It’s HOT in San Diego…..

Today has been a surprisingly HOT day here in San Diego (we pay sunshine tax for nice weather – but this is a lil warm!).  And, since I happened to just post all of my Healthy, Sexy Cooking Class recipes on WannaBChef.com – take a second to see what you can put on your summertime menu at home for light, refreshing dishes that not only taste good, but are actually good for you!

Also, I’m working to get more pictures on the site – both of myself, and of all the recipes – they are in the works, so check back soon!

Ok, I’m off to find a fan to sit in front of……I can’t tell who’s panting more – me or my dogs!

Keep cooking (and in this summer heat, get outside and grill)!

Seasonal Fruit & Honey-Yogurt Parfait

Serves 4

• 4 Peaches, washed & pitted
• 12-16 Strawberries, stemmed
• 2 cups lo-fat Plain Yogurt
• 1 Vanilla Bean, scraped (or 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract)
• ½ cup Honey
• Pinch Kosher Salt
• Pinch Cinnamon, ground

1. Whisk together the yogurt, vanilla bean, honey, salt, and cinnamon until combined well.  Chill until ready to serve.
2. Slice the strawberries and cut the peaches into bite sized chunks.
3. In a glass, layer some yogurt, then peaches, then strawberries. Repeat and top with last drizzle over the top of the fruit.

Feel free to change up the fruits with whatever is in season locally, and that fruits/flavors you enjoy.  Wanna really boost the flavor?  Add a shot of Grand Marnier to the yogurt sauce!

Creamy Tarragon Chicken Breast with Zucchini Pappardelle

Serves 4

• 4 Chicken Breasts, boneless & skinless
• 3-4 Medium Zucchini
• ½ Red Onion, sliced thin
• 8 Romas, halved and seeded
• 2 Tbsp. fresh Rosemary, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh Thyme, minced
• 2 cups Lo-fat Plain Yogurt
• 3 Tbsp. fresh Tarragon, minced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• Olive Oil
• Heavy Pinch Cayenne Pepper
• Pinch Smoked Paprika
• Pinch Garlic Powder
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium-high, and broiler to high.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, fresh tarragon, paprika, and garlic powder.  Whisk well to combine.  Reserve.
3. Combine ½ cup olive oil with ¼ of the minced garlic, salt & pepper, whisking well to combine.
4. Trim chicken of any excess fat, and butterfly pieces out so they lay relatively flat.  Add chicken to garlic oil mixture and reserve until ready to cook.
5. Wash zucchini and trim off top and bottom ends.  Using a mandoline, slice lengthwise into 1/8^th inch thick strips, cutting only until you begin to see seeds.  Then rotate a quarter turn and repeat until you have sliced all four sides. (if you do not have a mandoline, you can slice the zucchini by hand…just be careful)
6. Cut each of the seeded tomato halves into six bite sized pieces.
7. In a large mixing bowl, combine ½ cup olive oil with the rosemary, thyme, remaining garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt & pepper.  Add all of the zucchini strips, tomato halves, and sliced red onion and toss well to coat.  Remove from bowl, draining excess oil, and transfer to a single layer on a baking sheet.
8. Grill chicken over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side.  Remove from grill directly into the bowl of yogurt sauce.
9. Broil veggies on highest rack of oven under high broiler for about 5 mnutes, then mix well and turn, lay out in another single layer, and broil about 3-5 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
10. Remove chicken breast from yogurt sauce and reserve.  Toss the broiled veggies in the sauce and then transfer to serving plates.  Place one of the chicken breasts on top of each pile of veggies.
11. Drizzle any remaining sauce over the plates and serve while still warm.

