No Bad Foods, LLC, Corolla, NC (2025)

07/04/2025

Thought I'd make some scones for breakfast today. Traditionally, most scones can be a bit dry but this recipe produced scones that are moist and didn't require additional butter or jam spread on them. While this recipe would not fall into the low fat/low calorie categories, they were a treat and I refuse to feel any guilt!

DRIED FRUIT SCONES
The nice thing about this breakfast or brunch delight is that you can put whatever combination of dried fruit into the scones that you have on hand. There are no hard fast rules. This is NOT difficult to put together and because it makes two rounds of scones, you can freeze some for another time!
Serves 6 per round, 12 total
2 cups plus 1 TBSP all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
8 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 ½ cup dried fruit such as raisins, dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried apricots or a mix of any and all, tossed with 1 TBSP flour in a medium bowl (see picture below)
1 egg, yolk and whites separated
3 TBSP granulated sugar separated
¾ cup of full fat buttermilk or plain full fat yogurt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper
Stir the egg white in small bowl
Add the egg yolk to the buttermilk, stirring until thoroughly combined
Whisk together the remaining 2 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Using a pastry cutter, 2 knives or your fingers, add the butter, cutting it in until the mixture looks like small peas. (See picture below)
Add the dried fruit and 2 TBSP sugar to the flour mix, combining well.
Add the buttermilk/yolk combo to the flour/fruit mix. Using a rubber spatula, blend all together until a soft dough forms.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it lightly, 8-10 times. (See picture below)
Cut the dough in half, forming 2 rounds of dough each 6 inches wide. (See picture below)
Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Using a sharp knife, cut each round into 6 pieces as you would a pie but don’t separate the pieces. (See picture below)
Brush each round with egg white and then sprinkle with sugar. *See note*
Bake for 21 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
* Note: if you want to freeze one of the rounds for another time, follow all steps except baking. Place uncovered round on a plate or a tin, freeze until solid. Once frozen, wrap tightly in plastic. Will last 3 months in the freezer. Bake frozen round 23-24 minutes until golden brown.

06/20/2025

You know when you want pasta but not the calories? I put this together last evening for dinner and by cutting back on the pasta, upping the veggies and adding the shrimp, this was pretty darn good. Testimonial - my husband went back for seconds. The secret is roasting the veggies to give it a rich flavor and creating a very light olive oil, butter, garlic and wine sauce that coats the whole thing. This recipe will serve 4 generous portions and you can add more veggies to the pasta as you like. Lots of possibilities here and a nice bowlful is approximately 500 calories depending on the veggies you use. Here you go:

Roasted Veggies with Shrimp and Bowtie Pasta
Serves 4

3 cups broccoli, florets only
3 cups zucchini or yellow squash, sliced 1/2 inch thick
5 TBSP olive oil, divided
3 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Juice and zest of one large lemon
3/4 cup dry vermouth
8 oz bowtie pasta
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 chopped basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line a baking sheet with foil (easy clean up)
Place the broccoli and zucchini on the baking sheet, toss with 2 TBSP olive oil and the salt and pepper
Roast for 20 minutes then flip the veggies over, roast for another 20 minutes then remove from the oven
Cook the pasta to package directions, drain and return to the pot
Toss the pasta with the roasted veggies
Melt the butter in the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper, cook for 1 minute.
Add the lemon juice, zest and vermouth. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes.
Place the shrimp in the liquid, making sure there is room between each one. Cook until the shrimp is pink and in a "C" shape, tossing as needed
Combine the shrimp and liquid with the pasta/veggie mix, add the cherry tomatoes, spoon into pasta dishes, sprinkle with the basil and serve immediately.

06/10/2025

Attended a wonderful conference last week in New Orleans. The Culinary Medicine Conference which is part of the American College of Culinary Medicine. Learned lots! How to make some interesting pasta by hand and participated in team cooking while wearing really unattractive hair nets, lol. But, we created a wonderfully healthy dinner in a very crowded, somewhat chaotic kitchen. Additional classes on braising, poaching and all sorts of other kitchen/cooking skills were on the agenda plus updates on food borne pathogens, food safety, women's health and nutrition, metabolic syndrome, pregnancy and nutrition, polycystic o***y syndrome, weight loss and more!! 3 VERY full days! Made some new friends, too! Can't wait until next year!

