Mango-Kale Smoothie

March 23, 2017October 24, 2016 by Michel

Mango-Kale Smoothie

If you are wary of kale you won’t be after trying my scrumptious mango-kale smoothie! In fact, if you didn’t see that this mango-kale smoothie was green you would never know there was kale in it! It’s made from frozen mango chunks, fresh kale leaves, a pinch of banana and ginger, vanilla-bean Greek yogurt and light apple juice. The silky creaminess comes from using Cabot vanilla-bean Greek yogurt. And the “light” apple juice has the perfect amount of sweetness bringing it all together. The subtle flavors from the scant amounts of banana and ginger will have your guest’s trying to pinpoint exactly what they are. This most delicious concoction will have you licking your lips after the first sip!

My mango-kale smoothie is a real energy booster! I love that it’s super easy and convenient with store bought frozen mango chunks! My kitchen always has mangoes on the counter ripening for these mango-kale smoothie’s or my mango salsa but sometimes the timing isn’t right. That’s why I always have a bag of store bought frozen mango in my freezer. I can always depend on the the quality of the store bought frozen mango being deep orange in color offering a sweet mango flavor. Many times I cut up the ripened fresh mangoes using 1/2 cup fresh and 1 cup frozen in the mango-kale smoothie. Then I add any leftover fresh mango to the frozen mango bag and pop in back into the freezer for next time.

I make many different smoothies some of which you can find in my “Energy Smooties 101” but I think this is one of my fave’s because of the simpicity, delicious flavor and nutritional benefits. I add ginger in my mango-Kale smoothie for an immune system booster offering up anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. Kale is another antioxidant with more nutrients then spinach, if you can believe that one! It has calcium, potassium, vitamin C and B6 all helping to give you awesome looking skin & hair, and healthy bones & heart. Then there’s the mighty mango that’s known to help fight cancer with vitamin’s like A, C, E and B6!

This Mango-Kale Smoothie energy drink should be part of your weekly regimen. It’s a win-win for all us busy bees who just don’t have time for ailments! Enjoy 🙂 Now that I have you on a health craze you have to try my easy fresh salsa 101 that you can make 12 months of the year, or BEST guacamole ever. Don’t forget the Seared Sea Scallops, Salmon BLT Slider’s and how about ending it with some Ricotta Pie!

guaca

salmonsliders

Ingredients for Mango-Kale Smoothie makes 8 small glasses:

1 1/2 cups frozen mango chunks (I love Stop & Shop brand -bag of frozen mango)
You can change up fruit and swap out 1/2 cup mango for pineapple
1 cup PACKED, about 5 lg fresh kale leaves with ribbing removed
3 1/2″ slices frozen banana, (fresh banana’s sliced, placed into baggies and freeze)
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup Cabot vanilla-bean Greek yogurt- “Cabot”
1 1/2 cup light or unsweetened apple juice…the perfect amount of sweet
NOTE: Make sure the liquid is 1″ down from top of fruit and kale level
1/2 cup water OR Muscle milk …..If you need more liquid you can just add water OR a protein powder like muscle milk -vanilla is my favorite
1/4 cup crushed ice …helps to purée the kale to a fine, smooth consistency

Directions:

Place the kale leaves into the blender first, followed by Greek yogurt, ice cube, frozen mango chunks and banana, zested fresh ginger and light apple juice
Purée for 1 minute til frothy and smooth
Pour into glasses and serve
NOTE: you can freeze any left over mango-kale smoothie in plastic container for future frozen “Italian ice” like snacks!
Add some vodka or rum to make delicious party cocktails!

My MasterChef Sauces

March 16, 2019October 6, 2015 by Michel

My MasterChef Sauces

The creation of these MasterChef sauces. a spicy, sweet and sour mango and a ginger-peanut sesame sauce, all began while surfing the net a few weeks ago, I accidentally ran into the MasterChef homepage advertising “Casting calls are coming soon to a city near you”. My kids, Reilly and Bella were there at the time and enthusiastically shouted, “you should do it”! I think what sealed the deal was reading the “Come and meet the MasterChef casting team for your chance to be on the show!” The excitement started to seep in and I began to seriously consider going to the New York City MasterChef open call. If anything, I knew it would be a step in the right direction and a great learning experience let alone the adrenaline of it all!

