Show 244, October 14, 2017: Tess Masters, The Blender Girl

Tess Masters with her Tastes Like Ice Creeam Kale SmoothieTess Masters is an actor, presenter, cook, lifestyle personality, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, The Perfect Blend, and creator of The Blender Girl Smoothies app with Random House. She shares her enthusiasm for healthy living at theblendergirl.com.

“In the third installment of The Blender Girl cookbook series (The Perfect Blend – 100 Blender Recipes to Energize and Revitalize), Tess serves up 100 smoothies, tonics, soups, salads, appetizers, snacks, main dishes, desserts, and condiments to help you lead a vibrant, healthy life, and have fun.”

“Anchored to a master list of nutrient-dense ingredients, each of the twelve chapters addresses specific health goals, such as gaining energy, optimizing protein intake, boosting immunity, losing weight, and reducing inflammation. Tess lists the foods that can help you stay in optimal health, and shares a few top-line takeaways for each of them-practical information on their health benefits, and how to prepare, blend, and cook them for amazing textures and tastes.

“There are three optional boosters listed for each recipe that enhance flavor and/or nutrition. I’ve chosen them to work separately or together, so you can supplement any base recipe with one, two, or all three. The food is functional and geared toward flexibility, so you can tailor the recipes to your own taste and requirements to find your perfect blend.”

Tess’ recipe for Tastes-Like-Ice-Cream Green Smoothie from The Blender Girl and the Blender Girl Smoothies App is represented on the Melissa’s buffet this morning. It’s properly decadent…

Tess has tested virtually every blender out there that works in a home kitchen. She shares some wisdom on selecting the right blender.

 

Three-Pepper Sausage Cornbread Dressing

Thanksgiving How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton from Randon Houseby Sam Sifton

Here is a recipe I adapted from the cooking of Kurt Gardner, a New York theater man of great culinary passions who has been contributing the dish to our home for years, usually in proportions large enough to feed boroughs. Rare is the month where there is not a frozen bag of this stuff in our freezer, ready to be deployed.

2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
11⁄2 pounds andouille sausage, or fresh chorizo or hot Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, cleaned and diced
2 red or orange bell peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
2 poblano or Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced
2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, cleaned and roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups chicken stock (if using store- bought, use low sodium variety)
1 pan cornbread, cut into cubes (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Heat olive oil in large fl at- bottomed sauté pan over medium- high heat. Add sausage and sauté until browned, approximately 10 minutes. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.

3. Add onion to the pan and reduce heat to medium, then sauté until onion begins to turn clear and soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add celery and peppers and continue cooking until peppers begin to soften, approximately 10 minutes.

4. Pour vegetable mixture into bowl with sausage, add chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and toss to mix.

5. Return pan to heat and deglaze with a splash of chicken stock, then scrape contents into bowl with sausage and vegetable mixture.

6. Pour mixture into a large roasting pan and add cubed cornbread, mixing by hand. Add chicken stock to moisten, cover with aluminum foil, and place in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is soft and the flavors well incorporated. If you desire a crunchy top, remove foil for fi nal 10 minutes of cooking.

(Dressing can be made ahead of time and reheated when needed. If dry upon reheating, add additional chicken stock.)

Excerpted from Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton. Copyright ©2012 by Sam Sifton. Excerpted by permission of Random House, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Roasted Cauliflower with Anchovy Bread Crumbs

Thanksgiving How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton from Randon Houseby Sam Sifton

It is important to note that this dish does not have an anchovy flavor. Indeed, there is no reason ever to tell anyone who eats this dish that there are anchovies in it. The taste is merely salty and rich— and reflects beautifully off the sweet, creamy taste of the cauliflower beneath its slightly crunchy bread crumb topping.

2 heads cauliflower
8 to 10 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
Zest of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the anchovy bread crumbs
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Break cauliflower into florets and toss in a bowl with sage, lemon zest, sugar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread out on a large baking sheet. Place in oven and cook until tender and golden, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan set over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add the anchovies, garlic, shallot, and bread crumbs. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden.

3. In a large bowl, toss together cauliflower and bread crumbs and serve on a warmed platter.

Excerpted from Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton. Copyright ©2012 by Sam Sifton. Excerpted by permission of Random House, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.