Why Should You Make Pickled Red Onion

Let’s actually start with the why. Pickled red onion add a punch to many dishes. I am not a fan of raw onions, but pickled onions are different. They are milder but add flavor and that extra umami to many dishes.

Some Ideas for Using Pickled Onions

How to Make Pickled Red Onion

• 1/2 red onion, cut into half moons
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoons peppercorns
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• cilantro

Why Red Onion?

Red Onion are often my choice for many dishes as they are sweeter, less pungent do you lower levels of pyruvic acid and sulfur compounds.

Red onion is always my choice for pickling. They turn a pretty pink and they maintain a slight crunch. You could also try shallots, but you’ll pay more. You could use sweet onion, but the texture isn’t optimal.

Equipment

• Mandoline or sharp knife
• Colander
• Mason Jar

These are my favorite tacos which would be enhanced with some pickled red onion.

• Slaw for Taco
• Salmon Tacos
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Easy Carnitas Tacos
• Shrimp Tacos

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Pickled Red Onion

A perfect addition to tacos, salads, sandwiches to add an extra flavor.

Prep Time 4 minutes minutes

Resting Time for Pickled Onion 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Pickled Red Onion

• 1/2 red onion sliced into half moons
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns or some black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic cut in half

Instructions

Pickled Onion

• Slice into thin half moons and place in colander.
  
• Place raw onion in colander.
• Pour boiling water over onion.
• Put vinegar in jar with sugar and peppercorns.
• Put onion in jar. Will be ready in 30 minutes. Dice as needed.

The post Pickled Red Onion, Ready in 30 Minutes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I once wrote on instagram that bread and water with people is better than a feast alone. People feed our soul just as much as food feeds our body.

At that time I invited a new couple from church to dinner to start the new year and to make a genuine connection. The man now comes to my husband’s men’s group and it’s been a very important relationship of support for both of them.

The New Testament reminds us that the second commandment is to love others as ourselves. If we live on-line, if we never have people into our home, if we never serve people, we aren’t doing that.

It’s funny, because on another New Year’s day, I went to a new church and met a lady named Chris, who invited me to the church’s faith sharing group for women before I even entered as we met at the door.

It’s a book club for Catholic women and that first book on the cardinal virtues was life changing. I had forgotten how important a focus on these virtues is, prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice.

A Great Book to Embrace in the New Year

The Art of Living: Cardinal Virtues and the Freedom to Love by Edward Sri is a fantastic manual for connecting and living righteously and I highly recommend it.

That was in 2023 and several books later, I’m still part of the group. A handful of us go to lunch afterward and that’s where the relationships really take place. I often wonder about the ladies that have never joined us for lunch, because it’s at those lunches that I’ve learned their stories and truly have felt their love.

Maybe a goal for 2025 is fostering friendships. Start with some new year’s traditions.

New Year’s Food Traditions

• There are many food traditions for the new year all around the world. Here are a few:
• Pork: eaten as pigs root forward. 
• Black Eyed Peas: peas for pennies (prosperity). 
• Greens for Prosperity
• Cornbread for Gold 

Growing up in Pennsylvania, we always had pork and sauerkraut, as cabbage is considered one of the good luck foods. Here in the south, it’s all about the black eyed peas, greens and cornbread. 

 I decided to make carnitas (pork) with corn tortillas and our guests brought a delicious cabbage slaw.  Black eyed peas cowboy caviar was the perfect starter. We were covered with all the good luck foods in a non-traditional way. 

This dinner was so good that I think it will be our new year’s tradition from now on. 

What is Cowboy Caviar?

Typically cowboy caviar, also known as Texas caviar (sometimes Tennessee caviar) is a mixture of beans (maybe corn) onion, jalapeño, cilantro, oil, vinegar and meant to be eaten with tortilla chips as a dip. 

There are a hundred ways to make it and I chose to use black eyed peas and black beans. I skipped the corn because it’s winter and the only time I want to add corn is when I can grill it and cut it off the cob. Honestly, it’s not necessary, as we all thought this version cowboy caviar was just right. The four of us ate almost the entire bowl. 

Ingredients for Black Eyed Peas Cowboy Caviar

The main ingredients are black beans, black eyed peas, pickled red onion,  cilantro, lime juice. I added in a mixture of brightly colored bell peppers, because I just happened to have them left over from this pizza recipe. Avocado is an option and should be added right before serving. Salt is a must and you will need to taste for seasoning before serving. 

