Plantain Crusted Salmon with Mango Citrus Salsa

My recipe for Plantain Crusted Salmon with Mango Citrus Salsa is up in Pier 33 Gourmet's gallery today! Any votes you could throw my way would be so appreciated!

Plantain Crusted Salmon with Mango Citrus Salsa
1 cup diced fresh mango
½ cup diced navel orange
1 ½ Tablespoons fresno chili pepper, diced
¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
¼ cup sliced green onion
1 teaspoon honey
1 Tablespoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces plantain chips
4 (6 Oz.) Skinless Boneless Pier 33 Salmon Singles
2 Tablespoons honey
1 ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl stir together the mango, orange, chili pepper, cilantro, green onion, honey, lime juice, salt and pepper. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Place the plantain chips in a small food processor and pulse until it becomes coarse crumbs.

Lay the salmon pieces on a small foil-lined cookie sheet. Brush with honey and sprinkle the seasoning evenly over each piece. Gently press the plantain crumbs onto the tops of each salmon piece. Lightly spray the top of each salmon piece with non-stick cooking spray. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until salmon is just cooked through.

Spoon the salsa onto each piece of salmon and serve immediately.

Serves 4

link to vote HERE

Nikos Greekitos

I think I saved the best for last. My final entry for the Nikos Feta Cheese Challenge are my favorite! Two of my go to party snacks, loaded hummus dip and taquitos had a baby and made these Greek inspired hummus taquitos with tzatziki sauce!

If you haven't heard of tzatziki sauce before, it is a yogurt based cucumber dip that is soooo yummy and available in your grocery store, ready to go right where the refrigerated dips are.

These are super easy to make and can serve as an appetizer, or along with a salad would be a great summer lunch!

Nikos Greekitos

1 cup NikosTraditional Feta Cheese Crumbles

1 cup garlic flavored hummus

½ cup chopped Kalamata olives

½ cup chopped roasted red bell pepper

¼ cup minced red onion

12 flour tortillas

1 cup prepared tzatziki sauce (cucumber yogurt dip)

 

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

 Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

 In a small mixing bowl stir together the feta, hummus, olives, roasted red bell pepper and red onion until well combined. Spoon about 2 Tablespoons of the hummus mixture into the middle of each tortilla and roll, wrapping tightly. Place the rolled tortillas seam side down on the cookie sheet. Lightly spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.

 Serve warm with tzatziki sauce. 

Feta Crostini with Roasted Balsamic Grapes and Arugula

My second entry for the Nikos Feta recipe contest are these gorgeous Feta Crostini with Roasted Balsamic Grapes and Arugula. The creamy feta spread is so delicious on the crispy baguette slices. Peppery arugula and roasted balsamic grapes top these little bites off perfectly. The baguette and feta spread can be made ahead of time if you're looking to save time as well!

Feta Crostini with Roasted Balsamic Grapes and Arugula

60 black seedless grapes

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 (6 ounce) package Traditional Nikos Crumbled Feta Cheese

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

4 Tablespoons half and half

20 (1/2-inch-thick) toasted baguette slices

2 cups baby arugula leaves

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small foil-lined roasting pan, mix the grapes, 1 Tablespoon of the  olive oil, half of the salt and half of the pepper. Place in the oven and roast, until grapes begin to wrinkle and split, about 15-20 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and stir to coat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the grapes from the pan and return the grape juice and balsamic mixture back to the oven for 10 minutes or until thickened and syrupy.

While the grapes are roasting, combine the feta, lemon zest, half and half, and the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper in a small food processor and blend until smooth. Spread the feta mixture over the toasts; top each with arugula, 3 roasted grapes and drizzle with the balsamic syrup. Serve immediately. Makes 10 servings.

Orange Chipotle Tex-Mex Noodle Salad

When I saw that JSL Foods was hosting their very first Blogger Recipe Challenge I knew I wanted in! The challenge was to pick one of the delicious noodles that they make to create a cold noodle salad or a stir fry with non-asian flavors. I knew if they wanted a mash-up that mine would be Tex-Mex inspired and as soon as I saw their Yakisoba Mandarin Orange Stir Fry  Noodles I knew what I'd make. JSL generously sent me three packages to work with and my family loved the results!

I love the way orange and chipotle work together and it paired so nicely in this refreshing, easy to put together cold noodle salad! Grilling the oranges creates a delicious smokey flavor that mirrors the smokiness of the chipotle peppers. The grilled corn is sweet and the crunchy pepitas on top provide an unexpected crunch!

Orange Chipotle Tex-Mex Noodle Salad

1 ear corn

1 large navel orange, cut into 6 wedges

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1 Tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon salt

2 packages (7.7 oz) Fortune Yakisoba Mandarin Orange Stir Fry Noodles

¼ cup canola oil

1 Tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotles

3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons toasted cumin

½ teaspoon salt

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup minced red onion

¼ cup thinly sliced green onion

½ cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped

Pre-heat a large grill pan over high heat. Brush the corn, cut sides of the oranges and cut sides of the avocado with oil. Sprinkle the corn and avocado with salt. Grill for 5-7 minutes, or until you start to see nice grill marks. Remove the items from the grill and set aside to cool.

Place the noodles in a colander and rinse under hot water until they loosen. Set aside and allow them to drain.

Once cool enough to handle, remove the kernels of corn from the cob and cut each avocado half in half again (creating 4 wedges).

Place the contents of one of the seasoning packets in the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the juice of 2 of the grilled orange segments into the bottom of the bowl. Whisk in the canola oil, adobo sauce, rice wine vinegar, cumin and salt until smooth. Add the noodles to the dressing and toss gently.

Stir the grilled corn kernels, black beans, minced red onion, sliced green onion and cilantro into the noodle mixture. Divide the noodle salad into 4 serving bowls. Top each serving with a grilled orange wedge and wedge of grilled avocado. Serve immediately.

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JSL products can be found at Albertson, Lucky's, Von's, Pavilions, WinCo and Target!

Feta Filled Street Corn Grilled Avocado Cups

After having a crazy busy month and being gone from home for 2 weeks (more on that later) I was more than ready to get back to my kitchen and start cooking! Nikos Feta is hosting an awesome contest right now, and I'm excited to share my entries!

First up is my Feta Filled Street Corn Grilled Avocado Cups. If you have read my blog before at all, you know I have a serious crush on Mexican Street Corn and this dish highlights everything I love about the taco truck staple. 

Feta Filled Street Corn Grilled Avocado Cups

4 ripe Avocados, halved and pit removed

2 teaspoons oil

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lime zest

2 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup pre-cooked wild rice

1 (11 oz) can Mexi Corn, drained

8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

¾ cup Nikos Traditional Feta Cheese Crumbles

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 lime, cut into wedges

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Brush the avocado halves with the oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Place the avocados on the grill pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until grill marks appear. Remove from the grill and place on a serving platter.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, lime zest, lime juice, mayonnaise and chili powder. Add the wild rice and corn to the dressing and stir to coat evenly. Gently stir in the bacon, feta and cilantro.

Spoon the mixture into and around the grilled avocado cups. Serve immediately with lime wedges.