Happy National Chocolates Day!

Everyone LOVES Chocolates!

According to the website Foodimentary, November 29^th is National Chocolates Day. I’m sharing yummy chocolate treats with Christine on Atlanta and Company today during the noon hour on NBC 11 Alive in Atlanta!

·      Chocolate comes from the Aztec word “xocolatl” which means “bitter water”.

·      Switzerland is one of the top countries for chocolate consumption. The Swiss consume about 22 lbs of chocolate, per person, per year. Americans come in 9th in the world, consuming about half or 11 lbs of chocolate per year.

·      Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Mayan and Aztec cultures. Perhaps this is where they saying, “Money grows on trees” came from.

·      Allowing chocolate to melt in your mouth produces the same or even stronger reactions as passionately kissing.

·      Most cocoa comes from West Africa.

How to choose chocolate that’s better-for-you? Its easy to find chocolate in any grocery store. Here’s the three tips to know

1.    Look for chocolate as the first ingredient

2.    Look for chocolate that is 60% cocoa solids

3.    Look for chocolate that is NOT dutch processed or processed with alkali

Chocolate Bark

4 (3.5 OZ) 70 – 85% Dark Chocolate Bars (I like Lindt Chocolate)

YOUR choice of toppings

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Pour the melted chocolate on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle topping over the chocolate and place in the fridge until the chocolate hardens. Break the bark into small pieces and serve.

Chocolate Sugarplums

½  Cup Pitted Dates

½ Cup Dried Apricots

½  Cup Pitted Prunes, chopped

½ Cup Chopped Figs

1 ½  Cup Dried Cherries or Raisins

OR 3 ½ Cups chopped dried fruit of your choice – just make sure you have some sticky fruit like prunes or figs

½ Cup Chopped Dark Chocolate

1 ½  Cup Chopped Toasted Nuts, (Walnuts, Pecans or Almonds)

3 TBs Orange Zest

2 TBs Orange Liquor OR 2 TB Orange Juice

½ Cup Raw Sugar

Place the dried fruit, nuts and zest into the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped; add the juice or liquor and pulse until combined and you can shape the mixture into 1” balls. Roll the balls in the raw sugar and place on a parchment paper lined sheet tray. Let air-dry until no longer sticky about 2-3 hours.

***Want to make it even better for you? Instead of rolling the bars in raw sugar, roll them in finely chopped nuts!

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

2 (3.5 OZ) Chocolate Bars

About 24 Dried Figs, Peaches, Pears, Apples or Apricots

½ Cups Chopped Nuts if desired

Melt the chocolate over very low heat, in a double boiler or in the microwave. Dip the dried fruit in the chocolate and place on parchment paper until dried. (If desired, you can dip the chocolate in the chopped nuts after dipping in the chocolate.)

SUPER Salads for the Holidays!

Everyone has sides and salads that are family favorites – but here’s a couple of delicious, colorful, healthy sides to add to festive celebrations.

I can't wait to make up these salads on Atlanta and Company this morning. Christine and I will make a Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pomegranate Honey Dressing and a Sweet Potato and Red Grape Salad that are yummy and full of the flavors of the season.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Pomegranate Honey Dressing

1 Butternut Squash, Roasted and Chopped

1 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced

2 Cups Cooked Tri Color Quinoa

1 Cup Chopped Toasted Pecans

1 Cup Chopped Fennel or Celery

1 Cup Golden Raisins

6 Cups Baby Kale, Spinach or “Power Greens”

1 Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese or Goat Cheese

Place each ingredient separately on a large platter. When ready to serve, drizzle with the Pomegranate Honey Dressing.

Pomegranate Honey Dressing

2 TB Apple Cider Vinegar

1 TB Pomegranate Molasses

1 TB Honey

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

1 Garlic Clove, grated

5 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Shake all the ingredients together in a jar.

Sweet Potato and Red Grape Salad

1/4 Cup Olive Oil Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt

2 TB Orange Juice

2 TB Orange Zest

1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

1 Cup Grated Carrot

1/2 Cup Chopped Celery or Fennel

6 Cups Chopped Roasted Sweet Potatoes***

1 Cup Red Seedless Grapes, Halved

1/3 Cup Chopped Dates, Figs or Apricots

1/4 Cup Chopped Toasted Walnuts

Step One

Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, orange juice, orange zest and Garam Masala in a small bowl to blend. (You can prepare this dressing up to a day ahead of time)

Step Two In a bowl toss the grated carrot, diced celery, sweet potatoes, halved grapes and chopped dates. Add dressing to salad and toss. Sprinkle salad with walnuts and serve.

** To Roast the sweet potatoes, spread the chopped potatoes on a baking sheet, toss with 2 TB olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1Tsp garam masala. Roast in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are browned.

Happy National Deviled Egg Day - Tuesday November 2nd!

Everyone loves Deviled Eggs - they are great for the upcoming holidays, or for a grab and go snack and certainly qualify as a Southern Staple at any occasion. Who doesn’t like a yummy bite that’s easy to make, easy to serve, easy to fill with creative custom recipes?

Classic deviled egg recipes are loaded with fat and calories but you can easily create a yummy and fun egg that is HIGH in flavor and low in calories, just like the ones below.

By the way – did you know that In the 19th century the term “deviled” was used regularly when referring to spicy or zesty food, including eggs prepared with mustard, pepper or other ingredients stuffed in the yolk cavity?  

