Category Archives: Appetizer

Sauteed Escarole with Garlic and fresh Parmesan

November 23, 2014Appetizer, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, Salad/Side, The Recipe Redux, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)chefmichelle

Sauteed Escarole with Garlic and fresh Parmesan
Recipe Redux – November, 2014: Thankful Food Memories

Most of my fondest memories with friends revolve around food. OK, I guess that is not so surprising a statement coming from a foodie. However, with so much thought and time and preparation put into so many dishes, I find it ironic that often it is the simplest dishes that linger the most with fondness.

Sauteed Escarole with Garlic, leafy greens, Italian, vegetarian, gluten free, appetizer, lunch, dinner, health, wellness, diet, dietitian, nutrition, nutritionist, michelle moreau, chef, healthy kitchen, healthcare, medical insurance, Portsmouth, NH, seacoast, celiac, cardiac, diabetes, diet, weight loss, recipe, couneling, healthcare — Sauteed Escarole with Garlic

Enter escarole. The first time I tried some of it was in a bowl of wedding soup. Of course, that was not much of a true escarole experience as there was so little green to be found floating amongst the meatballs. Fast forward a few years later, when my dear Italian cuisine-loving friends eventually introduced me to some

fresh escarole, garlic, leafy greens, vegetable, vegetarian, gluten free, appetizer, lunch, dinner, health, wellness, diet, dietitian, nutrition, nutritionist, michelle moreau, chef, healthy kitchen, healthcare, medical insurance, Portsmouth, NH, seacoast, celiac, cardiac, diabetes, diet, weight loss, recipe, couneling, healthcare — fresh escarole, awaiting chopping

homemade, sauteed escarole and- oh boy! My life has never been the same.

When you look at a head of escarole in the produce section, it really doesn’t look like anything much (no offense escarole!) But take a little time to chop it up and saute it down in a pan and you end up with something really quite special. While many greens turn dull and lifeless with cooking, escarole gets deeper and richer and more delicious with each minute over heat.

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The key to making memorable escarole – be FRESH:
1. Fresh escarole
2. Lots of garlic. Use fresh chopped, not jarred
3. Use fresh lemon juice (no concentrated stuff)
4. Freshly grate Parmesan yourself (no pre-grated)

This recipe I provided here calls for baguette slices to serve your sauteed escarole on, which makes for the most delicious (and greenest) garlic bread you will ever eat! I used Schar’s gluten-free baguettes, which toast up in 5 just minutes in a 400 degree oven. Do make sure to lightly spray your baguette slices with a bit of olive oil before baking for the best results.

In the mood for more of a meal than an appetizer? In that case, simply toss the cooked escarole mixture with some of your favorite cooked pasta, olive oil plus juice of another 1/2 lemon. Sauteed broccoli and boiled, chopped egg also pairs nicely with the escarole pasta too.

Felice sana alimentazione!

INGREDIENTS
1.5 pounds Escarole, rinse, dried
2 teaspoons Olive oil
Pinch Hot pepper flakes (optional)
5-6 cloves Garlic, chopped
to taste Black pepper, fresh ground
Pinch Sea salt
1/2 medium Lemon
1/8 cup Parmesan, fresh grated
1 large Baguette, gluten-free, sliced on bias and toasted

PREPARATION

Chop escarole into either thin strips or small pieces. Discard the tough core.

Heat saute pan over medium heat and add olive oil and hot pepper flakes. Add garlic to oil and saute a 1/2 minute. Add about 1/3 of the chopped escarole, or as much as will fit into the pan without spilling as you saute. As the escarole wilts, add more raw escarole to the pan. When all the escarole is in the pan. Saute until leaves are wilted and cooked though, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; and add the black pepper, salt and lemon juice and toss well.

Scoop the sauteed escarole onto the baguette slices. Grate the Parmesan cheese on top. Serve warm.

Serves 6-8

An InLinkz Link-up

Corn Cakes

November 7, 2014Appetizer, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, Multi-Veggie, Salad/Side, The Recipe Redux, Vegan, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)chefmichelle

Recipe Redux Sponsored Contest: Libby’s Starter and Sides Contest
Savory Corn Cakes

corn cakes, health, wellness, diet, dietitian, nutrition, nutritionist, michelle moreau, chef, healthy kitchen, healthcare, medical insurance, Portsmouth, NH, seacoast, celiac, cardiac, diabetes, diet, weight loss, recipe, couneling, healthcare — Savory Corn Cakes – perfect with your next brunch, lunch or dinner

So, one of the perks of writing a food blog is getting opportunities to try out fun, new food products, sometimes even before they hit the store shelves. A perfect example of this happened just this very week when I received a few samples of Libby’s new Vegetable Pouches in the mail to test out in my kitchen.

