Prosciutto wrapped Pesto Chicken Sliders

Long time no talk blog followers! Spring is in the air and with warmer weather comes lighter dishes. I've been out of town a bit so I haven't been playing much in the kitchen. We all know that I love a good burger, but trying to eat healthier and burgers doesn't quite go in the same sentence. So here is my yummy healthy slider! It is quite tasty and you don't even need a bun!


Ingredients: 

1 lb ground chicken
4 tbs pesto(feel free to make your own, but I took the stores help!)
1 medium onion sliced
4 thin slices prosciutto
4 slices gruyere
2 tbs butter
2 tbs EVOO
small skillet

Heat butter and EVOO in small skillet to medium heat. Add thinly sliced onions.(salt and pepper to taste) Reduce head to medium low and cook 30-45 minutes, until onions are caramelized. 

While onions are cooking go ahead and prep your sliders. 

In a bowl combine ground chicken and basil pesto. Separate into 4 equal patties. Wrap each patty in slice of prosciutto. 

• I consider 2 sliders a serving, so I took the other two and froze them. Ready to go dinner on a busy night! 

Once onions are caramelized, remove from pan and set aside. 

In the same pan, increase heat to medium (there should be some oil/butter left) and add chicken sliders. Cook for about 5 minutes and flip. Continue to cook for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, top with caramelized onions and gruyere. Cover pan and allow cheese to melt for about a minute. 

Servings: 2 (keeping in mind 2 sliders went in the freezer)

Serve with a fresh green salad! 

Spring Green Risotto

The next couple of recipes are not for 2 or 3, but for a ton of people. I sometimes enjoy making larger portions and freezing a lot of it. That way on a work night when you don't feel like cooking, you know you have something delicious waiting for you! This recipe is from Bon Appetite, but in true Emily fashion I tweaked it and made it my own. You too can change up the ingredients. That is the beauty of risotto, it's a blank slate for any ingredients you like! 

Spring Green Risotto

2 cups arborio rice
8oz baby bella mushrooms-sliced/chopped
2 cups shelled edamame(I used frozen)
1 leek(CLEANED and chopped)
4 cloves garlic diced
1 bunch spinach or 1/2 bag baby spinach
2-3 slices bacon chopped
2 Tbs creme freiche (sour cream can be substituted)
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 egg
white vinegar
kosher salt
EVOO
1-2 tbs butter

Heat EVOO and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms(do not salt!) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add edamame and cook another 5 minutes. Remove veggies from skillet and set aside. In same skillet cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Keep bacon fat(tee hee, you health nuts can remove it and add EVOO if you wish). To pan add leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring often until leeks are softened. Add rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Add wine and cook until wine has evaporated. Add 1 cup of stock stirring often until broth is absorbed. Continue to add broth 1 cup at a time, allowing it to be absorbed each time, until rice is tender and risotto appears creamy. (for me it usually takes about 30 minutes) Add spinach, creme fraiche, cheese, edamame, and mushrooms. Stir until spinach is wilted and cheese is melted. Add salt to taste.

Now to take this recipe over the top, add a poached egg and crumbled bacon on top. 

Poached Egg
(I made mine while cooking risotto....super easy, a lot easier then I thought it would be!)

1 tbs white vinegar
salt
egg

In small saucepan bring water, vinegar and salt to a simmer. Crack egg into small bowl and slowly slide into simmering water. Cook about 3 minutes(runny yolk). Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan. 

Place poached egg and cooked bacon on top of risotto! 

Happy Spring Ya'll!

Almond Macaroons with Chocolate Ganache

A few weeks ago I was in Boston and my friend's mom made almond macaroons with a chocolate ganache for a dinner party. Not having had a macaroon before, I didn't know what to expect. Well what I had was by far my most favorite cookie yet. This macaroon was the perfect combination of crunchy and chewy. It was more of a cookie sandwich: 2 macaroons with chocolate ganache in-between. I am pretty sure I could have eaten all 20+ that she made.......good thing I wasn't left alone. :)
Anyways, I of course had to come home and figure out how to make them myself, and how to make fewer. After a few tries, success! Did I mention I made dairy free ganache?? Yes ma'am! 

