This easy recipe for Cucumber Buttermilk Salad Dressing with Homemade Healthy Croutons makes close to 2 cups so there is plenty for a big salad and leftovers for the next night. You could use it as a dip for a veggie platter or to serve on the side with some grilled meat or fish.

Whenever I make this salad dressing, everyone including the kids, licks their plate and goes back for seconds. It has a great fresh flavor and can be used in so many ways. See my Cook’s Notes at the bottom of the page for healthy tips, serving suggestions and even a “Sugar Secret” for homemade healthy croutons.

Ingredients:

• A handful of fresh parsley, chopped or 3 tablespoons dried
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• ½ of a cucumber, seeds removed and chopped
• A handful of fresh dill, chopped or 1½ tablespoons of dried
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put the garlic, herbs and cucumber in a small food processor or hand chopper and chop for a minute. If you don’t have one, just hand chop the ingredients into fine pieces and add to a bowl.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Put dressing in the refrigerator in a covered dish or Tupperware until ready to use. Dressing will last in the fridge for a few days so don’t be afraid to make this ahead of time. The flavors get better when it sits.

Cook’s notes:

If you make this dressing ahead of time you may find that when you take it out of the fridge to use it, it may seem very thick. You can add a little more buttermilk to thin it out or some extra virgin olive oil and adjust the salt and pepper. It is supposed to be chunky so don’t thin it too much.

I like to serve this salad with all types of greens, veggies, and red or green onions. It also works great with some bacon, apples and nuts. I brown up some bacon and make some homemade croutons to go over the top. You can use turkey bacon if you want a leaner version.  Don’t be afraid to get creative.

How to make Homemade Croutons:

OK so you are saying — why would you make homemade croutons??? Well, the ones you buy in the store contain a ton of preservatives and additives that I don’t want to eat. Plus, they can be expensive and most of the time we all have extra bread in the house.  Once you make these you will see how simple and delicious they are. The whole house will smell like toasted bread and make everyone come running to the kitchen.

Remember, the goal of my site is to get you cooking with “Sugar.” That means cooking with Love, so every now and then we throw some special “Love” into our food.  When you cook with “Sugar” everything taste better.

To make homemade croutons:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Cut up a few slices of any bread of your choice into 1-inch cubes.  For all my Fit Fans out there you can even use Ezekiel bread. Toss the bread cubes in a bowl with a good sprinkle of olive oil. Once in a while I use a tablespoon or two of olive oil and melted butter.  Toss with a spoon gently, being careful not to break up the bread. Once the cubes are lightly coated with the oil, spread the cubes onto a cookie sheet and make sure they aren’t crowded. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any seasoning you like. I sometimes use onion powder, garlic powder, or even chili powder. Bake in the oven for about 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside until ready to use.

If you are lucky they will make it to the salad but if your house is like my house everyone picks at them before dinner is ready and most of them get gobbled up.  You may want to keep that in mind and make a big batch. If you have extra they will keep in a Ziploc for the next day.

“A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen what it is expected a man should see.”

Pictured: Mario Batali – Quote: Famous British author Samuel Johnson

Can’t make it to Italy this year? No worries. Get your fix right in downtown Manhattan. “Eataly” is Mario Batali’s new 50,000 square-foot Italian Gallery of Gastronomic wonder, located in NY City at 200 Fifth Ave. between 23rd and 24th street. Multiple restaurants that are integrated into retail spaces for everything from Italian specialty items like wine, cheese, and pasta to housewares and even a cooking school. It sort of sounds like heaven to me.

The goal behind the complex seems to be based on teaching more of a culture and lifestyle, not just a cool place to eat and shop. This is exactly what I’m all about. I want people to experience food and enjoy cooking like they never have before, and then share it with family and friends. I hope that this sort of mentality starts to spread like wildfire.

According to Blog Metropolis (Wall Street Journal), Batali was quoted as saying:

“This isn’t a giant food court,” said Batali, clad in trademark orange. “This isn’t a selection of restaurants under one roof. This is a retail store where we peddle the greatest of Italian gastronomy to people who want to eat it and know how to appreciate it. You ask any Italian and all of the smart Americans where the best meal they ever had in the last ten years was, and it was never in someone’s restaurant. It was always in the house. And with these products, and this ideology, we’re hoping that’s what we’re going to bring to New Yorkers.” http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/25/first-look-at-mario-batalis-monster-italian-marketplace/

He said the most memorable meals were in someone’s home. Being an Italian-American, I love and can totally relate to that statement because so many of my favorite meals have been at my mom’s, my grandmothers’, and my aunts’ homes. Batali is encouraging people to explore the facility with all the smells, tastes and sounds and then buy and learn how to cook amazing food at home. Like me, he wants people to know that it doesn’t have to be difficult. Most of the time it means just starting with the best ingredients, which apparently are in plentiful supply at Eataly.

