Tag: butter

Need a little something sweet~ Gluten Free French Sable Cookies

Published on by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

I love dessert. I will talk about healthy eating forever, but I will never skip on dessert. A healthy lifestyle has a little dessert included, well at least that is what I believe and preach. Life is all about balance. We all  need a little sweetness in our lives and honey these cookies will deliver just that. First off they are gluten free, so they are great for people with gluten allergies. They are small and just perfect with a cup of hot ginger tea. I love making these cookies and sharing with my granddaughter, can you say, TEA PARTY! Bottom line they are so yummy, that’s really all you need to know, right?

So, stay on your healthy path. Eat clean food, drink clean water and make your desserts from scratch with good high quality ingredients. Enjoy them at least once a week or so and get out enjoy nature. It’s all in Divine order.

As always, Remember to Set the Table with Love. 🙂

Gluten Free Sable Cookies
Gluten Free French Sable Cookies

Gluten Free French Sable Vanilla cookies
Ingredients:
2 soft, plump vanilla beans
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted organic butter
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1-1/3 oz. (1/3 cup) organic confectioners’
sugar, sifted
2 large organic egg yolks
2 cups of gluten free flour blend ( Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend)
My favorite gluten free cookie blend
2 cups white rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape the seed pulp into a small bowl;
add the sugar. Using your fingers, rub them together until blended.
2. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, mix the butter on low speed until smooth and
creamy, mix in the salt. Add the vanilla sugar and the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add 1 egg yolk and mix for 1 minute. Still on low speed, mix in the flour just until blended; the dough will be soft.
3. Sprinkle a little gluten free flour onto the counter. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead it gently a few times. Divide it in half and shape each half into a 9-inch log. Be
gentle with the dough and work with it, gluten free dough needs a little more care.
Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
4. Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat the oven to
350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup sanding sugar onto a piece of waxed paper. Combine the
remaining egg yolk with a splash of water in a small bowl and whisk with a fork.
6. Brush each log with the egg wash and roll it in the sanding sugar until evenly coated.
Trim the ends of the logs if they’re ragged. Using a knife, cut the dough into 1/2-inchthick rounds. Put them on the baking sheets, leaving about 2-inches between rounds.
7. Bake the cookies, rotating and swapping the baking sheets’ positions halfway
through, until the cookies are brown around the edges and golden on the bottom, 18 to
22 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes; then carefully transfer to a cooling
rack and allow to cool completely before serving. Sable’ cookies need to be eaten cool, so
cooling with allow them to set, so you can enjoy to perfection.

 

 

Pan Seared and Poached Halibut with sweet peas in a lemon caper broth topped with Sweet Potato Chips

Published on by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

Halibut. One of my favorite fish to make. I use to be so intimidated about making fish, until I was on Food Network’s All Star Academy and my mentor, Alex Guarnaschelli had me make Arctic Char for one of the elimination challenges, her  mentoring gave me the confidence to never be scared of fish again. The thing that blew me away the most, was during judging. Adam Richman, Man Finds Food, told me my Arctic Char could be served in a restaurant and he would order it, Yes!!

The key to any ingredient is understanding the ingredient itself. If you have never used a particular ingredient, I would suggest to research it. Ask a chef or someone you know that  is an excellent cook that has used it before, successfully. Cooking is an adventure, so dive in with an open heart.

Now, back to the recipe. I had a few of my fans wanting this recipe, so I hope you guys enjoy it, but make sure, before you get started to Set the Table with Love. Enjoy.

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Pan Seared and Poached Halibut with sweet peas, sweet potato chips in a lemon caper broth

Pan Seared and Poached Halibut:

Ingredients:

4, 5 oz. halibut filets

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon no salt herb garlic seasonings

2 tablespoons of organic butter

1 shallot, finely minced

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup of dry wine

3/4 cup of chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp capers

5 springs of thyme

1 tablespoon of cold, unsalted butter

1 cup green peas,  frozen peas thawed out
Instructions:

Place a large lidded skillet over high heat. Once hot, season the filets with the salt, garlic seasoning, then add the unsalted butter and then place the halibut filets in the pan. Sear on one side, without moving, for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes carefully flip the filets and then move the heat to low. Add the lemon juice, chicken stock, dry wine, shallot, bay leaf, thyme and capers. Place the lid on the pan and cook  on low heat.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until halibut is just opaque.The fish will keep cooking so do not over cook it. When desired doneness is reached, pull the skillet off of the heat and remove the halibut from the pan and place the fish on a warm plate and lightly cover with foil. Use braising liquids from the pan to make your broth. Add the cold butter into the liquid and whisk until combined. Keep the broth on low heat add the green peas into the broth and allow to warm through.  Keep the broth warm, on a very low heat.

Sweet Potato Chips

1 medium sweet potato, sliced with a mandolin

sea salt to taste

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and position oven rack in the center of the oven.
    Rinse and dry your sweet potatoes thoroughly and slice them with a mandolin, or use a knife and slice them as thinly as possible.
  2. Toss slices in a touch of olive oil to lightly coat, then sprinkle with salt.  Lay a piece of parchment paper onto a non stick baking sheet.
  3. Lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, then turn the potato slices over, and bake for another 6-7 minutes , watch for the edges, they will start to get darker, pull them before they burn. Remove once crisp and golden brown. Some may feel a little tender in the middle but take them out and let them rest for 10 minutes, so they can crisp up. To assemble this dish, I put the chips on top of the halibut as a garnish with a lemon wedge.

