Goat Cheese Truffles

Ingredients

16 oz. goat cheese
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1tsp. herbs de Provence

Roll:
½ cup finely chopped nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios or almonds
2T chopped parsley
½ cup dried cranberries finely chopped
½ cup spices: sesame seeds, everything bagel, or poppy seeds

Crostini:
1 baguette loaf, cut on diagonal into 24 thin slices
¼ cup olive oil

1. In a bowl of your food processor, pulse the goat cheese, yogurt, and herbs de Provence until well blended.

2. Damped your hand with water and place a teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the palm of your hand; roll into a small ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the cheese is rolled into balls.

3. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or over night. Once the cheese balls have firmed up, remove them from the refrigerator and roll into the nuts, fruits and seeds, coating the outside of the balls completely.

4. Place on serving tray with crostini. Cheese Truffles are best when served room temperature.

Crostini

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Place the sliced bread onto a baking sheet. Brush each slice with a little olive oil. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.

TIPS & TRICKS

• If the cheese gets too soft while rolling into balls, place the mixture in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.
• Goat cheese balls can be rolled 2 days in advance. Then, the morning of your event, roll the balls in the different coatings.
• Cheese is best served at room temperature, so remove the truffles from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving them.
• I placed the balls in little paper cups to make them look more like truffles.

Grilled Shrimp & Beef Kebobs with Avocado with Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients

2 pounds Top Sirloin
2 pounds Shrimp

Rub:
1T black peppercorns
2T coriander seeds
3T cumin seeds
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1T chili powder
1T salt
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. paprika

Sauce ingredients Below.

1. Cut the Top Sirloin into 1½-2 inch pieces. Place them into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

2. Peel, remove tails, and devein the shrimp. Then set into a separate medium bowl and place in refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Rub: In a small dry skillet over low heat, add the black pepper corns, coriander, and cumin seeds. Toast until fragrant. Place in a spice grinder, or mortar and pestle, and grind until fine.

4. Place the ground spices in a small bowl. Add the garlic, chili powder, salt, mustard, and paprika. Mix until combined.

5. Set aside 3T of the spice mixture. Pour the remaining spice mixture over the meat and toss until well coated. Let marinate for at least one hour (but can be marinated and refrigerated up to 8 hours in advance. Just remove from refrigerator an hour before serving)

6. 30 minutes before grilling, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and toss with the remaining spice mixture. After 30 minutes, pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and thread onto skewers.

7. Preheat your BBQ grill.

8. Place the meat on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Then thread onto the skewers, making sure not to overcrowd the meat on the skewers.

9. When the grill is hot, place the meat kebobs on the grill over medium heat for 3-4 minutes a side for medium rare. Remove from heat and place on a platter.

10. Place the shrimp on the grill. Grill until pink, about 3-4 minutes a side. Then place on platter.

11. Remove the meat and shrimp from the skewer and serve with sauce immediately.

SAUCE PREP:

Ingredients

2 large ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
2 tsp. lime zest
3T lime juice
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 cup Persian or English cucumber cut into ½” cubes
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
4-5 dashes hot sauce (to taste)
Salt & pepper

1. In the bowl of a food processor, place the avocados and pulse on and off until mixture is smooth. Add juice, yogurt, and pulse until smooth.

2. Add the cucumber, shallot, the lime zest, and dill. Pulse until combined, but still has some texture. If the sauce is a little too thick add ¼-½ cup of water until you reach the desired consistency.

3. Season with salt and pepper. Add a few dashes of hot sauce if desired.

4. Place in a bowl and serve with beef and shrimp kebobs.

TIPS & TRICKS

• I love this rub. I make a double or triple batch and the store it in my fridge to be used for other dishes. It is fantastic on chicken, lamb, or other beef & shrimp recipes.

• The top sirloin can be marinated for up to 8 hours. You don’t want to go much longer because the salt begins to change the texture of the meat.

• You can also leave the sirloin whole instead of cutting in to cubes.

• Some secrets to grilling: Pre heat your grill. Place you meat down on the hot grill and don’t touch it. The meat will release from the hot grill when it is ready to turn. After cooking the meat, always allow it to sit a few moments on a platter to rest before cutting and serving.

• The shrimp will turn pink as they start to cook. Turn them over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. The time will vary depending how cool your grill is (it will be cooler after cooking the meat compared to if you put the shrimp on first).

