Delicious Crisp BAKED Veggies!

Follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to making some shockingly delightful savory treats that you can feel awesome about.

1. Preheat oven to 220 C/425 F

2. Cut your veg into 8-cm/3-inch sticks, making sure they are even in thickness.

3. Line a baking tray with baking paper and a light layer of olive oil.

4. SEASON – go with the usual salt&pepper and branch out to one or two of the following (Choose Your Own Adventure-style): paprika, cumin, cayenne, crushed red peppers, thyme, rosemary, sage – really, whatever takes your fancy and suits your meal. Using premixed spice blends is a great option too – Italian, Mexican, Old Bay – you know, just not all at once.

(Today I used salt&pepper + smokey paprika and crushed red peppers.)

Lightly toss your vegetable batons with a tablespoon or so of olive oil (not too much) and the herbs and spices.

5. Spread your seasoned veg over your lined tray and roast, tossing halfway through, for about 20 minutes or until golden and slightly browned at the edges.

Baked Butternut Squash Fries

Baked Butternut Squash Fries

one 2lb butternut squash

2 tablespoons canola oil

salt

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and cut the squash into long, thin french fry shapes (roughly 1/3″ thick). In a large bowl, toss the squash with oil, using your hands to evenly coat each one. Lay them on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet and salt them generously. Bake for about 40 minutes, flipping halfway for even crispness. Serve immediately with extra salt and ketchup.

Broccoli Fritters

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped broccoli (1/4 inch cubes, steamed till tender)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1/2 cup flour (I used bread crumbs as a substitute)
• 1/3 cup parmasean cheese
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Prepare, combine, and lightly mash ingredients. (except the oil)
2. Oil pan and put on moderate heat. (Flick with water to see if it’s ready… It’ll sizzle)
3. Plop mixture into 3” rounds, lightly flatten with spatula
4. Cook for 1-2 mins per side
5. EAT!

Ultimate Baked Brie

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 12-ounce bottle Heinz® Chili Sauce
1/3 cup Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2 7 to 8-inch wheels Brie cheese
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300ºF.

Combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, and dried cranberries in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until smooth.

Using warm, sharp knife, cut 1 wheel of cheese in half horizontally. Place bottom half on ovensafe serving plate. Spread 1/3 cup cranberry sauce mixture on cheese on plate. Top with remaining half of cheese, pressing lightly. Repeat with remaining wheel of cheese and 1/3 cup cranberry sauce mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is softened. Spoon remaining cranberry sauce mixture over cheese. Sprinkle with almonds, if using. Serve warm with crackers or bread.

Makes 16 to 20 appetizers

Summer Succotash

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 medium cloves of garlic, halved lengthwise
• 1 sweet onion, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups sweet corn (about 4 ears of corn)
• 1/4 pound fava beans, blanched
• 15-20 small cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound carrots, cut into thick 1/2-inch slices
• handful tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, halved
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the butter in a heavy, wide pan or pot with a lid. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and let the butter melt until frothy. Add in the garlic and onion, along with about a teaspoon of salt, stir, and cover. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring every other minute, until the onions are soft, but not browned.
2. While the onions cook, blanch your fava beans. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add in the whole beans. Cook for 5 minutes, until they have turned a bright green, then remove from the hot water and place in an ice bath. When the beans are cool to the touch, remove them from the pods. Add to the corn kernels and set aside.
3. Keep the water, if it is clean enough, to blanch the tomatoes in. First, poke each tomato through the skin with a knife. Bring the water back to a boil, and add in the cherry tomatoes. Let them cook for 10-15 seconds or so, then remove and place in a bowl. When they are cool to the touch, simply peel away the skins. Set aside.
4. Remove the lid and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate, then pour in the cream and let it reduce by half, stirring every so often. Add in the corn and fava beans and stir until the kernels are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside for the time being.
5. Drain the water from the pot you blanched the beans and cherries in. Add in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add in the chopped carrots, cover, and cook, stirring every so often, for 10 minutes or so, until softened. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside.
6. Place the pot with the corn and beans over low heat. Add in the cherry tomatoes and carrots, then add in the roughly chopped tarragon, the juice of half a lemon, and freshly ground black pepper (and more salt, if needed). Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Mango Orange Yogurt Popsicles

2 mangoes, peeled and diced
Freshly squeezed juice from 1 large orange
200 ml water [3/4 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp]
150 g sugar [rounded 3/4 cup]
Yogurt

Fill the bottom of your popsicle mold with the yogurt, then freeze it until the mango puree is ready, but for at least 30 minutes.

Stir sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Process mango and orange juice in a food processor until smooth, add syrup and process to combine. Let it cool in the refrigerator.

Fill popsicle molds and freeze until firm. Insert wooden popsicle sticks and return to freezer until frozen. Dip molds in hot water to unmold before consuming.

