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Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

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If you’re hosting a Super Bowl gathering this year, we’ve got a new favorite you’ll want to add to your lineup–Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings. These little fire balls are so much better than you might think. Their texture and taste stands up to the traditional chicken wing but they have far less calories and are seriously fun to eat.

This is not a new idea of course. The healthier version of your favorite burger, fries, nachos–you get it–has been around forever. Normally, my philosophy is, “if you want some cheesy nachos, buy good tortillas and organic cheese and good quality ingredients and just go for it and enjoy them in moderation!” This year, I had two talented dietetic interns working with me, pushing me beyond my comfort zone. Grace Chan and Jane Pelcher, of Golden Gate Dietetic Internship Program, expanded my horizons as they went on a search for healthy wings we could demo with our friends at AAA in Walnut Creek at a Four Pillars of Health event they were hosting for employees.

Scanning numerous options they found, I encouraged them to make the recipe as replicable as possible across the country and as vegan, vegetarian, and food allergen friendly as possible. Ever so slightly adapted from a delicious recipe by Gimme Delicious Food, they tested this fool-proof recipe in their own kitchens for our upcoming demo and decided this was the winner!

Let me just say that these little nibbles are exciting in your mouth. When we arrived at AAA for the demo, Stan Paskewitz of Sodexo had his kitchen staff prepare both this recipe and my Winter Squash Quesadilla with Creamy Avocado Sauce from the Joyful 12. I was blown away by the crunchy texture, taste, and zing of the cauliflower buffalo wings. As the demo went on, AAA employees had the same reaction–surprise, delight, and culinary joy!

What really blew people away was the difference in calories between a cauliflower wing and a traditional wing–whoa! As health supportive educators, we’re not against chicken wings by any means. What we do want to help people realize is that you can get playful with getting more veggies into your diet and feel good knowing they will balance out a junk filled night like the Super Bowl with their nutrient packed makeup.

So here’s to keeping your Super Bowl party healthy and delicious–packed with spice, flavor, and cruciferous vegetable love–regardless of which team wins! Thank you Grace and Jane for upping my game with your expertise and amazingly fun “Guess the Calorie Count” game for our favorite Super Bowl indulgences.

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Adapted from Layla, Gimme Delicious Food
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
  2. 1⁄2 cup milk (V use water or almond or soy milk)
  3. 1⁄2 cup water
  4. 1 cup all-purpose flour (V use brown rice or garbanzo flour; GF use gluten free flour)
  5. 2 tsp garlic powder
  6. 1 tsp cumin
  7. 1 tsp paprika
  8. 1⁄4 tsp salt
  9. 1⁄4 tsp ground pepper
  10. 1 cup hot sauce
  11. 1 tbsp butter (VL use Earth Balance)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425-450F.
  2. Mix the milk, water, flour, and spices in a medium mixing bowl. Mix until the batter is thick and able to coat the cauliflower without dripping.
  3. Dip the cauliflower in the batter either one by one or in batches. Shake off excess batter. Lay the cauliflower single layer on a lined and greased baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, flip the florets half way.
  5. In a small saucepan on low, heat butter and mix in hot sauce. Remove from the heat just as it starts to melt. Stir together and set aside.
  6. Once the cauliflower is done, remove from the oven and put them into a mixing bowl with the wing sauce and toss to coat evenly. Return cauliflower to baking sheet and bake in the oven for another 20-25minutes.
  7. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. V Vegan, GF Gluten Free, L Lactose Intolerance
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Back-to-School Family Dinners Segment on Fox2 KTVU

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With so many back-to-school demands, putting a healthy dinner on the table can feel out of reach. That’s why I was so excited to be asked back on the KTVU Fox2 News Show to share my strategies for making weeknight family dinners a breeze.

I first start with what our family likes to eat–dinners like veggie fried brown rice, grilled meat with two roasted vegetables, or fast fajitas. None of these meals requires a recipe, just throwing together what’s on hand with a very short list of grocery items to round out our ingredient list.

Hollie setting up on Fox2

The two easy dinners I’d love to share with you use my other strategy which is how can I have zero waste in my kitchen, which involves using the items I buy at the store in multiple meals (and back-to-school lunches!), and using a dinner technique that literally takes less than 30 minutes to put together.

Jim birthday shoutout

This past Saturday (also my husband Jim’s birthday), I shared two new favorites on a live segment with Claudine Wong, my favorite local newscaster, who is also a busy mom who knows how challenging cooking on top of a long day at work can be. The whole crew fell in love with our Mango Chicken Soba Noodles, which employs my “build a bowl” technique as well as our Breakfast for Dinner strategy, using cupcake muffin tins to build mini rainbow frittatas alongside carrot curry fries. Both meals are children and family friendly, filling, and healthy–plus you’ll have zero guilt when you use up all of those fresh ingredients you bought on Sunday when you reach the end of your week and find an empty refrigerator!

