Author Archives: Cherylanne Skolnicki

Sweet And Salty Citrus Rice Salad

I’ll bet my bottom dollar you’ll be invited to party this spring or summer and asked to bring a dish to share. It’s a rite of passage into outdoor entertaining season (and one I welcome, by the way!). When you’re stumped, bring this! You’ll be the belle of the ball.

No social occasions on your calendar? Then make it ahead to pull out on a jam-packed weeknight or to take instead of the usual “turkey on wheat” for lunch. This salad keeps beautifully and you can top it off with a little grilled chicken or sliced flank steak if you’d like. Yum.

Sweet and Salty Citrus Rice Salad

adapted from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe

serves 6

Ingredients

Rice Salad:

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups brown basmati rice
3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 medium orange, zested (save the fruit to juice!)
1 lemon, zested (ditto)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from fruit saved above)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from fruit saved above)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the Salad:

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat Stir in the rice. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the rice and place in a large serving bowl. Add the parsley, orange zest, half of the lemon zest, green onions, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss well.

For the Vinaigrette:

In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and almonds.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie (Dairy Free)

When it comes to desserts, my strategy is usually to keep it small and make it worth it. No cheap substitutes for the real thing will do. I’d rather have a little of something amazing than a lot of something that disappoints me. Keep that in mind when I tell you how to make this dessert!

Now, this is certainly not diet food, but it is dairy free, so if you’re trying to eliminate dairy and are missing the creaminess of chocolate pudding, this is going to amaze you. When you add the whipped “cream” made from canned coconut milk this makes my good-enough-for-card-carrying-dessert-connoisseurs list.

The secret to the dairy free pudding filling is silken tofu. Before you think I’ve lost my mind, let me tell you that I served this to an unsuspecting crowd and NO ONE could taste the tofu. I was looking for it and couldn’t taste it. That’s what happens when you add enough melted chocolate and peanut butter I guess!

I think you could chill this in little ramekins and serve as pudding if you don’t want to make it into a pie. It would also be amazing in a chocolate cookie crust…but wouldn’t anything?

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Pie (Dairy Free)

serves 12

 

Ingredients

2 c. dark chocolate chips, melted

1/4 c. pure maple syrup

1 pkg. silken tofu

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

1 can full fat coconut milk

Dairy free graham cracker crust

 

Directions

1. Chill coconut milk overnight (or place in freezer for 30 minutes). Flip can upside down and open with can opener. Pour off liquid and scoop out solidified milk.” Beat solidified milk with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Chill.

1. Pour all other ingredients into a blender one at a time and blend until creamy. Pour into a graham cracker crust.

2. Refrigerate pie until firm (2-3 hours). To serve, top with dollops of whipped coconut milk in lieu of whipped cream.

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Simple Asparagus Salad in Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

Sometimes less is more, and this is one of those times. Just a few simple, fresh, seasonal ingredients tossed together with a bit of creamy, indulgent gorgonzola for a salad that personifies spring! Don’t get fancy here – just make this the way it’s written and savor the flavors the way nature intended them.

 

Simple Asparagus Salad
adapted from Cooking Light

serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. green (and white, if you’d like) asparagus, trimmed and cut into (2-inch) pieces
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (1 oz.) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, divided
5 oz. mixed greens

Directions:

1. In a pot of boiling water, cook asparagus and 2 teaspoons salt for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Plunge cooked asparagus into a bowl of ice water till cool. Remove from ice water and pat dry.
2. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, shallots and olive oil in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.
3. Combine blanched asparagus and greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat.

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