summer bbq

23 Aug 2015

Heather Eating Well, Healthy Living frozen treats, healthy desserts, healthy eating, recipe redo, spaghetti squash, summer bbq

Recipe Re-run: Healthy Summer Treats Take Two

Recipe re-run

Those hot lazy days of summer… not very conducive for cooking!! However I took the opportunity, while my oldest son was visiting, to have a little get together and re-run some recipes with a little twist. Part of the fun of cooking is to tweak recipes that you have already tried and that is just what I did for our party.

The first recipe re-run is from my very first blog (original post below):

From Food Network: Naked Chocolate Cake

Another A+ recipe with beyond presentation appeal for a gathering!!

The cake is easy enough to make, but does require a kitchen aide or equivalent, and the initial mixture made of coconut oil, applesauce, brown sugar, yogurt and extract requires a mixer with a paddle attachment.

Made some “accidental” tweaks to the recipe, forgot to add the chocolate chips into the batter before putting it into the oven, so instead sprinkled chocolate chips on each layer. Grapes were not on sale at the store, so went with fresh strawberries, fresh raspberries, frozen blueberries and the prettiest fresh blackberries I have ever seen!!! Made a fresh whipped cream from heavy whipping cream, confectionary sugar and almond abstract(was out of vanilla) and drizzled each layer with store bought chocolate sauce.

Ease of recipe 3-4, several steps and really does require a kitchen aide or equivalent for the batter and fresh whipped cream.

Taste of recipe 5. Incredible in taste and presentation, also a 5. It’s a must try!

Here are the twists I tried this time around:

Remembered this time to bake the chocolate chips IN the cake!!!

In addition to the chips also added roughly chopped fresh mint, which added a freshness and kick to the flavor.

Replaced the brown sugar with coconut sugar.

And the ultimate twist to this recipe…replaced the fresh fruit with candied strawberries:

Slice fresh strawberries and place on a baking sheet, bake at 210 for 3 hours, so sweet and healthy too!

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Ease and taste ratings stay the same, drop presentation down to 4…not quite as pretty as the original recipe but definitely worth trying!

The second recipe re-run from my blog “Ode to the Spaghetti Squash” (original post below):

“SPAGHETTI SQUASH CHICKEN FAJITA”

Ingredients:

Chicken tenders or thin sliced chicken breasts

Olive oil

Cumin

Paprika

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Minced garlic

Sweet vidalia onions

Cooking white wine

Orange, red, and yellow sweet peppers

Canned tomatoes with zesty green peppers

Black olives

Cheddar or taco blend cheese shredded

I begin by steaming a large spaghetti squash until the flesh is tender, cool, remove the seeds, and set aside.

In a large skillet I combine:

2-3 TBSP olive oil

Minced garlic

Chicken tenders chopped to bite size

2 Tbsp cumin

2 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tsp cayenne

The chicken needs to have a coating of the spices, if above measurements are not sufficient, slowly add more until the chicken is coated.

Simmer until chicken is browned, add ¼ cup cooking wine, add sweet vidalias and sweet peppers chopped in half spirals.

Simmer until onions and peppers are tender.

Add one can undrained tomatoes with zesty green peppers, and add one can drained sliced or whole black olives, simmer.

In the meantime, drain, deseed and scoop the flesh of the spaghetti squash into a large bowl, keeping the spaghetti squash shell in tact.

Add chicken fajita mixture to the bowl of spaghetti squash and mix thoroughly.

Scoop chicken fajita, spaghetti squash mixture into saved spaghetti squash shells, top with cheddar or taco blend cheese and cook at 350 until the cheese is melted.

I give the ease of this recipe a 4. It too, has only a 2 pan clean up, but does require quite a bit of chopping and attention.

Taste is a 5, spicy and a little cheesy, what more could you want!

And presentation is a 3. Probably wouldn’t make a magazine cover, it is definitely no Giselle Bundchen, but would be good for a casual dinner or small get together. It could be sliced or scooped for serving.

Here are the twists I tried this time around:

Added Salsa in place of the canned tomatoes, cubana peppers, cherry tomatoes and a ¼ cup of white cooking wine to the chicken mix.

These ingredients gave that little extra zing I was looking for the first time around. I still served it in the shells, but because it was for a large party, provided serving spoons for guests to scoop portions.

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Taste and ease ratings stayed the same, upgrade to a 4 on presentation, was well received by my guests!

Lastly, one new summer recipe that is beyond simple, quick, healthy and doesn’t require turning on the oven!

Frozen yogurt bark – courtesy of Myfussyeater.com

Ingredients:

Plain or vanilla greek yogurt

Honey

Cranraisins (I used blueberry)

Fresh strawberries

Chocolate chips

Shredded coconut

Used my Kitchen Aide to mix the greek yogurt and honey until well blended, at a low speed mixed in cranraisins.

Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet(about ½ inch thick) lined with parchment paper and topped with the fresh strawberries, chocolate chips, and shredded coconut.

Place in freezer for at least one hour, break into pieces and store in freezer bags.

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Could it get an easier! Great Summer treat! All 5’s for ease, taste, and presentation!

