From kids to the kid at heart everyone enjoys a nice big bowl of spaghetti (and bolognese sauce) and why not – its quick, easy, cheap and delicious! But much like breakfast cereal, I’ve always struggled with cooking the perfect ratio of noodles to sauce and I’m left with a hefty helping of delicious bolognese. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation here are five delicious ideas for your left overs that will have you cooking up extra sauce in anticipation of these recipe remixes!

1. Sloppy Joe Sandwiches with Toasted Garlic – Turn last night’s dinner into tomorrow’s lunch. Simply reheat bolognese on stove top (cooking down the liquid if too saucy). Meanwhile, drizzle a hamburger roll (or kaiser roll) generously with olive oil, sprinkle with minced garlic and lightly toast. Use broiler or toaster oven on broiler setting to crisp up the insides without burning the outsides. Spoon a hefty portion of bolognese on toasted bread (squish down if your old-fashioned like me) and enjoy!

2. Homemade Chili – With leftover bolognese you’re already more than half way to a warm bowl of chilli. Simply reheat bolognese adding canned crushed, peeled tomatoes, a can of drained, rinsed kidney bean, sprinkle with cumin, paprika, black pepper and salt to taste. Bring to a bowl and enjoy with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese on top.

3. Homemade HotPockets – Spoon small amounts of leftover bolognese and shredded cheese into pre-made puff pastry squares. Seal tightly by firmly pinching edges and bake to directions on pastry package or until golden brown. Try to enjoy without burning your tongue.

4. MeatLover’s Pizza – Layer bolognese sauce on pizza crust (use store-bought to save time) as you would plain tomato sauce. Sprinkle generously with shredded cheese and add your favorite meaty toppings.

5. Freeze It! – Make a bolognese so delicious you don’t have the hearty to transform it unto something else? Throw it in an air-tight container and freeze it for later. Your future-self will thank for such an awesome meal with practically no effort!

The next morning I woke up bright eyed and ready to start on my healthy smoothie lifestyle. Super excited I gathered all the ingredients and broke out the blender just to find out the blender was literally broken! What a rocky start to my new lifestyle; defeated I went back to bed.

For days those bananas watched me as I rushed through the kitchen every morning grabbing coffee before heading to the door. “What the hell am I going to do with all you bananas” I would think while shooting glances of consternation at the freckled bunch before heading off to work. After watching my bountiful bunch grow brown and soft it finally came to me, as if bubbling up from some remote corner of my brain, “I’ll make banana bread”. Seeing as how I have (or I should say had) no clue how to make banana bread, a chuckle followed the notion. I’ve seen mothers and daughters make it a ton on televison as they bonded over girly talk. It seemed easy enough. So I set out to get my banana bread bake on!

After doing a bit a research I pieced together a super simple recipe and sprinkled it with a bit of my personal flair. Best part, the ingredient list is simple and it took literally 15 minutes to put all the ingredients together, just enough time for the oven to preheat!

Ingredients (makes a standard 9” cake, 24 cookies)

2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 ¾ cup Mashed Ripe Bananas (about 5 bananas)

½ cup Butter (room temp.)

¾ cup Brown Sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

¼ teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

1 sprinkle of Nutmeg

Directions

In a bowl combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg) and whisk together.

In a separate bowl blend together sugar and butter using an electric mixer or a whisk and some good all man power, mix until creamy.

Add beaten eggs and vanilla extract to butter and sugar mixture and stir well.

Peel and mash ripe bananas until it becomes a lumpy puree. I used a potato masher but if you have children this would be the perfect time for them to roll up their leaves and get their hands dirty!

Add mashed bananas to butter and sugar mixture and stir to incorporate.

Add flour to the wet ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Be sure not to over mix just enough to incorporate the flour, otherwise you will end up with a banana brick!

