Quick and Easy Dips

Instead of opening a jar of olive tapenade or a dip from the refrigerated section of the market, consider making your own. If you keep some key ingredients on hand and have a small food processor or blender, you are in business!

The olive tapenade is so easy and so much better when made fresh. The beauty of it is that you can make a small amount if you are just having a few friends or more for a party. It can be used on top of chicken or even in a sandwich. And when you make it yourself, you can control the salt, garlic and rosemary (or even omit one of these).

The white bean spread is a great starter and really healthy. This recipe calls for canned beans but you could easily cook your own. Use this method to produce fresh beans, done in about 3 hours:

Rinse 1 cup of dried beans (e.g. garbanzo) with water and place in pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cover, turn off heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse. Cover with fresh water and bring to a boil and then simmer about 30 mins-1 hour, checking for firmness. Add salt to taste. 1 cup of dry beans will yield about 2-3 cups of cooked so keep that in mind when cooking.

I hope you like these recipes. These seem to be real crowd pleasers!

ps: and thanks to some friends for the use of their counters during the "photo shoot". They were very patient while we were taking the pictures. But, we made up for it by feeding them the dips!

Olive Tapenade

1/2 jar of pitted kalamata olives, drained (about 1/2 cup)
2-3 Tbl good quality olive oil
1 clove garlic
Fresh rosemary (start with 1 tsp or so)
Good pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor. Pulse until olives form a paste. Add more oil if necessary. Serve with crackers or bread.

White Bean Dip

Makes about 2 cups-great with crackers or raw veggies

1 16 oz can of cannellini or white beans
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1-2 garlic cloves (remember, the bulb is the whole piece; a clove is one part that you pull off)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 Tbl fresh parsley
1/4 - 1/2 cup liquid from the can of beans

1. Drain beans and set aside liquid from can. Rinse beans with water.
2. Combine beans and everything else except the liquid from the can in blender or food processor for 1 minute.
3. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from beans. Blend for 2-3 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Add more liquid or salt if necessary.

Olallieberry Crisp-Regular and Gluten-Free

Some of you might understand this; others might think it funny. Today, while I was in my exercise class, during one of the hardest parts, all I could think about was this crisp I was going to make later that day. I thought about the berries, so ripe and juicy. I thought about how I was going to take the perfect recipe I had used in the past and adapt it to gluten-free. I thought about whether I should serve it with whipped cream or ice cream. All of this while I had about 40 lbs on my back, doing squats to some great music (thank you Jodi and Joe from Fit Studio!). All I have to say is that I earned every bite of that crisp.

Olallieberries are only in season a short time (mid-June through mid-July) so I actually had to schedule our picking. We are trying to make it a family tradition to do every year. Well, it happened that some friends of ours asked us to dinner on the same evening. What better way to enjoy these delicious morsels than to share them with friends?! I decided to make a crisp. But, with my daughter's gluten-sensitivity, I had to adjust the recipe a bit. Plus, I've been trying to use slightly healthier ingredients when baking.

Now, here's a secret. When I want to cook something new, I usually look at 2-3 recipes, review the ingredients and the technique. I then take the best of the best, so to say, and design my own. That's how I created the original crisp recipe. For the gluten-free version, I checked my favorite blogs but felt like the best was the original. I did, however, get a great tip about how to incorporate the butter and flour. It's in the recipe below.

I had my recipe now all I needed was my berries! We are lucky to live so close to a fantastic "u-pick" berry farm, Swanton Farms, at the Coast Waves Ranch location. The first time I went was 2 years ago when my son was 2 and daughter 7 months. That day was particularly memorable because the three of us had such a good time together. I was picking berries while my son "helped". At some point, I said to him "You know, you can eat them." And basically after that the picking stopped and he ate his way through the rows! So yes, bring the kids and maybe even a picnic lunch.

Last year when they were older, it was even more fun. And now, I'm getting really good at it. The trick is to find a row with a good amount of dark berries, usually ones furthest from the cashier. Look for dark purple, almost black berries, that are plump. Pull gently. If it does not come right off of the stem, leave it to ripen a bit longer. When you get home, rinse gently with water. Pat dry and either place in a shallow container in the fridge, or freezer bags, keeping them as flat as possible so as not to crush the other berries. Use in pies, crisps, jam, shakes and muffins.

