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Dairy Free

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

How to make homemade marshmallowsP

These are easier than you think.

And the possibilities are endless. Try your favorite extracts (coconut marshmallows?!), or food coloring to match your party, or covering them in chocolate. Once you make them, it’s hard to remember why you went so long without trying your hand at these.

Step one:

Prepare the pan. Grease well (cooking spray, butter or vegetable shortening) and then cover in powdered sugar.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

Step two:

In the bowl of a stand mixer add 3 1/2 packets of gelatin to 1/2 cup ice cold water. Let stand while you prepare the sugar.

How to make homemade marshmallows2Step three:

In a pan over medium heat add 2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup and 1/2 cup water. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to high, allow to boil until the mixture has reached 240 on a candy thermometer.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

Step four:

Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour the hot sugar into the gelatin mixture. Once all the sugar has been added, raise speed to high. Beat on high until light and fluffy and tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

 Step five:

In a medium bowl, add the egg whites and salt. Beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites and vanilla into the marshmallows.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)Step six:

Pour marshmallows into prepared pan. Smooth into an even layer, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

 Step seven:

Allow to sit at room temperature until set, about 3 hours. Invert pan on a flat surface, slice into squares.

How to make homemade marshmallows8

To make beer marshmallows, check out Chocolate Stout Covered Beer Marshmallows.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

Ingredients

  • Powdered sugar
  • 3 ½ envelopes unflavored gelatin (such as Knox)
  • 1 cup ice cold water, divided
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbs vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9×13 baking pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar until well coated, set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer add ½ cup cold water. Sprinkle with gelatin. Allow to stand while the sugar is being prepared.
  3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining ½ cup water, sugar and corn syrup. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  4. Raise heat to high and allow to boil until the mixture reads 240F on a candy thermometer (about 6-8 minutes).
  5. Once the temperature has been reached, turn off heat.
  6. Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin. Once all the sugar has been added turn the mixer on high until light and fluffy and tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.
  7. While the mixer is running, prepare the egg whites. Add the egg whites to a bowl with the salt. Beat on high with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
  8. Gently fold the egg whites and vanilla extract into the stand mixer ingredients until just combined.
  9. Pour the marshmallows into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to set at room temperature until set, about 2 hours. Remove from pan, cut into squares.

 

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are naturally dairy and gluten free, take 5 minutes and one bowl to throw together. 

flourless peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chips cookies 2

 

There is really nothing simple about my life these days. Between two blogs, freelance work, a book, a book tour, another super secret project I hope to tell you about soon, and (oh yeah) a family, I’ve officially crossed over into complex living. As a result, my food has become more simple. Beautifully simple. Fewer (but better) ingredients, less waste, more time with that family who gives me so much support. These cookies are a great example. My favorite cookie recipe ever (on the planet) takes 3 days to make, inspiring the name Thursday Night Cookies because if I want them for the weekend, I need to start making them Thursday night.

But right now, in this crazy phase of my life, I want something that can give me near instant comfort and gratification with just a few ingredients I already have. So that someday I can get back to those lazy days and Thursday Night Cookies.

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup whole oats
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a large bowl gently stir together all ingredients.
  3. Using a cookie scoop, add golf ball size mounds to a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper, evenly spaced. Flatten to one-inch circles using your hand.
  4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Pull the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and onto a flat surface. Allow to cool.

Notes

A lot of oat companies process their oats with machines that also come in contact with gluten, making the contamination rate high for store bought oats. If you need these to be gluten free, make sure to buy oats labeled "gluten free."

flourless peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chips cookies 3

Jamaican Coconut Cornbread

Jamacian Coconut Cornbread naturally dairy and gluten free

In the midst of the chaotic tilt that my life has taken lately, I keep being overtaken by the feeling that these are the good ol' days. This is the time I’ll look back on, as an old woman, and wish I could revisit. I’ve had to remind myself of that, when I feel overwhelmed, stressed, pressured to preform at a level that feels higher than I can reach. I won’t remember that, it will all look so shiny in the review.

Jamacian Coconut Cornbread naturally dairy and gluten free

Because of the lack of anything that resembles "free time" lately, I’ve turned to making recipes that are quicker than my usual.  I love bread making, but it can be time consuming. So when I wanted something sweet with a bit of coconut, I decided to figure out a one bowl coconut cornbread. I actually made this twice (I like to make each recipe I post at least twice), but the first time I wanted to give a gluten free version a stab. Instead of flour I used masa harina, it’s corn flour I use to make tortillas. Since I started making homemade corn tortillas, I’ve never gone back to store bought so I always have it on hand, and it’s naturally gluten free. While I really liked the flavor, the texture wasn’t as good as with the flour, as these things often go.  I preferred the flour version better, but the gluten free masa version is a great option if your baking for crowd that includes the gluten averse.

The masa harina version:

Jamacian Coconut Cornbread naturally dairy and gluten free

 

Jamaican Coconut Cornbread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup all purpose flour (masa harina for gluten free)
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • pinch cayenne (about 1/8 tsp)
  • ¼ cup shredded dried coconut
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 can (13.5 fl oz) full fat coconut milk

    Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Grease a glass 8X8 baking dish.
  3. In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour (or masa harina), brown sugar, baking soda, salt cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and shredded coconut.
  4. Make a well in the center, add the oil, eggs and coconut milk, stir until just combined.
  5. Pour evenly into the prepared baking dish.
  6. Bake at 375 for 30-25 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.

