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've always loved looking through old photos, old notes and papers, and above all, old cook books! When my Nanny passed we pulled what has become our kitchen Bible from her home. ALL of her best stuff was in there, including notes, substitute ingredients and other recipes she had collected over the years. This one was one of those recipes that's jotted onto scrap paper and tossed in the front cover - which means you know it's gonna be good! We actually never made this as a family, I'm not sure why because it's DELICIOUS! These spinach and potato gnocchi are the fluffiest little pillows of yum ever! They some how have the texture of ricotta gnocchi, and the color of Spring! It was always tradition in my family to start using spinach as the first of the Spring ingredients. And these gnocchi incorporate it perfectly (also, good way to sneak greens into picky eaters!) Best part? This recipe had it's own special sauce included! I changed the sauce a little because of my body's aversion to dairy but feel free to make whatever changes work best for YOU!
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 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 MoreThis simple Italian dish is one the best dinner you'll make all week! Four simple ingredients create an amazingly flavorful dish! Pasta aglio e olio - pasta with garlic and oil - will take all of 15 minutes to get on the table - and 10 of those are waiting for the water to boil! Chopped garlic is lightly sauteéd in extra virgin olive oil, along with some peperoncino (red pepper flakes) and then tossed with spaghetti. Done and done!
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 MoreI created this recipe out of necessity (the mother of all invention) - I needed to use up a boat load of veggies I had lying around the house! Grain bowl - done! For me, there's something about pork that just seems to go with Fall flavors so I used some Italian sausage in this dish - but it's an easy veg/vegan convert by simply omitting it from the recipe! After that, roasted squash and sweet potato come together with earthy mushrooms, savory onion, and bright zucchini - held together with farro for a chewy, nutty base! I even roasted off the squash seeds for a crunchy topping!
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 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 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!
Read MoreAs always I'm sharing some of my favorite (and friends and family favorites) recipes for Thanksgiving dinner! This dish is a GREAT alternate to mashed potatoes! Low calorie and low carb, mashed turnips make a great substitute. Adding in a few carrots helps sweeten the dish and of course, a few pats of butter never hurt! Want to make them vegan? Use olive or coconut oil instead. And of course you can add in whatever kind of milk you normally use in your house!
Read MoreThis simple summer dessert keeps everything outside on the grill! These are VERY easy to make and make a great presentation for guests! Serve them up with something sweet and cool - like whipped cream, ice cream or even some whipped ricotta!
Read MoreThis salad is a meal peppers dream! You can make it on your weekend and portion it out for the week! It can even sit in its dressing because it's quinoa based so it won't get soggy. Top it off with my Mediterranean spiced chickpeas OR grilled chicken if you're a carnivore.
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