06/02/2025

I know you have all been waiting for this....today is National Rotisserie Chicken Day! If you Google this, you will see that it's true and is celebrated every June 2nd. A rotisserie chicken has to be one of the best helps for a busy person who wants to keep it healthy as possible but cooking a chicken during the workweek is probably not going to happen. So, these little birds are incredibly economical and versatile - I've used them for pot pies, quick chicken soup, tacos filled with shredded chicken, broccoli slaw and chopped tomatoes, chicken salad and on and on. It's estimated that Costco alone cooks and sells over 150,000 rotisserie chickens PER DAY! In 2023, they sold over 137 million of them! They are usually about 3-4 pounds and feed 3-4 people depending on how it's used. My only recommendation is to eliminate the skin to keep the fat calories down but 3-ounce serving of cooked, boneless, skinless white meat chicken, like breast, provides approximately 128 calories, 26 grams of protein, and 2.7 grams of fat.
Here's a recipe that is perfect for those hot summer days and this involves NO COOKING over a grill or hot stove. Take a look:

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN TROPICAL ISLAND SALAD
A delicious blend of bright greens, fresh tropical fruits, coconut and avocado lightly tossed with a lime and pineapple vinaigrette and then topped with slices of rotisserie chicken. Couldn’t be easier for a luncheon or a light dinner on those hot summer days!
Serves 6
6 cups of mixed salad greens
1 cup of fresh pineapple, diced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup of fresh mango, diced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup of ripe avocado, diced into 1-inch pieces
½ cup of red onion, minced
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
¼ cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts
2 cups sliced white meat from a rotisserie chicken
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 TBSP pineapple juice
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP honey
¼ tsp each of salt and black pepper
2 TBSP chopped cilantro
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the first eight ingredients together, tossing gently to blend well. At this point, I like to spoon the salad onto a large platter for serving ease.
Whisk together the juices, olive oil and the honey. Add the salt and pepper and mix well. Pour half of the dressing onto to the salad, toss to thoroughly coat. Fan the chicken pieces on top of the salad greens and drizzle the rest of the vinaigrette over the chicken. Sprinkle the 2 TBSP of cilantro on top of the chicken and serve immediately.

05/23/2025

Peaches from some local farmers are starting to show up in our grocery stores here in North Carolina and they are delicious! I've got 2 recipes today that I came up with but wanted to share a couple things about this fuzzy stone fruit first....
Peaches originated from China and have been historically cultivated since the 10th century BC! They were brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers centuries ago. About 300 varieties are grown in the United States but over 2000 varieties are grown worldwide. That's a LOT of peaches. Last but not least, these pretty things are loaded with nutrition but not calories. While aiding in eye, heart and skin health to name a few benefits as per WebMD, a medium peach is about 50 calories! So, if you get tired of an apple a day, grab a peach!
We grilled boneless pork chops the other day and popped the taste with my Peach and Pineapple Salsa....easy as can be and really made a difference....recipe and picture below.
Then I made a Peach and Blackberry Upside Down Cake for dessert. No, it's not hard so don't be afraid to bake this....recipe and picture below. Let me know what you think!

Peach and Blackberry Upside Down Cake
This buttery cake looks difficult but it’s not – just don’t tell your guests that!
Peaches and blackberries meld together with a dusting of brown sugar and cinnamon that provides an elegant end to a meal! Hint – tastes even better with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Serves 8
4 cups peeled peaches, sliced ¼ inch thick (easy peeled peaches tip – see note below)
1 ½ cups fresh blackberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1 packed TBSP light or dark brown sugar
12 TBSP unsalted butter, melted then cooled to room temperature
1 TBSP unsalted butter for coating cake pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven
Thoroughly coat a 9-inch cake pan with the 1 TBSP unsalted butter
Combine the fruit, cinnamon and brown sugar in a medium bowl and spoon evenly onto the bottom of the buttered cake pan
Stir together the flour and sugar then add the melted butter, egg and vanilla. Mix thoroughly (batter will be stiff) then add the nuts, incorporating them equally into the mixture.
Spoon batter carefully over fruit, smoothing it evenly overall.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick or sharp knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake
Let rest for 15 minutes on a wire rack then run a knife around the edges of the cake pan.
Place a large plate over the top of the pan and flip over. The cake should come out cleanly. If some fruit sticks to the bottom of the pan, don’t panic - just pat it back in place. It will still look beautiful and no one will know!
Serve warm or at room temperature. Store remainder in the refrigerator.
Easy peeled peaches: bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. With a sharp knife, make an X on the bottom of the peaches, cutting into the flesh no more than ¼ inch deep. Carefully place the peaches in the boiling water and leave for 2 minutes. Remove from water and when cool enough to handle, use the knife to carefully peel the skin off the fruit, beginning at the bottom of the fruit.