The secret to the brightness and flavor in the dip the pickled red onion and jalapenos. I am not a raw onion fan, but I do like pickled onion and thought that acid will give these beans what they need. I was right.

Pickled Red Onion in 30 minutes. 

I found a recipe from the Kitchn that was pretty easy to use.

• Slice red onion in half moons. Place in colander. 
• Pour two cups of boiling water over the onions. 
• Pour a cup of vinegar into jar. I used half cider vinegar, half balsamic.
• Add peppercorns, seasonings and a teaspoon of sugar. 
• Add onion. 
• Ready in 30 minutes. 

Make the pickled onion the night before so the flavors meld. The beans will not get mushy and will be absolutely delicious. I didn’t add any seasonings to the vinegar.

Tips for Black Eyed Peas Cowboy Caviar

• Make sure to rinse the beans in cold water to remove the sodium. 
• Make a day ahead for full flavor profile. 
• If you don’t use pickled onion, you will need to add vinegar to bring acid to the dish.
• Salt liberally. 
• Add avocado right before serving.

Playing around, in the summer, add some chopped tomato and grilled corn (off the cob). 

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Cowboy Caviar with Black Eyed Peas

A perfect starter for tacos, made with black beans, black eyed peas, pickled onion

Course Appetizer

Cuisine tex mex

Keyword black beans, black eyed peas, cowbow caviar

Prep Time 4 minutes minutes

Resting Time for Pickled Onion 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can black eyed peas
• 1 red bell pepper (or a mix of colors) small dice
• 3 tablespoons pickled onion small dice
• 1 jalapeno pepper or serrano
• 1 handful cilantro chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, if needed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 avocado diced (optional)

Pickled Red Onion

• 1/2 red onion sliced into half moons
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns or some black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic cut in half

Instructions

• Rinse beans in colander in cold water. Set aside.
• Dice peppers, onions in very small dice.
• Mix beans, peppers, onions.
• Toss with olive oil.
• The pickled onions may be enough vinegar. If not add a teaspoon or two.
• Add cilantro.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add avocado right before serving.

Pickled Onion

• Slice into thin half moons and place in colander.
• Pour boiling water over onion.
• Put vinegar in jar with sugar and peppercorns.
• Put onion in jar. Will be ready in 30 minutes. Dice fine for the bean dip.

The post Cowboy Caviar Recipe with Pickled Onion – New Year Tradition appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I first started pickling red onion when I made this Cowboy Caviar which is basically beans, red onion and cilantro and perfect to serve at a party or with Mexican food.

Truth be told, I strongly dislike raw red onion in general, but seriously love them when pickled. The onion takes on a completely different flavor profile and does much to boost certain recipes. It was key in my Asian slaw and would be perfect in anything made with red cabbage.

How to Pickled Red Onion

This is a very easy recipe and it only takes 30 minutes.

• Slice red onion in half moons. Place in colander. 
• Pour two cups of boiling water over the onions. 
• Pour a cup of vinegar into jar. I used half cider vinegar, half balsamic.
• Add peppercorns, seasonings and a teaspoon of sugar. 
• Add onion. 
• Ready in 30 minutes. 

How to Store Pickled Red Onion

Store pickled red onion in jar, once completely cool. Keep in fridge up to 3 weeks.

How to Use Pickled Red Onion

Pickled red onion can turn a bland dish special. Use in salads, slaws, on burgers, and in tacos to start.

These two salads wouldn’t be the same without red pickled onion.

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How to Pickle Red Onion

Make pickled red onion in 30 minutes to boost flavor for salads, sandwiches, slaws and tacos.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword pickled red onion

Prep Time 4 minutes minutes

Resting Time for Pickled Onion 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Pickled Red Onion

• 1/2 red onion sliced into half moons
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns or some black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic cut in half

Instructions

Pickled Onion

• Slice into thin half moons and place in colander.
• Pour boiling water over onion.
• Put vinegar in jar with sugar, garlic and peppercorns.
• Put onion in jar. Will be ready in 30 minutes.
• Cool completely before refrigerating.
• Store up to 3 weeks in fridge.

The post Easy Pickled Red Onion Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

A visit to Puerto Vallarta before I knew Mr. Spinach Tiger with someone else I refer to as the surfer heel, if I can use a very old fashioned word, led me to a near death experience and an authentic lunch in the middle of nowhere in Mexico.

The Near Death Experience.

