Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Noodles w/ Blood Orange + Black Currant Vinaigrette

Zucchini Noodles

Zucchini Noodles

This is a lovely recipe that I wanted to share with you all because it’s one of my absolute favorites and perfect for Spring! ?????

Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Salad

This Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Noodle Salad is made with some roasted eggplant, quinoa, feta cheese, mint and pomegranate seeds which are all lightly drizzled in this gorgeous vinaigrette dressing I made with Seven Barrels Blood Orange Olive Oil + Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar which makes the salad even more #delish!

Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Salad

Start out by first cutting up your eggplant into medium size chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven on a sheet pan for about 25 minutes until soft and golden. Cook quinoa according to package directions and drain, fluff with a fork. Make your zucchini spirals with a spiralizer (or you can shave long, thin slices with a mandoline) and drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes.

Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Noodles

Then toss the roasted eggplant and cooked quinoa in a bowl with the zucchini noodles. Top with feta cheese, pomegranate arils, and mint leaves. Drizzle with the Blood Orange Black Currant vinaigrette dressing and toss together with the salad. Season the zucchini noodles with salt and pepper to taste. 

Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Noodles

Feel free to substitute crumbly queso cheese, goat cheese, burrata, mozzarella or any other mild cheese you like. You can also use cooked wild rice, farro or any other ancient grain you like (amarynth, teff, etc.) for the quinoa – or leave it out all together to make the recipe #keto/#lowcarb/#atkins-friendly. If you can’t find fresh pomegranate arils, the salad would be delicious with either some fresh baby tomatoes or roasted red peppers. Soooo good and #healthy!

Have a great weekend everyone, stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy 🙂

Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Noodles w/ Blood Orange + Black Currant Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories per serving: 221

Fat per serving: 13.6g

Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Noodles w/ Blood Orange + Black Currant Vinaigrette

This Roasted Eggplant Zucchini Noodle Salad with roasted eggplant, quinoa, feta, pomegranate + mint is super #fresh and #healthy and the perfect light meal to start off the weekend! Drizzled in a @7Barrels Blood Orange + Black Currant balsamic vinaigrette makes this even more absolutely #delish!

Ingredients

  • 1 medium Italian eggplant
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Seven Barrels Blood Orange Olive Oil, divided
  • 1-2 tablespoons Seven Barrels Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar
  • Sea salt, to taste, plus more for serving
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup dry quinoa
  • 2 zucchinis spiral sliced or made into ribbons with a wide peeler
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup pomegranate arils or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup feta cheese, for garnish
  • Handful fresh mint, roughly chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 475ºF.
  2. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss eggplant with ¼ cup Seven Barrels Blood Orange Olive Oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until browned and tender, about 25 minutes. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons Seven Barrels Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar and chopped parsley.
  3. Meanwhile, bring salted water and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam with cover on for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  4. For the dressing, in a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of Seven Barrels Blood Orange Olive Oil, lemon juice, grainy Dijon mustard, honey, and ground pepper. Season with salt, to taste.
  5. Squeeze any excess water out of the zucchini noodles with a tea towel or paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon of Seven Barrels Blood Orange Olive Oil in a large sauté pan and cook the noodles for about 2-3 minutes, toss in the cooked quinoa and mix together.
  6. Pour the dressing over the cooked quinoa and zucchini; toss well to combine and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with roasted eggplant, pomegranate arils or cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and mint, to serve. Drizzle with an additional small amount of dressing, and additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Notes

Feel free to substitute cojita cheese, goat cheese, burrata, mozzarella or any other mild cheese you like.

You can also substitute wild rice or farro or any other ancient grain you like (amarynth, teff, etc.) for the quinoa (or leave it out all together to make the recipe keto/low carb/atkins friendly.

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https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2020/05/roasted-eggplant-zucchini-noodles-w-blood-orange-black-currant-vinaigrette/

Other Zucchini Noodles #recipes you may enjoy: 

Shrimp, Basil & Corn Zucchini Noodles w/ Meyer Lemon Cream Sauce

Garlic Zucchini Noodles

Zucchini Pasta

Red Curry Beef Zucchini Noodles

Zucchini Noodle Carbonara

Sriracha Mango Grilled Chicken Wings + Spicy Micheladas

Sriracha Mango Chicken Wings + Spicy Micheladas

Summer is here and almost half way over at that! I love grilling anything and everything during the warm weather months so I’ve created a super delish recipe for Sriracha Mango Chicken Wings with a Ginger-Lime Sour Cream dipping sauce and a Spicy Michelada to pair it with.

