Sour Cream Corn Muffins

 From the kitchen of Diana Orso

Whisk together the following dry ingredients:

2 cups and 4 Tablespoons of Soft as Silk Cake Flour (or 2 Cups Multi-purpose flour)

1 cup Polenta (or yellow cornmeal)

3/4 Cup of Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (I like pink salt)

In another bowl, whisk together the following wet ingredients:

2 eggs (preferably at room temperature)

1/2 cup milk (also better if not ice cold)

8 Tablespoons (a stick) of melted and cooled butter

3/4 cup sour cream

Very gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together just to moisten, lumps are okay, don’t over mix.

Scoop the mixture into a greased muffin tin or use paper muffin liners. 

Bake in a 375-degree oven for about 18 minutes, test with inserting a pick into center until it comes out clean. 

Brush the tops with butter and cool for 5 minutes.

I wanted a lighter and moister corn muffin, thus my decision to use the cake flour and polenta (which is ground finer than regular corn meal).

Enjoy!

  No Bake Cranberry           Nut Energy Bites

     A Blue Zones Recipe

  Submitted by Barb Shea

Give your brain a boost with these delicious energy bites!

Ingredients:

9 Medjool dates, pitted and cut in quarters

⅓ cup agave

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1¼ cup whole grain oats

¼ cup pistachios, shelled

⅓ cup sliced almonds

¾ cup dried cranberries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

In a food processor with a metal blade, add dates, agave, almond butter, chia seeds, oats, pistachios, almonds, cranberries, and vanilla. Pulse until roughly chopped, but not pulverized.

Place oat mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add white chocolate chips and stir together. Place in refrigerator and chill for about 20 minutes.

Once chilled, use your hands to shape into 1-inch balls, pressing your hands firmly together to shape.  A touch more almond butter can be added to help shape and hold, if necessary. Repeat with remaining mixture.

Yield:  12 Bites

Note: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

    Chickpea Tortilla Soup

     From the kitchen on Diana Orso

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped, optional

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 cups vegetable broth

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed

2 cans (15 ounces each) no-salt-added chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

Optional ingredients: Crushed tortilla chips, cubed avocado, lime wedges, shredded cheese, sour cream and additional chopped cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the red onion, garlic, jalapeno if desired, and pepper; cook and stir until tender, 3-5 minutes.

Add broth and quinoa. Bring to a boil; reduce heat.

Simmer, uncovered, until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, beans, tomatoes, corn and cilantro; heat through.

If desired, serve with optional ingredients.

     Easy Popovers

  From the kitchen of Bev Guss

      A classic side dish for   Thanksgiving or any occasion.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/3 t. salt

2 whole eggs (do not beat)

Directions:

Mix ingredients 10 - 15 seconds only. 

Pour into well-greased muffin tins sprayed with PAM. 

Do not preheat the oven.

Place in oven and shut door and don’t peek, bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then lower the temp to 350 and bake 25 minutes more. 

     Layered Tomato           Zucchini Casserole

From the kitchen of Bev Guss

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups grated Cheddar cheese 

⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese 

½ teaspoon dried oregano 

½ teaspoon dried basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste 

2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced

5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced 

¼ cup butter 

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion 

¾ cup fine bread crumbs 

Directions:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly butter a 9x9-inch pan.

Step 2

In a large bowl, combine Cheddar, Parmesan, oregano, basil, and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Step 3

Arrange half of the zucchini slices in the pan.

Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese and herb mixture on top.

Arrange half of the tomatoes, and top with another 1/4 of the cheese mixture.

Repeat layers.

Step 4

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in breadcrumbs, cook until they have absorbed the butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole.

Step 5

Cover loosely with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Remove foil and bake until the top is crusty and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Balsamic Strawberries and Ricotta Crostini Appetizer

From the kitchen of Barb Shea

Ingredients:

1 baguette, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 pint (2 cups) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

Fresh mint leaves, chopped (for garnish)

Olive oil, for brushing

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Prepare the Strawberries:

In a mixing bowl, combine the sliced strawberries, balsamic vinegar, honey, a pinch of salt, and black pepper.

Toss gently to coat the strawberries evenly and set aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

Prepare the Crostini:

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush both sides lightly with olive oil.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the crostini are golden and crispy.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Assemble the Crostini:

Spread a generous amount of ricotta cheese onto each crostini.

Top with a spoonful of the balsamic strawberries.

Garnish with chopped fresh mint leaves for an added burst of flavor and color.

Serve:

Arrange the assembled crostini on a serving platter.

Drizzle with additional balsamic glaze, if desired, and serve immediately.

Tips:

Variations: Try using goat cheese or mascarpone instead of ricotta for a different flavor profile.