Grease pan with butter and bake at 350 degrees until brown and a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

This recipe is super versatile. Use it to make muffins and treat your self to a tasty (and cheap) breakfast or spoon it on a greased cookie sheet and make super moist delicious homemade cookies!!!

Enjoy!

Foolproof and fun to make – its a great recipe for getting kids involved!

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 Sweet Potatoes

Flour – about 3 cups or until dough forms

Salt & Pepper

Directions

Step 1

Boil sweet potatoes with skin on for about 40 minutes. When tender, remove from water, cut in half and remove sweet potatoes from the skin using a spoon.

Step 2

Break sweet potatoes up with a wooden spoon, add salt and pepper and mix with enough flour for a dough to form that isn’t sticky.

Step 3

Knead dough and separate into 4 balls. This makes it easier to work with.

Step 4

Roll each ball out into a rope and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Using a fork press and impression into each piece to make the ridged design.

Step 5

Drop gnocchi into boiling water 1 piece at a time. When the gnocchi rises to the top of the water, its ready! This takes about 2 minutes. Remove it from the boiling water with a slotted spoon.

Step 6 (optional)

This Gnocchi takes great alone but if you’d like to go the extra mile – toss fresh gnocchi with pasta sauce and freshly chopped basil; sprinkle with Parmesan.

Tip: Extra dough can be stored in a zip-lock bag in the freezer, just transfer to the fridge 24hours prior to when you have a hankering for more gnocchi.

Bon Appetit!

Instead of ordering out for fatty game day snacks, whip up this quick and easy recipe that takes only 20 minutes and comes in at under 400 calories for a super stuffed portion!

That’s equivalent to only 4 hot wings and quicker than ordering a pizza.

Considering most people eat about 10 wings a piece and add a few beers to the mix – the calorie count goes through the roof!

This recipe will fulfill the carnivore in you while saving lots of extra calories for a beer, or two (or three!)

Guilt-free Game Day Pitas

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 Pitas

1/2lb boneless, skinless Chicken Breast

Red Onions

Green Peppers (or a mix of whichever peppers you like)

Ketchup

Romaine Lettuce

Baby Spinach

Red Cabbage

Ranch Dressing

Seasoning (I used about a teaspoon of salt, black pepper, parsley,garlic powder and a few red pepper flakes)

Directions

Step 1

Cut chicken breasts into small pieces and add seasonings. Allow it to sit for a few minutes for flavors to marry.

Step 2

Julienne pepper and onions. Don’t cut it too thin if you enjoy hearty vegetable pieces like I do!

Step 3

Saute chicken with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once chicken pieces have cooked on one side flip them over and add vegetables. Optional: squeeze a few drops of ketchup of into the mix. It seems a bit weird but as the ketchup cooks down it really adds a nice flavor to the chicken. Don’t use too much a few drops goes a long way!

Step 4

While chicken is cooking begin to assemble your simple salad. Roughly chop a few leaves of romaine, add some baby spinach and my favorite thinly julienne some red cabbage (this add a great crunch and color!)

Step 5

Time to toast the pitas. Slice an opening across the top of the pita, open the pocket, and my little trick – insert the small piece of bread into the pita to create a tent – this keeps your pita pocket open while it is toasting. Drizzle some olive oil on both sides of the and toast until lightly brown.

Step 6

Assemble your Guilt-free pita by spooning some chicken into the pocket, loading in some of the mixed salad and topping with 1-2 tablespoons of ranch dressing (this add a nice creamy element). Lay on top of a small bed of salad.

Tip: If you have any leftover pita bread cut it into little triangles, drizzle with some olive oil and toast for some quick chips!

Enjoy and Go Team!

Hawaiian Meatballs

Ingredients (serves 2)

1/4lb of Ground Beef (substitute chicken or turkey if you’d prefer)

1/2 Green Pepper

1/2 Red Onion

1/2 Carrot

1  – 16oz Can of Pineapple Chunks in Pineapple Juice

1  – 16oz jar of pitted cherries; drained.

