Fitness with Flavor

Jerk-Crusted Almonds

Makes 8 ounces

The beauty of this recipe is its versatility; using the nuts and egg whites as a base you can add any number of spices or seasonings to perk up plain nuts.

• 8 oz. unsalted almonds (whole or sliced)
• 1 oz. jerk seasoning
• 1 egg white, unbeaten
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 oz. honey or Splenda
• Pam nonstick cooking spray

1.   In a bowl, mix almonds with jerk seasoning, cinnamon and Honey/Splenda

2.   Slowly add egg white until nuts are evenly coated

3.   Spray cooking spray on a cookie sheet and then spread the nuts in an even layer

4.   Bake at 350 F, mixing every 10 minutes until nuts are toasted and dry, about 25-30 minutes

Roasted Asparagus and Mint Pesto. Yield about 2 cups.

The reason why I came up with this is sometimes you have leftover asparagus when you grill it and you’re afraid it’ll dry out the next day. You get a smokey nuance to it, so you get a smoky pesto.

½ bunch asparagus (grilled for best results, can substitute roasted or sauteed)

½ bunch mint

¼ bunch basil

10 garlic cloves, roasted

½ cup toasted Walnuts (or almonds)

Zest and juice of 2 limes

Teaspoon of honey

¼ cup pecorino cheese, grated

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups olive oil or grapeseed oil, ¼ cup reserved

Roughly chop asparagus and add to a food processor with mint, basil, garlic cloves, toasted walnuts, lime juice and zest, honey, cheese, sea salt and pepper. Set speed to high and slowly stream olive oil through shoot until combined.

Store in an air tight container in fridge. Will keep for no more than 2 weeks.

Roasted Zucchini Pistou

Makes about 2 1/2-3 1/2 cups sauce.

• 2 cups grilled or roasted zucchini, sliced into rounds
• 3 tablespoons roasted garlic
• 1 small red onion, roasted or grilled, or three shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, Romano or Manchego cheese
• 10-12 medium basil leaves
• 6 mint leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water (optional, to change consistency)

Toss zucchini, garlic, onions or shallots, spices and red pepper flakes with 1 ounce olive oil. Roast at 450 F for 25-30 minutes.

Put ingredients in blender, and add lemon juice and zest, vinegar, cheese, basil, mint salt, pepper and puree until smooth.

Gradually add olive oil in steady stream. If sauce becomes too thick, add chicken stock or water to reduce it.

Ingredients:

(yield ~ 1 quart)

1 Cup Roasted Red Peppers. Chopped

2 Tablespoons Roasted Garlic

1/4 of a Grilled or Roasted Red Onion, Chopped<

1/2 Cup Sherry Vinegar

4 Tablespoons Honey

1/4 Teaspoon Hot Paprika

1 Teaspoon Sweet Paprika

1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

2 Tablespoons Fresh thyme, chopped

1/2Teaspoon dried thyme

Juice and zest of 2 limes

2 cups olive oil

Add all ingredients except the oil to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. With the appliance, add oil in a slow, steady drizzle until oil is fully incorporated into the mixture.

Ingredients:

(yields 4 to 6 servings)

(Served with Carmelized pumpkin polenta cakes wilted arugala in a sage roasted garlic broth)

Roasted Sea Bass with a Spiced Pumpkin Seed Crust

1 cup Pumpkin Seeds, chopped

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Cumin

1/8 teaspoon Ginger

1/8 teaspoon Allspice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pinch Cayenne pepper

1 egg white

Whole wheat panko crumbs, to bind

Vegetable or Chicken broth, to bind

4 six-ounce Sea Bass fillets

Place chopped seeds and all spices into a large bowl. Add egg white and stir to coat seeds. Spread out on cookie sheet and bake at 350 F until seeds are dry and toasted, about 15-20 minutes. Lets seeds cool, transfer to bowl and stir to separate the chopped seeds. Increase oven’s temperature to 375 F.

Mix in panko and add broth in intervals to just combine seeds and crumbs. Place sea bass on a covered baking sheet. Top fillets with about 1/4 cup mixture. Add to a covered baking sheet and roast fish at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.

Ingredients:

(yield ~ 1 quart)

1 1/2 cups dried apricots, roughly chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried Marjoram

1/4 cup water

2 cups olive oil

3/4 cup champagne vinegar

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/8 cup orange juice

1/8 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 sprigs fresh Marjoram, leaves chopped (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine apricot, vinegar, dried marjoram and water, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cover and cook until apricots reconstitute and break down, looking almost like a preserve. Set aside and let cool for 8-10 minutes.

Put mixture in blender, add citrus juices and puree until smooth. Add olive oil in a slow, steady pace to emulsify. If vinaigrette is too thick, adjust with water or orange juice. Add chopped fresh marjoram is using.