 

Jamacian Coconut Cornbread naturally dairy and gluten free

California Quinoa Bowl

California Quinoa Bowl is healthy, naturally gluten free, dairy free, and complete delicious in just 15 minutes. 

 California Quinoa Bowl

There are a few things we like here in California when it comes to naming dishes after our state. First, it should be healthy, we like to at least pretend that we lean towards the health conscious way of life. Second, the inclusion of avocados is almost a necessity (you can leave off those sprouts, by the way) we are quite proud of those gorgeous avocados around here. Lastly, at least three different types of produce is a must, HALF of all the fruits and vegetables that are grown in the United States are grown in California (don’t look so surprised, we are more than just palm trees and reality shows).

As a girl who was born in California and spent most of her life here, I tend to eat this way quite a bit (when not making an egregiously Non-california type dishes such as the Beer Doughnuts). I love quinoa (I always cook it this way as not to render it mushy) I load my plate with produce, and I always use chicken thighs, so much better than those chicken breasts people seem to be so fond of. But then again, maybe it’s living in LA too long I just might be sick breasts all together.

California Quinoa Bowl

California Quinoa Bowl

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 red pepper, roasted and sliced
  • 1 English cucumber, peeled and diced (or 2 persian cucumbers not peeled but diced)
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup hummus (I used a spicy hummus)
  • 1 avocado, sliced

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle the chicken thighs on all sides with salt, pepper and onion powder.
  2. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet until hot but not smoking.
  3. Cook chicken on both sides until browned and chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan, allow to cool sligthly and slice.
  4. Evenly distribute the quinoa between 4 bowls, top with sliced chicken, red pepper, cucumber, tomatoes and chicken.
  5. Top each bowl with 1/4 cup hummus and a few slices of avocado.

 

California Quinoa Bowl2

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers


Bacon Chicken Skewers 4

My grill could replace my oven at this point. I love the smokey char, the quick cooking time, and the way that food just tastes transformed. This is a really quick and easy recipe that’s perfect for weeknights, but fit for weekend parties.

Bacon Chicken Skewers_

I would absolutely recommend chicken thighs for this. The flavor is so much bigger and the high heat of the grill is really drying on chicken breasts. If you’ve never cooked with chicken thighs, give them a try, I really think it’ll be your new go-to cut of chicken. Most stores sell boneless, skinless, chicken thigh filets, making it a really easy cut to use.  I switched over about two years ago and haven’t even thought about going back, the flavor is just so much better, plus they are often much cheaper than chicken breasts. More flavor, less money, that’s just a big win all the way around.

Bacon Chicken Skewers 5

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 8 slices bacon

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the honey, vinegar and smoked paprika in a pot over medium high heat. Allow to simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes.
  2. Preheat the grill to medium high.
  3. Cut each slice of bacon into thirds.
  4. Cut chicken thighs into cubes.
  5. One at a time place a chicken cube onto a small slice of bacon. Wrap the bacon around the chicken cube and skewer onto a grill skewer.
  6. Brush all sides of the chicken with honey glaze.
  7. Place on a hot grill. Turn every two minutes, re-brushing with glaze, until cooked through about 8 minutes.

Notes

If using wooden skewers, place them on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with water, place a heavy plate on top to submerge for 30 minutes.

Bacon Chicken Skewers 3

Fried Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping Sauce

When I edit photos, I just pick the ones that I think are the stand outs (often only one or two) edit those, export and review what I’ve done.

It wasn’t until I pulled this set up in review that I saw that it seemed to tell the story of shrimp desperation. Maybe it’s just me, spending too much time behind this computer with limited human interaction, but this is what I see:

First, the recently transformed shrimp, fresh out of a scorching oil bath, sees potential solace in an a pool of amber liquid.

Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping5

He makes his move, hesitant at first, he throws himself towards the cool pool of dipping sauce that will surely quench the scorching heat that radiates in his coconut crusted core. He’s close, but there’s still a ways to go before he can dip his heated middle in the apricot flavored oasis. He pushes on, hoping a few more flips will land him in his sticky sanctuary.

Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping4

He pulls all the strength he can muster after his recent collision with the deep fryer and launches forward, landing cleanly in the middle of the delicious basin. It’s not enough, he wants more. He takes a moment to gather his strength.
Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping2

One more explosive shove and he’s there, right in the middle of the refreshing wellspring. He lets out a deep sigh. 
Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping

It’s ok to judge me for that. I’ve mostly spared you all from the incessant rambling of my haywired brain, but today has been a long day, you’ll have to forgive me. And my shrimp crazed ramblings.
But I do hope you come back tomorrow, I’ll have a lovely cocktail for you that will go well with this delicious shrimp.