Our hotel had a secluded beach and a riptide someone forgot to tell me about. The surfer heel insisted we venture further out into the water from the shore and as usual he went ahead not looking back. He never noticed that I got caught in an undertow only a few feet from shore. The good looking outdoor bartender came to my rescue, got me out of the water and somehow my top, that came off in the rough waters, got back on. I was too frightened to care about that at the time and am grateful there were no cell phone cameras back then to embarrass me.

The guests were stunned. Not because of my wardrobe malfunction nor my near drowning, but that surfer heel didn’t even look back or take notice. Finally, he realized I wasn’t there and he came back to find himself at odds with all the guests. They shook their heads with disgust and wondered what a nice girl like me was doing with someone like him. This was the vacation that led to the demise of this relationship and that wasn’t the worst of it.

The Unsettling Beach in the Middle of Nowhere, Mexico

The next day, he insisted we rent a car and drive from the semi-safe tourist part of town to a smaller town where odd looking stray dogs run wild and tourists are no where to be found. While he was surfing, I had the pleasure of sitting on a very unsettling beach, scared to death that something worse than an undertow was going to come along. It was time to end this relationship and wait for a real man who put me first.

Mexican Lunch in the Middle of the Nowhere, Mexico
The food was surprisingly good and that’s when I tasted my first real guacamole, assembled from chunks of avocado with simple ingredients

Budro’s Tableside Guacamole

The next time I tasted anything as good was at Boudro’s Texas Bistro in San Antonio. I had dinner there with Mr. ST one Valentine’s week many years ago, comforted in the realization that I had waited for the right man.  They took a picture of us on the patio wrapped in blankets which Boudro’s provides its guests.  Romantic that he is, he framed the picture and has it on his desk.

He became just as smitten with the their famous tableside guacamole and recreated the recipe as soon as we got back home, adapting it to his own taste. The serrano pepper can be left out, but we love it. 

His guacamole is legendary, and there is none better anywhere here in Nashville. He’s very particular about it, and I enjoy watching him do his table side magic especially because it always takes us back to that night in San Antonio, serving as a reminder to me how different my life could have been with the wrong person. (Although I’m not sure about those sunglasses. I think they are long gone, but he thought he looked like Bono. I laughed too).

Table-side Presentation for Authentic Guacamole

Table-side guacamole is something you can do when your guests arrive, but give them a drink first. The entire assembly takes about five minutes.How to  Make Sure the Avocado is Ripe Enough, but not too Ripe

There is a little brown stem (button) on the tip of an avocado. If you flick it off, you will see either a brown spot (too ripe) or a green spot (ripe enough)

Peel Your Avocados. Did you know you can peel avocados. Let me show you here.

Chop your cilantro with this Tuo Cleaver, my new favorite kitchen tool.



Tableside Guacamole and a Beautiful Presentation

The key to a beautiful presentation is to have everything ready to chop freshly on the spot peel the avocados. This is much easier than you may think and I did a post on it.  Peeling the avocado makes it easier to cut into attractive slices for some dishes or nice chunks for this one. It might be a good idea to have your onion pre-cut, but dice the tomato fresh.

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So tell me, did you wait for Mr. or Mrs. Right? Did it take you as many dogs as it took me?

More Avocado Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• How to Peel an Avocado
• How to Ripen an Avocado
• Avocado Margarita
• Avocado Shrimp Salad
• Avocado Chicken Pasta
• Chocolate Avocado Smoothie (low carb)
• Baked Avocado Egg with Lime Hollandaise

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Authentic Guacamole and Tableside Presentation

Authentic Guacamole and how to do a nice tableside presentation.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Note: To make enough guacamole: use 1 avocado per person and adjust ingredients accordingly.
• 4 avocados
• juice squeezed from 1/2 large orange
• juice squeezed from one lime
• sea salt black pepper
• 1/2 purple onion diced
• 1 small tomato diced
• handful of cilantro chopped
• 1 serrano pepper diced very finely (optional)

Instructions

• Assemble the following into a bowl:
• Peel avocados or carefully spoon out the flesh, keeping the avocado and intact as possible. Cut into large chunks.
• Squeeze the juices of orange and lime over avocado.
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add in chopped onion, tomato, cilantro
• Carefully mix together. You don’t want the avocado turned into mush.
• Season again with salt as needed, perhaps another squeeze of lime.
• Serve immediately.

Video

The post Authentic Tableside Guacamole appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you’ve never tried roasted sable fish also known as black cod or butter fish, you are missing out on a real treat.