Enjoy the rest of the summer! Next time, low fat meals for the Fall and meals that you can make ahead of time and serve over greens for lunches and dinners!

Aunnie H

1 Jun 2015

Heather Eating Well, Healthy Living broccoli pesto dip, cole slaw, healthy eating, healthy food, summer bbq, sweet potato burgers

Healthy Summer BBQ & One Special Lady!

Who doesn’t love a summer BBQ??

BBQ’s are a staple in the summer. Being outside, enjoying the sunshine, and perhaps a salty breeze. I feel like we all connect a little bit easier in the fresh air, with the “no stress” feeling that the warm air brings!

BBQ’s happen all over Cape Cod from Memorial Day to Labor Day and we had a very special one this Memorial Day weekend…

Our was to celebrate our mother’s birthday, who is affectionately known as Chris, Mom, Gram Chrissy, and Fradoodle by her extended family; three daughters, one granddaughter, and six grandsons!

She is a very special person to all of us, and when she is not spending all her time raising and taking care of us, she also goes to rock concerts! (Seen here rocking out to Neil Diamond)

This blog is all about her very special birthday BBQ. It included sweet potato burgers, beet, red cabbage, and cranberry slaw, and broccoli pesto dip.

Sweet potato burgers:

From My Whole Food Life.

This is the easiest recipe, with huge rewards!!

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and boiled

3 cups, all natural 5 grain cereal (oats, rye, triticale, barley, golden flax)

2 bunches scallions, chopped

1 bunch fresh parsley, cut up with kitchen scissors to the stem

I boiled the peeled sweet potatoes until just tender. Drained and added to the other 3 ingredients in a large bowl. I used my kitchen aide paddle attachment to mix, and then scooped out patty size.

I baked them in the oven, but I think they could be done on the grill with cooking spray.

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Ease of recipe 5, did use my kitchen aide, but could be mixed with a little effort and large metal spoon.

Taste of recipe 5, these were incredibly tasty!! Some of our guests ate them over salad, some on nice wheat rolls, I think all used a touch of spicy mustard for a topping. Yummy!!!!

Presentation 5, look very delicious on the plate even before dressed.

Beet, red cabbage, and cranberry slaw

From: Reluctant Entertainer

Slightly difficult recipe. I’ve never cooked raw beets and they can make a holy mess! However, the outcome was completely worth it!

Ingredients:

½ Head red cabbage

3 Fresh beets

1 8oz package dried cranberries

2 shallots chopped

4 TBSP red wine vinegar

6 TBSP rice vinegar

2 apples

Zest of orange

I chopped the shallots and marinated in a bowl with the rice and red wine vinegar.

I boiled the fresh beets until just tender, the peeling was messy and difficult, but boiling them any longer would have made them mushy.

In my Cuisinart, with the grate blade, I sliced the beets with two pared, unpeeled apples, and half a head of red cabbage.

Poured the beet, cabbage, and apple mixture into a bowl. Added the marinated shallots and zest of one orange.

Incredibly tasty, sweet and tart, definitely a must have at your next BBQ!!!!

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Ease of recipe 3, it was time consuming, messy and does require a Cuisinart or equivalent.

Taste of recipe 5, the tangy, sweet was very well received by our guests. I also used the leftovers to top sandwiches, a great little extra zing to Monday’s lunch!

Presentation of recipe 5, looks pretty in the bowl, could be dressed up even more with a few sprigs of fresh parsley and a couple of slices of orange.

Broccoli pesto dip

I do love a dip!!! For a simple appetizer it is great. Kept our guests munching while the main course was cooking, and there are so many directions that you can go with it!!

Super simple broccoli pesto dip

From: A Healthy Life For Me.

Ingredients:

2 Broccoli crowns

3 TBSP minced garlic

2/3 Cup sliced almonds

1/3 Cup parmesan

¼ Cup olive oil

½ Cup ricotta cheese

2 TBSP lemon juice

I steamed the broccoli until tender. This is a great way to use broccoli that is yellowing in the refrigerator. What I used was getting a few days from unusable and it worked fine in this recipe. We all know the “crisper” in our refrigerators frequently needs to be renamed the “rotter”. It happens, so a recipe that can use up those “on the edge” veggies is always a good thing!!

I drained and cooled the broccoli. Combined the broccoli and all the other ingredients, minus the ricotta cheese, in my Ninja blender, on medium speed. Once I felt the broccoli was sufficiently pureed I added the ricotta and just pulsed until I could no longer see any large portions of unmixed ricotta.

The recipe doesn’t yield a tremendous amount of dip, so I went through the procedure a second time to have an adequate bowl full.

Delicious with cut vegetables, pita or sweet potato chips!!!

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Ease of recipe 5, does require a Ninja or equivalent for the blending.

Taste of recipe 3, I felt like it needed a little bit of something, maybe a pinch of kosher salt, a little more garlic or a pinch of my “go to” spice tarragon.

Presentation of recipe 4, not super pretty, but could be dressed up on a platter with colorful cut veggies and a few sprigs of parsley or mint.

All and all the recipes made a very attractive and HEALTHY BBQ plate!

Happy BBQ’s and Happy Birthday MOM!!!!! We love you!!!!!

