Currently Browsing: First Course & Sides
Incredible Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic
These are a weekly staple in my house. Serve them too for Thanksgiving – everyone loves these! Seasoned, Roasted and Tossed in Garlic, Butter and Parsley.
Yummy Pumpkin & Oatmeal Pancakes
Delicious and loaded with healthy ingredients with tips on how to cook a pumpkin and make homemade Pumpkin Puree.
Mediterranean Gypsy Soup
A Healthy, Satisfying Soup with all the flavor to awaken your taste-buds. “Gypsy” ~ a free spirited soup with a rich assortment of ingredients.
Raspberry Crunch Salad with Raspberry-Almond Oil Vinaigrette
Crispy, Crunchy & Sweet ~ a brilliant, colorful, healthy salad… make place at your Thanksgiving table for this treat! Make the dressing ahead and adorn with my Nut and Seed Crunch (see recipe) This recipe is included in The Salad Gazette from the great minds at The Devil Wears Salad in Australia. The salad is on […]
Tomato Risotto – Northern Italian Style
Delicious and Creamy!! I’m using Three Tomatoes – Peeled Plum Tomatoes, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Fresh Sliced Cherry Tomatoes. Risotto is a traditional Northern Italian dish, and a common way to cook rice in Italy. It’s a creamy & tender mixture made from a starchy short or medium-grained rice. Arborio is the most popular short-grain […]
Karen’s Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette with Shallots and Garlic
The perfect Zesty Vinaigrette for Salads and Beyond! This vinaigrette is my daily salad dressing staple! Easily whisk ingredients together and store in the refrigerator. Terrific paired with my: Radicchio Salad with Mustard Croutons and Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette
Crispy Crouton Skewers
These skewers offer a nifty way to serve croutons!
Bolognese Sauce with Tempeh and Mushrooms: It’s Vegan!
This Plant-Based Sauce is a lightened up, hearty and delicious! A recipe to master. Tempeh is a staple protein source and perfect for a vegetarian and vegan diet – a great substitute for meat… really grabs flavors! Cooked with classic techniques: Sweating, Sautéing and Braising.
Healthy Side: Butternut Squash Purée with Ginger and Browned Butter
Delicious and creamy – chock full of nutrients Simple to prepare, just 3 main ingredients! – plus salt & pepper and parsley. Browned Butter – also called beurre noisette, named because it smells like hazelnuts and has a similar nutty color, plus a nutty, toasted flavor. It enhances the flavor of almost everything!
Roasted Garlic Tahini Dressing and Dip
A fabulous dressing and dip that is a game-changer for every cook! Creamy, garlicky (yet mild from the roasted garlic), slightly sweetened with maple syrup and enough zesty flavor from fresh squeezed lemon.
How to Roast Whole Garlic Heads in Olive Oil and How to Use It
Mellow yet with deep concentration – oven roasted garlic cloves enhances the flavor of everything!
Haricot Vert with Garlic, Almonds, Pomegranate Seeds and Shiitake “Bacon” with Za’atar Seasoning
The perfect side dish for Thanksgiving and the Holidays! Full of color & flavor – can be made early in the day. Vegan. Sauté Haricot Verts in a hot skillet to blacken the edges. Add Garlic Chips, Shiitake “Bacon”, Toasted Almonds, Pomegranate Seeds and Za’atar Seasoning.
Karen’s Lightened-Up Alfredo Sauce
A versatile sauce you’ll make again and again. Light on calories ~ big on flavor! The recipe uses Homemade Chicken Broth, yet use Vegetable Broth for Vegetarian.
Pumpkin Stuffed Shells with Lightened-Up Alfredo Sauce
Taking Comfort Food to a Whole New Level! Italian Pasta Shells Stuffed with Fresh Ricotta Cheese, Smoked Mozzarella, Roasted Pumpkin, Fresh Spinach, Shiitake Mushrooms in a Creamy Lightened-Up Alfredo Sauce. Delizioso!
Amazing Veggie Chili Without Beans
A Healthy and Hearty Chili Chock Full of Veggies with Chick Peas, Lentils, Butternut Squash and Cremini Mushrooms in a Tomato Based sauce with Homemade Chili Seasoning – dig in and be creative with your toppings!
Acorn Squash and Celeriac Soup for Fall
A Creamy & Chunky Soup with a Coconut Cream Swirl and Hatch Chiles… very comforting and healthy! Perfect for weekdays, special enough for company and holidays. Many types of winter squashes make glorious soups. I recently picked up some Acorn Squash and thought – maybe an underdog squash for soup… is butternut squash really superior? […]
Baba Ganoush with Roasted Peppers
Fabulous & Smokey Eggplant Mediterranean Dip & Spread you’ll keep making and enjoying! Healthy and Delicious. A recipe all good cooks should master – the perfect healthy nosh or appetizer.
Fall Salad with Chèvre and Pink Pearl Apples
A salad to “fall” in love with! Starring Fall ingredients like Radicchio, Pink Pearl Apples, Pink Radishes, Delicata Squash and teamed with Chèvre Cheese and Pistachios. Fresh fall produce makes this salad stand out, and will satisfy your healthy cravings. Farmers’ markets are jammed now with end-of-summer delights! Visit one and let the season offerings motivate you […]
Pesto Compound Butter over Grilled Swordfish with Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes & Peppers
Have too much Summer pesto on hand? Make delicious compound butter in minutes! Slice and add to just-off-the-grilled local swordfish ~ melts into a dreamy sauce.