Tomato Bruschetta

Great appetizer and side for any Italian meal!  It is so full of tomatoey goodness, we all just love it anytime!  To make the Bruschetta you will need:
10 plum tomatoes diced
3 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
12 black olives, chopped finely
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste (or Nature's Seasoning)
French or Italian-style bread slices
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves of minced garlic

1.)  Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2.)  In a bowl mix together the first 7 ingredients and set aside.




3.)  In a small bowl mix together the last tablespoon olive oil, butter and minced garlic.  Microwave for 30 seconds to melt garlic and to meld the flavors.
4.)  Baste this mixture on your bread slices.  Toast the slices on each side until they are golden brown.
5.) To serve you can either put the bowl in the middle a plate with a spoon inside the bowl and the bread piled around the the bowl, or spoon the mixture on the slices and plate them.  If you do this, do not do it very far in advance as the garlic toast will get soggy!

Enjoy!  Make sure everyone eats some, this way nobody will mind the garlic smell!!!!

Gnudi with Mushroom Sauce

I know, what the heck is Gnudi?  Quite simply, it's something very delicious.  It is also a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort!  It's almost like you are eating the middle of a ravioli.  To make this dish you will need:
1 15ounce container of Ricotta cheese
1 cup packed spinach leaves
8 basil leaves
Pam
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (if you can, use fresh)
4 tablespoons of flour
3 tablespoons Panko flavored bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper (or 3/4 teaspoon of Nature's Seasoning)
2 egg yolks
dash of nutmeg
Olive Oil
4 tablespoons of butter
Mushroom Sauce (recipe below)

1.)  Early in the day, set the ricotta in a strainer over a bowl.   Refrigerate for a minimum of four hours.

2.)  In the meantime, spray a small saute pan with Pam.  Place over medium heat.  First put in the basil leaves and top with the cup of spinach.  Saute until wilted.
3.)  Move to a plate covered with a paper towel, and refrigerate until cool.
4.)  Chop the Spinach and basil



4.)  In a bowl, combine the Ricotta, the sauteed Spinach/Basil, the grated Parmesan, the flour, the panko, the egg yolks, the dash of nutmeg and the salt and pepper (or Nature's Seasoning).  Form the dough into flat balls.  You should get around 12 2 inch balls.

5.) Drop 1 Gnudi into boiling water until they float. About 2 minutes. If they fall apart in the water, add more bread crumbs before continuing. Immediately immerse the Gnudi into an ice bath for two minutes. 
6.)  Move the Gnudi to a plate lightly covered in olive oil, and top the Gnudi with more olive oil.  Refrigerate them while you are making the mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce
Olive Oil
2 shallots, peeled and cut in half moons
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
3 ounce package of dried porchini mushrooms
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup white wine
8 ounce portabello mushrooms (sliced thinly)
Big pinch of chili powder
Salt and Pepper to taste.

1.)  Rehydrate the porchini mushrooms in the 2 cups of warm water for about 15-20 minutes.  In the last few minutes, add the white wine. 

2.)  Saute the shallots in the olive oil until soft and slightly caramelized.  Add the garlic, the mushrooms, and the chili powder.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

3.)  Reserving the liquid, take the porchini mushrooms, squeeze the liquid out, chop and add to the other mushrooms.  Now add the hydrating liquid.  Allow this to cook until slightly reduced. 

4.)  Remove from heat.  You can either puree this in your blender, or with an immersion blender.  Either way, take care, you are working with hot liquid!  Return to a simmer over low heat.

5.)  In a saute pan, melt the butter and add the Gnudi to reheat and get a slight carmelization. 

6.)  Ladle some of the mushroom sauce into the bottom of a bowl and place the Gnudi on top.





Moist Grilled Turkey Burgers and Family Potato Salad

I have never been a fan of turkey burgers.  Why?  Well grilling them dries them into hockey pucks with no flavor.  Put I have persevered and came up with a unique combination that keeps the burger moist, and is flavorful.  To make the burgers you will need:
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 small onion minced
1/2 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup of grated carrot
3 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons of Nature's Seasoning (or Salt & Pepper)
1/2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/3 cup of Barbecue Sauce
Dash of hot sauce
6 hamburger buns

1.) Saute the onion in the oil until tender.  Let cool.
2.)  In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients, except the rolls (duh moment!)  If the mixture is too mushy, add a little bit more Panko.
3.)  Shape into patties, you should be looking a 6 patties.  Refrigerate the patties for 10 - 24 hours, making sure they are covered and if you have stacked them use wax paper between each burger.
4.)  Grill on high heat for 6 minutes per side.

Family Potato Salad
1 1-1/2 bag of steamable red skin potatoes
1 small onion diced
1 celery stalk diced
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (Helman's)
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste (Nature's Seasoning)
2 hard boiled eggs chopped (optional)

1.)  Microwave the potatoes according to the package directions.  Let cool slightly.
2.)  In the meantime mix all the other ingredients in a medium bowl.  When the potatoes are still warm but not hot, peel them, cut them into cubes and add them to the salad dressing.  Toss gently, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

As an off the wall hint.  I recently discovered Coleman's prepared mustard.  It pairs exceptionally well with burgers of any kind.  I use both the mustard and ketchup on a burger for excellent flavor!

