DIABETIC FRIENDLY MEXICAN QUINOA SKILLET

For those of us who have Type II diabetes, you KNOW how hard it is to find something quick, easy and tasty that won't send your glucose meter into a spin. Well, here is a recipe that is very diabetes friendly and it SCREAMS comfort food taste.

This recipe is super quick and easy to make!!  It is definitely going directly into my 5 star recipe box and I will be freezing single portions of it for my busy day quick hot lunch!!

 

This is delicious at room

temperature too !!

SPICY QUINOA

1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 seeded and deveined jalapeno pepper chopped (optional)
1 cup quinoa (rinsed well and drained)
15 ounce can rinsed and drained kidney 
1  diced red bell pepper
14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes (un-drained)
1  14.5 ounce can of water
1 cup corn  (I used frozen)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (depending on taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see note below)
4 ounce can diced mild green chile's (un-drained)

I like making this in my electric skillet for better heat control. S

Saute the chopped onion in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until the onions are soft and starting to smell sweet. Add the garlic and saute for almost a minute (but watch so it doesn't burn).

Add everything else (except the avocado); stir well, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer and put the lid on to cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on how hot your pan is).  After 20 minutes, turn heat OFF but leave lid on and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Just before serving add:
1 peeled and diced avocado
Juice of 1 lime (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

NOTE: I usually add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to this recipe instead of the jalapeno pepper, but then I don't care for super spicy food. That's the nice thing about this recipe...it is super adaptable.

NOTE: This freezes very well (before you add the avocado). I put it in one cup containers and freeze them.  To eat, put it in the microwave frozen and heat for 2 1/2 minutes. It makes a great lunch.

NOTE: My all time favorite way to eat this (and maybe it is just me), but I love it steaming hot, topped with a scoop of ice cold fat free cottage cheese.  Yum!!!

ENJOY !!!

Mini Ricotta Cakes with Berries - Tortina di Ricotta con Frutti di Bosco

Soft and moist mini cakes with ricotta cheese. Topped with deliciously sweet fresh berries and Nutella

A few weekends ago I went to one of my favorite Italian restaurant in the area, and had a delicious tortina di ricotta with berries on top. Sooo good that I have been dreaming about it since!
Obviously I had to try and make it myself. The dessert was soft and moist, but not quite a cheese cake. A bit spongy and dense-ish but not quite a pound cake. Not too sugary, but covered with deliciously sweet fresh berries and chocolate sauce.
With all this information, I gave it a try. I first experimented with lots of ricotta, very little flour and sugar, and no baking powder. Good, but not quite good enough. With a little more flour, some baking powder and the addition of lemon zest, I got it! My second batch came out delicious. These mini cakes look and taste just like the one at the restaurant. Here is what I did:
Ingredients to make 12 small cakes

• 15 oz ricotta
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs
• zest of one lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup flour 
• fresh organic berries
• Nutella     

Preparation time: about 60 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl,  mix the ricotta with the sugar.

Step 2: Stir in the eggs. Blend in the  lemon zest, vanilla extract, baking powder and flour.

Step 3: Fill the silicone muffin pan  about three quarters of the way. Bake for about 30 minutes, until nicely golden on top.

Step 3: Let them cool off a little bit before removing from mold. Melt some nutella in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Cut the fruit and place a few pieces on top of each mini cake. Sprinkle with nutella.

Enjoy :-)

Artichokes and Pancetta Puff Pastry Cups

Crispy and cheesy puff pastry cups filled with the perfect combination of delicate artichokes and savory pancetta. 

Yummy!

Here is a perfect party snack, or an amazing way to start a delicious meal. Either way, this step-by-step recipe will show you how easy is to make this exquisite appetizer. Using frozen puff pastry makes  the job super easy and fast. Just thaw the pastry sheets, prepare the stuffing in only a few minutes and throw in the oven.

These savory cups are crispy and cheesy. Every bite is filled with the delicate and sweet flavor of the artichokes, complemented by the scrumptious taste of the pancetta.
And did you know that artichokes are one of the top vegetables with high antioxidant levels? With all the pancetta in this recipe, we might need all the antioxidants we can get to help protects the healthy cells in our body. Great example of a balanced diet :-) 
Buon appetito!!


