Turning Kitchen Experience into Action at Home - A Guest Blog by Taste and Savor Intern Michelle

I've learned so much over the past month! One night last week, I decided to put my experience interning with Chef Nancy into good use by having my mom’s friends over for dinner. I incorporated a little of what I have learned in the kitchen with Taste and Savor into each part of the meal. 

For the entree, I grilled salmon and topped it with the rustic tomato and olive relish. (Recipe below.) It was delicious. Thinking about beautiful colors and tasty nutrition, I decided to complete my plate with two colorful and delicious sides. We roast many different vegetables in the kitchen. I roasted two of my favorites for the ladies dinner: asparagus with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and red potatoes. Roasting asparagus or any vegetable makes an easy accompaniment  Just toss the veggies in a little olive oil salt and pepper. Place on a sheet tray and slide into a 400F oven until they become golden around the edges. I tossed my oven-roasted red potatoes with some of the spices that we use often in our healthy kitchen  Smoked paprika, cumin, olive oil, salt, and pepper.(It won't take long for asparagus - about 8 - 10 minutes. Harder vegetables like brussels sprouts will take longer.) While they are roasting, you can finish the rest of the meal!

And to top off our yummy dinner, I chose a dessert we prepared for the grilling class at Cancer Wellness. I grilled off some fruit (pineapple, bananas, and peaches), served with low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, topped with toasted un-sweetened coconut. The ladies loved it all!! It was surely a success, and many of them went on to check out the Taste and Savor website, along with the Taste and Savor cooking videos. Here's a link to the Taste and Savor website www.tasteandsavor.com and the helpful videos: Taste and Savor Helpful Kitchen Videos

Grilled Salmon with Rustic Tomato Olive Relish


The Marinade:


2 TB Olive Oil


1 TB Lemon Juice


1 Clove Garlic, Chopped


1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Chili Flakes


2 TB Dijon Mustard


1/2 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper


1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

The Salmon:
1 1/2 LB Salmon Filet, Skinned

Combine the Marinade ingredients in a zippy bag - add the Salmon and marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat the grill on high for 10 minutes. Remove the Salmon and pat dry. Turn the grill to medium. Grill just until marks appear and then finish roasting off in the oven – about 10 minutes. 


Remove and top with:

Rustic Tomato Olive Relish


2 TB Olive Oil


1 TB Lemon Juice


1 Clove Garlic, Chopped


1 Cup Grape Tomatoes, 
quartered


1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives, Chopped


1/2 Cup Green Olives, Chopped


1/4 Cup Italian Parsley, Chopped


1/8 Cup Capers


1/2 Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper


1/4 Tsp Sea Salt


Mix all the ingredients together.

Meatless Luscious Fun: Easy Herb-Rubbed Roasted Summer Veggies - 082613

Nothing makes me happier than laughter in my in kitchen. I love, love, love to entertain. Dinner, drinks and nibbles, games, a new movie - it doesn't matter. If I could, I'd entertain every night. I'm incredibly spoiled in my professional life, most often with a wonderful sous chef and an intern or two. Then there's the super staffing service who care about making both me and my guests happy. When teaching at Cooks Warehouse I have incredible assistants who are interested and excited about cooking with me.

Unfortunatley, none of them follow me home:) So in my favorite room in my house, I am often alone. (My husband Mike, doesn't cook. But he cleans. This makes me very very happy.) So when I have the opportunity to chat across my island while I am cooking, my world is perfect. My favorite kind of food to feed my folks is casual. Often ethnic, but always easy and healthy. If I am cooking outside on the grill, I pop some veggies like this recipe into the oven, and by the time they are done I have a salad or slaw tossed and everything comes out at the same time.

The secret to enjoying dinner with guests is recipes like this one. I've taken the extra fat and the fuss out of these veggies, and added in the wonderful taste of herbs and spices. You can cut your veggies early in the morning, and just toss them with the herb rub and oil when you start your grill. They will take about 45 minutes to roast, plenty of time to toss a big green salad and cook a handful delicious fish filets. Add a good bottle of wine and some fruit, cheese and nuts for dessert, and you can have a good time at your party, too!

