Here is a delicious twist on the classic crab cake. I substitute shrimp for crab and add in some Asian-inspired seasonings & my favorite herb trio - mint, cilantro and basil. This is a great party appetizer or serve wrapped in lettuce leaves for a tasty main course.
serves 6-8 as an appetizer
1 pound shrimp - peeled & deveined 1 T. each: chopped cilantro, chopped basil, chopped mint 1 T. finely chopped ginger 2 cloves finely chopped garlic 2 T. finely chopped red pepper 1 egg 1 t. asian fish sauce 3 T. mayonnaise 1 c. panko bread crumbs, divided
1/4 c. mayonnaise 1/2 t. sesame oil 1/2 t. sriracha sauce (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coarsely chop shrimp in a food processor by pulsing or chop by hand. You want the shrimp to hold together but not get too finely chopped - look for approximately 1/4 inch size pieces.
In a bowl, mix chopped shrimp with herbs, ginger, garlic, red pepper, egg, fish sauce and mayonnaise. Stir in 1/2 c. panko.
Drop a tablespoon of shrimp mixture into remaining panko and turn to coat. Shape into a small patty and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the shrimp mixture.
Spray shrimp patties on both sides generously with olive oil. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy & golden.
While they are baking, mix together the mayo, sesame oil & sriracha.
Serve shrimp cakes on a platter with the dipping sauce - enjoy!
Please check out the the step-by-step recipe video on Kin Community!
Turkey burgers
are a great low-fat alternative to beef, but they definitely need a
little extra love to give them some flavor. On it’s own, turkey can be
totally bland and easily dry out, but a few simple additions to the meat
and careful timing will make them an incredibly juicy, delicious &
nutritious option for any bbq!
Serves 4
1 pound ground turkey – preferably dark meat, but light or a combo is great, too. 1 t. salt ½ t. fresh ground pepper 1 ½ t. dry mustard ½ t. ground sage 1 T. Worcestershire sauce 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped 1 green onion – white & green finely chopped A couple dashes Cholula hot sauce (optional) Canola oil spray
4 slices sharp, aged cheddar cheese 4 buns of your choice, buttered on each side Red onion - sliced Romaine lettuce leaves 1 avocado – quartered and sliced Whole grain mustard Mayo
Mix turkey with salt, pepper, dry mustard, sage, Worcestershire, garlic, green onion and Cholula until all ingredients are well incorporated. Form into 4 patties and place on baking sheet. Spray both sides of patties with canola oil.
Grill patties over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Flip and grill the other side 5 more minutes. Add cheese slices to the burgers a couple minutes before removing them from the grill so the cheese will melt.
Remove burgers from grill and cover loosely with foil. Allow patties to rest a few minutes while you lightly grill the cut, buttered side of you buns until toasted.
Assemble each burger with romaine lettuce, a quarter of a sliced avocado, and whole grain mustard & mayo…or whatever condiments you love!
This pasta recipe is unique in that you actually make a smooth, velvety sauce by pureeing the asparagus. The result is bright, delicious and spring-y...and the most beautiful green color. It seems like a cream sauce in consistency, but the only dairy is the small amount of Parmesan cheese you add at the end.
This pasta is great as a side dish or as a vegetarian main course.
1 pound asparagus, trimmed zest of one lemon 1/4 cup olive oil 1 t. kosher salt fresh ground pepper 1 pound fusilli 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnishing garnish with chopped mint (optional)
fresh ground pepper
Bring large pot of water to a boil with a few generous pinches of salt.
Coarsely chop asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 6-8 minutes, until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon (do not drain pot!) to a colander and run under cold water. Place in a blender.
Remove 1/2 c. of asparagus cooking water from the pot. Add cooking water, lemon zest, salt & pepper and olive oil to blender. Puree with asparagus until smooth.
Cook pasta in the asparagus cooking water. Cook pasta until just shy of al dente and drain, reserving approximately 1 c. of cooking water.
Return pasta, asparagus puree and 1/2 c. pasta water to the pot. Cook over high heat 3-4 minutes, stirring, until pasta is al dente and sauce thickens slightly and coats pasta. Add more cooking water if necessary.
Turn off heat, add Parmesan to pasta and stir until incorporated. Garnish with a generous sprinkle of chopped mint and more cheese.
Now see how it's done in this recipe video from KIN Community:
I’m not always the biggest gorgonzola fan, but the combination of the blue cheese with pear and prosciutto on this flatbread is to die for. This recipe is one of my favorite go-to appetizers when entertaining. It’s been in my family's arsenal for years and years and always gets rave reviews.
For a vegetarian version, omit the prosciutto and top it with a little arugula after you remove it from the oven. You can also serve these as individual pizzas for a main course.
Serves 8-10 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course.
4 naan-style flatbreads (or pitas) 1 pear - ripe but still firm 3 ounces prosciutto - roughly torn 1 c. crumbled gorgonzola cheese 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts 4 T. olive oil sea salt & fresh ground pepper
Preheat a pizza stone in oven to 500 degrees.
