Pillowy Ricotta Gnudi, by Cheryl

I was looking for a ricotta recipe that wasn't lasagna and came across this! I don't know what I was thinking this would be except a big ball of gooey warm cheese, but that's exactly what it is. I made it with a butter sage sauce, which was good, but I think a marinara sauce like the recipe stated would be better. These would be great on some doughy pieces of bread! I liked it a lot, but it's not for dinner. Maybe an appetizer? I'm still not sure how I feel about it. And I have about 12 balls leftover. Yum? 

Ingredients: 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

30 oz ricotta cheese, (1 large container, or two small)

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups all purpose flour, divided

Sauce: 3 cups marinara sauce or butter with sage

Directions: 

1) Place Parmesan cheese in large bowl with the ricotta cheese. Add two large eggs, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add 1 cup flour and stir until just combined.

2) Dust a rimmed baking sheet with 1/2 flour. Scoop out a golf ball size gnudi and place them on the sheet. You may have around 35 balls. Sprinkle the top with the other 1/2 cup flour. Place is refrigerator for 20 minutes. 

3) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

4) Gently place the gnudi one by one into the boiling water without overcrowding. Boil until the gnudi float and are firm to the touch, about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the gnudi to the serving bowls.

5) Spoon the sauce over the gnudi. Garnish with chopped basil. 

Plum Salad With Arugula & Blue Cheese, by Cheryl

I bought a whole bunch of gorgeous sweet red plums at the farmer's market. I generally don't eat or make a lot of salads, but when I do I like to put some fruit in there. So I thought it would be nice to use these plums in a delicious salad! Paired with some goat cheese and balsamic dressing and this salad was very tasty! I think adding a protein in there might make it a nice little lunch! Yum!

Ingredients: 

4 cups baby arugula

4 ripe plums

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Dressing: 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp honey

salt/pepper to taste

Directions: 

1) Slice plums and cucumber. Set aside

2) In a large salad bowl, add arugula, plums, cucumber, walnuts, goat cheese. 

3) In a small jar with a lid add all of the dressing ingredients. Shake well. 

4) Pour dressing over salad and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Best Bruschetta, by Cheryl

I love a good flavorful bruschetta. I was thinking of making some variation of it, but decided to stick with the tried and true tomato recipe. This was so delicious and was a big hit. Yum!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the bread and garlic

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 pints grape tomatoes (I used a colorful variety), cut into halves or quarters

1 whole baguette

1 tbsp balsami vinegar

16 basil leaves, cut

salt and pepper

Directions: 

1) Heat some oil in a pan. Add the garlic and stir, lightly frying them. Remove and cool.

2) Add tomatoes, basil, and balsamic to a bowl with the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two.

3) Cut the baguette in diagonal slices. Brush with olive oil and very lightly toast.

4) Give tomato mixture a final stir and spoon generously over the bread slices. 

Zucchini Pizza Bites, by Diane

 

We wanted a healthier appetizer option to balance out the rest of our superbowl party and found these online. Overall they were good, but next time I would follow my instincts and draw the water out of the zucchini or use an air fryer on these as they were a bit wet. Otherwise you can't go wrong with this flavor combo!

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4 thick rounds

pepperoni

mozzarella cheese

pizza sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 and assemble the zucchini with sauce, pepperoni and cheese.

2. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and set the broiler to high.

3. Broil on high for 5 more minutes or until the cheese browns. Serve warm (but they are also great cold as leftovers!).

Baked Brie, by Cheryl

Um, yum. That's all I need to say about this.I literally used crescent rolls, a wheel of Brie cheese, and canned cranberry sauce. Oh and an egg to brush on top to give it a nice color when it cooked. I think I ate half of this just on my own. Yum!!

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls

1 can cranberry sauce

1 wheel Brie cheese

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325. In a pot add the cranberry sauce with a couple of tbsp of water. Heat and break up the sauce. Let cool.

2) Unroll the crescent rolls. Form a square with half of them. Set aside the other half. Place the Brie in the center the dough. 

