lime

Coconut Lime Bars

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At my house, it’s definitely not close to being spring.  I absolutely love the intermountain west, but this has been a LOOOONG winter.  There is NO sign of green grass here.  Seriously, we are still completely covered in snow!!!  I start to crave warmer days and “summer food”.  So until the snow is gone, these Coconut Lime bars are helping fill my need for warmth. Travel through food when necessary, I say!   You can eat these bars as soon as they are done, but I highly recommend letting them chill several hours before devouring!  ~Kathy

Ingredients for Bars:

  • 1 stick butter, softened (8 oz)
  • 1 1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. lime zest
  • 2 1/8 c. flour
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. coconut toasted
  • 3 oz. white baking chocolate, finely chopped

Ingredients for Frosting:

  • 1 pkg. cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
  • ¾ c. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tsp. lime zest
  • 4 oz. white baking chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • ½ c. toasted coconut

Preheat oven to 350°.   Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.  

Start by making sure butter is extremely soft, just shy of melting.  Mix together softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Add in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and lime zest.  

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt.   Add to butter mixture and mix, just until combined.  Gently fold in coconut and white chocolate.

Spread the batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 19-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add in powdered sugar and lime juice.  Mix in zest and cooled melted white chocolate, combine well.   Spread over cooled bars and top with toasted coconut.   Chill 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Frozen Margarita Pie

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School has started again here, but the 90+ degree temperatures have us hanging on to every bit of that summer feeling while we still can. I find myself longing for two things from summer my family loves – frozen treats and beach vacations.  If you can’t have both, make a dessert that reminds you of the beach!

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This Frozen Margarita Pie reminds me of something I’d eat at an ocean-side restaurant with sand on my feet – I could live in a place like that!  The pretzel crust on this pie really makes the difference by supplying that ‘salt on the rim’ flavor of your favorite sweet margarita.  Make.  Enjoy.  Close your eyes and dream of the ocean.  ~Tracy

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Ingredients for crust: 
  • ~5 T. melted butter
  • ~¼ c. sugar
  • ~2 c. pretzel sticks, crushed
  • ~4 squares or two sheets of graham crackers, crushed
Ingredients for filling:
  • ~1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
  • ~1/3 c. fresh squeezed lime juice
  • ~¼ c. limeade concentrate (such as Minute Maid)
  • ~2 T. tequila
  • ~1 ½ T. triple sec
  • ~1 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped
Ingredients for topping:
  • ~1 T. lime zest
  • ~whipped cream for garnish
Instructions for crust:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix melted butter, sugar, crushed pretzels and crushed graham crackers together. I use a big Ziploc baggie for this and simply knead the ingredients until well combined.
  3. Press the mixture in the bottom and up the sizes of a 9” glass pie plate, forming an even layer.
  4. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes; set aside the crust and allow it to completely cool.
Instructions for the filling:
  1. Squeeze the juice from limes (usually 3 to 5 limes) until you have 1/3 c. fresh lime juice.
  2. In a large bowl, combine lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, limeade concentrate, tequila and triple sec.
  3. Gently fold in the whipped cream until all ingredients are incorporated.
  4. Pour all ingredients into cooled crust and smooth.
  5. Sprinkle the top with 1 T. lime zest.
  6. Freeze at least 4 hours but overnight is preferable.
  7. To help release the frozen crust from the dish, you can place the dish in a very shallow dish of warm (not hot) water.
  8. Top with a dollop of whipped cream before serving if desired.

Watermelon Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

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I had a watermelon salad in a bistro several years ago while on vacation, and I could not believe how much I loved it (I’m normally not the biggest lover of watermelon). In this salad, though, the chilled watermelon and vinaigrette dressing were exactly what I needed on an unusually hot day in the mountains, and the sweetness of the melon is balanced by the saltiness of the pepitas and feta.  And it had such a gourmet feel to it, as it was absolutely gorgeous.  Impress your summertime guests with this wonderful salad I recreated with my very own, easy peasy vinaigrette that has a bright and beautiful honey citrus flavor.  ~Robin

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Ingredients for dressing:
  • ⅛ c. extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅛ c. lime juice (usually 2 limes)
  • ⅛ c. honey
  • 1 T. balsamic vinegar
Ingredients for salad:
  • 5 oz. bag of spring mix salad
  • heaping ½ c. chopped red onion
  • 2 oz. fat free feta cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ c. salted, roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 10 oz. cubed watermelon
  • 1/4 c. minced cilantro (optional)

Instructions: 

  1. Chill salad mix, watermelon, and limes before you begin to make this recipe nice and cool upon serving.
  2. Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, honey, and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine salad mix, chopped red onion, pepitas, feta, and cilantro (if desired).
  4. Gently lay cubed watermelon on top of salad mix.
  5. Whisk dressing once more and drizzle dressing over salad (I start with about a 1/3 and gradually add a little more…if you over-pour you can be left with a pool of dressing in the bottom. You’ll typically only need about half the dressing or a little less). Points are figured for a little over half the dressing to be on the safe side.
  6. Then gently toss together to coat salad and mix in watermelon.
  7. Serve immediately.

