Healthy Recipes: Entertaining

In this section of the site, you can find all of the Skinny Chef recipes for entertaining occasions. Typically, there are several pages with recipes - so scroll down and use the paged navigation.... or search for the recipe by title:

 

Pear Hazelnut Muffin

Pears are plentiful in the fall. If you happen to have a few bruised pears at the bottom of your fruit bowl, this is a great way to rescue them! If you don’t have hazelnuts, almonds work just as well. I store all my nuts in the freezer to keep them from becoming rancid.

Balsamic Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil, and Fresh Mozzarella

If you love pasta salad but you’re tired of the same recipe, try this one instead. Perfect for serving at room temperature. Pull it out an hour ahead of time for impromptu parties, picnics, or evening meals on a warm summer night.

Chipotle Chicken with Mango Jicama Salsa

Chipotle chilies are jalapenos that have been smoked. You can purchase them dried or drenched in adobo, a savory tomato and herb sauce that absorbs the smoky hot tang of the chilies. I tuck the extra chilies and sauce in a snack-sized zipper lock bag and store it in the freezer for when I make shrimp with chipotle and orange.

Zucchini Bread/Cake

By the time August rolled around, Granny always had plenty of shiny, dark green zucchini in her garden, even after giving basketfuls away to neighbors and to her local church. A hunk of fresh zucchini bread resting on our counter next to Granny’s coffee pot that hooted like an owl as it brewed didn’t last long when neighbors came to call.

Buckwheat Blini

Blinis are little pancakes that are usually topped with caviar. My blinis are thinly like crepes and I like to serve them rolled with blueberry sauce or fresh chives and sour cream.

Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

Most kids love Chinese take-out and will gladly eat broccoli. I make this for the ‘big kid’ in my life- my husband. He hates veggies, but he coo-coo for Asian flavors that perk up this crisp tender, nutritional packed veg!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasting is one of the best ways to prepare Brussels sprouts. Maintaining texture, crunch, and vitamins, this technique always wins out over boiling in tons of water. My neighbor Susan introduced me to this practical preparation when she hosted us for one of her delightful dinners. I added sage and hazelnuts as a variation. I love to save the leftovers to fold into my Sunday morning omelet sprinkled with a little grated, soft white cheese like Munster or Havarti.

Chicken Paprikash

A family favorite, chicken paprikash is a creamy Hungarian stew that my granny excelled at preparing. Her chicken was moist and delicate, so be gentle when cooking your bird and never let the pot come to a full boil!