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Kitchen hint:
Keep a sprinkle bottle of Kermit’s Key Lime juice handy when you cook. The sprinkle bottle allows you to easily duplicate the distribution of fresh squeezed Key Lime over your dish or salad.
Gazpacho With Key Lime
From the kitchen of Anita Meyer
This recipe serves 2
Ingredients:
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small cans tomato juice
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon of Kermit’s Key Lime Juice
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill.
Serving Suggestions:
Gazpacho is best when the flavors of the individual ingredients are distinctive. Make and use the same day. Serve cold with croutons or toast points.
This Gazpacho recipe makes a refreshing “cold soup” lunch on a hot day. Serve with your favorite veggies and toast points.
Mexican-Style Fish
From the kitchen of Anita Meyer
This recipe serves 4
Key West abounds in fresh fish, but this recipe also works well with packaged fillets. This simple to fix dish is great for a healthy evening meal.
Ingredients:
12 ounces of Haddock, Tilapia, or Basa fillets, either fresh or frozen
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/4-teaspoon pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1-Tablespoon Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon snipped parsley
8 pitted ripe olives, sliced
Preparation:
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Arrange fillets in ungreased square dish (8”X 8”X 2”)
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Layer onion and tomato slices on the fillets
Sprinkle with Key Lime juice, oil, and parsley.
Top with sliced olives
Cover and bake 30 minutes
Uncover and bake about 15 minutes more.
Serving Suggestions:
For a complete meal, serve with your favorite rice dish and green beans.
Guacamole
From the kitchen of Anita Meyer
This recipe makes 3 cups
Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
6 Tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4-teaspoon chili powder
1/2 small onion, quartered
3 Tablespoons parsley flakes
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Kermit’s Key Lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8-teaspoon black pepper
Note: this recipe is easy to divide by three for a smaller quantity.
Preparation:
Put all ingredients into a blender. Cover and process at puree until smooth - - you may also be able to mix the ingredients well enough by hand.
Serving Suggestions:
Great with Doritos, Fritos, or as a topping for taco salad.
Key Lime Tarts
A Modified Paula Deen Recipe
This recipe makes 20 to 24 Key Lime Tarts and may be easily doubled.
Ingredients:
24 Kermit’s Key Lime Cookies
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2-cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Kermit’s Key Lime juice
1 teaspoon Key Lime zest (or the zest from a Persian Lime, if Key Limes are not available)
Fresh sweetened whipped cream
Mint leaves or Key Lime zest (or the zest from a Persian Lime) for garnish
Special items required:
2 mini-muffin tins
24 mini-muffin paper baking cups
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Fill 2 (12-muffin) mini muffin tins with paper cups and spray cups with cooking spray.
Place 1 Key Lime cookie in the bottom of the cup, flat side down.
Prepare filling. Beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar, Key Lime juice, and zest until well mixed.
Fill the cups to the top.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove tarts to cool.
When completely cool, fit a star tip in a pastry bag and fill with the whipped cream. Pipe the whipped cream onto the top of the tarts.
Garnish with tiny mint leaves or Key Lime or lime zest.
Serving Suggestions: This quick and easy dessert provides a nice finish to an evening meal or is ideal for a sweet at a baby shower or other party.
Blueberry Mold
From the kitchen of Anita Meyer
This recipe serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
1 package lemon jello
1 cup boiling water
1-cup heavy cream or vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup of flaked coconut or 1 well mashed banana
1-cup blueberries
1-Tablespoon Kermit’s Key Lime Juice
Preparation:
Dissolve jello in the boiling water
Add rest of ingredients
Chill before serving.
Serving suggestion:
Serve by itself as a refreshing dessert or with a slice of pound cake as a tasty compliment.
Quick Key Lime Icing
This icing stays soft and is good for topping cakes or cookies
This recipe makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup of soft butter
3 or more teaspoons of cream or Half & Half
Zest of 1 Key Lime
1 Tablespoon of Kermit’s Key Lime juice
Preparation:
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and the softened butter. Blend well.
Adding 1 teaspoon at a time, beat in 3 or more teaspoons of cream or Half & Half.
Add, Key lime zest and juice and fold into the icing.
Note: For a subtler Key Lime flavor, coarsely grate the rind of a Key Lime, wrap the grated rind in cheesecloth, and wring the Key Lime oil into the sugar, before it is blended. Stir the oils into the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes or more - - long enough for the oil to be fully infused into the sugar.
Wilted Spinach Salad
This recipe makes 6 to 8 servings.
Ingredients:
1 bag fresh baby spinach
4 to 6 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
5 bacon strips
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Juice
1-teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Fresh Key Lime & Datil Pepper Seasoning
6 radishes (optional)
4 hard-cooked eggs
Preparation:
Place spinach in a large bowl. Add thinly sliced onions. Set aside.