WW Freestyle Info.: Serves 4 and is 4 points per heaping cup.

Limeade Fruit Salad

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I’m a huge fan of fruit salad, but so many have a ton of added ingredients that crank up the calories.  Sometimes simple is best, and the kick of lime makes this beautiful dish a refreshing sweet/tart treat fit for any meal, whether served at your table or, better yet, a picnic blanket.  ~Robin

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Ingredients:
  • 12 oz. strawberries, chopped (this was a whole 16 oz. package weighed after I removed stems and chopped them)
  • 10 oz. pineapple, chopped (about half a pineapple)
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped (Granny Smith is the only apple tart enough, and there’s a nice crispness that works well for varied texture here too.)
  • 5 oz. seedless black grapes (about 25 grapes), halved
  • 1/8 c. sugar
  • 3 limes’ juice (about 6 T.)

Instructions: 

  1. Wash and chop all fruit; combine.
  2. Add sugar, then add the juice of 2 limes, stir well, and taste. Then add a 3rd lime’s juice if you like it more tart.
  3. Chill at least 30 minutes for the sweet and tart flavors to mix well.
  4. Can be chilled overnight as well if you want to make it ahead.

WW Freestyle Info.: 1 cup = 1 point; 1.5 cups = 2 points; 2 cups = 3 points (for green, purple, and blue plans)

Chipotle Chicken Wontons

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I worked at El Chico the summer after college, and I have quite a few stories I could tell you about working there. The manager let me off work on short-notice the night my first nephew Hayden was born, so I’ll always appreciate that.

A less enjoyable day: when the walk-in floor was slick — and I bit it while holding a 5 gallon bucket of salsa when my feet slipped out from under me. The salsa vat went directly up into the air above my head and landed just next to me (not on my head or I would have officially felt like a Loony Tunes character). What didn’t land next to me was all the salsa. After it coated the ceiling and a good 5 meter radius in the kitchen, the biggest portion of it splashed directly on my head and all over my body. You will never know the speed with which you can undress until you’ve driven home before your evening shift (luckily I happened to be finishing my lunch shift) completely coated in salsa. I have a high tolerance for spicy food…when I’m eating it. Apparently it’s quite different when you’re wearing it, in case you were considering this as some strange form of bath-time aromatherapy. Don’t.

That’s all the wisdom I have to share today. 😉 Also maybe some more practical advice: make sure your shoes are grippier than mine were if you ever find yourself working in a restaurant!

Anywho, one thing I did love about working there was the free meal during my break on each shift. My favorite was a chipotle chicken breast – it was smothered in a chipotle pepper sauce, and I absolutely loved it. This was the first time I had tried anything chipotle flavored – this was ages before “chipotle” was being mispronounced by 60% of people in a zillion fast food restaurants. To this day, I crave that dish.

I tried out this chipotle chicken mixture at home as a quick dish on its own, and we really loved it all by itself with some sides. But when I decided to try it in wontons…that’s when it became a super fun and delicious recipe! And it makes these little beauties a handy appetizer too if you have a different entrée in mind. ~Robin

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Ingredients:

10 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed into bite sized pieces

2 oz. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I use La Costena; there is a little heat to these, so you might cut back to 1 oz. if you’re not sure about the heat)

¾ c. canned black beans, rinsed

1 c. white onion, diced

½ tsp. garlic salt

5 oz. egg roll wraps (12 wraps, trimmed down as instructed below to about half of their original size by cutting across the corners; I use Twin Dragon)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ c. green onions, chopped (optional, though I think something colorful on top is pretty essential)

¼ c. cilantro, minced (optional)

2 medium jalapeños, sliced (optional)

1 or 2 T. fresh squeezed lime juice (I just squeeze directly from the lime so amount is approximate), optional for serving

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Rinse black beans and set aside.

Measure 2 oz. of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; chop well and add to a medium mixing bowl, sauce included. Mince garlic (you can also use jarred minced garlic) and add to bowl. Chop white onion and add it to this bowl as well. Chop chicken breast into bite sized pieces and add to the mixing bowl. Add garlic salt. Stir all together; then set aside.

With a clean knife, chop green onion; set aside. Mince cilantro if desired; set aside. Slice jalapeños if desired; set aside.

