Monday, July 9, 2012

Salad Dressings No Cal - Low Cal

Salad Dressing
While Wildtree has a number of bottled salad dressings and salad dressing mixes -- my personal favorite is to make my own salad dressings simply by combining a seasoning blend with grapeseed oil and apple cider or balsamic vinegar. Here are some of my favorites:


LEMON DILL DRESSING
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tablespoons water
1/2 cup Lemon Grapeseed Oil
1 Tsp. Dill Blend or Opa Greek Seasoning Blend
1/4 tsp. Ranchers Steak Rub


**Amounts of seasoning blends can be altered to your taste buds. Whenever possible - I make the dressing a few hours before I plan to use it the allow the flavors to bloom.


BASIL PESTO DRESSING
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup Basil Pesto Grapeseed Oil
1 heaping tsp. Basil Pesto Blend

"French" GARLIC & HERB DRESSING
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup Garlic Grapeseed Oil
1 heaping tsp. Garlic & Herb Blend
1  tsp Dark Brown Spicy Mustard








Healthy Butter Spread


Make  your own "Butter Spread" & eliminate all those cheap oils from your diet!!


Here's another product I've struggled with over the years -- a truly healthy butter spread. Yes, you can find those that contain "some" healthy oils and but by in large along with those healthy oils they throw in soybean oil & canola oil...which are now almost always genetically modified & contribute zippo nutrition.  After a fruitless search for the perfect butter spread - I decided to just make my own. Like the body scrub -- eeaaasssyyyy peeeassssyyy!


I left a stick of organic butter (I use only organic butter because non-organic butter has the highest concentrate of pesticides of all dairy products on the market) on the counter for several hours to soften.  Then I placed it and 1/4 cup of butter flavored grapeseed oil in a bowl and whipped it together with a hand blender. After I did it, I realized I probably could have done it in one of the smaller containers of my Magic Bullet and then just put a lid on it -- in the future that's probably what I'll do. 


Donna's "I can't believe its not unhealthy butter spread, butter."
1 stick organic butter -- softened
1/4 C WT butter gso
Whip together, and begin spreading! 



Sunday, May 6, 2012

Thai Sesame Sun Salad

THAI SESAME SUN SALAD


4 cups chopped cabbage or coleslaw mix
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup dried currants (yellow raisins)*
3/4 cup WildTree Thai Sesame Sun Butter Sauce
1 tsp. Lime Juice



Mix all well and let sit for at least 30 minutes before eating. The longer it sits, the better it tastes! 


*I bought a dehydrator a few months back and my daughter, Jeri and I have been playing with it since. Her newest discovery was grapes! She put a bag of grapes in the dehydrator for about 2 days and out came home made, organic raisins! 

Red Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

RED QUINOA & BLACK BEAN SALAD


I got this recipe quite sometime ago from Wildtree customer Jen Adler and gave it the Wildtree touch!!

1/3 cup Red Quinoa
1/2 cup chopped pepper
1 can diced red tomatoes- drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp. Wildtree's Chipotle Lime Blend (or add more to taste)



Cook the quinoa, then mix all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes. 

Friday, April 6, 2012

Easter Dinner

Our Easter Menu:



Looks amazing doesn't it?


Oven Roasted Turkey with Wildtree's Brine 
Cilantro Green Beans with WT Rancher's Steak Rub & WT Garlic GSO
Whipped Cauliflower (Taste just like whipped potatoes without the extra carbs or calories!) seasoned with WT Rancher's Steak Rub, WT Garlic GSO and WT California Style Garlic & Pepper Blend
Baked Sweet Potatoes using WT Butter GSO
GF Stuffing from WT GF Bread Mix then seasoned with WT Brine, WT Garlic GSO and WT Garlic & Herb Blend
Side Salads topped with one of my Wildtree Dressings: My Dressings
and lastly....
GF DF Carrot Cake using WT GF Cake Mix!!!

Happy Easter to you and yours! 