Ingredients:

(yields 6 to 8 servings)

2 Pints of Any Combination of Mushrooms: Button, Shitaki, Oyster, Cremini or Portalbella

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided

2 Tablespoons Spanish Seasoning

5 Roasted Garlic Cloves, Mashed

1/2 Cup Dry Sherry (Substitutions: Red Wine, Sweet Vermouth)

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar

Pinch-1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Worschestshire Sauce

3-4 Springs Fresh Thyme Leaves, Chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in nonstick pan until oil just begins to smoke. Add mushrooms, and sauté until mushrooms release liquid. Add Spanish spice and roasted garlic. Cook until spices become aromatic. Then add vinegar, Worschestshire, dry sherry. Continue to cook until liquids is almost absorbed into the mushrooms. Add olive oil and thyme and remove from heat.

Stove method | Add all ingredients into a roasting pan, add a bay leaf and 2 tablespoons chicken broth, olive oil or water. Roast at 375-400 F until mushrooms are golden brown. Check the mixture frequently during the cooking, adding additional liquid to prevent burning.</span>

Ingredients:

(yields 8 to 10 servings)

• 1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved

• 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved

• 1/4 small red onion, halved and shaved (in half circles)

• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

• 1/4 cup hothouse cucumber, cut in half moons.

• 1 teaspoon basil, chiffonade (about 4 medium sized leaves of basil)

• 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro leaves

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4-1/2 half jalapeno, finely diced (deseed for lesser heat)

• Salt and pepper to taste (we used about 4 turns of the salt grinder and pepper mill)

• 2 avocadoes (Hass) ripe, cut into chunks

Combine all ingredients except avocado. Gently fold avocado into mixture. Serve on top of chili, alongside fish, or use in Latin American dishes.

Ingredients:

(yields 2 to 4 servings)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 shallot

1/2 frozen spring peas

zest 1 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 leaves of mint (chiffonaded)

1/4 cup feta Crumbled

1 ounce cucumber cubed

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

In a frying pan with a teaspoon olive oil, sautee one shallot, slice in thin half-moons. Once carmelized, add ½ cup frozen spring peas, zest of ½ lemon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 leave of mint, chiffonaded. Take ¼ cup of feta, chopped in cubes or crumbled. 1 ounce cucumber, cubed. Mix until combined and remove from pan to cool. Serve on its own or add to Rheata.

Ingredients:

½ acorn squash, peeled, seeded and membranes removed, cubed to the size of dice

1 medium-sized parsnips, peeled and cubed to the size of dice

1 oz. fresh sage

½ oz. majoram

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Zest and juice of one orange

1 oz. red onion, cut in small dice

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 oz. dried sherry

3 oz. stock (chicken or vegetable)

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Add wet ingredients and herbs, onions and garlic. Add parsnips and squash and turn to coat. Roast in a 375 F oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove pan from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Put nonstick pan at high heat with ½ teaspoon of olive oil or nonstick spray. The oil should simmer but not smoke. Add cooled mixture. Gently pat down mixture until it covers the bottom of the pan. Let cook for about 1-1.5 minutes until crisp. Gently flip over and crisp other side.

SIDE NOTE | When roasting you rarely need salt, as it tends to intensify the flavors naturealy. If anything, salt after roasting.

Ingredients:

(yield ~1/2 C)

1 ounce almond oil

2 ounces olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Five fresh sage leaves, chopped (roughly one tablespoon) sage

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ounce shallot

1 teaspoon crushed almonds

Procedure:

In a frying pan, sauté 1 ounce chopped shallots and almonds. Deglaze with 1 ounce sherry vinegar, add honey, fresh sage, pour into blender and puree. Slowly add oil until thickened.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon aged sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons sweet white miso

½ teaspoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon walnut oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Ingredients:

(yield ~1 quart)

3 peaches ripe, skin and pit removed, roughly chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/2-1 tablespoon honey (depending on sweetness of peaches)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon Basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 1/4-1 1/2 cup olive oil

Puree all ingredients except oil in a food processor or blend, adding olive oil slowly until smooth. Refrigerate in an airproof container.

Ingredients:

(yield 6 to 8 servings)

• ½ head of cauliflower, separated into florets

• ¼ cup golden raisins or currants

• ½ cup whole almonds

• Zest and juice of 1 orange

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

• 1 teaspoon chopped mint

• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic

• ½ red onion, sliced thin

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

• 1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry sherry or white wine

• 1 tablespoon sea salt

• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Heat oven to 375 F.

In a mixing bowl, combine cauliflower, raisins/currants, almonds, roasted garlic, orange juice and zest, thyme, mint, roasted garlic, red onion, 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to combine and spread in a roasting pan. Add chicken stock, vermouth, salt and pepper.

Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7-spice Powder (Kevin 7 Pan-Asian Spice)

Lime zest (zest on cookie sheet with parchment paper; toast it 275 until aroma forms.)

