Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Here's a healthy recipe for the warm temperatures

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint grape tomatoes


1 ripe avocado


2 ears of fresh sweet corn


2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped


HONEY LIME DRESSING


Juice of 1 lime


3 tbsp vegetable oil


1 tbsp honey


Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste


1 clove garlic, minced


Dash of cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.
HONEY LIME DRESSING

1. Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle.

Pork Souvlaki

Ingredients


6 Wooden skewers, 8-inches long

1 1/2 lbs pork loin, trimmed of silver skin and excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes


4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
, about 2 lemons

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Greek oregano
 or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

1 teaspoon thyme
 or 1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced, about 4 garlic cloves

1 small red onion, finely chopped


1/4 cup olive oil


1 teaspoon Kosher salt 


1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Soak skewers in water for at least 1 hour.

In a bowl, toss together pork, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, thyme, garlic, onion, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Reserving marinade, evenly thread pork onto skewers. Lay on a hot grill and grill slowly (no flame) continuing to brush on marinade, until meat is done, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Chocolate Truffles

What You Need

¾ cup whipping cream

¼ cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons liqueur (See Kitchen Tips)

7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

Grated chocolate, cocoa powder or chocolate wafer crumbs

Make It

Combine cream, butter and sugar in small pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from heat and add liqueur and chocolate.

Stir until chocolate is entirely melted.

Chill mixture until firm enough to handle. (3 to 4 hours)

Drop mixture by teaspoon amounts into grated chocolate, cocoa powder or chocolate wafer crumbs.

Or

Form into balls. Roll in grated chocolate, cocoa powder or chocolate wafer crumbs.

Kitchen Tips

- orange, almond, coffee liqueurs work well

- or 1 tablespoon instant coffee or 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder dissolved in the cream

Clementine Vanilla Marmalade

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

10 small clementines (you may substitute an equivalent weight of any other citrus fruit)

Granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or scrapings from 1 vanilla pod

Instructions

Place a small plate in the freezer to test your marmalade for doneness later.

Juice enough clementines to yield 1/2 cup of fresh juice (about 3 clementines). Set the juiced fruit aside.

Slice the remaining 7 whole, unpeeled clementines in very thin pieces. Set the clementine pieces in a saucepan and pour enough cold water into the pan to cover the fruit.

Bring the fruit and water to a boil. Turn down the heat and continue simmering the mixture for about 10 minutes.

Drain the water from the fruit and repeat the process, covering the fruit again with cold water, boiling the mixture, and then simmering it for 10 minutes before draining.

Let the slices cool. Remove them from the pan and dice them into small pieces or pulse them in a food processor until they reach your desired consistency.

Weigh the sliced fruit and measure an equivalent weight of sugar. Place both the sugar and fruit in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the fresh-squeezed fruit juice to the pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade measures 220 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer, about 10 to 15 minutes.

If you don't have a thermometer, test the marmalade with the plate you stuck in the freezer. To do it, remove the plate from the freezer and put a small spoonful of marmalade on it. Press a trail through the marmalade with your finger. If it wrinkles up and leaves a clear path, it's finished cooking. If the marmalade runs back together in the path, it's not done yet. Continue cooking and test again several minutes later.

When the marmalade is done, take it off the heat and skim off any excess foam. Stir in the vanilla paste or vanilla scrapings. Pour the marmalade into clean jars, and let the marmalade cool for several minutes before capping the jars.

Refrigerate the marmalade for short-term use (within a week) or can the marmalade with a hot water bath for long-term use and storage.