Cooking with Coley

This recipe is actually something my mom came up with.  I think it was inspired by a Triscuit package, but she added her own flair – which in this case was crushed red pepper or pimento maida.   Funny enough, my Italian mother started using crushed red pepper thanks to Ryan and his Portuguese roots.  To be clear, we’re not talking about the dried crushed red pepper found in the spice aisle.  Oh no – we’re talking about either Star or Gonsalves Hot Chopped Peppers.

This dip is exceptionally healthy packing in flavor, spice and lots of veggies.  Best of all, it’s incredibly easy and requires nearly zero prep time.  Tonight I made the dip for a little barbecue (or get together thanks to the North East monsoon) that Mackenzie organized, so it was a quick solution to bring as an after-work app.

What you’ll need:

• Hummus (your brand and flavor of choice, my mom and I prefer Tribe’s Garlic Hummus)
• 1/2 cucumber chopped
• 1/2 package of grape tomatoes cut in halves or thirds depending on the size
• Light feta cheese
• Crushed red pepper to taste – look for Gonsalves or Star brand, a back up option which is found at most grocery stores is Pastene’s brand

Procedure:

• Layer the hummus on the bottom of a pan/wide bowl
• Sprinkle on veggies and feta
• Top with crushed red pepper to taste (I tend to add quite a bit because I love the spicy and salty flavor it adds!)
• Serve with crackers or pita chips

Yes, it’s that easy!  It’s something that anyone can throw together in the kitchen in less than 15 minutes.  I promise you won’t be disapppointed!

Let me know what you think after you make it. 

I’m finally settled back in Boston and enjoying it very much…well everything but the rain!

Working on some Recipes and Food for Thought posts, but in the mean time, check out my full recap of the Food Passport’s Food Tour event at Spiga Trattoria Italiana with Chef Marisa Iocco and Chef Robert DeSimone on The Food Passport website.

I highly recommend a trip to Spiga.  Especially once the weather gets nice and you can enjoy the outdoor patio and indulge in whatever seasonal creations the chefs have in store for you.

At first bite, I was thinking rice crackers? soy crisps? It was a very familiar taste and texture, but something about it was even better.  I re-read the bag, and nope, these in fact were potatoes.

For some reason Popchips have become my Vegas treat.  I always seem to find them in every casino/hotel’s lobby gift shop, and I can never resist.

They tout themselves in being neither fried nor baked, so that’s where the “pop” comes in.  Apparently by applying heat and pressure to a potato,it will pop (I’m no scientist – that’s just what the bag says).  They’re definitely marketed as the healthy and natural potato chip alternative promising no preservatives, no artificial flavor, no cholesterol and no saturated fat.   Coming in at 120 calories a serving and 4g of fat, these certainly aren’t a bad option if you’re craving something “chip-like.”

I personally recommend the barbecue because the seasoning falls nothing short of what Lays or Ruffles has to offer in the BBQ flavor arena. If barbecue is not your thing, you can also go for the salt & vinegar, sour cream & onion or any other one of the seven flavors.

Popchips are actually sold in other places outside of Vegas (thank god!), so look for them in your local grocery store including Wegmans, Whole Foods and Target.  Find your local retailer on the Popchips’ site.

I’m in the middle of a hectic week – lots of fun stuff going on, but I’m just going, going, going!  After returning from NYC on Sunday, I was back in the office on Monday and then went straight to The Food Passport’s latest Food Tour at Spiga Trattoria Ialiana in Needham after work.

Then I headed to Vegas at 6am the next morning for a mere 24 hours to attend a CTIA media event for a client – if you do the math, I spent about as much time in airports and airplanes than actually in Vegas!  It’s fine with me because I needed to get back in order to head to Syracuse tomorrow to attend the NCAA tournament games.

Although recipes won’t be cranking this week, I want to share some of my evening at Spiga with the amazing Chef Iocco.

To welcome in Spring, The Food Passport joined forces with Chef Marisa Iocco and Chef de Cuisine Robert De Simone for a mouth watering dining experience.  Ryan tagged along as well to enjoy the four course meal of delicious Italian dishes paired with wines from the Planeta Estate in Sicily and of course lots of  yummy Italian bread and foccacia.

