Chilled Beet Soup with Horseradish Yogurt

This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking. I've added a cucumber to give it a fresh taste.
It can also be made with golden beets.

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 lb (3 medium sized beets), roasted and peeled and chopped
    (see roasted beet recipe on the blog)
Strained juices from the roasted beets
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 clove of fresh garlic, peeled and minced
grated orange rind from one orange
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups of low salt chicken broth, or water for Vegan soup
1 tsp honey, or maple syrup for Vegan
1 - 2 TBS red wine vinegar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
4 tsp 10% cream or almond milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Topping:

1/2 cup yogurt, sour cream or almond milk yogurt
1/2 - to 1 tsp horseradish
Fresh dill sprigs, or chopped chives to garnish

Directions:

Roast the beets as shown on the blog - reserving and adding any pan juices.
If you buy roasted beets, add 1/2 more broth or water to get the desired thickness.
Add the ingredients to a vitamix or blender.
A good tip is to vent the lid by removing the pop up center and draping a t-towel over the top while processing. Process on medium for about 1 - 2 minutes till pureed and smooth.
Refrigerate till cold.

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt/sour cream or almond milk yogurt with 1/2 to 1 tsp of horseradish.
To serve, top the soup with a dollop of the topping and sprinkle with chopped chives or dill.

Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho

This recipe is from my friend Lyn in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We had it for lunch at her golf club and it was so refreshing and light.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 seedless cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
1 avocado, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup honeydew melon
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1/4 cup mint
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup parsley
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 TBS white or golden balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender or in a bowl using a stick blender, and puree.
Season with salt and pepper.
Consistency and acidity may be adjusted with more vinegar or buttermilk to taste.

Neiman Marcus Famous Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Half recipe makes about 30 cookies. 

Makes 4 - 5 dozen
Recipe can be halved

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups oatmeal, processed in a blender or food processor
  to a fine powder
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups (about 12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans, chopped
4 oz Hershey's chocolate, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.  Add the oatmeal, flour, baking power, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, nuts and grated chocolate.

With a small ice-cream scooper, or a tablespoon,  drop a balls of dough onto a large, ungreased baking sheet.  Then roll the dough into 1 1/2" balls to make them smooth, and press down slightly on each one with your fingers. Bake until golden but still soft in the middle - about 9-11 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a rack and let cool.

Note: There is story behind this recipe if you haven't heard it.  A woman was charged $250 for the recipe from Neiman Marcus and thought it was only $2.50 so emailed it to everyone she could - so many years ago. Apparently this story is not necessarily true - but luckily this recipe is out there now and has become an urban legend...

Red Snapper en Papillote

Red Snapper from Chef Tim Recher at Bay Colony Golf Club

Serves 4

This is a recipe from a cooking class at Bay Colony Golf Club in Naples Florida.
You can also use grouper or salmon and vary the seasonings. For example, with salmon, you could use ginger, green onion, garlic and soy sauce. Just follow the same instructions. See notes below.

Ingredients:

4 red snapper filets, approximately 5-6 oz each
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp lemon zest, plus juice of one lemon
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
16 pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
1 TBS capers
4 TBS white wine
salt & pepper
4 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
2 TBS chopped Italian parsley
4 sheets of parchment paper
4 TBS micro greens, or parsley to garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

1. Fold one sheet of parchment paper and using a pen, trace 1/2 heart.  Then cut it into a heart shape and open. So you have a heart shape.  Brush the paper with the olive oil .

2. Layer the zucchini slices, tomato, fish, olives, capers, dill, parsley, lemon juice & zest.
3. Season with salt & pepper.
4. Fold & crimp the edges of the parchment paper, leaving a small opening at one end.
5. Pour a tablespoon of wine in each packet, and then seal.
6. Put the packets on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 8-10 minutes.

Place the packets on the plate, and cut the parchment paper open. Garnish with fresh micro greens or parsley sprigs.
Serve with a tossed side salad, quinoa or rice.

Variations:

Chinese Style:  Follow directions, and use sliced ginger root, green onion, fresh garlic slices and drizzle with soy sauce.

Mexican: use black beans, salsa, fresh corn, cilantro, cumin, green onion and chili powder.

Spanish: use roasted red peppers, smoked red paprika, olives, shallots, saffron.

Link to explain 'en papillote":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_papillote