I have partnered with Sitka Salmon Shares with my instagram account to share the good news about wild alaskan fish. Delivered frozen to my door at the peak of freshness, I have ever been disappointed with my bo.

I’ve shared a few of their dishes before. This baked black bass is one of my favorites made with summer vegetables, olives and capers.

This time I’m making a sable fish recipe with a peach salsa. The sable fish was part of Sitka Shares (Alaskan Wild Seafood) box.

What is Sable Fish?

Sable Fish is a delicate deep sea fish that is high in fat and very buttery.  It’s sometimes called butter fish and sometimes called black cod, although it’s not a member of the cod family.

Sable fish has a mild, buttery taste and is adaptable to many recipes. The fish we received had a bottom skin, easily removed and no bones.

How to Prepare Sable fish

Sable fish is easy to prepare, due to it high fat content. I did a quick pan fry with skin side down and then stuck it in the oven for another five minutes. Topped with savory peach salsa, which also cuts through the richness of this fish.

Peach Salsa 

Peach salsa is easy to make. I used fresh Peach Truck peaches, red onion, jalapeno pepper, tomato. You can make this to your own taste.

Peach salsa is a great topper for any seafood. It could also be used for seafood tacos.

How to Defrost Frozen Fish

The fish comes packed in plastic. I simply submerge in cold water for about 15 to 20 minutes. You could place from freezer to refrigerator in the morning,  and it will be ready for you at dinner time.

Roasted Fish Tacos

Sable Fish makes the best roasted fish tacos because the fish is mild and tender and adapts well to any kind of salsa.

Here are the reasons Sitka Salmon Shares is worth joining.

Wild: Wild-caught from the pristine waters of Southeast Alaska

Community-based: Sourced from traditional fishing communities. Supported by a Midwest community of conscious consumers.

Premium: Harvested and hand-processed individually, flash-frozen at the peak of freshness to ensure the highest quality, guaranteed.

Sustainable: Harvested using hook-and-line methods to minimize negative ecological impact.

Traceable: The only fully-integrated Midwest CSF. 100% traceability from boat to doorstep.

Just: Owned by a collective of carefully selected small-scale family fishermen, all of whom

retain 20-30% more of the retail value or their harvest.

Convenient: Home delivered direct to your door, with recipes, newsletters, and more.

Conscious: Carbon offsets purchased and 1% of revenue donated back to the wild.

Try these other Fish Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Mediterranean Sea Bass

Baked Snapper with Pistachio Pesto

Salmon Tacos with Mango Salsa

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Roasted Sable Fish with Peach Salsa

Roasted Fish with Savory Peach Salsa (Peaches, Tomatoes, Onion, Peppers)

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Keyword fish, peaches, sable fish, salsa

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Sable Fish

• 2 pounds Alaskan Sable fish
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 peaches

Peach Salsa

• 4 tablespoon tomatoes diced
• 1 tablespoon red onion finely diced
• 1/2 jalapeno finely diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
• 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinaigrette or champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt, pepper to taste
• lime slices optional

Instructions

Sable Fish

• Generously season fish with salt and pepper.
• Place in oven in oven-proof roasting pan at 400 degrees F, 200 C.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Peach Salsa

• Chop peaches with skin on.
• Mix peaches, onion, jalapeno, tomato together and toss with olive oil and vinegar.
• Add Cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Fish with Salsa

• Once fish is cooked, you will notice some of the edges pull away. That's normal for sable fish. Top with salsa and serve immediatey.
• Garnish with lime slices if desired.

The post Roasted Fish with Fresh Peach Salsa appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

We eat salmon at least once a week, because of all the proteins we could pick, this is the seven minute dinner that can be made in a number of ways. I’ve shown you many salmon recipes in the past, including my most recent salmon with pasta, cauliflower and olives.

When I was asked to partner with the National Salmon Council, I wanted to show you the easiest, most reliable way to get the best-tasting salmon in less than 10 minutes. I wanted to create a fun, family-friendly recipe to be fun, that brought out the best of salmon, while being a little unique.

I imagined vibrant colors of the rainbow and salmon tacos with tomato mango salsa popped into my head, and then onto this tray.

Easy Salmon Tacos are Slow Food Fast

Salmon tacos are easy and adaptable to your own taste. For example, I leave out anything spicy when I’m serving kids, but they tend to love the tomato mango salsa.

