I’ve hadsome requests for healthy recipes. Right now I’m in the middle of a free trial of Noom, (not an affiliate link) and I’ve found some recipes that I love. I adapted this Lemon Shrimp with Horseradish-Mustard Sauce from a Noom recipe. It’s tasty, low-cal, low fat, and easy, so we will definitely be adding it to our dinner rotation!
It’s a simple recipe, sauté, boil, grill or just cook up some shrimp, char up some lemons and make a quick lemon horseradish sauce with Greek yogurt! You can either serve the sauce as a dip, or combine with the shrimp. I haven’t tried it, but you could buy horseradish mustard and add lemon, scallions and Greek yogurt. Horseradish Mustard is becoming my new favorite condiment. Gotta take a break from sriracha sometime. 🙂
Advertisements
We’ve been eating a lot of shrimp and fish lately. Have you tried Corvina? It’s fantastic! I’m going to try this lemony horseradish sauce next on either corvina, salmon or snapper!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support your favorite food bloggers by rating or liking our recipes, or start your Amazon shopping from a link on a food blog this Prime Day! The blogger receives a small commission, at NO cost to you.
This lemony shrimp recipe was adapted from a Noom recipe. Imagine warm juicy shrimp with cocktail sauce, but swap the red cocktail sauce with Dijon mustard! *It's quick, low calorie, low fat and delicious! I like to grill the lemons but its not absolutely necessary. The char is great though! You can also sauté or boil the shrimp if preferred.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
1tspred palm oilOr spray oil, olive oil to cook the shrimp
Instructions
Slice one lemon in half and squeeze half into a small bowl.
Cut the remaining lemon(s) into wedges.
Add yogurt, mustard, half of the diced scallions, and 2-3 tbsp (to taste) horseradish to the bowl and whisk to combine. Adjust for salt and pepper, if needed.
Prepare grill or heat a pan to medium-high.
Add oil to the pan.
Grill the lemon wedges until slightly charred. (Or add to the hot oiled pan.)
Cook the shrimp, flipping once they begin to curl and turn pink and they lose their translucent look. Squeeze a couple of grilled lemon wedges over the shrimp.
Remove shrimp from heat and add mustard-horseradish sauce to coat.
Serve immediately. Garnish with grilled lemon wedges and scallions.
Notes
For a creamier sauce, add more Greek Yogurt
For a spicier sauce, add more horseradish
This is a low fat and low calorie dish, but as always, refer to your doctor or dietician for nutritional advice.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
They were awful! If you are looking for leftover Easter Eggs Recipes, these will NOT hit the spot! The Sriracha Candied Bacon I put on top was great though!
The secret ingredient I tried in the defiled eggs was melted butter. I’ve always wondered how restaurant deviled eggs stay so firm and beautiful when mine tend to be a little soft and runny. After searching the web, I’ve found a lot of recipes using butter IN boiled eggs. Since butter goes great on just about anything, I figured I’d give it a try in my deviled eggs. I boiled up a dozen in my instant pot (instructions below) and added 4 tbsp (probably way too much) unsalted butter. Blech, I added some salt, blech, more salt, and more mustard –No good. They were edible, but I’ll never try that again.
What to do with your EGGSTRA eggs – Leftover Easter Egg Recipes
If you are looking for a leftover (boiled) Easter eggs recipe, other than the typical deviled eggs use your eggstraboiled eggs, to make my olivey egg salad. (*Of course, make sure your eggs haven’t been out in an Easter basket, or at room temp for more than two hours-*Egg Safety) If you like green or kalamata olives, give my Fancy Egg Salad with Olives a try! It’s amazing and simple. And, it kindof looks like it’s staring at you! Maybe it’ll make a good Halloween recipe! 🙂
We typically don’t have traditional ham or lamb for Easter dinner. I’ve been known to cook what my family calls “EATSter dinner.” EATster is a hodgepodge of whatever everybody wants. A favorite EATster dinner is Enchiladas, salsa, and guacamole. Sometimes I’ll make my Copycat J. Alexanders Carrot Cake! This year Mom handled all the cooking for Easter, but next year I think EATster will be back!
Instant Pot Eggs are super easy to peel! Make 6-12 eggs, the instructions are the same! 5 minutes high pressure, let them sit for 5 more minutes, then depressureize.
