Author, branding and media expert, and my dear friend, Beth Nydick joins me in the Cucina this week! Beth is all about eating CLEAN - hence her book, Clean Cocktails! She shares a fun and easy spring rolls recipe with peanut sauce! And she threw in a healthy paloma recipe! Beth also shows us how to get clear on our messaging around ourselves and our brands so we can get that message out into the world!
Read MoreVegetarian main dish? Holiday side dish? Weeknight dinner? This Butternut Squash Risotto recipe covers it all! Risotto is a super simple and versatile dish that can be easily tailored to any diet or tastes! Give this seasonal butternut squash version a try!
Read MoreI couldn't let Summer go by without doing a recipe using Jersey tomatoes and our sweet corn! I actually came up with this dish at the end of last Summer but we were already shooting for Fall, so I wrote it all down and tucked it away for this year! On top of the delicious flavors of fresh produce in this risotto, I like using a Summer beer instead of wine as the first splash of liquid. It's just another fun way to incorporate these late Summer flavors into a delicious dinner!
Read MoreThis quick and easy parsley based sauce is the perfect Summer condiment! Enjoy it with chicken, steak, fish or veggies! I make mine with shallot, red wine vinegar, LOTS of parsley, some fresh chives (cause they grow in the garden!) and some capers - but feel free to switch things up and swap them out to suit your tastes! Try adding in mint for a lamb dish, or some tarragon with fish - whatever is fresh and easy will work here!
Read MoreThis classic Sicilian dessert (now found all across Italy!) makes the perfect sweet treat to celebrate the good ol'U.S. of A! Granita is special because it's not flavored frozen water, but rather frozen puree of whatever you're looking for! Then it's mixed every 30-45 minutes during the freezing process, giving it its unique texture! In this video I'll show you how to make an easy mint simple syrup to flavor your granita with! Then we'll mix it with watermelon puree to make a beautiful, refreshing dessert - PERFECT for 4th of July weekend - or any time you want a light (healthy!) dessert for a hot Summer's day!
Read MoreWe're celebrating dads with one of MY father's favorite dinners! Pork chops with onions and peppers! This is a delicious one-pan dinner! Pork chops smothered with onions and peppers and finished in the oven! Drizzled with balsamic vinegar these chops have amazing flavor! Serve them with crusty bread, crispy potatoes (OR, toss the potatoes in the pot with the chops!) and a big fresh salad and I think YOUR dad will be as happy as mine is when he sees this come out of the oven!
Read MoreIt's true - there's nothing exceptional about chicken salad...other than, in this case, the memory it brings back for me! My great-grandmother's house in Fort Lee NJ, as a kid, playing on the knee wall in the back of her house, waiting for her and my mother to tell us lunch was ready! And later, after she passed, my mother realizing yet another of her culinary secrets! We could never figure out how she got her chicken salad to have such a great texture...until Mom discovered the meat grinder in her kitchen! She quickly ran through some red onion, celery and poached chicken and discovered that was the trick all along! Mom still has the meat grinder but lucky for the rest of us the food processor works the same way here!
Read MorePossibly my new favorite quarantine activity is reading books ABOUT food, and then recreating dishes I've read about! While reading Andrew Cotto's "Cucina Tipica" I was left salivating by his scene around braised ceci beans. I had never heard of them! But it sounded delicious, and incredibly simple (as cucina tipica usually is!). So I did my best to recreate the dish for dinner that night - and it was SO good! I knew immediately I had to share it with all of you! Rich extra virgin olive oil bathes ceci beans and fresh herbs for a comforting dish that checks ALL the boxes! It's warming, and soothing, delicious and filling while also being INCREDIBLY healthy and immunity boosting (BONUS given the times!). I've been serving it with my focaccia bread and a big fresh salad.
Read MoreMy friend Chef Mike Carrino joins me in the Cucina this week to answer the question - what do Chefs eat at home? Turns out, it's Thai red curry with duck! At least for this Chef! This dish is actually incredibly easy - chopping the vegetables is the only time consuming part! Chef shows us how to perfectly render the fat from the duck breast. And then easily toss the dish together! LOADED with nutrients and anti-inflammatory elements - this dish will keep you healthy, clear through till Spring!
Read MoreIt was an ancient Italian tradition to give jars of figs in honey to friends and family at the start of the year to encourage sweetness in their lives - so I decided to start the year with this fig and honey jam! Easy to make, perfect as a hostess gift (or, you know, for that person who got you something that you didn't get for - oops!), and delicious all around! Watch how easy it is to make this sugar-free jam at home! I use dried figs which are easier to come by this time of year. Swap the sugar for honey to keep with tradition. And infuse the jam with vanilla! Enjoy!
Read MoreWe're cooking up a Fall classic in the Cucina this week with special guest, Chef Todd Villani of Vesta Wood Fired in East Rutherford NJ! Chef gives us his take on this delicious fall dish, plus his tips for creating the most flavor, and why risotto doesn't need much added to it but love!
Read MoreSimple and healthy, it's SO easy to make roasted red peppers at home! And more delicious! Here I show you how to roast them on the stove and explain what to do if you have an electric stove. There's nothing quite like the flavor of roasted red peppers in olive oil!
Read MoreWatch how easy it is to make chia seed pudding! This simple combination of 3 basic ingredients makes the best chia seed pudding! I make mine with almond milk but you can use whatever milk you use at home! Plus, find out what it is about these little seeds that has them referred to as a super food!
Read MoreThis easy, no bake dessert is perfect for Spring time! Strawberries are some of the first berries to come into season and they are LOADED with antioxidants and Vitamin C to help fight late season colds and allergies! And when topped with some fresh basil and a drizzle of homemade balsamic reduction - wow! You can't go wrong! Serve them alone, over ice cream, pound cake or angel food cake!
Read MoreI love this soup! It's a classic dish that is super easy and very healthy! A great way to get your greens in while the warmer weather is still holding out! It's "peasant food" that fits into all kinds of diets without having to make massive changes! Make a big batch and have it for lunch and dinner all week, or, stash some in the freezer for another time!
Read MoreWhat fasting? It's TECHNICALLY Ash Wednesday which, for a lot of people, means no meat. But that's no hassle when you've got beautiful sea scallops like these from Sona Far Hills Seafood! They generously gave me these and shared the PERFECT recipe for cooking them up right to make this delicious dinner! Watch the video, grab the recipe, and check them out! (p.s., it's keto friendly!)
Read MoreCheck out how to make this creamy, dreamy, lasagna béchamel! A quick and easy béchamel sauce combines with earthy mushrooms and bitter radicchio for a perfectly balanced dish! And you'll notice this is lasagna without ricotta cheese because that sauce is all the deliciousness you need in there!
Read MoreFellow Health Coach Marissa Costonis join me in the Cucina this week! She came up with this AWESOME veggie lasagna recipe that can literally be tailored to WHATEVER you like or have on hand! And it doesn’t take long to put together - we pretty much do it in real time in the video! WHAT!? Yea, definitely all together in under an hour!
Read MoreThis elegant dessert has a secret - it’s SUPER easy to make! You can make it in advance OR do it right in front of your dinner guests if you’d like to be extra fancy!
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