Better Tasting, lower calorie Chicken Parm

I am a total Chicken Parmigiana lover.  It is always one of favorite things to make and eat!  With this recipe the chicken retains it's wonderful crunchy crust and doesn't get soggy in sauce.  For this super simple recipe you will need:
4-6 thin sliced chicken breasts
1/2 cup egg replacer
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 bag of shredded mozarella cheese (Weight Watcher's helps keep the calories low!)
Tomatoe Basil sauce (recipe below)

1.)  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with Pam.
2.)  Put the egg replacer in a bowl and the breadcrumbs on a plate.  Mix in the 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.  Dip the chicken breasts into the egg, then press the chicken breasts into the bread crumbs.  Cover completely with the bread crumbs, then place on the baking sheet.
3.)  Bake for twenty minutes, until a crust develops.
4.)  Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheese over each breast.  Return to the oven and let the cheese melt and get bubbly and golden.
5.)  To plate, ladle some sauce onto the bottom of a plate and put a chicken breast on top of the sauce.  Serve with pasta, garlic bread and a salad! 

Tomato Basil Sauce

8 tomatoes
Bunch of basil
5 cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper (or Nature's Seasoning)
Sugar, Agave, honey or Truvia to taste.

1. Put everything in your blender and pulse to liquefy.
2.) Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and place on a medium high burner. Simmer until the sauce reduces by half. About a half an hour. It's ready to use

Bacon & Horseradish Scallops over Warm German Slaw

The name of the dish is long, but it's not all that complicated to make!  Mighty tasty too!
1 pound Sea Scallops
1/2 cup Terrayki Marinade
healthy shake of garlic powder
1 package of semi cooked bacon (about 10 slices for this part of the recipe)
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish sauce
Pam & toothpicks
Warm German Slaw (recipe follows)

1)  In a larger size baggie, add the scallops, the terrayki sauce and the healthy shake of garlic.  Seal the bag, squish it around and let it marinate for a few hours.

2.)  If you are cooking indoors, preheat the broiler.  If you are grilling, please soak your toothpicks in water for 15 minutes and set grill on high
3.)  Spread out a few slices of the bacon, smear with a bit of the prepared horseradish sauce.  Put a scallop (on it's side) in the middle of the bacon slice.  Roll it up and secure with a toothpick.  Spray baking sheet and place scallops on pan.  Broil until scallops are translucent.  Serve over the Warm German Slaw and a side of rice.  I went for Terrayki rice, kept going with the Theme (Bacon & Terrakyi!)

Warm German Slaw

The rest of the package of bacon
2 spins around the pan of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon celery seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1.)  In a medium saute pan, heat up the oil and then crisp up the bacon.  Remove the bacon and save for later. 
2.)  In the meantime, add the onion and saute until the onion is translucent.  Add the celery seeds.
3.)  Add the salt and pepper, the 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and the tablespoon of dark brown sugar.  Once this comes to a boil and thickens, put the dressing in a container off to the side. 

4.)  Add the cabbage to the pan.  Cook it for a few minutes to brown it.  You still want it soft/crisp (I know that's weird).
5.)  Add in the onion dressing stirring to coat the cabbage.
6.)  Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top of the cabbage, stirring it in.

Serve....enjoy!

Better Stuffed Peppers - Regular and Vegan

Stuffed Peppers are one of those items you either love or love to hate.  With making a few simple changes, you can have a very flavorful stuffed pepper.  To make the peppers you will need:
1 package of Turkey Sausage (hot or sweet) for vegan 1 package of Gimme Lean Sausage

2 cups cooked Basmati rice

6 green bell peppers

1/2 cup Italian Bread crumbs                  

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion minced

Salt and pepper to taste (or Nature's Seasoning)

Dash of hot sauce

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce (recipe below) or bottled

1.) Cook the rice according to package directions, and allow to cool slightly.

2.)  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

3.)  Prepare the peppers.  Cut the peppers in half and remove all seed and veins.

4.)  Slit open the sausages, remove the skins and put the sausage in a large bowl.  Add in the rice, the bread crumbs, the garlic, the onion, salt and pepper, hot sauce and Italian seasoning.  Stir until everything is well blended.

5.)  Stuff the peppers. 

6.)  Pour the sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish.  Place the stuffed peppers on top of the sauce.  Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the peppers.

7.)  Cover with foil and bake for an hour and a half.  Then enjoy!

Tomato Basil Sauce

8 tomatoes

Bunch of basil

5 cloves of garlic

Salt and Pepper (or Nature's Seasoning)

Sugar, Agave, honey or Truvia to taste.

