Cooking Class Recipes {Part 1}

Hi friends! As promised, here are several of the recipes from our cooking class. I'm starting with the crostini, roasted carrots and arugula salad because they are so simple to make and definite crowd pleasers. I'm always pleasantly surprised at how people gravitate towards the veggies and the healthy options at parties, and in our cooking class, we couldn't stop eating these 3 dishes. These would be great for a dinner party or potluck, or just any old night of the week.

White Bean and Prosciutto Crostini with Sage

Serves 30

The crostini look beautiful served with a spring of thyme or sage.
Option to make them vegetarian by leaving out the prosciutto.

• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped plus 2 whole cloves

• ¾ cup finely diced prosciutto

• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

• 4 cans organic cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• Kosher salt

• 2 baguettes, sliced on the bias

• ¼ cup finely chopped sage (optional)

Directions:

Add small amount of olive oil, about ½ tablespoon to small frying pan.  Heat up oil.  

Add diced prosciutto and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the prosciutto looks crispy but not burned.  Remove from heat.  Drain prosciutto on paper towel and let cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the 3 smashed garlic cloves, prosciutto, crushed red pepper and 3 cans of beans.  Add ¼ cup of the extra virgin olive oil and puree until smooth.  If the mixture seems too thick add more olive oil; the mixture should be fairly loose.  Taste to see if it needs salt (it probably will).  Add the remaining can of drained and rinsed beans and puree just enough to combine.  The mixture will be a little chunky.  Taste again for salt. Remove from the food processor to a large bowl and reserve at room temperature.  The puree will be very creamy but with some small chunks to it.

Preheat a grill pan or large skillet over medium heat.  Grill the baguette slices on both sides on the grill pan.  When the bread looks slightly charred and is crispy, remove it from the pan and rub each crostini with the raw garlic cloves.

Top each toast with a big dollop of the bean puree and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with sage (optional) on serving platters to serve.

*******************

Roasted Carrots

Serves 6

• 12 - 18 carrots
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbl minced fresh dill or flat-leaf italian parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave them whole.  Slice the carrots diagonally into 1 ½ inch-thick slices.  The carrots will get smaller while cooking, so make the slices big.

Toss them in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet in one layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste and serve.

*******************

Arugula Salad with Tomatoes and Peperoncini

Serves 4

The dressing for this salad is a staple for me. Make it for any of your favorite salads!

Salad:

• 2 cups Organic baby Arugula (Trader Joes)
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
• ¼ cup drained green peperoncini

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Whisk vinegar and oil in a bowl until emulsified.  Put arugula, tomatoes, peperoncini, and onion into another bowl. Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with dressing; toss to combine. 

*If you like Kalamata olives, you can add ½ cup of the olives (pitted) to the salad.

*******************

Let me know if you make any of these & how they turn out! xo.