Fried Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:

  • Oil for frying
  • 12 shrimp, raw, deveined, shell removed (tail still on OK)
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup sweetened shaved coconut
  • ¼ cup almond slices
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tbs water

For the Sauce:

  • ¾ cup apricots, chopped (fresh but soft work best)
  • ¼ cup thai sweet chili sauce
  • ¼ tsp sriracha
  • 1 tbs soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Add 3 inches of canola oil to a pan, clip a deep fry thermometer onto the side. Bring the oil to 375 to 400 degrees, adjust heat to maintain that temperature range.
  2. Add the coconut and almond slices, pulse until well combined, add to a small bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the salt and flour.
  4. In a third bowl whisk together the egg whites and water.
  5. One at a time, dredge the shrimp in flour, then coat in egg whites, and finally roll in coconut mixture.
  6. Drop into the hot oil, fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on a stack of paper towels.
  7. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small food processor or blender, blend until smooth.
  8. Serve shrimp with dipping sauce.
Coconut Almond Shrimp with Apricot Dipping3

Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Strawberry Balsamic Glaze over Orzo Summer Salad

Pistachio Salmon with Strawberry Summer Salad

This is that savory strawberry recipe that I was telling you about. I made this three times, and loved it more and more each time. This is how I love to eat on a regular basis: fresh produce, healthy fats,  no dairy (I love dairy and I eat it, but I try to eat as little as I can, which is a challenge), and so much flavor that I’m proud to serve it to dinner guests, which I did.

I made it once with quinoa, and of course that’s healthier for us, but the orzo just tasted special. I love the brightness and slight sweetness that strawberries add to savory dishes, so even if hadn’t taken on a strawberry ambassadorship with California Strawberry Commission, I’d still be in love with the idea of coming up with strawberries on the savory end of the scale.

Pistachio Salmon with Strawberry Summer Salad2

Speaking of salmon, I’ve recently started to learn about sustainable seafood and what that means. Did you know that Target is known for a commitment to sustainable seafood? I have to say that was a little surprising to me, I thought I had to shop only at high end fish markets and expensive grocers to stay commited to the cause.

We can blame irresponsible fishing all we want, but the only place we can take action is in the store. It sounds like a giant undertaking, but really, just knowing where to buy fish and what types to avoid and you can jump on board. I love fish and eat it often, and it’s not very difficult to avoid the types of fish that are in danger and buy the fish that caught responsibly, like Alaskan salmon.

Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Strawberry Balsamic Glaze over Orzo Summer Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup dry orzo
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ¼ cup diced red onions
  • 1 avocado, peeled and diced
  • ¼ tsp sea salt

For The Salmon

  • ¾ cup strawberries, chopped
  • 1 cup balsamic
  • 1 tbs honey
  • ½ cup shelled pistachios
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 4 salmon fillets

Instructions

  1. Cook the orzo in lightly salted boiling water until al dente, drain and allow to cool to room temperature, toss with remaining salad ingredients.
  2. Add the strawberries and balsamic to a food processor or blender, process until smooth. Add to a saucepan with the honey. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes (can be made up to five days ahead of time).
  3. Add the pistachios to a food processor, process until they resemble bread crumbs, about 3 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, pulse a few times to combine. Add to a small bowl.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (too hot and the salmon will burn before it cooks through).
  5. Place the salmon into the pistachio mixture (non-skin side down), pressing the pistachio mixture into the salmon. Place the salmon into the pan, pistachio side down, allowing to cook until golden brown, flip and cook on the skin side until cooked through.
  6. Divide the salad between four plates, add the salmon on top of the salad, drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Notes

Taking the salmon out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking will allow it come to room temperature and cook more evenly, allowing you to avoid burnt crust and undercooked middle.

Pistachio Salmon with Strawberry Summer Salad4

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint Leaves

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint

 

I’m so excited to tell you that I’ve been asked to be a Brand Ambassador for California Strawberry Commission. Given my complete love of strawberries, this is fantastic for me. To be honest, I’ve been asked to be a brand ambassador before but it was never a good fit, I ended up turing other companies down. I can’t endorse a company that I don’t have complete faith in putting my name on the line for. I’m absolutely proud to represent a product as fantastic as California strawberries and I was thrilled to be asked and accepted without hesitation. I love strawberries and the best ones come from California.

I’m working on some strawberry recipes, I have a great savory recipe that just isn’t ready to post yet. It’s good, but I want it to be great so I’ll be working on it a bit more before I’m ready to send into into digital print.

May is National Strawberry Month, but really, you don’t need an excuse to grab some strawberries now that they are everywhere. But if you do need some ideas, here are some strawberry recipes that I love so much:

 

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes:

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry, Goat Cheese And Quinoa Salad:

Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad

Strawberry Brie Mini Galettes:

Mini-Galette-Strawberry Brie

Strawberry Sriracha Margarita 

Strawberry-Sriracha-Margarita

And now, the man of the hour, a recipe for a strawberry granita that requires no special equipment and makes a great final dish for those summer dinner parties on the patio that we are all looking forward to.

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint 2

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint Leaves

Ingredients

For the Granita:

  • 1 cup very hot tap water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 cups strawberries, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested

For the Candied Mint:

  • 10-15 mint leaves
  • 2 tbs corn syrup
  • 1 Tbs very hot tap water
  • 3 tbs white sugar

Instructions

  1. Put the very hot water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves (microwave for 30 seconds if the sugar doesn’t dissolve).
  2. Add the sugar water, strawberries, lemon juice, an lemon zest to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, about 3 minutes.
  3. Pour into a glass baking dish (7×11 or 9×13 will work well) place in the freezer.
  4. Stir every 30 minutes, combining the frozen edges into the center. Once the granita is mostly frozen, rake the surface with a fork to create flakey mound. Cover and freeze until ready to serve.

