Recipes

Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients

* 6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option, and gluten-free stock for gluten-free version)

* 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp

* 1 small onion, finely chopped

* 2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced ( I like the pre-cut package from TJ’s)

* 2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)

* 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* 2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives

* Salt

Directions

1 Heat broth in medium sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan; add onion and butternut squash. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2 Add rice to onion and squash. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3 During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and chives. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan.

Quinoa and vegetable Salad

Ingredients

*1 cup quinoa, uncooked

*2 zucchini, quartered

*3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), bite size

*1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

*1/2 cup  (3.8 oz.) black (or green) olives, sliced

*4 Tbsp olive oil

*1 tsp garlic powder

*salt + pepper

Directions

1.Following the directions, cook the quinoa accordingly. Transfer cooked quinoa to a large glass bowl.

2.Add cut, sliced and diced ingredients to the quinoa. Add olive oil, garlic powder, and salt + pepper. Mix together and set aside, allowing all the ingredients to soak up the flavor.

3. For the taste test – if it’s too dry, add more olive oil. If you’re like me & like salty things, you’ll want to add more salt. Enjoy!

Argula Salad

Ingredients

*4 cups young arugula leaves, rinsed and dried

*1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

*1/4 cup pine nuts

*2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil

*1 tablespoon rice vinegarsalt to taste

*freshly ground black pepper to taste

*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

*1 large avocado – peeled, pitted and sliced

Directions

1.In a large plastic bowl with a lid, combine arugula, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, oil, vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and shake to mix.

2.Divide salad onto plates, and top with slices of avocado.

Rosemary White Bean Soup {from Barefoot Contessa}

Ingredients

*1 pound dried white cannellini beans

*4 cups sliced yellow onion

*¼ cup olive oil

*2 garlic cloves

*1 large (6”) branch of fresh rosemary

*2 quarts chicken stockBlog

*1 bay leaf

*2 teaspoons kosher salt

*½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

2.Drain and Rinse.

3. In a large stockpot over low‐medium heat, sauté the onions with olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 12‐15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes.

4. Add white beans, rosemary, chicken stock and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 ‐ 40 minutes, until the beans are quite soft.  Remove the rosemary branch and bay leaf.

5.Using either a food processor or food mill, pulse until soup is pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat. Add salt + pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Veggie Soup

Ingredients

*2 tablespoons olive oil

*1 large yellow onion chopped

*2 celery stalks chopped

*2 parsnips, peeled and  chopped

*1 bay leaf

*3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

*1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped

*1 pint fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

*1.5 cups sugar snap peas

*2 quarts low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable)

*One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

*1 teaspoon kosher salt

*1.5 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1.Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat

2.Add celery, onions, and bay leaf and cook until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.

3.Add carrots, parsnips, turnip, and Brussels sprouts and continue to cook them until tender, about 5 minutes.

4.Add the stock and bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for an hour.

5.Add the beans, salt, pepper, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Kale Chips Recipe

Ingredients

*1 bunch of Kale

* 2-3 Tbsp olive oil

* course sea salt

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.Remove the ends of the stems of the Kale, rinse. Make sure the kale leaves are dry use either a salad spinner or a towel. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces.

3.Place the {dried} kale leaves into a mixing bowl. Pour the olive oil and massage into the leaves well. Place leaves on a baking sheet – might need to divide between two baking sheets. Sprinkle the leaves with a generous amount of course sea salt and place them into the oven.

4.Bake for 15-20 minutes until the leaves are crunchy. Best to enjoy these the same day.

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

* 1 package (1.3 lb) of ground turkey – I used extra lean

* 1/2 medium onion, grated on a box grater (about 1/4 cup grated onion)

* 1 egg

* 1/3 cup breadcrumbs – I used whole wheat bread – make you own

* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 tsp salt

* 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

* 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

* 2 Tbsp olive oil

* 2 cups jarred tomato sauce or homemade, if you prefer

Directions

1.In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Using your (clean) hands, dig in and mix until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Using either an ice cream scoop or your hands, form 1 1/4-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Recipe makes 26 – 30 meatballs.

2.In a medium size skillet, heat olive oil on medium to high heat. Place 4-5  meatballs in the skillet,  brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully rotate the meatballs using tongs – brown on all sides. Continue cooking for about 12 minutes, rotating them carefully every few minutes so that all sides are brown and cooked all the way through. Remove from the heat.

3.In a saucepan, heat the tomato sauce. Pour the tomato sauce in a shallow plate or bowl, lay the meatballs gently on top of the sauce. Fill a small glass with toothpicks for your guests to pick up the meatballs. Enjoy!

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

Ingredients

*1 pound asparagus, trimmed

*2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

*1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes

*1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

*2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

*1/4 teaspoon salt

*3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

*1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 Directions

1.Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.

2.Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 3 minutes. Stir in salt. Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.