Month: December 2015

Seared Scallops with Chestnut Puree

 I absolutely love scallops. My fiance on the other hand does not. So I rarely make them. But when I found myself with a fiance-free dinner recently, it was clear what I was going to make!
This recipe for Seared Scallops with Chestnut Puree from Cooking Light makes use of winter-y ingredients such as chestnuts and blood oranges to make a simple but seemingly fancy dinner.
 The scallops are seared and placed on a chestnut puree, then drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette. I added some dandelion greens, which have a subtle bitterness to them that is a nice contrast to the sweet chestnut puree.
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup packaged precooked chestnuts
  • 1/2 cup packaged precooked chestnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 16 diver sea scallops (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

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Kourambiethes (Greek Christmas Cookies)

It’s time for my annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap post!

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap hosted is by Lindsay of Love & Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen. For the past five years, the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap has helped raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease.

 

In the past, I’ve made Hot Cocoa Cookies and Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies. This year, I went for something completely different: Kourambiethes!

Kourambiethes are Greek Christmas Cookies, but also show up for really any celebratory event, so they are an all-year kind of treat. They are nut butter cookies, typically made with almonds or walnuts, which are then rolled in confectioners sugar. The result is a shortbread cookie that melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups walnuts
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons brandy
  • 1 tablepsoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons orange flower water
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

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Creamy Mashed Potatoes

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayWithChobani #CollectiveBias

I come from an Irish family, so mashed potatoes are a very important part of every large family meal. If it was socially acceptable, I’d fill my plate just with mashed potatoes and gravy at holiday meals.

Mashed potatoes are quite a staple in my life, so I now find myself to be a bit of a mashed potato connoisseur. I like mine super creamy, but don’t necessarily want them loaded with butter to achieve that creaminess.

I personally like to add in Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt. Not only does it deliver the creaminess I am looking for, but it is high in protein (44% of your daily value to be exact) and is low in fat. The yogurt contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and is only made with natural ingredients that are not genetically modified.

Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt is a simple and tasty substitute for any recipes that use sour cream, mayonnaise, or oil, making it a super versatile product. I almost always have a quart in my fridge for smoothies, baking, and creamy dressings.

This recipe is definitely a favorite of mine. It uses minimal ingredients and is really simple to make! You can also snazz it up however you’d like! I picked up all of my ingredients at Walmart; you can find Chobani with the other yogurts in the Dairy section.

 

Ingredients: makes 4 servings. multiply as needed

Main Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/3 cup milk (I used 1%)

Additional Ingredients:

  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Horseradish cheddar cheese, for garnish
  • 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped, for garnish

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Hemp Seed Basil Pesto

During Choctoberfest, I was sent a pretty sweet package of goodies from Just Hemp Foods, including Hemp Protein Powder (which I used in these muffins), Hemp Seeds, and Hemp Oil.

 

This weekend, I finally cracked into the Hemp Seed Oil. I had a bunch of basil that I knew I couldn’t use up before it wilted, so I made pesto, or more specifically, Hemp Seed Basil Pesto!

 

Hemp Seed Oil delivers a subtle nutty taste, so it’s perfect in a pesto. The oil contains the ideal 3:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio which supports heart health. Hemp Seed Oil degrades with light and heat, so it’s best to refrigerate it and use it cold. The oil has a green color to it, so it really makes the basil pop!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup hemp seed oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

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Dubliner Cheese Toasties with Prosciutto and Tomato

Note: I was sent a coupon for a Kerrygold Product through Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection. Opinions are mine alone.

We’ve had a rainy few days around Philly. Whenever there is crummy weather, there is only one meal that will suffice: Grilled Cheese!

Kerrygold has a nicely upgraded version of grilled cheese on their website (adorably named “toasties“) made with their Dubliner Cheese, an aged cow’s milk similar to cheddar. These Dubliner Cheese Toasties with Prosciutto and Tomato are topped with prosciutto, arugula, and tomato slices, yum!

Kerrygold products are a favorite of mine, you can always find a bit of gold shimmering from my butter dish. Their cheese is also amazing!  The Kerrygold brand is a line of all-natural, grass-fed cheeses and butters crafted at dairy farms throughout Ireland. The hormone-free cheese and butters are available around the world but still come from milk supplied from independent dairy farmers within the Emerald Isle. (I’ve used Kerrygold’s Garlic and Herb Butter and my trusty Dubliner Cheese before in this post for Spinach-Chive Potato Bites.)

 

Ingredients (makes one sandwich):

  • 2 slices marble rye
  • 2 1/2 ounces Dubliner Cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 1/4 cup arugula leaves
  • 2 to 3 slices tomato
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons Kerrygold Irish Salted Butter, at room temperature

Continue reading Dubliner Cheese Toasties with Prosciutto and Tomato

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