Recipes

Chocolate Heart Valentine: Raspberry Tart with Gluten Free Pie Crust

by liz · Feb 4, 2018

Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Heart Tart Recipe — Photo by Meals.com

Valentine’s Day is coming, and I love Valentine’s Day — even when I have no Valentine. This year, I have a houseful of friends who deserve some love-in-a-baked-form from me. This raspberry tart with gluten free pie crust fits the occasion perfectly!

I’ve been researching and cooking healthier foods for a long time, and lately have been reading more about an anti-inflammatory diet. So, I decided to make the pie crust from scratch, using quinoa flour. This flour has less carbohydrates and more protein than wheat flour, plus tons of vitamins and minerals (bonus for iron) and is gluten free.

Most quinoa-flour bakers recommend using only 25% gluten free flour in breads and baked goods, but since this was going to be a press pie crust (who wants to roll out dough when you can press it into cute heart-shaped pans?) I used 100% quinoa flour. And I wanted to see if a gluten free pie crust would work with this chocolate raspberry tart.

Using an easy, basic pie crust recipe from Simply Recipes, I cut the recipe in half since this is a tart (it only needs 1 crust, not 2). After forming the dough into a ball, instead of refrigerating, I divided it into 4 equal parts and simply pressed into 4 small heart pans (these happen to be disposable paper pans). The rest of the tart is fast and easy and oh so pretty.

It came out delicious! The gluten free pie crust with quinoa flour was the perfect base for the sweet rich chocolate and red tart berries. And I got to give away some love.

Raspberry Chocolate Heart Tart (gluten free pie crust optional) from Meals.com

Get easy pie crust recipe here (just sub quinoa flour or almost flour as suggested in the recipe).

Ingredients for 8 servings:

1 refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on package (or use gluten free pie crust directions above)
1 cup (6 oz.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Morsels
2/3 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups raspberries, rinsed and dried
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 425° F.

PLACE pastry circle with plastic removed on lightly floured surface; roll out slightly. Trim small amount of pastry away to form heart shape. Place heart on ungreased baking sheet. Turn edges under 1/2 inch; flute. Prick pastry with tines of fork.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheet on wire rack.

MICROWAVE morsels and sweetened condensed milk in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-second intervals, stirring just until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread over crust. Refrigerate for a few minutes or until chocolate is set.

ARRANGE raspberries over chocolate; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NOTE: Use remaining CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk to top ice cream or use as a dip for fruit.

More hearts:


Valentine Chocolate Filled Hearts	Cocoa-Kissed Red Velvet Pancakes

First-time Chocolate Soufflé for a First-time Valentine

by liz · Feb 3, 2018

Helping in the Nestlé Kitchens gets me big benefits: lots of recipes that need tasting plus I get to watch Chris cook (her tips are even better live!) and what better month than February, a chocoholic’s dreama chocoholic’s dream.

After tasting Chris’ Make-Ahead Chocolate Soufflés and hearing how easy it was, I decided to attempt my very first soufflé. And, I had just the Valentine to impress; this would be our first Feb 14 together.

I used a recipe for two servings (omitting the Treasure). The ingredient list was short, the instructions looked easy and watching Chris’ video below made me feel really confident.

I love to cook – but I don’t bake a lot – so halfway through I realized I didn’t have a mixer! I had to beat the egg whites by hand; they didn’t form stiff peaks so I was afraid the soufflés wouldn’t rise. With only a few minutes to spare, I pulled them from the oven and ran to meet my date.

They were delicious. Perfectly baked on top, so rich and just a tiny bit gooey in the middle. They didn’t rise as much as the photo, but they peeked over the top which was pretty darn good for a first try. My date was sufficiently impressed. It helps to walk in smelling like warm chocolate soufflé. 🙂

The next day, I made it for my girlfriends and doubled the recipe. It was so easy I did it from memory!