Assemble:

Add broth into a bowl, add halibut in the middle of the bowl and top with sweet potato chips and lemon slice( optional).

Green Beans and Potatoes and A Green Pea Soup inspired by Chef Michel Guerard

Published on by Life with Lisa Washington2 Comments

Growing up my mom made the best green beans and potatoes. Lawd they were yummy. She would clean them, cut them and put them in a pot with Idaho white potatoes, seasonings and several pieces of cooked bacon. I can smell them now. Yesterday, after yoga, I went to my local farmers market stand and got a bag of green beans and decided I wanted to pay homage to my mom’s green beans and potatoes, but with a healthy twist. Now, don’t stop reading because you hear the word healthy, as Eddie Murphy said, in the movie, Life ~ “Don’t be scared.”  LOL. 😉

These Green Beans and Red Potatoes are full of flavor and doesn’t take an hour or two to make and you still get the wonderful nutrition benefits of the vegetable. Green beans are high in antioxidants and contains, Vitamin A, B and C. The amino acid in beans and peas make them a great options for vegetarians.

This recipe is very simple and makes a wonderful side dish. Since we are on the subject of green beans. I also decided to make a recipe from one of my favorite chefs, Michel Guerard. My husband gave me a copy of his first cookbook back in 1976, Michel Guerard’s Cuisine for Home Cooks. He is a Michelin 3 star Chef of France and his recipes are fresh, simple and full of flavor. Today I made a  vegetarian version of his Cream of Pea Soup. I changed it up a little and used super greens, chard, spinach and arugula, instead of the bibb lettuce.  I also used greek yogurt, instead of creme fraiche, but I did not skip on the butter. I used my french butter for the recipe. Hey you got to indulge sometimes.

I hope you enjoy these easy Green recipes. Hey, I love to eat in color, today it was all about the greens.  Bon A Petit! Remember to always Set the Table with Love.

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Green Beans and Potatoes

 

Green Beans and Potatoes

3/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in half

1 pound red waxy potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 2-inch wedges

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4-5  small garlic cloves (to taste), minced

Sea salt and red chili pepper flakes, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Steam the green beans above 1 inch of boiling water for four to five minutes until tender. Remove from the steamer, and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Add the potatoes, and steam for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and red chili peppers, and cook for a minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the beans and cook, stirring, for three minutes until quite tender and coated with oil (but still bright green).

3. Gently stir in the potatoes, and add salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until they begin to color lightly, about 3 -5 minutes. Serve Warm.

Inspired Michel Gerard’s  Vegetarian Version Cream Pea Soup

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter

1  onion, chopped

1 cup Super Greens, I used chard, spinach and arugula

1 1/2 quart vegetable stock

2 cups fresh or frozen tiny green peas

2/3 cup greek yogurt

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Vegetarian Version of Michel Guerard’s Cream of Pea Soup

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion, and sauté it until lightly browned. Add the super greens and cook it until wilted, about 4 -5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then add the peas and simmer for 6 minutes, if frozen, 15 minutes, if fresh.

Puree the soup in a food processor and strain back into the saucepan.

NOTE: The recipe can be prepared ahead of time, before adding greek yogurt, add this whenever you warm the soup up and are ready to serve it.

Reheat the soup and bring to a boil. Whisk in the greek yogurt and bring the soup to a boil again. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.

 

 

 

Parmesan and Thyme Southern Style Biscuits

Published on by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

Southern Style Biscuits. My mother was a true Georgia Peach. She cooked biscuits on Saturday morning with bacon, grits, and scrambled eggs.  I loved my mom’s biscuits. They were the yummy’s biscuits I have ever eaten. I have not, to this day, 40 some years later ever tasted a biscuit as good as my mom’s recipe. Here’s the deal it was a true back in the day southern biscuit. You guys know what I mean. You use LARD and BUTTERMILK.  I don’t use LARD,  but I think I came up with a recipe that gives me some satisfaction.

I say some, because there is nothing like my mom’s biscuits. NOTHING like a White Lily, Lard-filled, Buttermilk Biscuit. LOL . 😂

I kid you not, these biscuits are very yummy. They are soft and flaky on the outside and super soft on the inside. I personally like a really flaky biscuit with a little crunch. The secret, the butter specks. You need to see the butter specks for those flakes. Look for the specks after you form your dough.

Here is my ode to my mom’s southern biscuits. I included parmesan and thyme this recipe, you can exclude it and just keep it original. Enjoy and remember to always Set the Table with Love. 💕💕💕

Southern Style Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)

1 teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very very cold

1 cup organic buttermilk

1 cup parmesan cheese (optional) , but why not ?! 😊

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. Add the milk. Add the parmesan and thyme. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky. DO NOT OVER MIX. OVERWORKING BISCUIT DOUGH MAKES YOUR BISCUITS HARD.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently shape into a ball, mold dough gently. Kneading it into a circle about 4-5 times. * DO NOT OVER WORK THE DOUGH.

Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Pull the cutter directly up releasing the biscuit. DO NOT TURN THE BISCUIT CUTTER, THIS ALSO CAUSES BISCUITS TO TURN OUT HARD.

Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch about 1/2 inch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting.

Bake until biscuits are light golden brown on top,  about 15 to 20 minutes. Enjoy and Set the Table with Love.

Leftover Risotto pudding turns into Tropical Risotto Pops

Published on by Life with Lisa Washington1 Comment

I believe necessity is truly the mother of invention. However a mother craving something sweet is the mother of this creative Tropical Risotto Pops. These will be in my upcoming cookbook Set the Table with Love. Enjoy!

Tropical Risotto pops

Ingredients

  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (divided)
  • 1/2 cup of dehydrated coconut flakes
  • 1/2 tbsp of ginger
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup of organic honey
  • 1/4 cup of organic cane sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

If you making just the pudding, dice a 1/2  cup of mango and a 1/2 cup of pineapple, for garnish.

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Tropical Risotto pudding

Combine 1 cup of rice with 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice in a pot.  Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Add the other 1 cup of pineapple juice.  Stir constantly until liquid is absorbed. Add in spices and dehydrated coconut and stir.  Add the 2 cups of almond milk 1 cup at a time. When you add the first cup of almond milk go ahead and add the honey, sugar and vanilla extract, stirring constantly. Add the last cup of almond milk and continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed .  Total cooking time is about approximately 30 minutes.

You can serve this Risotto on a bowl and add the mangos and pineapple. I added a little cinnamon, nutmeg and drizzle a lithe honey on top of the fruit. So warming to the belly.

Okay now for the Risotto Balls.

I took the leftover Risotto and put it in my fridge. I came home and needed something sweet but creative.

I took the Risotto with a ice cream scoop and rolled little balls into them. I drizzled honey on them so my coconut mixture would stick to the balls. I dipped them in a mixture of

Ingredients

1/2 cup of organic dehydrated coconut

1 tsp of ginger powder

1 tsp of golden sugar sprinkles

dash of sea salt. 

Now to get them to hold onto the stick. Melt down some organic white chocolate, dip the sticks half way into the white chocolate. Stick the balls onto the sticks and place them in the freezer until the chocolate hardens. You know have a Tropical Risotto Pop!

Oh psst.. Remember to Set the Table with Love. 🙂

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Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon and Cardamom Honey Butter.

Published on by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

This is so good!!! So so very very good!  I had the honor of help cater my best friend’s husband 40th birthday party. They requested my sweet potato biscuits, ( gluten free)! I made this cinnamon and cardamom honey butter to go along with the biscuits but I forgot it at home.  Fortunately that did not matter, they at them all.

I decided tonight I wanted to make grilled peaches, but what would I put on them. Duh? My butter of course.

This recipe is easy.

Grill some peaches on my George Forman girl. I just drizzled them with olive oil until they were soft.

Plated. Grated some fresh nutmeg and cinnamon. Drizzled them with some organic honey and add my butter.

Cinnamon and Cardamon Honey Butter Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon and Cardamom Honey Butter 970326_10151649101618613_492593119_n

Ingredients

1/2 cup of  unsalted butter, need to be at room temperature
3 tbsp of organic honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of cardamom and pinch of sea salt

Directions
Combine the butter, honey, cinnamon, cardamom and salt  using a fork, combine the ingredients throughly until nice a creamy.  You can scoop a few teaspoons on to your peaches or anything else you would like some extra flavor.

Enjoy!

Set the Table with Love

Pecan Pie Tarts with maple butter glaze

Published on by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

So I have been working out hard to reach a particular goal, so why am I making pecan tarts. Because I can and a tart never hurt anybody, right? Right? Ya’ll don’t hear me out there ( in my southern baptist preacher voice) lol. Enjoy! I will be working out hard in the next few days.

Pecan Pie Tart with phyllo dough and maple butter glaze 1185826_10151627278938613_423739481_n

These are so yummy.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. butter, melted ( 1 Tbsp will for the phyllo dough cups you make)
  • 2 large egg
  • 3 Tbsp.  organic brown
  • 2 Tbsp. of Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • Box of phyllo dough sheets

Instruction :

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients except pecans. Mix well. Add in chopped pecans, and stir until combined.

In a regular muffin pan cut phyllo dough up into medium squares, lay in the muffin pans ,shape to the pan and dab with butter. I used about 3 sheets to make a nice sturdy container for the pecan mixture.  Fill the cups about 1/2 way up. They will rise.  Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. Let cool and drizzle I drizzled the maple butter glaze over top each one and served.

Baked Organic Banana Nut doughnuts w/ salted maple butter glaze

Published on by Life with Lisa WashingtonLeave a comment

Sometimes you just crave something rich, decadent and yummy. I wanted doughnuts so I made these yummies. This doughnut is baked with no yeast.  My husband loved them. It is amazing how just a little sea salt can wake up all the flavors.

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