So in a Life in the Dirt post I mentioned entering my first recipe contest/bake off, and that this recipe was part of my MUM recipes.  Well tonight was the night and I went in confident in my creation.  I was more confident after I saw and heard about judges wanting seconds.  So when the moment of truth arrived I was hopefully...only to be beaten out by a sweet senior lady and some chicken recipe.  Now, I am not bitter about losing to a sweet older lady, who is no doubt a pillar of my small community (even though I had no idea who she was or where she came from).  I am relieved to have my first contest over, no matter the outcome.  I am disappointed because I did think my recipe rocked!  My consolation is that the Mayor asked if he could take a plate home, and of course I obliged because who says 'no' to the mayor! 

Now, to save you from a heart attack or fainting episode I must tell you,  the recipes had to use Gerber Baby Food as part of your ingredients.  After all, Fremont is the home of Gerber baby food and this week is the National Baby Food Festival.  This recipe is very good and my kids have even asked for it while it was in "product testing".  

You will also note that this recipe is derived from my recipe for Veggie Mac and Cheese. And of course NOW the husband says to me "isn't is more of a chicken enchilada" (insert hand hitting forehead)...yes, yes it is...but enjoy it anyway no matter what the name!!!

Ingredients:

4 jars-GERBER® NatureSelect™ 3RD FOODS® Vegetables – Broccoli & Carrots with Cheese 
 3 containers-GRADUATES® FOR TODDLERS LIL' MEALS™ – Pasta Stars with Chicken & Vegetables 
 1 Rotisserie chicken, removed from the bone and cut into pieces
½ Tablespoon of minced garlic
 1 package of wonton wrappers
 1 container of Philadelphia Cooking Crème-Italian Cheese and Herb
 2, 8 ounce packages of shredded cheese
Water in a small bowl
9 x 13 baking pan

Directions:

1-Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2-In a medium size mixing bowl combine the baby food, chicken and garlic until mixed well
3-Place one Tablespoon of the mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper
4-Dip your finger into the bowl of water, then run along the outside of the wonton wrapper to moisten the edges
5-Place another wonton wrapper on top and smooth the sides together (this will look like a large sized ravioli type packet)
6-Place the wonton packet in the baking dish.
7-Repeat steps 3-6 until the bottom of the baking dish is covered.  Then sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded cheese over the layer of wonton packets
8-Repeat steps 3-6 until the second layer is complete
9-Combine the Philadelphia Cooking Crème and 8 ounces of shredded cheese in a medium sized bowl
10-Add in any leftover baby food mixture
11-Spread this mixture over the top layer of wonton packets
12-Sprinkle with remaining cheese
13-Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes
14-Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until bubbly.




Healthy Eatings, 




Rachel
 
I decided to enter the OXO Cherry Recipe Contest.  So it became my mission to create a recipe using fresh cherries.  Sure, I have done this before with my Cherry Spinach Salad.  But, why would I use something I have already done, there is no fun in that!  I set off for the store and remembered it is also fresh peach season, so I had peaches on the brain when my 10 year old requested Salmon for dinner.  So you guessed it my friends, the stage for this challenge was set!  

After my trip to the store for the ingredients my brainstorming really began as I had cherries (and peaches) to use in a salmon recipe.  I have used a fruit chutney in previous recipes including my Pretzel Crusted Salmon and my most recent Make it Up Monday (MUM)-Rhubarb Pork Chops, so clearly I could make that option work.  But I wanted the use of the fruit to be something different, yet flavorful,  more of a fresh look and taste.  

Did I hear someone say, "But, it's summer why are you not using the grill?"  You must have been reading my mind because, you guessed it I also wanted to try this one on the grill, which is a first for me.  So, throw in one of the hottest days of the year, a recipe contest, one determined blogger and this is what you get, enjoy!!

In my efforts of full disclosure, I must add that I did not use any of my OXO utensils and products in this recipe.  However, I am wishing I had after hand pitting all those cherries.  So, I will be purchasing the OXO Cherry Pitter in the very near future.  I DID however, use the OXO Steel Winged Corkscrew to open my bottle of Riesling, which was a perfect wine for this recipe. 

