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

Laiki Rice Crackers Crusted Flounder

December 19, 2015 by Mary 14 Comments

These Laiki Rice Crackers taste like they should be bad for you, they’re that good. They’ve got a great crunch, flavor and just the right amount of salt I crave. And they’re made with just 3 ingredients, rice (red or black), oil and salt. They’re whole grain and baked so they really are good for you!!

Obviously these crackers are just great on their own. Or pair with any dip, hummus or salsa. But crush them and use them to coat fish, chicken or even vegetables and you’ve now gone to a whole new level. Because they’re made with rice, they’re completely gluten-free and gluten-free people often have difficulty with crispy coated proteins because flour and panko are not gluten-free.

So here, I crushed each .74 oz. bag to coat a fillet of flounder. I painted the fillets first with a hot Korean sauce I made, which added some nice flavor and heat. And then the crushed crackers added just the right amount of crunch. You could also use a Dijon mustard or even just olive oil and then pat on the crushed crackers.

You can see with my photos that I used crushed red and black rice crackers to test it out and both flavors were delicious and equally as good, so it’s really your choice.

Have fun with this cracker this holiday season. So many ways to use as an appetizer dipper and then crush them to replace any sort of panko or flour you might use as a coating.

Experiment and have fun!!

Laiki coated fish on a plate with roasted potatoes and broccoli.

Laiki rice crackers crusted fillet of flounder with roasted potatoes and broccoli. Total yum!!

LAIKI RICE CRACKERS CRUSTED FLOUNDER – serves 3

1 Tbs. of Gochujang Hot Pepper Paste (Korean)
1 Tbs. all natural ketchup
1.5 lbs. fillet of flounder
Olive oil
.74 oz. bag of Laiki black rice crackers, crushed
.74 oz. bag of Laiki red rice crackers, crushed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and pat dry your fish.

Whisk together the hot pepper paste and the ketchup, or use 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard. Slick a rimmed baking sheet with oil.

Combine the crackers or keep separate, your choice. I coated ½ of the fish with each flavor.

Brush the ½ of the ketchup/hot pepper paste (or Dijon mustard) over one side of the fish. Coat with the cracker crumbs. Place fish, coated side down on the oiled baking sheet. Complete the top side with the ketchup paste and crumbs.

Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, until fish is white and cooked through.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

Discover other unique, good-for-you products in our upcoming spring box – mails March 25th! You can download a gift card at check-out to put under the tree.

Herbed Sea Bass for a Birthday Dinner

December 5, 2015 by Mary 19 Comments

My real birthday was on Thanksgiving Day this year, so my sweet oldest son and his lovely girlfriend wanted to make me a birthday dinner on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Of course I was delighted!! It is particularly kind of them since they have been so very busy working alongside their contractors, renovating a townhouse they bought in Brooklyn. Very exciting! But a lot of work!

Beautiful colorful bouquet of fresh flowers.

Flowers from Zach who’s in Europe right now.

Our other son and his fiancée are in Europe doing research for their dissertations. One of the gifts from both boys was the new Jean-Georges Vongerichten home cooking cookbook, signed by Jean-Georges, no less! My job was to choose the recipes for my dinner. What fun!!
This book is terrific! The recipes are really doable for the home chef, with just a few unusual ingredients that you may have to search for. So here I was, marking off way too many recipes, having trouble deciding.

We started with Crudites with Anchovy Dip. OMG – so UMAMI!!! Amazing!!

We ate the WHOLE thing – supposed to service for 8 – 12 but we all couldn’t stop eating it! It was very light and none of us had had lunch. The dip comes out thin, so we all loved it with endive spears, so you could scoop up a lot of its deliciousness!

Sorry, we were all so busy eating that none of us took a picture! But here is a photo of the recipe.
For the entrée, we decided on this fantastic Sea Bass dish that tasted like it was made in some fine restaurant.

Really!

Jean-Georges Herbed sea bass and potatoes in broth in a white bowl.

Isn’t this beautiful?!

It was so delicious – so flavorful with all the fresh herbs and the broth literally tasted buttery with not a spec of butter. The fish was cooked perfectly. It was so totally delicious and beautiful as well.