To make the candied basil:

  1. Preheat the oven to 175.
  2. Place 2 tbs of corn syrup and 1 tbs hot water in a small bowl, stir until well combined.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Dip the leaves in the corn syrup water, lay them on the parchment paper. Sprinkle with sugar, turn over, sprinkle with additional sugar (make more leaves than you need, some of them don’t survive the process as well as other, you’ll want extras).
  5. Place in the 175 degree oven for 20 minutes, flip over and cook until dry and sugar has crystalized, about 30 additional minutes.

Notes

Boozy Option: To make this a Strawberry Mojito Granita, add 1/4 cup white rum and 5 mint leaves to the blender with the sugar water, strawberries, lemon zest and lemon juice and just proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Strawberry Granita with Candied Mint 4

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella. The winning dish for The Today Show recipe contest: Healthy One Pot Meals. only 380 calories, 20 minutes and one pot!

Life’s funny, isn’t it? One minute you’re sitting there enjoying a nice Mother’s Day breakfast that your husband made you, and the next minute you’re talking to The Today Show and agreeing to take a last minute flight to JFK so that you can stand behind a podium for 3 minutes and pretty much say zero words on National Television. Something like that.

 Today Collage

Photo credit: Erwin Laureano

The real prize in this competition was the journey. I flew to New York on Tuesday, was able to have dinner with my new friend Ashely, and drinks with my old friend David. You could pretty much preface any request with, "wanna a free trip to New York and have dinner and drinks with some friends?" and I’d pretty much say yes to whatever followed.

NYC

Wednesday morning I was taken to NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, through the celebrity filled green room, and into hair and make up. Then up to a tiny studio that they referred to as The Spa, which included no studio audience, just lots of producers, cameras and a beautiful camera friendly kitchen. This was all for Joy Bauers Joy-full Cook Off. She wanted healthy one pot meals that where easy and family friendly. She choose my dish, along with two other amazing dishes to be taste tested on live TV by Kathie Lee and Hoda, who would choose the winner.

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella. The winning dish for The Today Show recipe contest: Healthy One Pot Meals. only 380 calories, 20 minutes and one pot!

The other dishes were amazing, and to be honest, I didn’t really care who won. I’d already collected my prize of flight to New York, hotel room, and dinner and drinks with friends, I was all set. But it turns out, Kathie Lee and Hoda are huge fans of skinny shrimp dishes and choose mine. I won!

Here’s clip of me saying pretty much nothing on the Today Show and winning a basket of NBC related swag:

Joy-ful Cook Off

 

And here is the winning dish, 380 calories per serving, gluten free, dairy free, 20 minutes, one pot.

Paprika Shrimp and Sausage Quinoa Paella

Yield: yield: 4 servings

Calories per serving: 380 calories

Ingredients

  • 12 large shrimp, peeled and devined
  • ¼ tsp sweet paprika
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika, plus ¼ tsp, divided
  • ¼ tsp onion powder, plus ¼ tsp, divided
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 8 ounces pre-cooked low fat chicken sausage, sliced
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 tbs tomato paste
  • pinch saffron (about 10 threads)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 2/3 cups chicken broth
  • ½ cup peas (frozen is fine)
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsly, chopped

Instructions

  1. Place shrimp in a small bowl, sprinkle with ¼ tsp sweet paprika, ¼ tsp smoked paprika and ¼ tsp onion powder, toss to coat.
  2. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (with a lid) over medium high heat, cook shrimp until seared, about 3 minutes per side (don’t over cook). Remove from pan, set aside.
  3. Add chicken sausage, cook until browned, remove from pan, set aside.
  4. Add the onion and bell peppers, cook, stirring frequently, until onions and peppers have softened, about 6-8 minutes.
  5. Add garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste, stir until combined.
  6. Add saffron, salt, pepper, remaining smoked paprika, and onion powder, chicken broth and peas, bring to a simmer. Add quinoa stir and evenly distribute quinoa. Add the lid to the pan at a vent, adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Cook without stirring for 16-18 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through and the liquid has absorbed.
  7. Place the shrimp and sausage on top, replace lid and cook for 1 minute or until shrimp and sausage is warmed.
  8. Sprinkle with parsley just prior to serving.

Chicken Sausage and Safron Shrimp Quinoa Paella

 

Beverly Hills Potatoes with Pesto Butter

Beverly Hills Potatoes 10

I’m cooking on The Today show on Wednesday.

I wish I was cool enough to have a witty lead in and build up to the exciting news, but I’m just going to digitally blurt it out:

I’m cooking on The Today Show, in New York, on Wednesday. I’ll be battling it out with two other cooks in The Joyful Cook-off for supreme Healthy One Pot Meal domination, although the big prize is merely bragging rights. With a free trip to New York, and the opportunity to cook on The Today show, I feel like I’ve already won.

