Orange Oil w/Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar Dressing & Salad

When I was in New Orleans this past weekend, Michael took me to that glorious Olive Oil & Fruit Vinegar import store Vom Fass (of which I've already written).  It was extraordinarily hard to decide what kinds of fruit vinegars and olive oils to buy--there were so many flavors and I wanted them all!--but with one suggestion, I knew I could make my decision.

"We had a date vinegar and orange oil salad dressing tasting this weekend" Nick, the store representative, said.  "It was like eating candy!" I was sold.

Below is my version of Nick's recipe based off of what he said.  The dressing supposedly had a 3:2 parts ratio (3 parts orange oil with 2 parts date vinegar).  But, after making a large salad, I felt it really should have been a 1:1 ratio (i.e., 3 parts orange oil with 3 parts vinegar) to get the taste I was going for.  Make with the same oil/vinegars I use here buy ordering from the Vom Fass website, or make your own through homemade infusions for a salad dressing that is clearly delicious.

Orange Oil w/Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar Dressing & Salad
The key to making this recipe taste "like candy" is to add the olive oil and vinegar separately to the salad.  A lot of people mix and shake their oil and vinegar salad dressings beforehand, but I'm a purist.  I believe in adding the orange olive oil first and then the waldborg star date balsamic vinegar second to the salad.


Ingredients: 
* 1 large salad (4 servings), prepared (see "Fall Salad" recipe for an example recipe)
* 3 tablespoons Orange Olive Oil
* 3 tablespoons Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar
* 1 orange, zested
* 1/2 cup dates

1.) Prepare salad, and add 1/2 cup dates.

2.) Drizzle 3 tablespoons of Orange Olive Oil over the salad.

3.) Drizzle 3 tablespoons of Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar over the salad.

4.) Zest an orange over the salad.

5.) Toss to combine.

6.) Dish out servings of salad (makes 4) and serve with more freshly zested orange on top.  Enjoy!

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Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus Pesto

I don't make that much pasta as I often associate it with empty calories and decadent meals.  Although I consider myself a huge foodie, I'm very self-conscious of what I eat and how much I eat.  Thus, pasta is frequently one of those calorie-rich, nutrient-absent meals that most Americans gorge themselves on because it's clearly "good."  And I'm not the only one who thinks this way: Russ, a podcaster from Fat 2 Fit Radio, once said (and I paraphrase): "I don't often think of making pasta dishes because...well...they're just not that good for you."

Russ's comment was actually said in defense of a healthy pasta dish and I feel that if he had tried and read about this recipe, he too would be a believer in healthy pasta.  Here's why this pasta dish is different: whole wheat pasta instead of regular white pasta, pesto instead of white sauce, and smaller servings instead of the "eat until you're can't breathe" mentality round the dish out at about 400-450 calories max.

This dish is healthy, green (and we should strive to eat all things green!), and clearly delicious.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
This recipe comes from nowhere in particular, but if you're looking for a recipe that combines pesto (any form) with pasta, see Elise Bauer's "Asparagus Pesto with Pasta" for an example.

Ingredients:
* 1 serving Whole Wheat Pasta, Spaghetti
* 2-3 tablespoons asparagus pesto, see recipe here (made with Vom Fass Basil Olive Oil)

1.) Begin by bringing a medium pot of water to a boil.  Season water with 1 tablespoon salt.  Remember, Italian cooks believe that good pasta should have flavor, and the way in which to get that flavor is to make pasta water taste like sea water.

2.) Add whole wheat pasta and cook until tender, but still firm (al dente).  Always tatse pasta before it's done--there's nothing worse than uncooked pasta.

3.) Remove from heat and strain.  I prefer not to give whole wheat pasta a cold water bath (frankly, it doesn't need it).

4.) Place on serving dish.

5.) Add 2-3 dollops of pesto.  Mix to integrate and enjoy! Makes 1 serving.

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Asparagus Pesto w/Basil Infused Olive Oil

Asparagus Pesto.  Wait.  What? You can make pesto with asparagus? HOLD ON.

Yup, "pesto" literally translates to "paste" and can be made with any number of green ingredients (basil, peas, asparagus, etc.).  Equally flexible in pesto recipes are the nut contents--pine nuts can be traded out for walnuts, pecans, or my personal favorite--pistachios.

I came across this recipe while searching for pea pesto on The New York Times website.  I had it last summer (almost exactly a year ago) at a friend's house and was blown away by its yumminess as well as the fact that it was made with PEAS.  I had no idea pesto could be made with other ingredients (like the ones outlined above), and boy was I in for a surprise.  Although I'm still searching for said recipe, this asparagus pesto packs a unique yumminess as it is both its own entity--asparagus pesto--and also a close friend to traditional basil pesto--I've substituted Vom Fass's Basil Olive Oil for regular EVOO.

Eat this recipe with pasta, on a cracker or bread, mixed into a grilled cheese sandwich, and you've got a seriously green and clearly delicious treat!

