Good Food Every Day

Vanilla Honey Whipped Ricotta
Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of New York Style Ricotta (whole milk)
2–3 Tablespoons honey (go with your sweetness preference)
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
Dash of cinnamon and chopped honeycomb *These are both optional

Instructions

To a food processor, add the ricotta, vanilla bean paste, and 2 Tablespoons of honey.
Process for 30 seconds, stopping it to remove the lid, scrape the sides/bottom, replace the lid, and process for another 30 seconds or so or until it’s super creamy and whipped.
Remove the lid, taste for sweetness, and add more honey if desired.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill for an hour.
To serve, drizzle with more honey and top with chunks of honeycomb.
To give it just a hint of more ‘pop’, you can sprinkle just a hint of cinnamon on top.

Eggplant Bruschetta with Hazelnut Skordalia
Servings: 4 Active time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins

Ingredients

3/4 cup (3 1/2 ounces) hazelnuts
One (1-pound) oblong loaf sourdough bread
3/4 cup water
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 pound small or baby eggplants, stemmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup shredded radicchio or red lettuce
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Steps

1. Position one rack in the middle of the oven and another in the highest position and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Spread the hazelnuts on a large, rimmed baking sheet, and toast on the middle rack for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned. While the nuts are still hot, transfer them to a clean dish towel, fold the towel over the nuts, and vigorously rub them to loosen and remove as many of the skins as you can; don’t worry if some remain. Chop 1/4 cup of the nuts and reserve for serving. Transfer the remaining whole nuts to a food processor and process just until finely ground.
3. Cut the rounded ends (about 6 ounces total) off the bread and cut into 2-inch pieces. Cut the remaining bread into 8 thick slices and reserve for the bruschetta.
4. Transfer the 2-inch bread pieces to the food processor with the nuts and process until finely crumbled. Add the water, 4 tablespoons of the oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and process until smooth. Taste, and season with more salt if needed.
5. Turn on the broiler.
6. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Transfer to the same baking sheet you used for the hazelnuts and broil on the top rack for about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, and toss to coat. Leave the broiler on.
7. Brush the bread slices on both sides with the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil. Transfer them to the same baking sheet you used for the eggplant and broil on the top rack until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
8. To serve, spread the skordalia generously on the toasts (about 1/4 cup per toast). Top with eggplant slices, radicchio, reserved chopped hazelnut and lemon zest. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Beyond Sausage Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 4-6 Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 40 min

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil, divided.
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
1 Carrot, diced
1 Stalk celery, diced
12-16 medium/large cremini mushrooms
½ tsp salt, divided
2 Beyond Hot Italian Sausage
½ tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 cups stale french or sourdough bread torn into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 cup broth
Parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare your vegetables by slicing the shallots, dicing the carrots and celery, and mincing the garlic. To prepare the mushrooms, remove the stems and dice them into ¼ inch pieces. Set the mushroom caps aside. Prepare the bread by slicing or tearing it into ½ inch pieces. If you do not have stale bread, toast the bread pieces in the oven for 5 minutes until the bread is crusty but has not browned.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the mushrooms on the parchment paper and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with ¼ tsp salt and cracked pepper.

3. To prepare the filling, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrots, celery, mushroom stems, and ¼ tsp salt. Let cook for 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the 2 beyond sausages, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into crumbles. Let cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and the sausage begins to brown. Lastly, turn the heat to low and add the bread, dried cranberries, and broth and stir for 2-3 minutes until the bread has absorbed all the liquid. The filling is fully cooked at this point so taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

4. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling into each mushroom cap. The stuffing should fill the mushroom and create a generous mound overtop. Don’t be afraid to really smash it in there! Cook for 20-25 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through and the filling is golden brown. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Baked Bacon Cheese Dip
Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 55 minutes Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes Servings 24

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese softened
12 oz sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp TABASCO® Sauce
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese grated
3 oz mozzarella cheese grated
4 oz pepper jack cheese grated
4 green onions thinly sliced
12 oz bacon cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 round Sourdough bread (usually around 16 oz)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Cut top off the bread and scoop out the insides leaving a 1-inch layer of bread in the bread bowl. Brush the insides with olive oil, place on baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and Tabasco. Mix until combined.
Stir in cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, pepper jack cheese, green onions, and bacon.
Carefully spoon filling into bread bowl and top with Parmesan cheese.
Reduce heat to 375F and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until dip is heated through and cheese has melted completely.
Serve immediately.