As if that weren’t enough, the facility will also have an in house travel agent to help you plan that perfect Roman Holiday of your own, when you’re ready to take the plunge from just Eataly to Italy!

I wish Mario a lifetime of success with his new adventure. I can’t wait to plan a trip to see this place with my own eyes.  I’m sure it will bring back all sorts of memories for me of my recent trip to Italy.

Many people won’t ever get to see Italy for themselves but fortunately, Eataly can give everyone a taste of La Dolce Vita that they can bring right into their own home. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

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* Photos from newyork.grubstreet.com and www.eataly.it

You won’t believe how fast and easy grilled peaches are to make.  It’s the perfect healthy summer 10-minute dessert that everyone will go crazy over, even people who don’t like peaches, like my daughter, will love this.  They also make a great topping for a salad or a wonderful appetizer served with some cheese and prosciutto.

They are delicious on their own but most people prefer to top them with something sweet and creamy. See cook’s notes for serving suggestions and tips on how to slice and pit a peach.

Ingredients

• 4-6 ripe Freestone peaches, washed, dried and cut in half with pit removed
• 1/4  teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons white or brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• Grill spray

Directions

Place peach halves skin side down on a plate. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top of all the peaches. Sprinkle tops with a pinch of salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside while you preheat your grill.

Be sure to start with a clean grill that has been sprayed with Grill Spray. Once the grill is at a medium-high heat (about 300 degrees Fahrenheit) you can place the peaches skin side down on the grill. Grill skin side down with lid closed for about 3 minutes. Turn the peaches over and grill on the other side for about 2 minutes with the lid closed forming nice grill marks. You can peak at one after 2 minutes and if it doesn’t have those grill lines give it another minute or two. Remove from grill and place on the same plate you originally had them on or a decorative plate. Serve warm with your favorite topping, see notes below.

Cook’s notes:

How to slice a peach: You can easily slice and pit a Freestone peach by making a cut down to the stone along the seam.  Be sure to go all the way around the peach. Twist halves in the opposite direction as you would for an avocado.  Once the peach is separated you can easily remove the pit that will remain in one of the halves.

These peaches can be served many different ways so feel free to get creative. You can also use more or less sugar or cinnamon depending on your taste. Here are some of the things I serve them with: vanilla or chocolate ice cream, Greek yogurt or Mascarpone cheese with a little honey, homemade whipped cream or anything like this that rocks your boat. I like mine drizzled with just a little fat free half and half for a light dessert, or on my real treat days some vanilla ice cream.

Give this one a try and let me know how you served them.

My mom Gloria always made a dish like this and called it Italian Paella (“pie-yay-yah”).  Her original way of making this calls for browning the chicken first.   You can certainly do that but I think it’s lighter and easier to just put it all in the pan and toss it in the oven.

This is an easy one-dish meal that takes only a few minutes to put together but it needs some time to cook in the oven so you’ll want to plan ahead a bit.  All the seasonings and juices of the dish get locked into the rice and give it a wonderful rich flavor. It’s also a great dish to make for a party because you can put it all together the night before. This isn’t any sort of traditional Spanish or Italian dish; it’s just a great tasting family favorite. For variations and make ahead suggestions, see Cook’s Notes below.

Serves about 8-10 people (see Cook’s Notes to cut recipe in half if desired)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces; discard giblets and back (or you can use a package of breasts or thighs)
• 1 pound Italian sausage, sweet or hot, whatever you prefer
• 2 cups Italian Arborio Rice
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes (use the whole can, juice and all)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 Vidalia onion, sliced
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups white wine (if you don’t cook with wine just double the chicken stock)
• 2 chicken bullion cube
• Seasoned salt
• Fresh black pepper
• Small bunch of fresh parsley or basil, chopped (you can use dry & just sprinkle over rice)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

In a large roasting pan (about 12×16), spread uncooked rice evenly in bottom of the pan. Crumble the bullion cubes in your fingers and sprinkle over the rice.  Top with the green and red peppers, onion, garlic and peas.