Herb Rubbed Veggies

3 Cups Sliced Zucchini

2 Cut Red Peppers

2 Cups Sliced Yellow Squash

2 Large Red Onions, peeled and quartered

1 Large Head Fennel, Sliced

3 TB Balsamic Vinegar

2 TB Olive Oil

½  Tsp Dried Basil

½ Tsp Dried Oregano

½ Tsp Dried Tarragon

½ Tsp Dried Thyme

½ Tsp Dried Parsley

½ Tsp Dried Rosemary

½ Tsp Each, Salt and Pepper

4 Garlic Cloves, Grated

Preheat oven to 425F. Toss all the ingredients together

Place them on a sheet pan,  stir well to coat. Cover and bake at 425F for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

*Why are we using dried herbs and spices in this recipe? These veggies cook at high heat for 45 minutes. The dried will hold up better than fresh - but feel free to chop some fresh herbs and stir them through the cooked veg after they are done.

Five Ingredients for a Flavorful Fruit Filled Dessert or Dip!

My last week was ambitious. After sliding into Atlanta late Wednesday afternoon from a fabulous trip to San Francisco, Thursday morning found us in the kitchen prepping for a class on Thursday night and a brunch for 45 on Friday morning. (Two classes on Saturday, too.) Thursday night’s Mindful Eating class with Facilitator Angela Buttimer was wonderful. We shared our hints and tips for being present while enjoying food, whether alone or with friends and family. Oh – and by the way – standing up or eating in the car doesn’t count as mindful eating…even if we are appreciating the aromas and tastes:)

Late night Thursday led to early morning Friday. We were was lucky enough to host the "Pets For Life" initiative for the United States Humane Society’s Atlanta chapter, at the beautiful Cancer Wellness Center at Piedmont. We were serving a vegan brunch – and wanted to make the food as delicious and flavorful as if we were serving a full assortment of meats and cheeses. One of the dishes we served was Kitchari (031113) – from the March 11, 2013 Meatless Monday post. (If you haven’t made this dish yet, give it a try!)  In India, it is traditional to eat rice and lentils or other beans for breakfast. It's a super change from the same old bacon and eggs or biscuit. Plus the recipe makes a lot. Just like day old soup – it keeps getting better.

Now, back to this week's blog post. So here is our take on a fruit dip. A little different than what you usually find, not as sweet, and the limes and coconut make it creamy and interesting! Sometimes you just need to shake things up a bit. Whether you are having a brunch – like the one where we served the Pets for Life folks, or you are looking for an easy fruit filled dessert, check this recipe out.

Cashew Coconut Lime Dip

1 Cup Cashew Butter

2 Limes, Zested and Juiced

½ Cup Coconut Milk – whisked together with ½ Cup Hot Water

1 TB Agave Syrup (optional)

Put all the ingredients for the dip into the food processor. Puree until smooth, adding a little more hot water as necessary to thin the sauce to dipping consistency. Serve with your choice of fresh fruit or berries.

Thanks for Thanksgiving Dinner!

We celebrated Thanksgiving Dinner at Cancer Wellness last Sunday. For me, and many of the survivors, it was an especially poignant gathering. One of the participants summed it up in an email by writing, "We survivors have so much to give thanks for." I gathered inspiration for the meal from lots of different places, using old recipes, new ones and tweaked favorites. The one constant among them is that they are all healthier, lighter, easy and importantly, delicious - these recipes could easily be made for dinner any night. My most favorite of all, is "Jim's Cornbread Dressing". This is actually a recipe that I developed about twenty years ago. When my dad was alive, he always called it, "Nancy's Cornbread Dressing". He's gone now - so I have renamed for him!

Hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful celebration!

Walnut Crusted Turkey with Pomegranate Ginger Glaze

2 LBs Turkey Breast Tenders, (substitute chicken any other time of the year)

2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs

2 Cups Toasted Very Finely Chopped Toasted Walnuts

1/2 Tsp Each Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Olive Oil Spray

2 Cups Pomegranate Juice

1 TB Honey

1 TB Lime Juice

1 TB Minced Crystallized Ginger

Step One

Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray an aluminum foil baking sheet with the olive oil spray.

Step Two

Place the panko, the walnuts and salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Pat the turkey tenders dry, and spray with the olive oil. Roll the tenders in the panko mixture to coat and place on the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes or until done throughout.

Step Three

While the turkey is cooking whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large saute pan. Bring to a simmer, and turn the heat down - then cook and stir over medium heat until reduced by half.

Step Four

Drizzle the chicken with the glaze and serve.

Fresh and Tangy Cranberry Dressing

1 Bag Fresh Cranberries

1 Large Navel Orange, cut in 8 pieces (peel and all)

3 TB Honey

In the bowl of a food processor add all the ingredients and pulse until well chopped. Taste and add more honey if desired.

Jim’s Cornbread Dressing

2 Recipes *Cornbread

2 TB Unsalted Butter

2 Large Onions, diced (4 cups)

1 Large Bunch Celery, diced 43 cups)

3 TBs Poultry Seasoning

2 Large Eggs + 4 Large Egg Whites, whisked together welll

32 Ounces Veg Stock

16 Ounces Light Buttermilk

1 TB Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Sea Salt to Taste

Step One

Crumble cornbread into a large bowl and set aside.

Step Two

Melt the butte with the oil in a large skillet, add onions and celery, and sauté until tender. Stir in the poultry seasoning, and sauté an additional minute.

Step Three

Add the eggs and whites, broth, buttermilk and pepper into cornbread mixture. It should create a very soupy mixture – if necessary add a little more stock. Pour into a casserole dish and bake, uncovered, at 375F for about 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Cornbread

½ Cup All Purpose Flour

¼ Cup Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 Cup Yellow Cornmeal

1 Tsp each Sea Salt and Black Pepper

1 1/2 TB Sugar

1 TB Baking Powder

1 TB Chopped Fresh Thyme

8 Oz Low Fat Buttermilk

1 Large Egg

2 Egg Whites

3 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Step One

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Step Two

In a bowl, whisk the flours, cornmeal, salt, pepper, sugar and baking powder together. Add the thyme, salt and pepper

Step Three

In a second bowl; beat together the buttermilk, the eggs, whites and oil. Mix into the dry ingredients.

Step Four

Pour the batter into a non-stick sprayed and parchment lined half sheet pan.. Leave to cool on a rack, before removing the bread.

Brussel Sprouts and Orange Pecan Salad

Fresh Brussel Sprouts (About 8 Cups Halved)

Olive Oil Spray, or 1 TB of Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

1 Large Navel Orange

1 Lime

¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 TB Pomegranate Molasses (or Honey)

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

½ Cup Toasted, Chopped Pecans

Pomeganate Seeds

Spring Mix

Step One

Toss your Brussel sprouts with a little olive oil spray or a TB of olive oil, and salt and pepper them. Roast your Brussel sprouts on an aluminum foil lined, non-stick sprayed half sheet pan at 425 for about 25 – 30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly while you make the dressing

Step Two

Zest the orange and the lime, set the zest aside. To make the dressing, juice the orange and lime into a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, molasses, and mustard and salt and pepper to taste.

Step Three

Spread the spring mix out on a large platter, place the roasted sprouts on top and drizzle the dressing over it all. Sprinkle with the zests, pecans and seeds and serve.

Warm and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Red Onions

4 Large Sweet Potatoes

2 Large Red Onions

¼ Cup Olive Oil

2 TBs Garam Masala

Cut the Sweet Potatoes and the Onions into large chunks. Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil and the Garam Masala. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on an aluminm foil sheet pan and roast in a 425F oven until brown and crispy on the edges – about 30 minutes. If necessary, pop the pan under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the edges.

Pepper Nut Cookies

2 Cups Dark Brown Sugar

4 TB Unsalted Butter

2 TB Canola Oil

1 Large Egg

2 Egg Whites

2 Tsp Brandy or Cognac

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour

½ Tsp Baking Soda

½ Tsp Cloves

½ Tsp Ginger

½ Tsp Cinnamon

½ Tsp Freshly and Finely Ground Black Pepper

½ Cup Finely Chopped Toasted Walnuts

Step One

Preheat the oven to 375F. Cream the sugar, butter and oil together. Mix in the egg, whites and brandy.

Step Two

In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Add the nuts. Fold into the wet ingredients. Shape into 1” balls and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly browned.