Archives for April 2010

I’ve Been On a Salad Kick Lately!

April 29, 2010 by Marie 28 Comments

I have to thank my daughter for getting me to try a kale salad, I thought it was strange not to cook it, I thought it would be really bitter, I was wrong. Whole Foods makes a very popular kale salad here which is beautifully displayed in their deli, the demand is so great that sometimes they run out, I bought a small container one day on the advice of my daughter, and I was hooked!

Since then I’ve been making kale salads all different ways, here’s one of my favorites. This nutritious and healthy salad can be put together in a few minutes, a nice alternative to the usual salad greens. Ingredients listed above, no measuring, just put as much as you want.

I had two blood oranges left that needed to be used so I made this simple salad consisting of oranges, raw onion rings, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. The combination together creates a great balance of flavor.

A good use for leftover chicken is to recreate it into a salad. Diced chicken, red onion, avocado, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, torn fresh basil leaves and pine nuts tossed with some whole wheat bow tie pasta and fresh spinach drizzled with your favorite vinaigrette. Great for lunch or a light dinner.

Shrimp stuffed in an avocado has been around for years, what sets this apart is the 3 Citrus Aioli that’s drizzled all over it. Scoop out one side of an avocado, dice into medium chunks and place into a bowl, add your cooked shrimp that has also been cut into medium chunks ( leave a few whole). Toss in grape tomatoes that have been cut in half, granulated garlic, fresh parsley and red onion, stuff it back into the other avocado half.

For the 3 Citrus Aioli, combine the juice of a lemon, lime and orange, whisk it into a good store bought mayonnaise until you get the right consistency and then drizzle all over. The citrus brightens everything up and goes perfectly with the shrimp and creamy avocado.

Enjoy, and Buon Appetito!

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

April 25, 2010 by Marie 116 Comments

Ribbons of zucchini can instantly transform a simple salad into something you might see served at an upscale restaurant, not only does it look pretty, but the added zucchini adds a special element of flavor. This is so easy to make and you don’t even need a fancy gadget to do it!

A simple vegetable peeler is all you’ll need to to cut the thin lengthwise strips of zucchini. Start by cutting off the ends of your zucchini then use your peeler to cut the strips, stopping and turning when you see the seeds. The unused portion as seen in the photo above can easily be diced up and used for future use.

You’ll want to make sure you cook your strips of zucchini either in a stove top grill or saute pan coated with a tiny bit of olive oil, they only take a couple of minutes. Make sure they cool completely before adding them to your salad.

I used arugula for my salad base and tossed it in a vinaigrette of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part red wine vinegar, added a touch of Dijon, a crushed garlic clove, salt, black pepper and oregano, any lemon based dressing would be work as well.

Lay your zucchini strips on top, toss in some feta or shaved Parmesan and sprinkle with toasted nuts, I used hazelnuts here with the feta, but pine nuts or slivered almonds would be just as good. To finish, drizzle a little more dressing over the top. Just let your creative juices flow and make it your own!

Buon Appetito

116 Comments Filed Under: Salads Tagged: salad, zucchini ribbons

Fresh Strawberry and Ricotta Tart

April 20, 2010 by Marie 48 Comments

I love this time of year when fresh fruit and berries are popping up all over in the grocery stores, and even though it’s not quite the season yet they’re looking really good and there’s always some kind of a sale going on which makes it even better! So I just can’t resist buying berries every week.

Most times I’m mixing them up in some Greek yogurt which is very satisfying in itself, but every once in a while I like to make a tart or a pie of some sort. When I found this recipe I knew I was going to love it, strawberries and ricotta go so well together.

This is not an overly sweet dessert, in fact the balance is just right, the creamy ricotta actually complements the strawberries in a way that lets them shine through. And lets face it, glossy fresh strawberries topped on any dessert is hard to resist!

We couldn’t resist, as you can see!

Adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts
The original recipe calls for a short dough crust, but I felt like a graham cracker crust so I made that instead, but feel free to make or purchase your favorite pie crust.

For my version you’ll need:

1 ½ c. of finely ground graham crackers
1/4 c. sugar
5 Tbs. butter, melted
1/8 tsp. salt

Firmly press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom.

Ingredients:

1 cup ricotta

1/3 cup cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

6 cups strawberries hulled, and sliced on the thick side

1/2 cup strawberry jam

Here’s what you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Using a beater, mix your ricotta, cream cheese and sugar together on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Pour the filling into the prebaked tart shell and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the edges have puffed up and toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature on a rack, then chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. Just before serving, put the strawberries in a bowl. Warm the strawberry jam in a small sauce pan over low heat, then toss and coat the jam over the strawberries. Arrange the sliced berries on top of the tart and serve immediately.

