Category — Recipes

For those of you who’ve followed me on Facebook until now, you might remember that my 6-year-old daughter is in love with Giada De Laurentiis.  She will watch “Everyday Italian” with rapt attention, and comment on everything from the food Giada is making (“oooh, I could eat the t.v.!”) to her outfit (“I like Giada’s clothes mom, and her jewelry, and her eye makeup is sparkly today!”).  It’s really very funny.

When I’m not watching with her, L. will often pause the t.v. and run from the room yelling “mom! mom!  you have to come here and SEE this, it’s amazing!”  In which case I have to run in to witness the tasty-looking vittles for myself.

Anyway.  We were watching the “Bake Sale” episode at the end of last week, and amongst the many sweets Giada showcased were these Marscapone Mini Cupcakes- replete with a pink strawberry glaze.  What six-year-old could resist those?

We whipped them up yesterday and they are terrific.  So easy to make (cake mix is easy), light, cute and yes, very pink.  Perfect for a fairy tea party or a princess-palooza of some kind, or just to eat with friends on what was a gorgeous summer Saturday.

Enjoy!

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So, a disclaimer . . . these are dishes I haven’t yet tried, but that I’ve flagged in various magazines and on-line.  I’m including links, and I’m going to try to make at least a few in the next week or so.  How ’bout we mix up our routines and expand our repertoires together?  If you try any of these, please post a comment and let everyone know what you tried and how it was!

This delicious Arugula Pesto Wheatberry recipe landed in my in-box today.  If you haven’t checked out Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks site, get with it!  She is an award-winning, go-to resource for whole food cooking.  There are LOTS of vegetarian options here.

It’s still summer, thank goodness, and many of us love a good burger on the grill.  I flagged this recipe for Grilled Turkey Burgers With Cheddar And Smoky Aioli in August’s Bon Appetit – don’t panic, it’s from their “Fast Easy Fresh” section, so it’s approximately 40 minutes from counter to table – definitely do-able – and you can even make the burgers up to 4 hours ahead and throw ‘em in the fridge ’til you’re ready to grill.  This has one of my favorite ingredients, smoked paprika – I will eat almost anything with smoked paprika in it (that and butter, but that’s for another post).

Also from the August Bon Appetit, a good farmers’ market recipe – Orecchiette With Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes And Garlic Chives.  Instead of the pea-sized mozz. from Trader Joe’s that they suggest, I’d hit up a local farmers’ market and score some uber-fresh mozzarella from Fiore di Nonno Cheese - for the Belmontians reading here, they’re at our market on Thursdays.

Summer’s a great time for super-easy, casual suppers.  Cooking Light’s August issue has a good-looking recipe for a Chicken and Roquefort Sandwich that’d be nice with a cold beer or glass of wine, if you like those sorts of things. Serve it up with some crudites or a quick tossed salad as a side.

More quinoa, please!  Food & Wine’s August issue has a simple Quinoa Salad With Sugar Snap Peas that’d make an interesting side to some grilled tofu or chicken. I’m always looking for new ways to eat quinoa.  This would look especially beautiful if you can find red quinoa.

For a simple, seasonal dessert, the kings of food-porn at Gourmet send our way a delicious-looking Yogurt Cake With Currant Raspberry Sauce - again, don’t get tense, it’s a sheet cake and if you can’t find or don’t want to deal with fresh currants, you can use more raspberries (see Cooks’ Notes in the recipe).  And do you realize how impressed your fans will be when you turn out a from-scratch cake?  They really are worth the effort.  Trust me on this.

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Farmers’ market and Costco?  The two don’t immediately seem to go together.  When most people think of Costco, they think giant-sized boxes of diapers, frozen processed food, etc.  But I would argue that the rotisserie chicken from Costco is the unsung hero of any busy mother.  No, it’s not organic.  Yes, it’s salty.   But it’s also relatively cheap and delicious, and hey, you don’t eat it every day. 

