Recipes, Tips & Techniques and everything that has to do with Healthy Cooking
This recipe is definitely not healthy but once in a while we can indulge. Everyone loved this recipe at the Superbowl party!! I made a few changes that made it even better. I reduced the amount of chocolate chips to 3/4 cup and used french bread instead of brioche. A must try if you can afford a few extra calories.
Categories: Dessert.
It was Superbowl Sunday and thankfully I was not hosting the party. A few friends invited us over for a small gathering close to our house. I offered to bring something..well actually two things: one healthy, one not so much. Here is the healthy dish: Quinoa Salad with Edamame, grapes & walnuts. People always ask me: What is quinoa?… Quinoa is a grain from South America. The Incas considered it the mother of all grains. It has very high nutritional content with 12%-18% protein content. It taste and looks similar to couscous and you can make it a variety of ways. Here is mine…
Ingredients:
1 Cup Quinoa
2 Cups Shelled Edamame, cooked and cooled
2 Cups Seedless Grapes, halved
1 Cup Toasted Walnuts, chopped
4 Scallions, chopped finely
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Directions:
1. Add 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is done. Let cool in a large mixing bowl
2. Add edamame, grapes, walnuts and scallions to quinoa. Drizzle with olive oil until well dressed. Add salt to taste. Mi
x thoroughly and serve.
When we arrived at the party, our friend was busy cooking an entire Lamb! Vegans and vegetarians beware. The photos are graphic. It was delicious!! Great job AR.
Categories: Side Dishes.
Need a side dish that takes very little time and taste great…this is it. The pearl onions are usually hard to peel but if you blanch them before peeling, it makes the process a lot less painful. Simply add pearl onions into boiling water for 1 minute and then remove the skin with a pairing knife. It comes off very easily. I use sea salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning. The sea salt is a must.
Ingredients
4 cups Brussel Sprouts, halved if too large
2 cups Pearl Onions, peeled
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
1 tbsp Thyme, minced
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss brussel sprouts and onions in olive oil and thyme. Add to a sheet pan.
2. Season with sea salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve.
Categories: Side Dishes.
I make this crab dip quite often when I have guests coming over. This recipe was give to me by my boyfriend’s mother. I changed it up a bit to make it a little healthier. I usually serve it with these amazing crackers called crispbread. I used jumbo lump crab meat which you can easily find in the supermarket (usually next to the smoked salmon). You can make it the day before and then pop it in the oven 30 minutes before guests arrive.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Non-fat Sour Cream
2 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. Onion, grated
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 8oz package Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
Paprika, for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 Degrees. Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl. After combined, gently fold in cheddar cheese and crab.
2. Coat casserole with cooking spray.
3. Add crab mixture to casserole and sprinkle with paprika. Bake approximately 35- 40 minutes until golden brown. Serve with Crackers.
Categories: Recipes.
Scarpetta in the Fontainbleu Hotel is one of my favorite restaurants in Miami. I have both cookbooks from the chef, Scott Conant, and decided to make the spaghetti with tomato sauce from his book for a dinner party. Although very labor intensive, it was worth it. I made the pasta and tomato sauce the day before. I froze the pasta until I was ready to cook it and left the tomato sauce in the refrigerator. Delicious.
Categories: Main Dishes.
Here is a very easy recipe when you don’t feel like cooking an elaborate meal. Really delicious and healthy…
Ingredients
12 Shrimp, Shelled and Deveined
4 gloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
2 14oz Cans of Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Pint Grape Tomatoes, halved
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
1. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and red pepper fleakes. Saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add tomatoes and saute for another minute. Add beans and heat through. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
2. Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt & pepper. Grill shrimp on a grill or in a grill pan for about 2 minutes on each side until done.
3. Plate beans and add shrimp on top. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve.
Categories: Recipes.
My good friend decided that she wanted to throw a birthday party for her boyfriend. There were two problems 1. She doesn’t cook and 2. They are Kosher which makes it even harder. She called during her planning process and asked me for help . After some contemplation, I told her I would make the meat but definitely not everything else….too much work! She happily agreed and I sent her my shopping list. I was not going to buy the Kosher ingredients as well. I wouldn’t even know where to start, let alone store it. She bought the sides and dessert from a local kosher caterer. The day of the party I prepared this recipe for beef brisket. It a recipe from Tyler Florence but I made a few changes: 1. cooked the meat for 5 hours 2. after meat was tender I removed the vegetable onto a serving dish 3. thickened the sauce with a roux (olive oil instead of butter….this is kosher remember) and served it along side the meat. My friend served traditional Jewish sides like Challa bread, Zucchini salad, almond rice and some vegetables. Everyone loved it and we had an amazing time.
Categories: Meat.
One of my best friend’s had a dinner party for the girls the other night. She asked me to bring a salad so I thought of this one. Very healthy and easy. Everyone loved it. I used canned whole hearts of palm. Don’t buy the already cut hearts of palm….they are usually very mushy. In the frozen vegetable section, you will find shelled edamame. Just pop it in the microwave and let it cool before mixing it with the other ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 English Cucumber, cut into 1 in pieces
1 1/2 cups Grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups Shelled edamame
1 14 oz can Whole Hearts of Palm, cut into 1/2 circles
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Toss and serve.
Categories: Soup & Salads.
This is a really flavorful easy dish. I used a healthy chicken sausage from the grocery store..only 140 calories per sausage. There are many options out there so but make sure you look at the calories, fat and sodium level. Many times the sodium in these sausages are out of control. Most doctors recommend not exceeding the range of 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams (mg) a day TOTAL for healthy adults. So read the labels.
4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 Healthy Chicken Sausages, cooked cut lengthwise and halved (8 pieces total)
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Large White Onion, sliced into half moons
1 Large Red Pepper, Cut into strips
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper
1. In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and peppers. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Continue sauteing until vegetables are translucent.
2. Add sausage and cook until sausage is heated through. 2 -3 minutes. Plate and serve.
Categories: Poultry.
This is a fairly simple recipe to make and a healthy option if you are craving pasta. This recipe is from the latest Food & Wine magazine (January 2010) but I made a few changes to it. They used raw garlic in the pesto… I am not a big fan so I took it out. I also used parmigiano reggiano cheese instead of pecorino. Either would work but I used what I had on hand. I added the walnuts at the end instead of adding it to the pesto. The pesto turns into a much better consistency. I also used more broccoli rabe for the pesto. I like a hearty sauce and less pasta….its healthier too (less carbs). My boyfriend loved it. A must try!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
3/4 broccoli rabe, trimmed
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for garnish
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated plus more for serving
Kosher Salt
Ground Pepper
3/4 Whole Wheat Linguine
1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the broccoli rabe until tender about 3-4 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. In a medium food processor, add broccoli rabe, olive oil and red pepper flakes. Process until broccoli rabe is very finely chopped. Add parmigiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer into a medium bowl.
3. In a large pot of salted water, cook whole wheat linguine until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of cooking water. Drain pasta. Add linguine to pesto sauce. Stir in cooking water gradually until you get the consistency you like. (I did not use all of it). Sprinkle pasta with walnuts and a little more cheese. Serve immediately.
Categories: Main Dishes.