Links:

White Chicken Chili Recipe: It’s Not Complicated

by liz · Feb 2, 2018

This past Valentine’s Day, we decided to have a chili cook-off. It seemed like a much better idea for this romance holiday on a cold winter night, especially with our particular relationship statuses; “it’s complicated” seems to be most popular in our group’s social media circles.

This White Chicken Chili recipe was my submission. I love it for its creaminess, the spicy cumin taste (I actually added a bit more cumin than in the recipe) and the boost of greens with the Spinach. I also added a little cheese on top, and some folks also topped theirs with raw onions and sour cream. Wine pairing note: this soup goes great with Chardonnay.

I’m not sure if my chili won the cook-off, but it was the first pot to be emptied! It took the chill out of a cold night and it warmed our bellies and our hearts. And it’s not complicated.

White Chicken Chili Recipe, from Meals.com

Ingredients for 8 servings:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 to 1 1/2 cups mild salsa verde
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, drained
1 cup water
1/2 cup loose-pack frozen corn
1 can (12 fluid ounces) Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
Baked tortilla chips and light sour cream for serving (optional)

Directions:

HEAT oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook on each side until golden. Transfer chicken to plate; cover.

ADD onion to same saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in cumin and coriander; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in salsa verde, cannellini beans, pinto beans, water and corn. Cook for about 10 minutes or until hot.

CUT or shred chicken into bite-size pieces and add to saucepan along with any accumulated juices on plate. Stir in evaporated milk and spinach; cook for a few minutes just until heated through and spinach is slightly wilted. Serve topped with crumbled tortilla chips and dollop of sour cream.

White Chicken Chili Recipe

Author: Meals.com

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 8

Try this delicious low-fat version of white chicken chili!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
1 to 1½ cups mild salsa verde
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, drained
1 cup water
½ cup loose-pack frozen corn
1 can (12 fluid ounces) Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
Baked tortilla chips and light sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

HEAT oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook on each side until golden. Transfer chicken to plate; cover.
ADD onion to same saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in cumin and coriander; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in salsa verde, cannellini beans, pinto beans, water and corn. Cook for about 10 minutes or until hot.
CUT or shred chicken into bite-size pieces and add to saucepan along with any accumulated juices on plate. Stir in evaporated milk and spinach; cook for a few minutes just until heated through and spinach is slightly wilted. Serve topped with crumbled tortilla chips and dollop of sour cream.

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Celebrate Drink Wine Day with Drunken Pork: One-Pot Meal

by liz · Dec 15, 2016

It’s National Drink Wine Day! This holiday is in the same week as International Syrah Day (it was Wednesday if you missed it), which makes for a long week if you’ve celebrated properly. I thought pairing wine with a dish for this post would be a good idea, but then thought using the wine in the dish was even better. I also wanted a one-pot meal to warm up my house and my belly in this cold weather we’re having.

I love one-pot meals, and decided to create something with wine, also pork, winter root vegetables and lots of red wine. The result is what I call Drunken Pork or Red Wine-Braised Pork: a big pot of hearty, spicy goodness for the winter months (don’t worry, the alcohol cooks off, so the dish is not really drunk). This dish, with red wine on Drink Wine Day will be the best pairing I’ll make all year.

Some tips:

Use any combination of winter root vegetables you like; get the freshest ones at your local farmer’s market.
Pick a red wine that goes well with chocolate, like Syrah or Zinfandel.
You can make your own dry rub using more exotic spices like cumin and smoked paprika.
For a gorgeous twist, use a knife to poke holes in the pork loin, then insert thin slices of garlic and carrot (this will show when slicing the finished pork, see end of post for a photo).