When people think “farmers’ market,” they think fresh produce, locally grown . . . but often they think of ingredients that have to be massaged into something bigger in terms of making a meal of them.  In other words, food that is inconvenient to prepare.  But with some choice ingredients from the market, coupled with the Costco wonder-chicken (or any rotisserie chicken from any vendor), you can whip up an easy no-cook hot-summer-day supper.

After the gym today, I needed to make a return at Costco, so while there, I swung around to the back to grab a chicken.  It’s in the fridge waiting for me.  This afternoon at the Belmont Farmer’s Market, I scored some beautiful sweet corn, gorgeous tomatoes (all different varieties, sizes and colors), a ball of fresh mozzarella that was made this morning and a nice bunch of basil. 

Here’s my plan:

1/2 hour before dinner time, I will remove the chicken from the fridge and let it warm up a bit to room temperature, then I’ll carve it and put it on a platter.

Then I’ll slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a plate so that they don’t overlap, or so that they overlap only slightly.  I’ll salt them lightly with some Kosher salt, then scatter some slivered basil over the top.  I’ll then drop some slices of the mozzarella on top, and then drizzle some nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the whole lot.  Tomato salad – done.

Boil up the corn and serve that alongside the chicken and tomato salad with  butter and salt (or brush it with more good olive oil).

Oh, and in the meantime, I’ll make some pasta for my pasta-loving, veggie-hating kid to eat with her chicken. 

Voila.  A simple, no-heat in the kitchen, fresh and tasty summer dinner for everyone to enjoy.

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We’re on vacation by the sea, and while for some that means endless fried seafood plates, we still cook at home many nights.  Part of it stems from practicality and selfishness:  with a young child, eating at home is just easier some nights.  And part of it stems from healthfulness and food-snobbery.  There just isn’t that much good food on Cape Cod, and a lot of what tastes good just isn’t great for you.

After years of doing this, I’ve come up with a system.  Before we leave home, I designate one cookbook to bring with us.  It has to have mostly easy recipes, and ones that don’t require too many ingredients, especially “exotic” ingredients.  Think about your average summer rental – not a lot of cumin, allspice, hoisin, etc. lying around.  I’m willing to buy some condiments and spices (and I bring a few things with me, like harissa – more to come on that), but I want recipes with only a few ingredients, most of which I’m going to buy fresh.

This year I brought down the Better Homes & Gardens New Dieter’s Cookbook.  I got this at TJMaxx for $5.99 a while ago on a whim, and I have to tell you, it’s been a great little find.  All the recipes are easy, they’re short, they’ve got some interesting and creative combinations of ingredients, and what’s more, they’re healthful.  You may remember the spicy sesame chicken recipe I posted a while back – that’s from this cookbook.  It’s not gourmet in any sense of the word, but I’ve probably made 15 dishes from this and we haven’t found a loser yet.

Tonight’s salad was a big hit.  It makes a perfect light summer supper.  I adapted it a bit, so this is not verbatim from the cookbook.

Chicken & Stone Fruit Salad

Sprinkle the tenderloins with salt & pepper and set on a broiler pan.  Broil on high for a few minutes on each side until cooked through, then remove and set out to cool while you prepare the remainder of the salad.

Meanwhile, combine the sliced peaches and plums in a medium bowl.  Add 1/2 the lemon juice and toss them gently to coat.  For the dressing, combine the yogurt, green onion, poppy seeds and the remaining juice of the lemon.  Stir.

Divide greens amongst four dinner plates.  Arrange the fruit atop the greens, then layer chicken tenders on top of the fruit.  Drizzle each salad with the dressing.  Serve immediately.

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Here is a simple recipe using a renowned superfood – quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”).  By now, most people have heard of quinoa, but do you know how great it is for your body and how easy it is to cook?  Although commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard.  The protein-rich seed has a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture and a rather nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa is one of the few vegetarian sources of complete protein, meaning, like meats, it has all nine of the essential amino acids.  It’s also gluten-free, full of fiber, and contains other heart-healthy vitamins. This recipe is flavorful and exquisitely simple to prepare – most of these ingredients are pantry staples.  Impress your family with your whole-foods prowess and whip it up tonight.  