Mix vinegar, Key Lime Juice, sugar, and Datil Pepper Seasoning. Stir well and set aside.
In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Set aside.
To hot drippings in skillet add the vinegar, Key Lime juice, sugar, and Datil pepper. Stir well.
Immediately pour dressing over the salad. Toss gently.
Crumble bacon and sprinkle over the top.
Garnish with sliced eggs.
Variation:
Use Bibb or leaf lettuce - - or a mix of lettuce and spinach.
Serving suggestions:
Good by itself for lunch with warm French bread or with crackers, this Wilted Spinach Salad is also a tasty accompaniment to a main dish.
Key Lime Pie
This recipe makes a 9-inch pie.
Ingredients:
9-inch graham cracker piecrust
2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
6 egg yolks (The egg whites can be saved to make a meringue topping, if desired. See recipe.)
1/2-cup Kermit’s Key Lime Juice
Preparation:
Blend milk and egg yolks at slow speed until smooth.
Add Key Lime juice and finish blending.
Pour into piecrust.
Bake in preheated 300-degree oven for 15 minutes.
Cool pie 20 minutes before refrigerating.
Serve chilled Key Lime pie with whipped cream topping or meringue.
Serving suggestions:
Traditionally, Key Lime pie is enjoyed plain, with a whipped cream topping, or with a meringue topping. For an interesting variation, drizzle chocolate sauce, mango sauce, and/or raspberry sauce over a slice of Key Lime pie. The complimentary flavors are sure to please.
Meringue
Ingredients:
6 egg whites
6 Tablespoons sugar
Pinch Cream of Tartar
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation:
Beat egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and Cream of Tartar at high speed.
Continue beating mixture until egg whites are stiff.
Top baked pie with the meringue. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Cool pie.
Coconut Topping
This recipe makes enough topping for one Key Lime pie
Ingredients:
1-cup heavy cream
2-Tablespoons sugar
1/4-teaspoon imitation coconut extract
3-Tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut
Preparation:
On medium-high heat, beat cream, sugar, and extract until stiff peaks form. Fold in coconut, reserving some to sprinkle on top.
Spread or pipe over pie
Sprinkle with reserved coconut
As a shortcut, use your favorite commercial whipped topping and mix in extract, then fold in coconut.
Serving suggestions: Serve as a topping on Key Lime pie
Strawberry Key Lime Pie
This recipe makes a 9-inch pie.
Ingredients:
9-inch graham cracker piecrust
2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
6 egg yolks (The egg whites can be saved to make a meringue topping, if desired. See recipe.)
1/2-cup Kermit’s Key Lime Juice
1/2-cup strawberries blended with 1/8-cup sugar
4 drops red food coloring
Preparation:
Blend milk and egg yolks at slow speed until smooth.
Add Key Lime juice and finish blending.
Add strawberries and food coloring and mix until just blended.
Pour into piecrust.
Bake in preheated 300-degree oven for 15 minutes.
Cool pie 20 minutes before refrigerating.
Serving suggestion:
Serve chilled strawberry Key Lime pie with fresh strawberry sauce and whipped cream. Enjoy.
Soy-Based Key Lime Pie
This recipe makes one 9-inch Key Lime Pie, which will serve 8 people.
Note: Substituting soy (firm tofu) for cream cheese reduces the calories by more than half.
Ingredients:
1 pre-made 9-inch graham cracker piecrust or a piecrust made with soy margarine (see recipe below)
24 ounces firm Tofu
1 cup powdered sugar
8 Tablespoons Kermit’s Key Lime Juice
Zest of 5 Key Limes (or the zest of 1 Persian Lime, if fresh Key Limes are not available)
Special items required:
Food Processor
Preparation:
Puree the tofu until smooth (about 4 minutes)
Add the powdered sugar and Kermit’s Key Lime juice
Continue to puree until smooth.
Pour the filling into a graham cracker crust
Garnish with Key Lime zest
Refrigerate until cold (minimum of 1 hour) or overnight
Serving Suggestions: This quick and easy dessert provides a nice finish to an evening meal.
Graham Cracker Crust
made with soy margarine
This recipe makes one 9-inch piecrust.
Note: This recipe uses soy margarine, instead of butter, and eliminates the sugar normally found in a graham cracker crumb piecrust recipe.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 Tablespoons soft soy margarine
Special items required: Food processor
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Finely grind the graham cracker crumbs on high speed
Add the margarine
Using the “pulse” option, mix until a “coarse crumb” consistency is reached
Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan.
