Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Potatoes Mary

March 3, 2014 by Mary 25 Comments

Since our children are no longer home, and as we have gotten older, I try to prevent the weight gain that happens with the slower metabolism by just not making or serving carbs at dinnertime. I try with all my might to keep in shape, (except for the couple of chocolates after dinner on weekends) but you know, I don’t consider myself too successful. I never really lost all the weight from having my boys. And you’re now talking 25 years ago.

Did I tell you I hate to shop for clothes? Seriously, I hate it. I always have. I love it when my husband buys me outfits and he does the work and lately, I guess because I haven’t shopped in so long, he went out and bought me two! The first was one of my Christmas gifts. A pair of really skinny, hip hugger jeans (that’s what we used to call them) and a beautiful navy shirt with sheer sleeves. Honestly, I was afraid to try the jeans on. I waited a few weeks. But miraculously, they fit! And they’re even a size 8 – but I think they’re making all the sizes more generous now – and they really should be a 10. Whatever, I was just so happy they fit and I didn’t have to tell him I had to take them back for a larger size.

I was reminded of a lunch I had some months ago with my friend Sharon, who is just a couple of years younger than me. Sharon is in good shape – don’t get me wrong – but she said she was with another friend who was helping her clean out her closets and her friend told her to throw out all the clothes that were too small because she thought they would constantly depress her. So Sharon decided right then and there that she didn’t have to strive for still being in her twenties. She said she gave it up!

Me? I’d like to think that I’m still nineteen – hell – forget the twenties – I want to be nineteen again! And I’m not giving up – and still striving for the body – not that I’m there – but you know what I mean?

So recently I had lunch with my friend Marie who is a few years older than me and she said she understood me. She was in that frame of mind in the past, but she thought she had moved to Sharon’s camp now. I was wearing the new outfit at that lunch and the jeans are not all that comfortable – but I’ll suffer for fashion every once in a while.

Who’s camp are you in?

We have been entertaining a lot and when we entertain, we do always serve a carb. Lately I’ve been making these potatoes – similar to Potatoes Anna but not done in the oven and not nearly with the amount of butter James Beard would call for. So let’s call these Potatoes Mary. They’re easy to do as long as you have a hand mandoline. Cook them slowly while you’re having cocktails, flip carefully and you’ll turn out a delicious and impressive looking dish for your guests.

POTATOES MARY – serves 6 – 8

6 – 7 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thin on a mandoline (you can peel these but I don’t if they’re really fresh – my mother always said the skin was good for you – made your own skin pretty!)
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. unsalted butter, divided
1 tbs. chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt
Pepper

Slice your potatoes right before using. Warm the olive oil with 1 tbs. of butter on medium heat in a non-stick skillet. When butter is melted, swirl together and start laying the potatoes in the skillet, overlapping them in a round fashion, making sure the overall thickness is even and using 1/2 – 2/3 of them. Then stop and salt and pepper over the top. Sprinkle the thyme leaves evenly over the surface and dot with the remaining tbs. of butter. Layer in evenly the rest of the potatoes, and salt and pepper the final top surface.

Cover the skillet for 15 – 20 minutes. The potatoes will sweat and cook. Check the bottom carefully with a spatula to make sure the bottom is not browning too much. Uncover the skillet after the 15 – 20 minutes to let some of the accumulated moisture dry up as you’re aiming for a crispy bottom, yet all the potatoes must be tender and creamy so check them with a fork in the center, cooking them for 10 – 15 minutes longer on this side, uncovered. When they’re pretty dry on top as the photo shows, slide them out of the skillet onto a plate. Then cover the plate with an unrimmed cookie sheet and flip them over. Now slide the whole potato gallette back into the skillet to brown the other side. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes more to slowly brown the other side. Keep checking with a fork. If they are not getting tender, cover them for a bit but you want to end up with your last 10 minutes or so uncovered to get them crispy. Carefully slide the whole shebang out of the skillet and onto a serving plate.

Cut like a pie into wedges. Serve with LOVE.

Kale with Ginger and Carrots

February 27, 2014 by Mary 24 Comments

I love coming up with unique combinations of vegetables. Not that this is so mind blowing but it’s a new combination for me. And I love being able to put dinner on the table in 40 minutes. I think the 30 minute claim is BS. Unless you’re using processed food. This meal, I put on the table in 40 minutes, even with the time it takes to cut the kale leaves off of the stem. But what pleased me most, was this vegetable combination of kale with ginger and carrots.

Kale with ginger and carrots and roasted cod on a white Wedgewood plate.

Roasted cod seasoned with Old Bay and the sauteed kale with ginger and carrots

The addition of the chicken broth, which was a second thought, only because I had some brewing on the stove, was a great flavor booster. I think I’ve told you before, my husband is not a kale fan. At all. But, he loves my kale salad. I do too, but that’s more time consuming as you have to chiffonade the kale, heat and watch the olive oil, grate the cheese, and toast the pine nuts. And that’s not exactly a low calorie dish with the oil and cheese. This dish of sautéed kale was easy, peasy, really pretty (pretty is important to me), low calorie and Steve liked it! He really liked it. It was delicious!

Here you go – you might call this More Easy Vegetables for Joan, 2.0!

KALE WITH GINGER AND CARROTS – serves 4

1 tbs. olive oil
1 bunch of kale, washed, stemmed and cut into 1” strips
3 carrots, peeled and cut on a diagonal into 1/8” thick slices
2 tbs. of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade, or vegetable broth or dry white wine
Salt
Pepper

Warm olive oil on low in a large skillet. Add ginger and carrots and cover for 10 minutes to soften. Add all the kale and the chicken broth and cover for 5 minutes. Toss and turn up heat to medium and toss and cover alternately until kale and carrots are tender to your liking, 10 – 12 minutes longer. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with love.

Healthy breakfasts

February 17, 2014 by Mary 36 Comments

On Sunday mornings, we like to have a big breakfast/brunch type of deal – eggs, turkey or chicken sausage, toast (with maybe a little of Ethel’s delicious honey on that), fruit salad and tea.

Yesterday, I made an omelet. I used to make them all the time when the kids were home – a big one with, like, 8 eggs. They loved it – with all kinds of fillings – and making them a lot keeps you in practice. Flipping practice. Well, it appears I am seriously out of practice. Just check out this photo – not a pretty sight. But, it tasted good! I filled it with provolone and cheddar cheeses, some finely chopped raw red pepper, fresh grape tomatoes and a chiffonade of basil. It was tasty, but time consuming. And, it makes a mess! (Although pictured here, the garlic was NOT in our omelet.)

Now if you want a healthy breakfast in a flash, check out these good folks at Mix My Own Healthy Breakfast. It’s a husband and wife team with a neat concept. You literally choose what you want to go into your custom mix of cereal, with tons of healthy, organic options to choose from. They asked me to mix my own cereal and review their product. I chose oats, goji berries, raw almonds, walnuts, wheat germ, bran, spelt and barley flour flakes along with quinoa, acai powder, blueberries and a whole host of healthy things. I don’t really eat cereal with milk anymore, mainly because the kids are gone and we don’t have milk around. But, I do love to put cereal on my plain low fat Greek yogurt and then drizzle a little honey on top. That’s a real energizer in the morning!

Mix My Own has tons of things to choose from (it can be dizzying) and they keep track of your combination so you can easily order it again, because who could remember? Fortunately, if you are overwhelmed and find making decisions tough, you can also order pre-mixed versions such as gluten-free or antioxidant varieties. The end resulting product is delicious, although depending on your ingredient choices, it can be pricey. They ship nationwide and my one-pound bag, with shipping, was just under $20. If you love cereal or granola-type things, visit their website and create your own combo. It’s a good thing!

Valentine’s Day! – Loving France

February 14, 2014 by Mary 30 Comments

I love France. I always have. I took French in high school – 3 years – and my husband and boys ALWAYS make fun of me when I try to speak the language. But then our French interns say I have a great accent! So, for this Midwest girl with really, really, bad A’s, are they telling me the truth or just trying to butter me up?

No matter. I carry on. I love the food. I love the country. I love the cheese. The butter. The salt. The champagne.

We took the kids there when they were young. I forget why. I think we had just won a big new account and wanted to celebrate. The youngest was seven. For a two-week trip, after 3 days, he wanted to go home – to his room and his stuffed animals. He missed them.

Can you believe it??!!! I was incredulous. And we promised DisneyLand Paris and that was still 4 days away!

Lovely family in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

I remember, getting out of that Metro Station, climbing the steps and turning around and seeing the Eiffel Tower and literally screeching with joy at the sight – in true tourist fashion. No wonder my sons can’t stand me.

We carried on – he got over it – of course he doesn’t really remember a whole lot of the trip now – but we all had a great time (along with some other interesting stories for another time).

But just recently Rendez-vous des Arts Culinaires contacted me to do an interview for Valentine’s Day. Was I delighted? You bet! They found me and I am always happy to talk about LOVE and cooking. The interview is here. In fact, taking the boys to France at the ages of 11 and 7, I believe, formed the foundation of their love of wonderful food and wonderful ingredients. They knew the difference, even then, in the taste of the butter, the bread, the jambon, the crepes.

(Oh I raised monsters.)

Anywho, I’m delighted that Rendez-vous des Arts Culinaires featured us on our day – Valentine’s Day! They wanted to publish this recipe of ours: Silky Chocolate Cake.

And I have some other great recipes for your dinner tonight or this weekend in our newsletter – super easy Veal Chops with Sage and an awesome Chocolate Souffle that you shouldn’t be afraid of, because it will work, following these simple instructions. If you didn’t get the newsletter and would like it, let me know either through a comment or signing up in the upper right hand corner and I will personally make sure you get it before dinnertime tonight.

Love to all!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

And a big thank you to the great folks at Rendez-vous des Arts Culinaires!

Vegetarian Delight

February 11, 2014 by Mary 11 Comments

Vegetarian delight finished dish - baby spinach, beans and roasted vegetables topped toasted pine nuts and goat cheese.

Once on week I make a meatless meal, much to the disconcertion of my husband. He hates them. He knows, intellectually, it’s a good idea but the complaints beforehand, egads, it drives me crazy!! But I soldier on, try to ignore him and cook up something, with LOVE. You probably know by now that I love salads, but salads are not very inviting with all this cold weather we’re having here on the East Coast. And raw foods are very good for you. So I made up this Vegetarian Delight with warm beans and roasted veggies, including the tomatoes, on a base of raw baby spinach leaves.

By golly, he loved it! He kept on talking about it – even the next morning! BINGO, I know something is really good if he’s still talking about the next morning AND it’s meatless too! This is packed full of nutrients, delicious with the contrasts of the cool baby spinach leaves and the warm roasted vegetables, even on a frigid winter night. The roasted shallots and crushed garlic cloves were a brilliant addition providing bursts of flavor, complementing the sweet parsnips while the warm, slightly roasted tomatoes provided the right acidity. The Midnight Moon goat cheese is a wonderful splurge, but not really necessary if you are a true vegetarian. We loved this dinner and it’s going to be repeated often in our household.

Truly, I just made this with the vegetables I had on hand. You can try your own combination but I will say that this blend was really yummy. I hope you’ll try it and it makes your recipe regulars too.

VEGETARIAN DELIGHT serves 2

2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves – about 4 – 5 oz., washed and spun dry
1 – 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and drained again
1 Italian eggplant, cut in 3/4” slices, roasted
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into julienned strips
1 zucchini, cut into 1/4” slices
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
1/2 of a poblano pepper, cut into 1/4” strips
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tomato from the vine, cut into 6 or 8 wedges
3 grape tomatoes, cut in half
Sherry vinaigrette
Midnight Moon hard goat cheese, cut into small strips
Toasted pine nuts

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slick a cookie sheet or flat roasting pan with peanut oil. Arrange eggplant slices on the sheet, salt with fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

On another rimmed baking sheet, toss parsnips, zucchini, shallots, poblano pepper and garlic with 2 tbs. olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast the eggplant on the bottom rack of your oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom while you roast the other vegetables on the top rack at the same time. Roast the top mixed vegetables for 20 minutes, then add the tomatoes and toss and roast for 5 – 10 minutes longer, until all the vegetables are fork tender. Toast the pine nuts in a separate pan for 5 – 10 minutes until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, make your dressing, prepare the cheese and warm the beans in the microwave for a minute on high.

Assemble your salads. Place the spinach leaves on the plate, top with the warm beans (you may not use all of them – save them for tomorrow’s lunch), remove the eggplant slices with a metal spatula so you don’t loose the lovely browned bottom.

Place 4 eggplant slices on each salad, browned side up. Toss the other vegetables and place a nice amount on top. (You probably won’t use all of these either). Drizzle dressing over all and top with cheese and pine nuts. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Vegetarian Delight, just before drizzling dressing and topping with toasted pine nuts.