Red Wine-Braised Pork or Drunken Pork

Ingredients for 8-10 servings (shown above):

2 Tablespoons Instant Beef Flavor Bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 pounds pork loin or pork loin roast, tied with cooking string if desired
6 carrots, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced (or 2 cups peeled baby carrots, thinly sliced)
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 beet, diced
1 turnip, diced
½ cup diced celery
1 dried Ancho or New Mexico chile
2 bottles red wine
1 cup (6 ounces) Semi-Sweet Chocolate morsels
1 Tablespoon each dried oregano and thyme leaves, rubbed between fingers to release flavor
8 fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine bouillon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and stir.

CUT thin slits all over the pork loin; insert some carrot and garlic slices into the meat slits. You will have carrots and garlic left over.

HEAT Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Sprinkle bouillon mixture over pork loin; pat with hands. Turn loin and repeat until all sides are coated.

Add pork to Dutch oven. Cook on each side until browned, searing each side of the loin (shown above). Remove from Dutch oven.

ADD olive oil and onion to Dutch oven; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until softened and translucent. Add beet, turnip, celery and leftover garlic slices. Cook, stirring frequently, until edges are browned. Add leftover carrot slices; cook until slightly softened (photo above). Add dried chile.

REMOVE Dutch oven from heat; add pork loin back on top of vegetables. Pour in wine or wine/juice combination, chocolate morsels, dried oregano and dried thyme (you may have to adjust the amount of liquid depending on the size of your Dutch oven). Stir for about 1 minute or until morsels are melted; cover.

Bake, checking for doneness near end of cook time, for 2 hours or until center of pork is no longer pink.

To serve, slice pork and top with vegetables and sauce (notice carrot slivers in pork in photo above). Garnish with fresh thyme.

Final step: pair with Syrah, Pinot Noir or Gamay. Pour and enjoy!

Cooking with Wine: Winter Squash Chardonnay Risotto Recipe

by liz · Dec 14, 2016

Every so often, you stumble upon a Chardonnay so refreshing and unique, so unlike typical oaky-buttery-California Chardonnays, that you want to drink it, cook with it, maybe even bathe in it.

Alta Maria’s 2009 Chardonnay from Santa Maria Valley is half steel-fermented and half oak-fermented, with a creamy freshness and lemon-lime quality that makes it just as perfect in a rustic dish in front of the fire as a on a warm summer day in the garden. And cooking with wine is just as important as drinking or tasting wine.

Cooking with this Chardonnay adds something special to the dish: a little more citrus, good acid and lots of flavor. And don’t forget to pour a glass to pair the wine to sip with the dish! It’s the perfect pair to either of these winter Chardonnay recipes: Winter Squash Chardonnay Risotto below and Chardonnay Roast Chicken with Santa Barbara herbs.

And for dessert, here’s my other favorite way to use winter squash…and summer squash and fall squash and…

Winter Squash Chardonnay Risotto

Author: Liz

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed, peeled winter squash medley
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves minced fresh garlic
2 cups organic vegetable broth
2 cups Chardonnay (2009 Alta Maria Chardonnay)
1 ounce pancetta or prosciutto
1 medium finely chopped onion
1¼ cups uncooked Arborio rice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herb mix (like lemon thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, lavender)
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine squash and 1 tablespoon oil, tossing to coat. Arrange squash in a single layer on baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until squash is just tender. Remove from pan; set aside.
Heat a large heavy-bottom stock pot over medium heat. Add pancetta to pot; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove pancetta and set aside.
Add remaining olive oil to pot, then add onion; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add ½ cup wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Continue to add remaining wine and broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in squash, herbs, cheese, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Top with pancetta.

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No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie: Southern Charm on a Plate

by liz · Dec 13, 2016

Being from the South/Midwest/Above Texas, the thought of a sweet potato pie with a pecan pie topping really appealed to me. Plus, this one even had “No Fail” in the recipe title (thanks to Rene Garza for this recipe)!

After making the Roasted Banana Cream Pie with Butterscotch Ganache (so good!) in the Nestlé Kitchens during this summer’s pie contest, I was ready for something a little easier…a little slower, with a nice Southern drawl.

