Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Herbed Bass and Artichoke Hearts

Inspired by Food Network Magazine Recipe

-4 6-ounce striped bass (substitute for other firm white fish)
-1 cup of buttermilk
-Juice of 1/2 lemon
-1 teaspoon lemon zest
-1 cup of fresh parsley
-1/2 cup of fresh basil
-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
-1 roasted red pepper
-3 tablespoons of olive oil
-1 cup of grape tomatoes, cut in half
-1 package of artichoke hearts- packaged in oil
-1/2 cup of pitted kamala olives

Marinade fish in a dish with buttermilk, lemon, salt and pepper for about 25 minutes.
Remove fish and preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine lemon zest, parsley, basil, garlic, red pepper, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until all chopped and combined
On a baking sheet place fish, tomatoes, artichokes and olives. Drizzle the pesto over all the food. Bake for about 15 minutes. Drizzle remaining olive oil over fish and serve.

In this picture I served the fish over Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella & Arugula Raviolis (by La Pasta). You can really serve this over any starch. The pesto on the fish tastes nice with the pasta. It would taste good over quinoa too if you want to go the more healthy route.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Morning Ham and Egg Cups



These egg cups are incredibly easy and delicious. Make these for your guest at brunch or for a simple breakfast or snack to have in the house. You can make all 12 and simply put them in a ziplock bag and into the fridge for those busy days you rush out of the house without time to prepare something for breakfast.

Makes 12

-12 pieces of hard salami or thinly sliced Canadian bacon
-3 eggs
-2 tablespoons milk (use lactose free if you need it)
-1 Roma tomato, cut into small pieces
-1/2 avocado, cut into thin slices
Pinch of salt and pepper
Optional: hot sauce
(egg cup in muffin pan)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut a slice into the salami-half of the circumference (from one edge to the center). Spray a small muffin pan with non-stick olive oil spray. Take the two sides of the slit and pull one over the other, forming a cone with the salami. Place it into the muffin cup. Do this for the remaining 11 pieces of salami. Bake salami for 6 minutes.

By baking the salami first it makes the edges crispy and allows the meat to release its flavors, which then gets carried into the egg.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with milk and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pull out the salami and pour the egg inside each cone. Add about 1 teaspoon of tomato. Bake for about 8 minutes or until egg has solidified. Place avocado on top and serve.

 They're about two bites worth of deliciousness. Enjoy!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets


I love chicken nuggets and fingers with french fries. I like to dip them in a lot of ketchup and BBQ sauce. I try not to eat them when I go to a sport bar because, well the obvious, they're not very healthy for you but mainly because I like burgers even more and find that chicken fingers are pretty much the same everywhere. I would rather order something more interesting. So I decided to make a chicken nugget recipe to make at home that is healthy. These are baked and do not call for oil or butter. They're super good too. Enjoy!

Serves about 4


-3 large chicken breast, skinless, boneless and cut into ½ inch pieces
-1 cup of buttermilk- Healthier choice: I use lactose free or skim
-1 teaspoon dried thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano and sage- or use Italian herb seasoning or Italian spiced breadcrumbs
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
-1/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs, use white if desired
-2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated optional
Pinch of salt and pepper

In a plastic bag place chicken, buttermilk, ½ herb mixture, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and lemon juice. Place in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Add breadcrumbs, cheese, remaining herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cheese into a bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and roll around in breadcrumb mixture, a few pieces at a time. Place on to a sprayed baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes, or until no longer pink inside and golden brown in color.
Serve with ketchup, mustard and/or BBQ sauce (for homemade recipe, check out sauce page)

Taco Bites



Makes 18
-1 lb ground turkey
-1 packet taco seasoning
-2/3 cup of water
-1/2 can corn, drained and rinsed
-1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
-1/2 onion, diced
-2 cups Monterrey jack cheese
-36 wonton wrappers
Add diced Jalapenos to turkey mixture if you desire heat
Topping ideas: salsa, pico de gallo salsa, sour cream, guacamole 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high flame. Add onion and cook until almost translucent. Add turkey and cook until almost brown. Drain fat. Return turkey to skillet and add water, beans, corn, cilantro and taco seasoning. Cook for about 8 minutes more or until water is absorbed.

Place wonton into greased muffin pan cup. Sprinkle with a large pinch of cheese. Place another wrapper on top. Add meat mixture (make sure to distribute evenly between cups). Sprinkle with another pinch of cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until wrappers are golden brown. I top them with 1 tablespoon of pico de gallo salsa and 1 tablespoon of guacamole. Unfortunately I photographed them without their toppings. 

They make not look that great in this photo, but they taste incredible and look fun once topping is added. I used chicken here with fajita taco mix. Either works.
Note to self, take better pictures! 