Now some of you, especially those from the east coast, might be saying, what is an Olallieberry?? Personally, I had never heard of them prior to about 5 years ago. According to some research I did, the olallieberry is a cross between a blackberry, loganberry and youngberry, originated in 1949 in Oregon, but mostly thriving in California -- especially on the coast.

Ok, now let's get cooking, or really baking. I thought it would also be helpful to break this recipe down a bit, since I'm providing the gluten-free variation.

The Filling:
Crisps are very versatile. You can use a mix of fruits, more or less berries and vary the sugar. Really; don't be scared to do it! Most recipes call for about 4 cups of fruit to fit into an 8"x8" pan. For that amount, I use about 1/2 cup of sugar. If the berries are sweet or if you like your crisp a bit tart, you can use 1/3 cup. You need something to thicken the berries. Most recipes call for flour but I used corn starch (but less of it). You could also use tapioca flour.

The Crisp Topping:
This is a combination of oats, flour, butter and sugar. Same rules apply. Use less sugar if you'd like. You could probably even substitute canola oil for some or all of the butter. This recipe can be used with apples, blueberries, peaches, etc.

I really hope you'll try one of these recipes! I would suggest serving with vanilla ice cream (regular or soy) or fresh whipped cream. Enjoy summer and the berries that define it.

Olallieberry Crisp

Filling:
* 4 cups olallieberries, cleaned and stemmed (or you can substitute blackberries)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 3 Tbl all-purpose flour

Crisp Topping
* 6 Tbl unsalted butter, cut into one-half-chunks (see note below)
* 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
* 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup rolled oats
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray a 2 to 2-1/2 quart baking dish. Make the Crisp Topping and set aside. Mix the berries, sugar and flour and toss gently so as not to break the berries. Transfer the berry mixture to the buttered baking dish and cover with the crisp topping. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet in oven (to catch any juices that might spill during cooking) and bake until the top is well browned and the berries are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.

Note: You can try this trick for the butter if you'd like. Freeze the butter for at least an hour. When ready to prepare the crisp topping, remove the butter from the freezer and "grate" the butter into the flour mixture using a microplane. I tried it and it was a great way to mix the butter into the flour.

Gluten-Free Olallieberry Crisp (seen above, with some slightly healthier variations)

Filling:
* 4 cups olallieberries, cleaned and stemmed (or you can substitute blackberries)
* 1/3 cup organic white sugar
* 2 Tbl cornstarch

Crisp Topping
* 4 Tbl unsalted butter, cut into one-half-chunks
* 6 Tbl ground flaxseed meal (this is used to replace some of the fat)
* 3/4 cups organic brown sugar (or try succanat)
* 2/3 cup gluten-free flour mix
* 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats, like Bob's Red Mill
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Follow instructions above.

Chicken Mango Salad in Wonton Cups

Are you looking for an impressive appetizer for a summer party? Look no further. When I first heard of these, I thought it would be too much work. I had tried making these cups once and it just didn't come out right. Maybe I didn't have the right recipe (Ha! Irony!). But now I'm convinced it's a great way to add a little zing to your next gathering.

The great part about this recipe is once you make these tasty cups, you can fill with almost anything! Kids think they are fun because it's like a filled chip and most adults like the presentation. Here's how I did it:

Wonton Cups
1 package of wonton skins usually has 48 pieces. When you are preparing, think about how many people will be at the event and how much other food is being served. I would estimate each person would eat 2-3 of these so make as many as you need.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush vegetable oil (canola or peanut, for example but not olive) on one side of the wonton. Place this in a mini muffin tin, pressing down to form a cup. Brush a little more oil on the inside of the cup. Place in the oven and bake 8-12 minutes or until golden. Be careful; they can go from light to very dark quickly. Once they are done, remove from the tin quickly and allow to cool. These will keep, covered at room temp, probably 2-3 days before you need to use them (if it's very humid where you are, they may not stay crisp as long).

Mango Chicken Salad
This recipe really can be any kind of salad you want: chicken, tofu, quinoa, shrimp; use your imagination!

