Chocolate Wine Fondue!

A Chef of Your Own will be at The Fresh Market in Dr Phillips this Saturday for two demos. I will be making and sharing Chocolate Shop Wine Sauce Fondue and Shaved Fennel and Grapefruit Salad from 11-2 and Shrimp Scampi from 3-6. Please stop by for a taste and a chat, I will have the Chocolate Shop Wine and Alamos Chardonnay out for a taste as well. Hope to see you there.

Chocolate Shop Wine Sauce Fondue

Ingredients:

6  ounces  semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 3  tablespoons  TFM Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 3  tablespoons  TFM Heavy Whipping Cream 1  tablespoon  Chocolate Shop Wine 2  quarts  strawberries, washed and dried

Preparation:

Place first 4 ingredients into a saucepan on low heat. Stir constantly until melted and thoroughly combined. Keep warm on very low heat or pour into fondue pot.   Enjoy by dipping strawberries and pound cake cubes in sauce using long toothpicks or fondue forks.

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Great Breakfast idea

Just returned from a Get Fit Weekend with Trinity Fitness, LLC. Everyone had questions for what to eat for breakfast and all wanted this recipe. A Chef of Your Own found this recipe in a Cooking Light cookbook, Breakfast section

Swiss Muesli

2 ¼ c regular oats, uncooked

2 ¼ cup almond milk

3 Tbls brown sugar

3 Tbls dried fruit

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cups vanilla low fat yogurt

3 Tbls chopped pecans, lightly toasted

Combine oats through salt in a bowl. Cover and chill 8 hours
or overnight.

Stir in yogurt, spoon into bowls and top with nuts

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Awesome New Veggie Patty Recipe

This is an awesome way to make Portobello patties. Sometimes making a pattie out of the whole mushroom can be off-putting to some. The whole mushroom has a texture that some may object to. This combines mushrooms and lentils and makes a great burger substitute. Enjoy!

Portobello Burgers

64 calories

2/3 cups lentils

6 ounces portabella mushrooms

2 tsp oil

1 ½ cups onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

½ cup bread crumbs

½ cup parsley

Simmer lentils in 2 quarts of water till tender. Drain and
cool.

Chop mushrooms fine. Sauté onion until soft. Add mushrooms,
garlic and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Place 2 cups of mixture into
food processor and pulse until somewhat pasty. Combine back with remaining
mixture, add breadcrumbs and form into 5 patties. Sauté patties in cooking
spray until lightly browned.

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Summer Vegetarian recipe

Here is another A Chef of Your Own vegetarian pattie recipe. I have also made these vegetarian cakes for my clients for the last 15 years and they always go over well. I hope they inspire you to try something new tonight.

Black Bean Patties with Cilantro and Lime

59 calories

1 tsp oli

1 cup onion

½ cup green pepper

½ cup red pepper

1 Tbls jalapenos, diced

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

1 15oz can black beans, drained

1/cup bread crumbs

¼ cup cornmeal

2 Tbls cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

¼ cup jack cheese

2/3 cup salsa, optional

Heat oil and sauté onion through spices. Sauté 3 minutes.
Add beans, sauté 1 minutes. Combine beans, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, cilantro, and
lime juice. Puree 1 cup bean mixture in food processor. Add pureed bean mixture
and cheese to remaining ingredients. Divide into 5 portions and sauté in
cooking spray.

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Pinto Bean Cakes

Here is a great vegetarian burger recipe I have been making for A Chef of Your Own clients for years. Served with a fresh Salsa, these make a great alternative for a summer meal.

Pinto Bean Cakes

Cornmeal coated cakes of Pinto beans mixed with onion,
peppers, garlic and jalapenos and served with salsa.

65 calories per Pattie

1 Tbls oil

1 onion, diced fine

½ red pepper, diced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 each jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 15oz cans pinto beans, drained

¼ cup cilantro, minced

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup cornmeal

1 cup salsa

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, pepper,
garlic and jalapeno, and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse beans. In a bowl, mash beans with potato
masher until they stick together. Stir in onion mixture, cilantro, cumin, and
pepper, mixing well. Let cool.

Divide bean mixture into 5 equal portions and shape each
portion into a ½ inch thick cake. Coat with cornmeal.

