Rainbow Shrimp Spring Rolls

This is how you officially eat the rainbow. Clean, crisp and refreshing treats. These are my kids favorite snacks and a great way to get the kids in the kitchen. They can help chop veggies, make the rolls it’s the perfect little salad packages.

Rainbow spring Rolls

Ingredients:

Dipping sauce

1/4 cup hoisen sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter

1-2 tbls soy sauce

Start with 2-4 tbls of water add more if you want your sauce thinner

Juice of one Lime

1 garlic clove minced

1 tsp sesame oil

Tsp of siracha (optional)

optional garnish: cilantro, roasted peanuts, red pepper flakes or siracha swirl

Filling:

• 10-15 spring roll rice paper wrappers (8 inch)

• 1 pound cooked medium shrimp cut in half (optional)

• 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned

• 3 sprigs green onions thinly sliced

• 1 large cucumber, julienned

• 1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage

• 1 green mango, julienned

• 1 red pepper, julienned

• 1 yellow pepper, julienned

• 4 ounce dried cellophane noodles (also called bean threads) cooked according to package (optional)

• Few sprigs of fresh cilantro and/or mint, Thai basil

• Black sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Direction:

Dipping sauce:

whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl, top with garnish and set aside.

Prepping the rice paper: Pour hot water ( not boiling)*into a pie pan. Work with one wrapper at a time, dip the rice paper into the water for 20-30 seconds until the wrapper is soft and pliable. remove from the water and place flat onto a work surface.

*I found that boiling water makes the wrapper sticky and breaks easier

Filling the rolls:

I like to arrange the veggies on a platter and have my kids choose a few sticks of their favorite veggies, add a small amount of herbs and noodles and then roll them like a burrito, cut in half, garnish with sesame seeds and serve with sauce.

Place rolls on a baking sheet seam-side down and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, adding more water to the pie dish as needed.

*They are best eaten immediately or if you want to make them a few hours ahead make sure you wrap them with a plastic wrap or a damp towel.

You are now eating the Rainbow .. Enjoy

Fish Cakes: A recipe made from leftovers

"Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry." Pope Francis

This recipe was born from leftover fish my family had. And since then i have been making fish cakes as a way to repurpose and use leftovers in a new and a delicious way. Think outside the box when it comes to leftovers. Although reheating leftovers and eating them as is just delicious but its even more exciting when you can recreate a whole new dish using your leftovers.

Cutting food waste is a delicious way not only for saving money but help feed the world and protect our planet. Get your children involved in the process, have them help you create ideas and recreate dishes. Use it as an opportunity to educate them about food waste, our planet and the people who are living in it.

Total cooking time: 45-60 min

makes: 10-12 burger size cakes

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds white fish fillets about 4-5 fillets .. salmon would be great here too

• 1 tbls olive oil to cook fish additional 3-4 tbls of olive oil to fry the patties

• 1 cup small diced fennel

• 1 tbsp capers drained

• 3 celery stalks diced small

• 1 small purple onion chopped

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp coriander

• 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

• 1 cup AP flour

• 1/2 cup toum (garlic paste) or a good quality mayonnaise then add 2 minced garlic cloves. If your fish is still dry and doesn't hold its shape add more 1 tbls at a time

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place fish on a sheet pan Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake the fish for 15-20 minutes until just cooked through Remove from the oven and let it cook completely.

2. Place the flour in a dish (this is just to drench the fish cakes it will help create a nice crust)

3. Flake the cooled fish into a mixing bowl. Add all the flavorings and mix well. Cover with foil or saran wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Shape into 10 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) cakes. Make sure that your fish cakes hold together when you form your patties if they don’t add more mayo. Adding two eggs as a binding is an option but I stick to just toum or mayo or a combo of both.

5. Dredge both sides of the fish cakes in the flour and shake off excess.

6. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook patties for 3-4 minutes on each side or until warmed through and develop a nice crust (remember your fish is already cooked).

7. Drain fish cakes on paper towels. Serve hot or room temp with aioli or toum.

Simple lemon aioli :

4 tbsp mayonnaise

juice of half a lemon (Add more to adjust to your taste)

zest of a lemon

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use

Serving suggestions

These fish cakes are delicious sandwiched between two buns as burgers served with a cool crispy slaw

Or on top of a bed of greens as a hearty summer salad

Or make mini patties and serve as an appetizer they are def a crowd pleasers.

Freezer instructions:

Place patties on a baking sheet and freeze them until they firm up. once frozen solid place them in a freezer Ziploc bag. Store for up to one month. Cook the fish cakes per the recipe instructions. when ready to eat.

#fish #leftovers #nofoodwaste #ioli #fishpatties #fishcakes #appetizer #salad #mainsalad

20 Minutes Braised Chicken Tacos

Braised fall of the bone chicken tacos is a perfect weeknight meal that you can pull together with all the fixings in 30 minutes. Its the end of school year and a busy time for our family. So I like to make meals that are delicious but also very easy and fast to make using wholesome ingredients. This post will give you everything you need to pull together a taco night any time. A grocery trip to my Fresh Thyme store earlier in the week and a simple meal plan keeps me organized and help us eat better. Spiced Braised Chicken Tacos is a great recipe to have on hand and a great cooking method to learn. Not only because its so easy (trust me make a double batch), but you can also make it in the crock pot or your instant pot, set it in the morning and come home to a delicious dinner. I also love how versatile this recipe is. You can serve the shredded chicken on top of a salad (think taco salad), add it to soups (I have made enchilada soup with it, put it in a sandwich (my kids love to pack it for school rolled in a taco). You can also swap out some of the spices (cumin, and coriander) and add some fresh basil or pesto and melt some mozzarella on top and you got yourself a whole new recipe. But for today we are very happy because we get to eat tacos on a Thursday. @freshthyme #sponsored #freshthymefinds

Ingredients

• 1.5 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken breasts

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tsp coriander

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp all Spice

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• salt and black pepper

• 1 10 Oz can diced tomatoes with jalapeños

• corn or flour tortillas

Time saving tip: when you mix the spices for the recipe make a big batch and save it in a spice jar. The spices are also delicious on beef and seafood.

Quick Pickle Red cabbage

3 cups thinly shredded red cabbage

Juice of one lime

Salt to taste

Let all the ingredients marinate while you make the tacos.

Serve this with a simple charred corn Pico de Gallo

• 1 small purple onion finely chopped

• 2 tomatoes finely chopped

• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

• 1 jalapeño finely chopped and deseeded

• Juice of one lime

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 ear of corn

Directions

1. In a large skillet heat the olive oil

2. Add the chicken, and spices

3. Cook chicken 6-7 minutes per side or until it is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Add the can of diced tomatoes and garlic and let it simmer for 10 min remove from heat and cool for at least 5 minutes.

4. Shred the chicken with two forks

5. Char the corn: remove the husk off the corn and char it. If you have a gas range you can share it straight on your burner rotating often until it’s charred on all the sides. If you don’t have a gas burner you can do this under the broiler or on the grill.

6. While the chicken is cooking, make the pica de Gallo. combine the chopped tomato, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, charred corn and lime juice in a small bowl. Toss to combine

7. Char tortillas on the stovetop over the flame until lightly charred

8. Assemble tacos by placing about 1/4 cup of chicken into each tortilla. Top with a few tablespoons of the pica de Gallo and some shredded red cabbage

9. You can also add: avocados, or guacamole, cheese, sour cream, jalapeños. This is your taco add whatever you like

#tacos #taconight #texmex #fiesta #braisedchicken #picadegallo #corn