3) When the sauce has cooled spoon about half of it onto the Brie. 

4) Fold the bottom rolls onto the top while using the other half of the rolls to spread along the top. Mine didn't look pretty, but it worked! Don't close it completely. 

5) Use a basting brush to brush the egg mixture over the dough. 

6) Cook for 35 minutes or until top is brown and cheese is melted. 

Chicken and Cabbage Spring Rolls, by Diane

 

My family and I made these for the superbowl and these were such a hit! They are another recipe from Kristina Cho, and this is her mom's recipe but in a baked version. We used the air fryer, and could only find egg roll wrappers, but both of these changes made them taste crispy, crunchy and amazing! I had them for lunch and for dinner today too! You can literally fill these with anything and they were SO easy to make- they really tasted quite like egg rolls in Chinese restaurants except with less grease. Next time we want to try a classic version with pork, shrimp, and carrots, but these were a big hit as is! Rolling instructions and photos here.

Ingredients:

1 package spring roll wrappers (we used egg roll and whoa this made it so crunchy!)

1.5 lbs chicken breast, diced small

1 tbsp oil plus more for cooking

4 tbsp oyster sauce, divided

1 heaping tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp white pepper, divided

1 small head green cabbage, shredded

3 stalks green onion, sliced (both green and white parts)

2 tsp sesame oil

1 bundle bean thread noodles

1/4 cup each water and flour (we didn't need this for the egg roll wrappers)

Cooking spray

Spring roll sauce for serving

Directions:

1. Mix chicken breast, 1 tsp oil, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high, cook cabbage 5 min until wilted, spread on a baking tray to cool.

3. Add 2 tbsp oil to the same skillet and cook the chicken until browned and mostly cooked through. Transfer to the baking sheet with the cabbage.

4. Bring a pot of water to boiling and submerge noodles for 2-3 minutes, drain, then cut with scissors to bite size pieces. Add to the baking tray to cool.

5. Once cooled, mix together in a bowl with green onion, remaining 2 tbsp oyster sauce, remaining 1/4 tsps of salt and pepper, and sesame oil.

6. If using spring roll wrappers, mix flour and water into a paste for sealing (no need to do this step for the egg roll wrappers). For both wrappers, place it in front of you like a diamond and place the filling in the bottom 1/3 closest to you. Roll the bottom corner over tightly, roll in the sides careful not to leave any gaps, then roll tightly to close. Place seam side down on a baking tray until ready to cook.

7. Cook in the air fryer at 350 for 15 minutes, spraying the tops and flipping halfway then spraying the tops again. Serve with spring roll sauce.

Classic Deviled Eggs, by Diane

 

A photo of my snack lunches from last week!

This week I wanted a healthy lunch of a mix of things, and I had a carton of eggs just staring at me, so I made this classic deviled eggs recipe. They were very good and easy, and tasted great with my new smoked spanish paprika from Penzey's. 

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

1 tsp dijon

1-2 dashes tabasco (I left this out)

Salt, to taste

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp snipped fresh chives (I couldn't find these at the store)

3 tbsp mayo

Paprika and whole chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, then cover and remove from heat for 10-12 min. 

2. Peel under cool water and let sit in fridge for 15 min. 

3. Halve the eggs lengthwise, scoop out yolks, and mash with a fork.

4. Add in all ingredients except garnishes, combine well and fill egg whites.

5. Garnish and enjoy

Potato Skins Whole30 Style, by Cheryl

I was really excited to try this recipe. I LOVE loaded potato skins so when I came across this recipe from Paleo Running Momma I was psyched! So I can't compare these to regular potato skins... they just can't compare. But they do the trick in regards to taste and keeping it Whole30. I did make one mistake. I was supposed to leave a thin layer of potato in the skin and I took the whole thing out! So if I made them again I would add this step back in because it would have added to the flavor. They were definitely a delicious side with our dinner tonight! Yum! 

Ingredients:

4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried well

Coconut oil

Package of compliant bacon

8 oz fresh broccoli florets, chopped

2 medium onions, sliced thin

Ghee

Salt

Compliant Ranch dressing

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2) Coat each potato with a little coconut oil and salt. Bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes. 