Packed in adorable, easy to open, shelf-stable pouches, these veggies can even be heated in the microwave right in their own packaging in less than a minute (please, don’t try this with your canned veggies!) The pouch containers are more environmentally friendly than canned counterparts, as they take 75% less energy to produce. Libby’s Vegetable Pouches come in Sliced Carrot, Sweet Corn, Green bean, Sweet Pea and Mixed Vegetable varieties.

Now the challenge posed to all of us Recipe Reduxers was to develop a recipe for a side dish that could be made in ten minutes or less. The first quick food item that popped in my head was pancakes. I went with the Sweet Corn and came up with these delicious, savory Corn Cakes. The Batter is super easy to prepare and you can mix it in advance and then store in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Or, you can cook some up now, some later if you are feeding a small group.

I used cheese with jalapeno to save myself the time and trouble of chopping up a hot pepper. The heat from the jalapeno-spiced Monterey Jack cheese is mild enough to still make this dish kid-friendly. If you want extra heat you can add additional fresh, chopped jalapeno into the batter too. And mix the batter as much and as fast as you like; since there’s no gluten there’s no worry of over-stirring and toughening up your cake batter.

These corn cakes pair great with anything southwestern- chicken, pork or seafood, as well as black beans, salsa, sliced avocado and/or sour cream.

Happy Healthy Eating!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Cornmeal, stone ground
1/2 cup Potato starch flour
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon each Salt & Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Olive oil
2 large Eggs
1 cup Buttermilk
1 package (1 1/2 cups) Libby’s Sweet Corn Kernels, drained
1/2 cup Scallions, chopped
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese with Jalapeno, shredded

PREPARATION
In a medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, potato starch, baking soda, sugar, salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, egg and buttermilk. Stir in the Libby’s sweet corn, scallions and cheese. Add the cornmeal mix and stir together well so that batter is fully combined.

On a heated griddle lightly sprayed with olive oil over medium-high heat, drop the batter in 1/4 cup measures onto griddle. Let batter lightly spread to for 3 – 4 inch cakes. Cook corn cakes about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes per side, or until golden.

Serve cakes warm.

Makes about 18 Corn Cakes.
Serving size: 2 Cakes.

I received free samples of Libby’s new Vegetable Pouches mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Libby’s and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

An InLinkz Link-up

Lamb “Sausage” Burgers with Quinoa-Polenta Cakes

March 22, 2014Appetizer, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, Multi-Grain/Whole Grains, The Recipe Reduxchefmichelle

Lamb “Sausage” Burgers with Quinoa-Polenta Cakes
Recipe Redux – March, 2014: A Play on Patties

This is a great recipe for anyone that has been trying to keep a healthy diet, but really misses the taste of sausage. Traditional sausage links and patties are commonly loaded with fat and salt, which, if regularly consumed, could potentially spell out bad news for your heart health. But what really makes a sausage great is not the loads salt or fat, but instead the delicious spice blends used in its preparation.

Lamb Sausage Patties with quinoa-Polenta Cakes, Lemon-Cucumber Sauce, sliced cucumber, diced pepper and fresh parsley

With the right spice combo and some lean ground meat, you can easily make your own delicious sausage patties. This version uses lamb, but in your own kitchen you can also make sausage patties with lean beef, chicken, turkey or pork. Including some cayenne powder will give you a spicy patty; the recipe is delicious made without it too.

If using 93% or leaner meat, make sure to lightly spray your pan with olive oil spray so that the burger does not stick. I usually fry the Quinoa-Polenta Cakes right in the same pan as my burgers so that I have less to clean afterwards.

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For even bolder flavor, heat the fennel seeds, paprika, mustard and cayenne in a dry pan over medium heat to toast the spices. Cool them before mixing with the ground lamb and herbs.

The pre-cooked polenta roll is really easy to find, as most stores carry it. Do buy the kind that also has quinoa mixed in the log, so that you get the extra nutrition and deliciousness. Tip:Slice through the polenta slowly, or the quinoa seeds will send your knife traveling in the wrong direction!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Pound Lamb, lean, ground
1 teaspoon Fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon Parsley, dried
1/4 teaspoon Smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon Mustard, dried, ground
1/4 teaspoon Oregano, dried
1/4 teaspoon Celery Seeds
1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne powder (optional)
Pinch of Salt
1/3 package Quinoa-Polenta roll, precooked, sliced into 4 discs
as needed Olive oil spray
Lemon-Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
4 small Baby cucumber slices
1 mini Red pepper, seeded and diced
1 small bunch Fresh parsley leaves
As needed Black pepper, fresh ground

PREPARATION
Using your hands, in a small bowl mix together well the ground beef with the fennel, parsley, paprika, mustard, oregano, celery seed and cayenne (if using). Form 4 patties with the ground lamb. Sprinkle salt over the outside of the lamb patties.