Next time, maybe we just need to try to satisfy that sweet tooth, we know we all have, with some healthy sweets…

Happy June!!!

Aunnie H

18 May 2015

Heather Eating Well, Healthy Living cape cod cooking, side dishes, summer bbq

Summer Cooking on Cape Cod

Summer on Cape Cod…hurray, it is finally here!! Next week is Memorial Day weekend, the official kick off to summer 2015!

Summer means to me:

Lazy days with family by my Gram’s pool.

Pop up Pilates (courtesy of Get Lively) with my sisters and nephews on the beach.

My youngest child home from college (as any parent of a college age student knows…re-entry can be hard but we always look forward to them coming home!)

Relaxing on my deck and……

A BBQ every weekend!!!!!

The Cape Cod BBQ is the subject of this blog, and as much as I love the burgers, kabobs and linguica, I love the side dishes even more, so here goes….

Side dishes could populate my blog all summer long, so many to choose from, but today I pick:

Mussels with Tomatoes and Spinach (Aunnie H original recipe)

Kale, Lemon and Parmesan Salad (from: Layers of Happiness)

Let’s start with the mussels. For it to be a true Cape Cod BBQ, and I am a born and breed native, it just HAS to include local seafood!

Ingredients:

– Olive oil

– Minced garlic

– White cooking wine

– Butter

– Canned tomatoes with olive oil and garlic

– Baby spinach

– Fresh mussels

This is a very simple recipe, with huge rewards. I use a large stock pan, what us Cape Codder’s call a “Lobsta” pot!

Add 3 TBSP of olive oil, 1 cup of cooking wine, ½ stick of butter, 1 can undrained tomatoes, 2 TBSP minced garlic and simmer until the butter is melted. Add 3 cups baby spinach and 3 lbs fresh mussels. Cover and simmer over medium heat until mussels are all open. If the mixture gets dry or starts to burn on the bottom add another ½ cup cooking wine or ½ cup water.

Serve in a large bowl with a ladle so all your guests can scoop bowls full that include the broth.

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Ease of recipe: 5

One pan, minimum clean up, this recipe is delicious and could not be easier.

Taste: have to give it a 6 on a scale of 1 to 5!!!

Made this for a lovely Mother’s Day BBQ I had at my home last week and everyone was in awe, the taste cannot even be described, you just need to try it for yourself.

Presentation: 5

The picture tells it all!

Cape Cod Mussels, Spinach, and Tomato Dish.

Kale Lemon and Parmesan Salad

This is a huge hit and so healthy! I have made this recipe three times for events I have attended or hosted, and everyone asks for the recipe. The link to the original recipe is above, but each time I have made it, I have tried a few little tweaks.

Ingredients:

– Fresh kale

– Fresh green cabbage (I have made it with the romaine, but the salad pictured is made with green cabbage)

– Shallots

– Olive oil

– Dijon mustard

– Basil

– Lemon juice

– Golden raisins

– Raisins (have not tried making it with the currants listed on the recipe, but the raisins seem an adequate substitute and think Cran-raisins could be used as well)

– Minced garlic

– Cashews (prefer cashews to almonds)

– Parmesan cheese

I begin by shredding the cabbage (used the outer dark green layers) and the fresh kale in my Cuisinart. I used about 6 large cabbage leaves and a strainer full of washed kale. After the greens are shredded and in a large bowl, I use my mini Cuisinart to chop 1 ½ cups of raw unsalted cashews (just a personal preference over almonds), add cashews to the green mixture and then add ½ cup raisins and 1 cup golden raisins.

Set the mixture aside and then using the cup attachment to my Ninja blender, I combine ¼ cup olive oil, ½ cup lemon juice, 2 TBSP basil, 2 TBSP Dijon mustard, 3 TBSP minced garlic, ¼ cup parmesan, and 2 shallots chopped.

Just on a side note about the shallots…I was very curious today when buying my shallots. I use the self scanner, which is a very useful tool when you are trying to keep your grocery bill under control, no sticker shock at the register! When trying to print my label for the shallots, I could not find shallots under the onion tab?? In my frustration I clicked on garlic, and low and behold there is the shallot!! A quick Wikipedia search tells the tale of the shallot, it appears it REALLY is an onion, but in the past had been identified as a separate species. It is however, part of the genus Allium, which includes onions and garlic, so it seems the classification at the Stop and Shop scales are not too far off!

Not to digress, too much!

I blend the mixture on puree and pour over the prepared greens in the bowl, mix and have a tasty, healthy side dish.

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Ease: 3

It does require adequate kitchen tools and a bit of time, but well worth the effort.

Taste: 5

Incredibly delicious, it has the combination of all the different tastes blended to perfection.

Presentation: 4

Looks very nice in the bowl, easy to serve with a slotted spoon or pasta claw.

As next weekend brings Memorial Day on Cape Cod, it will surely be all about grilling and seafood!

Enjoy and Happy Summer!

Aunnie H

summer bbq

Recipe Re-run: Healthy Summer Treats Take Two

Recipe re-run

Healthy Summer BBQ & One Special Lady!

Summer Cooking on Cape Cod

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