It was a particularly cold and rainy Sunday night in Malibu, so I decided to warm things up in the kitchen and cook a delicious comfort food dinner! Cooking always cheers me up, and theres nothing like a hot stove and some rigorous chopping to keep you warm! Luckily, I own an in-home Rotisserie, making cooking the perfect chicken a flawless procedure.
Much to my dear sweet Chocolate Lab Ginger’s delight, I decided that my organic chickens innards were not to go to waste! Can’t think of a more decadent treat for a dog…
Nothing brightens up a plate more than a medley of colorful seasonal veggies!
Soup is one of my favorite things to make from scratch, its healthy, and you can store it for days in your fridge to save for a quick afternoon snack, or a light dinner after a long day when you are too tired to cook.
Being treated like a Queen means being treated like the best! My husband treats me so wonderfully that tonight, in honor of Morton’s, I decided to cook him some of their famous recipes!
Black Bean Soup
1 lb dried black beans
2 slices bacon, diced
1 small to medium spanish onion, diced
1 small celery rib, diced
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
8 cups canned chicken broth
2 1/4 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
Rinse the beans and transfer to a bowl. Cover the beans with cold water and let soak for at least 8 hours. Drain and change the water 2 to 3 times during soaking if possible.
In a Large stockpot, cook the bacon over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the fat is rendered and the bacon is starting to crisp.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic…
and cook, partially covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Drain the beans and add them to the pot.
Add the chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, and pepper.
Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are soft but still hold their shape. Season to taste with salt.
Puree the soup until smooth. You can thin with more chicken broth or water if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream!
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
18 slices bacon
18 Jumbo Sea Scallops, side tendons removed
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
6 Tbsp Apricot Chutney
Apricot Preserves
Prepared horseradish
Whole black peppercorns
Preheat Oven to 450 and soak six 6-inch-long bamboo skewers in cold water for 20 minutes
Ccook the bacon on a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned but still pliable enough to wrap around the scallops.
Drain the bacon on paper towels.
Wrap a slice of Bacon around each scallop. Thread the scallops through the bacon onto the skewers, leaving 1/2 inch between each scallop. There should be 3 scallops on each skewer.
Pour the butter into a large ovenproof dish, and put the skewers in the dish and then rotate to cover the scallops evenly in the butter, then lay the skewers flat in the pan. Roast the scallops for 4 minutes. Turn and roast for about 4 minutes longer, or until the scallops are opaque.
Carefully slide the scallops from the skewers using a fork or small blunt knife onto your plate, and spoon a tablespoon of chutney beside the scallops. Serve garnished with the lemon halves!
You will need to thoroughly thaw, drain and dry the spinach
Then you can mix the eggs, feta, ricotta, scallions and spinach together in a large bowl…
You will then need to prepare the phyllo dough, which can be a bit tricky. It will need significant time to thaw as it comes frozen, and then the important thing to keep in mind is that you need to prevent the layers from drying out as you carefully unroll the dough and peel the layers apart. (It will become tissue paper-like and will dry quickly if you are not careful) The best way to do this is to keep a damp towel over the unrolled dough after each piece is removed and laid into the dish.
Lay the dough layers down one by one, brushing each one with melted butter, and once half the dough has been used, spoon the spinach mixture on top, before repeating the dough laying process with the rest of the phyllo on top!
Be sure to cut your pie into portions before baking, as it can become messy if you do once its cooked and flaky.
And now you have a delicious appetizer or even a main dish if you wish!!
Now here’s a healthy snack you can make at home with just a few easy ingredients and a food processor. Chickpeas are high in protein and do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fat, while garlic and lemon are full of antioxidants, making hummus the perfect figure friendly dip or spread!
All you will need is…
2 Cans Chickpeas
Tablespoon of Tahini
Approx. half cup Olive Oil (depending on preference)
Clove of Garlic
Lemon Juice
Paprika
Add the chick peas, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice into the food processor…
Sprinkle a little Paprika on top and you are done!!
Preparation for this easy healthy snack or side dish can be done in as little time it takes to boil a pot of rice! Quinoa is a healthy alternative to most grains, as it is rich in protein and boasts health boosting properties!
Quinoa
Scallions
Parsley
English Cucumber
Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Mint
Lemons
First you will need to cook the Quinoa (Boil as directed on package)
Slice and dice your cucumbers…
Chop the scallions and mint…
Mix the cooled quinoa, scallions, cucumber, mint, parsley and tomatoes (whole or halved depending on size) in a large bowl with some fresh lemon juice…