Salmon tacos are slow food fast, made in a matter of minutes and still so good for you. The salsa can be made in advance, and all you’ll need is seven minutes to pan-sear perfect salmon (I promise). I like to pan-sear the salmon on one side (skin side down) for two minutes in a hot pan and then put in the oven for five minutes. This is my basic salmon recipe from which many recipes can be created.

The biggest thing I hear from people is their apprehension to cook salmon or to cook fish indoors. Let me put all this to rest and tell you, once you cook salmon properly, meaning not overcooking, you’ll be making it every week and it’s not that fish that makes a house fishy.

Tomato Mango Salsa with Avocado, Red Onion, Cilantro

Mangoes love tomatoes and avocado. Be prepared to swoon over this combination and probably eat it out of the bowl (like we did). Red onion and cilantro bring these three ingredients together in perfect harmony that brings just the right amount of excitement to fish tacos. Sometimes, instead of cilantro, I use fresh basil for the salsa. Always make recipes your own!

Make sure your mangoes and avocados are ripe, but not too ripe. I buy my mangoes when they have a slight give, but not too much. Conversely, I buy my avocados rock hard, then ripen them myself. I explain why in this post, how to ripen avocados.

Cut the mango, by first holding it vertically and cutting the cheeks of the mango, avoiding the inner seed. Then cut crosswise and lengthwise, not cutting through to the skin. Then slide the knife close to the skin under the cubes.

When cutting the tomato, squeeze off a little of the juice and seeds. If you use Roma tomatoes, you won’t have an issue. Cut a very small dice.

Avocados are a superfood and healthy fat that do well with a bit of acid and salt, and when paired with a sweet fruit like a mango, it’s incredible. I peel my avocados first and then cut into a dice.

Red onion, plenty of cilantro, a touch of syrupy balsamic, and sea salt bring it all together. Shredded purple cabbage adds a little crunch, and a little color.

I suggest flour tortillas or my easy made from scratch grain free low carb tortillas (shown in the picture).

Salmon Tacos – Superfood and Eating the Rainbow

Salmon is a superfood that we should eat at least once a week. Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, EPA and DHA, salmon is loaded with selenium, potassium and is anti-inflammatory. Mangoes promote eye health, facilitate digestion and aid in lowering cholesterol and have a low glycemic count, not spiking blood sugar. Avocados are known universally for their “good fat” and red cabbage has amazing antioxidant properties.

Salmon is usually a signature dish we serve to company. We always get rave reviews, whether we pan-sear or cook on the grill with this technique. In all honesty, I jumped at the opportunity to partner with the Salmon Council, because there is never a time salmon is not in our freezer. It’s my go to for a post-workout lunch and part of my overall low-carb lifestyle.

 More of Spinach Tiger’s Timeless Salmon Recipes

Ginger Roasted Salmon with Roasted Beets

Salmon with Low Carb Pasta, Cauliflower, Olives

Salmon Greek Spinach Salad with Lemony Dressing

Salmon on the Grill

Savory Smoked Salmon Cheesecake

For More Recipes Follow Hooked on Salmon

Follow the Hooked on Salmon Pinterest Board  on Pinterest.

Follow Hooked on Salmon on Facebook.

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Pan-Seared Salmon Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Pan Seared Salmon Tacos with Mango Tomato Salsa Recipe, a rainbow of superfood comes together to make exciting tacos the whole family will love.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound salmon filets
• 4 tablespoon olive oil divided
• juice of 1/2 lime
• salt and pepper
• Mango Salsa recipe below
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 8 flour tortillas or these almond flour tortillas

Mango Salsa

• 2 mangoes
• 2 avocados
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion finely diced
• 1 large bunch cilantro
• 2 tablespoons syrupy balsamic vinegar see notes
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 to rtillas

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees f, 180 C, Gas 4.
• Marinate salmon with olive oil and lime juice, while oven is preheating. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in pan to medium high in oven proof pan.
• Place salmon in pan skin side down. Cook for two minutes or until skin is crispy.
• Place pan in oven for about 5 minutes. Keep in mind that the salmon will continue to cook once removed from the oven. You do not want to overcook the salmon.
• Remove the skin, cut into pieces to place in tacos.
• Assemble with salmon, red cabbage and mango tomato salsa. Serve Immediately.

Mango Salsa Instructions

• Cut mango into cubes. Hold up vertically, slice off each cheek. Slice across, not cutting skin and then slide knife under cubed mango.
• Cut tomatoes into very small dice. You may need to squeeze juice out.
• Peel avocado, and cut into cubes.
• Finely dice red onion.
• Chop cilantro.
• Toss tomatoes, mango, cilantro and red onion together with lime, 1/4 teaspoon salt syrupy.
• balsamic or white vinegar and honey.
• Add avocado.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

Only use balsamic if you have a good syrupy sweet balsamic. In lieu of balsamic, use 1 tablespoon white vinegar with 1 teaspoon honey.