Claudine eating my soba noodle bowl

Mango Chicken Soba Noodle Bowls
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. Soba noodles, 7 oz, cooked, drained and rinsed
  2. Rotisserie Chicken, 1, shredded with hands
  3. Mango, 1, peeled and diced
  4. Red bell pepper, ½, diced
  5. Carrot, 1, shredded on a cheese grater
  6. Soy sauce, 2 tablespoons
  7. Rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon
  8. Sriracha, 3 teaspoons
  9. Sesame oil, 2 tablespoons
  10. Sunflower oil, 2 tablespoons
  11. Lime, 1 small
  12. Salt, ½ teaspoon
Optional garnish
  1. Sesame seeds
  2. Cilantro
Instructions
  1. Cook noodles separately, according to their package instructions (approximately 5-7 minutes in boiling water—do not salt water!). Get a colander ready so you can rinse the noodles right after they are done cooking in cool water. Note: soba noodles should not be al dente, but you also don’t want to overcook them so taste one before pulling the pot off the heat. Once they have been rinsed, you’re now going to dunk the cooked noodles in a big bowl of cold water and “wash them” of their starch. Use your hands and rub them in the water. Drain again in the colander. Now they are ready to be used.
  2. While noodles are cooking, make sauce with the last six ingredients (from soy sauce to lime juice) in a separate bowl.
  3. Toss sauce, cooked and rinsed noodles, vegetables, mango, and chicken together in a bowl. Enjoy with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top and some chopped cilantro.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/
Loaded with veggies frittata

Mini Rainbow Frittatas
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. Eggs, 6, cracked and beaten
  2. Carrot, 1, shredded
  3. Yellow bell pepper, 1, diced
  4. Basil, 2 tablespoons, chopped
  5. Cheddar cheese, 4 oz, grated
  6. Salt, ½ teaspoon
  7. Black pepper, ¼ teaspoon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line cupcake holder with liners.
  2. In each cupcake liner, add a mixture of vegetables and basil, filling it two-thirds the way up.
  3. Top with cheese and divide egg mixture among them until it fills the cupcake liner.
  4. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. Touch the tops before removing to make sure they have cooked through and are not soft.
  5. Serve with "curry carrot fries." To make carrot fries, toss cut carrot sticks in a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tsp. curry powder, and roast at 400F for 15 minutes.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Easy Homemade Salsas for Taco Tuesday!

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Taco top shot close up

Beautiful photography in this post by Nina Menconi. Huge thanks to Ariel and Debbie Sultan at Food Guru for their amazing video on how to make my salsas.

What I love most about Taco Tuesday is that the whole family can get involved in making dinner delicious. Creating easy to assemble fixings for a build your own taco bar is the way to go when you are tight on time but still want the whole family to eat well. I’ve found the key to keeping this theme night fresh and fun is to mix it up each week with a homemade salsa topper.

My friends Debbie and Ariel Sultan, co-founders of Food Guru, captured just how fun and easy it can be to whip up fresh salsas. After watching our minute-long tutorial, you can become a salsa master, too!

Pineapple radish salsa 1

When it comes to cooking for my family, I love using seasonal fruit like pineapples for my weekly salsa fix. They are so naturally juicy with just the right balance of acidity and sweetness. Just add a little lime juice, cilantro, spring radishes and green onions to your diced pineapple and you’re ready to take your taco to a whole new level. Oh, how I can eat this salsa with a spoon!

Taco Stuffing Ingredients Laid Out

My other tip for making taco night stress free is to keep the stuffing simple. My loco good pinto bean stuffing is ready in just 15 minutes, using canned organic beans and a quick saute of onions and bright yellow bell pepper with spices and fresh lime juice.

Pineapple Salsa Ingredients Placing cilantro on top

Be sure to have some fun this summer trying out your own version of salsa after you’ve mastered my three favorite easy recipes, perfect for any family’s Taco Tuesday.

About Food Guru:

Mother/ daughter team, Debbie and Ariel Sultan, use their baby boomer-millennial perspectives to form Food Guru, a marketing and video production company. They work as an agency and marketing department for food and beverage businesses to create, connect, and convert audiences to loyal customers and influencers. Check out their sizzle reel here.

 

