The day before the hurricane dumped loads of water on us, my good friend Lynnie started protecting her garden like a lion watches over her cubs.  She hesitantly picked a bunch of tomatoes out of her garden—even though they were green—so they wouldn’t get ruined by the storm.  Lynnie called me up to see what I’d do with them and the only thing I could think of was to fry them.  But how many fried green tomatoes can you possibly eat?

So I did a little research and found this amazing recipe in the September (2011) issue of Bon Appétit Magazine.  Chef Andrew Little (of Sheppard Mansion in Hanover, PA) says he simply lets a blender do all the work!

Green Tomato Gazpacho

2 ¼ lb. green (unripe red) tomatoes

1 English hothouse cucumber, trimmed & coarsely chopped

1 shallot, chopped

½ jalapeno, seeded & chopped

1 tsp. fresh cilantro, minced

½ garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp. honey

1 ½ inch thick slice white country bread, cut into pieces  

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup fresh lime juice

1 ½ Tbsp. finely grated lime zest

1 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced

Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

½ cup ¼ inch cubes peeled, seeded watermelon or cantaloupe

1 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

Place first 6 ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.  With machine running, gradually add honey, then bread, then oil.  Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in juice, lime zest and basil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill until cold.  Before serving, garnish soup with the melon and mint.

So whip some up and enjoy!  Don’t ever waste a tomato—even if it’s green!

Stay Healthy & Smile,

Molly

One of the easiest ways to lose and/or maintain your ideal body weight is to eat a variety of healthy foods.  When eating the foods you love, it never feels like you’re depriving yourself while keeping your waistline in check.

Choosing a healthy lunch can sometimes be difficult.  If you’re picking up a sandwich from a local deli, they’re usually stacked high with three times the amount of meat and cheese that you need.  And, they’re expensive.  It’s just hard to find healthy lunches with “good for your body” portion sizes.

So why not make a big pot of soup that will last you the entire week?  Just because it’s almost summer doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy hot soup.  In fact, eating this soup for lunch everyday will help you get ready for the skimpier clothes that hot summer days bring. I love this soup all year long because it’s not only delicious; it keeps me satisfied for hours.  My friend Randy Stephen gave me this recipe and I’ve had a lot of fun substituting various types of veggies, beans and hot sauces to mix it up.

The Daily Soup

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1-23 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1-15 oz can of kidney beans
• 48 oz chicken stock
• Water as needed (about 2-4 cups)
• Juice and zest of 2 limes
• 1 cup wild or brown rice
• 1 package frozen corn
• 1 head of kale, chopped

Sauté onions, carrots, celery, pepper and garlic until soft.  Add tomatoes, beans, stock, water, hot sauce, lime zest, lime juice, rice corn and kale.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until the rice and kale are cooked through.

Please let us know what modifications you make to this hearty, perfect-for-lunch soup.  We’d love to hear your ideas!

Soup is Good Food,

Molly

Chef Brian Duffy is amazing.  Not only is he a great chef, he has this incredible energy that’s contagious.  You can’t be around him, or even talk to him on the phone, without feeling his happiness, joy and pure love of life.

Brian is a whirling dervish.  Besides his day job as Corporate Executive for Seafood America, Brian is a natural for television.  When the camera is rolling, even more of his effusive energy spills out.  He just LOVES teaching and entertaining.   He’s been a favorite on The Today Show, and has shared his tips for making great food on The Food Network, DIY Network, HGTV and Fine Living Network.  He’s a weekly regular on NBC’s 10 Show and he’s the culinary spokesperson for the GE Profile Series and The Residence Inn by Marriot.  How does he do it all?

Brian laughs and admits he has waaaaaaaayyyy too many irons in the fire but he loves every minute of it.  As his friend, I simply can’t imagine him being any other way.

While presenting at our Just You, Only Better Workshop for Women in February, Brian gave us his secret recipe for the PERFECT chicken breast.  You’ll never cook a chicken breast any other way after you’ve made this recipe:

Perfect Chicken Breasts

2 (6 ounce) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts  

1 T Olive Oil

Pinch Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.       Preheat Pan to medium high heat

3.       Season both sides of chicken breast

4.       Add oil to pan & spread evenly throughout the pan

5.       Add chicken breast into pan & DO NOT MOVE it for 1.5 – 2 minutes

6.       Flip over & let sit for one minute

7.       Transfer to preheated oven for 4 – 6 minutes

8.       Remove & let sit for 2 minutes

9.       Slice & enjoy!!!

With his new gig at Seafood America, you’ll soon be able to bring some of Brian’s delicious food home with you!  He’s been doing the Research & Development for some new products which are supposed to be both nutritious and delicious!  Look for “Dockside Classics” and Brian’s new line of “Tapas Tonight” to arrive in your store in the next 6-8 weeks.

Let us know how your chicken turns out.  Enjoy!

Thanks Brian,

Molly