• The shrimp and sauce make a fantastic appetizer.

• Sauce can be made 2 days in advance.

Salmon Pâté with Crostini

Ingredients

1 baguette, sliced into 16 pieces diagonally
¼ c olive oil
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz. smoked salmon, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 T lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
½ cup Greek nonfat yogurt
1T fresh dill finely chopped
salt & pepper
fresh dill and capers for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425º F.

2. Place the sliced bread onto a baking sheet. Brush each slice with a little olive oil. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of your food processor, add the cream cheese and pulse 2-3 times. Add the salmon, shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, yogurt, and dill. Pulse a few time until combined and reached desired smoothness (I like my pâté a bit chunky). Season with salt and pepper. Place the salmon pâté in bowl, terrine, or mold, and place in refrigerator until chilled firm, about 3 hours.

4. Remove ½ hour before serving. Decorate the top with dill and capers. Serve with crostini.

Tips & Tricks

• The differences between a mouse and a pâté are texture. A mouse is pureed smooth, where a pâté is a little chunky. So do as you prefer.

• This pâté can be made 3 days is advance.

• Serve the pâté with crostini, bagels, chips, or crackers. It is fantastic as a filling for tea sandwiches or if pureed smoothly can be used as a filling for stuffing cherry tomatoes or on top of cucumbers.

Carrot Cake With Honey Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

Cake:
1 T Butter, soften
2 T flour
3 cups all purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted*
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
¾ cups vegetable oil
1 cup can crush pineapple w/ juice
¾ cup Greek nonfat yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 T orange zest
¾ honey
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup chopped pecans

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350º F.

2. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together, add the carrots and nuts and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Set aside.

4. In a mixer set on medium speed, mix together the sugar and the eggs until well combined. Add the oil, pineapple, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix well, scrape down the side of the bowl.

5. With the mixer on low, add carrot nut ingredients. Mix just until combined.

6. Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake at 350º F for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

7. Place cake pans onto a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Allow to completely cool before frosting.

8. Frosting: In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and honey until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add in the sugar and orange zest. Beat until smooth.

9. Place one layer of completely cooled cake on the platter. ( if you wish use a cake cutter to remove/cut off the cake edges) Spread ½ the frosting on top. Place the remaining cake on top and frost with remaining frosting.

10. Decorate with chopped nuts. Serve and enjoy.

*To roast nuts: preheat oven 350º F. Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Shake the pan and continue baking until nuts are toasted, about 3-5 minutes more. Let them cool. The roasted nuts can be stored in an airtight container for weeks.

Tips & Tricks

• The cake can be made the day ahead and placed in zip lock gallon bags or covered very well.

• You may frost the cake in advance, just place in fridge, and remove 1 hour before serving so the frosting can soften slightly.

• You may cook this cake in a 9x11 square pan or as cup cakes (check the cupcakes after baking 20 mins.)

Curried Beef Wontons, Spicy Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

Curry Spice Blend:

1 tsp. black peppercorns
4 cloves
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
½ tsp. fenugreek seeds
1tsp. paprika
1tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. salt

2T olive oil
1 medium onion, medium diced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 pound ground beef
1 cup frozen peas
1 package Wonton wrapper
Vegetable oil

Mustard Sauce:

½ cup mayonnaise (store bought or homemade)
½ cup Greek plain yogurt
4T mustard
1T Tabasco
Ground black pepper

1. In a small sauté pan over low heat, add the black peppercorns, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, and fenugreek seeds. Toast until fragrant. In a spice grinder, grind the toasted spices. Add the paprika, turmeric, and salt. Grind until blended. Set aside.

2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; sauté the onion until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, ground beef, and 3 tablespoons of curry spice blend. Stir until combined. Continue cooking until the meat is completely cooked, about 8-10 minutes more.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool completely.

4. Once the mixture is cooled, place in food processor and blend until smooth.

5. Take a wonton wrapper and place a teaspoon of the curry beef filling in the middle of the wonton. Lightly brush the edge of the wrapper with water, and then fold the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle.

6. Lightly brush the pointed ends with a little water and fold them toward the middle, making a little bishop’s hat. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wontons. Don’t allow the wontons to touch each other.

7. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, Tabasco, and 4-5 grinds of black pepper. Taste the sauce, adding more Tabasco, pepper, and a little salt if needed, making it as spicy as you like. Set aside.

8. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add enough vegetable oil to have a ½ inch in the bottom of pan. Once the oil is hot, add several wontons. Do not overcrowd the pan.

9. Fry the wontons, turning once or twice until crispy brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes. Place on a paper towel-lined plate. Let drain and slightly cool. Repeat with remaining wontons.

10. Transfer the wontons on a platter and serve with spicy mustard sauce.

Homemade Mayonnaise

3 egg yolks

2tsp. mustard

1T vinegar

1 tsp. salt & pepper

1½-cup oil

1. In a medium size bowl, food processor, or blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until combined. Slowly, in a steady stream, add the oil. Whisk until the mixture becomes emulsified.

TIPS & TRICKS

• Please take the time and try to make your own curry spice blend. It is far superior to anything you will buy on the shelf.

• I purchase all my individual spices at a Middle Eastern market. They sell them in bulk and are very inexpensive. I save spice jars from other spices and blend a double or triple batch to have on hand.

• I use a coffee grinder as a spice grinder. But once you grind the spices, you can’t go back to grinding coffee!! ☺

• Make sure the wontons do not touch each other or they will stick together. You can prepare these 3 days in advance. Just make sure to cover well.

• They also freeze beautifully. Place the trays of wontons in freezer and allow them to become frozen. Then transfer into a container or plastic bag. When ready to use, heat the oil and place the frozen wontons directly in the oil. Only fry a few at a time since the frozen wontons will lower the heat of the oil and will otherwise become oily.

• Spicy mustard sauce can be made 3 days in advance and is great as a dip for veggies, or a spread on sandwiches. I like to use Tabasco because it adds a nice vinegary kick to the sauce, but you can substitute other hot sauces.

Eggplant Gratin

Ingredients

2 large eggplants (about 2 pounds) 
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ pounds of tomatoes, cut into medium dice (or one 28 oz. can whole     tomatoes cut in to chunks with juice)
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Sea or coarse salt & pepper
1 egg
½ cup ricotta
1½ cup unflavored Greek yogurt
¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1.     Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.    Cut the eggplant into ½ inch round slices, and place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the coarse salt and let the eggplant sit for 30 minutes.

3.    Wipe the slices with paper towels to remove the salt and moisture.

4.    Brush one side of the slice lightly with olive oil.

5.    Bake in a 350° F oven until soft, about 25- 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 450º F.

6.    In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, heat 2T of olive oil and sauté the onion until slightly soft, about 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.

7.    Add the tomatoes. Turn the heat up to “medium-high,” and cook until the tomatoes are soft and the liquid has reduced and thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

8.    In a small bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, yogurt and ½ cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Set aside.

9.    Line a 9x11-inch baking dish with a single layer of the eggplant slices. Sprinkle with a little salt and 4-5 grinds of pepper. Sprinkle on half of the basil.

10.    Spread the tomato mixture over the eggplant and sprinkle the remaining basil on top.

11.    Cover the tomato mixture with the rest of the eggplant slices.

12.    Spread the egg-cheese mixture evenly on top of the eggplant slices.

13.    Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.

14.    Bake for 10 minutes at 450º F. Reduce the oven temperature to 350º F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until hot and golden brown. If not brown enough, place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

15.    Cool 20 minutes before serving.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    Globe or Italian eggplants work best for this dish. They have a delicious and meaty texture to them. Look for eggplants that have smooth skin, are free from blemishes, and on the heavy side. 
•    I use Roma tomatoes. They have a thick, dense flesh and not too much liquid in them. You can substitute any tomatoes that look good and are in season. The cooking time might need to be increased to allow all of the liquid to reduce. 
•    Whole milk ricotta and whole milk unflavored Greek yogurt are so intensely rich and creamy, then the low fat varieties. They are life changing! Also, try to find ricotta and yogurt that have no additives added to them.
•    I like to buy a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and grate it in my food processor. Let the cheese sit on you counter for 30 minutes. Cut it into 1-inch cubes, and then process it until finely ground. Store the grated cheese in a container in your fridge. 
•    The gratin can be assembled until step #7 the day ahead. Top with the cheese mixture and bake the day of. It is best served warmed. It makes a great light lunch with a salad. I just adore it cold or warmed up with a fried egg on top anytime!