Peach and Pineapple Salsa
This salsa comes together quickly, is flavorful and can be used on chicken, pork or baked fish. Brings a simple meal to a higher level!

Serves 2, can be easily doubled
1 cup peaches, peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces (for easy peeling, see note below)
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced into ¼ inch pieces
Juice of 1 lime
2 TBSP diced red onion
2 TBSP finely chopped fresh cilantro
Optional: 1 tsp finely diced jalapeno pepper
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl an hour before using. Cover and leave at room temperature.
Spread on top of cooked meat of your choice
Easy peeled peaches: bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. With a sharp knife, make an X on the bottom of the peach, cutting into the flesh no more than ¼ inch deep. Carefully place the peach in the boiling water and leave for 2 minutes. Remove from water and when cool enough to handle, use the knife to carefully peel the skin off the fruit, beginning at the bottom of the peach.

05/05/2025

I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate more beans into our meals and go a little lighter on the meat. This side dish (or a light main dish) is a great blend of cultures – Latin American, Caribbean and Southern – and checks a lot of boxes: meatless, vegetarian, no cooking and packed with nutrition! The cool crunch of the radishes and scallions mixed with the smooth tasting beans tossed with a spicy dressing gives this dish a truly unique taste! You can turn up the heat by using a spicier pepper sauce! If you can find different colored radishes, it adds some interesting appeal.

SPICY BEAN AND RADISH SALAD
Serves 6
Salad:
1 15 oz can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed in cold water
1 15 oz can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed in cold water
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed in cold water
6 scallions, sliced thin, white and green parts
10 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
¼ cup snipped chives
Dressing:
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1 TBSP tomato ketchup
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed into pulp
½ tsp Tabasco, regular flavor
Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl, stir well, set aside.
Place beans, scallions, radishes and peppers in a large bowl. Add dressing, stir to coat thoroughly. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
To serve, spoon salad into a shallow bowl, sprinkle with the chives and enjoy!

05/05/2025

So proud to support and be a part of this amazing clinic!

03/25/2025

When my son and 5 of his friends, all chefs, came to visit last month to go tuna fishing, they treated us to some great food. One of the chefs, Jamil, came up with a unique recipe for carrots. (I'm a big fan of carrots, lol) Between the colors of the organic carrots, the smokiness of the bacon fat, the pop of orange juice and hot honey, this dish took the usual to the unusual. He graciously shared his recipe with me and now I'll share it with you. Here you go -

Jamil's Carrots

Serves 6

2 pounds multi colored carrots, organic or non-organic, peeled and sliced on an angle (see picture below)
2 TBSP bacon fat
2 TBSP orange juice
1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
2 TBSP Hot Honey Sauce
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves, minced

Blanche the carrots in boiling water for 6 minutes, drain
Melt bacon fat in a sauté pan over medium high heat
Add carrots with the salt and pepper and sauté for 4 minutes
Deglaze the pan with the orange juice until most of the liquid is evaporated and the carrots have a coating on them
Add the Hot Honey Sauce and minced thyme, toss to thoroughly incorporate everything
Serve hot and enjoy!

03/12/2025

It’s almost Spring and I am looking forward to putting together some recipes that have more of a lighter and refreshing flavor. (Not that there’s anything wrong with great comfort food, lol) Here’s an appetizer that I concocted this week which is VERY easy to put together, makes a nice presentation and is fun for company. Since youngsters might be in your audience for this, I used orange juice in the recipe but if you are serving just to adults, you might want to try substituting the OJ with Grand Marnier. You won’t be disappointed! Here goes:
Orange and Nut Cheese Roll
Serves 6
1 8oz package of whole milk cream cheese, softened but cool
1 4 oz package of plain goat cheese, softened but cool
2 TBSP orange juice or Grand Marnier
½ cup finely chopped dried apricots
½ cup finely chopped dried dates, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes then drained
2 TBSP finely grated orange zest
1 cup finely chopped walnuts, spread out on a sheet of waxed paper
Thoroughly combine all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl except the walnuts and form into a log 3 x8 inches.
Roll the log in the chopped walnuts, coating the cheese log completely. Wrap in the waxed paper then plastic wrap to seal completely. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Serve with an assortment of crackers
Note: I’ve made this a few times this week to test it out and when I used blood oranges for the juice, the log turned a pale orange color – almost like a Creamsicle! This can be made 2 days ahead of serving.