One-Bite Tamales
Total Time Prep: 40 min. Cook: 3 hours 20 min. Makes about 5-1/2 dozen

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5-3/4 cups V8 juice, divided
4 teaspoons chili powder, divided
4 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound bulk spicy pork sausage
Tortilla chip scoops or corn chip scoops

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cornmeal, flour, 3/4 cup V8 juice, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder and cayenne. Add sausage; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 1-in. balls.
Place meatballs on a greased rack in a 15x10-in. pan. Bake until cooked through, 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a 4-qt. slow cooker, mix remaining V8 juice, chili powder, cumin and salt. Gently stir in meatballs. Cook, covered, on low until heated through, 3-4 hours. Serve with tortilla chip scoops.

Mushrooms on Toast

Ingredients
6 whole-wheat bread slices, toasted
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)
1/4 cup finely chopped capsicum
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp grated cheese
2 Tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves (dhania)
Salt to taste

Method
Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the garlic and onions and sauté them on a medium flame for 1 minute.
Add the capsicum, garam masala and chilli powder. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Remove the mixture from the flame, add the cheese, coriander and salt and mix well.
Divide the topping into 6 equal portions.
Place the bread slices on a clean, dry surface, put a portion of the topping on each bread slice and spread it evenly.
Cut the toast into triangles and serve immediately.

Bacon Roll-Ups
Prep: 25 min. Cook: 20 min. Makes 10 roll-ups

Ingredients

1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups cubed day-old bread
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
10 bacon strips


Directions

In a small skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, celery salt, garlic powder, salt, pepper and onion mixture; toss to mix evenly. Add egg; toss to coat bread cubes. Roll into ten 1-1/4-in. balls. Wrap a bacon strip around each ball. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
In a large skillet, cook bacon roll-ups on all sides over medium heat for 18 minutes or until bacon is crisp and a thermometer inserted into stuffing reads at least 160°. Drain on paper towels.

Argentine Empanadas
Serves: 10-12 Prep Time: 45 Min Cook Time: 15 Min
TIP: Make sure to roll the crust thin in order to avoid a doughy taste.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
1/4 bunch cilantro, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tomato, diced

EMPANADA PASTRY
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp onion salt
2/3 c vegetable shortening (crisco)
1/2 c ice water

EGG GLAZE
1 beaten egg yolk
1 Tbsp water

Directions

1 To make dough: Mix all of the dough ingredients together until it forms into a dough. Set aside.
2 Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet; sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic until they are soft.
3 Break up the ground beef and add it to the pan; cook until the beef is no longer pink.
4 Add all the remaining ingredients, except the tomato; cook for about 2 minutes longer and shut off the heat.
5 Stir in the tomato and taste for seasonings; add more salt and pepper as desired.
6 Adjust oven racks to positions #2 and #4; preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
7 Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured pastry board to 1/8" thickness.
8 Cut with a 4" inch round cookie cutter which has been dipped in flour. Place a heaping spoonful of filling in the middle of each circle.
9 Brush the rims of the dough circles with the egg glaze; fold half the dough over the filling and crimp the edges together with the tines of a fork.
10 Place each empanada on a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg glaze. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

BEER AND BACON DIP

INGREDIENTS:

16 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 2/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup IPA
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (save some for topping)
Crackers or baguette slices, for dipping

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an oven-safe dish (one that will fit 3 cups) with nonstick spray... or rub with butter.
Add the cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella, IPA, cheddar, cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and salt to a food processor or blender.
Process on high until smooth and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Stir in most of the chopped bacon- reserving about 2 tablespoons.
Scrape the dip into the prepared dish and top with the reserved bacon. Baked until warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with crackers or baguette slices.

'Game of Thrones'–Inspired Dragon Fire Wings
Yields: 4 Prep Time: 0 hours 10 mins Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins

Ingredients

For the Marinade
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1 tbsp. hot sauce or sriracha (optional)
For the Wings
2 lb. chicken wings

For the Dragon Fire Sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. orange juice
4 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. chipotle pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp. finely chopped habanero peppers (optional)

Directions

Make the marinade: Combine soy sauce, garlic, lime juice and ginger in a medium-sized bowl. (Optional: Add hot sauce or Sriracha, if you prefer spicy wings.)
Toss wings in marinade, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°. Place wings on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook through completely (the meat shouldn’t be pink when you cut into it, and the juices should run clear), 38 to 40 minutes.
Make the sauce: Whisk all ingredients (including chopped habanero, if you like things Khaleesi-hot!) and toss cooked wings in sauce. Serve.