Featured Recipes
Scallion-Garlic Pesto with Swiss Chard and Scallops
In a medium sauce pan melt butter. Add scallions and 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced. Sauté for 5 minutes or until contents start to lightly brown. Add white wine and simmer over moderate heat until reduced slightly. Let cool slightly. Pour into small food processor and add 1/3 cup water, salt and pepper. Blend until a pesto consistency. Set aside or refrigerate. In a large pot boil well salted water and cook orecchiette until al dente, approximately 10-11 minutes (or according to package). Strain and set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix sour cream, heavy cream and cream cheese until fully incorporated. In another small bowl mix corn starch and 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside. Rinse scallops and remove the small muscle on the side. Pat dry.
Parmesan Tarragon Chive Crusted Fish
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a food processor or handi chopper, blend all the breading ingredients together until the herbs are finely chopped and everything is well mixed. Now, take the fish fillets and season them lightly with Red Robin Seasoning & pepper, then dredge in flour. Let the fish set for 10 – 15 minutes or until the flour is sort of absorbed and the fish are just slightly sticky to the touch.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cream Squares
Grind the almonds to flour in a food processor. Add the pecans, coconut, and salt, Pulse a few times to chop the pecans. Add the dates and 1 teaspoon water. Process into a dough. Do NOT over process or the oils will release from the pecans. Make sure the dough will hold together when pressed in your hand. If still slightly crumbly add another 1/2-1 teaspoon water and pulse briefly. Press into the bottom of an 8×8″ pan. Set aside.
Pumpkin Truffles
In a bowl, stir all ingredients together until evenly combined. Transfer it to the fridge to chill and firm up, at least 2 hours. Roll into balls and place them in the freezer while making the chocolate. Whisk together the cacao butter and sweetener in a bowl set over a pot of hot water. This is important to keep the chocolate fluid. Sift in the cacao powder and gently whisk the mixture together until smooth. Dip the truffles into the chocolate and remove them with a fork, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Set on a parchment paper lined tray. Let set in the fridge for a few minutes and drizzle more chocolate on top if desired. Dust with cinnamon.
Black Lentil, Pistachio and Shiitake Mushroom Burger
Bring three cups of water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to heat up, throw the diced shallots into a separate saute pan with the oil and saute over low heat. When the water starts to boil, add in the lentils and dried shiitake caps and place the cover over the pot so some steam can escape during cooking. Boil for 18-20 minutes, then pour them into a fine-mesh strainer to drain and cool. Once cooled, remove the shiitake from the lentils and dice them up, discarding the tough stems.
Lemon Cardamon Pear Crisp
Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel, core and chop the pears, then toss with the lemon juice, lemon peel, cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon flour, vanilla and cardamom. (You can add a bit of sugar to the pears if you like, but my pears were quite sweet enough on their own.) Set the pears aside. In a cast iron skillet (or a small saucepan), melt the butter over medium low heat and cook until browned, swirling occasionally. I’m not sure exactly how long this took, but it seemed about 5 minutes or so. While the butter is browning, mix together the brown sugar, oats, whole wheat flour, salt and spices in a small mixing bowl. Pour the browned butter over the oat mixture and mix it in till everything is moistened and well mixed.
Gluten-Free Waffles
Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, separate the whole eggs (yolks and egg whites separate—egg whites in large metal mixing bowl). Using a hand-mixer, beat the egg whites until a stiff peak form. Combine the rest of the wet ingredients, including the egg yolks, and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, the batter should be a little lumpy (that is okay). Gently fold in the egg whites, in 2 separate batches, until just combined. Preheat the waffle iron. Add ½ cup of batter for each waffle. Allow waffle to cook as needed.
Peanut Butter Hummus
Ingredients: 2 Cups – Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed, 1 Cup – PB2, ½ Cup – Peanut butter or almond butter, 1 Cup – Water, 1 tsp. – Vanilla extract, 2 T. – Sugar or honey. Preparation: Combine all ingredients into a food processor, puree until smooth and whipped.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Bake sweet potatoes until fork tender. When potatoes are baked, cut in half and scoop center out of potatoes into a mixing bowl. Then add salt, nutmeg, and cheese to semi cooled potatoes. Mash potatoes with potato masher or hand mixer. Then mix in the egg and ¾ cup of the all-purpose flour. Knead the dough, adding the whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead the dough until smooth. Dough will be slightly sticky. Put on a medium pot of boiling water.
Let the dough rest for about five minutes. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, using the palms of your hands, roll the 6 pieces out into ropes, keeping them at least an inch thick.
Tuscan Kale and Apple Salad
To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, mustard, honey and oil together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To make the salad, remove the kale leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Slice the leaves thinly (you should have about 5 cups). Place the kale in a salad bowl and add the dressing. Massage the dressing into the kale, coating all of the leaves well. This will help the kale absorb the dressing and also help tenderize the leaves. Add the apple, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and almonds and toss to combine. Sprinkle the cheese on top and serve.