Beverly Hills Potatoes_

 

Back to these potatoes, that will forever be known as Beverly Hills potatoes. I went to Bazaar in Beverly Hills with a friend for her birthday a few months ago. The food was beautiful, intricate and far beyond my culinary abilities. Then there were these lovely and delicious miniature potatoes that had been salt roasted, served on tooth picks with a side of pesto butter. It’s a good thing I choose to fall in love with the one thing I could actually duplicate at home, although there were these fantastic Japanese Taco’s I’ll need to stop thinking about because I’ll never be able to figure out how to make those.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 3

 

The hardest thing about this dish is finding these miniature potatoes, although I have seen them in several markets. They are far smaller that the baby red potatoes that you might think of, closer to the size of large grapes. I’ve seen them called "teeny tiny potatoes" and "miniature potatoes," either way, they are really small.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 2

Now I’m hooked. I’ve served them as a side dish, and also put toothpicks in the and served them as an appetizer.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 7

And this is what happens when I try to photograph anything while tater is awake. She was laying down the potatoes with toothpicks in them saying, "Potatoes are tired boys."

Beverly Hills Potatoes 6

 

She’s the best.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 8

 

Beverly Hills Potatoes with Pesto Butter

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs miniature potatoes
  • 1 to 2 cups kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup pesto
  • 2 tbs melted butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Wash the potatoes well, prick each one with a fork.
  3. Place potatoes in a loaf pan. Pour salt over potatoes until most of the potatoes are covered.
  4. Roast for 25-35 minutes or until fork tender. Break up the salt crust with a fork, pour into a large bowl or pot, remove the potatoes (insert one tooth pick into each potato if serving as an appetizer).
  5. To make the pesto butter, combine the pesto and melted butter. Serve alongside the potatoes.

Beverly Hills Potatoes 4

 

 

Cheap Eats: Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

I started a Cheap Eats section of my blog because I wanted dishes that were good enough for a dinner party, but didn’t cost a lot. It was a challenge to myself to create dishes that I’m so proud of I want to serve to company, but that will serve 4 people for less than $10. I don’t want to dump  a bunch of pre-packaged food in a slow cooker, I want real food. These dishes aren’t necessarily quick, but they are low cost, easy and taste great. Hope you love them as much as I do. 

Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

I’m going through a hostess phase right now. I’m also going through a phase where I’m trying to spend less on groceries (my grocery store impulse buying was getting out of control) and these two phases are battling it out right now. I love having people over for dinner, and although I want to spend crazy amounts of money to "play" in the kitchen, that just doesn’t make sense for a freelancer.  By the way, if you see me in the cheese aisle of Whole Foods, remind me that it is not a good idea to spend $45 on cheese when I don’t really have any cheese cookin' plans. Homemade tarts are a great way to bridge the gap between these two phases, they just feel special but can be really affordable (less than $5!).

If you haven’t made a tart crust from scratch, I promise that this is so easy you’ll be thrilled at your new found kitchen talent. You can even make it 3 days ahead of time, this dough stores really well (you can even freeze it in a zip lock bag for up to a month) and for just about $1 and 10 minutes of active time you just can’t go wrong.

I served this with a salad made of what I already had, similar to this one. If you want to add a little protein, serve this with grilled chicken or pan seared red snapper and you’ll probably still be under that $10 mark!

Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour ($.25)
  • ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
  • 8 tbs of butter (for vegan use vegetable shortening), cold, cut into cubes ($0.80)
  • 1/4 cup cold water ($0.00)

Filling:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided ($0.22)
  • 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes ($2.10)
  • 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
  • 1 tsp pepper ($0.02)
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced ($0.20)
  • 3 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices ($1.25)

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, add 1 cup of flour (reserving the other ½ cup), salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes (or shortening), process until combined. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour, process until well incorporated.
  2. Transfer to a bowl, add the water and mix until combined. Dough will be very soft.
  3. Form into a wide flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350.
  5. Once the dough has chilled, roll out on a lightly floured surface, transfer to a 9-inch tart pan (or pie pan) press into shape. Remove the excess. Chill until ready to use.
  6. Add 2 tbs of vegetable oil to a pan over high heat. Once the pan is very hot but not smoking, add the tomatoes, toss until softened and blistered, about 5 minutes. Smash slightly with a wooden spoon or spatula, pour into the bottom of the tart in an even layer (this will act like a sauce).
  7. Combine the salt, pepper and rosemary in a small bowl.
  8. In a skillet over medium high heat, add the remaining oil. Working in batches, add potato slices to the pan, sprinkle with seasoning mixture and allow to cook until slightly browned, flip and sprinkle with more seasoning. Once the potatoes have browned lightly on both sides, add to the tart crust (over the tomatoes) in overlapping concentric circles. Repeat until all of the potato slices have been browned and added to the tart. This will give you two or three layers of potatoes depending on how tightly the potatoes are overlapped.
  9. Bake at 350 until the crust is a light golden brown, 22-25 minutes.


Rosemary Potato Tart (Serves 4 for $4.87)

 

Passover Dessert: Toasted Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce

Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce parve_

Do you ever watch Chopped on the Food Network? It’s a food competition that involves a "mystery basket" of food.  The contestants are required to use every item in the basket to come up with the best dish they can. I love Chopped, and always try to think up a dish I would make, if I was in that position with those Mystery Items (think of a dish with: gummy bears, avocados and dried beans!). Culinary challenges to me, are like Scrabble to other people. I love trying to figure out what I can come up with.