Ingredients: to make 18 cups (serving 6-9 people)

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 9 oz (about 1.5 cups) of frozen artichoke hearts (I used the Trader Joe's frozen )
• 4 oz of pancetta
• 6 oz (about 1.5 cups) of shredded  mozzarella cheese
• 4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons of whipping cream
• 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry (I used the Pepperidge Farm - 1.1 lb)
• 1 egg
• salt

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Thaw the pastry sheets at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes. In the mean time, rinse the artichoke hearts with water for about 1 minute in a colander. Cut them in small slices and sautes' in a pan with the olive oil for about 5 minutes, over medium heat. Salt to taste.

Step 2: Cut the pancetta in strips and add to the pan. Saute' only for a couple of minutes.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Stretch the pastry a little bit, and cut each sheet into 9 squares. Each square should be bigger than the muffin mold cup (I used silicone )  as shown in my picture. Push down with your finger in the middle, and keep the sides up. The pastry can stretch a little, but careful not to break it.

Step 4: Mix the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and the whipping cream with the artichokes. Divide the mixture into each cup evenly.

Step 5: Close the cups by pulling together the four corners of the pastry square. Seal tightly by pressing the corners together and folding down a little bit, to make sure the cups will not open while baking.

Step 6: Beat the egg in a small bowl, and brush it on top of each cup. This will give a nice golden color to the puff pastry.

Step 7: Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden on top.

Serve hot or warm. Enjoy!!

 

This recipe was also published on Honest Cooking:

Homemade Crème brûlée

Perfect dessert to impress your special someone.

Rich and velvety custard creme, topped with a layer of crunchy caramel. This is to die for!

You won't believe how simple is to make this Crème brûlée from scratch, until you try!
This is the perfect dessert to end your fancy dinner party or to woe your special someone. And you can make it as good as your favorite restaurant: super rich creamy custard topped with a deliciously sweet and crunchy layer of caramelized sugar. Absolutely perfect! Can't wait to crack the top :-)

Ingredients: to make 4 servings

• 4 egg yolks
• 10 oz (300 ml) of heavy whipping cream
• 4 oz (110 ml) of whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) of sugar
• about 4 tablespoons of brown sugar

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus about 50 minutes baking and at least 2 hours refrigeration

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 C). In a medium saucepan heat the milk with the whipping cream and the vanilla extract. Bring to a slow boil.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar. When the milk is hot and starting to boil, pour into the eggs slowly, stirring continuously  until smooth.

Step 3: Pour the mixture, evenly, into 4 individual size ramekins. Place them into a large oven pan. Pour boiling hot water in the oven pan, up to about halfway the sides of the ramekins.  Careful not to pour water the ramekins :-) Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is slightly golden, sides are set and center still slightly jiggly.

Step 4: Remove the ramekins from the hot water and let them cool off. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the cream will set. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar, and using a torch, if you have it, caramelize the sugar to form a crispy golden top. If you don't have a torch, preheat the oven to broil. Place the ramekins under the broiler until the sugar melts. It should take between 30 seconds to two minutes, based on your oven. You have to be really careful and make sure not to burn everything! The broiler on my oven it's very powerful, and it only took a few seconds. Wait a few minutes before serving! You can also refrigerate again and serve a room temperature.

Sinfully delicious! Enjoy :-)

HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT

The Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas baking season is just around the corner and I decided to stock the pantry with baking supplies.  Well, I was shocked at the increased price of good quality vanilla; some of it is as high as $15 for just a few ounces!!

With that in mind, I decided to make my own vanilla, although I had NO CLUE how to do it. After some Internet research, I was thrilled to learn that the process was SUPER EASY and only takes TWO ingredients (vodka and vanilla beans)!!

At first I was concerned because vanilla beans are not always in my budget. I like McCormick brand spices, but their price for TWO vanilla beans is over $10!! Homemade vanilla extract would be outrageously expensive at those prices, so back to the Internet.