3) Meanwhile, caramelize the onions. Heat a medium skillet over low heat and add ghee. Add in onions and add salt. Stir. Keep on heat for 25 minutes and stir occasionally. 

4) Cook the bacon. Reserve the bacon fat.

5) Coat the broccoli in bacon fat. Roast at 400 for 15 minutes. 

6) Once potatoes are done, allow to cool, then cut in half and scoop out insides except for a thin layer. 

7) Using a pastry brush, coat the insides with the bacon fat. Sprinkle with salt. 

8) Place face up in oven and broil for 5 minutes. Turn skins over and broil another five minutes. 

9) Fill each potato skin with onions, broccoli, and bacon. Drizzle some ranch dressing on it. Serve immediately. 

Indian Pickles, by Diane

 

After the success of Quickles and Korean Pickles, I wanted to see if I could create any other fun pickle recipes with other international flavors because they are awesome to snack on after the pool or being outside. This recipe from myrecipes.com was awesome with one big exception- I wouldn't let these marinate for longer than a few hours. By the time I got to them after 24 hours they were so strong I couldn't handle them! So in the future I'd follow these instructions and pull them after 40 min. I also used a mandolin to make pickle slices, but this recipe called for spears which may have also made them taste stronger. Side note- I had all the spices on hand thanks to our cooking through the countries activities during quarantine, so that felt like a win!

Ingredients: 

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp each brown mustard seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, whole allspice

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 cardamom pods, split open

2 small dried red chiles, broken in half

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced thick

6 persian cucumbers sliced thin (I used a mandolin)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and add in mustard seeds for 2 min.

2. Add remaining spices except turmeric and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. 

3. Add turmeric, then remaining ingredients except cucumbers and bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 min. 

4. Put cucumbers into a glass jar or bowl, then pour liquid over top. Marinate for 40 minutes at room temp, then drain liquid and chill for up to 2 days.

Ham and Cheese Sliders, by Cheryl

I don't know how this came about or why I had two out of three main ingredients, but this was super easy to put together and delicious! It was especially great dipped in the tomato soup that I made. Also, the sauce that is brushed on top is key to kicking this up from just a plain slider to something very special. Yum!

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced ham slices (I used honey ham)

Thinly sliced Swiss cheese

One 12- count package of Hawaiian sweet rolls 

1/2 stick unsalted butter

Some honey Dijon mustard

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

2) Slice the rolls in half so you have a large top half and large bottom half. Don't pull them apart. Place bottom half on pan. 

3) Evenly layer the cheese, then the ham, and then the cheese again. Add the top half of the rolls. 

4) In a small bowl microwave the butter. Stir in 1-2 tbsp of Dijon honey mustard. Pour the mixture over the tops of the rolls, letting some pool in the middle, and use a brush to make sure the tops are covered. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

5) Cover with foil and bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Take foil off and bake uncovered for about 2-3 minutes. Slice into individual sliders and enjoy! 

Smoked Bacon and Crab Dip, by Cheryl

We have made this dip for the past couple of years as a snack before eating Thanksgiving meal with family. This dip is soooo delicious and satisfies any salty and seafood craving you may have. It was a crowd pleaser and we'll definitely make it again. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz crab meat (claw, lump, or both)

1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup mayonnaise, plus more

3 scallions, sliced thin

2-3 jalapenos, diced

3 cobs corn, or canned/frozen corn in a pinch works fine

Jalapeno seasoning

Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 lemon, squeezed

Directions:

1) Combine cream cheese and mayo until thoroughly combined and smooth. Add the remaining ingredients. If you're using corn on the cob then put some mayo on them and grill until you see grill marks. Mix until combined. Add extra seasoning if needed. 

2) Place the mixture into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Heat in a 250 degree oven for 1-2 hours until dip is hot for serving.. Serve with baguette slices, chips, or pork rinds. 

