Golden Gazpacho
GOLDEN GAZPACHO
Ingredients:
2 lb. golden beets
1 large cucumber
1 yellow pepper
1 stalk of celery
3 cloves garlic
2 1/2 cups water
¼ cup sherry wine vinegar
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 ½ cups water
1 bunch chives
Directions:
Put the beets in a pot and cover with lightly salted water. Bring up to a boil and simmer until tender, about 30- 40 minutes. Remove from the water and let cool. Peel the cucumber and cut it, the pepper, and the celery into small pieces. Peel the skin off the beets and cut into pieces.
Place all these ingredients in a blender with the garlic, water, and vinegar. Squeeze the lemon and add the juice (no seeds.) Blend this mixture until smooth.
Season with salt & pepper, add 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, then puree another 30 seconds. Chill the soup for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Pour soup into bowls. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, garnish with finely diced chives, and serve.
Notes: You can adjust the body of the soup by adding more or less water. At the restaurant we use a puree of red beets to garnish the soup. You could simply cook a small red beet with the golden beets and puree it separately with a bit of water and olive oil so it has the same consistency of the gazpacho and use it as a garnish.
Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto
KALE BASIL PISTACHIO GARLIC SCAPE PESTO
Jeanette Chen, New Canaan, Conn., Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, torn into pieces
1 bunch basil, stems removed
3 tablespoons Garlic Scape Pesto
⅓ cup toasted pistachios
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Blanch kale in boiling water for one minute; rinse with cold water, drain and squeeze dry. Place kale, basil, Garlic Scape Pesto and pistachios in food processor bowl; turn processor on and add olive oil until thick paste forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Tomato, Ceci and Black Pepper Feta Quinoa
TOMATO, CECI AND BLACK PEPPER FETA QUINOA
(Serves 6)
Janine Vairo, PartyStyle Box, Stylishly themed parties for children
partystylebox@gmail.com, www.partystylebox.com, 203-273-3134
This dish is so fresh and light and can be served as a delicious appetizer or side. Fresh organic tomatoes and ceci marinated with the spiciness of the cracked black-pepper feta gives this quinoa a very unique taste. It is my go to dish as we move into spring and the warmer weather. Serve with organic multigrain, low-fat chips or over a salad.
Ingredients:
1 cup organic quinoa
1/8 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup canned ceci beans (garbanzo), drained
2 large organic tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 T. lime juice
4 T. lemon juice
5 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
1/2 cup of crumbled black pepper feta
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 T. of red wine vinegar
pinch of sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
Directions:
Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water no longer foams. Bring the quinoa, salt and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low cover and simmer until the quinoa is tender about 20-25 minutes.
Once done, stir in the ceci beans and garden tomatoes that are (marinated in olive oil, salt, oregano and red wine vinegar). Then add the garlic, lemon and lime juice, chopped celery and olive oil. Add in crumbled black pepper feta cheese (I discovered this at Whole Foods). Season with cumin, salt, and pepper.
Cold Couscous Salad
COLD COUSCOUS SALAD
Jackie C., pleasureinsimplethings.com
Ingredients:
2 cups couscous
1 cup corn (I use frozen…no need to thaw)
1 cup peas (same here)
1 1/3 cup Craisins
1 cup chopped dried apricots
2 cups chopped fresh spinach (I make the salad ahead and add this when ready to use so it won’t become too wilted)
5 scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
Directions:
Cook 2 cups couscous as directed and rinse with cold water.
Mix all ingredients. Toss with dressing (recipe below) and keep cold.
Dressing ingredients:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic
FAMOUS CBS SALAD
Catherine Samose, Wilton, Conn.
Ingredients:
2 heads red leaf lettuce
2 heads green leaf lettuce
2 heads green leaf lettuce
1 bag spinach
1 red and 1 green apple, chopped
Raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds
1 whole chicken breast, shredded
Chinese noodles
Salad dressing:
½ cup salad oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
4 T. chutney
2 tsp. dry mustard
4 tsp. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. curry powder
Directions:
Assemble salad ingredients in bowl or on a platter. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over salad, and toss.
Summer Vegetable Korean Lettuce Wraps
SUMMER VEGETABLE KOREAN LETTUCE WRAPS
Jeanette Chen, New Canaan, Conn., Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog
Stir-Fry Sauce ingredients:
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. Korean Red Pepper Paste (Gochujang)
1 T. rice wine
2 t. agave nectar
1 t. sesame oil
Summer Vegetable Korean Lettuce Wrap ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
2 t. minced garlic
2 thin slices ginger, minced
1/2 onion, minced
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
Stems from one bunch of Swiss Chard, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 medium or 2 small zucchinis, diced into 1/4″ piece
Leaf lettuce or other large lettuce leaves
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Spicy Red Pepper Sauce “Gochuchang Sauce”, if desired
Directions:
Mix Stir-Fry Sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a large saute pan or wok.
