These are a quick, healthy snack!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon each of our NEW Rosemary Fused and Vegan Butter Olive Oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until they are warmed through.

Meanwhile, combine the rosemary, pepper, sugar, salt and butter in a large bowl.
Toss the warm nuts with the rosemary mixture until the nuts are completely coated.
Serve warm.

Health Benefits:
Heart-Protective Monounsaturated Fats Not only do cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts, approximately 82% of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, plus about 66% of this unsaturated fatty acid content are heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, similar to those found in olive oil. Studies of diabetic patients show that monounsaturated fat, when added to a low-fat diet, can help to reduce high triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are a form in which fats are carried in the blood, and high triglyceride levels are associated with an increased risk for heart disease, so ensuring you have some monounsaturated fats in your diet by enjoying cashews is a good idea, especially for persons with diabetes.

Be your own French gourmet chef.  It is easy & elegant (even I can bake them If I stand & watch them and don’t walk away.  Otherwise ultimately they will burn)

Pre-heat your oven 400-410 deg. line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Sprinkle loose amounts of grated parmesan cheese (keep them airy), spaced well apart and flatten them with the back of a spoon.   Bake only long enough to melt the cheese and slightly brown (5 min.).  Don’t over bake them.  After they cool a little, remove them from the parchment paper with a spatula & fold them over a rolling pin.  They are a great snack or a finishing touch to a nice soup.

Play with them.  Before baking, sprinkle them with poppy seed & cracked black pepper or try Rosemary and a slice of smoked salmon.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. of good quality pasta (Linguine, fettuccini, spaghetti, etc.)
• 1 bag Farm Raised Little Neck Clams (bag of 50, or at least 15 clams per person)
• 2 cloves of Garlic sliced
• 1 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil chopped
• Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
• Pinch of Black Pepper
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 cup of your favorite white or red wine
• Sprinkle of grated Romano Cheese
• 2-3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we used Tuscan and Harissa)

Instructions:

1. Place a large stock pot on stove to cook pasta per directions on the box
2. Finely chop parsley and basil
3. Chop garlic
4. Rinse clams in cold water checking to make sure they are all closed, or that they will close when tapped. If they are open they are dead. Do not use them!
5. As soon as the pasta water is ready, add the pasta and set your timer per instructions. Rinse your pasta set to the side and work on your broth.
6. Place a large sauté pan on the stove, add in the wine, vegetable broth, balsamic, olive oil and garlic (after briefly sautéing the garlic), bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Add in the pasta and clams.
7. Cover with a lid allowing the clams to steam open.
8. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top of the clams and serve with grated Romano cheese.

Grilled Portabella Mushroom Burger with sweet peppers. Drizzle our Wild Mushroom and Sage on the Bella & Peppers before grilling.  Mmmm Good. Top the lettuces & arugula off with the Espresso Balsamic Vinegar.  Just to die for.

Mango and Avocado Pepper Salad.  Splash on some mango balsamic or the lemon balsamic vinegar with our NEW Rosemary Fused Olive Oil. (hint:  the espresso works too well with the rosemary.  They compliment one another to the point it is so savory.  Almost like a roux or gravy.  Could get you into trouble).

Take care and enjoy!!

Meat Protein:  ½ pound of Beef Oxtails & 4 Smoked Turkey Wings

Other Protein:  Lentils, Barley, Navy & Pinto Beans (dried)

Vegetables:  Carrots, Celery, Onion, Cabbage & mushrooms

Grains/Bread:  Cous Cous & Long Grain Black Rice

Herbs:  Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Bay leaves & Thyme

Spices:  Cracked Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika & Cumin

2 tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or our Tuscan Olive Oil (for sautéing)

The true historical recipe from France calls for a pint of dark stout!

Coat your Ox tails with our Tuscan Olive oil & 1 tsp. of flour and shake in a gallon bag until coated well.  Saute your ox tails with diced garlic, onions, carrots, celery & cabbage until they are opaque.  Approx. 15 min. Set your vegetable blend to the side.

Bring 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken or beef broth to a boil.  Add in your Ox tails & Turkey wings and the vegetables.  Boil for approx. 20 min. Then add in ¼ cup each of the lentils, barley, navy & pinto beans.  Reduce your heat to medium/low & simmer for 30 min.

Add in your spices, the cous cous and long grain rice. Cover your pot with a lid (I like a clear lid to see what is going on in there) & simmer for another 30-45 min on low.  The rice, cous cous and bone marrow will thicken this delicious soup.

Toast up some crusty bread for dipping in the juices.

ENJOY!!!  2 HRS.

History:  Much of the food of Rome is based on cucina povera.  Offal, the quinto quarto, is a huge part of this cuisine.  The quinto, “fifth” quarter of the animal, includes the “lesser” cuts and the innards.  Rich folks took the premier cuts of meat. The poor, making due with what was left, cooked the hell out of these pieces, establishing the cuisine of Rome, that still thrives today.