Cheese Fondue, by Cheryl

Must eat cheese. All of the time. Cheese fondue is my absolute favorite. I've made it several times in the past couple of years and I feel like each time I do I improve on it. The key to making great fondue is using great cheese and adding a little bit of cornstarch so it doesn't get clumpy. The last fondue recipe I posted on here was from 10 years ago (wow!) and definitely needs to be updated as the one I made last night is soooo much better! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1/3 pound gruyere

1/3 pound fontina

1/3 gouda

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup dryish white wine

1 clove garlic, minced

Assorted fondue dippers: apples, bread, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sausage, mushrooms, etc. 

Directions:

1) Grate all of the cheeses. Combine the cheese with the cornstarch thoroughly. 

2) Bring the wine and garlic to a light simmer over medium low heat. Add the cheese a little bit at a time, stirring after each addition. This is important.. add slowly and in handful amounts. 

3) Once mixed thoroughly, enjoy dipping your food into the cheese! 

Korean Tofu and Spicy Ketchup, by Diane

 

This was another banchan, or small dish, from cooking through the countries Korean edition! This one was a hit, and the sauce was so outstanding it would be great on just about everything! I just so happened to have doubled the sauce on instinct and I’m glad I did (posted below with doubled measurements). I also airfried them out of convenience, but the recipe calls for pan frying in oil. Super easy and already looking forward to leftovers!

https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-tofu-spicy-ketchup/

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu

Spray avocado oil

6 tbsp ketchup

2-3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste) (I used 1!)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp sliced green onion

Directions:

1. Press the tofu by wrapping it in a handtowel, placing it on top of a cookie sheet, and placing another cookie sheet with a weight on top of that (I used a hand weight). Leave for an hour. This will get the water out so you can get the tofu crispy! 

2. Pat the tofu dry and fry on all sides until browned (I air-fried these at 350 for 10, then 400 until browned- another 5-10).

3. Combine ketchup through garlic and toss over tofu. Mix well and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.

Korean Cucumber Apple Pickle, by Diane

This was another banchan, or small dish in the cooking through the countries Korea edition. This was meant to be a palate cleanser, and it was nice and refreshing. I would decrease the amount of ginger next time, but overall good and easy to make!

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cucumber-apple-pickle-351891

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/8 inch thick 

1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 Granny Smith apple, sliced 1/8 inch think

2 cups water

1/3 cup rice or cider vinegar

1 tbsp matchstick ginger

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of Korean red pepper flakes 

Directions:

1. Toss the cucumbers with salt and let sweat for 30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze the excess liquid out of the cucumbers. 

2. Combine all ingredients and chill for one day, stirring occasionally. 

Korean Cucumber Kimchi (Oi Kimchi), by Diane

This was the second banchan, or small dish, in my Korean cooking through the countries meal. This was really nice and refreshing, and would be a great snack! Really easy to make, too, and you can adjust the spice level as needed. https://mykoreankitchen.com/cucumber-kimchi-oi-kimchi/

Ingredients:

1 lb pickling cucumbers

1 tbsp coarse sea salt

1/4 cup carrots, julienned

1/8 cup garlic chives or regular chives, diced

2 tbsp Korean chili flakes (I used one)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp grated red apple or Asian pear

1 tbsp honey or sugar

1/2 tbsp Korean dried salted shrimps, minced

1/2 tsp fish sauce 

1/2 tsp minced ginger 

Directions:

1. Cut off cucumber ends and cut into slim quarters. Mix in a large bowl with salt and leave to sweat for 20 minutes.

2. Rinse and drain the cucumbers, then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Place in a covered glass container.

3. Keep at room temp for 12-18 hours, then refrigerate and serve chilled.

Grilled Eggplant, by Cheryl

Ok, so it may seem like a basic thing to cook, but grilled eggplant is actually pretty easy to mess up! But, I think I finally figured it out so they aren't too dried up or too oily. My mistake was that after I drew out the bitterness of the eggplant with salt I was only lightly brushing them with oil. I needed more oil! So I decided to make a yummy marinade that doubles as a dip for bread! This was so good and it's the only way I'm going to grill eggplant from now on. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, sliced in circles

1/2 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

2 tbsp oregano, chopped

salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Generously salt each slice and put into a colander. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to draw the moisture out. Rinse the eggplant quickly with water and dry with paper towels. 