Monday, April 2, 2012

Splurge Night -- Wildtree's Gluten Free Brownies

GF Brownies




1 pkg. Wildtree Gluten Free Brownie Mix
4 tablespoons Wildtree Natural or Butter Flavor Grapeseed Oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk (I use Almond Milk)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Place brownie mix, Grapeseed Oil or butter, eggs, and milk in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and serve. Serves 16 (If each person can stop after just one haha) 



Chipotle Lime Black Bean & Corn Salsa


Chipotle Lime Black Bean and Corn Salsa 

Dressing: 
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1/3 C (Your Favorite) Grapeseed oil
2 teaspoon WT chipotle lime rub
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 clove minced garlic

Mix dressing in a blender. Pour over black beans, corn, cilantro and tomatoes. Mix gently. Serve with chips.

Cucumber Curry Salad


CUCUMBER CURRY SALAD



1/4 C Zesty Lemon GSO 
1/3 C honey
2 T WT Curry Garlic Blend
1 T salt
cayenne
juice of one lemon
cilantro chopped
1/2 C red onion chopped
2 cucumbers sliced
1/2 C cashews chopped
.5 tsp Rancher Rub 
Mix ingredients and sprinkle with a pinch of Cayenne

Grapeseed Oil Body Scrub

Wildtree's Grapeseed oils are NOT just for IN your body!!
Try them out ON your body


Anyone who has done therapeutic massage is familiar with the use of grapeseed oils for massaging. That is what inspired me to create my own Body Scrub at the fraction of the cost. I've never understood why a small container of body scrub made with natural ingredients and essential oils was so doggone expensive. 
Not too long ago, I ran out and was about to shell out $15.00 for another container when I thought - "Hmmm -- I think I can make this myself!" And that's exactly what I did.  I mixed 1 cup of coarse sea salt, 1 cup of cheapo deapo Bloom brand white sugar and just enough plain grapeseed oil to coat. Sorry for all you "measurer's" out there - I'm a pourer and didn't pay attention to exactly how much oil I used. Just note that the sea salt and sugar will settle over night - so don't over do the oil - you can always add more later if necessary. Then I added 6-8 drops of lemon essential oil. Note that this is different than the liquid extracts you cook with -- essential oils are much stronger and aromatic. It is perfect, took me two minutes to whip up  and cost me pennies to the dollar to make.




Smoked Mozzarella and Tomato Blend Meatloaf


Smoked Mozzarella & Tomato Blend Meatloaf



1 pound lean ground beef -- I use lean
1 pound lean ground turkey -- I use lean 
1 sleeve low-sodium saltine crackers, crushed or GF crumbs
2 eggs, beaten 
1 med yellow onion, diced 

1 clove garlic, minced or 1-2 tsp garlic galore blend

1 teaspoon black pepper 
4 tablespoons Wildtree Smoked Mozzarella and Tomato Blend
1 cup canned tomato sauce 


Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag and “smoosh” together. Remove air and freeze. Defrost bag in fridge. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. When ready to cook, mix thoroughly in a bowl. Form a rectangular loaf in the pan, and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread tomato sauce on top of the loaf. Bake an additional 8 minutes, or until internal temperature reached 165 degrees
Thats whipped potatoes on top! How cute right?

*Try it in a crockpot! -- for directions go to the "My Favorite (Crockpot) Meatloaf Blog


Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp


Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp 


2 Tablespoons WT Roasted Garlic GSO
2 Teaspoons fresh lime
1 teaspoon WT Adobo Seasoning Blend
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes
1lb jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
8 wooden skewers -- I soke mine in water 


Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag. Remove air and marinate for at least 2 hours. Preheat grill to medium heat. Alternately skewer shrimp and pepper. Grill shrimp approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side. 