1 tbsp of Flour

1/4 cup of Panko Crumbs (or breadcrumbs)

1 egg

Seasonings (I used about a teaspoon of salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley, garlic powder, allspice, to taste. Feel free to get creative and use your favorite savory seasonings)

Directions

Step 1

Cut the peppers and onions, into large chunks, julienne carrots because they will take longer to cook than the peppers and onions.

Step 2

Seasoning the ground meat then add egg and breadcrumbs. Mix well.

Step 3

Form into small meatballs sized about smaller then a ping pong ball. Don’t make the meatball to big or else they won’t cook in the middle on the stove. You decided you would like larger meatballs you will need to brown it on the stove and put it in the oven.

Step 3

Brown meatballs on both sides in a hot pan then remove from the pan to rest.

Step 4

Drain pineapple juice from the can into a bowl and whisk in flour. Make sure there aren’t any lumps.

Step 5

Saute vegetables in the pan and add the pineapple juice mixture. Simmer on medium heat to thicken.  Add meatballs and continue to simmer for a 5-7 minutes.

Step 6

Add pineapple chunks and cherries and continue to simmer for 2 minutes. This recipe can be eaten with rice or noodles.

Now, throw on your bathing suit, crank up the heater and enjoy your bit of summer in the freezing cold!

Bon Appetit!

‘Tis the Season for Feasting! The holidays are yummy time where all the best recipes are whipped up and the fancy appliances come out to play. It’s also a time for last minute shopping in crowded malls; catching up with friends and family you’ve been neglecting all year and of course countless holiday parties! And all of this holiday cheer has to happen while maintaining your usual life’s duties! It’s no wonder why Santa needs all those elves!

Well I’m no elf, but here’s a magical recipe that will take only 5 minutes of prep work for those who don’t have the time to recreate a day long recipe but want to contribute a traditional holiday meal to the next Christmas party or dinner.

With just a few sprinkles of cinnamon, a touch of vanilla and a bit of sugar and you can have super easy dish perfect holiday dish, no-fuss (or magic required). So crack open that bottle of wine your were planning on taking to dinner and leave the supermarket pies for the dogs!

Candied Sweet Potatoes w/ Marshmallows

Ingredients

6 Sweet Potatoes, quartered.

2 cups Water

1 cup and 2 tbsp of Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp of Nutmeg

Marshmallows, as many as desired.

Directions

Combine water, 1 cup of brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg in a pot and whisk to blend, bring to a boil.

Add sweet potatoes to water, boil on high for 10-15 minutes, Sweet potatoes should be fork tender but not mushy. Be sure to cut the sweet potatoes into pretty large quarters so they don’t get mushy during the cooking process.  

Transfer sweet potatoes from water to a baking dish (9×9), Drizzle a couple tablespoons of the sugary water over the top (this keeps the potatoes moist while their baking) and sprinkle 2 tbsp of Brown Sugar on top.

Add some Marshmallows on top and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until the marshmallows look toasted. I only use a few marshmallows on top to showcase the potatoes but some like to cover with a thick layer of marshmallows, do what you and the guests will like best.

TIP: If you are taking this dish with you to a holiday party add the marshmallows on top but don’t bake until you get there.

For an added textural element (and some crunch) add a few pecans on top of the sweet potatoes (before the marshmallows).

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

The art of improvisation is a defining quality that all chefs share and it is a quality that I am trying to exercise in my own kitchen.

My latest the act of improv: Rice Remix!

For some reason I can never seem to make the perfect amount of rice for two. The excess of rice then sits in the fridge just long enough for me to forget the day it was actually made. Ultimately the trash can ends up having a hearty meal. For some, this is no problem at all, just microwave and reuse, but I absolutely hate reheating old rice. Its hard, its dry and its just not what an aspiring master chef would eat!  I have made fried rice from time to time but it requires a lot of ingredients that I don’t always have. As a home-schooled chef I had to figure out what to do with all that extra rice.