Ingredients:
2 packages (4 fillets) of Orca Bay Sockeye Salmon, thawed and with skin removed
1-2 cups of fresh cherries, pits removed
3-4 fresh peaches, cut into slices
Fresh Spinach, amount is up to your preference
1/4 cup of Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup of sunflower seeds, roughly chopped (I gently rolled over mine with a rolling pin) 
1/3 cup of oil in a bowl big enough to dip the fish, I used Zoye 100 % Pure Soybean Oil
Aluminum Foil
Grill basket (optional)

Directions:
-Preheat your grill, as you can see below I use a charcoal grill.
-Place cherries and peaches in a foil, I double layered mine just to be safe.  You can see my packet on the left side of the picture below.
-If you are using a grill basket, which I did and left it open faced, line with foil.  I also used a basting brush to lightly grease the foil from the bowl already set aside.
-Combine the Panko and the sunflower seeds onto a plate or shallow dish
-Dip or brush oil on both sides of the salmon fillets
-Coat  both sides of the salmon with the panko and sunflower seed mixture
-Place into the basket
On the Grill:
-Place the Cherries and peaches over an area with lower heat
-Place the Salmon on the grill
-Grill for about 5 minutes per side or until the salmon has an internal temperature of 145 degrees
-Flip the cherries and peaches after about 5 minutes as well.  

(Please note that the large foil packet on the right of the picture above was a summer squash that I was grilling, but not using in the recipe)

Plating:
-Place fresh spinach on the plate
-Top with a salmon fillet
-Finish with the cherries and peaches


As a girl who, in the past, has not a big fan of salmon, and is only beginning to appreciate and choose salmon and other types of fish as a dinner option this was delicious and will make it into a more regular "rotation" in this house.  



Healthy Eatings, 



Rachel
 
First, I apologize for the delay on this recipe.  It is very probable that fresh rhubarb is now gone in your area.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the plates I have spinning in my world.  I continue to strive to bring you new and exciting recipes as well as expanding my blog beyond just healthy tips but all about my life, when the plants grow and when the plants die.

A friend of mine and I were on the phone and she asked, "what do you do with rhubarb?"  My only response at the time was, "I make jam."  But then I got to thinking I wonder what else I can do with rhubarb.  So I headed to the grocery store, my greatest source of inspiration, to ponder (and get groceries).  As I was picking up some fresh fruit I saw rhubarb and decided to pick some up and as I passed the apples it hit me...PORK!  I have often made pork chops marinated in a citrus rub or with apples so maybe adding a little tang with rhubarb would work too.  How to balance the tang was my next question.  as I drove home I figured it out, hard cider and I was in luck I still had one bottle in the fridge!  

This MUM was actually on a Sunday.  Because (hanging my head in shame because it is already July and I am just now posting), I made this recipe on Memorial Day weekend.  Since we have traditions on that holiday Monday I had to move this to Sunday, because I am not going to mess with tradition.  Okay, sometimes I will but not this one. :)  

Ingredients:
2 long stalks of rhubarb chopped, about 2-3 cups
1 bottle of Hard Apple Cider 
4-6 Pork Chops
Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus Seasoning
Agave Nectar


Prep: Combine rhubarb and cider into a bowl.  Refrigerate 2 hours-overnight.

Directions:
-Place pork chops in a 9 x 13 pan or marinating pan
-Pour the cider and rhubarb mixture over the chops.  Cover and chill for 2-8 hours (depending on if you are making this during the work week or on the weekend).  
-Remove rhubarb, place in a bowl and set aside for later
-Place pork chops on a plate and sprinkle with the Mrs. Dash seasoning
-Preheat your grill
-Grill the chops until they are done, about 6-8 minutes per side depending on thickness
-While chops are grilling, put rhubarb in a small sautee pan on the stove on low-medium heat
-Add a tablespoon or two of agave nectar and simmer on low-medium heat until the rhubarb is softened and looks similar to applesauce.

Plating:  
-Place a pork chop on your plate
-Top with the rhubarb 
-Add you favorite vegetables on the side



Healthy Eatings!!!



Rachel