While I’ll save most of the details for the The Food Passport site, I’ll give you a “taste” of my yummy experience.

To celebrate the season, the menu incorporated three of spring’s favorite ingredients – artichokes, peas and asparagus.  My favorite course of the evening (not including the creamy white bean dip with roasted garlic), was the antipasto.  When I think of a pre-fixed style menu’s antipasto, I tend to think of something basic and often uninspiring.  However, I was taken by surprise as Iocco and Simone put an inventive twist on the traditional antipasto.

When the warm braised artichoke dish arrived to the table dressed in ricotta salata and tossed with a potato salad, my eyes opened wide with pleasure.   Without further ado, I immediately dug in.  The pairing of braised artichokes and potatoes was inventive and delicious.   What a way to start the night!   More details available at www.thefoodpassport.com.

Well that’s it for now – I’ll leave you all thinking about the springtime trio of artichokes, potatoes and cheese, while I get ready for some game-time splurging of nachos and beer!  Go ‘Cuse!!!

Back on my couch after an amazing “reunion” weekend in NYC.  To cap off a couple days filled with lots of fun, food and drinking, Cali took us to a hot brunch spot in the West Village – Extra Virgin Restaurant where we packed in some final reminiscing, laughs and an amazing meal.  I ordered the Virgin Frittata with egg whites.  It was an incredibly large portion of egg whites, roasted tomato, arugula, pesto and some rich goat cheese.  It was as amazing as it sounds, and I definitely recommend this spot if you’re in the neighborhood.  Get there by 11am though because a line starts forming immediately out the door when they open.   In the spirit of breakfast, here’s a recipe for when you’re not feeling up to brunch.

As you may have noticed, I am fan of savory over sweet any day all day, so when it comes to breakfast you’ll rarely catch me eating pancakes or waffles (although I am always up for making stuffed french toast upon request).  On the weekdays I generally stick to breakfast bars or fruit and on the weekends I make a healthy egg white sandwich or nutritious egg white burrito.  Even when I go out to breakfast, I always order some form of egg white omelets.    I’m sure I’m impressing you with my healthy morning habits, but I have to be honest with you… I’m a sucker for breakfast potatoes or hash browns.   However, if you’re going to start your day off by indulging in some good old fashioned carbohydrates, you might as well make them at home and know they’re healthier than you’re getting at some greasy diner.

Try ‘em out next time you’re too cheap to go to brunch and want to moderately splurge on some morning yumminess.

What you’ll need:

• Potatoes ( I prefer red)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Any and all of your favorite seasonings (use anything you want from salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, Lawry’s seasoned salt)

Procedure:

• Chop potatoes up into 1/2 cubes (you just don’t want them too big, or they’ll take all morning to cook)
• Toss them in EVOO and seasonings of choice
• Spread out on a baking sheet evenly and bake at 425 for approximately 25 minutes.

Note: At about 10 minutes and 20 minutes, take out the potatoes and toss them so they’re evenly cooking – Personally I love them when they’re nice and crispy

Before I head to NYC for the weekend to reunite with some of my fav high school pals and reminisce about the old days while engaging in some high school like behavior, I had to get in one more post into my blog.

With the beautiful weather in Boston, I was in the mood to make something light and healthy tonight, so I grilled up a yummy Morning Star Black Bean veggie burger and decided to try out a new side – a barley salad.  I was inspired by a recipe in this month’s Every Day with Rachel Ray magazine, but added some of my own flair.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or the energy to make my own pesto, so I spent way too much (nearly $8!) on a pre-made version from Whole Foods.  Sigh…

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup Barley (look for a brand that’s only 100 cals!)
• 1 tbsp Pesto
• 1/2 tbsp Romano cheese
• Handful of cherry tomatoes (halved)
• Handful of fresh basil chopped
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Fresh mozzarella (optional)

Procedure:

• Cook barley and add ingredients
• Refrigerate until chilled

It’s a quick and easy dish (not counting the 45 minutes it took to cook the barley!).  So as you get into the spring & summer BBQ spirit, remember this recipe as a healthy swap option to the usual pasta salad.

You won’t be disappointed.  Happy cooking folks!