When Tori asked me to contribute to her Passover Potluck, it felt a bit like Chopped in reverse, an entire basket of things you can’t use. I was excited for the challenge, and to be back again this year on Tori’s Passover Potluck (to be honest, I was hoping she would ask), but it took me a while, and a few texts to Tori, to get all the Passover Cooking rules down. You can’t use flour, or most grains, no corn, rice or peanuts. You also can’t mix meat and dairy, so if you have meat at dinner, you can’t eat dairy for dessert. I wanted to come up with a dairy free dessert so that anyone could eat it during Passover, I love an inclusive meal. I also wanted it to be great, something that didn’t feel like it would have been better with flour or milk, but something that was great without feeling like it had been created with limitations.

I love Pavlovas, so elegant and pretty, but really simple to make. It also tastes like a gigantic Girl Scout Samoa cookie. It’s gluten free, dairy free and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Get the recipe on Tori’s Site, The Shiksa In The Kitchen!

Happy Passover!

 

Click for the recipe:

Parve Passover Dessert: Toasted Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce

Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce parve 2

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette

I could eat this salad every day.

I realize that quinoa has become a food trend that will inevitably run it’s course, I don’t care. I’ll love it and I’ll eat it long after it’s no longer cool.

The first time I made it, I cooked it the same way I cook rice and the results were pretty sad and mushy. I did some digging and figure out a few quinoa tricks and started to cook it this way. It has more flavor and better texture and it isn’t mushy at all, now I’m hooked.

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette4

After I made the jalapenos dressing I wandered around my kitchen looking for more things to eat it with, it’s amazing. I’m so glad I started making my own dressing, it takes about 30 seconds. It’s great to be able to through a bunch of ingredients in a blender and those little ingredients come out as a delicious sauce.

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • ½ cup dry quinoa
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 cup baby arugula, washed
  • 6 ounces lump crab meat, drained
  • 1 heirloom tomato, chopped
  • Yield: 4 side dish portions

For The Jalapeno Vinaigrette:

  • 1 large jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, rough chopped
  • 1 small shallot, rough chopped
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tbs aple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Add the quinoa to a dry pan, toast until you can smell it cooking, about 3 minutes. Add the water, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the lid at a vent. Cook for 16 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Let the quinoa cool to room temperature.
  2. Add quinoa, arugula, crab meat, and tomatoes to a bowl , toss to combine.
  3. In a blender add the jalapeno, garlic, shallots, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until well combined. Drizzle desire amount of vinaigrette to the salad (this recipe makes more dressing than this salad needs, save the extra for future salads).

Quinoa Crab Salad with Jalapeno vinaigrette2

 

Coconut Brioche

Coconut Brioche2

I was scared of bread making for years. I scoured the internet for non-yeast rolls, because I was so convinced that I could never make anything that required proofing or rising. A few years ago I decided that I needed to figure this out, I needed to learn. What’s the worse that could happen?

Over the years I’ve had more than a few flat lumps of dough tossed in the trash, and I’ve even been so frustrated that I’ve actually cried (my poor husband). All the bread fails have lead me to a few yeast discoveries and bread making is now one of my favorite kitchen related activities.

Coconut Brioche3

Here are my tips, the ways to reduce the odds of curse words, tears and flat dough:

First, salt can kill yeast, so don’t add it until one of the last steps. Salt is still important to brighten the flavors, so don’t skip it. Just don’t add it at the same time as the yeast.

Second, rapid rise yeast and dry active yeast aren’t the same. Rapid rise yeast needs to activated with liquid between 120 and 130 degrees fahrenheit and dry active yeast needs liquid about 110 degrees, it will be killed at temperatures much higher than that.

Third, check the expiration date! Once yeast expires, it’s actually dead and it won’t work.

Forth, even though the recipe might say, "allow to rise at room temperature until double in size, about 60 minutes," it might actually take 2 hours, or even three. Especially if your house is cold.

lastly, sometimes, every once in a while, it still just doesn’t work. This is pretty rare for me right now, but occasionally the completely unexplainable bread failure still happens. Even with that, it’s still absolutely worth it. Nothing beats  homemade bread.

Coconut Brioche4

Coconut Brioche

Ingredients

  • 2 cup bread flour
  • ¼ cup bakers special dry milk (I use King Arthur Flour)
  • 1 packet ( 2 1/2 teaspoons) Rapid Rise yeast (I used Red Star Platinum)
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • Egg wash (1 egg, 1 tbs water, whisked)
  • coarse sea salt
  • Yield: 1 loaf, 8 rolls

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, dry milk, yeast and sugar. Stir to combine.
  2. Add the coconut milk to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature and repeat until liquid is between 120 and 130 degrees.
  3. Add the coconut milk to the flour and mix on medium speed until incorporated, and shaggy lumps form.
  4. Add the egg , oil and salt, mix until well incorporated.
  5. Add the butter, mixing well.
  6. The dough will be very soft.
  7. Mix on medium/high speed until the dough gathers around the dough hook, about 8 minutes.
  8. Remove from the mixer and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  9. Cut the dough into into 8 equal pieces.
  10. One at a time, flatten each dough piece into a 6-inch circle (resembling a small tortilla).
  11. Grab the edge of the circle and pull it into the center. Repeat until a tight ball is formed.
  12. Place the dough balls, smooth side up, into a loaf pan or 8X8 baking pan, in two parallel rows, 4 dough balls in each row.
  13. Cover and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. (*Note: You can also do what is called a “Fridge Rise” if you want to make these a day ahead of time. The second rise will take about 12 hours in the fridge instead of 1 hour in a warm room. As soon as you placed the dough balls in the loaf pan, cover and refrigerate for 12 hours instead of allowing to rise at room temperature. Remove from the fridge the following day and allow to come to room temperature before baking)
  14. Preheat oven to 375. Brush the tops of each loaf with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 375 for 28-32 minutes or until a golden brown.