Watch the video above to see how easy it is.

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie from Meals.com

Ingredients for 8 servings:

FILLING

3/4 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 small to medium)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk (fat free is ok)
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell or Homemade Pie Crust

TOPPING

1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

FOR FILLING

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Wash and wrap sweet potatoes in foil, as shown above.

BAKE for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and rinse potatoes under cold water; remove skin. Break apart in large bowl. INCREASE oven temperature to 425° F.

POUR melted butter in bowl with sweet potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sweetened condensed milk, grated orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt and egg. Pour into unbaked pie shell.

BAKE at 425° F, as shown above, for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 350° F.

FOR TOPPING

MIX together egg, corn syrup, sugar, butter and nuts in small bowl; spread over pie.

BAKE for an additional 25 minutes or until set.

No-Fail Sweet Potato Pie: Southern Charm on a Plate

Author: Meals.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Being from the South/Midwest/Above Texas, the thought of a sweet potato pie with a pecan pie topping really appealed to me. Plus, this one even had "No Fail" in the recipe title (thanks to Rene Garza for this recipe)!

Ingredients

FILLING
¾ pound sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 small to medium)
¼ cup melted butter
1 can (14 ounces) NESTLÉ LA LECHERA FAT FREE Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell or Homemade Pie Crust*
TOPPING
1 large egg
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

FOR FILLING:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Wash and wrap sweet potatoes in foil.
BAKE for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and rinse potatoes under cold water; remove skin. Break apart in large bowl.
INCREASE oven temperature to 425° F.
POUR melted butter in bowl with sweet potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sweetened condensed milk, grated orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, salt and egg. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
BAKE at 425° F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce temperature to 350° F.
FOR TOPPING:
MIX together egg, corn syrup, sugar, butter and nuts in small bowl; spread over pie.
BAKE for an additional 25 minutes or until set.

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Cooking with Wine: Roast Chardonnay Chicken Recipe

by liz · Dec 12, 2016

I love French food and wine…and I love eating and drinking local. These two loves inspired me to create a local version of a typical French dish: oven-roasted chicken with vegetables and herbs de Provence. Of course, this is using local Chardonnay – in the dish…and in my glass.

In a Santa Barbara County garden you can find rosemary, lemon thyme, basil and chives. And garlic, of course! Also, fennel is a bountiful crop on California’s central coast, which you can usually substitute for celery, instead of a traditional mirepoix (French base of onion, carrot and celery). Browning the chicken before roasting gives it a richer flavor than more simple roasts and the end result is a savory, delicious one-pot meal that pairs perfectly with the subtle body and flavors of Alta Maria Chardonnay.

Also, try this Winter Squash Chardonnay Risotto.

Roast Chardonnay Chicken with Santa Barbara Herbs

Author: Liz

Recipe type: Main Dish

Prep time: 6 hours 20 mins

Cook time: 80 mins

Total time: 7 hours 40 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 4-pound chicken
3 cups Chardonnay (2009 Alta Maria Chardonnay)
1 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
8 cloves garlic: 6 whole, 2 diced
3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs (like lemon thyme, rosemary, basil, chives, marjoram) or 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
2 lemons: 1 sliced, 1 juiced
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
1 small onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 small green cabbage, cored and quartered

Instructions

In large bowl, combine the Chardonnay, 1 cup olive oil, diced garlic, herbs, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for 6 hours. Turn occasionally.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel and garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. When the vegetables are caramelized, spoon them along the sides of the pan.
Remove chicken from marinade and add to the middle of the pan. Sear each side until slightly brown, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange the quartered cabbage around the sides of the chicken and pour the marinade into the pan over the chicken and vegetables.
Cover the pan with a lid and roast in the oven for 60-70 minutes, until the chicken is done (meat is cooked through when cut, leg separates easily from the body, or 170 degrees on meat thermometer). Remove lid and let it rest at room temperature 10 minutes.

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