My latest healthy dish is Spaghetti Squash, I love how easy it is to make. This dish is delicious & healthy as well — who would ask for more?  Here’s the recipe in  a few quick & easy steps.

Ingredients:

1 lb Spaghetti Squash
1/2 lb asparagus
1/2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 14 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
1T Fresh Basil, chopped
fresh grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

1. Score a whole spaghetti squash with a knife and roast it at 350 degrees for about an hour.

2. Slice it open and remove seeds. (allow it to cool off before handling)

3. With a Fork remove the flesh and set aside.

4. Heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the asparagus until bright and green.

5.  Add squash and can of tomatoes, mix and cook through until hot (about 5 minutes or so). Add fresh basil, Salt and Pepper to taste.

5. Serve and top with Parmesan Cheese.

Enjoy it and be healthy!

If this is the first time you make Paella there are some ingredients and equipment to buy. Paella kits take the guess work out of it and some kits come with enough for 2 – 3 meals.

Here’s a recipe from the Spanish Product Store I think you’ll love:

Paella a la Valenciana

The world famous rice dish! Perfect for any gathering.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

6 cups of very strong chicken broth (bouillon)
1/2 tsp of saffron
1/4 tsp of smoked Spanish paprika (Pimentón de la Vera)
1 small onion, peeled
2 small chickens, about 2-1/2 lbs each
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 lb of cooking chorizo, in 1/4 inch slices
1/4 lb piece jamón serrano ham, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
4 tbsp chopped garlic
2 roasted piquillo peppers
1 lb small or medium shrimp, shelled
2 (Optional) Live lobsters, boiled, split and divided into tail sections and claws(discard or keep the head and small claws); or
4 (Optional) Lobster tails, split lengthwise;
8 (Optional) King crab claws; or
8 jumbo shrimp, in their shells, preferably heads on
3 cups Bomba or Calasparra rice or other short grain Spanish rice
5 tbsp chopped parsley
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 lb fresh or frozen peas
18 clams and/or mussels, scrubbed

Lemon wedges & Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Heat the broth with the saffron, pimentón and the whole onion. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove the onion and measure the broth — you need exactly 5-1/2 cups.

Cut the chickens into small serving pieces — the whole breast in 4 parts, each thigh into 2 parts, the bony tip of the leg chopped off, the wing tip discarded, and the rest of the wing separated into 2 parts. Dry the pieces well and sprinkle with salt.

In a metal Paella pan, with about a 15 inch base, heat the oil. Add the chicken pieces and fry over high heat until golden. Remove to a warm platter. Add the chorizo, and jamón to the pan and stir fry about 10 minutes. Add the chopped onion, scallions, garlic, and pimentos and saute until the onion is wilted. Add the shrimp and the lobster and saute about 3 minutes more, or until the shrimp and lobster barely turn pink (the lobster will cook more in the oven.) Remove the shrimp and lobster to the platter with the chicken. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it well with the oil. Sprinkle in the 5 tablespoons of chopped parsley and the crumbled bay leaves. (You can make in advance up to this point.)

Stir in the chicken broth, boiling hot, the wine, rice, and peas. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat about 10 minutes. Bury the shrimp and the chicken in the rice. Add the clams and the mussels, pushing them into the rice, with the edge that will open facing up. Decorate the paella with the lobster pieces, then bake at 325 F, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit on top of the stove, lightly covered with foil, for about 10 minutes. To serve, decorate with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Lobster can be a little expensive, so replace it with a comparable amount of shrimp if you wish!

Recipe courtesy of Spain GourmeTour magazine.

Let me know if you make it and how it came out.

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» Meringue Shells with Port Marinated Strawberries

Learn how to make this at my cooking class at Jungle Jims, Fairfield, OH

Saturday, August 7 – 11:00am – 1:30pm  – $50 per person

Let’s get this party started!

Call 513-674-6059 and book your class today!

For my husband’s birthday I made him one of his favorites desserts and made it look awesome with very little effort.

Ingredients:
Angel Food Cake: Store bought! (Can you make your own? Yes, but why when the store is just as good. Make sure it’s fresh and doesn’t have artificial flavors and preservatives.)
Berries of Choice: Washed and Sliced
1-2 Tablespoons of Sugar in the Raw
Heavy Cream (pint)
Powered Sugar (1 – 2 cups)
Vanilla Paste (1-2 tsp)

1. Wash all berries and slice Strawberries.  Place in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar and mix to combine.  Set aside.
2. Slice angel food cake and arrange on plate or platter
3. Make Whipped Cream: in a stand up mixing bowl add heavy cream and about 1 cup of powered sugar, mix on low and then put on high until cream thickens a bit.  Taste and add powered sugar as desired.  Add about 1-2 tsp vanilla paste and continue to mix until desired consistency, adding more sugar if needed. (note: I really don’t measure this and just throw it in and mix

Pour berries over angel food cake, add whipped cream and if desired, add a candle on top and sing Happy Birthday!

The platter is actually a dip platter with 6 individual bowls with a center round bowl.  It worked out perfectly for the 6 of us who ate this.  Plus the middle was left over for the birthday boy.

This is also a great dessert for Memorial Day or 4th of July.

Enjoy!

Bored of the same old burgers, chicken and pork on the BBQ? Spice it up with some great dips and salsa’s that can be enjoyed with chips as an appetizer or to jazz up your regular meat recipes.

