Seated App

Category: Food

Mango-Yogurt “Nice Cream”

Posted on by Admin General

Indulge in a taste of tropical paradise with this incredibly easy and refreshing Mango-Yogurt “Nice Cream.” With just a handful of ingredients and minimal prep time, it is perfect for beating the heat and satisfying your sweet cravings in a healthful way.

Although this recipe came about to preserve very ripe mangos, before they are too ripe, frozen packaged mangos work beautifully, too.

This delightful treat has become a family favorite, capturing the essence of summer in every spoonful.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Chill Time: 3 hours (best overnight)

Yield: Serves 2

Magda’s Keto Friendly Zucchini Fritters

Posted on by Admin General

I tasted my first zucchini fritter at a small, family-run bed and breakfast on the island of Skyros, Greece, many years ago. The fritters were round, like meatballs, a bit heavy with oil and flour, and served with a tzatziki sauce alongside the most tender lamb chops imaginable.

These easy-to-make fritters are lighter and keto friendly—substituting flour for almond flour, made with egg whites, and cooked in grapeseed oil. Delicious when served over a Greek salad, or as a side with lamb. My favorite sauce is tzatziki, poured over top, with more on the side. Plain Greek style yogurt, sour cream, or simply more hot sauce are all tasty options.

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Berry-Berry Christmas French Toast Casserole

Posted on by Admin General

There is nothing more joyful than waking up on Christmas morning when my daughters are home for the holidays. When they were children, they would rise at the crack of dawn, or earlier! Now, as adults, I usually make it to the kitchen before them, just in time to pop this delicious casserole in the oven so it can cook while we open gifts together.

We always set the kitchen table the night before Christmas, with festive holiday-themed napkin rings and flowers. The coffee is freshly ground and ready. We no longer set out cookies and milk by the chimney, but instead tiptoe over to stuff stockings—always the last thing to we do. With the scene set and ready, we can all enjoy the morning together, and no one is tethered to the kitchen. 

Delicious and decadent, this is a simple alternative to French toast, and some may say a cousin to bread pudding. This recipe can be made and baked immediately, however, the beauty of preparing it the night before is the ease of simply popping it in the oven in the morning so you can enjoy the festivities. It also allows the bread time to soak up the custard, which makes the inside even creamier and more decadent. 

While we prefer plant-based milks, 2% or a combination that includes half and half is also quite delicious! Simply assemble the casserole, cover well, and refrigerate overnight. The next day-uncover, spoon the topping over the casserole, and bake. 

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Yield: Serves 6

Thanksgiving Leftovers Reimagined: Quick and Easy Combinations

Posted on by Admin General

Whether your fridge is full of leftover turkey, stuffing, potatoes, or pie, simply reheating ingredients makes for a most uninteresting meal. 

Everyone looks forward to a delicious post-Thanksgiving panini, we make ours with brie, turkey, and a variety of sauces. Some more exciting inventions tend to be for the breakfast table, and light dinners. Think of these as creative combinations, no formal recipe required. 

Post-Thanksgiving breakfast dishes are just as crave-worthy as the dinner that inspired them. Many of the combinations I’m sharing have become part of our Thanksgiving tradition. The options are endless.

  • Poached Eggs over Apple Dressing: Place ¼ cup warmed Aunt Marion’s Apple Dressing in a bowl and top with two poached eggs and fresh chives. The well-seasoned bread cubes will soak up the delicious egg yolks, and the chestnuts add a pop of Autumnal flavor.
  • Cranberry-yogurt Parfait: Pull a few plump cranberries out of your leftover cranberry orange sauce, and set aside. Then, using an immersion blender, smooth out the remaining sauce. With plain yogurt, assemble the parfait: Layer the bottom of a glass with ¼ cup of yogurt, add a generous layer of cranberry orange sauce, and repeat, top with a tablespoon of yogurt, a couple of plump cranberries and orange zest or fresh rosemary. My husband enjoys his favorite granola on the bottom of his parfait, you can also top the parfait with leftover nuts.
  • Thanksgiving Smoothie: In a blender, combine 1 cup fresh-pressed apple cider, 1-1/2 cups cranberry orange sauce, 2 frozen bananas, 1 cup yogurt, a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. Blend until combined. Makes two large servings.
  • Turkey Frittata: Heat leftover roasted vegetables in a skillet, stir in leftover potatoes and turkey. Pour in an egg mixture of your choice, cook and top with fresh herbs.
  • Apple Butter: Make apple butter for your favorite breakfast breads by beating together sweet butter and a little homemade applesauce.