Healthy Halloween Snack ~ Spooky Fruit Plate
For the Banana Ghosts: Peel some bananas. Use mini chocolate chips to create the eyes and mouths (poke point of chips into bananas). For the Clementine Pumpkins: Peel some clementines (commonly called “Cuties”). Insert little pieces of celery into the center of each to create a pumpkin “stem”.
Apple Jack Crostini
Cut baguette into 1-inch thick slices. Toast them if desired. Spread each slice with a little butter. Top with some greens (not too many, a few leaves will do,) followed by a thin slice of apple, a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, a about 2 teaspoons of ginger jam, a cheese star, and finally a sprinkle of the pepper flakes. Salt a little, if you prefer.
Coconut Mango Banana Bread
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan (or several small ones) with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana then stir in the rest of the wet ingredients until everything is mixed well. Sprinkle the dry ingredients on top of the banana mixture, then stir just until well mixed. Fold in the chopped mango. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s), sprinkle with coconut and raw sugar, then bake for 1 hour 15 minutes for a large loaf pan or about 25 – 35 minutes for small ones or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the largest loaf comes out clean.
Balsamic Spinach & Cannellini Dip
Put all the ingredients in a handi chopper or food processor and process till smooth. Taste and add more cilantro or salt as desired. Serve with vegie chips, toasted pita triangles, crackers or toasted baguette.
Asparagus and Spinach Soup
Soup Pot: sauté chopped shallots, garlic, celery, and asparagus tops in coconut oil, add balsamic vinegar. Discard Pot: in separate pot add all vegetable discard items, celery tops, shallot and garlic skins and bottom half of asparagus stalks. Add salt and pepper and cover with water. Cook until all vegetables are soft Soup Pot: Pour broth through strainer and add spinach and milk, Puree and serve. The balsamic vinegar adds a beefy flavor to this soup.
Pumpkin Cranberry Mini Breakfast Muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Combine pumpkin, beaten egg, oil and milk in a separate bowl. Make a well in dry ingredients and ddd pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Lastly, fold in cranberries. Fill muffin cups and bake for 17-22 minutes.
Ghostly Chocolate Pretzel Rods
Melt chocolate in double boiler or on the stove. Dip 1 end of a pretzel rod into melted Chocolate to cover pretzel approx. 2″ down. Lay chocolate covered pretzels on wax paper-lined tray. Repeat with remaining pretzels until all are covered in chocolate. Place baking tray in freezer for 5 minutes until chocolate hardens. Remove pretzel tray from freezer and using baking markers, draw scary ghostly faces on the pretzels. Your ghostly pretzel rods are ready to eat!
Lowfat Individual Apple Pies in their Own Shell
Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. Note: You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture and sweetness to the pie. Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips. Place apples in an 8×8 pan and add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft
Greek Cucumber Bites
Slice cucumbers into about 1/4″ slices, varying thickness depending on your preference. Mix together feta, yogurt, sundried tomatoes, olives, dill, lemon juice and pepper. Mashing up feta with the back of spoon or fork, if needed. Place approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of feta mixture on each cucumber slice. Enjoy!
Herb Gorgonzola Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash and slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the filling ingredients. In a separate small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs with the garlic powder, onion and herbs. Take each pepper half and stuff it with the cheese mixture, then sprinkle some of the breadcrumb mixture over the top. Set it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the peppers until you run out of cheese or peppers. Set the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the breadcrumbs are browned on top.
Caramelized Onion Yogurt Dip
Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat and add the onions. Stir to coat all of the onions with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and thyme and stir to combine. If desired, you can also add a small amount of sugar (about ¼ teaspoon) to help the onions caramelize but this is optional. Continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and caramelized, another 35-45 minutes. As they cook, scrape up the fond (the brown bits) on the bottom of the pan and mix it into the onions. If the onions start to burn or catch bottom, add a small amount of wine or water to the pan. Once the onions are done, add the remaining wine to the pan and stir to release all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Mix all the ingredients except cacao nibs in a medium bowl thoroughly. Add cacao nibs until combined. Line a 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spread mixture into pan and smooth out evenly. Place into refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set. Cut into 8 bars. ENJOY!
Baked Oatmeal with Bananas and Berries
Preheat oven to 375F. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch baking dish. In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, milk, egg, the butter, and the vanilla. Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top, cover the fruits with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Make sure the milk covers the oats. Scatter the remaining berries, remaining walnuts and cranberries across the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Drizzle with maple syrup if desired.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and Peppers with Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Pine Nuts
Pre-heat over to 425. Slice Brussels Sprout in half, chop broccoli and slice peppers. Toss veggies lightly in olive oil and sea salt. Place on baking sheet spaced apart. Roast peppers for 15 minutes turning two times until browned on edges, Roast Broccoli for 20 minutes until brown turning two times, Roast Brussels Sprouts for 25-30 minutes turning over once until browned on edges. The good news is that all the browning and roasting bring out the natural sweetness of the vegetables