Trim egg roll wrappers (what I’ll call wontons from here on) down to about half their size, cutting across the corners with kitchen shears as shown in the video below. (I’m working on my video editing skills so, yes, you can hear my husband say “go” as it starts–oops! I think he just needs to work on his videography skills — who says “go” after they start recording?!)

Very lightly spray a muffin tin (12 cups) with cooking spray, and place trimmed wontons in cups. You may need to press some folded portions against the wall of the muffin tin so that there will be room for filling later (do not adding filling yet or you’ll have soggy wontons). Cook wontons until crisp as shown in this below video (8 ½ -10 minutes). (Before testing wontons to see if cooked enough, make sure you’ve given them a few minutes so they are cool enough to touch.)

The bottoms of each wonton should make a clicking sound when you tap it with your fingernail, and there should be no flexibility in the wonton. If it will bend when the sides are squeezed, it isn’t quite done. Keep an eye on wontons and cover with foil if edges begin to brown too much.

While the wontons are cooking, on medium heat, cook chicken mixture in a nonstick skillet until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. You do not need additional oil; the chipotle peppers provide just enough to cook the mixture. When the chicken is nearly cooked, add the black beans and gently stir them into this mixture in your pan. Remove from heat when chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F in the middle of the largest pieces).

If you follow the recipe by prepping your parts of the recipe ahead of time as it’s noted here, the wontons and chicken should be done at about the same time, and your food won’t get cold.

Add the hot chicken mixture to the wontons in the muffin tins as soon as they’re ready (chicken will likely be ready a minute or two before the wontons but not long enough to get cold), topping with green onions, as well as the cilantro and jalapeños if desired.

I squeeze fresh lime juice onto mine when serving, though they’re great without this too if you’re not a big fan of lime – or just want to savor that awesome chipotle flavor.

Weight Watchers Info.: Each filled wonton is precisely 1 Freestyle SmartPoint each, so it’s easy to make a meal out of these tasty treats. And all the garnishes are free, so play with those — or not — to your heart’s desire! (Note: Be sure to trim wontons to about half the size — that’s not only for looks; it also really reduces the points.)

Cranberry Salsa

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Our cranberry salsa is just the tart treat you’ve been craving as the holidays approach. But beware, if you set it out as an appetizer, it’s usually all gone before the meal.  Consider a double batch if you have a crowd. And it pairs perfectly next to some turkey and stuffing (I eat it by itself with a spoon that way).

I snagged this recipe from a former colleague who already knew the recipe was such a hit that she brought copies of the recipe with her (she’d taken it to other events and had so many requests she learned her lesson & knew to come prepared)! And it was that fantastic and more.  So if you stumble across this sometime, Julie T., a huge thanks from my family (and I mean my entire massive God-bless-us-every-one extended family as seen in our brownie post) to yours.

I’ve tweaked it a titch to make it just right for us, so I hope you’ll share it with those you love as well – and save the paper by telling them to visit Four Sisters Dish of course. Do it for the rainforest and for the Moore sisters! ~Robin

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Ingredients:

  • 1 16 oz. bag of cranberries
  • ¼ c. cilantro
  • 2 – 3 T. of fresh lime juice (one lime or a little more)
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
  • ¾ c. sugar
  • Tortilla or pita chips for dipping
  • Cream cheese (optional)

Directions:  

Place cranberries and cilantro in a food processor; pulse until cranberries are to the desired chopped size.  You want small chunks but not to liquefy them. You need some texture.

I then hand-mince my jalapeños because I don’t trust the processor not to pulverize them a bit too much.

Fold in jalapeños and sugar until well combined.  Serve over cream cheese if desired (I love it by itself on a chip, but cream cheese just adds some richness).

WW Freestyle Info.: Makes ten ¼ cup servings at 4 points each.  Note:  If you use sugar substitutes (I don’t, so I can’t advise on amount needed; use to taste), this recipe could be ZERO points.

Just Peachy Honey-Lime Salad

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This light salad isn’t overly sweet for a hot summer evening. The almonds just add some protein and a bit of crunch — and with almonds and peaches being related, it only seems fitting to pair them here.  The peaches, blueberries, cucumber and red onion all blend really nicely with this super simple, sweet-tart honey-lime dressing.  A touch of feta would work well here too, but I don’t normally add it to the mixed salad; instead, I have it near for folks to choose whether they want to add it to their own serving (since feta seems to be a pretty love/hate sort of item).  I had blueberries on hand, but blackberries would be great too. Hope you enjoy trying all the possibilities with this easy peasy salad.

PS–I’ve tried several honey-lime dressings, but in this case, simplest is best. Can’t go wrong with fresh squeezed lime juice and honey!