Cut the chicken breasts in half to create a smaller portion.  Also, cut the sausage in half too. Evenly place the chicken and the sausage over the veggies.

Note: If you are making this ahead of time, stop here and see cook’s notes below. If not, continue.

Pour the wine and the chicken stock into the pan. Top the dish with the stewed tomatoes. Season the chicken with a good amount of seasoned salt and fresh ground black pepper, sprinkle with parsley or herb of choice.

Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until dish is browned (see photos below). Remove from oven and allow dish to cool about 15 minutes and absorb excess liquid before serving.

Cook’s notes:

If you are preparing this the night before or the morning before you cook it, follow these instructions.

Once you add the chicken and the sausage cover with foil and refrigerate. When you are ready to continue cooking, remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking so the pan isn’t ice cold when you put it in the oven.  Remove the foil and top the chicken with the remaining ingredients and bake as recipe calls for.

Don’t be afraid to get creative with this recipe and vary it. You can add mushrooms, a pinch or two of saffron, fresh or dried basil, parsley, oregano, and different colored peppers or wines. I even like to add a little red hot pepper flakes or sometimes use hot sausage.

If you don’t want to make such a large batch, you can cut the recipe in half and use a smaller baking dish. If you do that it will probably only need 1 hour and 30 minutes total to cook. Bake covered for 1 hour then remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes uncovered.

This salad is a fresh, delicious change of pace. Why not give it a try and step away from the same old boring salads?  The sweetness of the watermelon blends so nicely with the peppery flavor of the arugula. Don’t be afraid to shake it up a little too. You can use all arugula and no field greens, or no arugula at all and maybe some baby spinach. It all depends on what you like. I like mixing both for a balanced flavor.  You can also use Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola in place of the Feta.

For a light dinner or lunch add some grilled chicken, beef or shrimp to make this a complete meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the vinaigrette:

• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

This will make more than enough dressing for the salad so be sure to not use all of it. Save any leftovers in a sealed jar in the refrigerator and use it over the next day or two on any other salad you make.

For salad

• 4 cups arugula, washed and ready to eat
• 2 cups of field greens, washed and ready to eat
• 1-1/2 cups of seedless watermelon, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup of Feta cheese (you can also use Blue or Gorgonzola cheese)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, to form an emulsion. The vinaigrette can be made ahead of time, just be sure to store it covered in the refrigerator.

Place the arugula, field greens, watermelon, and cilantro in a large bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Use enough to coat the greens lightly, but not so much that it is dripping in dressing. Toss lightly and sprinkle with the feta cheese.  At this point, give it a taste. It may need a little extra salt or pepper.

Serve immediately

Cook’s notes:

This salad is great on a hot summer day but just make sure you keep your ingredients nice and cold. The salad and the dressing can be made ahead and covered and kept separately in the refrigerator. Don’t add the dressing to the salad until you are ready to serve it.  :)

Recently, I ran into my good friend, Ava Cowan, at a fitness competition here in South Florida.  Ava is a five-time overall figure champion.  Overall!  That means that when she wins, she not only wins within her age and height group, she beats everyone competing at any size or age in the figure competition on that date.  She has such an amazing figure. She is perfectly proportioned, toned and balanced. She is truly an inspiration to anyone in the fitness industry and to women in general, including me.   She must have a lot of really amazing diet and fitness secrets to pull that off, right?

Well, not really.  I talked with Ava briefly about her diet. She is on a very strict diet for a competition (again) and can’t enjoy any of the things that most of us eat during the week without any real thought.  She does not eat bread or butter, or chocolate or wine!   Yikes!  That sounds like hell to most of us, right?   But for Ava, this is a way of life. She sacrifices what she needs to, in order to reach her goals and be the best in her class.   There are times when she is “off” and can indulge in some of those pleasures, but when she is training for a competition, these treats are off limits.

Ava’s story made me think about how wimpy most of us are in our every day lives.  I know that only a very tiny percentage of people out there who will ever strive for Ava’s level of health and fitness, let alone achieve it, but her dedication proves that it can be done.   And that’s the point of this article.   If it can be done at that level of excellence, how hard would it be for the rest of us to do just a little better and care about our health and fitness just a little more than we do now?

How many times have you said to yourself “I have to treat myself,” “I need that glass of wine,” “I just can’t live without that slice of pizza, that burger. Blah, Blah, Blah”.    I do it all the time, too.   But Ava’s commitment made me realize that it’s all a big platter of “cop out”.    If she can do it, anyone can do it and maybe we ought to, more often.  Why do we think we can eat whatever we want and not be fat and out of shape?

I’m not training for any fitness competition. I don’t make a living off of having a fit body and no one is paying me money to look good in a swimsuit, so why would I care enough to deprive myself of these treats. Right? The answer really should be “yes, I should care and I should be depriving myself of these things”  because my strength comes from being healthy.  Being fit is a spark for romance in your marriage.  Being fit makes it more likely that you’ll enjoy active times with your children and a long life with your family, and perform better at work, be successful and enjoy life in general.

None of us has to ever achieve Ava’s level of fitness but we need to realize that at least getting into reasonable, healthy shape is not a complicated or secret process.  We just need to and should set guidelines for ourselves in our every day life and be intentional about sticking to our guns.  Most of us don’t think about driving through a fast food restaurant and eating something on the go but we should.  I think most adults need a wake up call. We need to cut out the soda, fast food and other unhealthy snacks. We need to realize that our bodies do matter and our level of fitness does make us money and improve our way of life.

Are you tired all the time? Are you rushing though most meals each day?   Are you relying on frozen or prepared foods most weeks?   It’s time to take a reality check and see how fast you can change your habits and start looking and feeling better.   If this is already freaking you out, I recommend you start off slowly.

Here’s my advice to you for this week.  Pick just one thing from the list below and give it up.   Just say “I’m not eating this any more.  I’m not putting that in my mouth ever again.”   Don’t whine about it or get upset.  Put your big girl panties on and cowgirl up!!   We don’t need a Big Mac, or a GIANT FROZEN COFFEE!   What we need is more energy, healthier bodies and to feel good in and out of our clothes, instead of feeling like we need to cover up each week’s dose of salty, fatty fast food.

Once you are off one of these things for a while, then give up another one. Eventually you will be cooking more and eating healthy without much thought and you won’t miss these things as much as you think you will.   Here’s the list of enemies to your health.  Give one up this week and then build on it:

1. Sugary Drinks – Coffees, Juices and Soda, even diet soda. Give it up. If you don’t know why it’s bad read my article here.
2. Fast food – No Wendy’s, No McDonalds or No Burger King or any chain like this. (I don’t want to hear that you will have the salad because chances are if you go there you won’t have the salad. LOL!!!
3. Prepared meals from the super market. No tub of mac and cheese or prepared meats and casseroles.
4. Snack items. No chips, pretzels, cereal bars, or candy!

For more tips on getting back to your fighting weight, please enter your email at the right side of this page and download my ebook or email me if you need additional advice on this topic.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

This rich chowder is easy to make and I promise everyone will love it. I consider this a treat meal if you make the full fat version. It’s one of my sister’s favorite dishes and one that I often make for special occasions, or dinner parties. I made it this week for her birthday. If you want to make a lighter version just see my notes below. You can also make the bulk of the soup the day before and just finish it off the night you are serving it.

Makes about 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups of plain frozen corn cornels
• 6 Slices of bacon
• 4 Scallions thinly sliced. (Save about a 1/2 cup of the greens sliced thinly for adding later in the recipe.)
• 1 Medium sized sweet onion, chopped
• 1 Red bell pepper, thickly chopped
• 4 Medium potatoes, skin on cut into1 inch cubes (any kind will work)
• 1 32oz container of Chicken Stock
• 2 Cups of heavy whipping cream (Can substitute Fat Free Half and Half or Milk see notes below.)
• ½ Stick of butter
• 2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 Cup Sherry Wine (optional)
• 1 1/2 Pounds medium frozen cooked peeled and deveined shrimp (You can also use fresh raw shrimp that have been shelled and deveined)
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high until crisp and browned, about 7-8 minutes.  Do not burn! Leave bacon fat in pan but transfer bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel.  Once it’s cool you can crumble it with your fingers.

Add butter, onions, scallions, and potatoes to the pan. Add the Old Bay seasoning and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Cook, over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 5-10 minutes until onions have softened.  Make sure stir the post so you don’t burn the onions. Turn up the heat and add the Sherry wine if using it and cook for a minute of two.  Add the chicken stock and turn down the heat to medium so the pot is simmering.  Add the chopped red bell pepper and parsley, allow soup to simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Make Ahead Cook’s notes: Soup can be made ahead of time up to this point and put in the refrigerator for the next day.  Allow soup to cool after it has cooked for 30 minutes and put in a Tupperware. About 30 minutes before your dinner party put soup in a pot and cook on a low heat until it simmers. Then follow the direction below as if you never refrigerated the soup.