They are quick and easy! Check out my recipes:

Enjoy!
Betty

This was delicious!

This is first time I’ve made this so I didn’t really measure, these are estimates.

1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
1 small onion chopped
1 carrots chopped
1 cup Vegi Soup Mix by Bob’s Red Mill
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

1. Heat oil over medium high heat and sauté carrots and onions until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.

2. Add broth, vegi mix and spices, stir and bring to a boil.

3. Lower the temperature to low, simmer over low heat for 30 – 45 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

4. top with about 1 tsp of grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Servings: 6

Would love to hear your thoughts on this dish. Please comment below.

This is a fun recipe to make where the whole family can lend a hand  — dinner always takes better when it’s a team effort.

Here’s my original recipe, feel free to substitute buffalo meat to reduce fat  instead of red meat if you wish:

Italian Style Meatballs (for Spaghetti)

2       lbs     lean ground beef
1       lb       ground pork
1       lb       ground turkey
7                 slices white bread, crusts removed; cubed
1/2    cup   seasoned bread crumbs
4       Tbs   fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2    cup   parmesan cheese, grated
1      clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
1       tsp    kosher salt
3       egg whites
1       cup  Homemade Tomato Sauce

1.  Combine all ingredients and mix into balls (using ice cream scooper)
2.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then put cooked meatballs into tomato sauce until cooked through.

Servings: 30

Meatballs freeze well, so make enough for a couple of dinners.

Here’s the recipe from today’s segment on Cincinnati’s Fox19 Morning News:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 – 8 oz each)
2 tsp kosher salt (approx)
1 – 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Sauce:
1 small shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 Tbs unsalted butter, chilled
1 juice from a lemon

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Using fork, poke thickest half of each chicken breast 5 to 6 times, sprinkle with salt.

3. Place chicken, skinned side down in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Insert probe thermometers into the thickest part of one of the breasts, and cover dish with foil.

4. Roast until breasts registers 145 degrees (about 35 – 40 minutes depending on the thickness of chicken).

5. Meantime, prepare the coating for chicken: whisk flour into the 2 T of melted butter, add ground pepper and set aside.

6. Remove chicken from oven and transfer, skinned side up to paper-towel-lined plate and pat dry with paper towels.

7. Heat up oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Lightly brush top side of chicken with half of the butter mixture.

8. Place chicken in skillet, coated side down, and cook until browned, about 3 – 4 minutes.

9. Coat other side of breast, flip chicken and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.

10. Transfer chicken to large plate and let rest while preparing pan sauce. (note: if not making sauce, let chicken sit for about 5 minutes.)

11. Add Shallots and garlic to pan and cook over medium heat for about a minute. Add chicken broth and bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits.

12. Reduce down to about 3/4 to of cup (about 3- 5 minutes).

13. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and Lemon juice. Taste and add salt and black pepper to taste. Pour sauce into a container for guests to add to plate themselves, or drizzle directly over chicken and serve immediately.

Servings: 4

Source
Author: Betty R. Hakes, GourmetBetty.com

Easy to do in just a couple of steps!

1. Crush Pretzels and set aside
2. Melt chocolate of choice over a double boiler
3. Cut apples in bit size pieces
4. Stick a toothpick in them
5. Once Chocolate is melted, dip each one in the chocolate and then the crushed pretzels.
6. Allow to cool on parchment paper or Silpat

Enjoy!

PS: View video on right sidebar, or click here to view it on YouTube:  How to Make Chocolate Covered Bites

Although I didn’t really have an issue with my chicken breasts I thought this was interesting to roast the chicken first under low heat and then finishing it off with the sear. So… did it make a difference?

Oh yeah! “Mom, this is a do-over!” says my 14 yr old son. He also thought it tasted a bit like cordon blue (but there was no ham or cheese).

Here’s the recipe with the brown sauce (slightly modified)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 – 8 oz each)
2 tsp kosher salt (approx)
1 Tablespoon Meyers Lemon Olive Oil (original recipe called for vegetable oil)
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon freeze dried Shallots
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Using fork, poke thickest half of each chicken breast 5 to 6 times, sprinkle with salt.

3. Place chicken, skinned side down in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Insert probe thermometers into the thickest part of one of the breasts, and cover dish with foil.

4. Roast until breasts registers 145 degrees (about 35 – 40 minutes).

5. Meantime, prepare the coating for chicken: whisk flour into the 2 T of melted butter, add ground pepper and set aside.

6. Remove chicken from oven and transfer, skinned side up to paper-towel-lined plate and pat dry with paper towels.

7. Heat up oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Lightly brush top side of chicken with half of the butter mixture.

8. Place chicken in skillet, coated side down, and cook until browned, about 3 – 4 minutes.

9. Coat other side of breast, flip chicken and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.

10. Transfer chicken to large plate and let rest while preparing pan sauce. (note: if not making sauce, let chicken sit for about 5 minutes.)

11. Add Shallots and garlic powder to pan and cook over medium heat for about 30 – 60 seconds. Add chicken broth and bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits.

12. Reduce down to about 3/4 to of cup (about 3- 5 minutes).

13. Remove from heat, whisk in butter & black pepper. Pour sauce into a container through a fine mesh strainer (so you don’t’ have the shallots or browned chicken pieces in your sauce).

14. Drizzle over plated chicken and serve.

Enjoy!

Let me know your thoughts… comment below.