Make-Ahead: You can prepare the balsamic strawberries and toast the crostini in advance. Assemble just before serving to keep the crostini crisp.

             

             Stanley Tucci
     Tomato and Basil Pasta

    From the kitchen of Robin Stuck

Ingredients:

3-4 plum or Roma tomatoes, quartered

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

8 ounces dried pasta

Salt to taste

2 ounces of crumbled goat cheese or ricotta cheese, optional

Lemon zest, optional

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, and basil in a medium bowl and marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

3. Salt the marinated tomatoes to taste, then toss with the cooked pasta.

4. Serve topped with cheese and lemon zest, if desired.

   

      DAD’S CRAB DIP

From the kitchen of Bev Guss

(Double if crowd is coming!)

Ingredients:

1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese

1 can crab drained

1/3 cup mayo

1 T Chili sauce

2 t. horseradish

1 t. lemon juice

     Blueberry Broccoli Salad
    With Poppyseed Dressing

From the kitchen of Barb Shea

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup fresh blueberries

1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Poppyseed Ranch Dressing:
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Prepare the Salad Base:
In a large salad bowl, add the fresh spinach leaves as the base.
Top with chopped broccoli florets, fresh blueberries, diced avocado, and dried cranberries.

Make the Dressing:
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, dried dill, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.

Assemble the Salad:
Drizzle the poppyseed ranch dressing over the salad.
Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and poppy seeds for an extra crunch.

Serve:
Toss the salad gently to coat the ingredients with the dressing.
Serve immediately as a refreshing side dish or a light main course.

Tips:
For extra protein, you can add grilled chicken or chickpeas to the salad.

Variations: Substitute the feta cheese with goat cheese or blue cheese.

  New York Style Cheesecake
   From the kitchen of Diana Orso

Ingredients:
6 eggs
32 ounces of Philadelphia cream cheese
2 cups sugar
1 pint of sour cream

2 1/2 Tablespoons of corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

*Let the cream cheese and eggs sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Grease a 9 inch Spring Form Pan.

Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and corn starch together, pour into the softened cream cheese and mix until smooth, pour in sour cream and beat.  Pour mixture into the pan and bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees.  If you see a crack in the center, that’s a good sign.  Cool, then refrigerate overnight.  

I like to serve with a fresh strawberry topping (mash ripe berries), or a topping made from Wyman’s frozen wild Maine blueberries (thawed and mashed).

This is very rich and makes a good amount of cheesecake.   Enjoy!

Marguerita Chicken Quesadillas
     From the kitchen of Diana Orso

Makes 24 Wedges

Ingredients:
5-6 boneless chicken thighs, cut in thirds (preferably Red Bird)
3/4 thawed frozen limeade concentrate

1 large sweet yellow onion, sliced in thin half moons
1 medium sweet orange or red bell pepper, julienned
1 medium sweet yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 ripe avocados, smashed or thinly sliced if not overly ripe
2 TBSP butter, melted
1 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges, optional

Directions:

Place chicken in a large bowl.  Add limeade concentrate and turn to coat.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the onion and sweet peppers in oil until tender, season with salt and pepper.  Remove from pan and set aside; wipe out skillet.

Drain chicken, discard marinade.

In a large skillet over medium heat, grill chicken until browned on the outside and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

When cold enough to touch, cut chicken into 1/4 inch strips, set aside.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line a small baking sheet with parchment.

On half of each tortilla, layer Monterey Jack cheese, avocado, chicken, pepper mixture and cheddar cheese; fold over.

Combine butter and lime juice; fresh over tortillas.

In same skillet used to cook vegetables, cook quesadillas over medium heat until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes per side.  Place quesadillas on baking sheet.  Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining quesadillas.

Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges.  Sprinkle with cilantro; serve with lime wedges if desired.

✦ Diana made this recipe at the Sweet Basil Culinary Center and liked it a lot…a do over!

     Peach Pasta Salad
  From the kitchen of Barb Shea

A delightful combination of sweet & savory flavors.

Ingredients:
2 cups rotini pasta, cooked and cooled

2 ripe peaches, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1 cup mozzarella cheese balls (bocconcini), halved
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Pesto Honey Glaze:
1/4 cup pesto sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

Preparing the Pesto Honey Glaze:
Mix the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto sauce, honey, olive oil, and lemon juice until well combined. Set aside.

Assembling the Salad:

Cook the pasta: Cook the rotini pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.

Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, sliced peaches, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach leaves and halved mozzarella cheese balls.
Add the basil: Tear the fresh basil leaves and add them to the salad.

Dressing the Salad:

Drizzle the glaze: Pour the prepared pesto honey glaze over the salad and gently toss to coat all the ingredients evenly.

Season: Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.