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Rosemary Almonds

I love almonds. They’re one of my favorite nuts, next to cashews, pistachios and hazelnuts. I love almonds, not only for their flavor and crunchy texture, but also because they’re a great source of protein. I read somewhere that eating 5-10 almonds a day gives you all the protein you need for that day. Great news for me… because I rather eat almonds than beans any day of the week.

I wanted to treat the mothers in my life with something I made… instead of something bought. I read this recipe in the Barefoot in Paris Cookbook where Ina uses cashews to re-create these bar nuts she ate at Union Square Café in New York. I decided to go with almonds instead of cashews because I needed to make a large batch and almonds tend to be less expensive than cashews.

I loved the results… and as Ina says in her book, these taste best when they’re still warm.

ROSEMARY ALMONDS

3 cups peeled raw almonds

2 tbs minced fresh rosemary

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tbs kosher salt

1 tbs unsalted butter, melted

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread thee almonds on a baking sheet and toast for about 10-15 minutes, particularly if you soaked the almonds to peel them. If you prefer to keep the almonds with their skin, toast them for a shorter time to avoid burning them.
While the almonds are in the oven, combine the rosemary, salt, pepper, sugar, and butter in a large bowl.
Add the toasted almonds to the large bowl with the salt/sugar/rosemary mixture. Toss well to combine.
Serve warm if possible.

These are great as a snack, as a hostess gift… you name it. They’re super delicious.

Tags: almonds, brown sugar, rosemary

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Categories appetizers, snacks

Quesadilla Caprese

7 Feb

I love Caprese salads… fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Mmmmm!!! So when Rachael Ray proposed in one of her shows to make quesadillas with an Italian twist, I was all eyes and ears.

I tried this one night I wanted a quick dinner… this Quesadilla Caprese works great alone or accompanied with a salad. As an appetizer or as lunch or light supper. The fresh mozzarella is very watery and oozes a bit when you’re making it, but the flavor is amazing.

QUESADILLA CAPRESE

1 whole wheat tortilla

4-5 fresh mozzarella slices

3 tomato slices

4-5 fresh basil leaves

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brush some olive oil.
Place whole wheat tortilla to warm up. Flip over to the other side.
Place 1/2 of the mozzarella slices, tomatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper, place basil leaves and the remaining mozzarella slices. You need cheese next to the tortilla side to act as the “glue” that will keep the quesadilla closed and together.

5. Press down with a spatula. Some of the moisture of the cheese will ooze out. Don’t worry, keep the skillet warm enough and the tortilla will not wilt. Actually it helps to build some crust on the outside rim. Flip it a few times to get the cheese well melted on both sides.

6. Dress with a additional drizzle of olive oil.

Try it… it’s awesome.

Tags: basil, fresh mozarella cheese, quesadilla, tomato, tortilla

Comments 4 Comments
Categories appetizers, main courses

Stuffed Mushrooms

21 Jan

I realized last night, I made this recipe a few months ago and forgot to post it…

I love mushrooms. I salivate when I travel to visit my sister in Indiana or to New York and go to any regular supermarket and see the wide variety of fresh mushrooms available. Here we get mostly white button mushrooms and with luck, sometimes we can find portobellos, creminis or oysters… but they’re usually old soggy-looking, so I never buy them like that.

I learned this recipe from my other good friend, Giada De Laurentiis. And until now, I haven’t realized my photo resembled so much the photo in the Food Network website. I usually make this by “eye-balling” the proportion of the ingredients… so we’ll just use Giada’s proportions as a guide this time.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs – I grind ww breadsticks or leftover bread in the food processor
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Garlic & Herb Seasoning or Italian Seasonings
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
28 large white or cremini mushrooms, stemmed

Save about 1/2 the mushroom stems

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare the stuffing by mixing in a bowl the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, seasonings, salt and pepper. Add olive oil until the mixture is damp and holds somewhat together when you press it between your fingers.
Take about 1/2 the mushrooms stems you took off and chop them very finely. Add them to the breadcrumb mix and combine.
Fill each mushroom cap – not too tightly because they might break.
Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet, place mushroom caps on sheet and drizzle additional olive oil on top of the mushrooms.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes until mushrooms are soft and the top of the filling is golden brown.

7. Serve warm.

These are great as an appetizer or as a side dish. I once made a “stuffed night” and served these mushrooms with my Stuffed Peppers and worked great.

Tags: breadcrumbs, cheese, cremini, mushrooms

Comments 1 Comment
Categories appetizers, side dishes

Acid Fruit Salad

19 Jan

Fruit salad come in different varieties – those made with what we call “sweet” fruits – like bananas, papayas, mangoes, red apples, etc. And my favorite, “acid” fruit salads, made with fruits that are more tart, like oranges, kiwi fruit, grapes, strawberries, pineapples, etc.

At work, we planned a breakfast to celebrate a co-worker’s birthday. I was somewhat surprised thta no one had offered to bring any fresh fruits. The “pot luck” menu was full of baked goods, greasy foods and not a fruit in sight. So I offered to bring a fruit salad. This is one of my favorite combinations…

ACID FRUIT SALAD

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut in small pieces

5 kiwi fruit, peeled and cut in small pieces

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in small pieces

1 medium bunch of green or red grapes, cut in half and seeded, if not seedless

2 navel oranges, peeled and supremed

4 red plums, peeled and cut into small pieces

the juice of 1 lemon

honey to taste

Mix in a large bowl the pineapple, kiwi fruit, grapes and plums.
When you peel and cut the apple, drizzle some of the lemon juice to prevent browning. Add to salad.
To supreme the oranges, peel all the orange until you reach the flesh. With a paring knife, cut in between each membrane so you get clean segments of orange without the membrane. This way it’s easier to eat. Add to the salad. Squeeze the membrane over the salad to capture any remaining juice.
Drizzle with some honey to sweeten if the fruits are too tart. This will also help “juice” the fruits a bit.

This is the best way to start your day… Enjoy!!!

Tags: fruit salad, granny smith apple, honey, kiwi fruit, orange, pineapple, plums

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Categories appetizers, breakfast, Salad, snacks

Tuno Antipasto

19 Jan

Antipasto… when you hear the word you probably think of a platter of salamis, deli meats, Italian cheeses, olives, roasted peppers, etc. And you would be right…

However, don’t ask me why or how, but in Puerto Rico, a party delicacy served warm made out of tuna or chicken, stewed with lots of onions, peppers and in a rich tomato sauce is also called an antipasto. My version, of course, is made with Tuno – a brand of frozen soy protein flavored with seeweeds to taste like tuna.

You can have this as a warm party “dip” or it goes great on top of rice or even pasta.

TUNO ANTIPASTO

1/3 cup of Tuno, defrosted

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

1 medium cubanelle pepper, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1/2 cup pureed tomatoes or tomato sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 laurel bay leaf

1 roasted red bell pepper

2 tbs capers or sliced green stuffed olives

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, pour olive oil and onions. Sautee for a few minutes, add peppers and garlic. Add some slat and pepper to help the mixture release some moisture. Sautee until softened.
Add frozen Tuno. Cover saucepan, this will help the Tuno defrost completely.