After sending in their required online pre-registration form and printing out the nine page hard copy form to be submitted at the casting call I thought it would be a good idea to look over the FAQ page. The FAQ’s certainly had a list of what to do and what not to do. The “to do’s” started off like this: First, bring one prepared dish to serve to their food judges. Second, we would be given 3 minutes to plate our dish at their casting call location and for some reason I had initially thought I had 5 minutes to plate so that was a bit of an eye opener! Third, there wouldn’t be a kitchen to cook or warm our dish up so we were to come prepared! Fourth, we are to supply our own dishes, utensils, etc.

The “do not do’s went like this: no air mattresses, no alcoholic beverages, no animals (unless health related), no candles, no cans or bottles (except water bottles), no chairs that do not fold (i.e. lawn chairs, chaise lounges, molded plastic chairs), no digital or still cameras, no fireworks, no hair dryers, no illegal drugs, no tents, no video, cameras or camcorders of any kind, no weapons of any kind, no children under the age of 13 years are allowed at the audition venues. There you have it!

Well OK, I had a little organizing to do and a plate to figure out for my MasterChef casting call debut! I really wanted to wow them! The part about the “NO kitchen” and “come prepared” got me to thinking that a cold dish of some sort might be a wise way to go! An appetizer is probably the most logical then, right? Yes that’s it, it came to me. I would make my “Fresh Shrimp and Chive Rolls” with the new MasterChef sauces that I have created which I can decorate the plate with. A julienne of daikon radish, carrots and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds with micro herbs for some pizzaz would add in the finishing touches. I also thought I needed to add in some height so I came up with baked egg roll shells that I form in a cup cake pan. I got this idea from my “Bloody Mary shrimp and Mango-Curry Shrimp in Wonton cups at Nancy’s Show” except I decided to use egg rolls shells instead of won-ton because they are a little bit lighter.

Now that I knew what I was going to make I thought I would practice my plate decorating with my MasterChef Sauces by shooting it in this weeks show so I could share this fun experience with all of you! It was definitely a lot of work to do this and go to the casting call but I did it! It was an awesome experience being there and the “MasterChef team” was pretty dynamite. They had everything down to a science and moved around with ease offering up a very warm welcome to all the competitors. I am super glad that I took Reilly and Bella’s advice on going for this.

I kicked you know what with my dish and the plating. I went there and did exactly what I set out to do with my presentation with 8 or so seconds left before they yelled “TIMES UP”! That part I have to say was such a RUSH because it reminded me of chopped!!! I was then the first to be called back in with 8 others for that first plate presentation part from our first group of 30 plating competitors. I might be over thinking all of this a little, but I was so tired from preparing the food and shooting the show I feel as though I forgot to prep myself on what exactly to say about “me” when they pulled us 8 into interview. Although, I had them laughing a bit. I got the feeling what was more important to them was the person who said the right things in that second interviewing, more character not food ability. Gods only knows I do have lots of that so if it doesn’t work out this time I NOW know what they want next time around! I still have to wait until the end of October to see if I hear from them (they are still traveling to other states). I had an incredible time and will keep you all posted. Thank you all for your support, it means a lot! Hope you enjoy “My MasterChef Sauces” Show!

Ingredients for Ginger-Peanut Sesame Sauce:

3 tbsp smooth peanut butter (Teddy’s All Natural)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp wasabi powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2-1 tsp Siracha (can find this next to Tabasco products)
1 whole lime
1 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 3 tbsp pineapple juice – Use 1 1/2 tsp of this
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 tbsp half and half

Directions for Ginger-Peanut Sesame Sauce:

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl (EXCEPT corn starch mixture) and whisk
Squeeze only 1/2 of the lime in at this point
Add to medium pan over medium/high bring to a low simmer – whisking constantly this will be about 2-3 minutes
When this begins to thicken turn down to med/low and add in 1 1/2 tsp of corn starch mixture and keep whisking- this will be about 3-4 minutes
Remove from stove and cool
When cooled add in 2 tbsp half and half and a squeeze of the other half of the lime and whisk briefly til smooth
Add to ramekins for a dipping sauce or put into squeeze bottle to decorate plate with

Ingredients for Spicy, Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce:

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup mango
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp Siracha
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 3 tbsp water
1 lemon

Directions for Spicy, Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce:

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl except the corn starch mixture
Whisk til combined – use juice from 1/2 lemon here
Add to a medium size pan over med/high heat and bring to a low simmer to melt sugar – 3 minutes
Add in corn starch and keep whisking at a low simmer til the mixture is transparent again and thickened – 5 more minutes
Mash Mango pieces into sauce with a fork
Remove from heat and press thru a sieve into a bowl and let cool completely (can add a little squeeze of the other half of the lemon if too thick)
Pour into ramekins for dipping or put in a squeeze bottle to draw on plates …have fun decorating!

Energy Smoothies 101 VIDEO

March 16, 2019March 10, 2015 by Michel

Energy Smoothies 101 Recipe and VIDEO

Making homemade smoothies is such an ideal way to get so many wonderful nutritients into one beverage and not compromise on taste! These gourmet energy smoothies are absolutely scrumptious! Who doesn’t love a smoothie and now with all the high tech appliances available out there just for puréeing vegetables into drinks you can’t go wrong. Those juicers can get a little pricey though and an average Waring blender can get the job done too! So don’t feel like you can’t join in if you’re a novice to all this and start making your own homemade gourmet energy smoothies if you haven’t spent the dough…no pun intended 🙂 Yes, you can make your own!

My energy smoothies 101 recipes and video start you off with some basics on how to create these delicious energy smoothies. I make it easy for you with a proven lists of ingredients that taste incredible and help your body to feel good too. Granted, there’s always that afternoon cup of joe that you can grab for a boost and let me tell you I do love my caffeinated beverages! Standing by my coffee pot in the morning in anticipation of pouring that first cup is how I begin my day. Then there’s mid-afternoon when we all seem to need that extra zing to keep us going and that’s when I usually go for my cup of tea which has sentimental reasons for me as well reminding me of my Grandmother and I having tea and crackers together when I was very little. BUT when I add an energy smoothie into my day I definitely feel the difference with more of a long lasting energy and good feeling surge!

Making these energy-power smoothies will give you that “feel good” energy surge and when we are feeling up it puts us in a good mood! There are studies that show an anti-inflammatory diet that is high in protein really does have an effect on our moods and increases our stamina… who doesn’t need that!

While doing some research on high protein and anti-inflammatory diets I was recently turned on to Muscle Milk. Muscle Milk is a product that a lot of athletes use because it’s great for after work out recovery. It’s also formulated for people who are lactose sensitive, it’s gluten free and they do carry a line of Muscle Milk Light too. Best of all, while offering up all that great protein it taste scrumptious in my first “tropical vanilla energy smoothie”! The vanilla Muscle Milk compliments the vanilla Greek yogurt making for a creamy tropical flavor. It’s truly a tropical vanilla flavor that’s luscious.

My second smoothie is called the “green zinger” because the spinach turns it green and the fresh grated ginger gives it that underlying needed zing. This may me one of the most unique and delicious smoothies I have come up with. Maybe it’s because I absolutely adore the taste of fresh ginger and honey together and if you haven’t had this combo yet please put it on your bucket list! Fresh grated ginger and honey with a little squeeze of lemon will send your tea through the roof in flavor…please try it 🙂

And last but not least is my third smoothie called “the berry-beta bomb” where the color alone is enough to make you smile. There is a small amount of beets in this smoothie which give you a unique source of that wonderful nutrient called betaine. Betaine is like a power nutrient that protects our cells from stress which help fight inflammation and at the same time caring more iron than even spinach…woo hoo I say who’s better that you! I have you baking the beets for a no fuss way to cook them. If you are not big on beets try the golden beets or chioggia striped beets which you can find at Whole Foods or our local Bishop Orchards because they are definitely milder in flavor and it’s important to have them in this smoothie.

When you make your homemade batch of smoothies don’t forget to freeze a small amount in containers. That’s take some of the work out of your next round and makes for refreshing little energy snacks in the afternoon. I take them right out of the freezer and eat them like an Italian ice. Make sure to watch my show on how to make these babies! Enjoy and stay healthy!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TROPICAL VANILLA SMOOTHIE W/ MUSCLE MILK:

1 cup Muscle Milk
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup frozen cut-up mangoes
1 cup frozen cut-up peaches
2/3 cup frozen cut-up bananas
3 tbsp honey

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GREEN ZINGER SMOOTHIE:

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup frozen cut-up mangoes
1 cup frozen cup-up peaches
2/3 cup frozen cut-up bananas
1 heaping tbsp fresh zested ginger
3 tbsp honey

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BERRY-BETA BOMB SMOOTHIE:

1 1/2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup roasted beet – diced up (If you are not a big beet lover use lighter colored beets like golden beets, or Chioggia beets – the striped beets because they are more mellow in flavor
TO COOK BEETS: Cut stems off of beets 1/2″ up on stem from actual base of beet, wash and dry the beets, place them in a small shallow baking dish like a pie plate, cover with foil snugly and bake for 1 hr. When beets are done, let them cool and then peel off skin with your fingers.
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen cut-up peaches
3 tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS FOR ALL SMOOTHIES:

Place ingredients into blender and puree til smooth.
You use frozen fruits in these energy smoothie 101 recipes but feel free to add crushed ice as well to add in volume and help keep them frosty.
Keep in the frig if you are drinking right away or put into several small containers and freeze to have at a later time.
If you do freeze them in containers just take out from freezer when ready and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes and stir to drink or eat them right out of the frigerator scrapping with a spoon like an Italian ice! Enjoy!

(Note: Muscle Milk is not a paid sponsor at this time I just happen to really like the product 🙂

Thai Slaw

March 17, 2019April 24, 2014 by Michel

Thai Slaw

This is definitely not a boring old cole slaw. It has 2 cabbages, sweet and green onion, carrots, crunchy peanut butter, ginger, soy, fresh lime juice, and a few other seasonings. I have used both napa cabbage for this slaw and regular green cabbage and I have to tell you that the green cabbage holds up so much better while the napa gets mushy quickly. This Thai slaw is packed with flavor so you may want to pair this with something on the more simple side of things like grilled salmon, or steak, sautéed chicken or sea bass. Then a chocolate-avocado mousse or pavlova with fresh pineapple & berries could do the trick to end the meal well.

Ingredients:

- 4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced Spanish onion or Vidalia onion
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup thinly diced green onions (6 of them)
- 3 Tbsp fresh zested ginger (on micro planer)
- 1/2 cup Helman’s mayo
- 3 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp rice wine
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp reduced sodium Kikoman soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3 dashes tabasco
- juice from 2 limes
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds plus 1 Tsp for the garnish

Directions:

Toast sesame seeds on medium heat in a small pan shaking the pan periodically back and forth
This happens quickly once they heat up…it will only take about 3-4 minutes so it’s best not to leave the pan or the stove so they turn golden evenly
Once the sesame seeds are golden remove from the pan, place in a ramekin and set aside
Add sliced green cabbage, red cabbage, Spanish onion, green onions, shredded carrot and zested ginger to a large mixing bowl
Then add in peanut butter, mayo, soy, vinegar’s, oils, fresh lime juice, sugar, Tabasco, sesame seeds and toss together to mix thoroughly
Serve in a large bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

Grilled Asian Salmon

March 18, 2019April 3, 2014 by Michel

Grilled Asian Salmon

Grilled Salmon or pan seared salmon is up there as one of my very favorite fish dishes! In the past I have been spoiled with having very fresh salmon to work with. You may ask how fresh was it…well I’ll tell you, we are talking so fresh it just was caught in the San Francisco Bay minutes before it was in my kitchen. My rule of thumb for fish is if your fish smells and or tastes fishy you shouldn’t cook or eat it. In fact, the marinade I use here is very light and I only soak the fish for a mere 1 hour. I want to taste the luscious meat of the salmon and only want a hint of the Asian flavors which I actually use to help caramelize the edges of the fish.

The Restaurant Depot in Milford, is where I like to buy my salmon. As shown in the photos below, they have a wonderful selection of fish. The local markets like Star Fish Market and Atlantic Seafood have a great selection of salmon. The salmon in this recipe is farm raised from Canada, so not a whole long distance to travel. I have grown to love good farm raised salmon because it is meaty and luscious in flavor and you can’t beat the price. But you need to know that I would only make my gravlax recipe from a wild salmon like a sock eye salmon. Wild Salmon is all flash frozen to -10º for at least 36 hours by regulatory means to assure that if a possibility of parasites exists they will be killed making it safe for such delectable recipes as gravlax. Gravlax is made from raw salmon (flash frozen… unless you are fishing for it yourself!) cured in salt, sugar, dill and eau-di-vie or vodka and is heavily. I have actually had a request for my gravlax recipe so stay tuned for that recipe in the up and coming weeks.

