October 26th, 2011
I got this recipe from Dr. Andrew Weil’s website. I’ve been a big fan of his for well over 20 years. He actually featured this soup on The Dr. Oz Show, when he was a guest on the show. This soup is easy, healthy, and tasty. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love soups … any time of year, hot or cold, creamy or chunky, and prefer them homemade from scratch. Plus, you can freeze them, pack them for lunch in a thermos, throw in some spinach for added nutrition. Soups have endured the test of time, and are as old as the history of cooking. And in a pinch, I have a few pre-made favorites that I will open for lunch when I get tired of salads and sandwiches. A couple of my most recent favorites: Amy’s Organic Soups and Tasty Bite Madras Lentils (which I buy at Costco).
Now, on to the butternut squash soup. This could not be easier or more economical. I’ve made this the past two weekends while entertaining guests for dinner. Both times, guests were impressed by the flavor and presentation. You can play with the ingredients and seasoning to suit your taste, but this combinations was very tasty. Good luck.
Recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
2 lbs. already peeled, seeded, and cubed squash (I used butternut, but you can also try other varieties); I actually bought a 2 lb. package of chopped butternut squash at Costco (see photo)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3 cloves of garlic, peeled (or more, if you like – I do)
2 apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
Virgin olive oil (enough to lightly coat all veggies)
Sea salt to taste
Chili power to taste
1 quart of Organic Chicken Stock (again, I buy this by the case at Costco)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put all of the chopped ingredients in a large bowl, and drizzle some olive oil to lightly coat all of the veggies. Dump onto a large cookie sheet or flat pan. Sprinkle with some sea salt and chili powder, to taste. Bake for 40 minutes, or until everything is tender and lightly browned. Occasionally give the veggies a stir.
 Remove from oven and let cool. Place half of the veggies in a food processor or a good blender (like a Vitamix), add some broth, and blend until smooth. Pour into a pot. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients until all of the veggies and broth have been used up. You can taste the soup at this point and adjust the seasonings, and adjust the texture, adding more broth if it seems too thick. With the 2 lbs. of cleaned squash, I ended up using the entire 1 qt. container of stock.
I serve this soup warm, not piping hot. I’d avoid boiling this soup. Pour into pretty soup plates, put a dollop of sour cream in the middle, and sprinkle with your favorite chopped herb (I used chives, because they’re still growing madly in my garden).
Bon Appetit.
August 25th, 2011
 I have had a life-long fascination with fruit tarts. When I walk by them at the bakery, I’m enamored with the beautiful shapes, crispy crusts, and shiny berries, piled high with love!
The best berry tarts I have ever seen were in Montreal at the city market’s boulangerie. I read all the recipes to learn how to make the perfect pate brisee crust, but usually lacked the skill or time to make it perfect.
Alas, this recipe makes it all so easy by simply using a prepared sugar cookie dough! Viva la prepared foods (something I ordinarily avoid like the plague, but make exceptions when ease trumps skill)!
Give it a try this summer.
Easy Berry Tart Recipe
- 1 16.5-ounce roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough, cut into ½ inch slices (I use Pillsbury Refrigerated Sugar Cookies)
- 1 8-oz package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
- 1 T. lemon juice (I like to use the juice and peel of a whole lemon)
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- Fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries); you can use mix berries or just use one variety
- Powdered sugar
Press cookie dough slices into bottom and sides of a fluted non-stick tart pan (round or oblong) with a removable bottom (I bought mine at Williams Sonoma)
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (do not prick the bottom). When done, place on trivet to cool, so air circulates around the pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric (hand) mixer until smooth. Add sugar, egg, lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Pour cream cheese mixture over the cooling crust, and spread evenly.
 Place about 2 cups of fresh berries evenly over the cheese mixture, and sprinkle with some sugar.
Bake (again) for about 15 minutes or more until the cheese mixture is set. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool before serving.
Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar, garnish with additional berries, and some fresh mint leaves
Helen’s Helpful Hint: I like this tart better when it’s been refrigerated overnight, kind of like my chili recipe). Let it warm to room temperature before serving.
July 22nd, 2011
 A few years ago, we were lucky enough to have a French family move in next door. It’s like we won the culinary and fine wine lottery! She is an amazing chef, and he is an avid wine collector. We instantly bonded, became fast friends, and have been eating, drinking, laughing, and furiously kissing cheeks (either 2, 3 or 4 times, depending on where you’re from) ever since!
