Here at Cook's Corner, we interview our readers to learn more about them and how they are inspired to live a healthy lifestyle through healthy eating.
November Issue
Featuring Rebecca Schutz
This month we feature Rebecca Schutz from Binghamton, New York. Rebecca is currently a senior at Binghamton University with plans to graduate with her Geography degree this May.
QuickYumm: Rebecca, we don't get contacted by many college students so this is truly a treat for us. You had mentioned in your letter that you live on campus. My days as a college student I remembered how difficult it was to use those communal kitchens so how do you pull it off?
Rebecca: I must admit that it is not the easiest thing to do to cook in a kitchen that you share with 100 other students in the building but you make do. I think living on campus really makes you think how to live creatively and minimally. With that mindset, I am able to make some of the most delicious meals all on campus.
QuickYumm: What do you typically cook for yourself?
Rebecca: I love cooking food that I wouldn't be able to get from the dining halls such as salmon. It's really easy to do because all I do is take some wine and marinate my fish for half an hour and into the oven it goes. I also love to bake because I am a RA and I love sharing treats with my residents.
QuickYumm: Would you share with us one of your favorite recipes?
Rebecca: I would love to share a recipe I found online at chocolatecoveredkatie.com. It's a really easy to make healthy chocolate frosting shot.
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
1 can full-fat coconut milk (or coconut cream)
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder or cacao powder
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
sweetener to taste (Use stevia or powdered sugar for thickest results.)
Directions
Healthy frosting recipe: Open your coconut milk, and if it’s not already super-thick, leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight. Try not to shake the can too much before opening. It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I recommend Thai Kitchen Organic. Hint: shake the can when you’re at the store. If you can hear the liquidy contents swishing around, it’s probably too thin to work for this recipe. Or if you want a no-fail option, buy coconut cream instead, at Trader Joes or an Asian market.) Once thick, transfer only the creamy part to a bowl, leaving the watery part out. Whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. For the photos on this page, I didn’t use beaters. But I did pipe the chocolate frosting shots out using an icing tip. Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.
October Issue
Featuring Donna Knox
This month we feature Donna Knox from Miami, Florida. She is a an account executive who loves cooking in her free time.
QuickYumm: Donna, it is so nice to meet you. I know you're an avid cook, so tell me what is your favorite type of food?
Donna: This is going to sound strange since I live in Florida but I love making and eating soup.
QuickYumm: Why do you like soup so much and can you share with our readers one of your favorite recipes?
Donna: Soup can be time consuming to cook however, you can make a big batch at once and have food for days. I usually take the excess and just freeze it for the future. Doing this allows me to always have a home cooked meal after a long day at work.
One of my favorite recipes is "Italian Wedding Soup" from Foodnetwork.com
Italian Wedding Soup
For the meatballs:
3/4 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup: 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
10 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup: 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
10 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.
For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.
September Issue
Featuring Jenny Wu
This month we feature Jenny Wu from Queens, NY. She is a newlywed pursuing her MBA at Baruch College. We decided to ask her to share her tips on eating well.
QuickYumm: It’s so nice to chat with you today. Can you please share your secrets on eating well with such a hectic life?
Jenny: Eating a healthy and affordable meal in NYC can be challenging, especially when you have millions of things going on at once. My secret to eating well is by stocking my fridge with only fresh foods that have a relatively short shelf life. When I am at the supermarket, I make sure to shop only in the perimeter of the store as that is where all the fruits and veggies are stocked.
QuickYumm: Can you share one of your favorite recipes with us?
Jenny: Sure! I love making this chilled asparagus salad. It's a recipe that I found on the food network site by Alex Guarnaschelli.
Chilled Asparagus
Ingredients
6 quarts water
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
32 stalks small to medium-size green asparagus, washed and ends trimmed
2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 quarts water
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
32 stalks small to medium-size green asparagus, washed and ends trimmed
2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
I like asparagus al dente, slightly crunchy. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot over medium heat. Add salt until it tastes like mild seawater. How will you know? Take a little water with a spoon and taste it, then add the sugar.
Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl, large enough to hold the asparagus, with cold water. Add some ice cubes. Plunge the asparagus into the ice bath before cooking. This will help to bring any limp stalks back to life. Remove from the ice bath, plunge them into the boiling water and allow them to cook, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, transferring them immediately to the same ice bath. Allow them to sit in the ice bath for a few minutes, swirling them gently in the water to assure they are all cooling quickly in the cold water.
The most important step for this dish? Drying the stalks once they are removed from the ice bath. Taking care that no water gets into the final salad is the best way to assure that the maximum flavor will be enjoyed! Transfer the asparagus to a large plate or platter lined with a kitchen towel and refrigerate.
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, honey and mustard. Stir to blend. Whisk in the olive oil in an even, steady stream. When all of the oil has been integrated, taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
When ready to serve, remove the kitchen towel from the asparagus and simply toss the asparagus in the dressing to coat them completely. Arrange the stalks on plates and serve.
Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl, large enough to hold the asparagus, with cold water. Add some ice cubes. Plunge the asparagus into the ice bath before cooking. This will help to bring any limp stalks back to life. Remove from the ice bath, plunge them into the boiling water and allow them to cook, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, transferring them immediately to the same ice bath. Allow them to sit in the ice bath for a few minutes, swirling them gently in the water to assure they are all cooling quickly in the cold water.
The most important step for this dish? Drying the stalks once they are removed from the ice bath. Taking care that no water gets into the final salad is the best way to assure that the maximum flavor will be enjoyed! Transfer the asparagus to a large plate or platter lined with a kitchen towel and refrigerate.
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, honey and mustard. Stir to blend. Whisk in the olive oil in an even, steady stream. When all of the oil has been integrated, taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
When ready to serve, remove the kitchen towel from the asparagus and simply toss the asparagus in the dressing to coat them completely. Arrange the stalks on plates and serve.
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