Cream Cheese & Spicy Jelly


When you are looking for something easy to serve to your guests, this recipe is as easy as it gets. It will take you a total of two minutes to assemble and is incredibly delicious. The contrast of the rich, red pepper jelly, dripping over the white cheese makes for a wonderful presentation. It is a sweet, savory dish that is well served with salty, crunchy crackers.

-1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese
-1/2 cup of red pepper jelly


Spread jelly over cream cheese block and serve with crackers. To give it more spice, mix jelly with hot chili sauce before spreading it over the cheese.



Shrimp and Grit bites


Makes 12 

-1 polenta roll, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
-1 teaspoon olive oil
-1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced into strips
-3 cloves of garlic
-1/2 pack polish sausages- reduced sodium
-2 tablespoons sour cream
-1 teaspoon paprika
-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1/2 teaspoon cumin
-About 12 medium-size shrimp, sliced in half
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange sliced polenta on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on each cake and add salt and pepper.
Put into the oven and cook for 10 minutes. After ten minutes flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Heat olive oil over medium-high flame. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Slice sausage into ¼ inch pieces. Add into pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Add sour cream and spices. Lastly, add shrimp and cook until they’re no longer opaque-about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When polenta is ready, add shrimp and sausage mixture on top and serve. 


SLIDERS pork sliders, good ol' American sliders, Mexican beef sliders and Caprese beef sliders


Pork Loin Sliders
Makes 12


-1 pork loin
If you want to save time, buy a loin already in a marinade, which is what I did. You’re already cooking a lot. Save yourself some time. I bought a loin with garlic and black pepper. Thank you Trader Joes.
-12 buns
-1 cup of jam or preserves of choice (I used apricot, cranberry or fig works too)

Rosemary Mayo:
-2 tablespoons mayo
-2 Greek yogurt
-1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
-1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
-½ teaspoon Worcestershire
-1 tablespoon fresh green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cook for 28-30 minutes. When you have fifteen minutes remaining, pull pork out. Carefully slice a slit right down the middle of the pork. Spoon the jam into the center. Return to oven and cook for the remaining fifteen minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the spread by adding all of the ingredients into a bowl and mixing.

Remove pork, cover with foil and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Throw buns into the oven to warm up.

To assemble, slice pork into ¼ inch pieces, spread mayo on the toasted buns and place pork inside.

Good Ol' American Sliders

Makes 8

-1 pound of ground beef
-1 can of Pillsbury biscuits
-1 egg
-1 tablespoon of milk (use lactose free if needed)
-2 teaspoons onion powder
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper
-Sliced pickles
-Slices of sharp cheddar cheese
-Ketchup and Dijon mustard for dipping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough into 1 inch thick balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and press down to flatten. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Once cooled split each in half, forming miniature buns.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, beat egg and add milk, Worcestershire, ground beef, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Gently mix together, without over working the meat. Form the meat into 2 to 3 once portions. Bake for about 14 minutes or grill on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side.
Place cheese on hot patties to melt. Fill buns with patties and pickles. 
Serve with ketchup and mustard for dipping.

Note: To make this into a fun party favor place patties and cheese on a waffle fry and place a pickle and cherry tomato on top. Connect the four pieces with a toothpick.


 Full Flavored Sliders: Mexican & Caprese 

Makes 8

Mexican Sliders 
-1 lb ground beef
-1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning 
-2 teaspoons onion powder
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 tablespoon hot sauce- I use Chalula 
-1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper
-guacamole 
-Optional toppings: pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, more hot sauce
-Any small buns 

In a medium bowl add ground beef, taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Gently mix together, without over working the meat. Form the meat into 2 to 3 once portions.
Bake for about 14 minutes or grill on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side.
Add guacamole to the buns and place hot patties on top. 



Makes 8 

Caprese Sliders 
-1 onion, sliced
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 teaspoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 lb ground beef 
-2 teaspoons onion powder
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper
-1/4 cup mayo & 1/4 cup greek yogurt Healthier Choice: Use all greek yogurt 
-3 tablespoons basil paste
-Any small buns
-Buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced
-1 medium tomato, sliced

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium high flame. Add onion. Cook for about 8 minutes. Add sugar and salt, mix, then reduce heat to medium low. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. 
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add ground beef, garlic and onion powder,  Worcestershire and salt and pepper. Gently mix together, without over working the meat. Form the meat into 2 to 3 once portions.
Bake for about 14 minutes or grill on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side.
In a small bowl mix mayo, greek yogurt and basil paste. Mix until blended together.
Heat buns and spread basil mayo in each side. Place patties, semi caramelized onions, cheese and tomatoes on buns. Serve.