, spinach and seasonings into a mixing bowl.
3. Mix until just combined.  Form 1/4 Cup little patty’s and place onto a cookie sheet.
4. Once all are formed, place batches in hot skillet.
5. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through.
6. Place mayonnaise and tomatoes into a bowl; mix to combine.
7. Spread over insides of warm rolls.
8. Layer bottom roll with spinach and the burger.
9. Close with top roll and eat

Makes about 12 little sliders

Zesty Tip: To speed things up – feel free to make these ahead of time and let them sit in your fridge.  You could prep them the night before and then you can cook them off once you get home.  If you want to reheat them, I like to add a little drop of water on the burger before putting it in the microwave.

Freestyle Variation: Some people may not have access to sun dried tomatoes or kosher salt and garlic salt with parsley.  It is OK if you are missing those ingredients as the burgers will still turn out and taste great.  Don’t be disappointed if you find a recipe and you do not have all the ingredients – stay positive and improvise.

Alright, I am outta here but remember this.  It is Friday so keep smiling.  Enjoy the big game on Sunday if you like football and if not…. just eat lots.  Be on the lookout for my article in the upcoming release of the G! Magazine.  It is titled: Ad Hoc Dining: Don’t think about it – just eat it! such my style.  Have a great weekend.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty