Labneh with Mediterranean Herb Oil

Wrap the yogurt in a cheesecloth and let strain over a bowl in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the yogurt from the cheesecloth and place it in a shallow bowl. Stir in the salt and set aside. 

Heat the olive oil in a small pot on the stove over medium-low heat. Remove the oregano leaves from the woody stem and add to the oil, along with the minced garlic, sumac, and Aleppo pepper. 

Heat the spices in the oil for 5 minutes, then spoon the mixture over the labneh. 

Serve with carrots, whole wheat pita, and enjoy! 

Nutrition per serving: 100 calories; 8g fat (1.5g saturated); 170mg sodium; 3g carbohydrates; 0g dietary fiber; 2g sugar (0g added sugar); 6g protein

Coconut Chicken Soup

  1. Mince or grate ginger, garlic and jalapeno. Transfer half to a large bowl and set the rest aside. To the large bowl, add the chicken, half of the chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands or a fork to fully combine but do not overmix. Use your hands to form 2-inch meatballs (about 2 ounces each).  
  1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs in a single layer and cook, flipping halfway through, until golden brown on two sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure not to overcrowd your pot so that your meatballs can evenly brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs, adding oil as needed. 
  1. Once all the meatballs are browned and out of the pot, add sliced mushrooms to the pot and begin to sauté until soften and lightly golden brown. If there is any residue from the meatballs that begin to get too brown with the mushrooms, add a bit of the broth to deglaze the pan. Add the reserved ginger mixture to the mushrooms and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, tamari and the remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and any juices from the plate, and simmer until the flavors come together and the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. 
  1. On a very low heat stir in the spinach and lime juice. Continue to simmer until the spinach has wilted. **Divide rice among bowls, then top with meatballs, broth and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. 

**optional: this soup may be served over forbidden or white rice 

Kale Colcannon

Place potatoes, garlic and a large pinch of salt in a large pot and fill with cold water, covering the potatoes by 1”. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until tender, 18-20 minutes. Transfer potatoes and garlic to a large bowl.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the kale in small amounts until the kale starts to wilt, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add to the bowl with the potatoes and garlic.

Mash the potato mixture until smooth. Stir in the cream and softened cream cheese, season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives.

Asparagus and Cheeseball Casserole

Pre heat oven to 350°

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and have a bowl of ice water ready. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. When the water boils, add the asparagus and let boil until nice and green, about 2 minutes. Remove asparagus from the boiling water and place directly into to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Once cooled, remove asparagus to a paper towel-lined bowl or plate to drain off excess water.

In a medium sauce pot, melt the butter. Add in the shallots and cook for a minute. Add in the garlic, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Let cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in the flour and mustard and cook stirring often for at least one minute. Slowly add the half and half, stirring constantly so clumps do not form. Next add the cheese ball and stir until smooth. Heat to a simmer and let thicken for a few minutes.

In a large baking dish, lay the asparagus on the bottom and cover with sauce. Arrange the sliced eggs on top, evenly over the sauce. Top with cheese, then the parmesan crisps. Bake for 25 minutes until heated through and sauce is bubbly.

Holiday Mushroom Dip

In a large sauté pan, heat butter. Add the pancetta and sauté until crispy. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside, trying to leave as much oil in the pan as possible. If the majority of the oil has been absorbed, add an additional tablespoon of butter.
Add the onions and cook until soften before adding in the mushrooms. Season the onions and mushrooms with salt and pepper and continue to sauté for an additional 5 minutes, or until soften. Add 1 tablespoon flour to thicken any of the liquid that comes out of the mushrooms.
Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add to the pan to begin melting into the onions and mushrooms. Once the cream cheese has almost completely melted, add the sour cream, Worcestershire and tamari. If using white wine add at this step as well.
Continue to cook until the mixture has come to a shallow simmer.
This dip can be finished two different ways. If serving over an extended amount of time, the dip can be kept warm in a small crock pot on low. Alternatively, add the dip to a 10” seasoned cast iron or small greased casserole dish, sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Serve with small rye bread toasts or a seeded cracker.