They introduced us to authentic Salade Nicoise, something I had enjoyed at restaurants in the past, but never realized how wonderful and easy it is to prepare at home. So, try this recipe the next time it’s hot and muggy outside. You can prepare it in advance, while it’s still cool in the morning, and wow your guests for dinner.
You can make a single serving, or a large, colorful, summer platter full of light, healthy goodness. Bon Appetit!
Sylvie’s Salade Nicoise
The ingredients in this recipe are not measured, because it will depend on how many people you want to feed, and the proportions of each ingredient you prefer, so there’s a great deal of flexibility.
Some type of poached or grilled fish, which can be served chilled or room temperature (I prefer wild Alaskan salmon); seared ahi tuna or even canned tuna is the more traditional ingredient, but a lot of people are trying to avoid the mercury these days
Fresh, organic baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
Lightly steamed green beans (preferably haricot vert variety, thin and delicate; I buy mine at Costco)
Several boiled eggs, cut in half
Several medium sized tomatoes, quartered (Campari tomatoes are a nice size)
Canned, quartered artichokes; drained
Anchovy fillets
Assorted olives (especially if you can find nicoise olives)
Small and / or new potatoes, boiled, in the skin, and cut in half (I like to have fun with red, yellow, purple varieties)
Optional: onions, and fresh peppers, sliced
Serve on the side: homemade vinaigrette (or my favorite bottled brand, Garlic Expressions), mayo, a variety of high quality mustards
Freshly ground salt and pepper
***Some recipes call for tossing all the ingredients in a bowl with the dressing, but I much prefer the more elegant presentation of arranging all the ingredients on a platter, and guests can add their own vinaigrette.
March 17th, 2011
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of my Irish and Irish-like friends, including my husband! In Chicago, they dye the river green, but in our house, we dye the potatoes green!
Well, I’m currently cooking three slabs of corned beef, to which I will later add carrots, parsnip, parsley root, turnips, onions, and cabbage, to create what we call “the full boil.” You may have noticed, though, that potatoes are missing from the “boil.” That’s because I serve bright green mashed potatoes with the corned beef instead. It’s easy to make, fun to eat, looks and tastes wonderfully bright – all derived from healthy and natural ingredients. Enjoy!
Green Mashed Potatoes
(serves a crowd of 8 -10)
Large bunch of curly or flat parsley, stems removed
1/2 c. cold water
Large pinch of salt
2 c. milk
6 – 8 large green onions, minced
5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
In a small saucepan, boil the parsley leaves in water and salt for a few minutes. Drain, and transfer the parsley to a blender, adding about 1/2 c. of cold water and pinch of salt. Blend the parsley until smooth.
Next, combine the milk and green onions in a medium saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, and simmer until onions are tender.
Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain water from the pot of potatoes, add butter, parsley puree, and about half of the milk/onion mixture. Mash potatoes until smooth. Season to taste, and adjust the texture by adding more milk/onion, if necessary, depending on how you like your mashed potatoes (lumpy or creamy).
March 8th, 2011
 Well, it’s still nasty cold in Ohio, and we’re still eating “winter” foods. But, here’s one of my favorite recipes for when I’m in a rush, and want some tasty comfort food. This was inspired by Jacques Pepin in his Fast Food My Way cookbook, which I love. But here’s my spin on this great recipe:
Sausage & Potato Packets
3 medium onions, cut into wedges
16 whole garlic cloves
1 or more pounds of small, gourmet potatoes, such as fingerlings (try to find some that have a blend of yellow, purple, and red), washed and cut in half, not peeled
2 lbs. pre-cooked sausage (I like to use smoked turkey sausage, but any kind will do), cut into bite-size chunks
High quality organic olive oil
Course sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Sprigs of fresh rosemary
Freshly chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange heavy duty foil on a large cookie sheet, with enough of a flap to fold over the top of the ingredients and completely seal around with a few inches to spare. Place the onions, garlic, potatoes, and sausage in the foil, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss the ingredients around with your hands to coat, and then make sure that it’s evenly distributed in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper , and lay the rosemary sprigs on top. Seal the foil packet, and bake for 1 hour. When done, carefully open the packet, and sprinkle with parsley. You can carefully transfer the packet, or the ingredients onto a platter, but we just serve ourselves directly from the pan, sizzling hot!
Now for some of my “helpful hints:”
- While one, large packet is very easy to make and clean up, we’ve made individual packets, too, varying the ingredients (e.g., using different types of sausage, omitting rosemary, etc.).
- Jacques calls for using fresh sausage, which I don’t like to do because of the fat that is rendered, and because I’m nervous about it being fully cooked, which is why I use pre-cooked sausage.