Leftovers Night: Spaghetti Squash with Spanish Shrimp


ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH
 W/DICED TOMATOES & LEFT OVER SPANISH STYLE SHRIMP


If you have never roasted a spaghetti squash - it is time you did!! IT IS SO EASY. Simply cut the squash  length wise and scoop out the seeds & globby stuff. Fill a cake pan with about 2" of water and place the squash flesh side down in the pan. Place in the oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 40-45 minutes depending upon the size of your squash. You'll know the sqaush is  done when your fork goes into the flesh very easily. Remove from the oven and from the cake pan and let cool long enough so that you can handle it. Using a fork - scrape the squash -removing the fresh in long strands - thus the name "spaghetti" squash. You can actually roast a squash and store it for several days before using it - FYI

While your squash is roasting, open one or two cans of Diced Tomatoes (depending upon how many you are feeding) and add PER CAN 1 tsp of Wildtree's Hearty Spaghetti Seasoning Blend, 1 tsp of Wildtree's Garlic Galore & a dash of Ranchers Steak Rub. Let this simmer. About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat - add leftover Spanish Style Shrimp & Red Peppers to the sauce OR 1 bag of thawed  Wild Caught peeled shrimp (the only place in Fburg where I can find WILD CAUGHT bagged/frozen/peeled shrimp is Super Target in Southpointe). Let this simmer.
When ready to eat - spoon the sauce/shrimp over the warm spaghetti squash and dash with Parmesan Cheese.



Five Star Salmon


FIVE STAR SALMON



This recipe was the result of a substitution made for one of the Freezer Meals that I've been making in our Freezer Meal Workshop.


6 Salmon Filets
1/2 cup European Dipping-Oil - Mediterranean Balsamic (Shake well before pouring so you get a nice mix of oil and balsamic "yummy!"
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar or Sucanat
1/4 cup soy sauce


Mix the oil, honey, sugar & soy sauce in a large freezer bag. Mix well. Add the defrosted salmon filets. Remove the air and marinate overnight or for several hours.


Broil or bake in oven until filets are done to desired wellness.

My Favorite (Crockpot) Meatloaf

MY NEW FAVORITE: CROCKPOT MEATLOAF




I've begun cooking my meatloaves in the crockpot -- thanks to Barb Frasher's suggestion at a recent Freezer meal Workshop. It is awesome prepared this way.
Simply prepare your meatloaf (below is my favorite recipe) - plop it in your crockpot - top it with tomato sauce, tomato soup or vegetable soup. I cook a 2 lb meatloaf  on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. It is foolproof!!


My Favorite Meatloaf Recipe
2 lbs ground beef, ground turkey, ground turkey or a mix of beef/turkey or beef/chicken
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 large eggs slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk - (I use unsweetened almond milk)
1 package Wildtree's Just Like Mom's Meatloaf Mix


Mix well and form into meatloaf in the crockpot . *See cooking instructions above.

Tips & Tricks for All Things Wildtree


Tips & Tricks from my hostesses:

*The Southwestern Stew makes amazing Nacho's! Make the stew according to the directions on the package and then spread this mixture over top corn chips along with freshly chopped onions, tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, if desired, and shredded chedder cheese.


*The Tortilla soup can be made just with chicken broth, ground or shredded meat and chopped tomatoes for a brothier version.
 OR add a can of tomato sauce for a thicker, more tomato based soup.
 Thanks to my great hostesses - I've had both and they are both wonderful!!


*Don't forget the infused oils when it comes to Sunday brunch or other times of the week when you are making eggs for your family/guests. The jalapeno grapeseed oil adds some heat to mexican omelets or breakfast burritos, the basil pesto and garlic oils are equally wonderful in scrambled eggs, the butter flavored is great when poaching eggs and when you combine the oils and any number of spice blends (basil pesto, scampi, garlic and herb, Ranchers Steak Rub)-- you are talking 5 star!!


*USE THE WILDTREE SWEET BREAD MIXES TO MAKE PANCAKES!! How cool of an idea is that? One of my best Wildtree customers & supporters attended a tasting recently and shared with the rest of the group that recently she went to make pancakes for breakfast and realized she was out of the Wildtree Buttermilk Pancake mix -- so she improvised and adjusted the Banana Banana bread mix to make pancakes with that. We're guessing you can do the same with the Pumpkin Bread and the Cranberrry Orange bread when it's back in season. And to make them even healthier -- add some ground up flaxseed to increase the fiber content. 


*Another Wildtree Rep on my team has this great recommendation: Add the Roasted Tomatilla Salsa to the Tia Rosa's Enchilada sauce for a great taste combination as well as a great way to extend the Enchilda sauce. Again -- Great thinking!! 