Add garlic, ginger and onion, and stir-fry for about a 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add ground chicken and cook until no longer pink, breaking up pieces. Drain meat juices.
Add Swiss Chard and stir-fry one minute.
Add zucchini and Stir-Fry Sauce. Toss and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until zucchini is just tender, but not mushy.
To serve, spoon some of the filling onto a lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with Spicy Red Pepper Sauce, if desired. Hold in hands and eat!
Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Salad
CORN TOMATO AVOCADO SALSA SALAD
Jeanette Chen, New Canaan, Conn., Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 c. corn
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 scallion, minced
¼ c. cilantro, minced
½ jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
Juice of 2 fresh limes
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
½ t.ground cumin
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat oil in pan and add corn and garlic. Saute until corn has some brown spots. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and serve.
RIGATONI ALLA NORMA
(RIGATONI WITH FRIED EGGPLANT AND RICOTTA SALATA)
(Serves 5 to 6)
Cucina Casalinga, cucinacasalinga.com, recipe from Festa del Giardino by Sally Maraventano, Cucina Casalinga, Wilton, CT
This dish was named in honor of the Sicilian composer Bellini, for his opera “Norma.” We were served “Rigatoni alla Norma” at La Battiaita, a wonderful family-owned ristorante at the gates of Piazza Armerina in Sicily. Hanging on the sign below the restaurant name was the phrase Cucina Casalinga, which means “homestyle cooking.” This delighted me because it is also the name of my cooking school.
Ingredients for tomato sauce (can be made ahead of time):
1⁄4 cup of olive oil
1⁄2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes crushed with a fork
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 basil leaves torn and more for garnish
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan; add the onion and garlic, and sauté until translucent. Add the tomatoes salt, pepper and basil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for six months.
Ingredients for pasta and eggplant
2 small eggplants, thinly sliced salt
2 cups or more of olive oil or vegetable oil
1 pound of rigatoni pasta
1 cup of grated Ricotta Salata or 1 cup of freshly grated Romano cheese
Directions:
In a large bowl sprinkle the eggplant with salt, cover it with water and weigh it down with a heavy pan. Let it stand for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain and pat dry thoroughly.
Pour the oil into a large, deep, heavy skillet and deep-fry the eggplant until it is golden on both sides. Drain well on paper towels and set aside.
Cook the pasta in 6 quarts of boiling water, to which 2 tablespoons of salt has been added, until al dente (about 7 to 10 minutes). Drain and toss with the tomato sauce. Top each serving with eggplant slices and some of the Ricotta Salata or Romano cheese and additional torn basil, if desired. Pass additional grated cheese at the table.
BANANA MUFFINS
Catherine Samose, Wilton, Conn.
Ingredients:
2 medium bananas (about 1 cup), over-ripe
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup canola oil
⅓ cup + 1 T. unsweetened almond milk (or sub 2% dairy milk)
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 T. (packed) light brown sugar
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder (look for Dutch-processed)
½ tsp. sea salt
1 ⅛ tsp. baking soda
1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup miniature chocolate chips (bittersweet or semisweet)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, use the back of a fork to mash the banana until only very small lumps remain. Add the vanilla and the egg and use the fork to whisk the mixture together until completely combined. Add the oil and milk and stir to combine. Add the sugars and stir again.
Using a spatula, stir in the cocoa powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix until the cocoa is completely incorporated. Stir in the salt and baking soda, then gently fold in the flour, until just combined.
Divide the batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups, about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating once, until the muffin tops look set, and a cake-tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, before removing and cooling completely on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room-temperature.
SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE
Catherine Samose, Wilton, Conn.
Ingredients:
One large fresh yam.
One egg, separate
Nutmeg2 T. butter
Sugar
Marshmallows
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Cut up the yam and boil until cooked. Beat the egg white until stiff.
Beat well the cooked yam with one egg yolk, a bit of nutmeg and butter. Add a little sugar to sweeten.
Fold in the beaten egg white. Put in ovenproof dish and place in until souffle rises (20 to 30 minutes). Then put marshmallows on top and brown briefly under broiler.
For more yams, multiply ingredients.
CRANBERRY BREAD
Catherine Samose, Wilton, Conn.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Juice of one orange, plus water to equal ¾ cup
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 cup fresh cranberries, halved
Directions:
Sift together dry ingredients. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients alternately with water/juice. Add grated orange rind and cranberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes.