Asian Stuffed Baby Bellas Paired with Pinot Noir

Don't these babies look scrumptious? Oh yeah, they are! Super easy to make, too. These Asian inspired stuffed mushrooms are a super app for a holiday party...but you can eat them for dinner, too. Just use full sized portabellas and whip up a green salad on the side. Dinner - done!

Not only will these 'shrooms be hovered up by your guests this holiday season - they are a great pair for everyone's favorite red wine, Pinot Noir. Grab a couple of styles of Pinot and have an impromptu  taste test, and get guest feedback on the best pairing.

Two to try:  a Fruit-Forward-Jammy California style charmer, Votre Sante Pinot Noir by Francis Ford Coppola

or an "Old World" style Kris Pinot Noir from Italy - a drier and lighter style of Pinot

You can find both bottles at Total Wine for under $20 each. 

Asian Stuffed Baby Bellas

8 oz Pkg of Baby Bellas

1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

3 TB Minced Cilantro

3 TB Minced Green Onions

½ Cup Minced Water Chestnuts

¼ Cup Panko

4 Oz Light Whipped Cream Cheese, soft

1/8 Tsp Cayenne

¼ Tsp Five Spice Powder

¼  Tsp EACH Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 Garlic Cloves, grated

2 Tsp Lemon Juice

Step One Preheat the oven to 425. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and set the mushroom caps aside. Mince and sauté the stems in 1 Tsp Olive Oil until they release their juices, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Step Two Combine the cilantro through the lemon juice together in a bowl, along with the sautéed chopped mushroom stems and mix well. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture brush (or spray) the tops with the remaining olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the filling has browned.

Roasted Red Peppers Take Over the World!

A PILE of Peppers!

Its often the simplest foods that make me happy. You too? One of my simple favorites are Roasted Red Peppers. I feel a little like the Sham WOW guy when I start talking about them:) Wow! they are a snack, an entree, in a soup, topping a pasta, pureed for a salad dressing...you get the idea. There are not many trips to the grocery store when they don't find a spot in my basket or an important place on the menu. 

This sounds a little weird, but apparently, I even smell like red peppers. I've had more than one person pop their head into the Cancer Wellness Kitchen and tell me, "I know you are in the kitchen when I stepped off the elevator and smelled the peppers roasting." Not a bad thing to smell like, I guess!

Yesterday we celebrated Katie and Pete's upcoming wedding with buddies from our Taste Club classes at Cooks Warehouse. 

The table was piled high with appetizers, as you can see.

The drinks were plentiful, and yummy.

But the most commented on of all the appetizers? Why yes! It was the Red Pepper Bruschetta.

Super easy to make, super easy to eat, too. After roasting your peppers, just toss them in a bag and drizzle with a little olive oil and a couple of cloves of garlic. Top toasted whole grain bread with the color and roasted taste of the peppers. Done. Easy-peasy. And just in case you need a primer on how to roast peppers, here's a quick video to show how to do it!

Hello Spring - Vidalia Onion Dip!

I attended thirteen different schools during my “wonder bread” years. We moved constantly until I was in high school. By then, thankfully my family was in one place. One thing was constant, though….my mother’s love for food from her southern childhood. Sweet onions were one of her favorites, Vidalia to be exact. Of course!

Spring was around the corner when this dip appeared at our table. Mother’s friends would send her the first onions of the season, or if she still had a couple of carefully-saved-last-season onions in the basement we would be treated to this favorite.

Easy to prepare, keeps wonderful in the fridge, this is a dip that pairs perfectly with veggies and crackers. Sometimes Mike and I will just load up a tray with fresh raw veggies, like radishes, grape tomatoes, carrot, celery, and fennel sticks, and enjoy Vidalia Onion Dip as a light dinner. Don’t miss out on trying this recipe – everyone I have shared this fun way to enjoy southern sweet onions has loved it!

Vidalia Dip

2 Cups Water

½  Cup White Vinegar
1/4 Cup Agave Syrup

4 Cups Thinly Sliced Vidalia Onions

½ Cup Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil Mayonnaise

½ Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt

1 Tsp Celery Seed

1 Dash Hot Sauce

1 Dash *Worcestershire Sauce

Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to Taste

Step One In a saucepan on high heat, bring the water, sugar and vinegar to a rolling boil. Put the onions in a large bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over them. Place in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight. The next day, drain the liquid from the onions and add the mayonnaise, celery seed, hot sauce, Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste.

Looking for Spring Soup

Wow! Its been a long cold hard winter here in Atlanta. And yes. I know that many of you have had a much rougher time of it - the polar vortex and all it has brought to the north and midwest. But here in the south, we are usually already looking for signs of spring. Some have been forthcoming, like the daffodils below. But I'm so afraid they won't look as perky when our weather turns winter-cold this week again.

Today we held a class with friend and facilitator Angela Buttimer at Cancer Wellness. Entitled "Springtime Rituals" it was full of cleaning and good intentions - and this soup. Full of the promise of spring, it is also a super clean-out-the-fridge-and-freezer soup that tastes yummy. Its one of those recipes that lends itself easily to food swaps: No frozen peas? Use green beans. No fresh asparagus? Use frozen broccoli. You get the idea. Use what you've got stashed away and is ready to go. You'll find this soup delicious, and all the greens will make you feel great!

Looking for Spring Soup.

2 TB Olive Oil

3 Bunches Green Onion, roughly chopped

1 Bunch Asparagus, roughly chopped

3 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped

1 Large Bag Green Peas, Defrosted

2 Cups Frozen or Canned Artichoke Hearts, chopped

3 Cups Veggie Stock

1 TB Fresh Lemon Juice

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Non Fat Greek Yogurt, Chopped Green Onions and Tomatoes

1 Tsp Cumin Seed, toasted

Step One

Add the olive oil to a stock pot. Sauté the green onions over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add asparagus and cook an additional 5 minutes. And the garlic and cook and stir until fragrant – about 1 minute.

Step Two

Add the broth and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover, cooking until veggies are very tender, about 20 minutes. Puree veggies with an immersion blender. Return to original pot and bring back up to a simmer. Add the lemon juice and season again to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the Greek Yogurt, green onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle cumin over the top.

Creamy and Rich Sweet Potato and Roasted Almond Soup

I love sweet potatoes. The great news about them? Unlike most things I love, sweet potatoes are actually GOOD for us. They are one of the best sources of beta-cartotene and are a great source of vitamin A, the vitamin that promotes good eyesight! Plus, in order for us to get the benefits of all the beta-carotene in the sweet gems, we should have a little fat with our sweet potato - what's not to like?

This recipe is a riff on a pumpkin soup that I often prepare. It's easy to do - especially when you have the sweet potatoes already roasted. Like for the Double Stuffed Sweet Potatoes in the February 14th Friday Four! 

Sweet potatoes possess the same creamy, rich texture of sauces and soups, mousses and flourless cakes that keeps us coming back for one more little bite. This soup achieves that texture nirvana by pureeing the veggies and adding them back into the pot. And topping the soup? A hit of crunch and salt with a sprinkle of chopped roasted almonds.

1 More Sweet Potato Still in the Oven!!!

Sweet Potato and Almond Soup

The Glorious Sweet Insides of Four Roasted Sweet Potatoes

24 oz Veggie Broth

1 ½ Cups Apple Juice

1/2 Cup Natural, Creamy Almond Butter

1 TB Grated Fresh Ginger

1 Clove Garlic, Grated

1 TB Fresh Lime Juice

2 TB Fresh Orange Juice

1/8 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper To Taste

Zest of 1 Lime

½ Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt

¼ Cup Thinly Sliced Green Onions (Green Tops Only)

¼ Cup Finely Chopped, Roasted Salted Almonds*

Step One

In a medium stockpot, combine the sweet potato, veg broth, and apple juice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Step Two

Return to the pot. Add the ginger, garlic, juices and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes over medium heat. Taste for salt and pepper.

Step Three

Mix the lime zest with the Greek yogurt. Garnish each bowl with a TB of the yogurt mixture, and sprinkle with the almonds.

* To roast the almonds, place on a sheet pan and slide into a 400F oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and spray or drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Ummmm! Warm, Sticky and Sweet Roasted Plantains

You may have seen these gnarly-looking-black-kind-of-bananas in the produce section of your grocery store and thought, "Ick". You were wrong.

Wait til you taste the rich, gooey sweetness of a roasted plantain. They are SO good and SO easy to make. Plantains soon will be a star on the side of your plate.

Discovering the ease and versatility of roasting has changed the veggie game. As vegetables roast, they lose moisture and their flavor is concentrated and sweetened. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, or any of the veggies that were on your personal "Ick" list, now taste delicious...and plantains do, too!

Native to India, but grown all in tropical climates all around the world, plantains are popular in Latin American, Caribbean and West African cooking. A little longer than a banana with a thick tough skin, the easiest way to peel them? Cut off each end and score the plantain with your knife, from one end to the other.

Once peeled, you are ready to season and roast. They are a great side to a veggie plate, as an accompaniment to a piece of grilled fish, or an sweet addition to a black bean salad!

Roasted Plantains

4 Black Plantains

2 TB Olive Oil

1 TB Smoked Paprika

1 Tsp Sea Salt

Peel and Slice the plantains into 1/2" diagonal slices. On an aluminum foil lined sheet try, toss them with the olive oil, smoked paprika and sea salt. Slide into a 400F oven and let roast for 30 minutes or until soft and caramelized around the edges. Serve and enjoy!

Toast is HOT! Sautéed Pears on Warm Goat Cheese TOAST

Who knew? Toast is the next Kale, or at least it is to some of the food-trend-prognosticators that I follow. So imagine my surprise, when presented a menu last week, with an appetizer appropriately named, “Three Toasts”. (Don’t ever tell me Atlanta’s food scene isn’t on the cutting edge! Or, ummm maybe the chef and owner Ford Fry reads the same culinary journals I do?)

When the plate arrived it was filled with…toast. Last year we probably would have called it Bruschetta, but that’s so 2013 isn’t it?

From left to right in the picture above, you can see Broccoli Pesto with Almonds, Ricotta and Pear and the Gorgonzola and Beets on some rustic country bread. My favorite? Hands down the ricotta and pear was the most interesting. Broccoli pesto was good – but not inspirational. Gorgonzola and Beets? Brilliant, proving that anything can top toast. But the idea of sautéing some teeny tiny squares of luscious pear, crowning a bit of soft, savory cheese and then sprinkling on some toasted pecans is sweet and savory heaven. Here’s what I am going to do with Chef Fry’s good idea:

Sautéed Pears on Warm Goat Cheese TOAST for Two

1 Small Bosc Pear, just barely ripe

1 TB Butter

1 Tsp Maple Syrup

1 TB Goat Cheese, softened

1 Slice Rustic Country Bread

1 TB Toasted Sliced Almonds

Peel the pear and cut into small cubes about ½” on each side. Warm the butter in a small sauce pan and add the pear and maple syrup. Cook and stir until the pear is starting to soften. While the pear is sautéing, pop the bread into the toaster. When it is done, spread the goat cheese over the bread and pile on the pear. Sprinkle with almonds, cut the bread in half, and find a friend!

(I'm serving this tonight with a bowl of warm and steamy tomato soup!)