Loco Good Pinto Bean Tacos with 3 Easy Homemade Salsas
Serves 4
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Taco Filling
  1. Pinto beans, (30 oz.)
  2. Garlic, 2 cloves
  3. Red onion, 1
  4. Yellow bell pepper, 1
  5. Jalapeno, 1
  6. Salt, 1 teaspoon
  7. Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
  8. Cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons
  9. Cayenne, ¼ teaspoon
  10. Chili powder, 2 teaspoons
  11. Lime, 1 (juice and zest)
  12. Corn or Flour tortillas, small, 1 package
Pineapple Radish Salsa
  1. Pineapple (1/2 fresh, medium sized)
  2. Red radish, 1 bunch
  3. Green onion, 1 bunch
  4. Lime, 1
  5. Cilantro, ½ cup
Sun Kissed Tomato Salsa
  1. Tomatoes, 4 large
  2. Salt, 1 tsp.
  3. Onion (red), medium sized, 1/4
  4. Jalapeño pepper, medium sized, 1
  5. Cilantro (fresh), 1 cup (packed)
  6. Garlic, 2 cloves
  7. Lime, 1
  8. Olive oil, about ¼ cup
Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa
  1. Tomatillos, 6, medium sized
  2. Garlic, 2 cloves
  3. Cilantro (fresh), 1 cup (packed)
  4. Onion (white), small to medium, ¼
  5. Jalapeño pepper, small, 1
  6. Salt, 2 tsp.
  7. Lime, 1
  8. Avocados, 2
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Drain beans, rinse, and hold.
  3. Cut onion and bell pepper into dice.
Cook
  1. In a preheated skillet, add olive oil and salt and sauté onion, bell pepper and jalapeno on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add spices and continue to cook for another minute to warm up spices.
  3. Add beans and heat through for another few minutes.
  4. Squeeze lime over mixture and stir well.
  5. Build tacos with bean mixture on the bottom and some of your fresh salsa on top!
Pineapple Salsa
  1. Put diced green onion and chopped cilantro (stems and leaves) into a medium sized bowl.
  2. Add the zest and juice of your lime.
  3. To prepare the pineapple: twist off the top. Cut off the rind with a knife. Then cut the pineapple into quarters. Remove the core with your knife. Chop pineapple into dice.
  4. Slice radish into thin rounds or half-moon shapes and add to the salsa.
Sun Kissed Salsa
  1. Cut tomatoes into small dice: first slice into rounds, then into slices and then into dice. We like cutting tomatoes with a serrated knife (bread knife), as it cuts easily through the tomato’s skin.
  2. Put the diced tomatoes in a bowl and add salt to allow the tomatoes to release their natural juices while you are cutting up the remaining ingredients.
  3. Dice ¼ of the red onion.
  4. Deseed the jalapeño, and cut into small dice. The easiest way to do this is to cut down one side, like you would an apple, trying to avoid the core. Then, you can cut down the other three sides. You should be left with a stem attached to the spicy seeds. Discard the stem and seeds. Don't forget to wash your hands after handling the jalapeño! The oils from the pepper get on your skin and can sting your eyes or anywhere else you touch. Many people wear gloves when handling jalapeños.
  5. Roughly chop 1-cup cilantro leaves.
  6. Cut garlic into a fine mince.
  7. Zest and juice the lime.
  8. Drain the salted tomatoes. They should have released a good bit of juice.
  9. In a large bowl, mix the drained tomatoes with olive oil, the chopped cilantro, minced garlic, zest and juice of the lime, diced jalapeño, and red onion. Stir together well. The longer the salsa sits, the more flavor will develop.
Tomatillo Salsa
  1. Turn on your oven’s broiler to high.
  2. Wash the cilantro, lime, jalapeño pepper, and avocados.
  3. Remove the husks from the tomatillos.
  4. Rinse the tomatillos under water to remove the sticky coating. Cut them into halves, and place on a parchment or tinfoil lined cookie sheet with raised sides, and broil for 10 minutes.
  5. Peel the garlic and set aside.
  6. Measure out 1-cup cilantro, packed. Don’t fuss with picking leaves. Just rip off the tops of the cilantro. They will go in a blender, so it does not need to be perfect.
  7. Peel and cut the onion into quarters. You will add ¼ of the onion to the blender for this salsa.
  8. Deseed the jalapeño. The easiest way to do this is to cut down one side, like you would an apple, trying to avoid the core. Then, you can cut down the other three sides. You should be left with a stem attached to the spicy seeds. Discard the stem and seeds. The remaining pieces will go into the blender. Don't forget to wash your hands after handling the jalapeño! The oils from the pepper get on your skin and can sting your eyes or anywhere else you touch. Many people wear gloves when handling jalapeños.
  9. Juice and zest the lime.
  10. Put all the ingredients in a blender, except the avocado, and blend until chunky. Add diced avocado and gently mix. Enjoy!
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Lemony Bright Artichoke and Spinach Orzo

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Orozo cover shot and newletter shot Beautiful photography in this post by Nina Menconi.

I’ll never forget traveling through Italy during late May a few years ago and desperately searching for artichokes featured on any menu. Each time the waiter said, “I carciofi sono finiti”–artichokes are finished–and I would just sigh! How was it possible that we missed the window to enjoy my favorite spring vegetable “alla Romana, al forno, fritti, or in tasty little fried balls called polpette ghiotte?!”

Orzo ingredient shot

You see, I LOVE artichokes. The first time I truly realized that vegetables were cool was as a ten year old girl, and it was the artichoke that did it. My bonus mom, Debbie, was from California and she introduced artichokes to my dad and I–and it was love at first bite. I was fascinated by this foreign food that required not just eating the meaty leaves with your hands but also digging down until you found the golden heart. And so, I was of course dreaming of tasting the love Italians have for our shared favorite–the artichoke (as they call “carciofi,” which in Italian, also means “pine cone!”).

Orzo side by side both

Each May, when I have the chance to work with the local artichokes that are in season, I can’t help but think about how Mediterranean cooks might highlight them in one of their everyday simple pasta meals. Keeping flavors pure and springlike, I imagine they’d lean on staples like spinach, lemon, parsley, onions, garlic and feta and would pick a pasta like orzo that’s fun and fast to cook.