Once soup has cooked for about 30 minutes you can turn up the heat again and add the frozen shrimp and the corn, the half and half or heavy cream, the remainder of the green onion and the crumbled bacon. Cook for about 5 more minutes then remove from the heat. Allow soup to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving. If you are serving this for a dinner party you might want to have some extra parsley, bacon and green onion for a fancy garnish on each bowl.

This can also be served with some Oyster crackers.

I serve this sometimes as an appetizer with a beef meal or as a main coarse with a salad for a lighter dinner or luncheon.

Healthy Version Cook’s Notes: If you want to make a lighter version you can leave out the bacon or replace it with turkey bacon and use 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in place of the butter. Replace the Heavy Whipping Cream with fat free half and half or try 2 cups of skin milk mixed with two tablespoons of cornstarch or flour as a thickening agent.  The lighter version is extremely tasty just not as creamy and fattening as the full fat version.

This recipe works great for lamb or chicken but my daughter just loves pork chops so this is one of her favorite dishes.   I like to buy a large package of thick boneless pork chops at Costco.  They have never let me down with their meat department.  It is usually a nice lean cut and just the right thickness for grilling.

If you have ever grilled pork chops you know how easy it is to over cook them and wind up with a dry rubbery chop.  The thin chops are difficult to cook because they cook so quickly you can easily over cook them.  The marinade for this recipe gives the chops flavor as well as moisture and the Dijon mustard just seals in the juices.  If you give this one a try let me know what you think because I think this one is a winner.

Ingredients:

• 6-9   1-½ inch thick cut boneless pork chops (depends on how many people you are feeding)
• 1 Cup Dijon mustard in a small bowl.
• 1 Cup olive oil
• 1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar
• 6-9 Cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary.  If you use dried, only use 1-½ tablespoons
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• Pam Grill Spray

Directions:

Place the pork chops in a large glass baking dish.  Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.  Pour the olive oil, and the balsamic vinegar over the meat.  Sprinkle the chopped garlic and the rosemary over the meat.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight, turning the chops over at least once during the marinating time. I usually put this all together the morning I’m making the dish and then grill them that evening.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to grill (or before you light your grill), remove the chops from the refrigerator and just let them sit out in room temperature.  You don’t want to place ice-cold meat on the BBQ because it can interfere with your cooking time.

Let the grill get hot, clean the grill and give it a good dose of grill spray.   When your grill is nice and hot (about 350 in the hood), and the chops have had a chance to sit, remove them from the baking dish and place on the grill.  Keep your bowl of Dijon mustard near the grill. One cup should be plenty but if you need more, just use it as needed.

Sear the chops on one side for about 3 minutes on high heat, then turn.  You’re looking for a nice grill mark if your grill is good and hot.   Give each chop a coat of Dijon mustard with a grill brush (if you don’t have one just use a teaspoon and spread the mustard with the back of the spoon).   Allow the other side to cook for 3 minutes.  Then, turn the chops again, coat the other side with the mustard and turn the grill down to medium.

Close the lid and cook the chops another 8 to 10 minutes without turning the chops again.   Total cooking time should only be about 14- 16 minutes so keep an eye on your watch. If you can’t turn the grill down move them to a cooler spot on the grill.

To be sure you don’t overcook, I recommend that you use a meat thermometer and check internal temperature after 10-12 minutes.  When the chops measure 140 degrees with a meat thermometer they are ready to come off.   The goal is about 145 but the temperature will rise slightly when they sit, so there is no need to over cook them.  A slightly pink-inside, juicy chop is what you are looking for.

Once you remove the chops from the grill, allow them to rest on a serving plate covered with foil for at least 5 minutes before you serve them.  This will give them a chance to hold their juices.

Cooks notes:

-The longer you leave the chops in the marinade, the more flavor they will have. However, if you are short on time you can prick the chops with a fork to help them absorb the marinade faster.

-Do not over cook!  If you follow my directions you should end up with perfectly cooked juicy meat.

-If you do over cook your chops by accident, don’t panic.  Just add a pat of butter to the top of each chop and serve. The extra cream in the butter will counter act the dry texture of the pork and everyone will love it.

I sometimes purposely serve some herb-seasoned butter over the top of the pork just for added flavor.