This week I was caught in my usual rotation of rice from refrigerator to garbage when I actually thought up something really great to do with it. I turned my day old rice into Spinach Sauteed Rice. It was so simple, super delicious and took 12 minutes! I’m actually looking forward to the next time I make too much rice!

Spinach Sauteed Rice:

Defrost and squeeze excess water from frozen spinach.

Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a saute pan.

Saute spinach  until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the day old rice, chopping up any large chunks with the pot spoon.

Add 2 tbs of butter to the pan. (You can skip this step if you like but it makes a huge difference.)

Add dried ingredients and your favorite seasonings. I used parsley, oregano, and a bit of cumin.

Saute the rice and spinach together  for about 7-10 minutes.

As I said improvisation is key so use whatever ingredients you like and have one hand.
Enjoy!

No Fuss Chili

The weather is starting to change here in NYC and I was craving something hearty to usher in the fall; I thought what better way to do that than with chili?!? ….Mmmm, yes, chili… But a long drawn out all-day prep and cook recipe is definitely not my style. The only question now was how to make an amazing tasting chili that’s quick, cheap, and easy but tastes like I spent all day fussing over it??

On the quest for the answer I went to the original source for most people, Mom!  Lucky for me my mom had a tried and true recipe for cooking up chili in a snap that’ll make you want to curl up on the couch with a blanket, a big bowl and an even bigger spoon!

The preparation is super simple and takes only a few ingredients. I like to prepare mise en place, meaning I prep everything like dicing onions and gathering seasonings before I start cooking, here’s a list of the ingredients and how to prep them before you start.

Ingredients

1lb Turkey (or any type of ground meat/meat substitute, of your choosing.) 

Peppers (I only had a red pepper at the time so I used that but you can use whatever pepper you have on hand and as much or as little as you like or leave them out all together, cooking is about freedom of expression so create something you’ll enjoy)

2 Jalapeños, minced (I had a bunch growing in my garden so I used them to give the chili some kick. You can substitute hot sauce if you like)

1 large Onion, minced

1 can of Tomato puree

1 can of Whole peeled tomato in puree, roughly chopped

2 cans of red kidney beans, drained

2 tbsp Garlic

Seasonings (I used about a teaspoon of dried parsley, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt and a tablespoon of seasoning salts. Feel free to get creative and use your favorite savory seasonings)

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients its time to put it all together!

 Step 1

In your stock pot add a couple of tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the minced garlic and the minced jalapeño (if your using hot sauce just add the garlic right now).  I always like to put the garlic in my pot with the oil before turning on the fire because once the oil heats up to the perfect temperature the garlic will start to sizzle so you know when its time to get cooking.

Step 2

Add the meat and your diced onions and sauté until the meat has cooked thoroughly. People usually add onions before the meat but I like adding them together so the onions can caramelize slowly without burning. Once the meat has cooked add the diced peppers. I like to add them after the meat has cooked so they maintain some of their crispness and don’t get too soggy.

Step 3

Add the roughly chopped peeled tomatoes to the meat and mix thoroughly breaking up any pieces that your find too large with your spoon..

Step 4

Add the puree that the peeled tomatoes were in, as well as, the additional can of tomato puree. When it starts to simmer add the two cans of beans. Drain the liquid the beans were in before putting it into your chili or else it will be too runny.

Step 5

This step doesn’t require any work on your part but is very important. Leave your chili on a low simmer for 45min-1hr. I know that at this point your chili is looking and smelling amazing but give it time for all the flavors to cook together and to reduce. The tomatoes and meat will soak up all that flavor and taste amazing. Just plate it up and add some cheese on top and Enjoy!

I, personally, like to toast up a quick batch of garlicky bread for dipping.

Italian Cafe on the street of the Festival

Moving through the masses while contemplating what to eat first.