And the dessert that his girlfriend made – well – we all had two pieces!! Crazy good. Super yummy.

I am so very, very proud of the cooking and baking skills of both of my boys and both of their girlfriends. They are not afraid to tackle ANYTHING!! Their confidence and skill level are unmatched, along with the LOVE they impart while making a meal.

That’s just one of the reasons everything tastes so darn good.

Yep! This is my family.

I am so very lucky.

And I’m so very lucky to have you to share it with. May you all have very happy birthdays whenever they are.

Quick Weeknight Pasta and Tuna Dinner

November 10, 2015 by Mary 15 Comments

I’m sure you all have yours. You know, the favorite pasta dinner that’s quick, easy, delicious and can be made with ingredients you most likely have on hand? (Of course you always have LOVE on hand, right?) Well this is mine. It’s my go-to dinner when I am out of ideas and out of a fresh protein and tired and starving and want something quick and easy. Seriously, you can get this Quick Weeknight Pasta and Tuna Dinner on the table in 35 minutes – promise.

This original recipe came from a cookbook, called Tasty – Get Great Food on the Table Everyday by Roy Finamore. One of my sons gave it to me a few Christmas’s ago. Of course, as always, I’ve changed the recipe quite a bit.

You can use spaghetti, bucatini No. 6 is very nice, or even fusilli as the pasta in this dish. You can cook the pasta to your liking and toss it together with the sauce in a bowl, off heat, or cook it 2 minutes less than al dente and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce on the heat. Either way, do add a little of the pasta water as that starchy water addition helps the sauce cling better to the pasta. Combining it in the skillet to cook a little longer does make the sauce penetrate the pasta more, providing a better taste profile, but that takes some careful watching and tasting on your part because you still want to serve it al dente. So be diligent and don’t overcook it.

Do make sure to use a high quality tuna, in a jar, packed in olive oil. No tins here. Always keep a jar in your cabinet. It may cost about $7.00 but the extra cost is well worth it for the taste and besides, this $7.00 as your protein to feed 5 – 6 people is very inexpensive compared to meat.

And this dish does very well with grated Pecorino cheese on top. I know, this would be a serious no-no to Italians who have a strict rule of no cheese on pasta with fish, but here, it really works. Pecorino for the saltiness works better than Parmigiano.

I make this dish about once every 7 – 8 weeks. It is one of the few recipes I regularly repeat and a true favorite of my husband’s. I’ve honestly been meaning to share it with you for some time and never got around to it until now. I hope you’ll fall in LOVE with it too. Quick, easy and delicious with ingredients you have on hand – all good!!

QUICK WEEKNIGHT PASTA AND TUNA DINNER – serves 5 – 6 – adapted from Roy Finamore

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 pinches of crushed red pepper flakes or one small jalepeno minced with seeds
1 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 28 oz. can of whole plum tomatoes, preferable from San Marzano
1 (6.7 oz.) jar of Italian tuna, packed in olive oil
Coarse salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 lb. spaghetti, bucatini No.6 or fusilli
Pecorino cheese, grated, for serving

Put a large pot of water on to boil.

Warm the oil in a large skillet, big enough to hold all of the pasta once it’s cooked. Add the garlic and hot pepper and turn the heat to medium. Cook until the garlic is very lightly colored, about a minute or two while stirring constantly. Then add the parsley and let it sizzle for 1 minute. Add in the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as you take them out of the can. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat so that the sauce cooks at a steady, active simmer.

Meanwhile, once the pasta water boils, salt it well with coarse sea salt and add the pasta. Stir right away and stir it once in a while as it boils. Cook it for 4 minutes less than the package directions.

Drain the tuna and stir into the sauce, breaking it up into chunks.

When the pasta is cooked shy of al dente, ladle out a cup of the pasta water and set to the side. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, tossing and adding a little of the pasta water to loosen the sauce and finish cooking the pasta. After a minute, taste and test for doneness. Don’t add too much pasta water – you’re not making soup.

Serve immediately with LOVE. Pass the grated Pecorino. Enjoy!!