 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of National Salmon Council. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Pan-Seared Salmon Tacos with Tomato Mango Salsa appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This shrimp avocado salad recipe is a go to in our house. Sometimes we eat it with big corn chips. Sometimes we use this as an in between meal when we know we’re going to a big fat food event. I make this at least twice a month.

While this shrimp avocado salad  recipe may seem like light fare, it’s filling because of all that good fat from the avocado.

In the summer we cut corn right off the cob and into the salad for an even better bite.

You can make the shrimp avocado salad recipe  your own in so many ways, by adding corn, beans, olives, or even making lettuce wraps or tacos.

One of the secrets as to why this is so good is how I cook the shrimp. I use this recipe. You could stop right here and enjoy this simple, yet nuanced shrimp appetizer adapted from Marcella Hazan.
The key to making anything taste good is a combination of fat, acid and salt.

The avocado provides plenty of fat, so be sure to add in plenty of acid and taste for salt. Also,if the shrimp can sit in olive oil and lemon for a while and soak in the citrus, the taste will be all the better.

We don’t like to refrigerate tomatoes, so if you want to make this ahead, just do the shrimp, onion and cilantro part. Add in your tomatoes and avocado right before serving. Never ever refrigerate tomatoes. It turns them mealy and deems them tasteless.

I used grape tomatoes because it’s not tomato season yet and these taste best at this time of year. In the summer, I’ll replace with fresh summer heirloom tomatoes and perhaps add some fresh sweet corn right off the cob.

You can extend the bulk of the salad by tossing it with a handfuls of romaine lettuce. You can add a crumbly cheese like a ricotta salata or feta.

However, you choose to adapt this shrimp avocado salad recipe, make it your own!

Click Here for More Shrimp Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Shrimp Avocado Salad

Shrimp avocado salad is a perfect low carb entree, appetizer and can be used as a party dip, by slicing shrimp in smaller pieces.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Cook Shrimp
• 1 pound raw cooked shrimp
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon champagne or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt or 1 piece celery
• Make Salad
• 3 tablespoons red onion finely diced
• 2 small avocado
• 3-4 radishes optional
• 1 pint grape tomatoes or 2 tomatoes chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one lime
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

• Cook Shrimp
• Put water in large sauce pan.
• Add vinegar and celery (or celery salt)
• Once water boils, add shrimp.
• Once water boils again, turn off stove. Shrimp should be pink and cooked.
• Drain. Take shrimp out of shell, which should occur easily.
• Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze lemon on shrimp. Refrigerate.
• Peel and slice avocado into bite sized pieces.
• Slice grape tomatoes lengthwise and again cross wise into bite sized pieces.
• Clean and slice radishes thinly. This will give a bite to salad and is an option.
• Juice the lime.
• Once shrimp are cold, assemble with ingredients, including cilantro.
• Toss with remaining olive oil, lime juice and vinegar. Most vinegars will work, but red wine vinegar or a white champagne vinegar works best.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Taste to see if more vinegar or salt is needed.

The post Shrimp Avocado Salad Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Meet cauliflower hash with my perfect poached egg recipe. This is my post workout brunch of choice.

I work out four days a week. Two of these days are a tough weight training class and require a smart post workout meal, with protein and some carbs, so that I’m not hungry the rest of the day. Sometimes I eat this smoothie bowl  but some days I want a bigger meal that is warm and closer to lunch than breakfast.

Yesterday one of the trainers asked me how I keep my weight maintained with all the food events I attend as a food blogger. On Tuesday, there were two food events both with food and cocktails in one day!

Hear me now, I’m not skinny. My doctor advised me to lose two pounds. Not a joke. She said I was two pounds to perfect, but she was happy that my weight never moves more than two pounds in the last five years, even though I go to a lot of food events.

There are Three Things I do to Maintain Weight as a Food Blogger

1. I eat with much discrimination.  I don’t waste calories on junk or fast food, but when it’s good food, I eat it all.
2. I don’t eat very many carbs, grains, breads, etc. except for food events, blogger dinners, special occasions. I do eat a lot of vegetables everyday. I eat a piece of dark chocolate every night.
3. I exercise religiously several days a week, a life long habit.  I don’t believe it helps me lose weight, but I do believe it helps me maintain weight, build muscle, feel better, look better, think better, live longer and keeps me in a “healthy lifestyle” mentality. 

