The Hip Hostess

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Portobello Mushroom “Pizzas” April 18, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers,Gluten-Free,healthy recipes,Recipes,Vegetarian — hiphostess @ 6:00 pm
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gluten-free pizza alternative

In these healthy “pizzas” large portobello mushroom caps stand in for pizza dough.  Serve several with a side of steamed greens for a healthy and filling vegetarian (and gluten-free) meal.  They’re also a great appetizer for any Italian theme menu.

Portobello Mushroom “Pizzas”

6 large Portobello mushroom caps

¾ shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

15oz can pizza sauce

1 tsp. dried oregano

1.            Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and set aside.  Carefully remove any dirt from mushroom cap using a damp paper towel.  Remove gills from inside mushroom by gently scraping with a spoon, leaving sides of mushroom intact.  Place cleaned mushrooms on baking sheet.

2.            Fill each mushroom with ¼ cup pizza sauce and top with 2 Tbs. cheese.  Bake 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until mushrooms are softened and cheese is melted and golden brown in spots.  Sprinkle each mushroom “pizza” with a pinch of dried oregano.

6 servings

Nutritional Info per serving: 85 calories; 2.8g fat (1.8g saturated fat); 7.5 mg. cholesterol; 475mg sodium; 10g carbs; 2.3g fiber; 6.6g protein.

 

Red Velvet (Beet) Brownies November 2, 2011

Filed under: Dessert,Harvest Party,healthy recipes,Picnic,Recipes — hiphostess @ 7:00 am
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low-fat brownie recipe

I created this recipe for Vegetarian Times (1 Food 5 Ways: Beets).  I played around with replacing some of the fat in a traditional brownie recipe with pureed beets, which keep brownies tender and rich. I’ve made this recipe for self-proclaimed “beet haters” and children, who scarf them down without a second thought about the veggie content.  Generally, I’m not into the whole “sneaky chef” thing – I prefer to veggies to be consumed willingly – but adding veggies to baked goods can be met with some resistance, so it’s best to a keep it a secret until after they’ve been eaten.

Fresh cooked or canned beets both work well in this recipe.  Be sure to thoroughly drain the beet puree, otherwise the red color will bleed.

Red Velvet Brownies

2 large cooked beets or 1 14-oz. can beets, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbs. instant espresso powder

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Purée beets in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. You should have 1 cup. Set aside.

3. Whisk together butter and sugar in bowl until smooth. Add vanilla, then whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in beets.

4. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in separate bowl. Fold flour mixture into beet mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.

5. Bake 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean. Cool, then cut into 16 squares.

 

Makes 16 brownies

 

Per brownie: Calories: 161, Protein: 2g, Total fat: 8g, Saturated fat: 5g, Carbs: 21g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 17mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 16g

Photo Source: Vegetarian Times

Reviews from Vegetarian Times readers:

 

By Priscilla on Mar 14, 2011:

I made these for my friends who are gluten-free, so I used Pamela’s Baking Mix instead of flour. Delicious!

By Anne on May 10, 2011:

I have made these brownies several times and all of my friends want the recipe. Don’t change a thing and they turn out perfectly! I will definitely try the gluten free mix next time.

By Rachel on May 14, 2011:

I made these brownies with spelt flour. They came out with a fudgy texture, not that of brownies. Although they were nice, they weren’t what I expected.

By Anonymous on Jun 03, 2011:

I did not have any espresso powder and used regular sized chocolate chips, these came out denser than expected but the flavor was great.

By Deb on Jun 09, 2011:

Even though the beets were a pain to puree in a blender because I do not have a food processor, it was worth it! So moist and yummy. I also did not have the espresso powder but the brownies still tasted very much like chocolate heaven. I will make again for sure.

By Frantasm on Aug 31, 2011:

I used whole wheat flour. All I can say is THESE ROCK!!!!! The brownies are more like molten lava cake bites when warm. I grated canned beets with a grater with tiny graters then mashed by hand. So yummy. Even my picky wife liked them. Thanks!

By Zornitsa on Sep 14, 2011:

I’ve substitute the flour with low-fat soy flour, the butter with applesauce + 1 tbsp oil, and the cocoa powder with carob powder. I also omit the sugar and substitute with 1/2 tsp liquid stevia. One of the best brownies i’ve ever tried!