Black Mussels in Spicy Tomato & Fennel Brodo

Serves 4

• Olive Oil
• ½ Red Onion, minced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Red Jalapeno, seeded & minced
• 1 tsp. Crushed Red Chile Flakes
• 1 cup Red Wine
• 6 Roma Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 bulb Fennel, diced
• 1 quart Vegetable Stock
• 1 ½ lbs. Black Mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

Garnish:

• Italian Parsley, chopped
• Sliced Bread, lightly toasted (optional)
• Shaved Parmesan (optional)

1. In a large skillet (that has a lid), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the chile flakes and fennel, and sauté 2 minutes more.
3. Add in the tomatoes. Saute 1 minute more, then deglaze pan with red wine.  Reduce wine to 1-2 ounces.
4. Add stock; bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat.
5. Cover, and bring back up to a boil.  Remove cover and add mussels; cover and cook until most of the shells are open, about 3 minutes.
6. Once most of the shells are open, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 1 minute more (hopefully the rest of the shells have opened).  Remove from heat.
7. Divide the mussels between serving bowls, being careful to discard any that have not opened.  Ladle broth over each bowl; sprinkle with parsley, and serve right away. (with a separate bowl for the shells) [you can shave cheese over the finished dish, and serve with toasted bread, for a richer dish]

Arugula Pesto

• 6 oz. Arugula (about 4 cups)
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper

1. Combine Arugula and cheese with a little salt & pepper in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth.
2. With machine running, steam in the olive oil and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Grilled Avocado & Tomato Salad with Arugula Pesto

• 2 Lemons
• 2 Avocados, (choose firm ones)
• ½ Medium Red Onion, sliced thin
• 1 pound Heirloom Tomatoes
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Arugula Pesto (preferably home-made, without Pine Nuts)
• Toasted Pine Nuts (optional garnish)

1. Preheat Grill to medium-high heat
2. Using a zester or microplane, remove the zest from one of the lemons and reserve.  Juice both lemons into a mixing bowl large enough to hold the avocados.   Halve the avocados and remove the pit.  Use a large spoon to remove the flesh and immediately toss in the lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
3. Slice tomatoes into long thin wedges.  Season with salt & pepper and reserve.
4. In another bowl, combine the sliced onion with about 1 Tbsp of the lemon juice from the avocados.  Season with salt & pepper and toss well to coat.  Reserve
5. Remove the avocados from the lemon juice  and season with salt,  pepper, and a thin coating of olive oil (to prevent sticking – but too much will flare-up on the grill)
6. Place the avocados cut side down on the grill and cook about 2 minutes (until edges begin to brown), then turn over and cook 2 minutes more.  This is to soften and flavor the avocados, not cook them – so be careful about over-manipulating them or they will break down.  Return grilled avocados to the lemon juice bowl and spoon juice over them to coat.
7. Once cool enough to handle, slice avocado into thin wedges.
8. To serve, place avocado and tomatoes on alternating sides of the plate, and top with some of the onions.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil, and top with 1 tsp. of the Arugula Pesto.  (You may want to taste each component before serving and adjust seasonings)  Add toasted pine nuts, if desired.

Healthy, Sexy Cooking Class

Tonight’s Sexy, Healthy Cooking Class was a hit!  First, just a big thank you to all who came in tonight!  The appeal of taking a healthy cooking class isn’t always there, but I think I hleped the class live up to it’s name of being healthy AND sexy.  Plus, I tried to make all the dishes tasty, without the need to go overboard with butter, cream, or salt.  A perfect example of how to make a soup-er flavorful (sorry, I HAD to go there) dish, without a lot of fat is my Watermelon-Cucumber Gazpacho with Cabernet Reduction and Smoked Sea Salt.  There’s a TON of flavor going on in there, and the garnishes are optional – freeing you up to add only what you want!

The point behind tonight’s class was simple: you CAN make food that’s not just good for you, but that TASTES great!  All of the recipes are meant to be used as templates for working with foods you enjoy.  All of my recipes are not only foods that I like to cook with, but also eat (taking seasonality into account, too).  That being said, feel free to change up the recipes and make them your own.  Don’t like peaches, but love summer apricots – substitute those in for your Seasonal Fruit & Honey-Yogurt Parfait.  Or really change it up and add some homemade granola to the party!

Healthy cooking is all about state of mind – if you tell yourself that a dish will never be as good without one ingredient, you’ll never think it is!  Try to change up your routine – your next pasta night, try trading in your pasta for a zucchini with my Creamy Tarragon Chicken Breast with Zucchini Pappardelle.  You know that it’s not pasta, but you’ll feel just as satisfied!