And, of course, I eat the food I make here, which outside of the desserts made from scratch is very healthy.

Cauliflower Hash Poached Egg Recipe

This cauliflower hash poached egg recipe is gluten free, low carb, grain free, and while it hits all those “healthy” markers, it has a gourmet appeal, and is the kind of food that feels hearty, and satisfying.

The key to making cauliflower hash is to slice the cauliflower into small thin cutlets and frying them in either coconut or avocado oil and adding in sautéed red onion. Since the cauliflower is so thin,  it browns quickly, and you don’t really need a lot of oil.

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables you can precut and keep in a plastic bag. Onion can be pre-diced and this entire meal can then be made under 10 minutes. You can add more veggies to your cauliflower hash such as peppers or even tomatoes.

I used coconut oil to make the hash, because there are just so many great benefits including weight lost and you can read more the 28 benefits of coconut oil here. If you want to learn all about the differences of cooking with several types of articles, this article on the ultimate guide to cooking oils here is a great read. 

Sometimes I like oven fried eggs, but there is nothing as pretty and perfect as poached eggs, if you can get them right. I’ve shown you how to do that here, and it still works, every time.

You may be interested in some other poached egg recipes I’ve made here at Spinach Tiger.

Kale and Poached Egg Recipe

The classic asparagus poached egg recipe has been around for a very long time. I first experienced it in Rome, and this is a dish my great grandmother used to make.

Poached eggs with spaghetti caused quite a stir with one reader from Italy who was not happy, but I was. By the way, this is an excellent post work-out meal.

Or try this unique take on hash browns.

So tell me, do you have a post-workout meal you can share with me.

More Egg Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Cauliflower Recipes

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Cauliflower Hash Poached Egg Recipe

Thinly sliced cauliflower sauteed to a crisp golden brown with red onions makes a perfect hash for poached eggs.

Course Brunch

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 1/2 red onion finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil coconut oil or olive oil
• salt pepper
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• few sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

• Pull apart large buds of cauliflower and thinly slice.
• Put oil in frying pan on medium heat.
• Brown cauliflower about 1-2 minutes each side or until golden brown.
• Remove to paper towel.
• Saute onion in same pan.
• Mix together.
• Season with salt and pepper
• Make poached eggs (recipe here)
• Serve immediately.

Notes

Coconut oil has been known to help weight loss by boosting the metabolism.

I love these products. This is my kitchen faucet, and I can’t live without this chef’s knife.



The post Cauliflower Hash Poached Egg Paleo Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Homemade Pico de Gallo is a fresh, tomato salsa that is so much better than anything you buy at the store, where it’s usually too water, or too something. It’s nice to make it your way, so take these directions with a grain of salt, and balance it out according to your own taste.

The only thing I advise is that unless you can get very fresh summer tomatoes, use Roma tomatoes, which dice well and are less watery.

You can make pico do gallo up to an hour in advance to let the flavors meld together, but keep it at cool room temperature.

Tomatoes, once refrigerated, loses flavor, freshness, brightness, all the things that make a homemade pico de gallo wonderful to top any taco, protein dish or tortilla chip.

Homemade Pico de Gallo

I use red onions, first soaked in ice cold water, so they don’t overpower the tomatoes, but you can use white onions, and at times I’ve even used shallots. The homemade pico de gallo is finished with fresh cilantro, serrano peppers, salt and lots of fresh lime. You could use habañero or jalapeño peppers also. The serrano is hotter than the jalapeño, but I don’t choose it for its heat; I like it’s brighter flavor.

Sometimes, depending on what I’m making, I’ll add in fresh pineapple, especially if the rest of the dish is very spicy, like  ahot chicken or fish taco. Sometimes I’ll add fresh avocado, especially if I’m serving this with shrimp.

No matter what I’m serving if we’re having Mexican food at home, we always have pico de gallo, and here are a few of the ways we’ve eaten it

Steak Tacos made with Teres Major, a steak cut of value, often compared to filet mignon.

Carnitas, slow cooked pork braised with orange and lime for classic pork taco.

Avocado Margarita if you like something different and fresh.

Homemade Margarita with Fresh Citrus beats using a mix any day.

So tell me, do you make your own pico de gallo? Do you have a special recipe? I’d love to hear about it in the comment below or at my facebook page.

