Quick Honey Spiced Pickles

I love vinegar, from balsamic to apple cider to champagne. It's a taste I developed as a child and has stuck with me ever since. So it's no surprise I love anything pickled. Too bad I didn't develop patience too.

This quick pickle recipe is perfect if you are like me. It's quick, about as simple as it can get and (most important) crunchy and tasty! 

Using raw honey is so much healthier than a refined sugar. Refined sugar is a "negative" nutrient, this means it literally does not have any nutritional value and eating it actually makes your body use up stored nutrients to process it. Honey on the other hand has many beneficial nutrients, enzymes, and antioxidants; raw honey is best as typical honey processing (the kind of honey you'll find at your grocery store, often shaped like a bear) destroys many of the enzymes and antioxidants that give the benefits of raw honey. Save a bear, use the raw honey.

Next time you have an extra cucumber or two, slice them into these delicious honey pickles for a super Fat and Happy addition to any meal.

Pine Nut Romesco Sauce

This recipe is now at Happy Eats Healthy

Pine Nut and Sherry Romesco Sauce

Cheese Grapes and Champagne Gelee

You can't have too many appetizer recipes, you just can't. Hummus is great but it isn't exactly elegant, and how many times do you feel the need to 'take watch' to ensure no double-dipping is going down?

These adorable little cheese-stuffed and covered grapes are cute and require one bite, a bonus for those times you don't want to carry around a plate with you (you need those hands for drinks and shaking.)
When I put this tray together I wanted something special on it - like edible flowers. But since we are in the midst of a polar vortex, even non-edible petals are hard to come by, that wasn't going to happen.  The tray didn't really need more food on it, but it needed just a little something to set it apart. The guest of honor and I have a penchant for Champagne, I began to look for ways to incorporate.

Yes it was a fancy and stylish party and yes, jello shots (or in this case gelee) fits right in. These aren't the nasty little neon jello shooters you get from a half-naked girls at the local club. These Champagne gelee cubes are light, tender and the perfect accompaniment to the grapes. Just a little square or two is needed; though a couple of us polished off the remainder of the pan in record time later in the night.

Below I've listed two flavor options for the grapes and a couple of options for how to put them together too. My goat cheese and lemon with toasted pine nuts version is super lovely while the more traditional blue cheese and walnuts arrangement is just a classic taste combination. In both cases, the grapes are a wonderful sweet vessel for the ingredients.

Take your next appetizer tray to a new level with Fat and Happy Grapes and Champagne.

Olive Oil Poached Orange Tomatoes with Honey Goat Cheese

This recipe is now at Happy Eats Healthy

Olive Oil Poached Orange Tomatoes with Honey Goat Cheese

Pineapple Gazpacho

This lovely pineapple has been sitting on my counter for days. Staring me down. Saying "What'chu gonna do with me? I'm gettin' ripe over here!" You know it's time to get cooking when your ingredients start talking to you.

Grilled pineapple has got to be one of my top 10 favorite things to work with- it's simply delish by itself. Chopped up in grain salad with mustard vinaigrette is so good too. Or try a drenching of homemade caramel sauce, it just kills!

Been there, done that.  This time I yearned for something fresh. The late summer sun is beating through the windows and the air conditioning never seems to shut off. That's when it hit me- gazpacho!

Classically made with tomatoes, gazpacho is a chilled Spanish soup from fresh ingredients. Throw some fruit and vegetables in a blender and your done.

Grilled Corn with Ancho Chile Pepper Cashew Cream and Citron Salt: An Elote Experiment

Elote, the ever popular Mexican street fare that is seen both on a stick and served in a cup with a spoon. Is it the golden charred corn or the the scrumptious toppings that lures peckish patrons in?  Honestly, the corn just becomes a vessel for the creamy mayo, crumbled cheese and lime. But just thinking about the juicy corn nibbles rolling down my forearms makes me want to lick them now.

It's in my DNA to tweak recipes so you know already my version is going to have a twist or two. First enter twist one - their are sad people out there who can't (or don't) eat dairy. It's torture to watch your friends slobber over their dressed up corn while you push around your naked cob. Until now. With the help of raw cashew it's a snap to make a dairy free cream. It sounds daunting, I know. The idea of  'soaking cashews' sounded challenging, difficult and not all that yummy, quite honestly, when I first heard about it. But once I finally worked up some ambition to give this a try, I've learned cashew cream is pretty simple. The hardest part is to remember to soak them before you need them. Add in chili pepper, garlic and some fixings and the results are sorta magical.