1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Ginger

1/8 teaspoon Star Anise

1/8 Wasabi powder

1/8 Sichuan Peppercorn

½ teaspoon Black or White Sesame Seed, toasted

1 tablespoon Coriander Seed, toasted

`1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder

½ teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Dried Chives

1 teaspoon lime zest

275 F or frying in pan

Toast the coriander seed, peppercorn, sesame seed

Ingredients

• 3 grouper fillets

• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for coating fish

• 1/2 tablespoon capers

• 1/4 cup whole wheat panko crumbs

Lightly cover grouper with olive oil and grill until fish can be flaked with a fork. Remove from heat.

Fry capers in sauté pan for about one minute. Add panko crumbs and continually mix until crumbs turn crunchy.

Scatter caper-crumb mixture over fish before serving.

Whole wheat pizza dough
1 very large pizza or 3 individual size pizzas
1 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 ¼ ounce package dry yeast  (1 tablespoon active dry yeast)
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup gram flour
1 ½ cup oat flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
¼ cup instant oatmeal
1/3 cup cornmeal (or whole wheat couscous)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey or agave
Take lukewarm water and honey/agave and add to yeast until it begins to bubble and foam. (don’t ever put salt b/c that will kill it). Put that in warm, damp place for 10-minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, add flours, oatmeal, cornmeal, and salt and stir to combine. Add oil and yeast.
If using a standup mixture, mix with a dough hook for 2-3 minutes. Once the dough leaves the side of the bowl, remove and knead  (you want to knead it to develop the gluten. You could just use a mixture, but a lot of time it tends to burn out the mixture).
Pour dough onto a rolled surface; in humid environments, add flour to sides of bowl also to prevent sticking. and roll it in a bowl a few rotations, then push it from front to back and then take a quarter of dough and push to the center. Turn bowl a quarter turn and repeat for 5-10 minutes. It’s done once it’s nice and smooth and doesn’t rip.
In a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat entire surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
Once doubled, pat down. If making individual pizzas or calzones, divide dough into three even portions.
Potential pizza or calzone toppings/fillings:
       Catallan Mushrooms, with roasted garlic or shallot and manchego
       Mint-Asparagus Pesto with ground lamb or grilled/roasted chicken and a sprinkle of feta
       Roasted Tomato Ragu and fresh mozzarella, or goat cheese and chiffonaded basil
       Sour-Cherry Mustarda with goat cheese, grilled chicken or grilled onion
       Artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomato and zucchini pistou and lowfat mozzarella cheese
For calzone: like an empanada; put filling in half, fold, and crimp sides. Brush with egg white to make shiny. If there’s liquid ingredients in your calzone, you can skip scoring. If using dry ingredients in your calzone, cut a small x on top.

Sweet Potato Hash and Apple

Serves 2

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced roughly the size of a quarter

1 large Granny Smith Apple, chopped and core removed

Pinch of nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cumin

¼  teaspoon dried thyme

Zest and juice of ½ lemon (all citrus on counter in bowl; put sliced fruits in fridge)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 oz. chicken or vegetable stock, or water.

Pinch of nutmeg

1 shallot, finely diced

½ clove garlic

1 oz. dried sherry, vermouth, Marsala, brandy

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Pour all wet ingredients and all herbs, shallots and garlic in pan. Add apples and sweet potato to the pan. Stir to coat.

Roast at 375, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes or until a knife enters sweet potato easily.

Tip | Whole nutmeg and grate on a microplane. If liquids begin to dry in oven, add more stock or water. You should have a slight carmelization, but not to the extent the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Once done, set aside to cool to room temperature.

Put nonstick pan at high heat with ½ teaspoon of olive oil or nonstick spray. The oil should simmer but not smoke. Add cooled mixture. Gently pat down mixture until it covers the bottom of the pan. Let cook for about 1-1.5 minutes until crisp. Gently flip over and crisp other side.

The beauty with that is you can serve it in a cake form, or can serve it loose. If you think hash, you think something loose. I think hash, I think crisp. I think when you go and get potato hash or home fries.

Spanish Quinoa and Beans (version of Spanish Rice and Beans)
(Yield 4 cups)

2 cups cooked Quinoa (follow package directions for cooking)
1 oz. Spanish Spice (see recipe)
1 Tbsp. Tumeric
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
12 oz. can Black Beans or Kidney Beans
4 cloves Roasted Garlic
1/2 Red Onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 oz. Sherry Vinegar
1 oz. Olive Oil
S&P to taste

In sauce pan, saute onion, garlic and spices in olive oil until onion are translucent.  Add cooked quinoa and beans, stir until blended.  Deglaze with worcestershire and sherry vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste.

Curry Powder

1 tbsp Corriander seed

1 tbsp cumin seed

½ tsp. fennel seed

½ tsp. Mustard seed (black)

Tsp. fergeek (research that one; it’s an Indian spice)

1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 tbsps Curry powder (hot)

1 tbsp turmeric

1/8 teaspoon Spanish paprika

Toast all seeds and grind; and blend; enough for a couple of ounces, at least 4-5