Green Bean and Hazelnut Salad

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Roast hazelnuts until fragrant and gold brown, about 15 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Once cool, place roasted hazelnuts on a towel and rub between palms to loosen skins. Roughly chop and set aside.

3. Blanch beans in salted water until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Have a bowl of ice water ready to shock beans briefly after.

4. While beans are boiling, make the dressing in a large salad bowl by whisking Dijon, balsamic, honey, garlic and shallot. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified.

5. Once the beans have slightly cooled from blanching, add the beans and sliced celery to the dressing and toss altogether. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parmesan if desired.

Vegetable Rice Stuffed Squash

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut your squash in half and remove seeds. Season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. 
  1. If using, drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup over the squash halves and roast for 40 to 50 minutes or until squash is tender but still maintaining its shape. Remove from oven and reserve.  
  1. In a heavy bottom pan, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the veggie rice for a few minutes and reserve. Wipe down the pan and add more oil.  
  1. Sauté carrots, shallots and celery until golden brown, stirring as needed. Remove from pan and reserve. 
  1. Add more oil to pan and sauté mushrooms for a couple of minutes until caramelized. Return the carrot, shallot and celery mixture to the pan. Add garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring as needed.  
  1. Gently stir to combine all veggies. Deglaze pan with the vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  
  1. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes until the veggies are soft but still have a bite to them. Add the whole cranberries, fresh herbs, lemon and orange juices and zest.  
  1. Add the veggie rice back to the pan along with half of the parsley. Remove from heat and top the butternut squash with the “stuffing”. 
  1. Garnish the dish with parsley, pomegranate seeds and purple cauliflower. 
  1. Drizzle with more maple syrup and serve. 

Utah Peach Nice Cream

“Nice cream” is the term for puréed frozen bananas that resemble soft serve ice cream. For this version, we added peak-of-season Utah grown peaches and froze them ourselves. You can substitute peaches from the freezer section if desired, but if you do, you may need to add a small amount of maple syrup to sweeten.

In a food processor, add frozen peaches and bananas. Let sit at room temperature to thaw slightly, about 5 minutes.

Add vanilla, oatmilk, and maple syrup, if using, to food processor. Pulse until fruit starts to break into smaller pieces. Use a spatula to occasionally stir mixture. It may take up to 10 minutes to fully puree. The finished product will resemble soft serve ice cream.

Serve immediately for very soft “nice” cream. If it has started to melt too much, place in a container and freeze for 1 hour. For firmer “nice” cream, freeze for 4 hours. Once frozen, let nice cream thaw slightly to make it easier to scoop.

Nutrition per serving (not including maple syrup):  90 calories; 1g total fat (0g saturated); 5mg sodium; 21g carbohydrates; 3g dietary fiber; 14g sugar (0g added sugar); 2g protein

Elementary School Lunch

Place 2 slices mortadella on a cutting board. Place 2 slices provolone on each slice mortadella. Cut each round in half vertically. Beginning at the bottom, roll each piece into a round. Skewer with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining mortadella and provolone. Place in a small container with a lid.

Place Babybel cheeses, cucumber, ranch dressing, edamame, and blueberries in their respective small containers.

Hearty Greens with Beets, Pomegranates, and Pistachios

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut off tips of red and golden beets, wash thoroughly. Keeping beets separate, in 2 small bowls, drizzle olive oil on beets and season with salt and pepper. Wrap red and golden beets in separate aluminum foil pouches and cook until fork tender, 45-60 minutes. Let cool.

Peel and cut golden beets into 1” wedges. Repeat with red beets. Keep beet colors separated.

In a bowl, add chard and half of pomegranate arils and toss lightly.

In a bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, pomegranate juice, and vinegar. Slowly drizzle oil, whisking briskly, to form an emulsion. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup dressing to greens and gently massage. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Arrange greens and beets on a platter. Garnish with pistachios and remaining pomegranate arils.