Skinatalie Margarita's

I have to say I do love a great Margarita.....what I don't like is all of the sugar and calories in the Pre mix you have to use when making them....So I came up with my own way of making them with fresh limes and Stevia.....They quickly became known as Skinatalie's.....I regularly get requests from family and friends to make a pitcher them...they are a great summer cocktail but we make them anytime!.....You know how you see those giant bags of limes at Costco and think what in the heck am I going to do with all of those?,,,Well now you know!..I am going to base this recipe on 8 limes.....and I use a 2 ounce shot glass for measurements, I also find a hand held citrus juicer works well for squeezing limes....Here is my formula of how I make them....Enjoy!!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

LIMES

STEVIA

TEQUILA (silver)

GRAND MARNIER or COINTREAU

 PELLIGRINO (sparkling soda)

CLEMENTINE OR AN ORANGE

 

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

My rule of thumb is for every fresh lime you squeeze you will add 1 shot of tequila, 1/2 shot of Grand Marnier or Cointreau  a pinch of stevia and 1/2 glass of sparkling water.. I prefer Pelligrino

 

EXAMPLE

 

8 limes (juice)

8 shots of tequila

4 shots Grand Marnier

Stevia (to your liking)

4 cups of sparkling water

I juice 1 clementine at the end for flavor!

 

Add these ingredients to a pitcher ...stir and serve over ice

 

From here you can adjust any way you like as far as more or less liquor or limes to your taste.

I have found this formula works pretty well.....Cheers!

 

 

Cauliflower fried "rice"

So using Cauliflower as rice is a thing!.....I have been seeing a lot of it so have been wanting to try it......This fried "rice" turned out so good I can't wait to do other things with it!...I have so many ideas!.......You can put your own spin on this adding what veggies or even meats that you like.....You could do beef with broccoli or diced chicken with zucchini......The ideas are endless...you could even use frozen diced carrots and peas......I didn't use a clove of garlic in this recipe because I used a shallot for my onion, but you could add minced garlic to this if you like.....Here is what I did....Enjoy!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 Cup diced carrot (2-3)

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

1 shallot diced

1 clove minced garlic (optional)

1 whole cauliflower "riced"

2 eggs beaten

3 Tablespoons Liquid Amino (soy sauce)

salt and pepper

2 green onion or scallion (chopped)

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Wash cauliflower break into florets and add to food processor or I used my large Ninja blender

Pulse until the consistency of rice...set aside

add sesame oil to pan and saute the carrot peas and onion until tender, then add the

cauliflower and cook about 5 minutes

push everything in pan to the edge and add the beaten eggs in center of pan...stir around until cooked then start combining and stirring everything together

add the Liquid amino or soy sauce and salt and pepper garnish with the chopped green onion

 

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

I am loving making things with spaghetti squash lately!!.....It really can take on the flavors of whatever you put with it which is great.. This au gratin dish tastes exactly like the cheesy potatoes I make with the frozen hash browns...I couldn't believe it ....now I can have this dish and don't have to feel as guilty eating it!...I made this with one whole squash so if you need to feed a crowd you can just double this...it is very easy to put together with minimal ingredients! Also you can use whatever type of onion you like....regular, shallot or scallion or green onion...your choice!....Here is what I did ....Enjoy!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 spaghetti squash

1/2 cup sour cream + more if needed

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1 small onion of choice

salt and pepper

olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Cut squash in half and remove seeds....drizzle with olive oil and then salt and pepper

Lay flesh side down and bake for 40 minutes at 375

when done scrape flesh and add it to a bowl.....add the sour cream (depending on your squash size it may need a little more), 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, onion and parmesan

spoon into a sprayed or greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar

Bake for about 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

 

 

Smoked Salmon Salad in Avocado Boat

Well I had bought some of the wild smoked salmon at Costco......and you get 2 half pound packages!.....So I wanted to try something different with 1 of the packages so I searched out some things to do with it and decided on making a salad with mayo out of it!....You can pretty much add what you like to it, I added shallot , but you could add scallion or green onion and you don't need to add any salt to this because the salmon tends to be a little salty. And a little lemon is just the perfect addition....Here is what I did....Enjoy!

 

 

INGREDENTS

 

Avocado (halved and peeled)

1/2 pound smoked salmon (chopped)

3 Tablespoons Mayo

1-2 Tablespoons finely diced shallot

1/2 lemon (juice)

 

DIRECTIONS

Chop salmon and add to a bowl

Add Mayo, shallot and squeeze the half lemon on it

Mix and Chill

You can add to avocado or serve with crackers or over lettuce!

 

Easy Veggie Egg Rolls

I had always wondered if making egg rolls from scratch would be simple enough to do.....Well I decided to find out and I was pleasantly surprised!......They were so fun and easy to make and my family just loved them!......The best part is I made these with pre made broccoli slaw...I also added mushrooms but you could leave them out if your not a fan ....We also dipped in sweet chili sauce but you can use your favorite.....Here is what I did....Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

 

Egg Roll Wrappers

2 T Oil + more for frying

3 Cups Broccoli slaw

10-12 Mushrooms (sliced)

3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon liquid Aminos

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 teaspoon Ginger

salt and pepper

1 egg (beaten in a small bowl)

 

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

In a fry pan add the 2 T of oil and add the broccoli slaw and the mushrooms, cook until very soft...add the sesame oil, liquid aminos honey and ginger....add salt and pepper..set aside

 

 

Take an egg roll wrapper and place 2 Tablespoons in one corner of wrapper

Brush all sides with beaten egg

 

Start rolling tightly

 

Half way up bring in both sides and continue rolling until the end

Brush with more egg to seal

Once all rolled add about an inch of oil to a frying pan and let it heat up

once hot add egg rolls.....cook about 1-2 minutes turning as needed until golden brown

 

When done place on a dish with paper towel to drain

 

 

 

 

 

Spaghetti (squash) & Meatball Parmesan

I have been seeing so many recipes for spaghetti squash lately, and I always love making it. I saw one for chicken parmesan squash and it looked really good, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of breading and frying chicken that I didn't have on hand anyway....But I did have a bag of frozen meatballs in the freezer, so I thought why not use those!.....So that is where this recipe came from.....You can buy frozen Italian meatballs at the grocery store but if you happen to have home made ones on hand you could use those....the same with the sauce, I just used my favorite jar sauce for this....So it was super easy to put together.....No real measurements I will show you how I assembled it......Here is what I did.....Enjoy!

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 spaghetti squash

olive oil

salt and pepper

pasta sauce

meatballs (thawed)

parmesan cheese

 mozzarella cheese

 

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds

2. Brush flesh with olive oil then salt and pepper

3. Place face down on parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 375 for 40 minutes

4. When done flip squash over and loosen flesh with a fork

5. Ladle some sauce over squash

6. Add meatballs then more sauce

7. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then top with mozzarella

8. Place back in oven for 10 - 15 minutes to melt cheese