- The juices that are created from these ingredients are sinfully good, so make sure you get a great, crusty loaf of bread.
- This is a meal in a packet, but you can serve a green salad with a light vinaigrette to go with it, if you’re feeling healthy.
Bon Appetit!
November 24th, 2010
This is one of our favorite side dishes during the winter, and really easy to make. You get a bunch of healthy veggies, all mixed up together, without cooking the heck out of them, or having to add brown sugar and orange juice! You can improvise with the ingredients, depending on what you have in your pantry, including adding: purple onions, mushrooms, turnips, etc. The key to this dish is caramelization, and using the right pan to achieve that effect. Here’s our favorite combination:
Roasted Winter Vegetables Recipe:
1 part brussels sprouts (clean off outer leaves; cut cross into the core about a 1/4 of the way down, and soak in cold water)
1 part baby carrots or regular carrots cut into 4″ sticks
1 part parnsip, cut into 4″ sticks
1 part sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
8-12 whole cloves of garlic
Toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl with some olive oil to lightly coat the veggies. Place on a rimmed baking sheet (preferably one with a dark, non-stick coating). Spread the veggies out in one layer – don’t overcrowd. If you are feeding a crowd, I often roast the vegetables individually, and them toss them together in the end.
Bake at 425 degrees, on lower rack, until the veggies start to get a nice dark coating, and are somewhat tender (not too soft) when poked with a fork. Remove from oven, generously sprinkle with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, and serve hot out of the oven.
November 24th, 2010
 If you want to try something different besides a whole turkey, or you want to add more turkey to your menu, this recipe is outstanding, and very elegant. I just made this for an annual family gathering of 35 guests. I had several other meats on the menu, but prepared about 5 breasts in total. The spinach stuffing recipe is what makes this dish so awesome, and colorful. The best part … you can start preparations the day before or even sooner. Serve these turkey rolls with stuffing muffins for a really unusual take on the classics.
Stuffed Turkey Breast Recipe
Turkey Breast Preparation:
The day before, prepare one or two turkey breasts (depending on how many people you are serving) by butterflying the breast; place it between two sheets of plastic wrap, and pound it out with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Salt both sides of the breast well, and refrigerate overnight.
Also, the day before, prepare the stuffing:
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
6 oz. mushrooms, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
2 bell peppers, chopped (one red, one yellow)
2 packages of frozen, chopped spinach, cooked and drained
2 eggs
½ c. Mozzarella
Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and sauté onions. Add garlic and continue to sauté. Then, add carrots, mushrooms, peppers, and cook until softened. Add spinach and stir until heated through. Let cool. At this point you can put the stuffing mix in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake the turkey breast. When you’re ready to stuff and roll the breast, add 2 eggs and the cheese to the mixture. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator a couple of hours in advance to get it to room temperature.
Spread a layer of the stuffing onto the breast (skin side down), being careful not to overstuff. Roll up the breast on the long side, and tie it with twine every few inches. Place the roll seam side up in a roaster on a rack. Pour canola oil over the rolls, and pour some water on the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan. Bake at 375 until a meat thermometer reads at least 170 degrees in the thickest part of the roll. Rotate the rolls half way through cooking, so the top of the roll gets nice and brown. Add water to the pan as necessary so it doesn’t burn too badly.
Remove the roll to a cutting board and let rest and cool. In the meantime, make a regular gravy from the pan drippings.
Slice the roll on a diagonal, place on a pretty platter, and pour some of the gravy over the slices to keep them moist. Keep warm in the oven, covered, until ready to serve.
Steps
Click to view full pictures
November 18th, 2010
If your favorite part of stuffing is the crispy stuff, try baking your regular stuffing recipe in muffin tins. It’s fun, makes for an interesting presentation, and you get a lot more crispiness. Just brush a muffin pan with some melted butter, even if it’s a non-stick pan, and use an ice cream scoop to fill the tins. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes; remove when they’ve cooled a bit. You can make the stuffing muffins ahead and reheat them in the oven just before serving.
Last week, as I was testing out holiday recipes, I tried Michael Symon’s recipe for stuffing muffins, and they turned out well. The orange essence wasn’t well-liked by everyone in my family, but I thought the citrusy flavor went well with turkey and gravy, and the almonds added even more crunch.
Have some fun with this idea, and let me know how it turned out for you.
November 7th, 2010
I’ve been a Cleveland Browns fan for as long as I can remember. The most memorable game for me (because I choose to repress the other games) was in 1980, when the Kardiac Kids played the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs at the old Municipal Stadium.