Prep Time2 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Allow time for pressure cooker to pressurize and de-pressurize15 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12Instructions for less than 12 eggs is the same
12eggsInstructions for less than 12 eggs is the same.
1cupwater
ice water
Instructions
12 eggs
Close the lid and set the valve to seal. (Follow the directions that came with your IP. )
Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 5 minutes. Make sure it says HIGH pressure.
When it beeps that it's finished, set a timer for 5 minutes, let them sit, and naturally depressurize. These always come out perfect, with no green ring on the yolks!
When your timer goes off do a quick pressure release. As always, be careful and follow your IP instructions for safety! *Use tongs to carefully remove the eggs and put them in icy cold water to cool down before peeling them.
Notes
TIP: Peel the eggs submerged in the bowl of ice water. The shells come off easily!RECIPE: Use your Instant Pot boiled eggs and make my fancy egg salad with olives!*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a small commission at absolutely no cost to the shopper from anything you buy if you start from a link on my blog.
Have you ever tried baked oatmeal? It’s sort of dense, very soft, and very filling. They are made with oats and some add-ins like fruits and nuts. They make a great grab-and-go breakfast if you cut them into bars. I prefer to serve my healthy baked apple oatmeal breakfast bars warm with a little coconut milk over the top.
This year I entered TWO pies in the Fall Festival Pie Contest! The first was a Fig & Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie inspired by the book series “Pie-Jinks” by Selina J. Eckart, and the other was a unique chocolate “countertop pie.” Since the contest does not allow any eggs or dairy, I got creative and made up a new “no refrigeration needed” pie called the Nutty Chocolate Merlot Pie. That chocolate pie did not do well in the contest, the judges HATED it! But my Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie won a second-place ribbon!
2nd Place Ribbon Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie
I had been pondering pie for months in anticipation of the annual fall fest pie contest, and looking for a new cozy read. In a Facebook group, I was introduced to Selina J. Eckart‘s fall cozy magical mysteries Pie-Jinks series. I started with Book 1, Vanilla Bean Vampire and I loved it! If you’re looking to cozy up with a warm blanket, a pumpkin-spiced latte, perhaps a nice piece of pie, and a cute cozy book, check out Pie-Jinks!
Advertisements
Reese, a “Pie Witch” bakes and sells magical pies! She made a Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie that she entered in her local Fall Festival Pie Contest that sounded so good that it inspired me to add pumpkin spice to my Figgy Blueberry Pie!
Folks in Reece’s cozy small town of Cider Hollow started disappearing and coming back days later with no memory of their missing time. Even her pie delivery boy disappeared, and her vampire friend was also acting weird. She decided to get to the bottom of the disappearances, along with her Fae Autumn prince! This cozy series could definitely be a Fall Hallmark Channel special.
Test Pie for the Fall Festival Pie Contest! The crust came out nice and flakey, but it’s needed more pumpkin spice!
The Prequel
The Pie-Jinks books came after a two-book series called Seasons of Magic: Pumpkin & Shades. Pumpkin Spice Pie-Jinks is the prequel to the Pie-Jinks series. It’s a short “meet-cute” story where Reece met her handsome Fae Prince, Forrest, of the Autumn Court. Forrest held the Fall Pie Contest and sent two mischievous autumn sprites to help her, andhijinks ensued! (or Pie-Jinks!) If you plan to read the series, I recommend that you start with the meet cute, Pumpkin Spice Pie-Jinks first for the back story.
Mocha Brewed Monsters, the fourth in the series came out on Halloween! I pre-ordered it because I KNEW I’d be ready for another cozy Pie-Jinks story after all the pie-making! If you love cozy magical mysteries, you’ll love Pie-Jinks! I finished the prequel and all three books in a week, and I’m anxious to start reading Book 4!
Nutty Chocolate Merlot Pie
Nutty Chocolate Merlot Pie = Pie Fail
The pie contest rules dictated that all pies had to be countertop pies. Therefore, I took the challenge to come up with something unique! Years ago I made Chocolate Wine Balls for the holidays. They are super sweet, nutty, and delicious, and I figured I could modify the recipe and make it into a pie filling. We thought my test pie was delicious! I called it the Nutty Chocolate Merlot Pie! (Thanks to Author Selina Eckart for helping me name it!) Although the judges thought it looked pretty, they HATED the flavor. Like, really, really hated it. Lesson learned, stick to fruit pies! Maybe I’ll share the original candy recipe for the wine balls this holiday season!
