Ingredients:

4-5 garlic cloves
4 Thai green chilies
Bunch of Cliantro
Bunch of Basil
1 tsp ground corianer
1 tsp ground cumin
thumb size piece of peeled fresh ginger
1 can coconut milk
3 stalks lemon grass
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
——————–
Spinach
Potatoes
Carrots
Broccoli Florets
Baby Portobello Mushrooms
Cherry Tomatoes

Directions

Put garlic, cilantro, basil, spices, ginger, lemongrass peeled and chopped in food processor and blend slowly add in coconut milk and olive oil
once well blended put on low heat for a few minutes ….

In separate pan, sauté vegetables with olive oil and then add to Curry Paste….It’s very delicious and healthy……..Noe: the Curry Paste can be frozen
in ice cube trays for months and can be added to chicken, shrimp, what ever you love !!

This was a rave amongst my clients who are strict vegetarians.  It offers lots of protein with the eggs and nuts.  It’s also made with rice noodles. I also added bok choy & spinach which makes the dish even more nutritious.

Ingredients

8 oz dried Pad Thai noodles
3 eggs
5 minced garlic cloves
3-4 heads of baby bok choy
2 cups of bean sprouts
1/3 cup fresh cliantro
1/4 cup ground peanuts

Pad Thai Sauce

3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste
1/4 cup hot water 2 tsp chili sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from heat.  Soak noodles in the hot water for 6-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Pad Thai Sauce: 

Dissolve 3/4 Tbsp of Tamarind Paste in 1/4 cup of hot water. Add 2 tbs of chili sauce, 3 Tbsp brown sugar and make sure sugar
dissolved.  Reserve.

Place your wok or frying pan on low heat add olive oil…Sauté garlic until fragrant add the bok choy and spinach until softened. Then add the mixed eggs let sit for a minute as you want chunks.

Add the drained noodles and above sauce and mix….may want to add more chili sauce,

To serve:  Place mound of Pad Thai on serving platter sprinkle ground nuts, cilantro, green onions, and bean sprouts Add weges of cut lime on the side

Enjoy !

Nothing more comforting than Banana Bread and a great way to start the day.  And is very nutritional.  It also makes a great gift for someone you want to express all your appreciation and gratitude.  Banana Bread is called a quick bread because you don’t have to add yeast to it.

Quinoa called the “mother grain” to the Incas is still an important food in South American cuisine.  Quinoa is a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids.  It is also higher in unsaturated fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains, and it provides a rich and balanced source of vital nutrients.Quinoa looks like pretty little tiny beads and is Ivory-colored.

Who does not love Chicken Piccata? A great Italian recipe and so easy to prepare.  It is very healthy and can be included in menus for client’s with dietary requirements to follow.   (Unless you are vegetarian of course!)

I made this lasagna for a client that can’t eat tomato sauce or any meat.  It was made with layers of Béchamel sauce, Ricotta, Mozzarella & Parmesan Cheeses & ground Turkey.  My client loved the way it came out.  The contrast of textures from the firm layers of Lasagna noodles & the creaminess of the white melted cheeses made it almost taste like dessert.  But yet it was not too rich.  The delicious layers of pasta & filing could also make this a family favorite.  Also, if you don’t want to eat it right away it freezes well.  You can cut individual squares & put them in Ziploc Freezer bags up to at least a month.  Often, I will also make this for a client and just freeze it in the baking dish uncooked and they will then cook it for 30 minutes when they are ready to after a long day from  work.

Ingredients:

Béchamel Sauce

7 Tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of flour

4 cups of whole milk

Lasagna filing:

1 LB of Ground Turkey

1 carrot

1 celery

1 onion

1 Tabs of  finely chopped garlic

2 Tabs of finely chopped parsley

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of wine

1  1/2  lbs of Ricotta

3 eggs

3 cups of shredded Mozzarella

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 lb pre-cooked Lasagna

Directions:

Pre-heat oven 375 degrees

Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of flour and cook the flour until it turns a soft yellow which means the flour taste has been  cooked out but don’t let it turn brown.  Do this over a low flame.

Whisk 3 1/2 cups of heated milk until a silky consistency, if too thick add more milk

Grind a pinch of nutmeg ( or can buy already ground)

Set the Béchamel aside.

Ground Turkey:

Sauté your ground turkey and break it up with a fork when it turns brown add 1 cup of milk until it evaporates, then add 1/4 cup of white wine until it evaporates then pour in sieve and let the juices strain in a bowl…set aside. Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and sauté with about 3 Tablespoons of olive oil and alittle butter.  When cool combine with the ground turkey in a bowl. Your turkey filing is now ready.

Ricotta:

Mix together 1 1/2 Lbs of Ricotta & 3 eggs

Assembling the Lasagna:

Into the bottom of a 13” x 9” pyrex baking dish or close enough! Spread 1/3 of Béchamel, arrange the pre-cooked Lasagna sheets side by side covering the bottom of the baking dish,. Then evenly spread the Ricotta cheese,  & the turkey mixture, and then grind a blanket of parmesan cheese. Arrange a second layer of pasta sheets and spread the Ricotta cheese, the turkey mixture, and shredded Mozzarella & 1/3 of the Béchamel.  Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets & top with remaining Béchamel, Mozzarella, & grated Parmesan.