Bake the piecrust for 8 to 10 minutes
Cool completely before filling
Cream Cheese Key Lime Pie
From the kitchen of Gail Brown
Serves 8
This simple recipe makes a 9-inch pie and requires no baking.
Ingredients:
9-inch graham cracker piecrust
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons of Kermit’s Key Lime juice
8-ounce package of softened cream cheese
Preparation:
Combine milk, juice, and cream cheese in a mixer for 5 to 6 minutes.
Pour mixture into graham cracker piecrust.
Refrigerate until firm.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve chilled Cream Cheese Key Lime Pie plain or with whipped cream topping. For an interesting variation, drizzle chocolate sauce, mango sauce, and/or raspberry sauce over a slice of Key Lime pie. The complimentary flavors are sure to please.
Smoked Mullet Spread
From the kitchen of Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe
Serves 4 to 8
This simple to make appetizer recipe doubles easily to serve larger numbers of people.
Ingredients:
1/2 sweet onion (such as, Vidalia, 1015, or Walla Walla),
4 smoked mullet
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard(more or less to taste)
3 Tablespoons of mayonnaise (more or less to taste). The mayonnaise acts as the binding agent, so add just enough to allow the mixture to hold together.
1-teaspoon Kermit’s Key West Key Lime juice (more or less to taste)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste (As a guide, 1 teaspoon of Texas Pete Hot Sauce provides great flavor and a nice touch of heat.)
Preparation:
For a spreading consistency, use a food processor. For a chunkier dip, use a mixing bowl.
Note: Mullet has quite a few little bones that are hard to remove. In using the food processor, most of the bones are chopped up.
Chop onion
Remove the fish from the bone; add to the food processor, pulse until pureed. If using a bowl, mix well with a fork, until the fish is broken into small pieces.
Add mustard
Add mayonnaise
Add Key Lime Juice
Flavor with pepper and hot sauce to taste
Pulse several times to mix well.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve as an appetizer with saltine crackers.
Key Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette
From the kitchen of Jan Newberry:
This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups and is easily doubled
Ingredients:
1/4-cup Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Juice
1/4-cup white vinegar
1/2-bunch chopped cilantro
1-ounce Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Honey
1-ounce brown sugar, light
1/2-teaspoon salt
3-teaspoons minced garlic in oil
4-teaspoons Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Mustard Sauce
1 1/2-cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil or vegetable oil
Preparation:
In a blender, puree the cilantro, Key Lime juice, and vinegar.
Add sugar, Key Lime honey, garlic, and salt. Puree until smooth.
Add mustard and mix thoroughly.
With the blender running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a tasty dressing. Serve with a salad of mixed greens for dinner or with chicken or ham strips for a light lunch or dinner.
Confetti Rice Salad
This recipe serves four people as a side salad
Ingredients:
1 (8.8 ounce) pouch Uncle Ben’s Ready rice, Original Long Grain or Long Grain and Wild Rice
1 (15.5 ounce) can Red Beans or Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup diced yellow bell peppers
1/4 cup diced orange bell peppers
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Juice
1/3 cup Caesar Dressing
Optional:
Add or substitute diced red and green bell peppers
Salt and pepper to taste.
Note: Kermit’s Caesar dressing contains cracked peppercorns
Preparation:
Gently squeeze rice pouch to break rice apart.
Tear opening in rice pouch, to serve as a vent.
Microwave on HIGH for 90 seconds or until rice is tender
Place cooked rice in bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat and mix
Serve immediately (or chill up to 24 hours)
Serving Suggestions:
This is a colorful and tasty salad. Serve with grilled fish or chicken. Great for a tailgate party or a picnic
Tuna Salad With Key Lime Dressing
From Kermit’s Kitchen
Serves 1 or 2
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 can or pouch (7 ounces) Chunk Light Tuna
1 small-diced Roma tomato
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 rib celery
Dressing:
1-teaspoon Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Juice
1/4-teaspoon Fresh Key Lime & Datil Pepper Seasoning
3 ounces Italian no-fat dressing
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1/4-teaspoon fresh minced garlic
Preparation:
Combine all of the salad ingredients in a bowl, add dressing, serve, and enjoy.
Serving Suggestion: Serve Tuna Salad on a bed of lettuce. Add a fresh baked roll for a light and satisfying lunch.
Quick Sweet Potato Soup
From Kermit’s Kitchen
Serves 6 to 8
This memorable and filling soup is quick and easy to make.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces. Note: To insure even cooking, the size of the pieces should be as uniform as possible.
4 1/2-cups chicken stock; add more as needed
1 chipotle pepper in adobo; add more, if desired
1/2-cup crème fraiche (see note at end of recipe)
1 Tablespoon Kermit’s Key Lime juice
Coarse salt
To serve 24: Double the chipotle peppers and triple the rest of the ingredients.