As I get more into the blogging/foodie community, I’ve been enjoying making new pals on FoodBuzz and exploring all the other food and recipe blogs out there – especially the healthy ones.  I didn’t realize quite how many exist — I am clearly not as unique and creative as I might have thought!

The good news is that through my exploring and networking in the foodie community, I’ve uncovered several yummy recipes that I thought I’d share with you all.  Take a peak and visit these sites for more delicious recipes. While I haven’t tried them yet myself, they’re on my list of “to-make recipes.”

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup from Family Fresh Cooking (we all know how much I LOVE soup!)

Salmon Cakes from The Healthy Apron — a good spin on the traditional crab cake

Thanks to Tina at Carrots ‘n’ Cake, I found this great Real Simple Creamy Barley and Tomatoes recipe (and you know how much I enjoy barley!)

More to come as I continue “diggin’ into” the food world…

Calling all food enthusiasts – Take out your passports for a unique and appetizing tour of Italian food in Boston!

The Food Passport has joined forces with local chefs for a mouth-watering dining experience of regional Italian dishes.  Each month, a local chef will put on a one-of-a-kind presentation of gastronomy, culture, ingredients and wines from the featured region of the world.

On March 22, 2010 from 7pm to 10pm, Marisa Iocco, will serve up a delicious meal that you too can take partin.   $65 Includes Food, Wine, and Gratuity

Spiga Trattoria Italiana
www.spigaitaliana.com

Tickets are available at http://www.thefoodpassport.com/foodtour.html

It’s rare that I eat breakfast out, but when I do, this is my new favorite option (thanks to Angela for introdcuing me to it!).  Coming it at 280 calories, it’s the same amount of calories as Dunkin’ Donuts Egg White and Turkey Sausage Flatbread (and 10 cals less that DD’s Egg White and Veggie version), but it packs in SO much flavor I was honestly in shock the first time I had one.  OK, you’re probably thinking that sounds a bit overly complimentary, but I mean it.  I have a tendency to add hot sauce and ketchup onto my eggs and breakfast sandwiches, but I don’t even need it with these because the cheese, spinach and roasted tomatoes create this sauce like creaminess around the egg.

It’s higher in fat than I prefer (10g), but it’s my favorite “fast food” breakfast available right now.  While I won’t recommend it over cooking a homemade healthy breakfast, this is a good “eat out option.”  

Note: This is also a healthier option than Starbucks’ Egg White, Turkey Bacon, Reduced Fat Cheese on Multigrain sandwich (which packs in 340 cals, less fiber and more carbs).

Two words for you – homemade sushi.  OK, two more – amazing and cheap.  Most of you have probably never even considered making your own sushi, but let me tell you – you’re all missing out!  About a year or so ago Ryan and I decided to venture into this Japanese art form, and to our surprise it was unbelievably easy.   Not only is making your own sushi healthier and cheaper (we’re talking four people can eat for about $50 – you can’t do that at a sushi restaurant), but it’s fun.  It’s a great way to spend a Friday night with friends or a great app addition to a party.  Although today I’m not going to provide any sushi recipes, I am going to share a recipe for another raw fish delight – homemade ceviche – a great way to start any sushi dinner.  It’s inspired by Haru Sushi’s Tuna ceviche appetizer, and mastered by yours truly.

Here goes…

What you’ll need:

• Sushi grade tuna, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1/3 of a green apple, diced
• 1/4 small red or white onion, diced
• 5-8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/2 ripened avocado, diced
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• Approximately 1 tbsp Soy sauce – to taste
• Lime juice (fresh preferable) – to taste
• Cilantro (optional)
• Sriarcha or finely chopped jalepenos for heat (optional)

Procedure:

• Mix all ingredients into a bowl and lightly toss; refrigerate for 10 minutes

If you live in Boston, I recommend, actually insist, that you buy your fish at New Deal in Cambridge.  We won’t buy it anywhere else.  In fact, they supply most of the fish to the sushi restaurants in Boston.   New Deal gets two deliveries a day, so you can always count on the freshest fish.  Plus, their staff (and owners) are so friendly and can provide great tips on preparing whatever seafood you purchase.

Sushi recipe/tips to come in the future, so keep reading!