Cherry Apple Whiskey Sour Poptails

 

Makes eight 2-and-1/4-oz. popsicles

· 3 cups cherries (weighing 1lb)
· 1 large green apple (weighing 6oz)
· 1 lime (weighing 3 1/2oz)
· 1 cup whiskey
· ½ cup of sweet and sour mix (homemade recipe follows)

1. Pit cherries; set aside. Peel away apple and lime skin and cut fruit into quarters.

2. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until mixture is pureed. Mixture will be thick.

3. Pour mixture into popsicle forms and freeze for about 2 hours or until mixture starts to solidify enough to hold a popsicle stick upright. Insert popsicle sticks and finish freezing popsicles overnight. To release popsicles run hot water on the outside of popsicle molds for a 2-3 seconds.

Sweet and Sour Mix

· 1/2 cup water
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 1 cup lemon juice

1. Place sugar and water in a sauce pan and heat until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside to cool before using.

Shrimp and Avocado Bruschetta

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:

• 1 lb. rock shrimp, rinsed and patted very dry
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Avocado:

• 3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed
• 3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, leaves only, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the Bruschetta:

• 2 baguettes, thinly sliced and toasted

Instructions:

For the Shrimp:

1. Heat your olive oil in a large pan or wok. Add in the shrimp and sprinkle with the spices. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. If there looks like there is a lot of liquid in the pan, drain it from the shrimp.
2. Be sure to let the shrimp cool to room temperature before storing them – you never want to put hot food directly into a container and into the fridge. You can serve the shrimp at room temperature or chill them in the fridge to serve later in the day (the shrimp can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours).

For the Avocado:

1. Half the avocados, remove the pit, and cube. Place in a large bowl and toss with the lime juice, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

For the Bruschetta:

1. Place your sliced bread on a baking sheet and brush with a little oil. Bake at 450 degrees F for 4-5 minutes, until toasted and golden. Top each slice with a bit of avocado, then with the shrimp. Serve within 24 hours of making.

Lemony Macaroni Salad

1 lb. macaroni, cooked and cooled
3 stalks celery, minced
3 large carrots, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/3 cup parsley, minced
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
3-4 tablespoons milk
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. First, cook your macaroni, then when it’s done, drain the water and rinse the pasta under cold water so that it stops cooking. Set aside.

2. Mince your celery, carrots, red onion, and parsley, then toss them with the macaroni, mayonnaise, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Let sit for at least 1 hour, covered, in the refrigerator, then taste and adjust seasonings again. This will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Salmon Donburi

Total Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings

For the Sushi Rice:
2 cups uncooked short grain rice (usually this is just labeled as ‘sushi rice’)
2 cups water (for cooking – you will need plenty of water for rinsing/washing the rice)
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
tiny pinch of kosher salt (less than 1/8 teaspoon)

1. Place your rice in a mesh sieve and begin to rinse it under cold water, shaking it gently as the water runs, so that all of the grains get washed. Do this until the water runscompletely clear – it should take 8-10 minutes. I used my hands to move the rice around to be sure that it was completely rinsed. You might think that the water is running clear after 3-5 minutes, but let the rice sit a moment, then start rinsing it again, and you will see that it’s not ready yet, so just be diligent. Some people soak the rice in water for an additional 30 minutes, then rinse it again, but I made this after work and didn’t have that much time – if you want to do it the ‘proper’ way, though, go ahead and soak and rinse again.

2. Drain the rice well, shaking it so that as much water is removed from the rice as possible. This, again, should take 3-5 minutes. Place the rice in your rice cooker and add 2 cups of water to the rice. Start the rice cooker and let it go until it has finished, then let it stand for 5 minutes or so. Alternatively, if you do not have a rice cooker, you can cook the rice on your stove top according to the sushi rice package’s directions.

3. While the rice cooks, place the rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, then set aside to cool slightly.

4. When the rice is ready, spread it out onto a large baking sheet in a thin layer, and slowly pour the vinegar mixture over it, gently moving the rice around so that all sides of all of the grains absorbs the vinegar. You may not need all of the vinegar, but the rice should be shiny and smooth looking when you are done. Taste it, and add more vinegar if you like (I used all of mine because I love the taste, but some people have limits). Place a wet paper towel over the whole pan of rice until you are ready to use it.

For the Salmon:
1 pound salmon, filleted and thinly sliced
4-5 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons mirin
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ginger, grated (or finely minced)
thinly sliced seaweed (for garnish)
extra scallions (for garnish)

1. First, slice your salmon as thinly as possible. If your salmon has skin on it, simply slice a small sliver near the tail so that you can grab the skin, place the knife at an angle, and pull the skin while keeping the knife in place so that you peel the skin away from the fish itself. Slice the fish thinly, at an angle, and place in a bowl. Gently mix together, using your hands, with the scallions, mirin, rice wine vinegar, and grated ginger.

2. To make the donburi, place some of your sushi rice in a bowl and arrange the sliced fish on top, then garnish with a few more scallions and some seaweed. Serve immediately.