The biggest problem in cooking boiled eggs is that people can easily over-cook them, leading to a dark green color around the yolk and a tough yolk. Here’s a foolproof way to cook them, so they look and taste delicious. But before we fill them, a quick primer on how to make the best hard boiled eggs, ever:

1. Place 6 large eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in single layer. Add cold water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Turn the heat on to high and bring to a boil. 
2. Slide the eggs off the burner and cover the pan. Let the eggs sit in the hot water about 12 minutes.  Remove from the pan, let cool completely and either peel or store in the refrigerator for a week.

I loved showing fun host Christine how to make these three recipes today on Atlanta & Company on NBC 11 Alive in Atlanta!

Guacamole Stuffed Eggs

1 Ripe Avocado, Peeled, Pitted and Coarsely Chopped

¼ Cup Prepared Salsa

½ Tsp Lime Juice

6 Hard Boiled Large Eggs, Yolks removed

Chopped Cilantro and Pickled Jalapeño Slices

Add the avocado, salsa and lime juice to a small bowl. Using a masher, mix the ingredients together until combined but still slightly chunky. Stuff the eggs with the mixture and top with chopped cilantro.

Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Paprika Spanish Stuffed Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Large Eggs cut in half

1 Roasted Red Pepper, minced

½ Tsp Lemon Juice

1 Tsp Smoked Paprika

¼ Tsp Fine Sea Salt

¼ Cup Finely Shredded Manchego Cheese

Add the egg yolks, pepper, lemon juice, paprika and sea salt to a bowl and mash with a folk until combined but still a little chunky. Stuff the eggs and top with the cheese.

Middle Eastern Inspired Eggs Stuffed with Hummus and Pita

½ Cup Cannellini Beans

2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tsp Lemon Juice

2 TB Crumbled Feta

½ Tsp Grated Garlic

¼ Tsp EACH Fine Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

6 Hard Boiled Large Eggs cut in half

¼ Cup Crushed Pita Chips

Using a potato masher, mash the beans in a small bowl, along with the oil, lemon juice, feta, garlic and sea salt and black pepper. Add in the yolks from the eggs and mash again. Scoop into the eggs and sprinkle with pita chips.

Happy National Pasta Day – October 17th!

Can’t wait to share some of my favorite pasta recipes with Christine and the folks at Atlanta & Company today! Did you know that pasta is one of the world's most favorite foods?  Spaghetti, lasagna, rotini, tortellini - there are OVER 600 known pasta shapes. Why? It's delicious, it's nutritious, with only about 100 calories per serving (1/2 cup) especially when it eaten along with lots of yummy veggies.

Oh yeah – and it's versatile - t can be enjoyed as an appetizer main course, or side dish. 

Pasta is typically thought of as an Italian dish, but there is evidence that people living in Asia in 2000 BC made noodles with millet. Pasta can be made dry (pasta secca) or fresh (pasta fresca). There are over 350 varieties of dried pasta in Italy alone. The highest quality of dried pasta is made with pure durum semolina flour and water.

Do your part by cooking up some of these easy, yummy recipes - we need to catch up…the typical Italian eats over sixty pounds of pasta per year. In comparison, Americans only eat around twenty pounds of pasta per person per year!

Mediterranean Shrimp 
with Feta and Tomatoes

2 TB Olive Oil

1 Medium Red Onion, Thinly Sliced

1 Cup Dry White Wine

2 Cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes

2 Tsp Dried Oregano

Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1 TB Chopped Parsley

2 TB Chopped Fresh Oregano

1 1/2 LB Large Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined

8 Oz Crumbled Feta or Mozzarella or Combination

1 Box Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

Step One Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and cook the onion over medium heat until transparent. Add the wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano and a healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper, cook over medium heat for 20 - 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the herbs.

Step Two. Place the shrimp in the bottom of an ovenproof casserole dish and top with the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the shrimp is just cooked through.

Step Three While the shrimp is cooking, prepare the whole wheat penne. When the shrimp is done, top the penne with the sauce, shrimp and feta.

****No time to make the sauce? Use your favorite purchased sauce and pick up the recipe on Step Two.

Caprese Tortellini Skewers

1 Pkg Prepared and Cooked Cheese Tortellini (al dente)

1 Pkg Grape Tomatoes

1 Recipe *Simple Vinaigrette

Skewer the tortellini, basil leaves and grape tomatoes on bamboo skewers. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.

*Simple Vinaigrette

1⁄4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil


2-3 TB Balsamic Vinegar
(or any vinegar or lemon juice)


1 Tsp Dijon Mustard


1⁄2 Tsp Honey 
(optional)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Pasta Salad with a Asian Twist

16 oz Whole Wheat Linguine** Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled

8 Cups Thinly Sliced Purple Cabbage or Napa Cabbage (or combination of the two)

1 Large Red, Yellow or Orange Pepper, Finely Chopped

½ Cup Chopped Cilantro

½ Cup Water Chestnuts

½ Cup Green Onions, Sliced

1 Cup Toasted Chopped Cashews

¼ Cup Sesame Seeds

*Sesame Ginger Dressing

Combine the noodles, cabbages, pepper, cilantro, water chestnuts, and scallions in a large salad bowl. Beginning with half of the dressing, toss the salad, adding more dressing as desired. Top the salad with the cashews and sesame seeds.

*Sesame Ginger Dressing

1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar - unseasoned

3 TB Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Canola or Grapeseed Oil

¼ Cup Light Soy Sauce, Tamari or Braggs Amino Acids

2 TB Toasted Sesame Oil

3 TB Fresh Ginger, Grated

2 Tsp Garlic, Grated

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

Sea Salt and Black Pepper to Taste

Add the ingredients to a jar and shake to combine.

**If you’d like to make this salad in a more authentic Asian style, try using any kind of thin noodles from the international aisle. Udon or fresh Chinese noodles are a great substitution, or if you’re looking to make the salad gluten-free, you can use rice noodles.