recipes - Leslie Durso :: Leslie Durso

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Whole Wheat Peach Pancakes

By Leslie · Comments (4) · February 20th, 2012

Happy Pancake Day England! In honor, I’m reposting my whole wheat peach pancakes recipes! These are fabulous with peaches, but equally as fabulous with your favorite fruit. Enjoy and Happy Pancake Day! To learn more about Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday, <- click the link!

I feel like the best way to recover from a holiday weekend is to indulge in a fabulous breakfast! I’ve got this basket of peaches that I picked up this weekend just staring at me… I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach when I bought them at the farmers market. They are so delicious, so the pressure is on to make incredible things with them. When my husband asked if we could have pancakes this morning, I said, “ok, as long and we can put peaches in them!” Who knew they would turn out so fantastic! I switched up my “normal” pancake recipe by making them whole wheat and vegan, which you don’t have too, but they are a little healthier and still taste light, fluffy, and yummy. I hope these will help you recover from the long weekend!

Whole Wheat Peach Pancakes

Makes 8 large pancakes

What you’ll need:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (you can use white if that’s all you have)

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt (kosher salt if you have it)

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 cup soy milk (or regular)

1 large ripe banana smashed (or 1 egg)

3 tbsp. Earth Balance butter, melted (or regular butter)

2 tsp. vanilla Extract

2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

dash of nutmeg

1-2 peaches

What you’ll do:

Sift together the flour and baking soda and gently mix with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a big bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mix. Add in the soy milk, banana, melted butter, and vanilla. Mix. The batter should be slightly lumpy. If it’s still too thick, add a little water. In a heated pan, sprayed with cooking spray and drop large dollops of batter in the pan. Arrange your sliced peaches on the pancake. Cook on 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Enjoy with fresh maple syrup.

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Categories : Breakfast, featured, recipes

Rollin’ in Love

By Leslie · Comments (3) · February 14th, 2012

The perfect Valentine’s Day dinner for me always includes cooking in! Who wants to deal with the crowds and getting pushed though a restaurant that is charging double for a tasting menu? Cooking for someone shows them how much you love them. So surprise the one you love tonight with a candlelit dinner for two!

Eggplant Wrapped Quinoa

Serves 4

What you’ll need:

1 large eggplant, ends cut off and sliced thin lengthwise

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to directions on package

a handful of spinach, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/8 cup raisins

8-10 basil leaves

tomato sauce (your recipe or mine)

What you’ll do:

Grill or broil the eggplant with some salt and olive oil until browned and soft. Set aside. Cook the quinoa according to the package. When done, stir in the raisins, nuts, and spinach. Heat up your tomato sauce on the stove.

On a clean workspace, lay out a slice of eggplant. Place a basil leaf in the middle of it and dollop a spoonful of quinoa on it. Carefully roll the eggplant up and place either on a plate with the tomato sauce on it (like in the picture) or in a 9X9 baking dish with some tomato sauce at the bottom. Continue until you’ve rolled all your eggplant. Serve immediately or you can refrigerate the baking dish full and reheat them in the oven. You could also top them with cheese if you are into it

Enjoy!

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Categories : Ethnic: Mediterranean, featured, recipes

Tortilla Soup

By Leslie · Comments (5) · February 8th, 2012

It was a dark and stormy day yesterday in Los Angeles and it was perfect for making a big pot of soup! I hadn’t made tortilla soup in ages and had a sudden craving, so voila, tortilla soup for all The bright flavors in this soup are sure to warm anyone in chilly weather! This recipe is a result of a lot of trial and error and is super easy to adjust. To make this a meaty version add in some shredded roasted chicken at the end.

Tortilla Soup

Serves 6

What you’ll need:

1 medium onion, halved and sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced (I take the seeds and ribs out of mine)

1 tbsp. cumin

1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes

4 cups water (more if necessary)

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

1 tsp. chili powder

1 ear of corn, kernels removed

1 14oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 lime, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

diced avocado

green onions, chopped

tortilla chips, crushed or tortillas, sliced and baked to crisps

What you’ll do:

In a large stock pot on medium heat, saute the onions, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin in a little olive oil. When the onions are soft, add in the tomatoes, water, bouillon cubes, and chili powder. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in the corn and beans and let simmer again for about 5 minutes. Add in the lime juice and season to taste. Serve warm with the garnishes of your choice.