The salmon can be grilled or pan seared the only difference being you finish the salmon off in a 325º oven for 5 minutes instead of a turned off grill. I have given you the mixture for my marinade BUT if you don’t have time you have the convenience of using one of my favorite store bought marinades called Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” with the yellow and blue label which happens to be incredible on chicken, by the way. You can find Soy Vay products at all the markets on the marinade shelf. I like to serve the grilled Asian salmon with my cold asparagus-ginger salad and if you want something a little hardier you can add in my perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion recipe which would all be delicious together.

Ingredients serves 4 people:

1 lb. salmon filet
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 recipe cold asparagus-ginger salad
1 recipe perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion
Marinade #1: 1/2 cup white wine + 1/2 cup pineapple juice + 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy or Tamari soy (a dark soy) + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger + and 2 crushed garlic cloves
Marinade #2: 1 cup Soy Vay “Island Teriyaki” marinade + 1 cup white wine + 2 crushed garlic cloves + 8 slices of fresh peeled ginger

Directions:

Wash and dry your 1 lb. salmon
Slice into 4 even pieces
Choose marinade #1 or #2 from above
Place the salmon pieces in a large bowl with the marinade, cover with saran and pop into the frig for one hour…NO MORE
Take the salmon out and place onto paper towels to blot completely dry
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the salmon filets
Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper
Heat the grill to medium/high
Rub olive oil on grill grates carefully with a brush before you put the filets down
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Close grill top
Cook for 5 minutes
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets and close grill again…you may need to wiggle filets gently on the grill with a thin metal spatula to loosen them …be patient
Cook for another 5 minutes
Turn the grill off and close grill letting them sit for another 5 minutes

For Pan Seared Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325º
Place a large sauté pan on the stove and put on medium/high heat
Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into pan
Place the salmon filets flesh side down first (so the flesh doesn’t get covered in scales when you flip)
Cook for 5 minutes
You don’t need to cover on your pan
Using a spatula flip over the salmon filets…they will flip over easily in the pan
Cook for another 5 minutes
Then place pan into the oven for 5 more minutes on 325º uncovered
Take out and serve with asparagus salad, mashed potatoes & red onion and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

Cold Asparagus-Ginger Salad

May 15, 2019April 2, 2014 by Michel

Cold Asparagus-Ginger Salad

Wow…this cold asparagus-ginger salad is such a God send in the busy spring and summer days when you want something refreshing, super flavorful and a total make ahead dish so you can focus on having fun with your family and friends. The longer this sits in the frig the better the flavors get so make this the night before and that will be one less thing to do when you have to grill the Asian salmon, skirts steaks, or sautéed chicken breasts with a roasted garlic & cannellini purée, or perfectly mashed potatoes with red onion. The dressing with the asparagus is really my go to Asian dressing that I use for many dishes and you should add this to your repertoire also. With the toasted sesame seeds you should always toast more then you need and keep them in a jar or Ziploc because for such a simple task it adds a lovely nutty flavor to any dish.

Ingredients: Makes enough for 6 people

1/4 cup soy
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup green onion finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp sugar
Squeeze from 1/2 fresh lime
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds (more for garnish)

Directions:

Toast sesame seeds on medium heat in a small pan shaking the pan periodically back and forth
This happens quickly once they heat up…it will only take about 3-4 minutes to turn golden so DO NOT leave the pan or they will burn
Once the sesame seeds are golden remove from the pan, place in a ramekin and set aside
In a large mixing bowl whisk together soy, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, fresh grated ginger with a microplaner, sugar and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds and set dressing aside
Bend asparagus to find the proper “break” point then cut the ends off to even them up
Put asparagus in cold salted water and bring to a simmer
Cook til tender but NOT mushy
Drain and give them ice bath to shock …don’t need to make them cold just want to shock to retain vibrant color
Dry off asparagus on a paper towel and place on a serving platter
Cut dried asparagus into 4 pieces and add to dressing bowl, toss and pop into the frig to marinate the flavors for 1 hour to overnight
Serve with your favorite protein and sprinkle a dusting of toasted sesame seeds on top