Almond Macaroon Sandwiches with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients: 

• 1/2cup +2tbs blanched almonds(see below if you would like to know how to blanch almonds)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• pinch sea salt

Chef's Note: Almost all recipes call for almond extract. (I don't enjoy the taste, but if you do, add 3/4 tsp)

Almond Macaroons:

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper. 
In food processor, pulse almonds and sugar into fine powder. In separate bowl, whip egg whites and salt until they form a soft peak. Slowly fold the almond "flour" in with the egg whites. Continue to fold until all is combined. Your batter will be thick and sticky. Allow batter to sit for 15-20 minutes. Using a teaspoon, drop walnut sized batter on pan....leaving space between each. The cookie will spread. I only made 6 at a time if that gives you an idea. Bake @350 for 16 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. 

Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup coconut milk(use cream if you prefer)

In small sauce pan, heat milk over medium heat. You want bubbles to form but you don't want it to boil. Place chocolate chips in heat proof bowl and pour heated milk over top. Stir until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool at least 1 hour in fridge.(until ganache is thick and spreadable)

Once cookies have cooled and ganache is set, spread about 1tbs of ganache on flat side of one cookie. Top with second cookie. You can store the cookies for up to 3 days in air tight container. 
Makes 10 cookie sandwiches! 

Blanched Almonds:

Place almonds in heat proof bowl or pyrex. Bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil. Pour boiling water over almonds...enough to cover almonds. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Drain almonds and rinse with cold water. This is cool: the almonds will pop out of their skins! Remove skins from all almonds and you now have yourself blanched almonds! Ta-da!

Em's Decadent Burger

So any of you out there that know me, you know that I LOVE a good burger. I tend to always order one when eating out, because making a burger for 1 person at home isn't the easiest. Last night I managed to make 1 burger!(thanks to Whole Foods for making this possible) My inspiration for this burger was Michael Symon, esteemed Iron Chef and winner of SOBE burger competition. Not to brag, but my take on his burger was divine. I didn't even need a side dish, but you could easily pair it with my homemade fries.
Chef's Note:
If you are a novice cook: this should not be your first attempt at cooking. Stick with my easy stir fry. :) 

Ingredients: 

• 5-6 oz ground beef(I used 85/15, you want some fat in your meat when making a burger)
• 2 small onions
• 1 tbs butter
• gruyere and horseradish bechamel(see below for recipe)
• 1 tbs flour
• 1 tbs corn starch
• EVOO
• 1 kaiser or potato roll(Whole Foods actually allows you to purchase 1 bun.....THANK YOU!)
• 2 slices of bacon-cooked

Bechamel Ingredients:

• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs flour
• 1/2 cup milk(I used coconut milk, but use whatever you want)
• 1/4 cup grated gruyere
• 1 tsp freshly grated horseradish(first time using this and wow was it amazing) 

Order In Which I Made Everything:

• caramelized onions
• bacon
• béchamel
• burger/fried onions
• toasted bun

Caramelized Onions:

In small skillet, melt 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 small onion thinly sliced. Reduce heat to medium/low and cook onion for 20-30 minutes until caramel in color. Once cooked, turn off heat and remove from pan. Set aside.

Bacon:

In same small skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to paper towel to drain.

Béchamel:

In small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tbs butter. Add flour and whisk together. Add milk and continue to whisk until thick sauce forms. Last stir in cheese and horseradish. I also added some pepper.....your call! Keep on low/simmer until ready to use. 

In small skillet(I used the same one for caramelized onions, bacon and fried onions) heat about 1/4 cup EVOO over medium heat. Thinly slice 2nd small onion and toss in 1tbs flour and 1tbs corn starch. "Fry" onion in EVOO on one side for 2-3 minutes then flip cooking another 2-3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towel. You are more then welcome to properly fry onion rings, but I made more of an onion "cake" and it turned out and tasted just fine. 

In another skillet heat 1-2 tbs EVOO over medium heat. Form beef into patty(want it the size of your bun) then liberally salt both sides. I added nothing to the beef, just salted the outside. Cook burger in skillet for 2-3 minutes each side. This will give you a perfect medium rare burger. 

• If I had my grill, I obviously would cook my burger outside. If you have a grill.....USE IT!! :) 

Putting your burger together. On bottom of bun, put a little béchamel then slices of bacon and fried onion. Next comes your burger topped with caramelized onions, béchamel and top of bun. 

Guys I cannot tell you how decadent this burger is.....you don't need any sides for this and as I type I already have another idea in mind........ 