Orozo placing parsley

Orzo final tossing in bowl

Orzo squeezing the lemon While I’m actually using a jarred artichoke heart in this recipe versus fresh for the sake of convenience and speed, here are my tips on how to select and store fresh spring artichokes and help your child fall in love with artichokes the way my family did so many years ago! 

Spring Orzo final shot

How to pick a great artichoke and keep it fresh

  • Select artichokes that are deep green and feel heavy for their size. A good test of freshness is to press the leaves against each other which should produce a squeaking sound.
  • To store artichokes: sprinkle (but do not wash) artichokes with a little water and refrigerate in an airtight bag or container. They can last up to a week when stored properly.
  • If you are looking for a good artichoke outside of their peak season during spring, you may find fall or winter artichokes “touched by frost – winter-kissed with a whitish, blistered appearance.” These are considered to be tender, tasty and premier–so don’t let their ugly exterior leaves deter you!

Artichoke fun facts about this thistle we adore

    • Ask your child what part of the plant they think an artichoke comes from. The artichoke is a flower that has not yet bloomed. If allowed to flower, the buds develop into magnificent purple-blue blooms.
    • Did you know that California produces 100% of the United States artichoke crop? Castroville, California, calls itself the “Artichoke Center of the World.”
    • Do you know where the word artichoke comes from? The Italian words—articiocco and articoclos—which means pine cone.
Lemony Bright Feta, Artichoke and Spinach Orzo
Serves 6
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. Onion (yellow), 1
  2. Garlic, 3 cloves
  3. Olive oil, ¼ cup (divided)
  4. Salt, 1 tsp (divided)
  5. Black pepper, ¼ tsp
  6. Artichoke hearts (quartered), 14 oz
  7. Spinach (baby, pre-washed, bagged), 1 bag (8 cups)
  8. White wine, ½ cup
  9. Vegetable broth, ½ cup
  10. Lemon, ½ large or 1 small
  11. Orzo pasta, 1lb
  12. Feta cheese, 7 oz
  13. Parsley, ½ small bunch
Get Organized
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Bring a large pot of salty water up to a boil for the orzo.
  3. Dice onion.
  4. Empty the quartered artichoke hearts, rinse them, drain and set aside.
  5. Crumble the feta and set aside.
  6. Rough chop parsley (stems and leaves).
To Cook
  1. When water begins to boil, add orzo pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 7-9 minutes). Note: we like to undercook the orzo as we’ll add the pasta to the sauce to finish cooking.
  2. Saute onion in two tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt on medium high heat until translucent (3-4 minutes).
  3. Add artichoke hearts and continue sauteing for another 3 minutes.
  4. Next add spinach, garlic, and two more tablespoons olive oil. Stir well to combine.
  5. Deglaze pan with white wine by pulling the pan off the heat, adding the wine, and then placing the pan back on medium high heat. Use your wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to stir up any of the good onion bits that stuck to the bottom.
  6. Add vegetable broth and continue simmering for about five minutes to help concentrate sauce.
  7. Add another ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and stir.
  8. Turn off the heat. Add lemon, parsley, and feta and stir.
  9. Serve in bowls garnished with extra parsley.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Bursting with Spring Buckwheat Noodles

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Beautiful photography in this post by Nina Menconi.

 

Spring makes me happy. It’s not just the sweet strawberries and ripe cherries that start popping up everywhere this time of year, or the yellow daffodils and tulips that tell me that winter is a distant memory. It’s the baby carrots and happy easter radishes, crunchy sweet sugar snap peas, and tender stalks of asparagus that make me want to cook and play in the kitchen. From radish dips to noodles bursting with spring produce, I’m energized to find ways to easily work in these yummy seasonal treats into my weekly meals.

soba noodles ingredients shot

And it’s not only because I love the taste of spring. Do you know how many nutritious goodies (including energy!) these vegetables and fruits provide?! I love looking at Ashley Koff’s spring vegetable “picks” list to feel great knowing that I’m treating my body and my family’s health right! The key of course is to “try” not go overboard–playing with new recipes should be fun, not stressful. That’s why I love simple one dish meals like soba noodles. I use my go-to sauce from the Joyful 12 kitchen learning lab and just mix up the seasonal produce on hand.

soba noodles up close asparagus

One of my new favorite things to add to soba noodles is roasted tofu. It sounds a little crazy, but I’m a newcomer to tofu as a protein source that makes it home in my shopping cart! I just never played with it much until recently when I was trying out a recipe that called for roasting it. In just 20-minutes, roasted tofu develops the most beautiful brown color and deep flavor without having to pan sear or fry it in a bunch of oil. And while I have the oven on anyway, I throw in some diced asparagus for ten minutes–just long enough to develop flavor but not lose the vibrant green hues.