03/02/2025

How about a little hand-held appetizer that brings the scents and tastes of summer to you on a cold winter day? These little puff pastry tarts have the great flavors of prosciutto, salami, garlic, tomatoes and basil in one spot! The puff pastry is store bought which makes this a snap to make and the Roma tomatoes are always available. Here you go…..

Tomato Puff Tarts
Serves 6 but can easily be doubled
½ package of puff pastry (one sheet), thawed but still cool
4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
3 oz of prosciutto (about 7 thin slices), chopped
3 thin slices of salami, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
½ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper
In a small food processor, add the meats, garlic and 2 TBSP of olive. Pulse until a rough puree is formed (see picture)
Roll out the puff pastry on an unfloured surface, expanding it just a little
Using a custard dish (3 ½ to 4 inches in diameter), create 6 rounds (see picture)
Place on baking sheet and evenly distribute the meat mixture to all rounds (see picture)
Arrange the tomato slices on each round, slightly overlapping (see picture)
Drizzle the rounds with 1 TBSP olive oil and sprinkle the thyme over each
Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven, top with the fresh basil and the remaining olive oil. Serve warm and enjoy!

02/15/2025

It's cold again in North Carolina and I wanted hot soup. Had a bunch of good looking carrots (not baby carrots), some bacon and a few other things in the pantry. So, after hemming and hawing, I came up with Roasted Carrot Soup. Roasting the carrots before starting the soup made a huge difference in taste and it only added a little time to the process. The natural sweetness of the simply roasted carrots was balanced by the smokiness of the bacon and tartness of a Granny Smith apple. Many of the vegetable soup recipes around call for a significant amount of cream to thicken the soup but my recipe does not - I put in one russet potato to thicken it up and used about 1/4 cup half and half at the end. Much easier on the cholesterol! I've added a picture showing how the carrots were sliced (1/2 inch thick on an angle) and spacing. The trick to roasting is to give the veggies space; if you heap them together, they will steam, not roast. Enjoy with some warm crusty bread! Here you go:

Roasted Carrot Soup
Serves 6

Roasted Carrots
4 lbs. of carrots, scrubbed or peeled, sliced 1/2 thick on an angle Note: baby carrots will not work as well so use the big ones
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the carrots on the sheet pan and drizzle the olive oil over them. Using your hands, make sure they are entirely coated with the oil, repositioning the veggies to give them space between each one. (See picture)

Roast for 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool until you can handle them

Soup

4 lbs. roasted carrots
6 slices of thick bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 cups chopped sweet onions
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 Granny Smith apples - 1 peeled and chopped - set aside the 2nd one for now
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup half and half

In a heavy stock pot, brown the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Let the bacon drain on paper towels and set aside.

Over medium heat again, add the onion and celery to the bacon drippings, sautéing until translucent. Add the cinnamon and stir well for one minute.

Add the carrots, potato, apple, broth, water, salt and pepper to the pot and combine until well mixed. Bring to a low simmer, cover slightly and cook until the vegetables are tender, usually about 30 to 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool for an hour.

Using either an immersion blender, food processor or whisk, puree the soup completely until there are no obvious veggie lumps. If using a food processor, puree the soup in several batches and return to the same pot.

Add the half and half, stir until very well combined and re-heat to a simmer.

While the soup is re-heating, peel and slice the 2nd apple into slivers.

To serve, ladle into bowls, topping each bowl with some crisp bacon bits and apple slivers. Warm bread on the side is a great addition.

02/11/2025

Thought I would save a little time today and use one of those (cheap) boxed cornbread mixes.....all I can say is that I'm glad I didn't plan on bringing them anywhere or serving them to company!!! You get what you pay for, that's for sure!

No Bad Foods, LLC

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