Filet Mignon topped with caramelized onions served with gruyere horseradish mashed potatoes.(for you non loving burger ppl out there)

Hope someone out there will try this! It is worth every step...I promise! Please forgive my pictures, iPhone pics do not do this meal justice. 

Breakfast Smoothie

I recently discovered my love of a smoothie. They are a quick, easy, nutritious on the go breakfast. Over the past year I would make them with greek yogurt and fruit. Well, the past couple of months I have gone semi dairy free. I have switched to coconut milk and creamer for my coffee. No worries, this girl still eats as much REAL cheese as she pleases. :) Anyways, switching out greek yogurt for coconut milk was fine, only it left me feeling hungry within an hour of having my smoothie.(no protein in coconut milk) 
Problem solved! Protein powder. Ingenius invention and one breakfast smoothie can tide me over for 4-5 hours. Did I mention it is easy?


Em's Breakfast Smoothie:

Ingredients:(makes one smoothie)

• 1/2 cup frozen berries(I rotate between mixed berries and just strawberries)
• 1 frozen banana- take ripe bananas, peel, and place in a freezer bag. Freezing all fruit prevents you from needing ice. 
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder(I use Whole Foods brand, but use whatever brand you find in your store)

In blender place milk, powder, berries, and banana. Blend until smooth. Done! 

Forgot to take a picture, but will post as soon as I take one. 

Taking leftovers over the top!

This "recipe" is a leftover meal from my italian sausage and pasta dish. The past month I have been trying to successfully make an over easy egg.(my new favorite way to eat an egg. There is something creamy and delicious about a runny yolk). Anyways, probably close to a dozen eggs have been harmed in the quest to make the perfect egg. I googled my heart out for tips and tricks and tonight I finally mastered! Here is how I made an over easy egg:

Ingredients:
1 egg
salt/pepper
butter or oil, your call(used less then a tbs of butter)
small skillet

I cracked my egg into a small bowl first, to ensure no broken yolk. Sprinkled the egg with s&p. Heated my skillet over medium/low heat. You don't want your pan too hot. Melt your butter coating entire skillet. Slowly pour egg into pan, making sure to off center the egg. Allow to cook 2-3 min or until the white has set. With thin spatula, carefully scoop egg and flip....CAREFUL not to break yolk. No rush, go slow. Once flipped, cook another minute. No more. Now, are you ready to find out what I did with my first over easy egg?!

Reheat your amazing italian sausage pasta dish from last night. Place your egg on top and a sprinkle of parmesan. Oh my goodness guys. This makes ordinary leftovers OVER THE TOP. So good, you have to try it yourself to find out. Cannot tell you how good it is. The yolk breaks over the pasta creating a creamy sauce. It is decadent. Try it. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta

Next kale recipe will be an entree. Once again, I saw a recipe today and made it my own. Bad habit. This recipe is super fast, easy, and 5 ingredients(i don't count olive oil and garlic). How about that?! I will tell you exactly what I did tonight so that you can benefit 100%. 

Sausage and Kale pasta:

• 1 cup dry short cut pasta(I used penne, but would recommend a seashell or something smaller)
• 1 bunch of kale(I used curly): devained, washed, and chopped
• sweet italian sausage(I bought a package with 5 links)
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• red pepper flake
• EVOO
• parmesan cheese

Bring pot of water to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions. Drain, reserving your pasta water.

In large skillet brown ALL 5 sausage links with garlic cloves and a tsp or so of red pepper flake.(how much red pepper you add depends on how much heat you like in a dish, I like a lot of heat. Even if you don't like spice, I highly recommend you add a little pepper flake. The flavor is necessary with the kale) I did not dice my garlic, just smashed whole cloves with my knife. Once brown, put all sausage and garlic in food processor and pulse until finely ground. If you don't have a food processor you can also use a potato smasher to make your sausage fine. Place ground sausage back in skillet and continue to cook. Here is my fun trick: scoop out about 1 cup of your cooked sausage. I put mine in a freezer ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. This is a great go to for a spaghetti sauce or pizza topping! To the remaining sausage in the skillet, add about 2 tbs EVOO to pan along with chopped kale. Stir to combine over medium heat until kale has wilted. Add cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. ( I did not tell you how much cheese because that is 100% up to you) Toss all together and serve! Feel free to top with more yummy cheese! 

Once again, if you have any questions just ask!