soba noodles roasted tofu soba noodles roasted asparagus shot

When it comes to play, my motto is always to have fun making mistakes. Take this goof for example. I put my cooked soba noodles into my pan, along with the sauce and veggies and stirred and stirred and stirred, and guess what. The noodles broke! So much for long beautiful soba noodles–more like soba rice! But that just gave me the chance to make this recipe one more time for my husband, Jim, who adores soba noodles. After a little research, I discovered that the trick to not breaking your cooked noodles is to first wash them after cooking them in a big bowl of cold water (to remove some of their starch) AND to add your sauce and veggies off the heat and gently toss them just before serving. Version one was still delicious!

soba noodles sidebyside

If you’re looking for a seriously happy and delicious spring meal, perfect for Meatless Monday, grab some sugar snap peas and asparagus and let the soba noodle party commence!

soba noodles twitter pic

Bursting with Spring Buckwheat Noodles
Serves 4
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. Asparagus, 1 bunch
  2. Olive oil, 3 TBS (divided)
  3. Salt, ½ tsp (divided)
  4. Tofu, firm, 14 oz
  5. Black pepper, ⅛ tsp
  6. Green onion, 1 bunch
  7. Sugar snap peas, 1 cup
  8. Ginger (fresh), 1tsp finely chopped
  9. Soba noodles (100% Buckwheat) 7 oz
Noodle Sauce
  1. Hot pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp
  2. Rice wine vinegar, 2 TBS
  3. Tamari (gluten free soy sauce), 1/4 cup
  4. Sesame oil, 1/4 cup
  5. Ginger (fresh), 2 tsp finely grated
Instructions
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Preheat oven to 425F.
  3. Cut asparagus on the bias into medium sized pieces. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
  4. Dry off tofu and cut into medium sized (bite-sized) cubes, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
  5. Place tofu and asparagus on two different baking pans lined with parchment paper--roast the tofu for 20 minutes and the asparagus for 10 minutes at 425F.
  6. Cut green onion into small pieces. Set aside some of the green tops to use as a garnish on the noodles when you serve them.
  7. Cut the sugar snap peas into bite sized pieces.
  8. Chop 1 teaspoon of ginger and set aside for the vegetable saute. Finely grate 2 additional teaspoons ginger for the noodle sauce.
  9. Make the pasta sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and stirring together.
Cook
  1. Cook noodles separately, according to their package instructions (approximately 5-7 minutes in boiling water--DO NOT salt!). Get a colander ready so you can rinse the noodles right after they are done cooking in cool water. Note: soba noodles should not be al dente, but you also don’t want to overcook them so taste one before pulling the pot off the heat. Once they have been rinsed, you’re now going to dunk the cooked noodles in a big bowl of cold water and “wash them” of their starch. Use your hands and rub them in the water. Drain again in the colander. Now they are ready to be used.
  2. In a pre-heated pan, saute green onion, peas and ginger in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat for 3 minutes.
  3. Add roasted asparagus, tofu, and your sauce to the saute and continue cooking another 2 minutes.
  4. Gently toss sauteed vegetables and sauce with the noodles in a bowl (off the heat).
  5. Serve in bowls garnished with a little extra green onion and sprinkled with hot pepper flakes, if you like it extra spicy!
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Dreaming of Italy–Orange Basil Strawberries with Yogurt

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strawberry-medium1 (1)

About this time every year, I start daydreaming. There’s something about springtime that makes me yearn for new ideas. How can I work peas, artichokes, spinach, and strawberries into my everyday meals in new and exciting ways! This generally means I also reminisce about flavors I’ve discovered through travel.

strawberry-medium6

I can still smell the fragrance those macerated orange basil and mint strawberries gave off. We were traveling in Rome. It was the very end of spring, and we kept seeing strawberries on every menu. One of the things I most admire about Italians is that they are purists in their approach to cuisine. I adore the way they elevate everyday produce in the most simple ways.

strawberry-medium2

Imagine an American restaurant featuring macerated strawberries–by themselves–on their dessert menu. I’m talking no whipped cream, no ice cream! Our Italian waiter insisted we try them. He couldn’t leave it up to us to make a bad choice. This light and refreshing dessert was in our future. Out came a small bowl of sliced strawberries swimming in a simple syrup decorated by curled orange peels speckled with bits of mint and hints of fresh basil. With our spoons, we tried to slowly savor every last bite.

strawberry-medium7
I’ve never been able to replicate that exact experience, but I’ll promise you this interpretation is as close as you can come to a starlit night under Italian stars, sharing a meal with someone you love. I hope you’ll enjoy them as is, with yogurt, and whatever other way you find to be exciting and fresh this spring!

