WHAT'S FOR DINNER???

The Hot DISH... with Shana

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WHAT'S FOR DINNER???

What's the Neiman Marcus $250 cookie URBAN LEGEND? Find out here!

Here's the scoop on the incredible benefits of ARTICHOKES!

Health Benefits of White Beans

Albacore Tuna vs Chunk Light Tuna- Here's the 411!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

NEIMAN MARCUS (URBAN LEGEND) OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!

I came across this recipe for NEIMAN MARCUS'S OATMEAL CHOCOLATE-

CHIP COOKIE & I have been dying to test it out!

(Now, as the story goes, this is an Urban Legend recipe)

Click on the link above to get the whole (cool) story!

So what better day to do

so than VALENTINE'S DAY?! I have posted the link to this recipe here.

I played around with it a little bit, mixing Dark Chocolate Chunks in with

my Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips & I substituted Raw Chocolate Cocoa

Powder in for the grated Hershey's bar (since I didn't have one at home).

I also used a little trick of mine, which is to keep the chips/chunks in the

freezer right up until the time you add them into the recipe. This way they

don't melt up right away in the oven and you are left with gooey-melty

chocolate chunks/chips inside of your cookie when you bite into it!

HAPPINESS! :) I also add a sprinkle of sea salt on top of the cookie right

after it comes out of the oven for a little savory kick! Woop!

Anyway, they turned out brilliantly & I'm pretty obsessed with this recipe now.

FYI, I cut this recipe in half because it was a big recipe…and I have to tell you

that I only baked off HALF of that! That made 24 small-medium size cookies

& I didn't need anymore than that today. Here's my little tip if you don't want

to bake off all of the cookies at once… roll them up into a piece of parchment

paper and either freeze the dough, or refrigerate it and bake the rest off the next

day or two. Everyone prefers a warm chocolate chip cookie anyway, right?

Let me know what you think if you try them out!!!

Ingredients (recipe can easily be halved)

2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal
24 ounces chocolate chips
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) Hershey Bars ( grated)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts ( your choice)

Directions

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder.
Cream the butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda.
Add chocolate chips, grated Hershey Bar and nuts.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375° or until golden. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

6:28 pm est Comments

Monday, February 13, 2012

ROASTED PEPPER & ARTICHOKE DUNK!

WELP! Since we do have Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought I would

whip up a recipe using one of the TOP 10 APHRODISIAC FOODS to get us
in the mood! Oh Yeah, HOT PEPPERS!

I'm a girl who lovesssss spicy foods… I'm always munching on those jarred hot peppers
that make you sweat while you're eating them, but are so addicting you just can't help yourself!
Anyone else do that?? So I LOVE making this bread dip to have handy in the fridge to dunk into
anytime :) It is super-grubby but also wonderfully good for you too!
Did you know that peppers have a component in them called CAPSAICIN, that increases
the body's heat production and oxygen consumption for about 20 minutes after eating???
SWEET! (Sounds like the perfect thing to eat on V-DAY!) Woop-Woop! Not to mention
they're bursting with Antioxidants that help reduce inflammation, fight cancer &
soooooo much more!

(For more on the amazing health benefits of peppers, click on the link above!)

So..let's get fired up!!! ;)

8 Serrano Peppers
1 American Eggplant (large purple variety)
1 Orange Bell Pepper (can also use red or yellow instead)
1 head of Garlic (whole)
plus 3 cloves of Garlic (thinly sliced)
Olive Oil (good quality)
Sea Salt or Kosher Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the top off of the whole head of garlic with a serrated knife, exposing the top.. Place into
a piece of tin foil and drizzle the exposed top with olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Close the foil around the garlic tightly and place in oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, line 2 cookie sheets with tin foil and coat generously with olive oil.
Peel the eggplant with a carrot peeler and slice into 1 inch rounds, then
dice into about 1 inch cubes. Place on one cookie sheet and drizzle very generously
with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt & pepper and toss to coat evenly.

Place all of the peppers onto the other cookie sheet (whole), & drizzle generously with
olive oil, then sprinkle with salt & pepper and toss to coat evenly.

Place both cookie sheets into oven and roast for about 35-40 minutes, tossing the
eggplant once 1/2-way through & turning the peppers with tongs once 1/2-way
through. (NOTE: Place them into oven with the already roasting garlic.
If you need room, just move the garlic onto the pepper sheet)

When garlic is done, remove from oven, open foil & allow to cool. When
eggplant & peppers are done, remove the from oven and place eggplant
into a serving bowl.

Add sliced raw garlic and toss thoroughly to blend
flavors.

Cut the stem-ends of peppers off. Press onto the peppers
with the dull side of a butter knife, pressing the seeds out of the open end.
(These peppers are very spicy & the seeds have most of the heat,
so you want to remove most of them.) Dice the peppers up and add them
to the bowl. Take the whole head of roasted garlic and squeeze it from the
bottom to allow the roasted garlic to press out of the top like butter. Squeeze
it into the bowl & toss everything to coat. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil
(or more depending on how you like it). Toss everything around with a fork,
mashing some of the eggplant, garlic and peppers so that everything is
thoroughly incorporated. Add any more oil, salt & pepper to taste.
Serve with a warm, crusty loaf of bread or toasted bruscetta. ENJOY!!

8:29 pm est Comments

Thursday, February 9, 2012

TORTILLA ESPANOLA!

(For the Amazing health benefits of potatoes, click on link above!)

TORTILLA ESPANOLA

This is a super-popular dish all over Spain where they enjoy them as tapas.

