Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

4 flowers per portion

16 freshly picked zucchini blossoms

16 small batons of cheese (Monterey Jack or Brie)

1/2 cup flour

1 cup bread crumbs

3 whole eggs mixed well

1 cup light vegetable oil

Carefully open the top of each flower and place a baton of cheese inside.

Gently twist the flower to enclose the cheese.

After all the flowers are stuffed with the cheese, begin the breading process.

Roll the blossoms in flour, then the egg mix and lastly the bread crumbs.

After all the blossoms have been covered, sauté quickly until lightly golden.

Side notes:

Serve as is or with a creamy dipping sauce.

To remove some of the saturated fat from this recipe, only use one yolk from the three eggs. Discard two yolks, then whisk the eggs together.

Another option during the breading process is to only use the flour and egg mix, not the bread crumbs. This is a Francese style batter.

You can also serve with a Francese style reduction of 2 tbsp healthy butter, splash of white wine and a dash of lemon juice.

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and capers.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Serves Four

10 oz chopped baby portabella mushrooms

8 oz white mushrooms

1 small onion, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1/4 stalk celery, diced

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Black pepper to taste

1 large bay leaf

4 fresh sprigs of thyme (leaves only)

1 tsp paprika

1 oz sherry

2 tbsp flour or corn starch

3 cups low fat milk

1 tbsp olive oil

Heat oil in a medium size soup pot.

Add the onions, carrots and celery and simmer for four minutes.

Remove from the fire and stir in the paprika, pepper and thyme. 

Return to the fire and add the stock and bay leaf.

Simmer for 20 minutes then remove from fire.

Remove bay leaf and puree the mixture, either in a blender or with a hand held immersion blender. (Be careful of the hot mixture).

Return blended mixture to the fire and add the milk.

Bring to a simmer.

Mix the sherry and flour in a cup until all lumps are gone. 

Add this to your soup and simmer for another four minutes.

Side note: During serving, I garnished each portion with a teaspoon of low fat sour cream.

To remove most of the saturated fat and still keep the creamy appearance of cream in your cream soup, I used a fat free milk like Smart Balance. You can also use evaporated skim milk, but this tends to burn if not consistently stirred while simmering.

Steak Pizzaiola

Serves Six

6 pieces beef short ribs (Flanken cut) approximately 6-7 inches long

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 28 oz can petite cut diced tomatoes in juice

6 oz red wine

12 oz chicken or beef stock

Fresh chopped herbs (10 sprigs of chives, 2 thyme stems, 3 basil leaves, 2 oregano stems,2 tsp parsley and 2 sage leaves).

Ground smoked black pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

On a sheet of parchment paper, season the short ribs with ground pepper on both sides.

In a large lasagna pan, add the can of diced tomatoes. 

Evenly sprinkle the herbs over the tomatoes.

Heat large sauté pan.

When the pan is hot, add the olive oil, then place the short ribs face down.

Sauté until golden brown, turn and brown the other side.

Remove the ribs and layer over the tomatoes.

Add the garlic to the sauté pan and stir until lightly golden.

Add the wine, stir one minute and then pour the wine and garlic over the ribs.

Add 4 oz of stock to the same pan and again stir removing all flavorings from the pan. 

Pour over the ribs and place the pan in a 375 degree oven.

After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and add the remaining stock.

Cover the pan with foil and return to the oven for another 40 minutes. 

Test for tenderness as not all ovens cook the same. If not tender enough, add two ounces of water or wine and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

I served this recipe with a side of penne, but any starch or grilled vegetable will do.

At table, season lightly with grated Romano cheese.