Dreaming of Italy--Orange Basil Strawberries with Yogurt
Serves 4
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. Strawberries (fresh), 16 oz container
  2. Orange, 1
  3. Basil (fresh), 1 small bunch
  4. Mint, 1 small bunch
  5. Sugar (organic turbinado), 1/2 cup
  6. Water, 1/2 cup
  7. Yogurt (plain full fat organic), 2 cups
Get Organized
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Cut off 2-3 big pieces of the orange peel by using a sharp pairing knife and running it closely along the orange’s skin. This will be used in the simple syrup.
  3. With the remaining skin of the orange, zest it and place zest into a bowl. Juice the orange and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
  4. Make the simple syrup by heating the water and sugar together at a simmer until the sugar melts. Add the orange peels to add flavor. Let cool before using.
  5. Wash strawberries, remove green tops, and cut into any shape you like (slice, quarters, etc.).
  6. Wash herbs and dry with a paper towel. To cut into thin ribbons, stack the leaves on top of each other, roll up like a cigar, and cut across the roll in thin strips.
To Cook
  1. Combine cut strawberries, simple syrup, orange juice and herbs in a bowl. You can use immediately or let sit 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
  2. We love to serve these over yogurt. They are also delicious over ice cream, with a rich chocolate dessert, or in your morning oatmeal!
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

What to do with Thanksgiving Leftovers: Sweet-n-Savory Potstickers

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Growing up, my dad always looked forward to his leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwich piled high and slathered with mayo and cranberry relish. There is no denying it remains to be a really delicious way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, but this year I’m excited to try a new family tradition where everyone can get in on the fun–making potstickers with a whole host of holiday leftovers.

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For years, I’ve heard beautiful memories from my husband and his children about their potsticker assembly cooking sessions. That’s what’s great about potstickers. They truly are a team sport! While your extended family is in town, especially the kiddos, making potstickers is a great way to bond over a cooking activity that you’ll remember for years to come.

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And for those of us who hate to waste food, potstickers help you get creative so that even those leftover cranberries get put to good use in the form of a spicy dipping sauce! The really cool thing is that I’m sure your family will find their own creative combination this year as you mix ingredients. My husband, who truly is a pro at making these, was delightfully surprised by my leftover sweet potato version in a brown butter sauce. I’m counting on the fact that we’ll have a whole tray to freeze and enjoy on another weeknight when we’re hankering for some of those delicious creations we made together with family!

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Leftover Turkey Potstickers with a Spicy Cranberry Dipping Sauce
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Ingredients
  1. Leftover turkey, dark and white meat, approximately 2 cups
  2. Cremini mushrooms, 8 oz., pre-sliced
  3. Savory (or Napa) cabbage, 1 small
  4. Green onions, 1 small bunch
  5. Vegetable oil, 1-2 TBSP
  6. Soy sauce, ¼ cup
  7. Sesame oil, 2-3 TBSP
  8. Potsticker (Gyoza) wrappers, 1 package
Spicy Cranberry Dipping Sauce
  1. Leftover cranberry sauce, ½ cup
  2. Soy Sauce, 1 TBSP
  3. Rice wine vinegar, 1 TBSP
  4. Sriracha sauce (or chili sauce), ¼ tsp
  5. Red chili flakes, ¼ tsp
Prep
  1. Chop leftover turkey into small pieces.
  2. Chop cabbage, mushrooms, and green onion into small pieces (mince).
  3. Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add enough vegetable oil to coat the surface, followed by the mushrooms, cabbage, and green onion. Saute on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Once the vegetables start to wilt, add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and mix vegetables with the cut up turkey.
  5. To make the cranberry dipping sauce, place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together. Set aside for cooked potstickers.
Assemble Potstickers
  1. Put tap water in a small bowl. You’ll use this to help seal the potstickers.
  2. Hold the round potsticker dough in your hand. First, dip your finger in the water and run it around the outer edge of the potsticker round.
  3. Next, using a spoon, put your filling in the center of the round. Be careful to not overstuff your potsticker!
  4. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half circle. Seal the edges with your hand.
  5. As a design technique, you can pinch a little skin and fold along the edge of the potsticker (starting at the center and working towards each of the edges).
  6. Make as many potstickers as you can until your filling runs out! I like to line them up on a cookie sheet. We press them down a little when we set them down, which will help the bottoms to brown when you fry them in the pan. Any potstickers we don’t cook that day, we freeze on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag until ready to cook on another day.
Cook
  1. Preheat a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
  2. When the oil is warmed, place potstickers flat side down in the pan. Allow bottoms to brown for 3-4 minutes. Note: you'll have to cook potstickers in batches. Try not to overcrowd your pan.
  3. Once you’ve gotten a good browning on the bottoms of the potstickers, add ¼ cup water to the pan and cover to help them steam and finish cooking for another 2 minutes.
  4. Once the water has evaporated, you can add a little more sesame oil to the pan if you desire for flavor and to finish browning the potstickers in the pan.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/
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Leftover Sweet Potato Casserole Potstickers
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Ingredients
  1. Leftover mashed sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole
  2. Potsticker (Gyoza) wrappers, 1 package
  3. Vegetable oil, 2 tsp.
  4. Butter, 4 TBSP (cubed)
  5. Sage (fresh), 3 leaves, chopped
Prep
  1. Place leftover mashed sweet potatoes (or sweet potato casserole) into a bowl.
  2. Make the brown butter sage sauce and set aside: heat butter over medium high heat until milk solids start separating from butterfat. Swirl butter in pan. When you start to smell hazelnuts and brown bits start to form, add the chopped sage and remove from heat.
Assemble Potstickers
  1. Put tap water in a small bowl. You’ll use this to help seal the potstickers.
  2. Hold the round potsticker dough in your hand. First, dip your finger in the water and run it around the outer edge of the potsticker round.
  3. Next, using a spoon, put your filling in the center of the round. Be careful to not overstuff your potsticker!
  4. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half circle. Seal the edges with your hand.
  5. As a design technique, you can pinch a little skin and fold along the edge of the potsticker (starting at the center and working towards each of the edges).
  6. Make as many potstickers as you can until your filling runs out! I like to line them up on a cookie sheet. We press them down a little when we set them down, which will help the bottoms to brown when you fry them in the pan. Any potstickers we don’t cook that day, we freeze on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag until ready to cook on another day.
Cook
  1. Preheat a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
  2. When the oil is warmed, place potstickers flat side down in the pan. Allow bottoms to brown for 3-4 minutes. Note: you'll have to cook potstickers in batches. Try not to overcrowd your pan.
  3. Once you’ve gotten a good browning on the bottoms of the potstickers, add ¼ cup water to the pan and cover to help them steam and finish cooking for another 2 minutes.
  4. Once the water has evaporated, add the brown butter sage sauce to the pan and coat sweet potato potstickers in the sauce.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Pear Perfect Korean Chicken Kabobs

