All posts filed under: Gourmet Cooking & Recipes

healthy snacking: pumpkin granola – seasonal

Published by

Since I’ve been on this healthy diet and eating kick, I am always searching for ways to create a better version of what I can buy processed from a grocery store.  Here’s one, which, I think I can either use as a snack or eat it with my almond milk as cereal. Pumpkin Granola: 2 cups Rolled Oats (scoop this up from the bulk aisle! Bonus: these are gluten-free!) 1/3 cup Pure Pumpkin Puree 1/2 Agave Nectar or Pure Maple Syrup 1/2 cup Coconut Oil- melted (Place open jar on top of stove while preheating oven!) 1/2 cup chopped Pecans 1/2 cup chopped Pistachios 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds 1/3 cup Coconut Flakes 1/2 cup Golden Raisins Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, bring all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Evenly spread mixture out on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes until golden-browning occurs. A good gage is to look at the color of your raisins, for they cook fast. If they look really dark like the way mine did- you’re done. Your …

healthy recipe: fig, ricotta and hazelnut hors d’oeuvres

Published by

There are evenings, when I come home from work, I don’t necessarily want to have dinner or even bother with making one, so I open a bottle of red wine and put together something quick to pair it up with and voila it’s dinner. (I don’t recommend this if you have small children in the house 🙂 ) Anyway, here is an easy recipe I found here and I must say it is heavenly and a wonderful pairing with a bottle of red wine on those evenings when you need to have an out of the norm experience. Grilled Fig, Hazelnut and Ricotta Crostinis Ingredients: 1 cup part skim ricotta 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon hazelnuts, lightly toasted 1/2 cup honey, divided 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 10-12 fresh figs (mission or kadota or whatever is local), cut in half lengthwise 1/2 French or sourdough baguette, sliced into ½ inch slices and lightly toasted 1. Place ricotta, hazelnuts, 1/4 cup honey, and ground cinnamon in a food processor and process …

dessert recipe: pumpkin crème brûlée

Published by

I don’t know too many people who do not like Crème Brûlée, maybe that’s a bold statement, but I am almost certain, the fact, the dessert is almost on every menu in most restaurants, is a clear indication it is a favorite. So, since  the holiday season is upon us, here in the U.S., I couldn’t help but fall in love with a recipe I found here, concerning crème brûlée and pumpkins. :). Check it out: 1/2 cup granulated sugar 5 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 cinnamon stick 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1 vanilla bean 3/4 cup. pumpkin purée 4 tsp superfine sugar reserved for top of brûlée Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks. Combine the cream, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and vanilla bean (de-seeded) in a saucepot, and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. Whisk in the pumpkin purée. Divide the mixture among four 8-oz. ramekins and place in …

healthy recipe: artichoke soup with salami, quinoa, lemon and parsley

Published by

Usually during the colder months I tend to eat heartier, but this year, I have decided  to try and stick to a leaner meal plan (well at least as much as possible). I figured soup is a good way to start and I have found a recipe here,  which I couldn’t wait to try and one that I highly recommend. Artichoke Soup with Crispy Salami and Lemon-Parsley Quinoa Serves 4 For the soup: 2 (14-oz.) cans artichoke hearts, drained 2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 cup chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream 2 tsp fennel seeds Salt and pepper For the quinoa: 1/2 cup dried quinoa 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves 1 tsp. lemon zest (from about 1 lemon), plus 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice Extra-virgin olive oil 4 large thin slices genoa salami Preheat the oven to 350º. In a medium saucepan, add the artichoke hearts, the garlic, half of the chicken stock and half of the cream; cook over medium heat until warmed through. Add the fennel seeds and season …