I was one of those die-hard fans in the stands that day, freezing my toosh off in sub-zero wind chill temperatures whipping up off of Lake Erie. But, alas, we lost 14-12 against the Oakland Raiders, who went on to win the Super Bowl that season.
So every year during the Super Bowl, we watch the game, half-heartedly picking sides to make the game and the evening more interesting. But it’s just a sad reminder that we really don’t care who is at the Super Bowl, because it’s not us … again.
On a brighter note, I usually make my “famous” chili on Super Bowl night for dinner. Actually, I make it quite often during the winter months. It’s hearty, healthy, and warm. I could have used a bowl at that game in 1980!
The best part of this chili is that you can personalize it, too. Make it hotter, thicker, meatier, or even vegetarian. Our favorite part of eating chili is the stuff that goes under it, over it, and with it!
Here’s a list of my favorite accompaniments:
Pasta (something that will cradle the chili, like DeCecco Gnocchi no. 46)
Rice (white or brown)
Shredded cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella)
Sour cream
Cilantro
Corn bread
Chopped onions
Jalapenos or homemade pickled serranos from my garden
Sriracha or Tabasco (my husband’s favorite is Chipotle Tabasco)
Enjoy the recipe and let me know how it turns out for you!
Recipe for Helen’s Super Bowl of Chili
2 lbs. ground turkey (or beef, if you prefer)
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2, 14 oz. cans chopped or sliced tomatoes
2, 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1, 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 large cans (2lbs., 8 oz. each) of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 T. chili powder or more to taste
½ cup or more of Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Beef broth or water
Seasonings to taste: salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, 1 tsp. sugar
In a 6 qt. pot, add a little olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan; brown the onions, garlic, peppers, and turkey on medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up the meat so it incorporates well with the veggies. Drain the liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients, not including the beans; add broth or water to fill the pot mostly full, leaving room for the beans at the end.
Heat to boiling, reduce to simmer and cook for 2 hours, partially covered. Add liquid, as necessary if it reduces too much. Before adding the beans, take a taste and see if the seasonings need to be adjusted, then stir the beans in, heat them through, and serve with your favorite condiments and cold beverages!
October 7th, 2010
So my new favorite ingredient is black rice. I read somewhere that black rice has as many anti-oxidants as blueberries, but with more fiber, and less sugar. It’s called “forbidden rice” because it used to only be served to the Chinese nobility. The first time I tried it, I prepared it using Alton Brown’s Baked Brown Rice Recipe (I’ve posted it here before), substituting black rice for brown, and served it with grilled asparagus and salmon.
It turned out amazing. The rice turns a dark purple, tastes kind of nutty, and stays loose (vs. sticky). The next day, I had rice and asparagus left over, so I decided to try making rice salad. I’ve never made it before, but I was anxious to keep experimenting with the black rice. I cooked up some white rice, and added whatever vegetables I had from the farmers’ market sitting in my fridge. I added white rice for color contrast and a little drama, but you can make this salad with any kind of rice.
HINT: My teen son decided this year he could no longer eat the cafeteria food at the high school. And, he also decided he was cool enough as a junior to pack a lunch again. This rice salad makes a GREAT brown bag lunch … doesn’t really need to be refrigerated for a long time; would also be good for picnics.
Here’s my version, feel free to improvise:
Black & White Rice Recipe
Bake black rice using Alton Brown’s recipe
(I found some at Whole Foods from the Lundberg brand, which I like anyway, called Japonica)
Cook up 1 cup of white rice in 2 cups of water
1 cup of Garlic Expressions salad dressing or make your own garlic vinaigrette
 1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup of chopped bell peppers
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped grilled or steamed asparagus
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (I prefer French feta)
Kalamata olives
Cherry tomatoes
Pour the salad dressing into the bottom of a large metal bowl. Put the hot, cooked rice into the bowl, and stir well. Add the spinach and stir again. Let it sit for about 20 minutes as the rice cools and spinach wilts.
Then, add the veggies and stir again. Reserve feta, olives, and cherry tomatoes for the top. Put it all onto a pretty platter or shallow dish, and serve room temperature. YUM!
Bon Appetit!
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Remove from oven and let cool. Place half of the veggies in a food processor or a good blender (like a Vitamix), add some broth, and blend until smooth. Pour into a pot. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients until all of the veggies and broth have been used up. You can taste the soup at this point and adjust the seasonings, and adjust the texture, adding more broth if it seems too thick. With the 2 lbs. of cleaned squash, I ended up using the entire 1 qt. container of stock.