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#1 cover photo pear kabobs

My husband loves to grill. That’s why I gave him the job of coming up with a recipe for our friend’s birthday party “grill off.” That’s right. When there’s celebration that involves a healthy dose of competition + grilling, you know it’s going to be delicious! People rise to the occasion.

#2 pears for chicken pear kabob

With a theme of dishes from around Asia, Jim got to work on a flavorful marinade using all things he adores and a little help from his diligent internet search: ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic. And just like any great partnership, he asked me for my two cents. My suggestion was to throw in something unusual since this was a competition after all.

#3 side shot pear chix kabobs #4 overhead shot pear chix kabobs

Pears are the perfect addition to a blended marinade. From what we later read in articles like this one I love from The Kitchn, pear juice is often used by Korean cooks as a tenderizer and sweet flavor enhancer. Assuming that many of our “bros” at the party would go big time meat centric, we opted for chicken in the form of a beautiful yellow pepper, onion, and perfect pear chicken kabob. It was a HIT. We even won a little trophy, but don’t take my word for it. Fire up that grill before the snow comes and take a little Korean BBQ adventure with pears this fall.

#5 final shot pear chix kabobs

Pear Perfect Korean Chicken Kabobs
Serves 4
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Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
1 hr
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. Pear, 1
  2. White onion, 1/2
  3. Garlic, 4 cloves
  4. Tamari (gluten free soy sauce), 2 tablespoons
  5. Brown sugar, 2 tablespoons
  6. Sesame oil, 1 tablespoon
  7. Ginger (fresh), approximately 2 teaspoons
  8. Skinless boneless chicken breasts, 3, medium sized cubes
  9. Red onion, 1, medium pieces
  10. Yellow Bell Pepper, 1, medium dice
  11. Wooden skewers, 10
Prep
  1. Place the chopped pear (skin on), white onion, garlic, tamari, brown sugar, sesame oil, and ginger in a blender and pulse until smooth to make the pear marinade.
  2. Marinate chicken for 30 minutes while preheating the grill. Soak wooden skewers in a bowl of water while chicken is marinating.
To make kabobs
  1. Alternate the marinated chicken cubes, thick slices of red onion, and medium diced yellow bell pepper.
  2. Grill for 10-12 minutes over medium high heat, rotating the skewers to sear all sides.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Ginger Kale Salad–A Recipe by Wellness in the Schools

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9-28 #1 cover photo of kale ingredients

When I was a young chef just out of culinary school, I volunteered and worked for Wellness in the Schools (WITS) in New York City. It’s where I learned a love for how to tie healthier school lunches with the importance of teaching kids how to engage with these new foods without fear and loads of joy. You may not believe it, but in just 50 minutes, a Kale Cooking Lab can change a kid’s relationship with food forever. I’ve seen it firsthand.

9-28 #3 Making applesauce in science class sidebyside

The discussion around school food can get complicated really fast. There is policy involved (Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act), the politics and influence of the big food industry, the USDA, and certainly there’s the skills and will challenge of going from a heat-and-serve food culture to actually preparing whole, locally grown foods from scratch for kids. Often as adults, when we do make changes in school food, we generously pat ourselves on the back but forget that we’ve only tackled half the battle. Now, we must educate kids on how to eat that new healthier food so it doesn’t end up in the trash.

9-28 #5 side by side kale ripped 2sidebyside

Yes, you can improve the food served in schools, but if you don’t teach children how to engage with these new foods with all of their senses and reduce the fear of trying new foods, there is a huge disconnect between what’s served and what’s eaten. I saw this first hand while working for Wellness in the Schools. Fast forward 10 years later, and WITS is bringing healthy food and fitness to 40,000 students across 75 public schools, cafeterias, classrooms, and recess yards. Clearly, there’s so much work to be done.