They caressed the flavors from these tough unwanted pieces into dishes as rich as Rome’s history, with layers of flavors running as deep as the ancient cities lying below Rome.  Coda alla Vaccinara (braised oxtail) is one of these dishes.  The tail is slowly cooked, tenderizing the meat, and releasing flavors from the tailbone that give the dish an intense meatiness.

Time for some comfort food like at G-ma’s house.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Pound Pot Roast
• 3-4 Med. Size Idaho potatoes (cut into quarters)
• Baby carrots
• Half of a purple and white onion
• Sliced mushrooms
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• Hickory sea salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ cup beef stock
• 3 oz. espresso balsamic vinegar
• 3 oz. wild mushroom & sage olive oil

Directions:
Marinade your roast beef in the Espresso and Wild Mushroom & sage olive oil overnight in the fridge in a gallon bag.

Place all of the above ingredients in your slow cooker & simmer on Med. High. for 6 hrs.
Turn the roast over and Reduce to low for another 2 hrs. Makes a wonderful leftover with toasted ciabatta bread and aged sliced cheese melted with an au jus sauce.

  

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of Wild mushroom ravioli frozen (Costco or Sam’s Club)
• 1 can of low sodium cream of mushroom soup
• ¼ cup of low fat milk.
• ¼ cup of chicken broth
• ¼ cup of Chili Lime Sauce (organic from Kroger)
• 1 pound of ground beef
• Salt, pepper, and herb to taste
• 1 cup of fresh bruschetta (tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, etc.)
• 2 cups of mixed yellow and white aged cheeses
• 2 oz. of our garlic or Tuscan olive oil

Directions:
Boil your frozen ravioli’s on a low rumble for about 10 min. Do not overcook them, just enough that they separate from each other and are a little flimsy. Drain & toss in our garlic or Tuscan olive oil just enough to coat them, salt & pepper to taste.
Cook our ground beef, rinse and drain.

Blend in a bowl your mushroom soup, water, chicken broth and organic chili lime sauce (Kroger: chili’s, spices, & fresh lime juice).

Coat a baking dish with that mixture so the raviolis do not stick to the bottom of your dish. Layer your raviolis and then pour the remaining mixture over the top.

Spread your bruschetta over the top and then sprinkle with your cheeses and herbs.

Bake in oven on 390-410 for about 30 min. until mixture is bubbly and cheese has crusted on top. Remove oven and let cool. Easy!!! About 40 min.

It is time to get back on track with eating healthier and smarter. Winter salad with Salmon fillets. That is what is for dinner:

Ingredients:

• Cabbage
• Collard Greens
• Chard
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Dried Cranberries
• Walnuts & Almond Slivers
• Chopped tomato & onion

Directions:
Toss all above ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add in fresh herbs, such as, dill, thyme, rosemary, oregano & basil.

Put a swirl of our pomegranate balsamic vinegar on top of the salad (2-3 oz.) with sea salt and cracked pepper. Then the same amount of our Blood Orange, Tuscan or Herbs de Provence olive oil.

Shake well and put in the fridge for 20 min while you sauté some salmon fillets. Top the salad with your fillets and serve. 20 min. (Wikipedia: Winter greens have similar nutritional characteristics to other leaf vegetables and are therefore good sources of vitamins A and C. They are also a source of several dietary minerals including Iron, Potassium and Calcium.)

Dice up your fruits first & marinade in mango or pumpkin pie spiced balsamic with black pepper. Sauté onions, garlic and pumpkin. When crisp, throw in the fruit, reduce heat until thickens, but don’t over cook. Say 7 min. Plate chicken & salsa between. Finish off with smoky chipotle olive oil drizzle. 30 min. Enjoy!

• 4 Large Chicken Breasts sliced into strips (approx. 4 strips ¼ thickness per breast);
• 3 pieces of bacon or turkey bacon pre-cooked, but still flimsy to wrap around chicken;
• talian herbs: garlic, onions, basil, thyme & oregano sautéed with our garlic and smoky chipotle olive oil ( I used 50/50 about 4 tablespoons)& the chicken pieces. Chicken should not be completely done.
• Two cans of croissant dough, opened and laid out on baking pan, slightly stretched out;
• ¼ stick of cream cheese, ¼ of goat cheese & Blue cheese crumbles;
• Blend cheeses, add in dill weed, smoked paprika, and herb & garlic mixture you sautéed with the chicken.
• When out of the oven and still hot, drizzle our vegan dairy free butter olive oil over each wrap and sprinkle with garlic powder or other fine grained herbs.
• You can add in chopped spinach, ham chunks or salsa to make your own chicken Gordon bleu!!
• Place in oven until golden brown (15-22 min). Easy!! 30 min (pre-heat oven at 375 for 15 min before hand).