Twist number two- a package of Citron Salt landed in my mailbox as a strange ingredient. What if lemon replaced the typical lime in the Elote? The pale yellow nodules created  perfect harmony with the corn and pepper cashew cream, not to mention adding a real nice little crunch too.

A Fat and Happy Elote experiment gone right. Oh, did I mention how much healthier my version is?

Smoked Salmon and Mango on Avocado Mousse Appetizer

 A couple of new tasting spoons found their way into my shopping cart the other day so I was looking for something to fill them with.

Wanting a touch of protein in my one-bite appetizer, I turned to smoked salmon for a nice light texture. Mango is an easy pairing with salmon and a great winter fruit. Avocado mousse offered just the right backdrop for both.  Place a bit of each in a spoon, add a sprinkling of chopped green onion or sesame seeds over the top and watch your guest hover over your tray as you present these delightful amuse bouches.

The truth is that anything can made small and placed into little spoons, you just need to be creative with it. These easy Fat and Happy Smoked Salmon on Avocado Mousse Appetizers are a great place to start.

Lemon Pea Salad Stuffed Shells with Cashew Cream

I'm in charge of appetizers for an afternoon birthday party for a good friend of mine.

It's the dead of winter but a heavy app doesn't sound appealing (especially when chicken is the main entree.) I wanted to make something interesting without being too fussy. Elegant by not stuffy. Classic over molecular.

Pasta salad was running through my thoughts... but individual appetizers tend to be easier for guest to pick up and enjoy in standing party situations so portability is key.

Taking the pasta out of the salad and using it as a mini bowl did the trick. Jumbo shells, cooked just al dente, filled with a zippy lemon pea salad is a clever way to serve pasta salad as an appetizer.

Polenta Amaranth Cake with Mascarpone, Whipped Cream and Blueberry Sauce

This Gluten Free dessert rounded out a special dinner party, below are a few of the excerpts from this course:

"OMG! This is so good, we didn't wait for you to come back and sit down, we all ate ours already."
"With these flavors, this could be a served as a breakfast dish.?"
"This was gluten free?"
"I licked the dish."

Using polenta and amaranth as the base for the GF cake gives this buttery cake an intriguing nubby-ness texture. The vanilla whipping cream and the mascarpone begin to slowly melt from the heat of the warm cake and the blueberries. Just thinking about it makes me want more.

The polenta amaranth cake comes together in minutes as does making homemade whipping cream. The Blueberry Compote mixture takes the longest to put together at 20 minutes, but this can be made ahead of time and simply rewarmed before serving.

Part of the allure of this dish is the way I served it - in little glass jars. (Glass yogurt jars I emptied out in an Argentinian airport bathroom and smuggled into my luggage!) Besides being ridiculously cute, it helps to keep in the warmth of the cake and contain the melting creams. If you don't happen to have cute jars, this looks great on a plate too- see the photo below. Do serve these in small portions, too much richness can ruin the entire effect.

End your next dinner party with this spectacular Fat and Happy Polenta Amaranth Cake with Mascarpone and Blueberry Compote; beware that your guest may not wait for you to return from the kitchen before they dig in. And that is a good thing.

Pink Peppercorn, Cherry and Bacon Compote

       Yes, I've made bacon jam before.
   Yes, I do realize these are supposed to be the dog days of detox.
Yes, I anticipate reinventing bacon jam at least one more time. Maybe two.

In this version of bacon compote (or jam), the pink peppercorns reign supreme while the bacon gives that subtle, smokey pork thing that gives depth and makes us temporarily lose our wits enough to spout drunken marriage proposals to stubby legged animals. Fresh cherries are stewed into a luscious, rich sauce binding it all together.

Serve with a tangy goat cheese for an amazing bacon jam bruschetta, add to sandwiches, top burgers, dollop on roasted chicken, mix into meatloaf and chili or inhale with a spoon... just get this in your belly!

In small doses, bacon compote will give you a little reprieve from your New Years diet and the fat and happy strength to carry on.

Casual New Years Meal: Tequila-Drunken Mussels and Chorizo with Roasted Peppers

This New Years eve I'm looking forward to a simple night at home. No big fan fare, no cover charge and no waiting for a cab. The holiday season has taken its toll on me and I'm looking forward to curling up with a good movie; perhaps a rousing game of Wii tennis just to get the blood flowing.

The food for the evening needs to match my casual plans: comforting but not heavy. December is prime mussel month and it would be a shame to not take this last chance to enjoy them.