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What I have found I love doing best is not working in the cafeteria but in the classroom. No matter what happens on the school food front, I know that when I teach a child how to cook a simple recipe and engage with farm fresh, local vegetables and fruits with all of their senses, I’ve planted a seed that will grow with them for life. That’s why I’m SO excited about this new partnership with WITS and my partner in the Novato California Unified School District, Miguel Villarreal, our pilot school’s principal and PTA, and our presenting sponsor, Whole Foods Market. Next week, we’re piloting the WITS Labs through our Joyful 12 School Pilot at Lu Sutton Elementary–350 kids will learn how to make this delicious salad and then we’ll feature it on the salad bar the following week on October 7th, National Kale Day.

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I hope you’ll try this easy and delicious recipe with your kids in your home kitchens. I’m betting you’ll find some kale converts in your household after they get to help you grate the ginger, rip the kale from its stems, squeeze the fresh orange juice, and toss the beautiful strands of greens in their honey, orange and ginger soy dressing.

9-28 #11 kale before tossed with dressing 9-28 #12 pouring dressing over kale 9-28 #13 tossing the kale

Ginger Kale Salad - A recipe by Wellness in the Schools
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 2 bunches lacinato (dinosaur) kale,
  2. washed, de-stemmed, and chopped thin
  3. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  4. Juice from 1/2 orange
  5. 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  6. 1 Tbsp honey
  7. 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  8. 1/4 cup olive oil
Prep
  1. Combine vinegar, juice, soy sauce, honey, and ginger in a large bowl and whisk.
  2. Add oil slowly while whisking so that a thick consistency is achieved.
  3. Combine dressing with kale, a bit at a time, and mix thoroughly until salad is completely coated
  4. with dressing. You may not need to use all of the dressing.
  5. Using your hands, massage the kale with the dressing until covered
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Baked Cod with Warm Tomato Salad and Green Beans

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BakedCod for JoyFoodly

Hello everyone. My name is Patty Anderson and I am the owner of the blog Cooking On A Budget. The blog focuses on families who work on a tight food budget showing them that they can provide good, wholesome meals to their families without having to rely on sodium or chemically laden canned or boxed products.

When I was approached to do a guest post using my Baked Cod with Warm Salad for Chef Hollie Greene of Joyfoodly I was honored and thrilled and eager to do it. Why? Because the focus is on eating healthy and passing onto our children the importance of a good balance of fruits and vegetables in our diets.

What is fabulous about this dish is that it is a French inspired preparation of a beautiful loin of cod that makes you feel like you are dining out in a fine restaurant but without the restaurant price! But that’s not all – cod is incredibly healthy for you too. A four ounce portion of cod is loaded with vitamin B12. You need vitamin B12 in your diet to keep homo-cysteine levels low. Lowering those levels reduces your risk for heart attack or stroke and reduces the likelihood of osteoporosis. Overall it’s low calorie and a great source of protein. It has blood thinning properties due to the omega-3 fatty acids.

WarmTomatoSalad for Guest Post

When planning your evening meals you need to know that a four ounce portion of a protein is sufficient in addition to your vegetables and/or fruit. With the cod I chose to do a warm tomato salad that contains fresh herbs. It’s not hot tomatoes – just slightly warm and it complemented the sauce for the fish and the acidity in the tomatoes as well as the lemon, was perfect to balance that out.

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Rice goes well with fish so I made my basic rice recipe and for the vegetable, green beans. I’ve been on such a green bean kick lately and can’t seem to get enough of them. It just so happens that green beans are a featured summer vegetable here on Joyfoodly and personally I could not have been any happier to hear that. Many times in my blog I strongly suggest to my readers that whether it’s a small piece of land available to them or using containers on a balcony, that they utilize the space for summer gardening of vegetables. You can save so much money by planting your own vegetables and even more if you learn to can and how to freeze them.

Green beans – fresh green beans are just delicious and low in calories. Plus green beans are packed with Vitamins C and K and lots of nutrients your body needs. If I am not roasting a vegetable and using the stove top, here is what I do:

Using an appropriate sized sauce pot, fill with enough water to cover the green beans (or what ever vegetable you are having) which means you fill the pot about half to three quarters of the way with the water.

Let the water come up to a rapid boil and then add in salt.

Drop in your vegetable and cooked until crisp tender. Everyone’s version of crisp tender varies so I preferred my beans cooked at 5 minutes, but husband likes his gone a little further. In the case of varying likes you could have a strainer ready over another pot and using a spider or slotted spoon remove the beans at 5 minutes for yourself and cook a few minutes longer for other family members.

Let’s move on to the recipe:

Purchase two large cod loins and split them in half for four portions. I am using cherry tomatoes as that is what I have. However if you wish, purchase some other kind of tomato to use in the tomato salad. Heirloom if you love them and can afford them or regular larger tomatoes will work just as well.

  • 2 large cod loins – cut in half for 4 portions
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 1 – 2 tbsp. (gluten-free) bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 lemon – juiced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes – halved
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh parsley – rough chopped
  • 1 good squeeze lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

This link will take you to my blog, Cooking On A Budget for the cooking instructions.