On Sunday I found myself in Manhattan with lots of extra time on my hands so I did what I always do when I’m in the city with spare time: I wandered around aimlessly! J I’ve found there is always something to do in the city if you look hard enough but on this particular Sunday I didn’t have to look hard at all because my stomach’s GPS was in full effect. A quick left off of Broadway and I found myself in foodie heaven; my stomach lead me straight into the heart of the San Gennaro Festival. This is one of my favorite events to visit in the summer and I was right in time to take part in the last day of the 11-day festival. San Gennaro, the longest running festival in the United States, features blocks and blocks of streets in Little Italy adorned with arches of red, white, and green wreaths to set the stage for vendors of all kinds. With craft sellers, games, music and of course tons of food it’s all too easy to get lost in the celebration.

The main attraction is centered on Italian street food but being that it takes place in New York City you can experience foods from all sorts of countries and cultures. Have a look and the photos I snapped while strolling though and experience the wonder that is the San Gennaro Festival:

I decided it was only right to start the Festival off with a tasty Italian bite...Zeppoles!

What a yummy decision. Fried sweet dough covered in confectioners sugar and served in a brown paper bag for shaking it up.

A myriad of Italian sausages to choose from grilled right in front of you and topped with peppers.

Have a hankering for some fresh oysters?

Although not Italian these Arepas are one of my favorite things to eat at the Festival. Cornmeal tortillas filled with mozarella and grilled. These are hard to pass up!

You can't have a NYC food festival without some authentic NYC pizza!

Turkish stand grilling Gozleme (Phyllodough stuffed with cheeses andvegetables) grilled on a traditional turkish Saj.

Corn with melted cheese and spices. Yum

Cannolis were abundant!

I had never seen these before: Red Velvet sandwiches!

A refreshing pick me up.

Top it all off with a pina colada served in a coconut shell!

You can't have a Italian festival without a tomato or two

I can’t wait until the San Gennaro Festival to roll around next year!

Endive: a mysterious vegetable to most of us is easy to get at the local market and even easier to cook with. It’s a leaf vegetable part of the chicory family that can be eaten raw as part of a salad or cooked in a myriad of simple ways. You’ll be able to tell it from other leafy greens because it looks like an un-blossomed flower.  Research done in the Netherlands, among 62,000 women, showed a 75% risk reduction of cancer when consumed raw. How does it do that? Endive contains kaempferol, an organic cancer fighter that actually causes ovarian cancer cells to die, isn’t that amazing it kills cancer cells (serious OMG! moment), and it the basis for many cancer drugs. You can also find kaempferol in other greenery, such as, spinach, kale, and broccoli. The Dr. suggests eating ½ cup twice a week.

Fish: We always hear that eating fish is good for you. We should all swap out our red meat for it and something about Omega-3. Well omega-3 is so important because it is an anti-inflammatory. If you didn’t know, chronic inflammation is the cause of many serious illnesses, cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease; the list goes on and on. Eating foods that are naturally anti-inflammatory keeps your body in balance and out of the constant state of inflammation most of us are in, unbeknownst to us. Let’s also not forget that omega-3 has many mental health benefits also. You can rest assured all that fish oil your mom made you take when you were a child was actually beneficial. A study conducted in Northern Italy showed at 30% cancer risk reduction. Eat those 2-3 servings suggested a week to get the full benefits.

Onions: This was very surprising for me to hear. I love onions and I put them in practically everything so I was excited to know I was on the right track! Onions, specifically red onions, show a cancer risk reduction of a whopping 73%. Onions contain flavonoids, the same antioxidant that has made dark chocolate so popular. Try to use them as much as you can when cooking so you can soak up all the benefits. You could maybe even swap out that nugget of dark chocolate for and onion wedge, ok, ok maybe not.

These three foods are just a speck on the tip of the iceberg in the sea of what eating natural foods can do for our body and mind. So next time you take a bite of food think of it as what it truly is, your body’s medicine, the major ingredient in the recipe for a health body. I hope these facts were eye opening for you!