Salsa Di Parmigiano (“Parm Dip”)

From the Nate Berkus Show
Makes 3 ½ Cups to Serve 16

Ingredients
½ pound Parmesan cheese, not too dry
½ pound Asiago cheese, not too dry
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil

Remove any rind from the cheeses and chop the cheeses into rough 1-inch chunks. Pulse the cheeses in a food processor until reduced to the size of a fine pea gravel. Transfer the cheese to a bowl and stir in the green onion and garlic. Add the oregano, rubbing between your fingers to release it’s fragrance. Add the black pepper, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Stir well. Cover and let stand at room temperature at least 4 hours before serving.

Butternut Squash and Fontina Val d’Aosta Risotto

From the Nate Berkus Show
Serves 6 as a main course or 18 as an appetizer

Roasted Squash
2 cups 1-inch cubes butternut squash (from a 4-pound squash)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh sage, or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Sea salt, preferably gray salt, and freshly ground black pepper

Risotto
About 6 cups squab stock, Roasted Chicken Stock, Mushroom Stock, or Vegetable Stock
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cups Arborio rice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon finely shredded fresh sage
3 cups shredded fontina cheese (not packed)
About 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

For the squash: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Put the squash chunks into a large bowl.

Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter until it foams and begins to brown. Add the sage (or the garlic, one or the other but not both), followed by the vinegar and brown sugar. Stand back, as the mixture may spatter. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors, stirring gently to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over the squash and toss well.

Arrange the squash on the prepared pan, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until very tender and caramelized, about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 425ºF for 5 minutes to caramelize the squash further. Remove from the oven and baste the squash with the liquid in the pan. Let cool briefly, then puree in a food processor until creamy. For the risotto: In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep it at the barest simmer while you make the risotto.

For the risotto: Heat a large sauté pan or heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil, and cook the onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is pearly white with a translucent outer layer. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until very little liquid is left in the pan. Ladle in 1 cup of the hot stock. Reduce the heat to medium-low, keep the rice at a gentle simmer, while stirring frequently, until almost all the liquid is gone. Ladle in 1/2 cup of the hot stock and repeat, ladling in 1/2 cup of stock each time most of the liquid has been absorbed. All together, counting from the first cup of stock, you’ll stir and cook for about 18 to 25 minutes. Taste the rice to decide when it’s done: it should be creamy, firm in the center but without any hint of crunch. Stir in the butternut mixture, remove from the heat, and stir in the shredded sage and the fontina.

To serve: Divide the risotto among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley.

Orange Yogurt Pancakes

from Recipes Rock

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. orange juice
orange gratings (optional)
3/4 c. plain yogurt
1 egg
6 Tbsp. butter, melted, divided

In a medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together juice, gratings, yogurt, egg, and 4 Tbsp. of the melted butter. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined (batter will be quite thick).

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium high heat until quite hot. Brush pan with some of the remaining melted butter and spread batter with a spoon onto pan in 3-inch pancakes. When pancakes bubble and are browned, flip and continue cooking until cooked through and browned on the second side. Brush pan with melted butter before each batch. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Crispy Cucumbers and Tomatoes in Dill Dressing

from All Recipes

Ingredients:
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh dill weed (or dry dill weed)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsps. vegetable oil
2 cucumbers, sliced
1 c. sliced red onion (I usually omit this)
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, salt, dill, pepper and oil. Add cucumbers, onion and tomatoes. Toss and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Raspberry Lemonade

from Our Family Treat

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
1/2 cup sugar syrup
6 splashes of club soda
1 cup frozen raspberries
lemon slices for garnish

Sugar Syrup:
2 cups water
4 cups sugar

In saucepan bring sugar and water to boil. Boil for about 2-3 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool. Syrup will last approximately 3 weeks.

In large pitcher combine lemon juice, sugar syrup and 1 quart of cold water. Mix well. Chill for an hour. Right before serving, add raspberries, lemon slices and club soda. Feel free to garnish each glass with a little more lemon and raspberries.

Grilled Fish Tacos + Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette + Pico de Gallo

from Our Best Bites

Grilled Fish Tacos
For fish tacos, just marinate any kind of mild white fish (like cod, tilapia, red snapper, or mahi mahi) for about 20 minutes and then lightly brush a grill with oil and cook over medium heat for 8-12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish) until the fish flakes easily. Flake the fish and season with Kosher salt and a little extra dressing if you like. Serve the flaked fish in either homemade flour tortillas or corn tortillas. You'll need to slightly cook the corn tortillas so they don't overwhelm the flavor of the fish; you can brush them with olive oil and bake them in an oven set to 425 for about 5-10 minutes, cook them in a skillet with some olive oil until they start to brown but are still flexible or run them under some water and then cook in a hot cast iron skillet. Serve with pico de gallo, mango pico de gallo, cabbage, guacamole, or lime wedges. 

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2-3 juicy limes)

1/4 c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 c. canola oil
1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro, stems removed

In the jar of your blender, combine lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend until ingredients are completely combined. With the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture. Serve with greens, on any type of Mexican salad, or use as a marinade.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

About 3 Roma tomatoes

1 smallish jalapeno pepper

1/2 small onion (white onions are traditional, but I love the color and flavor of red onions)

THESE MEASUREMENTS ARE APPROXIMATE:

Freshly squeezed lime juice (use 1/2 lime for a little zing, use the whole thing for distinct lime flavor. In case you were wondering, I use the whole thing)

A very generous pinch of chopped cilantro--I just grab some using all my fingers at once. It probably comes out to about 1/4 c.