Preparation:
In large saucepan or stockpot, melt butter over medium heat.
Add the onion. Cover and sweat for 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes.
Add enough chicken stock to just cover the sweet potatoes.
Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are completely tender (about 25 minutes).
Stir in the chipotle pepper.
Puree the soup, using a food processor or standing blender.
Return the soup to the pot.
Stir in the crème fraiche and the Key Lime juice.
At this point, the soup will be thick and hearty. If desired: Thin with additional stock, season with salt, and/or brighten the flavor with additional Key Lime juice.
Quick Sweet Potato Soup can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 5 days in a covered container. To reheat, stirring occasionally, warm on medium until hot (10 to 15 minutes).
Serving Suggestions:
A great soup for lunch on a chilly day. Serve with fresh baked bread or in a bread bowl.
For a topping, cut flour tortillas into thin strips. Place in a single layer on the cookie sheet or in a baking pan, spray with olive oil cooking spray, toss to coat, and bake until crisp.
Note: Crème fraiche
Crème fraiche is a tart tasting dairy product made from whipping cream and a bacterial culture. The culture causes the whipping cream to thicken and to develop a sharp and tangy flavor.
Sometimes, crème fraiche can be hard to find in local markets. To make a substitute, combine 1/2-cup whipping cream (do not use the ultra-pasteurized whipping cream) and 1/2-cup dairy sour cream. Cover the mixture and let stand for 2 to 5 hours, or until it thickens. Covered and refrigerated, your homemade crème fraiche can be stored up to one week.
If whipping cream is only available in the ultra-pasteurized version, straight sour cream can be used as a substitute for crème fraiche. The taste is not as sharp and tangy, but it will give the sweet potato soup a creamy texture and taste.
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Grilled Shrimp with a Thai Accent
This recipe serves 6 - 8 and is easy to expand to a larger quantity.
Ingredients:
1/4-cup Kermit’s Key Lime juice
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 1/2 Tablespoons Key Lime marmalade
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/3-cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds of large Florida shrimp (4 to 6 per person), peeled and deveined, with tails left on
Preparation:
Shrimp:
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes.
Remove fresh or frozen shrimp from their container and peel, leaving tails on. Devein the shrimp, if needed.
Place peeled shrimp in the ice water and set aside.
Before placing in marinade, drain the shrimp and pat dry.
Marinade:
In a non-aluminum bowl, whisk together the Key Lime juice, ginger, shallots, cilantro, Key Lime marmalade, and pepper flakes.
Slowly add the olive oil, whisking continuously until incorporated. Taste for seasoning - - add salt and pepper to taste.
Add shrimp to the marinade and toss to coat evenly.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
To cook shrimp:
Soak wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes or more, to prevent burning. If using metal skewers, spray with olive oil cooking spray and set aside.
Prepare charcoal or gas grill for medium-high heat grilling. Shrimp should be about 3 inches above the fire.
Remove the shrimp from the marinade. Reserve the marinade.
Thread the shrimp onto the skewers (about 6 skewers, depending on the size of the shrimp).
Place the skewered shrimp flat on the grill.
Grill about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through (as soon as the translucent shrimp turn opaque, they are done). Turn once. Before turning, brush with reserved marinade, turn shrimp, and brush again with reserved marinade. Basting the shrimp with the marinade causes them to become nicely caramelized.
Kitchen hints:
When peeling frozen shrimp, hold them under cold running water. The very outside of the shrimp will thaw immediately under the running water and the shell will come off easily. Additionally, since the shrimp are still mostly frozen, they are easy to handle.
When shrimp are overcooked, they get tough. To insure nice and tender shrimp, watch the color. Raw shrimp are translucent. They turn opaque (white) when done. It does not take long to cook shrimp.
Serving suggestions:
For a quick light meal, serve over rice. Accompany with a side salad and Pita Bread. For a more substantial meal, add stir-fried vegetables.
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Great Burger Sauce
Yield: 1/3-cup
Ingredients:
2 chipolte chilies in adobo
Adobo sauce, to taste
3 1/4 teaspoons Kermit’s Key Lime Juice (more to taste)
1/4-cup good quality mayonnaise (like Hellmann’s)
Kosher salt
Preparation:
Using a blender, puree the chilies and Key Lime juice until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the mayonnaise
Season with salt, to taste
Refrigerate until ready to serve
This sauce is simply great on a hamburger! This sauce is a little spicy and has a wonderful smoked flavor.
Key Lime juice enhances flavors. You may not taste the Key Lime juice, but it is providing a real flavor boost.
The chipolte chilies are quite spicy and so is the sauce. For a milder sauce, use a single chili. For a spicier sauce add more of the Adobo sauce.
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