Adding tequila to a classic wine broth along with the lime really adds a punch to the mussels; these are stout, not for the faint boozer. The chorizo and roasted peppers add heartiness to the meal.

Enjoy Fat and Happy mussels and chorizo for the casual night at home. This dinner filled two of us with a few uneaten mussels and sausages left over. It could be stretched for four if you are light eaters and/or have an appetizer or dessert planned.

Homemade Wheat Crackers

These are not a light, super crispy saltine-like cracker. That's important only after you understand that I set out to make a saltine cracker for my sick beau.

The crackers are still good, they just turned out more like a wheat thin. A tasty, tasty wheat thin. Using white wheat lour instead of all purpose white flour deepened these crackers in appearance, depth and flavor.

This really couldn't be a simpler dough and process. The most difficult part is rolling out the dough as it tends to be on the crumbly side, unless you added a pinch too much water, then the dough might be on the soft side. Just have patience. And remember that little cracks in the final product makes it look more rustic.

Crispy Microwave Potato and Turnip Chips

January is moving along at a clip, everyone is settling back into the routine and there is a good chance your resolution to eat lighter is already waning. You can barely even get those egg whites in your mouth anymore, much less swallow them.

For me it's all about crunchy snacks - the very things that are often the worst options. So when I find a new trick that is crunchy, simple to make and light - I'm all in!

Admittedly, the word 'microwave' in the title of this post is a complete rarity. I would even go so far to as to say you may never see it here again. But I have to admit, this technique that has been floating around the internet for the past few years actually works. And works well!

Tomato and Tomatillo Tarts

Are you inundated with tomatoes? Have you made salads, sauces and salsas until they're coming out of your ears?

Aside from bringing all your remaining tomatoes to the next bad comedy show you attend, a super simple tomato tart is a tasty option to use them up.

Frozen phyllo dough makes for a quick and easy crust while the filling is nothing more than cheese and tomatoes. Almost a mock pizza....if you will.

These tarts work great as tapas with a little wine or pair with a salad for a light dinner or lunch. When you have super tasty tomatoes there is no reason to cover that flavor with other ingredients. Keep the cheese to a minimum and let the farm fresh tomato flavor shine through.

Bacon Jam, Avocado and Tomato Bruschetta

Hello, my name is Monique. It's been one week since I first made Bacon Jam and I'm addicted. I've eaten it every day for seven days straight in some way, shape or form.

And now I'm going to be an amazing blog friend and share this recipe with you. Actually, the recipe is already on the blog from last weeks Homemade Bacon Roll post, but you'll find it below as well. This Bacon Jam / Jelly / Marmalade is deep, rich and dark with a hint of sweet and spice. It's divine and will change the way you think about about jam!

One of my initial thoughts was how great this would taste with fresh garden tomato. That thought led me to a BLT which ultimately brought me to this Bacon Jam, Avocado and Tomato Bruschetta. I was testing these out as an appetizer and ate so many I couldn't eat dinner!

The uses for this delectable preserve are endless - spread it on a sandwich or burger, top a fresh tomato or smear it on toast and top with a sunny side up egg. Or enjoy it the Fat and Happy way - with a spoon!

Grilled Pork Kabobs and Red Potatoes with a Spicy Tomato Aioli

An afternoon of Spanish tapas and sangria is a favorite way to waste away a day. What seems hard about making tapas at home is the variety you would typically order at the restaurant. That, and the fact the you don't have someone waiting on you refilling an empty glass!

If you think about narrowing down the at-home-tapas night to just two or three dishes at a time, you'll find it more manageable. Once you have those dishes under your belt, you can add more dishes each time you do tapas.

Today I made Grilled Spicy Pork Kabobs, which in the tapas world can also be know as Brochetas de Cerdo (essentially pig on a stick) or Pinchos Morunos (mini meat appetizers served in tapas bar that are heavily spiced). Served with simple Grilled Potatoes and a Spicy Tomato Sauce (which is also known as an Aioli even though this is not technically correct) it's a fun tapas-esque meal.

Cooked on the grill, the pork will achieve a nice crusty spice layer while the insides will remain juicy. With the Spicy Tomato Sauce and marinated pork, the potatoes can be kept pretty simple with just olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mix up a pitcher of sangria (red sangria or white sangria will do), invite the friends over and settle in for for a Fat and Happy Spanish afternoon

Blue Cheese, Red Wine and Walnut Dip

I'm going to tell you something that happened the other night that is completely out of character for me.  Are you ready?  I did not finish the bottle of wine. I know, super crazy! I'm not quite yet willing to admit my age is catching up with me; instead, lets focus on the positive effects of that action.