1 c. quinoa, rinsed well (use red quinoa if you can find it, it’s prettier)
1 lb. chicken cutlets, cut into strips
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. sweet peas, cooked
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 T white wine vinegar
2 T tomato paste
Finely grated Romano cheese, about 1/2 c.
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate chicken with salt, black pepper, garlic and 1 T of the olive oil for about 15 minutes. Sauté onion in 2 T of the olive oil on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and tomato paste, mix well and sauté for another two minutes. Add marinated chicken to the mix and cook, covered, for ten minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Turn the chicken pieces occasionally to coat them with the sauce. Add the quinoa and stir in the chicken broth. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for approximately fifteen minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa. Mix in the peas and cheese and serve immediately.

Pair this with a crisp and simple side salad.  Serves 4.

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Turkey burgers can be so blah – dry, flavorless, especially if you make them with virtually fat free turkey breast meat with no skin ground in. But these from Martha Stewart are consistently delicious.

I usually subtitute a slice of chopped-up bread for the dry breadcrumbs because I think that the dry crumbs make the burger dry. I always make them with the leanest turkey I can get. Last night I used the heel of a whole-wheat loaf and they came out great. Be careful not to cook the heck out of these. We don’t eat them on buns with condiments, we eat them straight up, with a salad and veggies on the side. But they would be delicious on a fresh bun, too.

Enjoy!

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I am making an effort to use up stuff in the kitchen these days. I have always hated wasting food, but have never been very good about being creative in using up odds ‘n’ ends. When I saw the Italian Tomato Tart recipe in April’s Cooking Light, I had an Oprah-style “aha moment.” It’s really not so much a tart as a nouvelle quiche. I had shredded Italian cheese, cherry & grape tomatoes and ham that needed eating, along with a carton of egg whites whose last sale date is today. Here’s my remake:

Crust:

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen brown rice
2 T basil paste
1 T shredded 3-cheese Italian blend
1 large egg
cooking spray

Filling:

1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c egg whites
1/4 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
dash of cayenne
1 large egg
3/4 c shredded 3-cheese Italian blend
2 oz. preservative-free Virginia-style deli ham, roughly chopped
~pint of cherry/grape tomatoes, thinly sliced (if grape toms are small, you can halve ‘em)

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. To prepare crust, cook the brown rice according to package directions. Combine cooked rice, basil paste, cheese and egg. Firmly press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 min. Remove from oven.

3. Increase oven temp to 400.

4. To prep the filling, whisk milk and next 5 ingredients in a bowl.

5. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the ham into the bottom of the prepared crust. Top with half of the tomato slices. Repeat with the remaining cheese, ham & tomatoes. Pour milk mixture over the top.

6. Bake at 400 for 10 min. Reduce oven temp to 325 and continue to bake an additional 35 min. or until set. Cool 10 min. before serving. Cut into four wedges – serves 4.

This could easily be made vegetarian with the exclusion of the ham, perhaps subbing some “fake” ham or else more veggies. For a side, I steamed some green beans (on their way out, too) and served them with a little knob of lemon butter.

Enjoy!

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This is easy, cheesy, carby lusciousness . . . 20 minutes to put together and you’re crockin’.  This was adapted from a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

Directions

1. Rinse and drain beans. In large bowl combine beans, 2 tablespoons of the pesto, the onion, garlic and Italian seasoning.

2. In a slow cooker, layer half of bean mixture, half of polenta, and half of cheese.  Add the remaining beans and polenta. Cover and cook on the low heat setting 4-6 hours or on the high heat setting 2-2-1/2 hours. Add the tomato, remaining cheese, spinach, and radicchio. Combine the remaining pesto and 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle the pesto mixture on casserole. Let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

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