Sriracha Mango Chicken Wings + Spicy Micheladas

Once again, I’ve used a fantastic infused balsamic vinegar from Seven Barrels, one of my favorite clients ever. The Sriracha Mango vinegar is delicious on chicken so I made a glaze with fresh mango, sriracha, vinegar, fresh lime zest and orange juice to toss the wings in after I grilled them a bit, then glazed them again for extra flavor at the end.

Sriracha Mango Chicken Wings + Spicy Micheladas

They’re spicy and sweet, and oh so good. And I made a lovely Ginger-Lime Sour Cream dipping sauce to cool off the heat a bit, along with a Spicy Michelada made with Mexican beer (Corona) and a dash of the Sriracha Mango vinegar, a dash of salt, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.

Sriracha Mango Grilled Chicken Wings

Ingredients

  • Chicken Wings: 
  • 2 pounds chicken wings (24 wing pieces)
  • 1/4 cup Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil or spray, for grill
  • Sriracha Mango Lime Glaze:
  • 1 cup mango, peeled and diced
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup Sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon Seven Barrels Sriracha Mango Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 small red chile pepper
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Ginger Lime Sour Cream Dipping Sauce:
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • Michelada:
  • 1 (12 ounce) Corona Beer
  • Fresh lime juice from ½ a lime
  • 1 tablespoon Seven Barrels Sriracha Mango Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • Lime wedges, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat (spray or brush pan with a light coat of cooking oil). Toss the chicken wings in 1/4 cup Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook wings on the grill for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until no longer pink and skin starts to get charred with grill marks.
  2. To make the glaze, add the mango, orange juice, Sriracha, Seven Barrels Sriracha Mango Vinegar, Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic, chile pepper and cilantro into a food processor and process until smooth. Place the sauce into a saucepan over medium-low heat and let simmer until warmed through while the wings are cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Once the wings are finished cooking, toss them gently in the Sriracha Mango Lime glaze and let them marinate for about 5 minutes or so. Return wings back to the grill for an additional 5 minutes, flipping over once. Remove wings from the grill on to a large platter and let them cool to give them a nice caramelized glaze.
  4. To make the Ginger Lime Sour Cream dipping sauce, stir together the sour cream, Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil, garlic salt, lime zest and grated ginger in a bowl and serve with the wings with celery and carrot sticks.
  5. NOTE: Alternatively, you can bake the wings for 1 hour at 375 degrees on a large baking sheet covered with foil (and toss them in the sauce at the end).
  6. Makes approximately 24 wings, 1 cup of glaze and ½ cup sour cream sauce.
  7. To make the Michelada: stir all the ingredients into the beer and garnish with a lime wedge.
https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2017/08/sriracha-mango-grilled-chicken-wings-spicy-micheladas/

Sriracha Mango Chicken Wings + Spicy Micheladas

This really is the quintessential recipe pairing for Summer now, isn’t it?

Sriracha Mango Chicken Wings + Spicy Micheladas

You can also try the glaze on pork chops or even add some grilled shrimp – it’s absolutely delicious and you can always adjust the heat by adding or removing some of the Sriracha hot sauce. Or maybe making it even hotter by adding in a dash of habanero hot sauce to the mix – now, this recipe is on FIRE!

Sriracha Mango Chicken Wings + Spicy Micheladas

Perfect for a lovely evening outside with friends, watching the sun go down…that’s #howisummer 🙂

Happy Holidays! A few of my favorite holiday recipes

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

Well the holidays have finally arrived – my favorite time of year! I love having some time to rest and relax and enjoy quality time with friends and family, especially around the table sharing delicious food and wine. So to celebrate the season, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite holiday recipes that I’ve created over the years – either for myself or a few of my clients (KitchenAid, Colavita and Seven Barrels), that I wanted to share with all of you. From appetizers, to salads, to desserts, entrees and cocktails, they all have that special magic touch perfect for the holidays.

I’d love to hear in the comments below what some your favorite holiday recipes are too – feel free to post them and share a link below, and if you want to share my recipes online please include a link back to my site and credit to Kristen Hess / The Artful Gourmet and @artfulgourmet on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr).

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a joyous and prosperous New Year 2017!