There was about a 1/3 cup of wine left in the bottle, not really enough for even a small glass of wine yet too small to save for a sauce. A small hunk of blue cheese and cream cheese offered the perfect opportunity, the red wine completely complements the tangy blue cheese. But it also needs another texture besides just creamy, this is where the walnuts come into play. Their earthiness marries the tangy bold flavors and gives chewiness to the dip

Should you find yourself in a situation where there is little wine left over, turn it into a quick dip and then remind yourself there is no shame in not finishing the full bottle. Plus, if you put a Fat and Happy spin on that - once you finish the dip, you will have essentially finished the bottle.

Tips and techniques: If you like a creamier, runnier dip, add 1 tablespoon of milk or cream. The recipe below fits into about a 1 cup ramekin. Double or triple the recipe for a larger party.

Blue Cheese, Red Wine and Walnut Dip

2 oz blue cheese
2 oz cream cheese
3 tbls red wine
1/3 cup walnuts
 fresh black pepper

Using a fork, mash together the blue cheese, the cream cheese, the red wine and a few turns of black pepper leaving it a little chunky rather than completely smooth to give the dip a little texture. Place in a oven-proof ramekin or serving bowl and crush the walnuts on top.

Bake about 15 minutes or until the dip is hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and serve with crackers.

Crispy Balsamic Onion and Goat Cheese Wraps

Meatless Mondays- this movement started as a goal to reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet. If you are not already doing this, you need to get on this bandwagon today! One day without meat will not hurt you, you will feel ever so slightly better and that doesn't suck.

 The balsamic caramelized onions have super deep flavor from the caramelization with a sweet overtone from the balsamic; then the tang of the goat cheese brings it all together. Yum. This is an easy lunch, snack or even a light dinner.

You can live without meat....if only for one day and it doesn't have to mean you only eat salad. Get on the Meatless Monday bandwagon, feel better, help reduce our carbon footprint and enjoy a Fat and Happy dish all at the same time; exciting!

Tips and Techniques:  If you are counting calories, use Pam or a very light drizzle of olive oil instead of butter to fry the wraps.


Balsamic Onion and Goat Cheese Wraps

1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
2 Tbls olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup goat cheese
egg roll wraps
1 tbls butter

Saute onions and olive oil until the onions get deeply caramelized, have patience as this will take up to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the balsamic vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes or until you are ready to use.

Assemble the wraps- Add a scoop of the balsamic onions and a crumble of the goat cheese to one wonton wrapper. Fold up the bottom triangle, then fold in both sides and roll up. Use a little drop of water on the final edge to help seal.  Repeat.

Heat a fry pan, add the butter and the fully assembled onion and goat cheese wraps, seam side down. Cook until golden brown, flip and cook on the second side until golden brown.  Serve with a scoop of pickled vegetables.

Makes 4 wraps.

Brazilian Mango and Jicama Salad

 When the Becca, the Food Editor of Gozamos, wrote to ask for a Brazilian recipe (my version- of course), my mind started to churn - what did Brazilian mean to me? 

My head filled with visions of everything vibrant and fresh with intense flavors.  Succulent grilled meats, lively stews, bright fruits and hearty beans.  Scantly-clad couples dancing in the street at the midnight hour swirled amongst the culinary images.

It's tough to dance the night away if your belly is full, so the dish I create needed to be light, but with enough flavor to satisfy.  And I needed to be cognisant of easily attainable ingredients here in the states.  A series of Brazilian flavors did the samba in my kitchen and out came four different dishes including a Coconut Corn Stew, a Grilled Banana and a Black Bean Soup (look for these recipe postings soon.)

This Mango and Jicama Salad encompasses all things Brazilian (to me); it's fresh, colorful, lively, slightly spicy and healthy.  This salad would be a great small plate starter or pair with grilled meat or grilled shrimp for full meal.  Get together with a close friend, toss this simple salad together and then dance the night away in the street- that is fat and happy in the purest sense.

Tips and techniques:  As oxygen reaches the insides, many fruits and vegetables will turn brown after you cut them, which looks quite unappetizing. Squeeze fresh lemon or lime on the the apples and avocado immediately after cutting them to help avoid this oxidation.