1.  Put everything in your blender and pulse to liquefy.

2.) Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and place on a medium

high burner.  Simmer until the sauce reduces by half.  About a half an hour.  It's ready to use

Spicy Plum Chutney

I first tried Spicy Plum Chutney as part of a food pairing at a favorite vineyard in Virginia.  It was on served with some wonderful cheeses.  I loved it so much that I went and bought some at a Virginia local company.  It's quite expensive to purchase.  I did some experimenting and discovered how to make my own.  You have to try this, it goes great with cheese.  It also goes well with grilled pork tenderloin and on grilled chicken.  It couldn't be easier!  For the Chutney you will need:

1 whole star anise

1 whole clove

1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, diced

1/2 tablespoon whole mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pounds plums, pitied and cut into smaller chunks

1.)  In a coffee grinder or a mini chopper, finely grind the star anise, the whole close and the cinnamon stick.

2.)  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, Combine spice mixture, vinegar, sugar, ginger, mustard seeds, and pepper.  Stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar dissolves.

3.)  Reduce the heat to low, add the plums.   Cover and let it simmer for approximately 30 minutes.  Let it cool, put in a container with a lid and store in your refrigerator for about 1 month.

Chicken Saltimbocca - Regular and Vegan

I must be honest, this is not my recipe (except for the vegan addition and some tweaks).  Thank you Rachel Ray!  But this is super easy and super delicious.  Great for entertaining!  For this recipe you will need:
8 chicken tenders (or 16 Morningstar Farms Chicken Strips)
8 sage leaves
Salt and Pepper (or Nature's Seasoning - my preference)
8 slices Prosciutto (or vegan bacon)
Olive Oil or Olive Oil Pam (I always go for easy!)
Lemons
Chopped hazelnuts
Arugula
Mushroom Spaghetti Risotto (Recipe follows)

1.)  Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2.)  Season the chicken (or veggie strips) with salt and pepper.  Place a chicken tender on top of a piece of Prosciutto, place a sage leaf on top and roll the prosciutto around the tender. 
3.)  Either coat the "bundles" with olive oil or spray with Pam.
4.)  Bake until crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes.




Mushroom Spaghetti Risotto
1 package of dried mushrooms
1 quart vegetable stock
2 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper (or my favorite Nature's Seasoning!)
1 pound of spaghetti, broken into small pieces
1/2 dry white wine



1.)  Place mushrooms, stock and water in a sauce pot, heat and keep warm on low.

2.)  In a saute pan, over medium heat, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until tender (about 4 or 5 minutes).  Add the spaghetti and toast until it has a deep golden color (about 7 to 8 minutes).  Stir in wine and let it cook away.

3.)  Add in a ladle of the stock, making sure to stir it thoroughly.  Allow this to almost completely evaporate, and keep repeating the procedure.  At about 9 minutes, test the pasta for doneness.  Remove the mushrooms from the broth, chop and add to the pasta.

Dress the Arugula with 1/2 lemon (juiced) a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

To plate, scoop some of the risotto into the bottom of a bowl.  Sprinkle with the hazelnuts.  Add a layer of the arugula and top with 2 of the chicken tenders cut on a diagonal.



Nana's German Pot Roast

My husband is not a meal lover, but this is his favorite meat dish.  This recipe was my Nana's and she would make hers in the pressure cooker.  It's a great Sunday family dinner.  Making it in the crock pot makes it easy and your house will smell fabulous!  To make this dish, you will need:
1 3-4 pound roast
1 garlic bulb
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion

1 large red skin potato per person
1 bag of small carrots
salt & pepper (or my favorite Nature Seasonings)
1/2 cup wine (either white or red)
beef broth
1 -2 tablespoon corn starch
Red cabbage (recipe below)



1.)  Peel your garlic and cut cloves into pieces (at least use 5 cloves).
Make small slits in the roast and stud the roast with the garlic.  Salt and pepper the roast.
2.)  In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the oil.  Add the onion and brown the roast on all sides.  Set aside.



3.)  Peel the potatoes and cut into bigger hunks.  Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.  Put into the pan and brown on all sides.
4.)  In the bottom of your crock pot, place the potatoes and the carrots.  Put the roast and the onions on top.
5.)  Add the 1/2 cup wine and enough broth to cover half the roast.
6.)  Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.
7.)  Remove the roast and the vegetables and cover with foil.  Pour the liquid into a saucepan. And put on the stove over medium heat   Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of water.  Start with one tablespoon of flour, and add to the liquid.  Stir and bring to a low boil as the gravy mixture thickens.  If it isn't thick enough for your tastes, repeat with another tablespoon of cornstarch and water.   

Red Cabbage
1 jar of red cabbage
1 small red onion
1 granny smith red apple
Salt & Pepper

1.)  In a saucepan over medium heat, put in the jar of red cabbage.
2.)  Peel the apple, grate it and add it to the red cabbage.
3.)  Peel the onion, cut in half and then slice the onion to half moons.  Add to the red cabbage.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  And heat through. about 10 minutes.