Watermelon Salsa

 

About the only good thing has come out of our wet summer in North Carolina is the watermelons. Since we have had so much rain, the melons are large, sweet and full of juice.

 At the farmers market, I have been picking the smallest melons and it is taking us almost two weeks to eat it them.  With the abundance of fruit, I have been able to try different recipes that use watermelon. My favorite has been watermelon salsa that I found over at Eating Well dot com.

The first time I made this my husband grumbled about why would I waste good watermelon. I made chicken tacos that night and served the watermelon salsa and tortilla chips. After about the sixth time of my husband dipping the chips into the salsa, I said, “Honey, I didn’t think you were going to eat any.”  The reply back was “I did not want to like this, but it is too good to stop eating.” I just love proving him wrong!

So what does it taste like? Hmmm… spicy jalapeños biting at sweet watermelon mix in the sharpness of red onion, while limejuice and cilantro dance around all of them.

 You know I don’t usually add salt to my recipes, for this one you do need to add it.  We ate this on hard and soft tacos, beef and chicken. My favorite is with salty tortilla chips since the salt brings out the sweet of the melon… yummy!

The only thing I did not like about was removing the seeds from the watermelon. You can cheat and but the pre-cut watermelon in the containers at the store.

If you have a little chopper, mini-food processor or even gloves, I would use them for the jalapenos so you don’t have to touch them.

Ingredients:

3 cups finely diced seedless watermelon

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup minced red onion

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

Place watermelon, jalapenos, cilantro, limejuice, salt and onion in a medium bowl; stir well to combine. Chill in refrigerator half hour before serving. We actually like it better the second day since the flavors will have a chance to marry.

Oh and one more thing, this is ZERO fat and only about 26 calories per 1/2 cup serving.

 

Morgan's Breakfast Pizza...

This morning for breakfast, I ate split pea soup with two biscuits crumbled into it. Strange I know, but it was tasty, it was like a split pea and dumpling soup. There is no rule saying you have to eat traditional breakfast foods only for breakfast. If there were, many people would get upset they could not have pancakes, eggs and sausage for dinner.

My daughter hates to eat breakfast during the week. I tell her to eat something; I do not care what she eats as long as she eats. Usually she makes smart choices; a few times, she has pushed the limits with wanting ice cream. This is where I have to take a step back and bite my tongue, because I did say “eat something, I don’t care what.” Oh the pitfall of parenting a teenager!

Many college students live on pizza, for all three meals. Why not? One slice of a thin crust pizza loaded with vegetables is actually a better choice than cookies and a coke.
My husband’s roommate, Morgan likes to play in the kitchen, and try new things as much as I do. One item he makes is weaving bacon into a basket. Morgan will then fill it with various items and cooks it on a charcoal grill. More like a heart attack waiting to happen if you ask me, since the main filling is sausage.

I have decided that Morgan’s breakfast pizza is a better choice to share with you. It is a great way to use the leftover scrambled eggs from breakfast instead of feeding them to the dog or throwing them out. Personally, I would also add some onions and maybe green peppers, but to each their own.

Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury pizza crust
Salsa, heat your choice
4 eggs scrambled
Pico de Gallo
Thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
Ham steak, cubed
Kraft 4 cheese blend, grated
Kraft pepper jack cheese, grated
Directions:
Heat oven per the pizza dough directions
Roll dough onto a pan, spoon salsa over the dough
Add cheeses
Add ham, bacon, eggs and Pico de Gallo
Cook per directions on the pizza dough can.

Enchilada Lasagna

So you planned on making enchiladas from dinner, only to find out someone has opened your tortillas. Instead of eight you only have six, not enough to feed the entire family. I have hit this dilemma several times over the years. Instead of coming up with something different to cook, I use what I have.

If you must put a name to it, you can call it enchilada lasagna. You can use four or six tortillas, depending on preference. I serve with refried beans and Spanish rice. I will dress it up bit and lay the enchilada slices on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce.

Ingredients:

1 pound of browned ground meat, your choice

6 tortillas

1 can of enchilada sauce, I use Old El Paso

2 cups grated cheese, I use Kraft Mexican blend or Cheddar Jack Cheese

Salsa, you choice

Sour Cream

Directions:

Spray a glass 9” X 13” pan with Pam cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°F

Reserve half cup of cheese

Mix browned ground meat, prefer beef, with half can of enchilada sauce

In pan layer of tortilla, ground beef, and cheese, repeat until you end with a tortilla on top

Pour remaining enchilada sauce on to top tortilla, followed by salsa and reserved cheese

Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes or cheese is completely melted.

Serve by cutting into squares, top with sour cream