I would love to connect with you at instagram and you can find all my recipes in one place on my pinterest board.

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Homemade Pico de Gallo

Freshly made pico de gallo with serrano peppers, fresh lime juice, cilantro, onions to perk up any dish or use as a dip.

Course Salsa

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 6 roma tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons red onion finely chopped (can use white onion or shallots)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper seeded, minced
• heavy dash of salt
• 1/2 lime

Instructions

• Cut off end of tomato. Slice in half cross wise. Make four cut lengthwise and dice.
• Finely dice red onion. If onion is very strong, reduce amount.
• Seed serrano pepper and finely dice.
• Add everything together.
• Squeeze lime.
• Season with salt.
• Gently toss.
• Taste for balance. You can add in more onion, lime juice, cilantro, peppers to taste.

The post Homemade Pico de Gallo appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is an ancient food that could be THE food of the moment, because it’s perfect protein, has a low glycemic index, and is gluten free.

The only problem I see with quinoa is that it can get a bit boring and bland. I know you could say the same thing about rice, but quinoa cooks up almost like a porridge, and that is not a texture as easily adaptable to some recipes as other grains….

…unless, you take a different approach, and roast it to get a crispy texture.

I first got this idea back in January when I fell in love with using cast iron, and made an amazing wintery dish with butternut squash. Quinoa continued to intrigue me as a quite perfect meal, and this dish was submitted for the Blogger Aid Changing the Face of Famine Cookbook, which was published.  My photo was chosen as one of the few to be published and I think probably the ingredient (quinoa) helped with that decision.

I took a strong mediterranean approach and incorporated this into my series on purple foods using purple onions. Purple (red) onions are high in flavenoids and are much more than just “flavor” contributors.

The Process
While you’re cooking the quinoa on top of the stove, you can grill the vegetables. I chose red bell pepper, red onion, grilled fennel and breaded eggplant. If you want to be completely gluten free, the eggplant can also be grilled. The capers add enough bite and tang as there is no dressing necessary for this salad. I topped it with the last of our basil, and some chopped herbs from the fresh fennel, but you could certainly take your herbs in another direction with thyme, rosemary or parsley.

The lovely thing about a dish like this is that it is complete and needs nothing else.

One other variation of this uses more quinoa, and fluffs it up a bit, making a layered look.

Alternate Assembly: Layer Quinoa between grilled vegetables

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Not So Naked Roasted Quinoa

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked quinoa
• 6 cups salted water
• 3/4 cups grated parmigiano reggiano
• 2 tablespoons capers
• extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt freshly ground pepper
• 1 fennel bulb sliced crosswise
• 1 red bell pepper seeded, sliced crosswise (optionally use red and green)
• I small eggplant sliced, sweated,
• 1 egg beaten for eggplant (skip if grilling eggplant)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs skip if grilling eggplant
• 1 red onion sliced cross wise
• A few torn basil leaves or several thyme sprigs removed from stem or parsley
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Cook Quinoa before Roasting

• Rinse several times really well. This is an important step to rid quinoa of soapy saponin which, if not rinsed well, will emit a bitter taste.
• The ratio for cooking is 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.
• Once rinsed, add to salted water, bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Once cooked, add 1/2 C parmigiano reggiano, a drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
• Allow to cool enough so you can handle.

To Roast Quinoa: Preheat oven to 425 F

• Use a cast iron pan, pizza stone, or parchment paper and baking sheet.
• Press quinoa with palm of your hands, keeping it together in one form, about 3/4 inch high.
• Roast quinoa in hot oven of 425 degrees.
• Turn after 10-15 minutes once you see edges browning. Don't worry about keeping it all
• together. Just use as large a spatula as you have and turn it over to
• continue until the top is toasted.

Grilled Vegetables

• Brush with olive oil and grill either on grill pan, or outside gas grill until done.
• Sweat eggplant first by salting both sides then placing on paper towels for 30 minutes.
• Rinse off excess salt. Dry.
• Eggplant is dipped into egg and then panko and fried in pan until crispy on both sides.
• Optionally, grill eggplant.
• Arrange vegetables stacks, using either one layer of quinoa or alternating quinoa with some of the vegetables, adding in capers. Add in herbs of choice
• Optional Garnish: Add a drizzle of olive oil if necessary, and some grated cheese.
• Serve immediately or at room temperature.
• This is best eaten at room temperature, or warm.

The post Purple Food: Not So Naked Roasted Quinoa appeared first on Spinach Tiger.