Category Archives: Recipes - Page 2

Healthy “Béarnaise Sauce”

Posted by on May 22, 2010 No comments

Not exactly Béarnaise, but it’s way healthier and still tastes delicious.

3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Monkfish w/ Broccoli & Ginger

Posted by on May 3, 2010 No comments

1 tbs. butter
1 leek trimmed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1/2 inch ginger peeled and chopped
1 roasted red pepper chopped
3 heads of broccoli broken into small florets
1 lb monkfish
1/2 tsp tumeric
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup mild cheese (I used cheddar)

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the leek, ginger and garlic. Cook until soft.
  2. Add the pepper, brocoli, fish and turmeric. Cook stirring for 2 minutes. Add the broth, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the cheese into the pan. Stir well and heat gently, do not boil.
  4. Stir in a bit of nonfat yogurt for extra richness

Root Beer Float Cakes

Posted by on February 19, 2010 No comments

Courtesy of yumsugar.com

Cake Ingredients

1 cup root beer schnapps
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned style root beer (like A&W or Dads)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Root Beer Glaze

4 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup root beer
3 Tbs. root beer schnapps*
3 Tbs. vegetable oil

*for a more kid friendly version, replace schnapps with more root beer

You will also need some extra root beer schnapps (1 Tbs. per cupcake)
Or for the kiddies use root beer (again 1 Tbs. per cupcake)
You will also need some basic Vanilla buttercream ( there are many recipes online to try )

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. In a bowl, mix together root beer schnapps, root beer, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs, mix until smooth
  5. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  6. Mix with hand mixer on low, while slowly pouring in root beer mixture.
  7. Mix until smooth and lump free.
  8. Pour into lined cupcake pan. (Use foil cupcake liners to avoid “leakage” later.) Fill nearly to the top, you may think its over-filled, but it puffs up perfectly this way. Don’t be tempted to use more than 24 cupcake cups… trust me. Smiling
  9. Bake for 15- 20 minutes, until golden brown and cake springs back when touched.
  10. While cupcakes are baking, prepare your butter cream and root beer glaze. For glaze, put all ingredients into a bowl and mix with a wisk until smooth and lump free.
  11. To assemble, start by letting cupcakes cool, still in the pan.
  12. While still slightly warm, pour 1 Tbs. of root beer schnapps over each cupcake. Pour on slowly to allow schnapps ( or regular root beer for the kiddies) to soak in.
  13. Once the schnapps has soaked in and let sit for a few minutes, pour a couple tablespoons of glaze over each cupcake.
  14. When the glaze sets up a bit and isn’t too runny, put a “scoop” of buttercream atop each. For an added touch, you can even place a root beer barrel candy on each one.

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes

Chili Verde

Posted by on February 16, 2010 No comments

Gambler’s Chili
by Lauren Ray

Ingredients:
2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cubed
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
14 oz. Swanson chicken broth
10 oz can or bottle of green salsa
2 1/2 cups diced green chiles

Spice Mix Ingredients:

3 tsp garlic (minced or mashed)
2 ½ Tbsp chicken base (bouillon)
1 tsp celery salt
1 Tbsp flour
2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp cumin
3 Tbsp diced jalapeno pepper
1 Tbsp dried cilantro (Pendries powder or 3 Tbsp fresh finely chopped)
1 Tbsp green chili powder
*Tabasco (green)
*Salt Salt to taste
Cook additional 15-20 minutes

Instructions:
1. Brown pork and drain
2. Add onion & chicken broth, then simmer 1 hour, stirring often to avoid sticking
3. Add spice mix and green chili salsa, then simmer 1 hour
4. Add diced green chiles, then add salt and tabasco to taste
5. Simmer another hour and serve.

Preparation time: about 1/2 hour
Cooking time: 3 hours
Makes: 2 1/2 quarts
Serves: about 10

Cauliflower and Chickpea Tapas with Parsley-Fennel Mayonnaise

Posted by on December 16, 2009 No comments

- makes 24 -
Ingredients

For the mayonnaise:
1 whole egg (see safety note above)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
1 big pinch fennel pollen or 1/2 teaspoon toasted and ground fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup neutral tasting vegetable oil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the cauliflower:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 head of orange or white cauliflower broken down into small bite-sized florets (make sure you have at least 30 or so)
1 big pinch saffron crushed into 1 tablespoon boiling water
Salt

For the chickpeas:
Juice of 4 mandarin oranges
zest of 1 mandarin orange2 cup cooked chickpeas (should be soft, not al dente!)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 clove minced garlic
Salt

To complete the dish:
1 rustic baguette cut into 24 thin slices
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
24 parsley leaves
24 tiny strips of lemon zest
Flaky sea salt

Procedure

  1. Combine the egg, lemon juice, mustard, parsley, fennel and salt in your blender jar. With the motor running on low speed, drizzle in the two oils through the hole in the top. Start slowly until you see it begin to emulsify. Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice.
  2. Set a large skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add the olive oil, cauliflower, and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until some good caramelization (browning) is happening. Add the saffron and continue to cook until tender. If necessary, you can add a tablespoon or two of water and cover to soften a bit more. Taste and adjust salt.
  3. In a small saucepan, simmer the mandarin juice and zest until it is reduced by half. Add the chickpeas, smoked paprika, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Simmer until the sauce is reduced to a glaze on the chickpeas. Taste and adjust the smoked paprika and salt. They should have an intense flavor.
  4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil, and toast in the oven until lightly browned but not overly crisp.
  5. To serve, allow the baguette slices to cool. Brush each with a teaspoon of the mayonnaise. Top with 1 floret of cauliflower and a small spoonful of chickpeas, then 1 parsley leaf, a strip of lemon zest, and a few grains of flaky sea salt.