Red Ribbon Pumpkin Spiced Pie – Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie
My fruit pie contestant was a fig and blueberry pie with pumpkin spice! Pete, my neighbor grows the most amazing figs in his backyard and kindly gives me lots of juicy sweet figs in the early fall. My husband’s boss also contributed to my pie figs! Luckily, after freezing them in small batches for a few weeks, I had enough to make pies! Pete says it would have been better if it didn’t have blueberries in it!
Advertisements
I used some secret ingredients in my pie crust. I’m working on a recipe post!In the meantime, here is my award winning Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie recipe!
“Red Ribbon” Figgy Blueberry Pumpkin Spiced Pie
This pie won a 2nd Place "Red Ribbon" in our local Fall Festival! The pumpkin spice gives it a deliciously warm, cozy Fall flavor. This pie is perfect for Fall festivals, Thanksgiving, or all year-round! (I'm working on a fig preserve version since most people don't have fresh or frozen figs. Another variation is to leave the figs out, and make it a blueberry pumpkin spiced pie.) *You will need a double pie crust. Make your own, or buy two frozen crusts and roll one out for the top. Pie crust is not included in nutritional information.
Wash and pat dry and cut in halves or quarters. Spread them on a parchment-lined sheet and freeze at least 30 minutes.
Prepare Pie Crust
For fresh crust, roll out and place the bottom crust in a 9" pie pan and poke holes all over the sides and bottom. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425° F
Prepare Blueberry Fig Filling
In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, spice, and a small pinch of salt. Add the blueberries and stir gently with a slotted spoon until all the berries are coated.
Add the frozen figs and stir.
Melt 1½ tbsp butter, add 1 tbsp lemon juice, and water. Use a slotted spoon and stir the liquid mixture until all the blueberries and figs are coated.
Sort out the figs from the blueberries and add the figs to the bottom of the pie crust, skin side down.
Top the figs with the blueberry mixture, including all the sugary mixture at the bottom of the bowl.
Dot the top of the pie with the remaining butter and place the pie in the freezer or refrigerator until you have rolled out the top crust.
Beat an egg with 1 – 2 tbsp water, milk or cream.
Roll out the top crust to a 10-12 inches circle and either create a lattice with strips or use a mini cookie cutter and cut small holes or a decoration in the crust.
Brush egg wash on the edges of the pie crust to help secure the top crust. Lay the top crust over the pie or weave the strips into a lattice. Trim off excess crust. Use a fork to crimp or useor your fingers.
Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle sugar over the top.
Gently place a pie shield over the crust to keep the edges from over-browning or cover the edges with strips of foil.
Bake the pie at 425° for 15 minutes. Check halfway through and rotate for even browning if necessary.
Reduce the heat to 375° and continue baking the pie.*Keep an eye on it throughout baking to see if the filling is bubbling. Bake until the filling is bubbling and check under the pie shield to see if it needs additional browning. If it does, remove the pie shield and foil and bake until it is golden brown.Bake it for about 40-50 minutes.
Once the filling is bubbling nicely, and the crust is golden brown, it's done.If you only see a few bubbles, allow it to cook longer so you don't have a runny pie. For a thicker filling, bake until it bubbles closer to the center of the pie.
Remove the pie and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for at least two hours.
Notes
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Support your favorite food bloggers by rating or liking our recipes or start your Amazon shopping from a link on a food blog. The blogger receives a small commission, at NO cost to you.*Nutritional values do not include pie crust. I estimate roughly 150-250 additional calories depending on your recipe or crusts used.*FIGS: Slice a few figs to decorate the top of the pie. I have not tested with rehydrated figs or preserves, but I think it would be great to substitute with a jar or two of fig preserves.I may try this recipe with fig preserves for Thanksgiving!Variation: You could omit the blueberries and make a blueberry pumpkin spiced pie instead.
