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.

I adore pumpkins – especially pumpkin pie.  Since I am gluten-free, I had to find a substitute for my traditional fall favorite.  I tried several crustless recipes and finally came up with one that is rich, delicious, and holds it shape so you really feel like you’re eating a slice of pumpkin pie.  It really makes a difference in the taste if you cook your own pumpkin but it’s still a great pie with canned.  Just be sure to use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filing.  I’ve made this pie with butternut squash and it’s amazing – tastes really similar to pumpkin and the color is even better (a touch brighter).  I like to roast the pumpkin or squash in a 425 degree oven, cut in half and cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil and nonstick cooking spray, for about 45 minutes, or until it’s soft.  I usually put the pumpkin through a food mill or mesh sieve, but pureeing it should be sufficient.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

15 oz. pumpkin puree

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (fat free, low-fat or regular)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

¾ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. ground allspice

1.            Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray 9” pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2.            Whisk pumpkin, condensed milk, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and vanilla in large bowl.  Whisk in eggs until well combined.  Pour into prepared pie plate.  Bake in preheated oven until filling is set in center, about 50 minutes.  Cool slightly before serving or let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.  (Pie can be 1 day in advance and refrigerated.) Serve with dallop of spiced whipped cream.

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.

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

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.

Now is about the time when gardens are brimming with ripe zucchini and the search for interesting ways to use your bounty has begun.  Among my arsenal of zucchini recipes (zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini, zucchini quesadillas, zucchini pancakes, etc.) is ratatouille.  This healthy, veggie-packed side is a great way to use up your zucchini, squash, eggplant, basil and tomatoes.  I like to make a big batch of ratatouille and server it as a side for several nights – sometimes with grilled meat or fish, other times over brown rice or pasta with some parmesan cheese, or even as an omelet filling.  It’s a great make-ahead side dish and it will keep for several days.

The trick with ratatouille is to try not to stir it too often so the vegetables can keep their shape.  You’ll need to do some stirring at the beginning, but the less stirring the better.

Ratatouille

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¾” pieces

2 small zucchini, cut into ¾” pieces

2 small yellow summer squash, cut into ¾” pieces

1 medium eggplant or 2 smaller ones, peeled and cut into ¾” pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 ripe tomatoes, diced or 15oz high-quality canned tomatoes (such as San Marzano)

1 C. water

½ tsp. kosher salt

fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large cast iron pot or skillet.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft.  Add bell pepper, zucchini, squash, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes and water, and gently stir to combine.  Add addition ½ C. water, if necessary.  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Ratatouille will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Serves 6-8 as a side

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.

This dip is a smoky, creamy and filling – a delicious alternative to hummus!  You’d never guess that it’s super healthy too.  I usually have all the ingredients for this dip on hand, which makes it great for last minute entertaining.  It’s a real crowd-pleaser too.  Serve it with toasted pita, breadsticks or tortilla chips.

I like to serve this dip as part of an Argentinean Grill or Tapas theme menu.  It would also be a great appetizer for a backyard BBQ.

The dip can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in an air-tight container (bring the dip to room temp before serving and wait to garnish with the cilantro until then).

This recipe is a variation on Bobby Flay’s awesome dip from Mesa Grill.

Smoky Roasted Red Pepper & White Bean Dip

2 (9oz) cans white beans, rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 large roasted red bell peppers, peeled & seeded, or 1 (8oz) jar roasted red peppers

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

½ – 1 Tbs. canned chipotles in adobo (use mixture of peppers and adobo sauce)

1 Tbs. honey or agave nectar

salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

¼ C. cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients (other than cilantro) in a food processor and process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Today I am sharing one of my very favorite recipes with you.  As you probably already know, I love myself some quinoa.  It’s high in protein, filled with fiber, quick-cooking, gluten-free and super tasty.  This recipe combines so many flavorful ingredients with the quinoa and is absolutely delicious.  It’s the perfect picnic dish (I brought it to a BBQ in the park last weekend and it was devoured), as it tastes great with any grilled meat.  It would be a great addition to a shower brunch/ lunch buffet, or for any summer menu.  I like to make double and bring leftovers for lunch in the summer.  On a hot day, it’s filling enough on it’s own for a light dinner when served with a mesclun salad.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2 cups uncooked quinoa

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 1 tsp. zest & 2 Tbs. juice)

½ Tbs. parsley, chopped

1 Tbs. shallots, minced

1 tsp. sherry vinegar

½ tsp. salt (or more to taste)

1 cup (about 10oz) grape tomatoes, halved

½ English cucumber (seedless), chopped

¾ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

12oz roasted red peppers, chopped (strained of liquid)

¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Fresh-ground pepper, to taste

1.            Rinse quinoa under cold water until water runs clear (don’t skip this step – quinoa has a bitter outer layer that you need to rinse off).  Place quinoa and broth in medium saucepan and bring to boil.  Once boiling, cover and reduce heat.  Simmer 15 minutes, or until liquid absorbs into quinoa.  Fluff quinoa with a fork.  Transfer to a medium bowl and cool to room temperature.

2.            Combine olive oil through salt in a large bowl and whisk until well combined.  Add in quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and peppers; toss to combine.  Add in feta, if using.  Can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Jazzing up a salad for spring entertaining is as easy as adding a few special ingredients, like toasted pistachio nuts and sliced strawberries.  The mint vinaigrette gives the salad a fresh taste, and the strawberries and nuts provide great contrast in texture and flavor.  I love to serve this salad as part of a brunch menu.  I usually make extra dressing so I have it for a quick weeknight meal.  Add roasted or grilled chicken to this salad and you have yourself a healthy lunch or dinner.

This salad travels well if the ingredients are kept separate and tossed together when ready to serve.

Pistachio & Strawberry Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

1/4 C. shelled pistachios, toasted

1/2 C. strawberries, sliced

5 oz mesclun salad or baby romaine salad mix

1/2 C. mint vinaigrette (recipe below)

Toss salad ingredients with dressing in a large salad bowl.  Serve immediately.

Mint Vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mint leaves, tightly packed
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. Agave nectar (or honey)
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large food processor, blend the oil and mint until well combined.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until fully combined.  Maked about 1 cup of dressing and can be stored for up to 3 days.