 

Mediterranean Baked Olives October 26, 2011

Filed under: Appetizers,Cocktail Party,Dairy-free,Fall cocktail party,Gluten-Free,healthy recipes,Mediterrannean,Panini Party,Recipes,Tapas,Wine Tasting — hiphostess @ 7:00 pm
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marinated olives recipe

Imagine the best olive mix you’ve ever bought.  The marinated olives you can make at home are infinitely better.  Combine a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your house (garlic, wine, bay leaf, oregano, etc.), bake them with your favorite mix of olives, and serve them with crusty bread for a simple tapas-style appetizer.  The smell of these olives cooking will elicit moans from anyone in the vicinity of your kitchen.

Mediterranean Baked Olives

1 cup Kalamata olives

1 cup green olives, such as Picholine

1 bay leaf

3 cloves garlic, 1 sliced and 2 minced

1 tsp. oregano

1 Tbs. parsley

1 ½ Tbs. olive oil

½ cup dry white wine

1 ½ Tbs. olive oil

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1.            Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Combine olives, bay leaf, sliced garlic and wine in baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake in single layer, covered, for 45 minutes or until olives are fragrant and swollen.

2.            Meanwhile, combine minced garlic, parsley, oregano and olive oil in mortar and pestel until it resembles a thick paste.   When olives are done baking, pierce each olive with a knife or fork, and add parsley mixture, along with olive oil and crushed red pepper, tossing to combine.  Serve immediately or cool and store at room temperature for up to a week.

Serves 6-8

 

Butternut Squash Soup September 22, 2011

Filed under: Appetizers,Dairy-free,Gluten-Free,Halloween,Harvest Party,healthy recipes,Recipes,Soups,Thanksgiving,Vegetarian — hiphostess @ 6:00 pm
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vegan butternut squash soup recipe

This soup is the ultimate comfort food: It’s warm and creamy but completely dairy-free and healthy.  I like to make it for lunch on the weekend with grilled cheese or crostini topped with goat cheese, thyme and honey.  It’s equally great for entertaining.  I’ve served it as the first course for fancy 5-course dinner party wth rave reviews.  Butternut squash soup is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I make over and over again.

Butternut Squash Soup

3 lbs. Butternut squash (about 1 large)

1 med. onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic (5 if they are large), minced

3.5 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

Optional: add Nutmeg (1/2 tsp.), cinnamon (1 tsp.) and cloves (1/4 tsp.)

Plain yogurt or low fat sour cream for garnish (optional garnish)

Chives or fresh thyme, minced (optional garnish)

1.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds and bake, cut side down, on pan covered with tinfoil and nonstick spray for 40-50 minutes (until completely soft).

2.  Meanwhile, in a large pot sauté onion and garlic in 1/2 cup broth (if you are using nutmeg, etc., add it here).

3.  Scrape squash flesh from peel and add to onion mixture; add broth at same time.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer, with the lid on, for 20 minutes.

4.  Put soup into blender (1/3 at a time) and puree.  Serve in bowl with dollop of plain yogurt swirled in and minced chives or thyme sprinkled on top.

 

Grilled Corn, Tomato & Basil Salad September 5, 2011

Filed under: Argentinean Grill,Backyard BBQ,Dairy-free,Fourth of July,Garden Party,Gluten-Free,healthy recipes,Local Menu,Picnic,Recipes,Salads,Sides,Vegetarian — hiphostess @ 10:00 am
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This recipe came about when I was cooking for a crowd but only had 4 ears of corn from my crop-share. Cutting corn off the cobb is a great way to make a little corn go a long way and mixing it with other complimentary ingredients, such as basil and tomato, adds a burst of summer flavor.

Grilling the corn makes the natural sugars caramelize and creates a nice charred flavor. This salad is a great use for late-summer corn, which generally has larger kernels that aren’t as tender and sweet as early-season corn.

Use the best ingredients you can find – super ripe tomatoes and fresh basil make this corn salad amazing.

 

Grilled Corn, Tomato & Basil Salad
4 ears of sweet corn
2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into ½” pieces
½ C. fresh basil, chopped
salt & fresh-ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat grill. Shuck corn by removing husks and silk. (To remove pieces of clingy silk use a moist paper towel and wipe in a downward motion, from stalk to tip of cobb). Grill corn until slightly charred. Set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, stand corn vertically in center of large bowl and using a sharp knife, cut corn from stalk, allowing cut corn to fall into bowl. Squeeze any “milk” from empty husk into bowl and continue with remaining pieces of corn.