Brazilian Mango and Jicama Salad

1 semi-ripe mango
1 Jicama
1 green apple
1 red pepper
1/4 small red onion

Slice all ingredients into matchstick size pieces, except the red onion.  Or, however you decide to slice them, just keep in mind the salad will look more appealing, be easier to eat and the flavors will blend better when all ingredients are cut to the same size (length and width). Carefully slice the red onion into the same matchstick length, but as thinly as you can.  

Spicy Avocado Dressing:
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds and all (use a whole pepper for a spicier sauce)
1 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped (substitute cilantro if desired)
1 ripe avocado
1 shallot, rough chopped
juice from 2 limes
juice from 1 lemon
2  Tbls red wine vinegar
olive oil (roughly 4 Tbls)
water (roughly 1/4 cup)
salt and pepper

Place all the ingredients in a blender except for the olive oil; I like to roughly chop everything before placing in the blender - it helps in the blending process and is easier on the blender. 

Turn the blender on high and drizzle in the olive oil until desired thickness is obtained.  Depending on how ripe the avocado is, you may need to thin the vinaigrette out slightly (I did).  Use simple water for this.  You could use more olive oil- but these flavors are all strong enough they can hold up on their own plus you don't want to overwhelm the dressing with too much oil.

For a special presentation, line up each salad item across a plate, drizzle the dressing on the salad, top with chopped parsley and serve.

For a more rustic appeal, simply toss the dressing with all all the chopped fruits in a large bowl.  Add a bit of parsley for decoration and serve.

Rhubard Braised Beef and Pork with Zippy Rhubarb Sauce

A friend casually hinted at me recreating a tapas dish she fell in love with at a restaurant located too many states away to justify a monthly visit. I eagerly and quietly agreed, though I knew nothing about the dish other than the name.

My version adds a hint of sweetness to a heavy braised beef and pork combo, mixing beef and pork in this recipe helps vary the flavor profile. It is quite important to sear the meat first for a deeper flavor. This recipe offers versatility to serve as a tapas dish between crispy spring rolls or to serve as a main entree over polenta (both options explained below).

Did I succeed in recreating this dish? In my book I did; turns out we ate it all before my friend even knew it was made- oops; guess I better do it again. It'll be a fat and happy remake!


Tips and Techniques:

Braising is made for tough cuts of meat rendering the meat to become 'fall off the bone' tender by simmering in juices for hours. It's a great way to save money because it allows you to use cheaper cuts of meat (pot roasts, rumps, shoulders, etc.)  Do use the guy behind the meat counter - they are there to help you!

Rhubarb braised beef and pork

Sear
1/2 lb beef (leave whole, do not cut into chucks)
1/4 lb pork (leave whole, do not cut into chucks)
1/2 cup chopped white onions
1/2 cup chopped red onions

Add to the pan:

1/2 lb chopped rhubarb
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tbls ground ginger
2 tbls Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried sage
1 cup orange juice
2 tbls Worcestershire sauce


Cover with beef broth (If you use water, add a bouillon cube).

Cover and cook in the oven for about 2 hours at 300 degrees, add another 1/2 lb of chopped rhubarb.  If the pot is dry, add 2 cups of broth or water. Cover and cook for another 2 hours or until meat falls apart.

Using two forks pull the meat apart, leaving some lager hunks together.

To serve on a crispy spring roll:
Toast the spring roll/egg roll wap - take one spring roll wrap, cut into 4 squares and toast in a dry fry pan over medium heat until crispy, flipping sides as they brown.

Place one square in the middle of the plate, add a scoop of the braised rhubarb beef and top with a second toasted square.  Dress the plate with the zippy rhubarb sauce.



To serve on creamy polenta:
1/2 cup polenta (cornmeal)
4 cups water or broth
1/2 cup of creamy goat cheese
Salt and fresh black pepper

Begin the polenta during the last hour while the meat is braising.

Start with 1 cup of cold water in a sauce pan.  Slowly pour the cornmeal into the water while whisking vigorously.  Cook over medium low heat, stirring often, for about an hour.  Add in more water as the polenta soaks up the previous.  When the polenta is tender with no grit left, remove from heat and whisk in the cheese and lots of fresh black pepper.  Add salt if needed, however the cheese may salt the dish enough on it's own.

Place a dollop of polenta in the middle of a bowl, use a pair of tongs to place the meat on top of the polenta.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and a drizzle of the Rhubarb sauce (recipe below)

Zippy Rhubarb Sauce
1/2 lb chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar
6 cloves
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ginger
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer over medium low heat for about 15 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft.  Place the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Strain and set aside until ready to use.