1 1/2 cups of chopped chicken (you can cook your own or use leftover rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup of mayonaise
1/4 cup mango chutney (you can use more depending upon your taste)
1-2 Tbl chopped red onion
2 Tbl chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp curry powder (or you can use just curry or just tumeric; again, use more if you like)
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Optional: chopped red pepper; chopped cashew or peanuts; 1/4 cup chopped mango (fresh or frozen)

Mix all ingredients. This will taste better if it can sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. When you are ready to serve, place about 1 Tbl of filling in the wonton cup. You can garnish with a little cilantro on top.

If you have extra filling, it's great in a pita pocket or in a wrap. Enjoy!

Strawberry Fields Forever

It's Strawberry Time!

How could you not want to grab one of these and just take a bite? If you happen to live in an area where strawberries are bountiful from May until September, like in Northern California, this is the norm.

On this particular day, I was at the Half Moon Bay Farmer's Market. When I brought these organic strawberries home, my kids were fighting each other for them. The berries were just so naturally sweet. Luckily, I was able to get a few myself.

So, what to do with these gems besides washing and eating? Well, strawberry shortcake is always an option. Find yourself a good biscuit recipe and make sure to have some biscuits on hand. You can always make them ahead and freeze.

For the cream, I like to use the wire whisk attachment of an immersion or hand blender. I put that, along with a metal bowl, in the freezer first.

Then, take the strawberries and wash them. You won't need to dry them since some of the water on the berries will help to make the juice. Remove the stem, slice, then place into a bowl. Sprinkle with organic sugar (the sugar helps draw out the juices) and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. You can also mash gently with a potato masher to get some more juice out.

To make the cream, take your favorite organic heavy cream (1/2 cup is a good start; you could always make more) and add 1/2 tsp of vanilla and 2 tsp of organic white sugar and place in the metal bowl. I haven't tried it with agave nectar but if you did want to use it, I would suggest using 1 tsp only. It might make the cream beige-looking, though. Now take the wire whisk and attach to the hand blender and blend all of this at a high speed until you have thick peaks. That means when you pull the beater out, the peak on the cream is stiff and doesn't fall over. You can also taste for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. Be sure not to overbeat or you will have very sweet butter!

Get ready to serve. Cut the biscuit in half. Spoon strawberries on top of biscuit and top with whipped cream. How easy and how awesome is that?! You can also use angel food cake for something with less fat (but remember, it still has sugar).

My next recipe is a family favorite. I adapted it from my friends Abby and Cesar. I like to call it the crazy shake because it's crazy to put oatmeal in a shake, right? But here it is and it works. This shake actually helped me lose 25 lbs. last year. It's very filling, healthy and delicious. Try it on your kids, too. It might take a while to get used to the oatmeal but it's worth it. Enjoy!

Crazy Strawberry Shake

¼ cup crushed ice
½ cup strawberries, cleaned and destemmed
½ cup non-fat milk
½ cup non-fat plain yogurt
½ cup plain oatmeal (instant or regular)
About 1 tsp of agave nectar

Blend together until smooth. Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings.

Buy local and support your farmer's market!

The Best Quinoa Pilaf

I attended a veggie pot-luck dinner with some friends recently. I look forward to meeting up with this group because they are so creative with the use of grains and veggies (ahh, people after my own heart!). Ironically, the family chef brought only wine because I am currently without a kitchen (more to come on that later).

I thought I would share my latest recipe with the girls since I had made up this quinoa dish last week. They said I better write it down before I forget an ingredient and I joked that I might do it on purpose!! Ok, I'll do my best but I can say that some times technique is everything. If you want to learn how to make this dish first hand, check out my website for a class schedule.

Someone who had this dish said it was one of the best dishes they ever had (ok, it was served over a yummy apricot chicken which helped). Even my husband who usually doesn't like sweet entrees, was surprised how much he enjoyed it. I hope you might give it a try.

Almond Quinoa Pilaf
Serves 3-4

1 cup of quinoa, rinsed
Olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
Cinnamon
Cumin
Pepper
Salt
1/2 cup Sliced Almonds

1. Prepare quinoa: Place in a pan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes.
2. While quinoa cooks, heat pan and add oil. Add onion and cook for a few minutes, then carrot and then pepper. Add a sprinkle of cumin and cinnamon and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until soft. Remove from pan and place in bowl.
3. Wipe pan if necessary. Add almonds and toast. Add to bowl.
4. When all of the water is absorbed in the quinoa, add to the veggies and almonds and stir together. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve warm or room temperature.