2. Add tomato and basil to corn and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be made up to 2 hours in advance and served at room temperature.

Serves: 6-8 as a side

 

Stuffed Peppers with Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage August 30, 2011

Filed under: Dairy-free,Gluten-Free,healthy recipes,Main Course,Recipes — hiphostess @ 8:00 am
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Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage Stuffed Peppers

My crop-share has been doling out green bell peppers in massive quantities.  While I love the sweet-earthy flavor of red, orange and yellow bell peppers, I find green peppers to be slightly bitter when raw and prefer them cooked.  After making several rounds of fajitas I decided to stuff the remaining bounty with a flavorful sun-dried tomato chicken sausage mixture.  I added some leftover cooked rice to the mix and it made for a deliciously healthy and satisfying meal.  Choose peppers that sit evenly if you plan to stuff them, and if your peppers are lopsided and/or wobbly, slice a very thin piece off the bottom to give them a flat base.

Some stuffed pepper recipes call for steaming or blanching the peppers before stuffing and baking.  I prefer a firm, slightly crisp pepper shell in this dish so I skip the pre-cooking.

Stuffed Peppers with Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Sausage

4 green bell peppers

1 lb. sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, removed from casing

½ C. onion, chopped

15oz can tomato sauce (I used no salt added)

½ C. green bell pepper, chopped (used leftover pepper from sliced-off tops)

2 Tbs. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped + additional for garnish

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1 C. cooked rice (any kind will work; I used brown rice)

1 egg, beaten

4 oz crumbled goat cheese (optional)

1.            Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice tops off peppers (about ½” from top), carefully remove core and seeds and rise with cold water to remove any remaining seeds.  Set peppers aside and make the filling by browning the chicken sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft and slightly brown.  Add chopped green pepper, tomato sauce, salt, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper.  Cook until peppers are slightly soft and adjust seasoning if necessary.

2.            Remove chicken mixture from heat and place in a bowl to cool for several minutes.  Add rice and beaten egg and mix well.  Place hallowed peppers upright in a pie dish and, using a tablespoon, carefully fill peppers with chicken sausage mixture.

Bake peppers, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until peppers are bright green and slightly soft.  Top with goat cheese, if using, and return to oven for a few minutes to melt cheese.  Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4 (serving = 1 pepper)

 

Zucchini Pancakes with Yogurt Dill Sauce August 13, 2011

Filed under: Appetizers,Gluten-Free,healthy recipes,Vegetarian — hiphostess @ 8:00 am
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Here’s another great zucchini recipe for those with a bumper crop.  These savory pancakes are light, yet filling enough for dinner when paired with salad or corn on the cobb.  I used yellow summer squash for the batch pictured, but generally makes these with zucchini.  A combination of both zucchini and summer squash is a nice alternative too.  Using garbanzo bean flour makes these pancakes gluten-free and adds some protein, as does the tangy yogurt sauce.  The pancakes can be prepared in advance and kept warm in the oven; the yogurt sauce can also be made in advance and kept separate from the pancakes until ready to serve.

Zucchini Pancakes with Yogurt Dill Sauce

For pancakes:

2 small or 1 medium to large zucchini (or yellow squash), grated

¼ medium onion, grated

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 clove garlic, minced

6 Tbs. garbanzo bean flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbs. fresh dill, chopped

½ tsp. salt

Fresh-ground pepper

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided

For yogurt sauce:

6oz plain Greek yogurt (fat free or 0% works well)

½ Tbs. fresh dill, chopped

Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

Additional sprigs of dill, as garnish (optional)

1.            Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and set aside.  Combine grated zucchini, onion, eggs, garlic, garbanzo bean flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in medium bowl and mix well.  [If your batter is very loose, you may need to add an additional 1-2 Tbs. garbanzo bean flour; the consistency should be similar to a thick pancake batter.]

2.            Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in 12” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Scoop ¼ cup of batter into pan a spread lightly with the back of measuring cup to flatten.  Repeat and cook 4 pancakes in the pan at a time.  Flip when bubbles begin to form around the edges and cook until moderately firm and golden brown on both sides.  Remove from pan, place on prepared baking sheet and keep warm in pre-heated oven while making the next batch.  Add remaining Tbs. olive oil to pan and make 4 more pancakes (recipe makes 8 pancakes total).