I discovered that the best vanilla extracts are NOT made out of the same kind of vanilla beans that you bake with (whew!! That was a relief.). Vanilla extract is made with Grade B vanilla extract beans (I didn't even know there was such a thing). Google it and you will find a lot of places to buy them. Just make sure they are labeled MADAGASCAR BOURBON EXTRACT GRADE B VANILLA BEANS.

The 6" beans aren't very pretty to look at (they aren't plump and supple and you CAN NOT bake with them), but they make GREAT extract. When you order them, they will arrive looking like this:

Supplies
1 quart of vodka  (see note)
4 ounces of Madagascar  Grade B extract vanilla beans

This makes a LOT of vanilla, but I have in mind to put it in pretty little bottles and tuck it into holiday gift baskets, so a quart of extract is a good thing.

TIPS: 
Don't waste your money on expensive vodka, thinking that this will make better vanilla...it does not.  Good news!! The cheapest vodka works just as well as expensive vodka for this project!!

You will need a jar that is a bit bigger than a quart since the vodka AND vanilla beans have to fit in it (I learned that the hard way).

Cut the grade B extract vanilla beans into 1/2" pieces and put them into the quart of vodka..........that's it!!  Now all you have to do is shake the bottle a little (every few days) and after a month, it will be extract!! What could be easier?

Before using the extract (or giving it away), strain the spent vanilla bean pieces out of the extract. If you don't want ANY vanilla seeds in the extract, run the finished product through a coffee filter.

Decorative bottles like this are available online for about $2.50 each, they would make a pretty gift.

This extract will be good forever, or until the very last drop. No need to refrigerate it.

 

This photo is only 2 weeks into the extract process

(see how rich it looks already?)

For those of you who are concerned that homemade vanilla

is not as "strong" as commercial vanilla...never fear!!

This homemade vanilla is very potent (in a good way) and

you will LOVE it!!

 

ENJOY!!!

Healthy and Fresh Pasta Salad with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese

Fresh and easy pasta salad, filled with healthy ingredients and Mediterranean flavors

Happy first day of fall!
Even if the temperature cooled down a little bit in the last couple of days, here in Southern California, it doesn't really feel like fall at all. No gray sky and chilly weather. No orange and red leaves (mostly), and no need to snuggle under a blanket around the fireplace... well, I could still do that anyways! Maybe I do miss a bit the change of seasons, as I was used to growing up in Italy. But the sunny and blue skies and perfect beach weather year around is what I love most about Southern California. Nowhere else I lived, I could play tennis and beach volleyball any day of the year!
Yesterday, it was another great day at the beach. The ocean water was still quite warm and boogie boarding was great. After the super hot days last week, I still felt like preparing a picnic lunch very fresh, easy, and requiring very little time around the stove. This dish is filled with healthy ingredients and Mediterranean flavors: organic spinach and tomatoes, fresh ricotta, and some delicious olives .
You can use your favorite olives in this recipe. Anything, like kalamata or Greek olives, with a strong taste that will complement the sweet flavor of the ricotta, tomatoes and spinach. You can also substitute the ricotta with feta cheese for a bolder flavor.
Looks amazing, right?


Ingredients: serving 4

• about 3 oz of organic fresh baby spinach
• 2 fresh, organic tomatoes
• 1/3 cup of pitted olives (Kalamata or Greek)
• 1 cup of fresh ricotta cheese (or feta cheese)
• salt and pepper to taste
• few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 12 oz farfalle pasta, or other short pasta, like penne or conchiglie

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Directions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. As soon as the water boils, cook the pasta as directed in the box.
Step 2: Cut the spinach in thin strips, cut the tomatoes in small cubes, and slice the olives. Add all in a large bowl. Salt to taste and sprinkle with olive oil.

Step 3: Drain the pasta and run it under cold water to stop from overcooking. Toss in the bowl and mix with all the ingredients. Wait a couple of minutes and mix in the ricotta cheese (or feta) crumbled into pieces.

Enjoy!