Asparagus Pesto
This recipe comes from The New York Times food & dining section (May 7, 2010) and can be found here. For an instructional video on making this dish, see Mark Bittman's short here.  I've made one major change to the recipe--instead of using regular Olive Oil, I used Vom Fass's Basil Infused Olive Oil (you can find it here on their website).  The change is fanastic: although not a basil pesto at all, this asparagus pesto packs a basil kick that reminds one of the most common and flavorful version.  Try this recipe with, or without the basil olive oil, or feel free to puree some basil during the cooking process.

Ingredients:
* 1 lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed
* 2-4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced, to taste
* 1/4 cup pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, or pistachios, finely chopped
* 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
* salt & pepper to taste

1.) Trim woody ends of asparagus.  For a video on how to remove asparagus woody ends without using a knife, see here.

2.) Cut asparagus into 1 inch spears.

3.) Bring 1 small-to-medium pot of water w/salt to taste to a boil.  Add asparagus and cook until tender.  As Mark Bitter notes in his video, asparagus is done when a knife, held up to their skin, punctures straight through without pressure, or resistance.

4.) Strain asparagus and allow to cool.

5.) While asparagus is cooking, you can prep your other ingredients--measure and chop nuts (whether pine nuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.), peel garlic, measure parmesan, and get olive oil ready.  Here, I use Vom Fass's Basil Infused Olive Oil (you can find it on their website here).  It gives the pesto an extra kick than regular non-basil based pesto.  Technically, this dish isn't a basil pesto, but the use of basil olive oil adds a hint of the familiar to your pureed asparagus.

6.) Add strained and cooled asparagus to a food processor.  Pulse to combine until pureed.  Some asparagus may require the addition of a 1/4 of water depending on how quickly/easily they puree.  If you find that the asparagus is still retaining its form and not pureeing, then add the water; this trick will fix your texture-retaining hang up!

7.) Add other ingredients:

8.) Pulse to combine and taste.  Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

9.) Serve with Pasta, bread, cheese, grilled cheese, sandwiches, or other clearly delicious treats.

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Mike's Monkey Bread

The first time my friend John told me about his fabulous boyfriend Mike, it was in a picture text message.  The image: Monkey Bread.  The subject: Mike's badass cooking skills.

The text had me hooked--I knew, just KNEW that Mike had to be fabulous (who else makes Monkey Bread that delicious?), and I've been bugging him for this recipe ever since.  I bugged him so much that he was pretty much obligated to make it the first time we met.  There were no leftovers.

The thing I love best about Mike's monkey bread is the incredible presentation it makes versus the short amount of time required to make it.  Just take canned biscuits, chopped pecans, some cinnamon, melted butter, and brown sugar in a bundt pan, bake and VOILA: the most decadent dessert you've ever had.  This monkey bread is not for those on diets.  It's for those who just ran ten miles and deserve a clearly delicious treat.

Mike's Monkey Bread
Mike got this recipe from the Pillsbury website (the original can be found here), but really, he's been eating it since he was a little kid.  The recipe below has some variations from the original as Mike has doubled the cinnamon for an earthier, spicier kick, added pecans instead of walnuts, and called for raw instead of processed white sugar.  I highly suggest following these substitutions!


Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup raw sugar
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury Grands! Homestyle Biscuits
* 1 cup chopped pecans, or walnuts
* 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 3/4 cup butter, melted

1.) Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan/bundt pan.

2.) Mix sugar and cinnamon.

3.) Open 2 cans of biscuits.

4.) Cut biscuits into 4 pieces each.

5.) Place cut up biscuits in sugar/cinnamon mixture and flip until fully coated.

6.) Toss coated biscuits into well-greased bundt pan making sure to add pecans among the biscuits.

7.) Pack 1 cup of brown sugar.

8.) Add brown sugar to 3/4 cup melted butter and stir to combine.

9.) Drizzle/pour melted butter/sugar mixture over bundt of biscuits.

10.) Bake for 30-35 minutes in 350F oven or until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan.  Turn upside down onto a serving plate and enjoy! Makes...well...a lot: 8-10 servings.

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Wild Mushroom Soup

On my twenty-third birthday last year, I received a TON and I really do mean A TON of cookbooks.  In a sense, I'm pretty easy to shop for--I can walk down the food and dining section of Barnes & Noble and find 30 or so specialty cookbooks in a heartbeat.  Too much? What's too much?

This recipe comes from one of those cookbooks--400 Soups by Anne Sheasby--and is easily one of my favorite out of the full 400: Wild Mushroom Soup.  The original calls for a several ounces of shitake mushrooms and soaking them in water; after the soaking process, you drain the mushrooms, roast them, and re-use the shitake water for part of your broth.

Although shitakes are great (they really do add a certain je ne sais quoi to any recipe), you can easily substitute this ingredient withe one cup portobello mushrooms as I have done below.  This recipe is earthy, smooth, and so flavorful that it requires very few seasonings.  Make this during winter (or summer!) for a soup that is clearly delicious.