This all seems like it might be involved but it barely takes 30 minutes to put this Lasagna together.

Baking:  350 degrees 30 minutes.

Line a large baking sheet with foil and place lasagna dish on top, cover the lasagna with foil & put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top bubbling about 20-30 minutes, remove cover and bake about 10-15 minutes.

With your oven mittens take out and cool on a rack or heat proof area in the kitchen.  Please note I like to serve this about 30 minutes after it is cooked so everything sets and it is even more delicious the next day!

This is again one of my dishes under comfort food for the winter…….and I realize this is not for those of you on any special diet but can be made for a small informal  party or the kids or just to have ready after a long day!  Once a year, it’s a must!!!

Bouillabaisse was traditionally made by Fisherman in Marseilles France.  It is a fabulous fish stew & low in carbs.  It was made with at least 7 different kinds of ‘catch of the day fish,’ and along with shrimp, mussels and clams.

Makes 6-8 servings

4 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion chopped

2 carrots chopped in cubes or chunks

2 celery chopped in half-moons or chunks

2 cups or so of seeded chopped tomatoes

2 or 3 ribbons of orange peel with a vegetable peeler

1 teaspoon of minced fresh tarragon  or chopped fennel bulb

(note this is optional and adds a hint of a licorice taste….) so use sparingly.

3 Tablespoons of Dill (note:  I love Dill and it is beautiful in this fish stew)

5 sprigs of fresh parsley

1/4 cup of Dry Vermouth

1/2 lemon

4 cups of fish stock

1 LB Shrimp

1LB Mussles

24 small Clams

1LB white fish (Tilapia, Cod, Snapper, or/& Seabass (*anything but dark-fleshed fish )

1. Sauté onion, carrots & celery until translucent in olive oil

Add tomatoes, dill, tarragon, orange peel, 1/4 cup of vermouth,  &  some lemon   slices    (1/2 a lemon)

Add the fish stock turn to high and boil cover and turn heat to medium-low

Add the fillets to the broth,  then the mussels, then the clams, and put the shrimp in last.  You only want to cook the shrimp until it just starts to turn pink.  (discard any clams or mussels that don’t open.)

Serve:

You may ladle out in your favorite soup bowls and either garnish with basil or dill .  I suggest serving with garlic bread & a dollop of saffron aioli.

Garlic Bread:

Simply buy a baguette and cut open slices not all the way through and brush on garlic butter. Then wrap in tin foil and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Garlic Butter:

I finely chop at least 5-7 garlic cloves or use your mortar & pestle and smash them, then add to a stick of butter and slowly heat on a low flame.  Do not brown the garlic or it will be bitter.

Saffron aioli

Is an option to make and serve in the fish stew along with sliced garlic bread.

2 cloves of garlic peeled

a small pinch of saffron

pinch of sea salt & pepper

1 cup of Mayonnaise

a tiny squeeze of lemon juice

Combine in your mortar and pestle or cusinart until smooth.

Note:  When making the fish stew be sure to use a wide pan so all the fish  is evenly set amongst the tomatoey fish stock.

I look forward to how you will enjoy this wonderful wholesome fish stew/Bouillabaisse where you may adjust your seasonings to your taste, fennel, or tarragon, or basil, you could even add the saffron directly in the broth which has an interesting undertone.

Voila!

Fish Stock for Bouillabaisse:

As you have seen, I strongly urge you to start making your own stocks.  They are easy and wonderful to have ready in the freezer for sauces and soups.

QUICK FISH STOCK

If you buy the shrimp with the peel on, you can boil 1LB of the peel and add a couple of heads and skeletons from the fish which alot of fishmongers can give you.

Recipe:

1LB of Shrimp Peels (reserve the shrimp for the soup)

1LB of Fish heads (gills removed) &/or skeletons taken from the white

fleshed fish

1 Quart of water/ or 14 cups add to soup pot

2 carrots

2 celery

2 sweet onions

Sauté onions, carrots, & celery in about 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Combine all ingredients and bring water to just a boil & simmer & partially cover the pan & cook 30 minutes not much more or gets too fishy.

Strain pressing on the vegetable & fish to extract as much juice as possible

Cool and refrigerate 2-3 days or freeze.

Butternut Squash is one of my favorite soups and can easily be eaten as a meal for either lunch or dinner. It too is lovely and very elegant to serve as an appetizer for any dinner party. I love to add sage and nutmeg to it but as I always say add your favorite fresh herb, even chopped parsley would be fine. What makes this soup so comforting is the roasting of the Butternut Squash which allows it to be richly flavored.

1 butternut squash
1 sweet onion
1 Tablespoons unsalted buttter
1 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon of chopped sage
4 cups of chicken stock

Preheat the oven 400 degree. Roast the squash for 45 minutes. Be sure to prick the squash and place on a baking sheet. Once tender take out andg Cool the squash and peel and cut in 2” chunks.

Sauté the onions Add the honey and the chicken stock and squash. Boil and simmer. Cook until tender about 45 minutes to 1 hour. With a hand held blender puree the squash. If too thick add some more stock. Then strain in a sieve and serve with spirals of creme fraiche