2) While the eggplant is sitting, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Place each slice in a dish and flip over so each side is covered. 

3) Grill for about 6 minutes on each side. If they become too dry brush with more oil. 

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Mayo, by Diane

This recipe came from Eat Delicious, and reminded me so much of my favorite restaurant fries here in DC. I was excited to try them at home since the restaurant is currently closed. These were really flavorful and very easy and quick to make! The mayo would be great on a variety of things as well!

Tip: I have recently discovered that air frying potatoes is wonderful during the summer because I don’t have to turn on the oven, but it does tend to dry out the potatoes. To fix this, I simply remove the potatoes when they’re finished cooking from the air fryer and put them in a bowl that is tightly covered for five minutes. This allows the hot fries to steam them selves which both keeps the air fryer taste as well as allows some moisture back into the french fry.


Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes-

2 lbs sweet potatoes
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Curry Mayo-

3/4 cup mayo
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp mild yellow curry powder
Pinch sea salt


Directions:

1. Slice the sweet potatoes into long strips and toss with remaining ingredients.

2. Roast the sweet potatoes in a 400° oven for 45 min on a parchment paper-lined baking tray, turning halfway, or airfry at 400° for 15 min then cover to steam for 5 min.

3. While the potatoes roast, whip up the mayo and adjust seasonings if desired.

Pan con Tomate, by Diane

This is one of my favorite appetizers, and the third of our line up of summer dishes from Spain.
It was super quick and easy to make, and definitely takes advantage of summer tomatoes! I used heirloom tomatoes because I like them best. Recipe from: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/09/pan-con-tomate-tomato-bread-spanish-recipe.html


Ingredients:

1 ciabatta loaf, sliced thickly (my store had presliced so I used a wide italian baguette)
2 large tomatoes
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Fine sea salt
Flaky sea salt

Directions:

1. Grate the tomatoes in a large bowl, and add fine sea salt to taste.

2. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle fine sea salt onto the bread slices and broil for 3 minutes or until the edges get browned.

3. Rub garlic cloves on the bread, then spoon tomato mixture and top with flaky sea salt. You can add a drizzle of olive oil here as well.

Antipasto Salad, by Diane

Last night it felt like summer, and all I wanted was a fresh and light dinner. I created this mix of deliciousness and afterwards I realized it kind of reminded me of an antipasto salad- but way better! To make it whole30 compliant, just check the meat doesn’t have any sugars in it. This was delicious, quick, and exactly what I wanted after a hot day in the sun.


Ingredients:

30 baby multicolor heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup black or kalamata olives
1 14.5 oz can hearts of palm, sliced into inch rings
1 14.5 oz can artichoke hearts, cut into bite size pieces
1 package prosciutto, rough chopped
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
A splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar


Directions:

Toss everything together and adjust seasonings/oils/vinegars to taste. Eat fresh!

Roasted Beet, Orange, and Avocado Salad, by Cheryl

This is a great start to any meal! I actually roasted the beets the first time I made it, but used canned beets for other times and it was still great. I put it on a bed of arugula to get some greens in. The recipe is from the Whole 30 cookbook. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 medium beets
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 orange, halved, one half zested and juiced, the other peeled and cut into segments
salt and pepper
1 avocado, diced
Extra greens (optional)


Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425. Rinse the beets thoroughly and stab all sides with a fork. Oil the beets and place in tin foil pinching the top to create a seal. Roast for 35 minutes, or until tender.

2) Remove the skins from the beets. Dice the beets into one inch pieces and place in serving bowl.

3) In a small bowl, combine the 1 tbsp EVOO, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, orange juice, salt, and pepper, and whisk until combined.

4) Add the orange segments and avocado to the beets. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle in orange zest, toss to coat, and serve.