Wanna go with a fun spin on soup and salad, try out the Grilled Avocado & Tomato Salad with Arugula Pesto paired up with a bowl full of rich Black Mussels in Spicy Tomato & Fennel Brodo.  The two dishes are a great compliment to each other, and can provide a satisfying meal on their own, without overloading your calorie count for the day.

Remember that food is a part of our lives – enjoy it, and be sensible sometimes about what it is you eat, and you’ll live longer, and eat more!

The Calm Before The Storm….

Woday I’m working on getting all of my recipes together for tomorrow night’s “Sexy, Healthy Dining” Class at Balboa Food & Wine School (check out my “Classes” page for the menu, along with upcoming classes here in SD).  Funny how, being a chef who rarely measures anything, I am writing sepcific recipes for people to follow in my class…..

Last night I whipped up the Creamy Tarragon Chicken with Zucchini Papardelle, which turned out pretty nice, and surprisingly refreshing & filling all at the same time.  Dessert was the seasonal fruit & Honey-Yogurt Parfait…I changed it up and added some cubed angel food cake (store-bought) to add to it.

Tonight….not quite sure what I’m gonna make, if anything – all day I have been craving a burger & a beer…and I might just try to convince Steve to say yes – or, I’ll whip up something from the fridge (which needs to be cleaned out soon – getting pretty full in there…not yet scary, but getting close).  In the mean time, I’ll keep plugging away at tomorrow’s class recipes!

Happy Monday

Happy Monday Everyone!

I had a great time yesterday at the GLAAD Hancock Party up in LA.  A big THANK YOU to all who attended, plus Laney & Paul who organized the event.

  I had a great time cooking with Chef Jamie Lauren and helping to raise money for a great organization!  As soon as I get some of the pictures, I’ll be sure to post them on here!

And, for everyone here in San Diego, don’t forget that there are still a few seats left for this Wednesday’s Sexy, Healthy Dining Cooking Class at the Balboa Food & Wine School.  Click on the Cooking Classes tab for more info.

I hope you all had a great weekend, and I look forward to getting more comments, and e-mails from everyone!

-Rich

Watermelon-Cucumber Gazpacho with Cabernet Reduction and Smoked Sea Salt

This is a refreshing take on a summer classic.  It’s great for healthy dining, easy entertaining, and just a great soup.

 (Picture to come)

• 8 lbs. Seedless Watermelon
• 5 cloves Garlic
• ½ Red Onion
• ½ Jalapeno Pepper
• ½ Serrano Pepper
• ½ Red Bell Pepper
• ½ Yellow Bell Pepper
• ¼ – ½ Seedless (English) Cucumber
• 15 Mint Leaves
• 1.5 fl.oz. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• ½ – ¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Garnishes:

• Feta Cheese, crumbled
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Smoked Sea Salt
• Cabernet Reduction (1 bottle of Cabernet and ½ cup sugar, reduced to 1 cup)

1. Peel & cut the watermelon into 1” cubes.  Cut about 4 oz. of the melon into small dice and reserve.
2. Small dice about ¼ of the onion and reserve.  The rest can be chopped.
3. Seed the cucumber (reserving the pulpy center) and cut about ¼ of it into small dice and reserve.  Chop the rest.
4. Seed all of the peppers.  Cut ¼ of each into small dice, and reserve.  Chop the rest.
5. Mix all of the reserved pieces of peppers, cucumber, onion, and watermelon in a separate bowl and chill until ready to serve (this is your garnish)
6. In a blender, combine vinegar with about half of the sugar, the cucumber seed pulp, along with the chopped ingredients, and about ¾ of the mint (you may need to do this in batches).  Blend until smooth, streaming in olive oil as you go to help thicken the soup.  Taste after blended and season with salt, pepper, and more sugar (if needed)
7. Chill well and season to taste.
8. To Serve: Place some of the mixed diced vegetables in a bowl/glass and ladle the soup over.  Drizzle some of the Cabernet Syrup over the soup.  Chiffonade the remaining mint and sprinkle over the soup.  Crumble on some of the feta cheese and then drizzle with a touch of the olive oil.  Finish with a light sprinkle of the smoked sea salt just before serving. Serve while still very cold.