Kosher salt to taste; some people leave it on the bland side because a lot of foods pico de gallo is served with tends to be salty. Personally, I like it on the salty side.

Cut ends off tomatoes and then slice in half lengthwise. Under running water, gently run your finger under the membrane that contains the seeds. It's okay if some seeds get in there, but if you have all of them, it's going to get a little sloppy. Cut into small chunks. If you look at my pictures, I actually cut my tomatoes a little bigger than I really wanted them. I'm learning to let the little things go...Place in a small serving or mixing bowl or a really large cereal-type bowl.

Finely dice the onion. No one wants giant chunks of raw onion. Well, maybe some people out there do, but I don't know any of them personally. Toss with the tomato mixture.

Finely chop the jalapeno, removing the seeds if desired (the seeds contain the majority of the heat, although the flesh is still pretty hot). I'm a pansy and absolutely don't ever add seeds, but some of you are way braver than me, so this is totally up to you. Toss with the tomatoes and onions.

Add the fresh-squeezed juice of 1/2 of the lime. Taste. If you want to walk on the limey side, add a little more. I like to go easy on the heat and heavy on the lime, but I'm sure there are others out there who are the opposite.

Add your giant pinch of cilantro. Combine well. Add a generous sprinkling of Kosher salt, taste, and add more if desired. This is best if it stands for a few hours before you serve it, but it also may (okay, will) get a little wet in the bottom of the bowl, so you might want to strain it before serving it. It's great just straight up on tortilla chips or alongside our Chili-Lime Steak Salad, Chicken Taquitos, Chipotle Taquitos, or fill some warm homemade flour tortillaswith Taco Chicken, Queso Fresco (you can usually find it near the cream cheese section of the grocery store), shredded cabbage, and top with a little pico de gallo.

Ooey-GooeyPeanut Butter-Chocolate Brownies

from Our Best Bites


3/4 C sweetened condensed milk, divided (fat-free is fine)
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)

1/4 C non-fat milk
1  box devil’s food cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 7 oz jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 C)
1/2 C peanut butter morsels (not gonna lie, I used a very “heaping” 1/2 cup :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, milk, butter, cake mix, and egg white.  Mixture will be very thick.  Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray.  Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Use either floured hands, or spray your hands with cooking spray in order to press it down without having it stick to your fingers.  The layer will be thin.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl and combine until smooth.  Stir in PB morsels.  No one will tell if you stir in some extras.  Spread marshmallow layer over brownie layer in pan.  Carefully drop remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  (The original recipe calls for 30 minutes, but many readers have noted that 20 minutes was perfect, and I usually only bake for about 20-25).  Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares.

Coconut Chicken

from Recipes Rock


2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 large eggs

1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided

1 cup sweet chili sauce

Cut off any extra fat globules from your chicken breasts. Cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short.

Prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. In the first bowl combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.

Place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large heavy duty skillet and heat over medium/high heat until it is just below smoking. You can test the heat by throwing in a little bit of flour. When it is hot enough, the flour will sizzle and create a lot of bubbles.

While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken strips. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.

After breading the strips, the oil should be hot enough. Place about 6 strips in the pan at once. There should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. If you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying. Fry the strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch. After a couple of batches you may need more oil so you can add the second 1/4 cup to the pan. Allow the oil to come up to temperature before frying the next batch (2-3 minutes). Because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. You can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed. If you cut your strips thicker, you will need to bake off the chicken after frying to make sure the insides are cooked through.

When all of the strips are done frying, serve immediately with sweet chili sauce to dip in. I found mine in the asian section at the grocery store (ours was Panda express kind).

Brazilian Lemonade

from Our Best Bites

4 juicy limes

1 c. sugar

6 c. cold water

6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.

Wash limes thoroughly with soap, (you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime) Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.

Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.

Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and blend well. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk. Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance.

Black-Eyed Pea-Basmati Salad

from Guy Fieri for Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:

1 hr 0 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

30 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 servings

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 1/2 cup dried black-eyed peas, rinsed
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup Spanish olives, halved

For the Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons coarse-grain dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Prepare the salad: Put the peas in a saucepan with 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let sit 1 hour. Drain, then return to the saucepan with 1 cup fresh water. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Let cool in the liquid.

Meanwhile, put the rice in another saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and the garlic. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 16 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then fluff with a fork.

Make the dressing: Whisk the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, honey, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a nonreactive bowl. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Assemble the salad: Drain the peas and toss with the rice in a large bowl. Add the onion, bell pepper and olives, then add the dressing and toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa.

Black Bean-Mango Salad

from the Nate Berkus Show

Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
½ cup Italian dressing, any kind you like (use fat-free or low-cal)
Two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped red onions
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
In a food processor or blender, take ¼ cup of the mango with the Italian dressing until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining mango with the beans, red onions, and peppers. To the bean mixture, add the mango puree.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, and chill until ready to serve.

Maria's Healthy Stuffed Chicken

from the Nate Berkus Show

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened

Stuffing
¾ pound low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup packed, chopped baby spinach
½ cup fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Sauce
One 14-ounce can tomato sauce
1 diced mango, peeled and seeded
¼ teaspoon seeded and diced jalapeno peppers
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all the stuffing ingredients in a bowl. Spoon out half on the mix onto each chicken breast. Wrap the chicken around the stuffing and place in a small baking pan brushed with oil. Bake for 35 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce: combine all the ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer, stirring, for 15 minutes or until sauce becomes thick.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.