~Robin

Ingredients:

  • 5 c. fresh spinach
  • 1 cucumber, seeded & chopped (about 1.5 cups)
  • 1.5 c. blueberries
  • ½ c. sliced almonds
  • 1.5-2 peaches,* sliced
  • ½ a red onion, sliced (I half the slices of the bigger pieces, just so not overly messy to eat)
  • ¼ c. lime juice (about 2 limes)
  • 2 T. honey

Instructions:

  1. Juice 3 limes, one of them into a different container.  Then slice peaches and carefully pour the juice from 1 lime over them to prevent browning.  Set aside.
  2. Combine spinach, cucumber, almonds, onion and blueberries.  Set aside.
  3. For dressing, mix ¼ c. lime juice and 2 T. honey. Whisk together well and pour over salad.
  4. Add blueberries and peaches to salad and very gently toss together, then serve.

WW Freestyle Info.:  Each 2 c. serving is only 4 points.

*I’ll be honest, I use 2 peaches but I always end up eating half of one as I make the salad.

Key Lime Cheesecake

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Posted by Tracy

One of my favorite cheesecakes at The Cheesecake Factory is the Key Lime.  I couldn’t find a recipe that created that same sweet & tart flavor, so I created my own with a creamy, rich texture you don’t have to drive miles for…that just may surpass the original. You be the judge.

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Crust Ingredients: 

2 packages graham crackers, crushed (about 16 whole crackers)

3 T. sugar

½ c. + 2 T. melted butter

Filling Ingredients: 

1 c. sugar

1 T. corn starch

3 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened

4 eggs (best if allowed to come to room temperature)

2/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. freshly squeezed key lime juice

1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract

Crust Instructions:

Combine crushed graham crackers with melted butter and mix well.  This works well in a mixing bowl or large Ziploc type bag.  Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” spring form pan.  Bake at 350 in preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Filling Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 (note, a different temperature than crust).

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and corn starch.  Set aside.

Place softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the sugar mixture and blend until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is just combined.  Add sour cream and heavy cream, mixing again until combined.  Stir in lime juice and vanilla.

Pour over cooled graham cracker crust.

Place large pan, such as a 9 x 13 cake pan, on the lowest oven rack.  Fill the pan about two-thirds full with water and leave the pan of water in the oven.  This provides moisture as the cheesecake cooks and avoids the sometimes messy water bath suggested by some cheesecake recipes.

Place the cheesecake on the middle oven rack and bake at 325 for approximately 60 minutes.  Cheesecake should still have a slight ‘jiggle’ to the center when removed from oven.

Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar.  Allow cheesecake to cool slowly while still in the oven.  After cheesecake is cool, remove from oven and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Serve with whipped cream and your favorite fruit garnish.

Makes approximately 12 servings.

Taco Slaw Bowls

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Posted by Erin

Did you try our most popular recipe, Egg Roll in a Bowl? This Mexican version was inspired by that dish, and you will love it!

I’m one busy woman, as pretty much all moms (and dads!) are. We are always rushing to get kids to their extra-curricular activities, get homework done, etc. so I try to come up with recipes that don’t require a lot of time-consuming chopping and prep-work. This one fits the bill. 

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Another bonus to this recipe, for those of us with picky kids, is that it somewhat disguises the veggies. I don’t know about your kids, but mine won’t eat raw shredded lettuce and chopped tomato on a taco. They will, however, eat the tomatoes & shredded cabbage cooked with this taco meat. The flavors blend so well, they don’t even detect the veggies. I serve theirs in a taco shell, topped with cheese, but I like mine over rice. Either way, it’s delicious!  

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. 93% lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 (1 oz.) packet low sodium taco seasoning
  • 1 (1 oz.) packet ranch dip mix, dry
  • 1 (14 oz.) bag classic slaw/chopped cabbage with carrots
  • 1 (10 oz.) can mild Ro-tel, undrained
  • 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime, plus more for serving
  • 1 tsp. each:  chili powder, cumin, paprika
  • ½ a bunch of cilantro, chopped
  • Chopped green onion for garnish
  • Other optional garnishes & serving ideas:  rice, taco shells, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, salsa

Instructions:

Brown the beef in a large skillet with the diced onions, garlic, taco seasoning, and ranch seasoning; set aside onto a paper towel-covered plate to remove any residual oil from beef.  

Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium heat; add the slaw, Ro-tel, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and paprika.  

Stir and cook until cabbage is wilted and tender.  

Add the beef mixture back to the skillet; stir and heat through.  

Serve over rice with lime wedges, chopped green onions, etc.

WW Freestyle Info.:  This makes 5 servings of about 1 cup each; 6 points per serving (not including rice or optional garnishes).