 

BloodOrangeCake_StrawberrySauce

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake with Strawberry Chocolate Sauce 

PumpkinPearTart

Pear and Pumpkin Tart

Mini Holiday Tarts

Mini Sweet and Savory Holiday Tarts

Roasted Squash Salad

Roasted Squash Salad with Spiced Pecans

Holiday Brunch Strata

Holiday Brunch Strata

Almond Cookies

Almond Shortbread Cookies with Blood Orange Glaze

Parmesan-Garlic-Artichoke-Dip

Hot Parmesan Artichoke Dip with Homemade Pita Chips

Maple Walnut Pie

Maple Brown Sugar Walnut Pie

Swedish Meatballs

Braised Swedish Meatballs

Butternut Squash Ricotta Tart

Three Cheese Butternut Squash Tart with Bacon

Choc Thumbprint Cookies

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Truffled Pancetta 3 Cheese Pasta

Truffled 3-Cheese Pasta with Pancetta and Garlic

Whiskey Sour and Stuffed Mushrooms

Holiday Cocktail Party! Appetizer and Cocktail recipes 

Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Bites

Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Bites

Brussels Sprouts

Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Shallots and Balsamic

SpinachSalad-Vinaigrette

Spinach Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

ChocolateChipotleShortRibs

Chocolate Chipotle Braised Short Ribs

Elderberry Lime Chicken & Veggie Kabobs + Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Mozzarella Salad

Grilled Chicken and Veggie Kabobs

I love grilling in the Summertime – and there’s nothing easier, tastier and healthier than Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs!

Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Mozzarella Salad

I also love a delicious salad using the fruits and veggies of the season – try my Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Mozzarella Salad which is bursting with fresh flavors!

Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

I developed these recipes for my client Seven Barrels, who makes spectacular infused olive oils and vinegars. I wanted to create a refreshing recipe for their Summer promotion, so I created a marinade for the kabobs and a vinaigrette dressing for the salad using their Elderberry Balsamic Vinegar and Lime Olive Oil – a delicious combination!

Heirloom Tomato Peach Mozzarella Salad

Hope you’re enjoying your Summer and enjoy these recipes at your next cookout! 🙂

Check out Seven Barrels website for more product information

Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 to 6

Grilled chicken and summer veggie kabobs in an Elderberry Lime Marinade - perfect for Summer!

Ingredients

  • Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kabobs:
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs (skinless), cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green), cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 large red onion, cut into large chunks
  • 1 large zucchini, cut into large chunks
  • 1 large yellow squash, cut into large chunks
  • 1 cup Elderberry Lime Marinade (recipe follows)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Elderberry Lime Marinade:
  • ½ cup Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil
  • ½ cup Seven Barrels Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ¼ cup Seven Barrels Elderberry Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley, minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kabobs:
  2. Place chicken and vegetables in large plastic ziplock bags and pour 1/2 of the Elderberry Lime Marinade over each, letting marinade in the fridge for at least two hours up to eight hours.
  3. Pre-soak wooden skewers in water for at least 15-20 minutes, and preheat grill on medium-high heat.
  4. Thread the chicken and vegetables evenly spaced on separate skewers and discard the marinade except for a small amount to use while grilling.
  5. Lightly oil the grate and grill chicken skewers until opaque and juices run clear (about 12-15 minutes) and the vegetable skewers for about 8-12 minutes until soft and beginning to brown. Turn and brush with extra marinade frequently. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Transfer the skewers to a warm platter and serve immediately.
  7. Elderberry Lime Marinade:
  8. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, basil or parsley, garlic salt and black pepper. Cover and set aside until ready to marinade the chicken and vegetables.
  9. Makes 1 ¼ cups.
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https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2016/08/elderberry-lime-chicken-veggie-kabobs-heirloom-tomato-peach-mozzarella-salad/

Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Mozzarella Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6-8

A gorgeous Summer salad made with heirloom tomatoes, fresh peaches, mozzarella, basil, arugula in an Elderberry Lime vinaigrette dressing topped with sunflower seeds.

Ingredients

  • Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Mozzarella Salad:
  • 2 large handfuls of baby arugula
  • 2 peaches, cut into wedges
  • 1 Heirloom tomato, cut into wedges
  • ½ cup cooked corn
  • ½ cup cucumber, cut into wedges
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1/3 ball of burrata or fresh mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
  • Fresh basil
  • Sea Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Elderberry Lime Vinaigrette:
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup Seven Barrels Elderberry balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup Seven Barrels Lime Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Heirloom Tomato, Peach & Mozzarella Salad:
  2. On a large plate, arrange the arugula, peaches and heirloom tomato wedges. Sprinkle corn and cucumber over the salad.
  3. Carefully rip the ball of burrata or mozzarella into pieces and scatter on top of the salad along with the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with toasted sunflower seeds, salt and pepper and a few basil leaves.
  4. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the Elderberry Lime vinaigrette and serve immediately. Serve with extra dressing and additional salt and pepper, if desired.
  5. Elderberry Lime Vinaigrette:
  6. Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a medium bowl and whisk together well. Once combined, stream in the olive oil and continue to whisk until the vinaigrette comes together. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  7. Note: The dressing can be stored and refrigerated for 1 week.
  8. Makes approximately 3/4 cup.
https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2016/08/elderberry-lime-chicken-veggie-kabobs-heirloom-tomato-peach-mozzarella-salad/