Vegetarian Delight, just before drizzling the dressing and topping with toasted pine nuts

Super Bowl Food

February 1, 2014 by Mary 22 Comments

We are getting ready for the big game tomorrow organizing our Super Bowl Food. The excitement in this city is palpable! A section of Times Square has been converted to Super Bowl Boulevard. It’s crazy, you can even ride a toboggan there. It’s warmed up and the initial rain that was predicted has been taken off the menu. Woo hoo!
Super easy nachos with avocados

My husband and I are having a little party tomorrow and I’m serving up traditional football-watching food. My super easy nachos, spicy chicken chili with all the toppings, along with Jasmine rice, cornbread, a big tossed salad with a sherry vinaigrette and brownies with ice cream and strawberries for dessert. All the recipes are here if you’d like to follow my lead. My husband would totally love those little pigs in a blanket but I won’t let him have it. Way too unhealthy. And last I heard, my good friend Margaret, who is coming, is making homemade stuffed grape leaves. I am very excited for those! I’ve never had homemade grape leaves.

Our January newsletter went out yesterday – in the neck of time. (Yep, last minute Mary here!) The newsletter features recipes not available on the blog and I’m suggesting a great Valentine’s Day menu – Veal Chops with Sage and a super easy Chocolate Souffle. If you’d like to receive it, at no charge, please sign up for it in the upper right hand corner and I’ll be sure to get it to you.

And while I’m at it, a LOVE apron would make a nice little Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetie. Click on the ad in the right hand column and we’ll get one right out to you.

May your favorite team win tomorrow!!

Chatman J Cakes – now available on Etsy.com!

January 28, 2014 by Mary 23 Comments

OMG, I slept eight straight hours last night!!! I didn’t wake up once. I can’t believe it, nor can I remember the last time that happened. Usually I wake up after four hours, like clockwork, and have a heck of a time going back to sleep. Wow! This feels great! Maybe it’s due to the Chatman J Cakes we had last night for dessert.

I want to tell you about Jean Chatman. I met her at a foodie lecture event a few months ago. She’s a lovely lady and so very proud and excited about her cakes. She certainly makes them with LOVE, as you can tell and taste it. After 15 years in the corporate sector and years of hosting parties for families and friends, Jean decided to follow her dream and pursue her passion.

The Zucchini Bread with walnuts

Jean asked if I would review them. She focuses on 3 varieties – Rum, Coconut and Zucchini bread with walnuts. Using organic and local ingredients, these cakes are mixed by hand. They are all delicious, but my personal favorite is the rum, which is so very moist and addictive. The coconut cake is topped with a layer of fluffy white wisps – but sadly my photos of that one got corrupted. I also loved the addition of walnuts in the Zucchini Bread. It’s a very nice touch.

The Rum Cake

Check out Chatman Cakes website where she has other delectable desserts – the cheesecake looks divine. And they’re now also available on Etsy.com.

If you live in NYC, you can find Chatman Cakes at Harlem Shake (hey, that rhymes) on 124^th Street and Lenox Avenue or, in the spring, at Marcus Garvey Park on Saturdays from 9 am – 3 pm.

When you don’t have time to make a dessert yourself, this is a great buy. They’re homemade goodness – it’s just from someone else’s home!

Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms

January 22, 2014 by Mary 15 Comments

Oh I had a terrible nights sleep last night. Woke up after four hours and could not go back to sleep. My mind just races and I start remembering who I need to write or call and things I need to do at the office. When this happens, I write a note. In bed. In the dark. And I try not to have the sound of note taking or ripping paper wake up my husband. I keep a pad and pen right by my bedside to do this. Well this morning, I had no less than twelve notes to myself!! I have been doing this for some time and really, I’ve found it is an efficient way of working for me. I remember and get a lot of stuff done. But one night over this past weekend, I wrote a note to myself in the middle of the night and although I always check to make sure that the pen tip is out (in the dark) before writing, this time, the pen didn’t have ink! So all I could see was the impression of the writing. But no worries, when morning came I marched out to my art studio and rubbed some black charcoal on it and I was able to read that sucker! Last night, I finally went back to sleep after some meditation and dreamt a long dream. Then I woke up again! But then I went back to the same dream. Ever do that? One of the notes to myself was to tell you about this great way of cooking Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms. Low fat for Zach and super yummy. I hope you’ll give it a go – and sleep better than I do!