Lightly spray a heated large fry pan with olive oil. Add the quinoa-polenta cakes and cook over a medium-high heat. After a couple minutes, add the lamb to the pan and grill until the cakes are heated through and the patties reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees. (The polenta should finish cooking first) Make sure to flip over everything half-way through cooking.

Place the quinoa-polenta cakes on a plate. Top each cake with a lamb patty. drizzle some lemon-cucumber yogurt sauce over each patty and top with a slice of cucumber, some diced red pepper and fresh parsely leaves. Grind some fresh ground pepper over the patty/cake stacks and serve.

Makes 4 stacks.
Serving size: 1 stack.

An InLinkz Link-up

Zucchini Summer Pizza

July 22, 2013Appetizer, Dairy-Free, Entree, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, Multi-Veggie, The Recipe Redux, Vegan, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)chefmichelle

Zucchini Summer Pizza
Recipe Redux – July, 2013: Have Snacks, Will Travel

When I travel, my favorite snack to take with me is chopped veggies and hummus. Usually I chop and bag a big variety of veggies into sticks and bite-size pieces. Of course, after my snack bag is full, I often have extra veggies left in my the fridge.

What to do with the leftovers? My favorite dish to use them in is Zucchini Veggie Pizza. Right now there are really great zucchini available out on the market- perfect for this use. The fresh zucchini slices replace the traditional pizza crust, cutting both calories in the dish and the time needed for cooking. In addition to your veggies, fruit like pineapple adds great flavor too. Many different cheeses work great including feta, ricotta, mozzarella or Parmesan.

For dairy-free or vegan options you can use dairy-free cheese, or omit the cheese altogether (Tip: if you do omit cheese, drizzle the pizzas with a 1/2 teaspoon of of olive oil each to add a bit of fat. This will help you maximize your absorption of nutrients from all the great veggies). Top with a few fresh hot pepper slices to give dish a real zing (avoid using the marinated peppers, as they usually contain too much salt per serving.)

With over a cup of veggies per serving, this may be the healthiest pizza you ever bake! These are fun for kids to assemble too.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium Zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 6 even slices
3-4 tablespoons Tomato sauce
1/8 teaspoon Oregano
1/8 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Basil, sliced
2/3 cup Veggies, assorted colors, sliced (such as mushroom, pepper, onion, broccoli, artichoke, tomato, olive, spinach, radish, scallion, etc)
1 tablespoon Cheese, low-fat, shredded (optional)
6-10 slices Jalapeno (optional)
As needed Fresh cracked pepper

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a bake pan with parchment paper.

Lay out zucchini slices on parchment so that the slices slightly overlap each other, forming 2 rectangles, each rectangle having 3 zucchini slices each. Divide tomato sauce between pizzas and pour over zucchini. Sprinkle oregano, garlic, basil and red pepper flakes onto tomato sauce. Decorate each pizza with a 1/3 cup of assorted veggies. If using, top veggies with cheese and/or jalapenos. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Bake until veggies are al dente and cheese is melted, about 12-18 minutes. Carefully remove pizza from parchment with spatula. Serve warm.

Serves 2.
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Hawaiian Poke Salad

May 21, 2013Appetizer, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, Multi-Veggie, Raw Food, Salad/Side, The Recipe Reduxchefmichelle

Hawaiian Poke Salad
Recipe Redux- May, 2013: Celebration Brunches

The month of May brings many celebrations: graduations, bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, and even the celebration of dearest Mom. Here at Healthy in the Kitchen we have many reasons to celebrate, including the fact that this month marks our one year anniversary with the Recipe Redux! It has been a great year of recipe makeovers and we look forward to the many different, exciting food challenges in the year to come.

For this month’s Recipe Redux we are going island-style and will healthy-up a traditional Hawaiian dish often served at special celebrations – Poke salad.