They are inexpensive & easy to make and can be enjoyed not only for breakfast,

but as an anytime snack throughout the day. They are typically made with

potatoes & eggs, but you can make this with anything you may have available

in your kitchen. In this recipe I used left over roasted potatoes, although

you can thinly slice raw potatoes with a mandolin (or by hand) and

sauté them in the olive oil over medium heat before mixing them in with the eggs.

This dish is loaded with protein & fiber… and did you know that

potatoes are great for your skin? For more info

on all of the beautiful benefits of potatoes, click on the link above!

10 Eggs

8 Potatoes (Diced & Roasted)

8 cherry tomatoes (cut in half) (optional)

1 cup of leftover pasta (cut into smaller pieces) (optional)

1 large brown Onion (sliced)

Sea Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

You will need a large plate that is big enough to cover the skillet in order to flip the omlette

to cook the other side.

Heat a few table spoons of oil in a large skillet over meduim-low heat and sauté onions about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, Whisk together eggs in a large bowl. Add roasted potatoes, pasta, tomatoes, salt & pepper and stir.

Pour mixture into skillet and cook until the eggs form on the bottom and the sides of pan. About 10 minutes.

Check to see if the omlette has formed with a spatula. If so, lightly coat a large dish with olive oil.

Carefully cover the skillet with the plate and flip over. Then slide the omlette back into the pan to cook

the other side for about 3--4 more minutes.

(Another option if you are nervous about flipping the pan,

is to pop an oven-proof pan into the oven after you have cooked the 1st side and broil the top side

for about 2 minutes.)

You can eat the Tortilla Espanola hot, OR allow to cool and snack on it anytime at room temperature.

I like to serve mine with some tomato-basil sauce (I used left-over pasta sauce with mine). I also

like to serve this with warm, crusty bread and pickles or cornichons on the side. Remember,

with this dish, the world is your oyster! You can add any leftovers to it, or any veggies you

have handy… that's what makes it so versatile and fun! ENJOY

7:23 pm est Comments

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

GUAC TIME!!!

WELP...this is pretty much my favorite food on earth! GUACAMOLE! I could eat this every day.

But it's DEFINITELY perfect for game day snackin'! And while we're at it,

we might as well make a batch of homemade PAN-TOASTED TORTILLA CHIPS! You can buy

your chips if you want to, but it's super simple and SOOOOooooo much tastier to make your own!

So here is my recipe for some Superbowl Guacamole & Pan-Toasted Tortilla chips.... Let's get to it!

Yummm!

SHANA'S GUACAMOLE

Ripe Organic Avocados

2 Small Organic Tomatoes (Or 1 Large one) (Diced)

1/2 Red Onion (chopped)

1 tbs Chopped Cilantro (Optional)

1 Jalapeño Pepper (Diced & seeds removed)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 large Limes (juiced)

1 tsp Tabasco (or your favorite hot or mild sauce)

1 tsp Lemon Zest

Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Freshly Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Cube the avocados and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, garlic, lime juice, hot sauce, salt & pepper.

Mix together all of the ingredients with the fork until well blended and smooth. (OR you can leave it chunkier if you prefer).

Add diced tomatoes & lemon zest and mix in. Cover & place in refrigerator for at least a 1/2 hour to allow all of the flavors to blend

and the guacamole to chill. When ready to serve mix again & then grate 2 tbs of parmesan or romano cheese on top of guacamole.

Serve with chips & ENJOY!

Pan Toasted Tortilla Chips

1 package Flour Tortillas

Vegetable oil

Sea salt

Arrange a basket or large plate next to the stove before you begin with a few paper towels lined on top.

Stack Flour tortillas on a cutting board and cut into squares or triangles. Add enough oil to a large saute

pan just to coat the bottom. Heat to medium. Carefully place tortilla pieces into pan one at a time

using thongs. (oil is hot enough when tortilla sizzles lightly when put into pan). Turn tortilla pieces once

they are light golden brown (about 1 minute each side depending on how hot oil is). I like to work with

5-8 tortilla pieces at a time). Once both sides are browned remove with thongs and place onto

paper-towel lined plate or basket to dry.

Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with guacamole!

10:48 am est Comments

Saturday, February 4, 2012

OK people… so here is a perfect cocktail for Sunday's Superbowl festivities :)

Every time I make this stuff, people suck it down & there's nothing left! ;) This sangria
is best if you make it 2-3 days ahead and let all that fruit marinate up nicely in the alcohol.
SO… it's Friday now! Hop to it! If you make this tonight, it will be absolute perfection by Sunday
& your guests will be loving it! SALUD!

7 bottles light Pinot Noir

4 cups Silver Tequila

2 cups Triple Sec

2 cups Brandy

9 11 oz cans Mandarin Oranges (drained)

9 organic Red Apples (diced)

2 small Limes (Cut lengthwise into 6 slices each)

7 whole Cinnamon Sticks

1 large bottle of Sprite

This makes a lot of sangria for game day! Mmmmm!.

Place all fruit into very large punch bowl. Add cinnamon sticks and all liquid, except for Sprite, together in a very large punch bowl. Stir together, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days. (3 days is optima l.) Stir sangria once or twice/day. On day you are serving it, add Sprite and stir. Serve over ice. (…and careful when you're drinking it, it tastes great but will definitely creep up on ya!

1:46 pm est Comments

2012.02.01 | 2012.01.01 | 2011.08.01 | 2011.07.01

Shana@TheHotDishTV.com