Enjoy!

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Categories : Ethnic: Mexican, featured, recipes, Soup

Ultimate Superbowl Taco Bar

By Leslie · Comments (0) · February 2nd, 2012

With the Superbowl this weekend, I got thinking about my favorite things to eat during the game (of course!). Judging by the answers I got on Facebook, looks like we are on the same page, Mexican food and beer! lol! A taco bar is one of the easiest and most pleasing things to serve. Most of the prep can be done ahead of time so you can also enjoy watching the game So here are my favorite things to include in a taco bar:

Ultimate Taco Bar

taco shells or tortillas

lettuce (I like using romaine, but you could do iceberg or a blend)

tomatoes, diced

olives, sliced

green onions, sliced

jalapenos, chopped (I find it’s always best to leave the bulk of the food mild in spice and let people kick it up if they prefer to)

beans (I like black beans, but you could do pinto whole or refried)

onions and peppers (I always have to have sauteed onions and peppers with some chili powder… soooo good!)

taco faux meat (yes, that’s faux meat in the picture! It’s Litelife’s Smart Ground Mexican crumbles, which is actually pretty tasty…)

salsa

and last but not least!:

guacamole (to know me is to know that I would put guacamole on everything in my life if I could…)

cheese (of course optional, you could do real or faux)

What else do you like serving with your tacos??

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Categories : featured, recipes

Comfy, Cozy Lentil Soup

By Leslie · Comments (1) · January 30th, 2012

Even though it’s a delightful 75 degrees in California, I just got back from two weeks in the frozen New York City (yes, that has been why my posts have been sparse!) and I was in need of a good stick to your bones, comfy, cozy winter soup! This concoction of most of what was in my refrigerator turned out fabulous and is definitely going in the go-to recipe pile! ps yes those are carrots in the soup, they are heirloom purple, orange, and white carrots I got from the farmers market

Comfy, Cozy Lentil Soup

Serves 8

What you’ll need:

1 medium onion, diced

3-6 small to medium carrots, sliced

2 small (or 1 big) leeks, sliced (light part only)

32 oz. vegetable broth

2 cups water (plus some if needed)

4 oz. lentils, rinsed

1/4 tsp. oregano

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced and halved

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

14 oz. white beans

2 cups of fresh spinach, sliced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

In a large pot, saute the onions, carrots, and leeks in a few tablespoons of olive oil until the onion is just soft (about 2 minutes) on medium heat. Add in the vegetable broth and 2 cups of water. Add the lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add in the oregano, mushrooms, and garlic. Let cook covered for about 15 minutes. When the lentils are soft, add in the beans, spinach, and parsley. Stir to wilt and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Categories : recipes, Soup

Zucchini and Lemon Quinoa

By Leslie · Comments (6) · January 20th, 2012

I was invited to a dinner party the other night and offered to bring a dish. Knowing I would be the only veggie, I wanted to bring something substantial for me and tasty and inviting for everyone else. The host of the evening said she would be making salmon for the main course. I immediately thought to make something lemony and quinoa is always a good idea for a dinner party. Turns out this dish was a huge hit! Success!: all the fish eating folks thought it paired perfect with their dinners. And doesn’t it look pretty on the new plate my sister got me for Christmas? Love these Lisa!

Zucchini and Lemon Quinoa

Serves 6

What you’ll need:

2 cups quinoa

3 zucchini, shredded

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

the zest of 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, chopped

What you’ll do:

In a medium pot, prepare the quinoa according to the directions on the package. When it’s about 3/4 of the way done cooking, add in the chopped garlic and continue cooking. When the quinoa is done, keep it in the pot and toss in all the other ingredients and gently mix. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

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Categories : featured, gluten free, Quinoa, recipes

PB & B Toasties

By Leslie · Comments (1) · January 10th, 2012

This is one favorite breakfasts and snacks! I guess it was also one of the first recipes I came up with when I was a kid They are crazy easy and bananas and peanut butter are one of my favorite combos! All you do is spread some peanut butter on a few slices of bread and slice a banana on top. Drizzle a little honey or agave nectar on them and stick them under the broiler for a second to caramelize. These little treats are good for you and taste like dessert! So perfect to keep you on track this year!