Wild Mushroom Soup
* 3 cups chopped Bella Mushrooms
* 5 cups beef broth
* 3 cloves garlic, pressed
* 2 leeks, thinly sliced
* 1/2 white onion, chopped
* 2/3 cup heavy cream
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon thyme

1.) First, measure out all of your ingredients--mushrooms, onions, garlic, and leeks.

2.) Then, prep your ingredients--wash and thinly chop the leeks.

3.) Wash portobello mushrooms and thinly slice.

4.) Roughly chop mushrooms.

5.) Chop half of an onion, and peel several cloves of garlic.  Set aside.


6.) Combine olive oil and butter in a large pot and warm.  

7.) Add leeks, onions, and pressed garlic; simmer for 5-7 minutes.

8.) Add mushrooms and allow to simmer for several minutes, or until properly moist.

9.) Add beef broth and bring to a boil.

10.) Turn heat down to medium and allow to simmer in a half covered pot for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme.

11.) After 30 minutes, remove 3/4 of the soup and puree in a food processor or blender.  

12.) Return to mushroom soup pot.

13.) Add 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream and return to a light boil.  Turn off heat.

14.) Serve with fresh thyme sprigs and enjoy!

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Seeduction Bread w/Nutella

I will never forget the first time I encountered Nutella--I was 16, or 17 years old (quite a while ago), and my friend Dan was visiting from England.  He had brought with him a load of stuff that he worried you couldn't find in America: Nutella, Earl Grey, and a spread akin to Vegemite.  It was incredible.

Dan told me about Nutella--a hazelnut and cocoa spread rich in protein and a distant cousin to our popular peanut butter in the states.  At the time, it had a famous basketball player on it (Kobe I think) and every time I went to the grocery store, I searched for it.  Surprisingly, it was EVERYWHERE, and with the same basketball player and all.  Crazy.

Now when I eat Nutella, I think about Dan and his Atlantic Ocean food smuggling.  Little did he know, he was creating a serious fan of the hazelnut cocoa spread.  I use it on toast, mixed fruit as a low fat, but protein rich lagniappe, and have even been known to add a tablespoon or two when making icing for a cake.  It's an incredibly versatile spread if used correctly, and extraordinarily tasty.

Seeduction Bread with Nutella
This recipe is, essentially, a glorified toast and spread dish.  Make it for breakfast, or a smaller serving as a healthy and sweet snack.  I like the use of Seeduction Bread as its hardiness plays nicely with the cocoa and hazelnut.


Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons Nutella
* 2 slices Seeduction Bread, toasted

1.) Toast bread.  Spread nutella.  Eat.  Smile.

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Orange & Date Bread

There must be a name for the breads that fall into the "Banana Bread Family" and its  cousins--you know, those dense, cake-like breads that could be muffins if you wish, but also make a stellar presentation cooked for 40-ish minutes in a loaf pan? I'm thinking specifically of Pumpkin Bread, Banana Bread, Nut Bread, Lemon Bread, and this recipe--a near and dear cousin--Orange and Date Bread.

This orange bread tastes like eating an orange-flavored cinnamon roll without the guilt.  The color is gorgeous--it actually looks orange in color--while also packing the natural citrus of a real orange.  Make as an accompaniment with coffee or tea, or as muffins for a Clearly Delicious baked good and treat.

Orange Bread
Like all of my favorite recipes, this orange bread comes from Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes (you can find the original here).  Elise says to use "Seville Oranges" if available, but I prepared this dish with the fresh juice of a naval orange and its natural zest.  Also, I've made several minor changes: one to the glaze as I had no confectioner's sugar on hand, but brown sugar instead; two, I've used lemon flavored yogurt instead of plain yogurt; and third, I've included 1/2 cup dates instead of 1/2 cup yellow raisins. 


Ingredients:
* 1/3 cup butter (5 1/3 tablespoons), softened
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1-2 Tablespoons orange zest (fresh and preferably from the orange you'll be juicing)
* 2 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat for a hardier flavor)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 cup yogurt (I used lemon flavored)
* 1/2 cup dates

Glaze
* 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed if you have it)
* 1/4 cup brown sugar

1.) Begin by zesting and juicing your orange.  Set aside.

2.) Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut butter into 1 inch cubes and grease a standard loaf pan (4x8 inches).

3.) Soften butter (30 seconds in microwave) and add to your Kitchenaid mixer.  On low speed, add 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, and cinnamon.

4.) Add yogurt and mix to integrate.  Slowly add 2 cups of flour and mix until batter has fully formed.  Stop mixer so that you can scrape down the sides of your bowl.  Turn mixer back on and integrate dates.

5.) Pour batter into greased loaf pan.

7.) Cook loaf at 350F for about 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

8.) Allow bread to sit for 1-2 minutes, loosen from pan, and transfer to a cooling rack.

9.) While bread is cooling, prepare the glaze: mix 1 tablespoon orange juice with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 cup brown sugar using a small whisk or fork.

10.) Poke holes (using a toothpick) into the top of the bread.

11.) Pour glaze over the bread slowly so that the holes can absorb the glaze.

12.) Cut into 1 inch pieces and serve.  Makes 8-10.  Enjoy!

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