For post-Thanksgiving dinners, there is nothing better than reimagined hors d’oeuvres followed by a warm Potato Leek Soup or a big green salad.

  • Crostini Appetizer: This crostini appetizer is an easy- to-make nibble that looks beautiful, and celebratory. Toast baguette slices under the broiler until crisp, and top with Brie or goat cheese, caramelized onion and cranberry orange sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. 
  • Sweet Potato Open-Face Sandwiches: Slice left over sweet potato lengthwise into ¼-inch slices. Brush the slices with olive oil, and warm them on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and build with a variety of toppings: add cheese and cranberry orange sauce, guacamole and microgreens, chopped roasted brussels sprouts, or turkey and gravy.  The options are limitless.
  • Mashed Potato Bites: Warm leftover mashed potatoes with your favorite cheese and pipe over crackers, top with sauce or gravy of your choice and freshly chopped herbs. The perfect complement to a super soup. 
  • Sweet Potato–Kale Frittata: Sautée leftover sweet potatoes and Kale in a skillet, stir in onion, garlic, and goat cheese. Pour in an egg mixture of your choice, cook and top with fresh herbs. Serve warm. 
  • Crispy Potato Cakes: Heat oil in a skillet, add 1 ½ cups chopped onion and a tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper. When the onion is soft add 3 cups of left-over mashed potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl with 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Using a 1/3 cup measure, form potato mixture into 12 cakes. Gently press panko on both sides of each cake. Cook cakes in a skillet of hot oil. Cook in batches, turning once, until golden brown and heated through, about 8 minutes. Serve over greens, alongside turkey slices or top with any leftover sauce or gravy. 

Blueberry Chia Pudding

Posted on by Admin General

Chia seeds are nutritionally dense and will thicken any liquid you add them to, yielding a tapioca-like texture with a mildly sweet flavor. 

This recipe is intended for breakfast, but if you add cubed, baked apples and a cinnamon stick, it can be an elegant vegan dessert for the holidays. For a post-Thanksgiving breakfast, replace blueberry jam with  cranberry orange sauce, and top with a few plump cranberries—it is a family favorite that also works as a lovely vegan dessert for the holidays.

You can use either black or white chia seeds, or a mix. The pudding will continue to thicken as it sits, and you can easily thin it out to taste with a little more water or coconut water before serving.

Yield: Serves 4

Blackberry Jam

Posted on by Admin General

Summer is winding down too quickly, as it always does, and I find myself trying to hold on to every last bit of what remains. The Hamptons is a place, a space, and an echo all at once. It’s peaceful, medicinal, and sometimes wild and chaotic like the sea that draws us to these hamlets.  

Sweet, buttery corn and luscious fruits evoke smiles and thoughts of beach parties and backyard gatherings. These are flavors I want to hold on to for a little while longer.  

Blackberries grow wild on my property and there’s nothing more delicious than a sun-ripened berry right off the bush. I harvest as much as I can, eating them out of hand, presenting them warm and freshly picked on the breakfast table. Here, I share my recipe for blackberry jam, a simple way to hold on to the flavors and feelings of summer.   

Yield: Makes 1 ½ Cups 

Melon Gazpacho

Posted on by Admin General

In Spain, gazpacho is served icy cold, in frosted glasses or chilled tumblers. The perfect soup when it is too hot to eat, and your body is craving something nourishing, cold, and salty. Typically, an emulsion of red tomatoes, pale green cucumbers, and golden olive oil, it is an easy preparation that comes together quickly in a blender. Oftentimes, this refreshing soup is topped with bits of stale bread. Variations can include onion, bell peppers, garlic, vinegar, and smoked sweet paprika (in the Northern regions), and toppings may contain almonds, grapes or chopped vegetables. 