The beauty of this simple recipe is that the green beans are boiled crisp tender and the richness of just the little bit of butter and oil is combined with the lovely mushrooms and this is what gives a big flavor to the dish. The contrast of the rich mushrooms with the crispness of the green beans makes it! Makes it interesting, delicious, clean tasting and so very good for you. Make it with LOVE, know you’re serving healthy great food.

GREEN BEANS AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS – serves 4

1 lb. of green beans or 4 handfuls, washed and strings removed
15 – 20 shiitake mushrooms, caps wiped clean with a damp paper towel, stem ends trimmed, stems removed and minced, caps sliced into 4 slices each
1 tbs. of olive oil
1 tbs. butter
Salt
Pepper

Heat a large pot of water to boil. Salt with coarse sea salt and throw in green beans and stir. Leave in for 3 – 5 minutes until crisp tender. Taste one to see if it’s done to your liking but remember they will keep cooking when off of the heat. Remove from heat, drain thoroughly then pat dry with a clean linen tea towel and keep warm while you finish cooking the mushrooms.

Meanwhile, place a skillet over medium-high to high heat with the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter foam begins to subside, spread the mushrooms out evenly over the bottom of the pan and do not touch for 3 minutes. Then toss and shake the pan for 2 minutes. (During the sauté, the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. Then in 2 – 3 minutes, the fat will reappear on their surface and the mushrooms will begin to brown.) Mushrooms should be browned lightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold and combine with the green beans.

The whole dish will probably need more salt. I use fine sea salt for this. Taste and salt to your liking.

Gnocchi for a Birthday Party!

January 18, 2014 by Mary 18 Comments

We celebrated my husband’s birthday last Sunday. The kids (our boys and their girlfriends) wanted to do an all day cook-a–thon again and my husband was delighted. As we did last year, we all made a different course while some of us created several dishes. Of course the food was great. With so much love and care going in to it, why wouldn’t it be! My boys are getting to be better cooks than me. And they correct me all the time on things. (I think I raised monsters.) But truly, the best part of this day, this party, is being all together, working in the kitchen and the banter that goes on. I LOVE it! My two courses were a pasta course and dessert. I made homemade gnocchi with a simple red sauce and pecan pie with whipped cream, which was Steve’s request.

Here’s a photo gallery of our afternoon and evening of celebration food.

Black olive tapenade with whole wheat Finn-crisp crackers

Chicken liver pate with toast

Baby spinach salad with carrots and ginger miso dressing

The birthday dinner table with the spinach salad

Homemade potato gnocchi with a simple red sauce in an antique china bowl, garnished with chopped chives.

Potato gnocchi with a red sauce

The main course – Beef Wellington made with LOVE with a heart

The main course plate – Beef Wellington, wilted escarole with a warm Balsamic dressing and crispy Yukon Gold potatoes

Pecan pie, whipped cream and an amazing chocolate chip cookie topped with a little salt.

Pecan pie, (made with raw agave syrup instead of corn syrup) whipped cream and an amazing chocolate chip cookie topped with a little sea salt

And I really want to share this gnocchi recipe from Grace Parisi at Food and Wine magazine. This is the second time I have made this and it is so good and oh so very light. They came out like little delicate pillows. Two of the kids raced to the kitchen for seconds, of which there was little. This is really easy to make too. So give it a go and impress everyone. I served this with a simple red sauce with garlic, shallots and a couple of anchovies and garnished the dish with some fresh chopped chives. Basil or parsley would have been better but I already had some chives washed, dried and snipped so in they went. Serve with Parmesan or Romano cheese to grate fresh on top.

POTATO GNOCCHI – adapted from Grace Parisi at Food and Wine magazine – serves 6 as a first course

2 lbs. baking potatoes (about 4)
2 large egg yolks
Salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 tbs. unsalted butter (optional) or a simple red sauce

Preheat the oven to 400°. Pierce the potatoes in 4 places with a fork. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour, until tender.

Halve the potatoes. Scoop the flesh into a ricer and rice the potatoes into a bowl. Stir in the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the 1/2 cup of flour; stir until a stiff dough forms. Knead the dough gently until smooth but slightly sticky.