Keyword award winning, blueberry pie, book inspired, cozy, fall dessert, fall pie, fruit pie, holiday season, novel inspired, pie, pie contest, pumpkin spice, pumpkin-spiced, thanksgiving dessert
1. The Leaves are Changing 2. The Days are Shorter 3. New Fall TV Season!!!
New Fall TV SHOWS based on some of my favorite books!
Happy Soup Season, & Happy Fall TV Season everyone! The leaves are changing colors, the days are getting shorter, and shorter, and colder, but I’ve still been excited for Fall for many reasons.
#1.The new SYFY TV seriesReginald The Vampire based on Johnny Truant’s “Fat Vampire” novels begins TONIGHT! I can’t wait to see how they have adapted the novels to TV. From what I’ve seen, the series is set in a totally different setting, a younger croud compared to the eBook series, but that’s OK! In honor of Reginald, I’ll be making Pizza tonight and serving it up with a cup of delicious soup! (You can read more about these series here.)
Soup Season is all year round for me! Some people only like soup during the colder months, and even then, some people (like my husband) don’t consider soup a meal.
So, in honor of Soup Season, here are links to three of my favorite soup recipes!
Soup Season – 3 of my favorite fall soup recipes
1. Sopa Tarasca
I found this soup while looking for ideas to use up the broth from black beans. I was surprised to find this delicious soup, Sopa Tarasca. Who doesn’t love soup with BACON in it? Read more about it here.
When I started using my Instant Pot, I learned how much better homemade beans were compared to canned beans. I was looking for more bean recipes to add to the collection and stumbled across Chickpea Soup with Lemon, oregano, and olive oil. It takes some time to simmer and thicken, but it’s soo worth it!
Instant Pot Chickpea Soup
This Instant Pot Greek chickpea soup with lemon, oregano, and olive oil is on our "Healthy Meatless Monday rotation! This is an amazing soup! I used this recipe I found on Real Greek Recipes and made some adjustments. *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Remember the Nineteen eighty-something commercials about Campbell’s® Chunky® soup? “Soup That Eats Like a Meal®?” Well, this Spinach & Meatballs recipe, inspired by a family favorite, really is a hearty homemade soup, that even my husband says is an entire meal in a bowl! You can use homemade ingredients if you have time, however, if you use your instant pot, frozen spinach, and store-bought meatballs you can get this on the table on a weeknight! Don’t forget to top it off with freshly grated parmesan!
Almost Grandma’s Spinach & Meatballs
I call this "Almost Grandma's Spinach and Meatballs" because this is my Instant Pot version! I've turned Grandma's recipe which takes hours to simmer on the stove to perfection, into an Instant Pot or weeknight meal! *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
When I think of Soup Season, of course I also think about one of my favorite books by Howard J Reiss. The Year of Soup. I made a root vegetable soup recipe based on one of the descriptions in the book, but I’m still working to make it better. I may need to do another re-read and come up with a new recipe.
What are some of your favorite soups? I’d love to hear!
A fun recipe I came up with that was inspired by Fat Vampire Chronicles novel The Vampire Maurice is this delicious blood red sriracha glazed bacon! If you are watching either of the new books to tv series this fall, I’d love to hear how you are liking them in the comments below!
Sriracha Candied Bacon
You can substitute gochujang if you can't find sriracha!Is it a breakfast treat or a snack? I don’t know, but I do know it’s delicious! You can add the spicy sriracha or leave it out, either way, it sure is a treat! Candied bacon can be made spicy, or sweet. You can simply sprinkle brown sugar on and bake it, or make it really special with my Sriracha, Balsamic Vinegar, and Brown Sugar glaze! I recommend medium-thick sliced bacon. The longer and slower you cook it the stickier and more candied it gets! This blood-red Sriracha Candied Bacon was inspired by the Fat Vampire Chronicles by Johnny B. Truant. The original Fat Vampire Series is coming to TV soon as "Reginald The Vampire" and I can't wait!
Oh no, a sriracha shortage?! I recommend that you give Gochujang a try as a substitution for sriracha!
No new recipe today, just some help for anyone who can’t find sriracha in the stores! Gochujang is an excellent substitution for Sriracha. It has a deep, almost sweet, spicy flavor. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it! Since the Sriracha shortage, it’s been hard to find in stores and online lately. I have only seen it once in a small market in town this summer!