Core and slice pear into small wedges.
Divide pear, prosciutto, gorgonzola and pine nuts between the 4 pieces of naan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt & freshly ground pepper.
Bake 2 naans at a time for 7-8 minutes until cheese is melted & oozing and naan is browned and crisp. Repeat with remaining naan.
Cut in small wedges or strips and serve while warm.
It sounds too healthy to be delicious, but I guarantee you, you will love this recipe - it’s my new obsession. It has it all - a wonderful combo of flavors & textures and maximum health benefits.
It’s also incredibly versatile...it’s a great vegetarian (or vegan) main course (i topped it with a poached egg for dinner and it was delish!) or a beautiful side dish that pairs really nicely with roast chicken. I also made an egg-white scramble with of the leftovers for breakfast...amaze balls.
In this photo, I used a medley of red, white & black quinoa that I had picked up at the market, but plain quinoa works juuust fine.
Serves 6 as a main course, 8 as a side dish.
3 medium sweet potatoes/orange-fleshed yams, cut into 1/2 inch dice 3 T. olive oil - divided kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
1 c. dry quinoa
4 c. roughly chopped kale, tough stems removed 1 T. butter 1/4 c. water
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss diced sweet potatoes with 2 T. olive oil and season with kosher salt & pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast about 45-55 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes and again after 30 minutes. Remove when potatoes are slightly caramelized.
About 20 minutes before your potatoes are done roasting, rinse quinoa & cook according to the instructions on the package. Once cooked, fluff with a fork. You will end up with about 3 cups cooked quinoa.
In a large skillet with lid or large pot, heat remaining 1 T. of olive oil & 1 T. butter over medium high heat. Add chopped kale and saute about 2 minutes, until bright green. Add 1/4 c. water, cover & lower heat to medium low. Braise for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and cook a couple minutes more until water is evaporated.
Add roasted sweet potatoes & quinoa to kale and stir to combine. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Holy moly, this is good! It’s like a creamy, frothy, hot & melty peanut butter chocolate cup in a mug! It’s decadent & comforting and oh-so-simple. What a delicious (and easy) way to say “i love you”...perfect for a special breakfast treat, an after school surprise for the kiddos, or as a warm dessert. Marshmallows are optional :).
Also, check out the Kin Community video I did for their Valentine's Day special below.
serves 2-4 (depending on your mug size)
several large marshmallows
2 c. whole milk 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips 2 T. smooth peanut butter
For the marshmallows(if using), work on a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Using a lightly oiled paring knife, cut marshmallows crosswise into 3 pieces. Place the two end sections on the parchment paper. Lightly oil a mini heart cookie cutter and punch out hearts. Set aside the mini hearts and the end pieces with heart cut-outs for garnishing.
Heat milk in a medium saucepan until just about to simmer. Add chocolate chips and 2 T. peanut butter and whisk briskly to combine.
Pour hot chocolate into mugs. Garnish with marshmallow hearts.
This is another recipe from my taco entertaining story I did for Kin Community, which will air this Saturday. I hope you'll all check out the YouTube video - it's a longer episode that will feature great ideas for a fall taco menu that is seasonal, fun & delicious and great for serving a crowd. I love this recipe - it is a perfect weekend dish to put on early in the day and let simmer for a few hours while you are watching football or enjoying the cooler fall weather. It's warm & flavorful & comforting and your house will smell amazing while it's cooking. Don't let the dried chilies daunt you - they are really easy to handle, add SO much earthy, deep flavor, and are not spicy (but feel free to use spicier ones if you want)!
Serves 6-8
4 cups low sodium beef broth 1 onion - cut into chunks 6 garlic cloves - peeled 3 ounces dried California or New Mexico chilis (about 12) - stemmed, seeded & rinsed 2 T. cumin 1 T. oregano 1/2 t. cinnamon
1, 3 1/2 to 4 pound chuck roast - tied & patted dry Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper 2 T. canola oil oil
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Heat 2 c. of broth until very hot. Place chilis in a blender and cover with hot broth. Let sit 5 minutes to soften. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano & cinnamon to blender and puree until smooth.
Season beef with kosher salt & pepper on all sides. Heat oil in a large pot with lid or Dutch oven until very hot. Brown the roast on all sides, turning with a meat fork. When browned, pour chili mixture over beef and add remaining broth to come about half way up the roast. Bring liquid to boil, cover and transfer to oven.
Bake about 3 1/2 hours or until beef in very tender, turning once while cooking. Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Spoon off fat from pot and boil remaining liquid, stirring frequently, until slightly reduced - about 5 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, shred beef, removing excess fat, and mix with sauce. Serve with corn tortillas, Radish Salsa & crumbled Cotija cheese.
Radish salsa
2 c. radishes - halved and thinly sliced 1/2 c. white onion - diced 1 jalapeno - finely chopped 1/4 c. cilantro - chopped juice of one lime