Coconut Brioche

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings2

I have to admit, I did think about adding blood orange juice to this. I have a thing for blood oranges. But, I refrained, I was afraid I’d lose all of you who aren’t as into those guys as I am.

But I did fall back on my love of chipotle. We all have these "go to" flavors, don’t we? Even though we want to broaden our culinary horizons, we seem to be drawn back to that same section of the pantry. That’s ok, isn’t it?

I’m a chipotle, smoked paprika, roasted garlic, fresh basil,  sriracha, kinda girl. I also love with burrata cheese, masa harina and almost bitterly dark chocolate.

Just once I’d like to walk into the kitchen and have Ted Allen hand me a "basket of mystery ingredients" just so that I can figure out how to use them in a delightful way without any of my usual culinary crutches.

But for now, here are some chicken wings, beautifully balances with sweet and heat.

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 chipotle peppers plus tsp adobo
  • 2 lbs chicken wings
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ tsp brown sugar
  • pinch cayenne
  • Olive oil spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450.
  2. Add maple, balsamic and chipotle to a food processor, process until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
  3. Rinse the wings in cold water and pat dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides.
  4. In a large bowl add the flour, brown sugar, pinch cayenne. Toss the chicken wings in the flour until completely coated.
  5. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray.
  6. Add chicken to the baking sheet in an evenly spaced layer. Lightly spray with olive oil.
  7. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with glaze, return to oven for 10 more minutes, turn over, brush with glaze. Repeat. After 30 minutes (3 rounds) turn the oven to 500 and cook chicken until cooked through, about 10 to 15 additional minutes. Remove from oven, brush with remaining glaze.

 

Maple Chipotle Chicken Wings

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

 

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

I heard this theory of negative calories foods about a year ago. And while this idea would be a dream come true, I’m not actually convinced of it’s validity.

The theory is that some food cost your body more energy in calories to consume and digest than the food actually contains.

Take celery for instance. A stock of celery is 5 calories, but between chewing, swallowing and digesting, it takes 15 calories to actually eat a  stalk of celery, for a net loss of 10 calories. Now, if celery could just taste better, and not like, well, celery, than we’d be all set. Clearly, this theory doesn’t apply to French fries.

On the list of "Negative Calorie Foods" are:

-Asparagus

-Beet Root

-Broccoli

-Cabbage

-Carrot

-Cauliflower

-Celery

-Chicory

-Hot Chili

-Cucumber

-Watercress

-Garlic

-Green Beans

-Lettuce

-Onion

-Radish

-Spinach

-Turnip

-Zucchini

-Apple

-Blueberries

-Cantaloupe

-Cranberry

-Grapefruit

-Honeydew

-Lemon/Lime

-Mango

-Orange

-Papaya

-Peach

-Pineapple

-Raspberry

-Strawberry

-Tomato

-Tangerine

-Turnip

-Watermelon

 

While this theory has been widely discredited, there is no arguing with the fact that this is an incredible list of foods. If more than half of your diet was pulled from the above list, and the rest of your diet was "sensible" you would never have to diet again and those skinny jeans would be yours.

I did a bit of a test of my own. I made a batch of this soup and ate it for lunch every day for a week.

I lost 2 lbs. Which is a lot for me, given that I have a BMI of 20.6.

That doesn’t really prove anything. Other than the fact that a low calorie vegan soup is a good route to take when looking to drop those holiday pounds. Believe the theory or not, this is still a fantastic list of healthy foods.

Even if this soup isn’t "Negative Calorie," it still only has 78 calories per serving.

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chopped cauliflower (about 8 cups)
  • 1 lb fresh asparagus stalks, trimmed
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • pinch cayenne pepper

yield: 6 cups

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Place asparagus and cauliflower on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes or until asparagus is fork tender and the cauliflower has started to brown.
  3. Add broth to a large pot, add asparagus and cauliflower and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have started to break down. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Add the seasonings, adjust to taste.

Negative Calorie Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower Soup

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Avocado Soup & Five Foodie New Years Resolutions

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup

Five New Year Food Resolutions to Make

 

Let’s stop vowing to cut things out of our lives at then beginning of each year, and start promising ourselves we’ll add some great things in.

Can’t we all just agree that those “I’m going to lose weight/stop eating sugar/give up carbs/cut out coffee” resolutions are just going to leave us feeling hungry, guilty and eventually shameful when they go enormously ignored about the second week in January?

Maybe you have a bigger capacity for restraint than I do, or a higher guilt threshold, but I gave up those types of personal promises years ago. Although I do still love a good resolution and tend to make them year round.

How about we agree to ADD things to our lives instead of taking away? There is something about making a decision to add something great to our world that just reminds us what an amazing life we have ahead of us. And adding greatness has a way of pushing out some of those not as great things.

Let’s give it a try.