Line a baking sheet or platter with wax paper and dust with flour. On a floured surface, cut the dough into 4 pieces, rolling each into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut the ropes into 3/4-inch pieces. Roll each piece against the tines of a fork to make ridges; transfer to the baking sheet or platter.

In a large, deep pot of simmering salted water, cook the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, then simmer for 2 minutes longer. Make a simple red sauce in a skillet and using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi. Fold to coat all of them in the sauce. Serve immediately garnished with chopped chives and pass Parmesan or Romano to freshly grate on top.

Alternatively, in a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi to the butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

MAKE AHEAD: The uncooked gnocchi pieces can be frozen on the prepared baking sheet, then transferred to a re-sealable plastic bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Boil without defrosting.

TIP: Save the baked potato shells. You can top them with a little grated cheese and warm up them to make a great little hors d’oeuvres on another evening or I like to warm a half up in the morning and put an over-easy egg on top for breakfast – delicious!!

One very happy birthday boy!

Chicken Breasts Roasted on Tomatoes and Fennel

January 10, 2014 by Mary 14 Comments

Having to cook extremely low fat for my youngest son has forced me to get super creative on how to make tasty dishes that won’t stick to the pan. This dish I made recently, turned out so delicious that I will make it again and again, even if he can start eating regular amounts of fat. It’s Chicken Breasts Roasted on Tomatoes and Fennel. It’s very low fat and really yummy and so fresh tasting! If you count on the bright flavors of your ingredients, roast at a high temperature to bring out their best, you won’t need a lot of oil or butter.

In contrast to this dinner, I want to tell you about a conversation I had with another fellow shopper in Fairway last weekend. We were both at the cheese counter and she was ahead of me being waited on. They didn’t have exactly what she asked for, so she said to the cheesemonger, “Okay just pick out 3 cheeses for me for my cheese course. I’m having a dinner party and doing a whole French thing.”

Naturally my ears perked up and I said, “Sounds nice! What are you making?”

She excitedly recited her whole menu. She said she was starting with a Garlic Cream Soup, then the main course would be a Dijon Mustard Tarragon Chicken with a Cream Sauce, mashed potatoes with Gruyere cheese, the braised leek recipe from Julia Child (tons of butter) and then the cheese course. I don’t know all of the cheeses she got but the last one that was handed over to her was a half of a wheel of triple cream brie.

I was good. I didn’t go into lecture mode. I nodded my head and said, “Wow”.

She said, “ Yeah, it’s hardy. It’s cold outside.”

Hardy?? I say it’s hearty and that it’s so bad for your heart!

When I told my husband the story while driving home, he asked if she was serving Lipitor for dessert. Or perhaps it was a dinner that included her 87 year-old aunt with a heart problem who she could do without?

I mean really, first off, to me, this dinner sounds so unappealing. Way too rich. Not to mention, colorless. Although a special-dinner-party-cheese overload never hurt anyone on occasion, if this is an habitual way of cooking and eating, that’s a health problem. I can’t fault this woman for cooking a homemade meal, and with love, it sounded like, for her friends, but I wanted to say to her, it could still be an amazing meal without cheese, cream or butter in every course. It really can.

This recipe here uses just a little peanut oil and a little olive oil, which are both low in saturated fat and high in a “good” fat, monounsaturated, which helps to lower cholesterol. With the Dijon mustard and moisture from the vegetables, you’ll be surprised at just how delicious it tastes without a drop of cream in sight!

So eat healthy. Feel great and be happy. Make this tasty dish with LOVE and you won’t miss a bite of butter or cream.

CHICKEN BREASTS ROASTED ON TOMATOES AND FENNEL – serves 5

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all fat
Peanut oil
1 rounded tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. thyme leaves
2 tsp. chopped sage leaves
Salt to taste
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 large plum tomato – sliced into 5 slices
1/2 of a large fennel bulb, sliced into 5 slices
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly slick a rimmed baking sheet with a little peanut oil. Whisk the olive oil and mustard together and stir in the fresh herbs.

On the baking sheet, lay out one tomato slice and one fennel slice together in five pairs to form a base for each chicken breast.

Salt and pepper each breast to taste and brush the herbed mustard mixture on both sides and place on top of the pairs of tomatoes and fennel. Roast on the top shelf in the oven for 15 – 17 minutes until just cooked through.

Garnish with chopped parsley. I didn’t do this but it would have been prettier if I did.

Enjoy good clean cooking!