Note: The tart filling can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Top with the strawberries just before serving.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

48 Comments Filed Under: Desserts, Fruit Tagged: dessert, fresh strawberries, ricotta, rustic fruit dessert

All About Peas…

April 16, 2010 by Marie 29 Comments

When I think of pasta and peas I think of my mother-in-law, she use to make this simple dish for her lunch, she would drain a can of peas, saute garlic, onion and red pepper flakes in olive oil, throw in her cooked pasta and a generous amount of grated cheese, lunch was done in a matter of minutes. I still make it her way today, but replaced with frozen peas instead.

This is an updated version of pasta and peas, and if you like a little heat in your food like I do you’re going to love this. Thinly sliced jalapenos, shaved garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice all sauteed in olive oil make up the flavored sauce for this dish. Of course you can omit the jalapenos or at least reduce the amount if you like, but in my opinion go for the heat! This was so simple and sooooo good, I can’t wait to make it again!

Pasta with Peas and Lemon

1lb spaghetti

4 cloves shaved garlic

2 jalapenos seeded and thinly sliced

1 lemon zested

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 cup peas

1/3 cup parmesan

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Cook pasta, while cooking heat a large skillet with the olive oil, add shaved garlic, sliced jalapenos, zest and juice, saute til golden, toss in cooked pasta, add grated cheese and a drizzle more of olive oil.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple Magazine

Speaking of peas! Here’s a great salad composed of peas, feta cheese, radishes, red onion and mint.

After blanching 2 cups of frozen peas for 5 minutes, cool down with cold water. Make a dressing of 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon each of honey and red wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Whisk together and toss with 1 finely diced red onion, 1/4 cup feta, 1/4 cup fresh mint, and 2 or 3 finely sliced radishes.

Have a great weekend and Buon Appetito!

29 Comments Filed Under: Pasta Tagged: pasta and peas, pea and feta salad, spicy

Roasted Tomato Shrimp

April 11, 2010 by Marie 26 Comments

This is one dish I make often, I always seem to have shrimp either in my freezer or fresh, sometimes I toss in spaghetti, or if we’re not in a spaghetti mood I might make some couscous on the side to serve with it, but one of our favorite ways to eat this is by putting the whole pan right in the middle of the table surrounded by other little small bites and appetizers.

What you have here is the intensely concentrated flavor of tomatoes that have been roasted with shaved garlic, olive oil and thyme. The tomato’s of choice are either grape or the Campari variety on the vine, or a mixture of both.

Roasting your tomatoes ahead of time can place this dish on your table in less than 15 minutes.

For a pound of shrimp coat your pan with a generous drizzle of olive oil, add to your pan 4 cloves of shaved garlic, saute til golden, add shrimp and a good splash of white wine. When the shrimp turns pink and is almost cooked through add in your roasted tomatoes and toss. Garnish with chopped parsley and fresh basil.

Buon Appetito!

26 Comments Filed Under: Seafood Tagged: roasted tomatoes, shrimp, small plates

Easy Entertaining with Brunch

April 5, 2010 by Marie 34 Comments

For Easter I decided to do a brunch, something different than the norm, it turned out to be a very relaxed form of entertaining, I can’t wait to do it again! Food was served buffet style and we all ended up eating in my sun room with all the windows open, it was a beautiful spring day.

The menu consisted of mini pasta and cheese frittatas, artichoke frittata, pea and edamame crostini, fig stuffed french toast and Belgium waffles made to order. There was fresh fruit, strawberry and yogurt parfaits, orange juice, coffee and champagne punch.

One of the highlights of our brunch was this Italian Sausage Bread that I got over at

Food Blogga, it’s actually Susan’s mother-in-laws famous recipe. My family makes something very similar to this but we call it bastone, and always used a special cheese called tuma, ( which isn’t always easy to find) and our dough was way more complicated. This appealed to me because she used pizza dough and fresh mozzarella for the cheese.

All the ingredients, which consist of hot Italian sausage, pepperoni, eggs, fresh mozzarella, parmesan cheese and parsley are precooked stove top in one pan and then it all gets folded into the dough. It was so quick and easy to do and such a hit! I will be making this throughout the year.

Don’t be afraid to use hot Italian sausage, the dough and the egg soak up a lot of the heat and what you’re left with is the perfect amount of spicyness. The only thing different I did was that I used thin sliced pepperoni instead of chunks, which I didn’t have. I just snipped mine with a scissor and it was just fine. The flavors blended together are out of this world!