Please share with me your favorite, quick, go-to pasta dish in the comments below! 🙂

Jenkins Jellies Guava Brava & Hell Fire Jellies

October 13, 2015 by Mary Frances 14 Comments

When actress Hillary Danner had an overabundance of peppers in her organic garden in LA, what did she do? Make jellies silly!! Made in small batches, with no preservatives, artificial flavorings or colorings, these Jenkins Jellies Guava Brava and Hell Fires Jellies are sweet, hot and delicious!! Hillary teamed with longtime friend Maria Newman and concocted these spicy gems.

Loved by many famous chefs, Mario Batali described it perfectly when he said, “… it dances right on the edge of spicy and sweet in a delicious tango of provocation and pleasure.”

He likes them with cheeses and warm bread. I used both of them as a glaze on roasted fish to make a super special, easy and quick weeknight dinner. This will taste more time consuming than it is as both jellies add a ton of flavor in a jiffy!!

As I write this post, I am flying home on a plane from Florida and this quote from Mario made me laugh! “One warning…. it is highly addictive and I would like to suggest 3 ounce packages so that we may improve the airline meals we suffer as we flit about “

Take a look at this video of me turning this gorgeous piece of salmon into pure deliciousness with the Guava Brava.

JENKINS JELLIES GAUVA BRAVA ROASTED SALMON – serves 3 – 4

1 Tbs. grapeseed oil
1.5 lbs center cut salmon fillet
French Grey or Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1.5 Tbs. Jenkins Jellies Guava Brava

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash and dry the salmon and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mustard on top. Spread the Guava Brava on top of the mustard.

Heat oil in skillet until nearly smoking. Sear salmon in skillet skin side down for 3 minutes.

Place skillet in oven for fish to roast for 8 -10 minutes.

Carefully remove fish from the skillet – use a hot pad on the handle – (too many times I have grabbed that) – and remove the fish, cut into serving pieces, serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

I served this with some blanched sugar snap peas tossed with some toasted pecans, orange pepper, one chopped tomatillo and a champagne vinaigrette.

This next recipe used the Hell Fire jelly. Again, this was easy peasy and so totally delicious. I made this with Basa and Tilapia, and really, I imagine any fish will work, so you get to choose.

Combining the jelly with butter was a splendid way to make a glaze which then got me thinking that this glaze would also work on butternut or acorn squash for a kick!

And then with the holidays coming, I see cheddar cheese coins with a dab of either jelly in my future. It would be amazing!

Experiment, have fun and have a party – invite your friends over and share the goodness!!

JENKINS JELLIES HOT BASA – NOVA! – serves 3

3 fillets of Basa
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1.5 Tbs. Jenkins Jellies Hell Fire jelly
French Grey or Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Olive oil to slick the pan
Fresh lemon wedges

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash and dry your fish fillets.

Oil slick a small rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the baking sheet with some salt and pepper. This will season the underside of the fish – clever eh? Place the fish on the pan.

Melt the butter in a butter-warming saucepan. Add the jelly and use a small whisk to combine.

Brush this glaze on the fish fillets being sure to spread out the wonderful bits of pepper.

Sprinkle the top of the fish with a little crushed French Grey salt.

Roast for approximately 12 minutes until done.

Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon. You will LOVE this!!

Shrimp Stir-fry with Asparagus

April 2, 2015 by Mary 22 Comments

Before I tell you about this terrific Shrimp Stir-fry with Asparagus recipe I wanted to give you an update on our crowdfunding. Our effort hit its deadline last Friday and we’re very very pleased to have raised $11,710.00, thanks to all of your support!! You are AMAZING!! The money raised will help us move forward in our mission. We are all very excited and grateful here in our offices – yay!!

I dream of a world where no one is hungry and everyone has clean water. I’m not asking for much – but so many don’t have this basic human right. I dream of MARY’s secret ingredients making this happen!! If we all band together, buy some boxes, (Spring box deadline is April 25th), we CAN make this happen. And then the whole world would be a happy productive place, in all four corners. It would be truly AWESOME!!!