Here are my favorite food resolutions, all about adding more amazingness, not about taking things away.

 

1.Start a food tradition: Maybe a once a month Sunday Supper with your family, or a quarterly Food Friends Pot Luck, or even just New Recipe Wednesday where you try a new dish. Food traditions are memories that you’ll be glad you made.

2. Read more food lit. Chefs have written most of the best books I’ve read over the past year. There is something about knowing the back story of food, and those who have created it, that give you a deeper connection to the food world.  Plus, food people tend to read food books, it’s an instant conversation starter when you meet a food writer or a chef. My recommendations: Yes Chef, Marcus Samuelson;  Blood, Bones & Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton; Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table,  Ruth Reichl, Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain.

3. Join a CSA or other Organic Produce Delivery Program. Before my recent move, I got a box of organic produce delivered to my doorstep every Wednesday from Love Delivery. Mostly local, in season and very fresh fruits and vegetables. This also gets you to eat more good stuff, because it’s there. And you hate to waste it.  Supporting local farmers and eating healthier, it’s a total win. There are several in most cities and states, consult Google for ones in your area.

4. Try New Foods. This is for the picky eaters. Pick one new food a month and cook it, and eat it. Or, order that one thing on the menu that you would never normally eat. After a year you’ll have 12 foods that you never otherwise would have tried. And I’m going to bet you a batch of cookies that you will be surprised at how much you like at least one of those new foods.

5. Master A Recipe or Technique. Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn to make a soufflé, or homemade pasta. What better resolution to make than the acquisition of culinary knowledge you can someday pass down to future generations? Just go into assuming that the first time may not be a huge success, and by that I mean don’t plan an entire dinner party around skills you haven’t acquired just to end up in tears when your husband has to have pizza delivered. It will probably go fine, and you will probably post the results on Facebook (yay!), but take it slow and know that to master a technique takes a lot of practice, each time you try it you’ll learn something new.

 

One of my resolutions is to explore vegan cooking more, even though I have no plans to give up meat or dairy. There really isn’t any arguing with the fact that produce is the best thing you can put in your body. The more I focus on the beautiful flavors of fruits and vegetables, without using meat and dairy as a crutch, the better my cooking becomes over all.

Here is a vegan soup, inspired by this Bon Appetite recipe. Without garnishes, it’s about 170 calories a serving.

Here is a How To Roast Red Peppers post by Kitchen Treaty. If you are going to use them right away, you can skip the oil and the jar.

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup2

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Avocado Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 large red potato, peeled and chopped
  • 6 cups chopped broccoli florets
  • ½ to 2 cups water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • pinch chili powder
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1 lage avocado, diced
  • 1 red pepper, roasted, cut into strips

Instructions

  1. In a stock pot or Dutch oven heat the oil. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes, cooking until the potatoes are almost soft, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until the broccoli and potatoes are both tender, about 5-8 minutes. Using an emersion blender, puree until smooth. Add water, if desired, to thin to desired consistency. Add spices and lemon juice.
  2. Garnish with avocados and red peppers prior to serving.

If you want to know how I made the garnishes "float" on top of the soup for the picture, check this out.

Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup3

Chilean Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce

I’ve always wanted to go to Chile. Since I started traveling, I’ve had a deep love for Spanish speaking countries, I want to visit them all. Although, other than language, they seem to have little in common. Other than maybe a shared love of food and family.

I spent some time in Spain, missing my flight home for an extra day in Madrid.

I took my husband with my to Costa Rica, and I didn’t want to leave. I just kept begging to head further south, even telling him I’d allow as much Van Halen signing as he wanted once we hit Panama (PAAAAAna-ma-ah!). But he wanted his own bed and some clean clothes. Weirdo.

And Chile has been there, long and lean, just sitting there on my list. I want to go and visit this place, so gorgeous, and with it’s incredible food.

I was invited to a dinner party event put on by Foods From Chile a few weeks ago. It wasn’t a flight south along the Pacific, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be part of an event that took place in five cities across the US. The food was amazing. Salmon, Avocado Soup, Endive Salad, and Blueberry Crisp, cooked up by the lovely Chef Cheryl.

Maybe I’m not going to get on a plane and head south just yet, but I can eat some Chilean salmon, with some Chilean avocado cream sauce, and of course, the Chilean wine. And dream about the day I actually get my passport stamped in Santiago.

Chilean Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce

Ingredients

For The Salmon

  • 4, 3oz salmon fillets
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 to 2 tsp salt
  • 1 to 2 tsp pepper
  • 3 tbs olive oil

For The Avocado Cream Sauce

  • 1 large avocado (about 2/3 cup)
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tbs chopped shallots
  • 1/3 cup coconut water
  • pinch cayenne
  • pinch chili powder
  • pinch smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs chopped chives

Instructions

  1. Place salmon fillets on a plate, squeeze lemon juice over salmon and allow to sit for five to ten minutes. Sprinkle filets with salt and pepper just prior to cooking.
  2. In a good quality heavy sauce pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until hot but not smoking, swirling the olive oil to evenly distribute.
  3. Add the salmon and allow to cook until golden brown before carefully flipping, about 4 minutes. Cook on the other side until cooked through.
  4. In a food processor add the sauce ingredients and puree until smooth.
  5. Add salmon to plates, top with sauce.