In Palm Beach and the Hamptons, I have encountered several creative variations on the theme, some of which may make an Andalusian cringe. Having grown up in New York, I always appreciate a dish that melds cultural tastes—concepts from one region combined with the flavors of another, using the fresh ingredients grown locally—like the Green Gazpacho soup featured in Hamptons Entertaining. 

The gifted, Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, Sarah Patricola, created this easy-to-make Melon Gazpacho for me and my family. We tasted it for the first time during our winter holiday in Hawaii, on a particularly hot evening, and we welcomed the refreshing, flavorful soup with requests for second helpings—a sure sign of a winning recipe. 

Yield: Serves 8-10

Kimchi Dressing

Posted on by Admin General

Kimchi, a traditional side dish in Korean cuisine, is a combination of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish, made with a widely varying selection of seasonings and a variety of spices. I first tasted kimchi when my brother’s then-girlfriend would come to our home for dinner. She would always bring a big jar of her mother’s homemade, super spicy, kimchi. With its perfectly subtle crunch, umami, sour, and piquant flavors, I fell in love with this dish immediately. 

Back then, very few non-Koreans were enjoying kimchi and it was difficult to find. Now, most Americans are aware of its potential health benefits.  According to Harvard, “Probiotic foods contain live helpful bacteria…” and kimchi is high on the list of those thought to support a healthy microbiome, which plays a key role in immune function. It is no wonder kimchi has been enjoying a renaissance during these pandemic times.

It was the team at foodtrainers that encouraged me to reintroduce kimchi to my diet, and I have been adding it on as a side dish, layering pieces in my salmon bowl, or simply enjoying it as an afternoon snack. 

Recently, chef Sarah Patricolo, created this delicious dressing as a way of getting even more kimchi into my diet. Easy to make, this dressing adds an incredible burst of flavor to any salad, and pairs especially well with Castelvetrano olives. Our favorite brand is Mother in Law’s Kimchi, a crowd-pleaser, available in original and vegan versions. 

Yield: Makes ¾ Cup 

Shiso Mojito

Posted on by Admin General

Also known as Japanese mint or perilla, shiso is a bright maple-leaf-shaped herb often served with sashimi or sliced into ribbons and added to rice. It has a memorable, captivating flavor. A member of the mint family, this tasty leaf can impart flavors of basil, cinnamon, and anise.  

This summer I decided to grow shiso in my garden—it is Fall and the plants are still happy and bountiful. I have been adding shiso leaves to salads and summer rolls, using them for garnish, and making teas.   

While visiting Japan, I enjoyed shiso tea for the first time—leaves added to hot water, made like a mint tea, and believed to contain antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory and allergy-fighting properties. It is thought to help strengthen the immune system and improve the health of your skin. I love the flavor of shiso and found it fascinating to learn that shiso oil is an herb-based alternative to fish oil, as it can provide omega-3 fatty acids.

One of my favorite discoveries this summer was the Shiso Mojito—just swap mint for shiso and rum for vodka, add the flavor of yuzu and you have a fabulous, exotic summer cocktail! Shiso can pair with a wide range of spirits and be used to either flavor the drink or simply add a bright and refreshing aroma when used as a garnish.

If you’re planning a dinner with any variety of Japanese dishes, this is a great welcome drink to serve your guests. For cocktail hour, I love the wonderful burst of flavor this drink adds when paired with pickled plums and wasabi peas. Here in the Hamptons, I found everything I needed for a Japanese inspired cocktail hour at Hen of the Woods.

Yield: Makes 1 Cocktail

An Interview with Christine and Paula, the collaborative team behind Maui Luxe Picnics

Posted on by Admin General

Christine and Paula are the dynamic duo behind Maui Luxe Picnics. Inspired by their love of food, nature, and gatherings, together they create unique and intimate experiences on the beautiful island of Maui. These amazing ladies designed a magical and memorable atmosphere for my husband and I to toast our wedding anniversary. The backdrop—the sun setting just in front of us on the horizon of Mōkapu Beach.

They found a talented photographer to capture the memories, and a ukulele player to set the mood. Their resources are endless, and you can add-on videography, drone footage, hula dancers, fire fighters, and more. 

The best part was that after a few friendly conversations with Christine, she understood exactly what I was looking for, and we simply showed up to enjoy the evening! It was one of the most seamless and effortless events I have ever planned, which made me a bit nervous, but it was truly perfection! When our magical evening ended, Christine and Paula arrived to congratulate us, and to take care of all the packing and cleaning. It was such a delightful, carefree evening—as all special occasions should be.

I am absolutely thrilled to share our conversation about intimate gatherings, being surrounded by beauty, and sourcing both healthful and delicious celebratory foods. 

If you are planning a celebration but cannot get to Maui, you will find useful tips for planning your own intimate celebration. 

Q&A

AF: Your mindfully curated grazing board for our picnic was both beautifully placed and delicious. When putting together your platters where do you start? What is the process, your recipe for success?

MLP: We usually work on our grazing boards as a team. One prepares the foods by cutting and handing them over to the other one who arranges everything on the board. By doing so, we try to pair items that complement each other like cheeses with meats, and veggies with dips and crackers. We choose fruits that add color pops to the board and fill little gaps with nuts and dried fruits. The last item to be added is normally the chocolate. 

AF: Please share with us your favorite picnic locations on Maui.

MLP: We prefer the Wailea area for its beaches. They are the easiest accessible and offer the best sunsets. As a contrast to that, Polipoli is the place both of us would choose for a personal favorite picnic spot. Unfortunately, we can’t offer this location for clients as we are not able to obtain permits but it’s ideal if you want to set up your own. 

AF: What is your go-to healthful indulgence to bring to a picnic?

MLP: If it’s available at the upcountry farmers market, we love to include moringa pesto by Niu Life Kitchen.

AF: Where do you source your decorative items? From the vintage beach umbrellas to the romantic rugs, blankets, and pillows—all curated for maximum impact, with a magical mix of color and texture—simply gorgeous! 

MLP: Thank you, Annie. We have collected all our items from different vendors and platforms like Etsy, Amazon, Pier1 and small sellers on Instagram. For example, we have blankets from Sardinia, Turkey, and Australia. Some items were gifted to us and others – like our umbrellas – are not being sold at this time.

AF: Do either of you have a background in interior design? We were surrounded by beauty, both natural and created which adds so much to any gathering. It helps create more mindful moments. What inspired the offering of such a curated space? 

MLP: No, neither of us have a background in design but we both have an eye for detail and aesthetic. At the beginning, we were motivated by picnic companies in Australia, and we now continue to be inspired by the diverse and incomparable landscapes of Maui. 

AF: What is the most important thing to keep in mind when shopping for picnic items?

MLP: We try to keep our style as we shop for setup items but still want to be able to create different schemes. We are constantly trying to improve and add to the diversity.

AF: It seems more and more people are celebrating life’s milestones with intimate gatherings rather than big, blow out events.  Perhaps encouraged by the pandemic, but do you feel these more personal fetes are here to stay?

MLP: Yes, this is exactly what we are witnessing right now, and we are expecting it to stay like this for a while. It feels like people are exploring new ways of celebrating different occasions and personalized picnics are the perfect way to do so. We are happy about it and don’t think it will get old any time soon.

AF: Our picnic foods were sourced the same morning at a local farmer’s market. Please share with us your favorite Maui markets, and your go-to vendors. 

MLP: We try to get most of our veggies, fruits, and flowers from the Upcountry Farmers Market at Kula Malu. The following are a selection of vendors we use frequently:

Niu Life Kitchen for their moringa pesto

Devine Dahlias for her flowers

Maui Raw for the nut-based dips

AF: Do you have a favorite recipe you could share, ether one of yours or something a chef or caterer created for a party you created? 

Chef Nicot’s Saffron Risotto with Scamp, and his Avocado Shrimp Ceviche.