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Categories : Breakfast, featured, recipes

Veggie Pesto Pasta

By Leslie · Comments (1) · January 9th, 2012

The other night my brothers family came over for dinner. His family includes his wonderful wife and two of my adorable nephews! I adore these kids and obviously wanted to make something for dinner that a two year old would be willing to eat. He loves pasta and broccoli. I decided to do a nice big bowl of veggie pesto pasta. I loaded it with lots of fresh veggies and I don’t know about you, but I make pesto a little differently every time I make it. It always depends on what I have on hand. Pesto really needs 4 ingredients: garlic, toasted nuts, greens, and olive oil. Now don’t go changing the garlic and olive oil, but you can change up the nuts and greens a lot. Sometimes I do pine nuts and basil, but I also like to switch it up and do walnuts and spinach or almonds and arugula. You can really get creative and find your perfect combo! This recipe includes a combo of pine nuts, almonds, spinach, and basil.

Veggie Pesto Pasta

serves 6

What you’ll need:

1 lb. of pasta (I used rigatoni)

1 purple onion, halved and sliced

1 head of broccoli, cut in 1-2 inch pieces

1 bunch of asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces with the tops reserved

5 leaves of swiss chard, sliced

2 zucchini, halved and sliced

a couple handfuls of grape tomatoes

pesto:

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

4 cloves of garlic, peeled (you can do more or less, but this is a good amount)

about 2 cups basil leaves and stems

about 2 cups spinach

What you’ll do:

In a very large pan, on medium heat, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and the onion, broccoli, and asparagus stems. Saute on medium low for a few minutes and while it’s going, make the pesto. Also put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

In a food processor, place the garlic, then greens, then the nuts. Pulse until pureed. While pulsing, slowly drizzle in about 1 – 1 1/2 cup olive oil until the pesto is smooth.

So, your water should be boiling, so cook your pasta until it’s al dente.

At the same time, add the rest of the veggies (except the tomatoes) to the vegetable pan and saute on medium. When the pasta is done cooking, reserve a couple cups of the cooking water and strain the rest of it. In the large pasta pot combine the pasta, pesto, vegetables, and tomatoes. Gently stir together. If the pesto is super thick, add a little bit of that reserved cooking water.

Serve warm and enjoy!

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PS my brothers family loved this recipe

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Categories : featured, Pasta, recipes

Veggie Wrap

By Leslie · Comments (0) · January 5th, 2012

Here is one of my favorite super healthy lunch recipes. It’s super simple and you can add just about anything you like. Here’s how I made it today:

Veggie Wrap

Makes 1

What you’ll need:

1 tortilla or lavash bread (I used Ezikiel sprouted grain tortillas)

1 tsp. veganaise (or mayo)

a few sprigs of fresh dill chopped (you can add in any of your fav fresh herbs)

1 carrot, made into ribbons using a peeler

1/2 avocado, sliced

alfalfa sprouts

What you’ll do:

Mix the veganaise with the fresh dill (or herbs) and spread on one side of the tortilla. In the center of the tortilla, pile up all your ingredients and wrap.

There you go! A ridiculously tasty, healthy lunch is mere seconds!

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Categories : recipes, Sandwiches

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

By Leslie · Comments (2) · January 4th, 2012

Ok, enough with the diet friendly snacks right? Well, these cookies are not entirely bad for you… Like I said, you don’t want to deprive yourself of any of those foods you love right?! Let’s face it, if you are going to cheat… these cookies could be your perfect option. I adapted the recipe from my original chocolate chip peanut butter cookies to make them vegan. So between them being vegan and gluten free, these suckers are extra tempting

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten free and Vegan)

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

What you’ll need:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp. water

1 tsp baking soda

½ cup extra dark chocolate chips

What you’ll do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips. When blended, fold in the chocolate chips. Form 1 1/2 inch balls and flatten into a pancake shape and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the cookies sheet for about 30 seconds to 1 minute before letting cool on a wire rack.

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