Butternut Squash and Anise

This combination of Butternut Squash, Anise and Cranberries is an Italian Autumn must. I combined the traditional American veggie with a traditional Italian veggie and the outcome is delish. Its got a sweet pop of cranberry, squash roasted to creamy perfection and the tender crunch of the anise.

Is it called anise or is it called fennel?...I call it finoccio.  Theres lots of words that have become part of the Italian American vocabulary.  Among my Italian friends, its well understood.  A scula pasta is a scula pasta, not a colander.  A cupino is a cupino, not a laddle.  My mother takes the cake though.  She has Italian words made English that could make you fall off you chair in laughter.  Some of my favorites are ridicala.....thats ridiculous.  Then theres esso nuts, otherwise known as hazelnuts, but sound much worse than the way I chose to spell it!  I will probably catch a beating for this post, so I hope you enjoy it. I hope its worth the size 10 shoe thats gonna get me later on this week!

Ingredients:

1 lb or so of cut and peeled butternut squash
1 anise bulb, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup cranberries, dried
1/8 cup olive oil, or 3 tablespoons.
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium casserole, toss well. Bake in a preheated oven at 475 for approximately 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. I check squashes tenderness by sticking it with a fork. If it falls off easily, then it's tender. If it smiles at you and whispers sweet nothings, well that's another way of knowing it's tender :)

Servings: 5

3 Protein Rice

Whenever or whatever I cook, I make more than I need for that particular meal so I will have some for a different meal later in the week. Rice and Quinoa are one of those things I make a double batch of so I can use them later on in the week.

This easy and healthy meal has 3 different sources of protein.  Egg, Canadian bacon and the edamame. If you really wanna go nuts with the protein, substitute the rice for quinoa which is also a complete protein containing all 8 amino acids, but then you have to rename it 4 protein quinoa!

Some mornings I make a few extra scrambled eggs and extra canadian bacon and store them in the fridge for this 1 pot dinnertime dish. It has lots of different flavors and textures. My little ones like that they can pick out the small pieces by hand of whatever fancies them that day.  They also love it for a school lunch meal, so I always make alot of it so we have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Quinoa Stir Fry

 

 



Quinoa stir fry is a 1 pot wonder that has it all. There's protein from the quinoa and eggs (quinoa is a complete protein with all 8 amino acids) and lots of fiber from the peas, onions and carrots. It's a nutritionally packed meal that your whole family will love. I've added some leftover grilled chicken to this at times which was good. There's lots you can add, depending on what your fridge has to offer that day. It all works well. Broccoli cut into little bits, canadian bacon (which tastes really awesome in here), edamame or even leftover corn cut off the cob.

 

There's lots of flavors and textures going on in this dish. I love the garlicy butter taste on the quinoa. Seasoned with some soy sauce, it's a tasty meal that will keep your kids attention till they're all done. You can substitute white rice or brown rice for the quinoa. All 3 work equally well.
 

String Bean and Potatoe Salad

 

This String Bean and Potatoe Salad has a vinegary sweet flavor.  It has fresh basil tossed in with a little scallion that gives it a little crunchy bite.  The beautiful smooth pearl olives round off the flavor and texture in this healthy Italian dish.  Served slightly warm, the potatoes soak up all the dressing and create a creamy smooth taste you will love. Impressive at your next BBQ gathering or as a side to a week night meal, this summer time classic will surely wow your friends and family and give you boost of confidence in your cooking ability.

Confidence comes in many forms. Children may get it from the praise they get for a job well done at school, at a recital or even in the kitchen. My oldest daughter, Theo is always whipping things up in the kitchen. She made a refreshing orange and lime drink the other night. I will be posting it this week because it was great. It was a drink she created with what we had in the kitchen. I often have to limit her ingredients or I will have nothing to cook with that night, so she has learned to improvise using the ingredients I offer her. We just celebrated my youngest's 1st birthday, so we had a lot of citrus fruits left over from the garnish for the beverages. I always buy more food and drink than can be consumed at 3 parties. I can't help it, I'm Italian. Thus the leftovers. Theo will gladly take any ingredients I offer to her and come up with something great. It's a great way to get her to be creative. It's kind of like Iron Chef Challenge for Kids! Ooooh, now there's a good TV series.

Theo gets great pleasure in seeing the reaction she gets from her father and myself. We are pretty honest though. I will always tell her what I really think of what she made. When I don't like something, she gets back in there and changes it or tries something else. It is as adults when we equate failure with negativity. As children, failure is simply part of the creative process.

Perhaps her cooking today translates into a confident creative adult. Not sure and I don't put too much weight on it. What I do know is it makes her a confident and happy kid. We are in no rush to have her grow up. This is a great and rewarding time for us (her parents) and her. Eleanor Roosevelt once said "There's nothing better than working hard at work worth doing". As a working mother of 4 young kids, a passion for cooking and a zest for life, I couldn't agree more.