Beef Saffron Risotto

I was asked recently for my "signature dish". That was a tough one. I have a few that I find I make over and over that would qualify. But when it came down to it, I thought about what it is I feel I represent; easy, nutritious and delicious meals that can feed the whole family.

Although I'm providing the recipe, it always helps to watch someone make it. I'm going to include it in my "Easy Weekday Meals" class. If you are interested in hosting or attending a class, please let me know.

I like this dish because I can get home at 5:00 and dinner is on the table by 5:45. It’s easy and covers my protein-starch-veg dinner goal. My mom made a variation of this for me when I was young so when I eat it, it brings back memories. I hope my children will say the same thing, and maybe yours will, too!

Beef Saffron Risotto
Serves 4

1-1 ½ lbs of natural, grass fed ground beef (like Niman Ranch)
1 Tbl Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (or ½ large)
¼ - ½ tsp pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp salt
Few strands of saffron
1 cup of Arborio rice
4 cups of organic chicken broth, heated to just boiling
1 cup frozen peas, slightly thawed

1. Heat large pot to med and add ground beef. Press into pan and allow to cook for a while before you turn/stir so you get some browning. Add pepper.
2. After a few minutes, stir and cook until there is no more pink. Remove from pot and drain fat.
3. In the same pot, add olive oil and heat to medium. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
4. Add beef, salt, and saffron threads and stir. Add rice and cook for 1 minute.
5. Begin to add hot chicken broth, 1/2 cup or more at a time. Stir every few minutes and add more broth when needed. Make sure rice is simmering but not boiling. Check after 20 minutes or when broth is used up. If you need more liquid, just add hot water.
6. Add peas and stir. Cook for 3 minutes or until heated through.
7. Garnish risotto with freshly grated cheese (please, nothing out of a can!). Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Tip: You can substitute ground turkey or pork for the beef.

The New Rice Krispy

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE rice krispie treats and would eat them everyday if you gave me the opportunity. But now, as a mom, I evaluate every snack and although I do allow my children to have special treats, I try to avoid a lot of processed food and especially things made with refined sugars. When I do make rice krispie treats, I use brown rice cereal instead. I really like Barbara's brand.

If you know me, you know I make a lot of my evaluations by reading labels. Here are the ingredients of the brown rice cereal: Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice, Organic Fruit Juice Concentrate (Apple, Peach, Pear or Pineapple), Sea Salt.

If you look at the label of Kellogg's Rice Krispies, here are the ingredients: Rice, sugar, salt, high fructose corn syrup, malt flavoring.

By the way, my doctor recommended avoiding products with malt flavoring because they are known to contain gluten. One more thing to worry about.

There are 3 reasons I buy the Barbara's cereal which I think you should consider as well when comparing brands:

• Look for whole grains-the difference between white and brown rice
• Look for higher levels of fiber (this goes hand in hand with the whole grain)
  
• Avoid high fructose corn syrup
  

Ok, this post isn't even about that so let me move on. I'll address high fructose corn syrup another time.

Because of my daughter's gluten sensitivity, I buy different cereals now. One cereal we all like is Perky's Nutty Flax. On the box, there is a recipe for Perky's Nutty Power Bars. I made the recipe once (of course not following the directions at all!) but I did like it. I made it again with some adjustments.

And here's how I look at it when I give it as a snack. It's a whole grain product, no refined sugar, good fat from the sunflower or nut butter...not too bad. Yes, a half of a cup of raw carrots would be better but I'm comparing this to a store-bought cereal bar or cookie.

Now, as for flavor, it seems like everyone likes these; moms, kids and even picky toddlers! Remember with every recipe, the first time you make it, it might seem hard but make it a few times and you won't think about it. I hope you like it.

Flax Cereal Bars*
1/2 cup Sunflower or Nut butter**
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (I only found this at Whole Foods)
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 box Perkys Nutty Flax Cereal
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I like Guittard)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

*(I found that the whole recipe is too much so I cut it in half)
**(I've made with sunflower and cashew butter; both are good and you can get either at Trader Joes')

Heat first four ingredients over low heat. Mix with a whisk until combined and smooth. In a large bowl, combine cereal, chips and nuts. Add syrup mixture and mix well until combined. Press into a greased 8"x8" pan. Let cool before cutting. Cut into 2"x2" squares.

I think she likes it...