Unfortunately, many Poke recipes have too much sodium. Typical recipes of 4-6 servings often suggest a 1/2 cup of soy sauce or more, which equates to over 7,000 mgs of sodium! With average Americans needing no more than 2,300 mg of sodium for the entire day, and certain groups (including those with high-blood pressure or diabetes, elderly or African-American) requiring a reduction to 1,500mgs/day, this is simply too much in one dish. For previous generations the salt was not used for the flavor, but instead for the preservation of the fish. Luckily we now have refrigeration, so we can reduce the salt and still serve safe, tasty seafood. That’s great news to our heart health and our tastebuds!

This recipe makeover uses tamari, which has a richer taste and less sodium than regular soy sauce. We used a low-sodium version to reduce salt even more. We skipped the rock salt that is also often added for garnish. For a boost of veggies, we added chopped mini cucumber, which nicely complements the tuna and helps to bring the calories down and the nutrition up per serving. Instead of macadamia nuts, for crunch we added chia seeds, to give our dish a boost of fiber (4 grams worth in the one tablespoon!) and Omega-3, an essential fatty acid.

Serve this dish at your next luncheon when it is time to celebrate.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon    Tamari, low-sodium, gluten-free
2 teaspoons     Sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon Chili garlic sauce (O 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes)
1 teaspoon   Ginger, fresh grated
8 ounces      Tuna, sashimi grade, trimmed and diced
3/4 cup       Mini cucumber, rinsed and diced
1/4 cup   Red onion, minced
2 tablespoons Scallions, minced
1 tablespoon Chia seeds
1 tablespoon Scallions, green part only, sliced on the bias
1 1/2 cups Microgreens

PREPARATION
In a medium mixing bowl add the tamari, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce (or dried red pepper flakes) and ginger and whisk to combine marinade. Add the tuna, cucumber, onion, minced scallion, and chia seeds and stir to combine in the marinade with a rubber spatula. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

To serve: add 1/4 cup each of microgreens to the bottom of 6 martini glasses. Use an ice cream scoop to pick up the poke salad and place on the greens. Top each salad with a few cut pieces of scallion.

Serves 6.

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Apple and Cilantro Drizzle

January 21, 2013Appetizer, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free, Multi-Veggie, Soup, The Recipe Redux, Vegan, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)chefmichelle

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Apple and Cilantro Drizzle
Recipe Redux – January, 2013: “A Trend in Every Pot”

With the start of every new year comes the predictions of what new trends will be in store for us. Of course, my favorite lists are the food trends. Most notable was the prediction that people will want more food products that are healthy (great news!) We will also see more dishes where vegetables are the star of the meal, instead of on the side as backdrop to a piece of meat. If this is true, well, 2013 may prove to be a very heart-healthy year for many!

nutition, health, wellnes, cauliflower, soup apple, nutrition, dietitian, nutritionist, healthy kitchen, wellness, vegan, vegetarian, gluten, dairy, Portsmouth New Hampshire, chef, recipe, veggies — Curried Cauliflower Soup with sliced Apple, Cilantro Apple Drizzle, Toasted Pine Nuts

Since cauliflower is also one of the trendy veggies to have on your plate this year, I decided to give it center stage in this soup. The apple, ginger and curry flavors all complement the cauliflower nicely. To get extra flavor out of your curry spice blend, toast it in a dry pan over low heat for about a minute.

cauliflower, nutrition, dietitian, nutritionist, healthy kitchen, recipe, soup, cilantro, chef, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, michelle moreau, registered dietitian, celiac, gluten free, dairy free, cardiac, diabetes, weight loss — Curried Cauliflower Soup

This soup is the perfect warmup on a chilly day. If you would like to add some additional heat with spice, slice a few fresh chilis and sprinkle over top.

After a few bites of this soup, how quickly you will realize it’s tasty to be trendy!

INGREDIENTS
(for soup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1 pound cauliflower florets (about 5 cups)
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt

(for garnishes)
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup cilantro, fresh
2 tablespoons apple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
pinch salt
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
20-30 cilantro leaves

PREPARATION
for soup: In a large soup pot, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh ginger and curry powder and saute another minute. Add the cauliflower and saute another 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt, stir, then cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 25 minutes.

Cool soup slightly, then puree in batches in a food processor until smooth. Serve warm.

for apple sticks: Add lemon juice to a medium bowl. Slice apple into matchstick pieces. Toss apple matchsticks in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

for cilantro drizzle: Add cilantro, apple juice, olive oil, honey, 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and pinch of salt to blender; process until smooth.

To assemble: Ladle soup into bowl. With the back of a small spoon, mark where you want the cilantro drizzle to go on top of the soup, then drizzle onto marked area. Grab a bunch of apple matchsticks and carefully stack them onto the soup. Sprinkle several pine nuts and a few cilantro leaves over everything.

Serves 6-8.