Pasta with Peas

Pasta and Peas with a dollop of Ricotta Cheese is a spring classic.   The sauce has a hint of tomato and onion.  That sauce combined with the burst of flavor from the peas make this dish as good as can be.  This is as Healthy Italian as it gets!

Try this with a whole wheat pasta and add a second box of peas for an even lighter version of this meal.  Use 1 cup of Perfect Every Time Tomato Sauce if you are making it with more peas. If you leave out the pasta, this makes a lovely side dish to any meal.

Crispy Broccoli Rabe

                                      Wow! Wow! Wow!   I LOVE this dish!   Its a must try.

This crispy, salty and slightly charred broccoli rabe tastes shockingly delicious. The meaty parts of the stems are tender while the leafy parts get a crunchy grilled flavor. After making broccoli rabe the same way for so many years, this has become my new and favorite way to make this healthy Italian leafy green.

You can do this with any leafy green vegetable like kale, spinach or swiss chard. This cooking method will really bring new vegetables to your table you wouldn't even had consider in the past. Let's get the healthy AND tasty back to our family dinner tables!

If you are going to try 1 recipe from this blog this month, then let this be the one. This is a revolution in how to cook broccoli rabe! Seriously, you'll never make broccoli rabe any other way after trying this.

Stuffed Artichoke with Roasted Breadcrumbs

 

Moist and flavorful, these Stuffed Artichoke are scrumptious.  Roasting the breadcrumbs gives these artichoke a deeper and more complex flavor than your typical artichokes.  Its a minor difference that makes all the difference. Well that and the abundance of garlic, parsley and savory grated cheese.  Give them a try and you'll see.

 

 

Perfect Every Time Meatballs

 

My take on traditional Italian meatballs are lightened up by using turkey chop meat instead of beef. They have all the incredible flavors of garlic, fresh parsley and cheese, but with less fat and calories. They are tender, moist, and addicting, but most of all they are Perfect Every Time!

 

I leave a plate of these on the counter for the kids when they come home from school. They run by and pop these mini meatballs into their mouths. They bring new meaning to fast food! I know they are getting a high protein snack when I make these and they know that they are getting a delicious treat. Their friends love them too.

 

 

Easter Tips

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I am making my Rice Ball Torta (Savory Cake) for Easter because it's so easy and pretty, but more so because I can prepare it ahead of time and bake it on Easter Sunday with little to no effort at all.

You can prep it a couple days before, or the morning of and then just pop it into the oven an hour before meal time.

Give it a try, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Quinoa Risotto

Quinoa Risotto is a creamy and scrumptious side dish. It's healthy and quick and has a taste you'll love. Adding a bit of tomato sauce and cheese gives it a Risotto like consistency. With just 3 ingredients this can be made in just minutes and has Perfect Every Time results.

I typically make a few cups of quinoa in the beginning of the week so I can use it as a bed for my chicken with sauce dishes or plain as a simple and healthy side. Quinoa is packed with protein and whole grain. It's a great alternative to white rice.

Perfect Every Time Brussels Sprouts

I have taken the fear out of serving mushy brussels sprouts and created a Perfect Every Time Side dish adults and kids alike will love. Imagine glossy sprouts with a hint of garlic and oil that are tender inside with little salted chips to add a bit of crunch. Sprout chips are the leaves that fall off and deeply brown into crunchy bites, like little potato chips.

This quick and healthy side dish will forever change your thoughts about Brussels sprouts. My family loves this side dish. I probably make this close to once a week. I've even converted my no veggie eating nephew into a Brussels sprouts lover. With this recipe you will have perfectly cooked, scrumptious sprouts every time. Give this healthy Italian twist on brussels sprouts a try and you too will love them.

Broccoli a Pasteta - Cauliflower Croquettes

Although I published this post a few months ago, we had eaten them so fast I missed the opportunity to photograph them.  Having remade them today, I photographed them and am republishing this one.

Broccoli a Pasteta is one of my favorite side dishes. Growing up in an Italian home, these were on the table pretty often during a Sunday meal. Try these and you'll have a new found love of cauliflower. And yes, cauliflower in Sicilian is called broccoli! Go figure.

Lentil Salad



Don't let the short list of ingredients fool you, this high iron, high fiber dish is uniquely delicious.  The fresh lemon zest works so well with these tender lentils.  Its a healthy quick side to any meal. It's one of the few meals I've made thus far that doesn't have a serving size of 8! I guess I will have to double this for my team. 