*Yet another great suggestion I heard at a tasting was to use the Roasted Red Pepper Blend on Pot Roast made in the crockpot. Can't you just smell that right now??


Lemon Roasted Asparagus

LEMON ROASTED ASPARAGUS 

If you like your asparagus hot -- this is another option! 


1.5 Tablespoon Zesty Lemon GSO 
2 Teaspoon Lemon Pepper Blend 
2 Teaspoon Lemon Rosemary Blend
1 Teaspoon Ranchers Steak Rub 


Coat cleaned asparagus and toss with lemon flavored grapeseed oil and Lemon Pepper or Lemon Rosemary blend. Toss lightly with a dash of Ranchers. Roast in oven at 350 until done crisp. 





Quick and Easy Spinach Salad with Wildberry Dressing

SPINACH SALAD WITH WILDBERRY DRESSING



1 container of organic mini spinach leaves
1 bottle of Wildtree Wildberry Dressing
2 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup toasted chopped almonds or pecans
1/3 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese crumbles
Sliced Fresh strawberries or a firm but ripened pear 



Mix together all ingredients and enjoy! Simple as that! 

Italian Asparagus

FRESH ASPARAGUS MARINATED IN "NEW" ITALIAN DRESSING

1 Wildtree Italian Dressing (Make according to recipe on bottle) 

1lb Asparagus 


Mix one batch of the Wildtree Italian Dressing. For this recipe, I like to use balsamic vinegar. Clean one pound of fresh asparagus and place it in 1 gallon freezer bag. Pour in Wildtree Italian Dressing and place in refrigerator. Best if allowed to marinate overnight but sometimes we can't wait!!

Texas Caviar

WILDTREE'S TEXAS CAVIAR


2 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained
2 (15 oz) cans of black eye peas, drained
1 small bag of frozen corn, defrosted by running cold water over it.
1 (4 oz.) can green chilis
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, washed and chopped 

1/4 c. Garlic GSO
.5 tsp Garlic Galore
sprinkle of Ranchers Steak Rub

Mix all the above ingredients together. Next mix 1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup Garlic Grapeseed oil, 1/3 cup cane sugar, 1/2 tsp. Garlic Galore seasoning blend. Pour this dressing over the rest of the ingredients, sprinkle with Ranchers Steak Rub and refrigerate.
My daughter makes this non stop over the summer with Baked Scoops it is a great snack!


Bruchetta

AMAZING BRUCHETTA


1 vine ripened Tomato
1 tsp. Garlic Galore Blend
1 tsp. Scampi Blend
1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Grapeseed oil
Crusty bread of your choice

Brush sliced bread with Garlic GSO. Chop tomato & add the seasoning blends. Top each bite sized piece of bread with tsp. of tomato mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Put under the broiler for about 10 minutes.

Lemon Salmon with Dill

GRILLED ZESTY LEMON SALMON WITH DILL


**The Alaskan Salmon are running right now so take advantage of some of the best tasting wild caught salmon on the market!!

2 tsp. Wildtree Zesty Lemon Grapeseed Oil
2 tsp. Wildtree Dill Dip Blend
1 lb fresh salmon fillets or steaks 

Brush the salmon with the oil and sprinkle with the dill blend. I like to let this sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours when I have the time. Grill the salmon skin side down over medium heat until fish is opague in the center. If grilling steaks - only turn once during the grilling process.

Scampi Veggie Kabobs

SCAMPI VEGGIE KABOBS 


Garlic GSO
Scampi Blend
Zucchini
Corn
Onion

These are soooooo easy and taste soooooo good! 

Cut up fresh zucchini in bite sized pieces. 

Clean fresh corn and cut the ears into 2-3" pieces. 
Peel a sweet onion and cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces. 
Put all veggies in a bowl and cover lightly with Garlic GSO
Next sprinkle with Scampi Blend until all are well-covered. 
*For best flavor - let the veggies marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or so.*
Skewer the veggies and place on the grill. 

Keep a close eye - as it only takes them about 10-15 minutes on a hot grill.