Spray a large non-stick skillet with pan spray and heat over
medium heat. When hot, add the cakes and brown lightly, 8-10 minutes, turning
once. Remove from pan and serve with salsa.

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Black Bean Patties with Cilantro and Lime

Here is another great vegetarian option. Serve with rice for a compleat meal.

Black Bean Patties with Cilantro and Lime

59 calories

1 tsp oli

1 cup onion

½ cup green pepper

½ cup red pepper

1 Tbls jalapeno, diced

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

1 15oz can black beans, drained

1/cup bread crumbs

¼ cup cornmeal

2 Tbls cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

¼ cup jack cheese

2/3 cup salsa, optional

Heat oil and sauté onion through spices. Sauté 3 minutes. Add beans, sauté 1 minutes. Combine beans, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, cilantro, and lime juice. Puree 1 cup bean mixture in food processor. Add pureed bean mixture and cheese to remaining ingredients. Divide into 5 portions and sauté in cooking spray.

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Something Hot for Breakfast

Here is a vegetarian inspired breakfast treat. This recipe is from Vegetarian Times magazine, October 2002. You can turn the heat up by adding hot pepper sauce and a chipotle chile salsa.

Cheddar Cornmeal Waffles

3 large eggs

1 3/4 cups buttermilk or soy milk

2 Tbls vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 Tbls sugar

1 cup fine cornmeal

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or soy cheese, plus extra for garnish

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels, can use rinsed canned corn if necessary

Hot pepper sauce to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander for garnish

1 ripe avocado, diced, for garnish

Salsa topping (or use your favorite)

1 cup thinly sliced petted black olives

1/2 cup corn

1 cup salsa

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat waffle iron and spray with non-stick vegetable spray.

Beat 3 eggs well in mixing bowl, and stir in buttermilk and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir into egg mixture, then stir in cornmeal, cheese, corn and hot pepper sauce.

Bake waffles according to manufacture’s instructions.

To make salsa, stir together olives, corn, salsa and black beans in small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, Cook for 5 minutes, or until mixture reduces slightly.

To serve, place one on a plate, top with salsa, and garnish with cheese, fresh coriander and diced avocado.

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Something from the wedding

Here is a recipe I use in my personal chef service that has been quite popular. It’s a vegetarian offering from the USPCA that I have adapted over the years.

Pinto Bean Cakes

1/4 cup oil, divided

1  small onion, finely diced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno, finely diced

3 cans pinto beans

1/4 cup cilantro

2 tsp cumin

s & p to taste

1/4 cup cornmeal

Heat 1 Tbls oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until softened, not browned. About 5 minutes

Drain and rinse pinto beans. in a bowl, mash beans with potato masher until they stick together. Stir in onion mixture, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. Let cool.

Spread cornmeal on a sheet of waxed paper. Divide bean mixture into 8 equal pieces and shape each into a 1/2 inch thick cake. Coat cakes with cornmeal.

Heat 1 Tbls of remaining oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 4 of the cakes and brown lightly 8-10 minutes, turning over once. Remove from pan, and serve with salsa or julienned onion, peppers, and tomatoes sautéed in a little oil.

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Request for Vegetarian Recipes

When telling someone about my blog the other day, they requested I add some vegetarian recipes. This is a great one that was from Karen Jonke who submitted it to Vegetarian Times in December of 2000. I have made it for clients many times and it has become a favorite. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

1 medium butternut squash (1 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

8 oz light cream cheese

2 Tbls brown sugar

1 Tbls ground cinnamon

1 tsp garam masala (optional)

2  medium onions, chopped

8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1 cup prepared taco sauce

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (8oz)

1 tomato, diced

1 cup shredded lettuce

1. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. Add squash to boiling water and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.

2. Drain squash, transfer to a large bowl and mash well. Add cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, and garam masala if desired; blend with hand mixer until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix in half of the onions.

3. To assemble: Place 1/2 cup squash mixture along center of each tortilla, roll up tightly and arrange seam side down in prepared pan. Top with taco sauce and then sprinkle with cheese.

4. Bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve hot with remaining onions, tomato and lettuce.

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