3.            Place additional cooked pancakes on baking sheet and keep warm in oven until ready to serve (up to 30 minutes).  Make yogurt sauce by combining yogurt, chopped dill, salt and pepper.  Serve warm pancakes with a dallop of yogurt sauce and a spring of dill, if using.

 

Tomato-Melon Gazpacho July 18, 2011

Filed under: Appetizers,Dairy-free,Garden Party,Gluten-Free,healthy recipes,Tapas,Vegetarian — hiphostess @ 7:00 pm
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This beautiful chilled summer soup is a twist on traditional tomato gazpacho – one of my favorite warm-weather appetizers.  The combination of sweet cantaloupe, acidic tomatoes and fresh basil make this gazpacho spectacular.  The ingredients are quite simple, so the flavor of the soup really depends on the quality of the ingredients you use.  I only make this gazpacho when tomatoes and melon are in season: Ripe tomatoes that taste earthy and acidic, and sweet melon that’s beginning to melt in the center are the two ingredients that make this soup.

Don’t let peeling the tomatoes deter you from making gazpacho.  It’s really very simple if you follow this method:  Cut a small x in the bottom (non-stem end) of the tomatoes and drop them into boiling water for about 10 seconds; immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.  When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, you’ll be able to easily remove the peel.  While peeling the tomatoes isn’t absolutely necessary, it makes the soup more refined and is really worth the extra step.

Serve this soup as a summer appetizer for a dinner party, or serve it in martini or tall shot glasses at a tapas-style party.  Remember to chill the bowls or glasses (keep them in the fridge or freezer for a few hours) before serving.  If you want to make this more of a meal, add some grilled prawns (large shrimp) and sourdough rolls.

This recipe is inspired by Jean-George & Mark Bittman’s recipe in Simple to Spectacular.

Tomato-Melon Gazpacho

1 medium cantaloupe (2 ½ – 3 lbs), seeded and cut into chunks (discard the rind)

5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium tomatoes (about 1 ½ lbs), cored, peeled, seeded and cut into 1” pieces

1 ½ C. cold water (or 1 C. water and ½ C. ice cubes)*

12 basil leaves, divided

salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1.            Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in medium skillet over high heat.  Add melon to pan and cook until juicy (about 1-2 minutes).  Remove melon from the pan and place in blender.  Wipe pan clean and heat 1 Tbs. olive oil again over high heat.  Add tomatoes to pan and cook until juicy (again, about 1-2 minutes).  Remove from heat and add tomatoes to blender.

2.            Add water (and/or ice cubes), 10 basil leaves and remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil to tomato-melon mixture.  Puree until mostly smooth, leaving some chunkiness.  Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve cold, topped with chopped basil.

*I like to sauté the melon and tomatoes in advance and refrigerate them in the blender before pureeing the entire mixture so they have time to chill (you want to serve the soup nice and cold).  If you don’t have time to chill the ingredients after cooking, use ½ C. ice cubes in place of the water to keep the mixture cool.

 

Basil & Garlic Rubbed Grilled Chicken June 30, 2011

Filed under: Backyard BBQ,Dairy-free,Fourth of July,Gluten-Free,healthy recipes,Main Course,Mediterrannean,Memorial Day,Picnic — hiphostess @ 8:00 am
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I thought I’d post one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes for all those grilling over the holiday weekend.  Basil & garlic rubbed grilled chicken doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but this herb smothered chicken is really delicious.  This recipe is ideal for a last-minute dinner because the chicken absorbs the intense flavor of the basil without any significant marinating time.  I like to slice the chicken and serve it over salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

To save time, ask the butcher at your grocery store to pound the chicken into cutlets for you, which cuts down on the cooking time.

Basil & Garlic Rubbed Grilled Chicken

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ C. fresh basil, chopped

½ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

½ Tbs. olive oil (plus additional for grilling)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to ½” thickness

1.            Place garlic in mortar and mash with salt to form a paste.  Add basil and black pepper and continue mashing until well combined.  Add in just enough olive oil (about ½ Tbs.) to form a paste.  Combine basil paste with chicken in a ziplock bag and turn the bag several times to coat the chicken with the basil.  Set aside for 5 minutes while you prepare the grill (or grill pan).

2.            Heat the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.  Rub grill or pan with olive oil.  Grill chicken, turning once, until cooked through (about 3-5 minutes per side).

 

 
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