Lentils are one of those foods that just has the potential to look frightening to children. When my children refuse certain foods, it can bring them to tears. Neophobia is a fear of new foods. I kid you not, I looked it up and beside, you just can't make this stuff up. With that in mind, we have created dinner table therapy to help them overcome their fear.

Whenever one of my children (usually my 4 year old) refuses to eat what ever is for dinner, I tell her she just needs to have 1 scoop. If after 1 scoop she does not like it, then she doesn't have to eat anymore. Here's the thing, we clap and cheer for the enormous effort it takes for her to eat something brown and mushy. If she eats it we congratulate her for overcoming her fear of that food. It's nothing short of a celebration. If she doesn't, we try again another night. If the initial doesn't work, the reminder that it's a long time until breakfast usually gets her to eat the rest of the items on her plate! Some friends say they cave in and serve something else or give them cereal before bed, both of which I do not do....you know who you are!! My mom did not offer us multiple choices and I suppose I'm following her lead. The kids say I'm mean. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion :)

Broccoli Rabe

I buy BROCCOLI RABE when it's on sale, then BLANCH and FREEZE it so it's ready to go in just a few minutes when I need it. It's one of the few veggies you can freeze and have perfect every time results with.

Picture this, Sicily 1959... Thats how the little old lady on the Golden Girls started all her stories. This picture speaks volumes about this classic Italian side dish.  This dish is quick, healthy and oh so tasty, whether served alone or tossed in with some pasta.

Artichoke Rustica

These roasted artichokes have a char cooked taste with no rustic brick oven needed. Best part is they're right from your oven. They have salty chunks of hard cheese and a savory flavor you'll love. My mom remembers her momma charring a tray of artichokes in their brick oven and what a treat they were.

My nona had a brick oven that fit 32 loaves of bread...in her house. During the second world war, there were bombardments happening in Palermo.  Palermo is the big city near Cinisi, my mothers town.  A family from Palermo came to Cinisi to live to avoid the bombings.  They rented 1 floor in my nona's house.  They were bakers and soon had built a huge oven in their apartment.  They continued to make a living by selling breads and pastries.  My nona was lucky that way.  She was always able to get her hands on something special even when pastries, a luxury item then, were hard to come by.  Those people lived in my nona's house for 5 or 6 years, then went back to Palermo after the war ended. The oven was there till just a few years ago.

My version is for those of us who don't have a brick oven.

Carrot and Chick Pea Salad

Fast and fresh, this carrot salad will pleasantly surprise you. The sweet carrots pair really well with this lemony dressing. Something about how the strips of carrot lay flat on your tongue make this salad fun to eat...and fun is essential to food!

Mediterranian Quinoa

This quinoa recipe is much like a Greek Salad, but mixed in with quinoa instead of lettuce. Quinoa is a complete protein, with all 8 amino acids. Its a great substitute for those looking to add protein, but less meat to their diet. This recipe is healthy and fresh tasting. It is always a crowd pleaser at my gatherings. I'm sure it will be at yours as well.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers are Healthy Italian meal. These Peppers are stuffed with a rice, meat and veggie filling. The sweetness of the pepper with the savory filling makes this irresistible to Italian loving foodies. It's filled with (leftover) Riso Condito from my march 15th dinner and becomes whole new meal in a quick few minutes.

I use peppers as a cup for lots of leftovers I have in the fridge. I take leftover chicken, dice it small, add a few things and stuff them into peppers too. In fact I will post that recipe here soon.

Riso Condito

This Rice Stuffing is one my mom makes for Thanksgiving and occasionally other times in  the year.  Its a mix of  Rice, Sausage, Turkey, Mushrooms, Celery and Onions that'll put a smile on your face! It's a healthy complete meal all in one bowl in the time it takes to cook the rice.

Our Sunday dinner brings 21 of us to the dinner table.  Nonna Battaglia, my mom, has to make quite a bit of food every Sunday to feed that many of her kids and grandkids.  People often are surprised that we get together every Sunday for dinner.  For me, its normal.  Its beautiful to be able to connect with your family around the dinner table like that.  I have 2 siblings and between my brother, my sister and myself we have 13 children.  Oh, the funny things you hear from this group of 1 to 16 year olds!   All the kids play together both before and after dinner.  My kids just love to see their cousins.  My children are the youngest of the group.  Their cousins are especially fun for them, being older than they are. 

We are the runaways. My husband and I live about 20 miles from my mothers house.  My brother and sister both live a stones throw from my mothers house.  My brother and his 5 kids are 5 houses away, while my sister and her clan live 4 blocks away.  They are all happy as clams!

Stuffed Mushrooms

In my house, I have no problem getting my four children to eat their vegetables. I make them lots of different ways and I dont overcook them. They're flavorful and crunchy (well not mushrooms) and the kids really love them. Try these and you'll see what I mean.