My husband LOVES shrimp!! We don’t eat it often because I only like to get this fresh Florida shrimp from this one fish store in NYC, that used to be right near our old office location but now since we’ve moved to the Tribeca area, we don’t get to go there often. Only if we stay in the city and drive there on a Saturday. With (what I hear) spring coming soon, (it snowed again on Tuesday) asparagus will be plentiful, so I recommend you make this very easy and delicious, slightly spicy Shrimp Stir Fry with Asparagus. Fresh, clean-tasting, healthy and good for you – all good things!!

So make this shrimp dish for your family and serve with LOVE . The pancetta adds big flavor, along with the garlic, asparagus is so tasty this time of year, the chili flakes add a touch of spice and the cashews give you some buttery crunch. It’s a win-win and super quick to throw together.

SHRIMP STIR-FRY WITH ASPARAGUS – serves 3 – 4

1 Tbs. olive oil (you don’t need much oil as the pancetta will render some fat)
1 – ¼” thick slice of pancetta, minced into ¼” pieces
1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 11/4” lengths
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled with tails left on, washed and patted dry
Salt
Pepper
¼ – ½ tsp. hot chili pepper flakes
2 Tbs. dry white wine or dry vermouth
Handful of roasted cashews (I even used lightly salted ones)
Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish

Warm the olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add the minced pancetta and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and toss and cook for 2 -4 minutes more. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, make sure your shrimp are washed and patted dry, Season one side with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over and add the white wine and sprinkle on the chili flakes. Continue cooking until the shrimp are pink and done, about 2-3 minutes total, on this other side. Throw in the handful of cashews and toss all to distribute evenly.

Serve over steamed Jasmine rice and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

ENJOY!!

We’re getting ready for an Easter/Passover (Peaster!) combo dinner on Saturday night and I’m so excited to see all of our guests. We will be 10 around the table and we’re going to start with a homemade Matzo ball soup that my husband will make and the main will be a barbecued fresh ham with an ancho fig chutney. I haven’t figured out the rest of the dishes yet. Any suggestions???

Happy Peaster to everyone!! (or should it be Eastover?)

Catfish Roasted with Tomatoes and Horseradish

February 22, 2015 by Mary 34 Comments

Did you know that horseradish is considered a power food? Full of antioxidants and great for your immune system, especially during this cold and flu season, I decided to put it to use the other night. In my unending quest for something simple, quick and different for dinner, I made up this Catfish Roasted with Tomatoes and Horseradish recipe. It was delicious! My husband loved it! And it’s so simple it’s stupid, but it tastes like so much more – just my kind of food for a busy weeknight.

Now I’m sure you can use any store bought horseradish, but if you can find this Polish brand, I highly recommend it. Our son Zachary finds this in stores in the large Polish section of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. In Eastern Europe, horseradish grows like a weed, so the Poles really know their stuff and it is always on their tables with roasted meats. This brand is creamy white in color, unlike some other American brands. And believe me, no one has asked me to promote this, but it is so superior to other horseradish brands.

I know this recipe sounds so unusual, but it was so good and super healthy to boot! Horseradish has had a long history as a versatile herbal remedy, however due to recent studies, it is also becoming known to have anticancer benefits. Horseradish contains significant amounts of cancer-fighting compounds called glucosinolates, which increase the liver’s ability to detoxify carcinogens and may suppress the growth of tumors. Although broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables also contain these compounds, horseradish has up to 10 times more glucosinolates than broccoli. So now you know! This is from the Life Extension website.

CATFISH ROASTED WITH TOMATOES AND HORSERADISH – serves 2

2 catfish fillets – about 1 lb. total
2 – 3 tomatoes, sliced ¼” thick
Olive oil
Horseradish – about 13 teaspoons
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Rinse catfish fillets well and pat dry with paper towels.

Slick a baking sheet with a thin film of olive oil. Arrange sliced tomatoes roughly in the shape of your fish fillets. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over all. Put a dab of horseradish on each tomato slice – about a teaspoon – then salt and fresh ground pepper over all. Lay your fish fillets on top. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of the fillets and spread around with your fingertips. Salt and pepper to taste on top.

Roast in the oven 12 – 17 minutes, until the fish flakes. Serve with LOVE immediately. Enjoy!

I served this with some escarole sautéed in olive oil with garlic. Super delish!!!