Chilled Avocado Soup

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Avocados are relatively inexpensive at this point in the season here in Florida and as such we try to make use of this delicious fruit in as many ways as possible. Given the very warm weather and a propensity toward chilled dishes during the summer, as…

Gazpacho with Avocado and Lime Yogurt

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Chilled soups are a favorite around our home during the summer months. Fresh garden vegetables are in abundance and making gazpacho is easy, holds well in the refrigerator for several days and makes a terrific presentation with the addition of the avocados and lime yogurt. Whereas…

Salt and Spice Cured Sockeye Salmon

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor A couple of times during the year here in Florida we can obtain wild caught, never frozen, fresh Sockeye Salmon which we consider a real treat. If you’re a fan of bagels, cream cheese and lox, this very simple and easy recipe for creating your own…

Ahi Tuna, Shrimp, Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Ceviche with Roasted Beets, Spinach and Nasturtium Garnish

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This dish makes a terrific impression as an appetizer and can be made ahead, kept under refrigeration, until you are ready to impress your guests with a colorful and tasty start to your meal. Enjoy!

Simple Fresh Salads and Easy to Prepare Dressings for a Quick Meal or Side

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Assuming you have on hand, either from the grocery or in your garden, a few greens and vegetables such as lettuces, tomatoes, garlic, basil, lemons and a few other essentials, tossing together a fun salad for lunch or dinner should be quick and relatively preparation time…

Sweet Potato Fries “Bakes?”

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor As we know sweet potatoes are loaded with nutritious goodness, so finding ways to create various dishes with them is not only good for us but can have a very different set of flavor characteristics depending on the direction you choose. Most folks like crisp French…

One Pan Fresh Chicken Tacos with Smokey Tomatoes and Chiles

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor When we are in the mood for a smoky, spicy taco, this is one of our favorites. To do so we need 1 chicken breast and some previously smoked tomatoes and chiles from a mother batch made earlier in the week. Rather than buy chicken breasts…

Buttermilk Fried Okra

Recipe Courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This is a little twist on Southern style fried okra. Rather than cutting the okra into little chunks and dredging in corn meal I prefer to split the pod lengthways, soak in buttermilk, dredge in a little seasoned flour prior to frying. These cook up very…

Sweet Potato and Apple Bisque

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Not only are sweet potatoes loaded with nutritious elements they are inexpensive, store well, and when cooked may be stored frozen or under refrigeration until future use. I found sweet potatoes at 39 cents a pound at one of my produce haunts and to get a…

Roasted Red Pepper, Sundried Tomato, Chipotle Bisque

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor I usually have on hand in the pantry dried chiles, roasted peppers and sundried tomato paste among other storable goodies. I like to have ingredients stored that I can throw together quickly for lunch or a quick appetizer round for friends and family that drop in…

Quicker Cioppino – Shrimp, Clams and Mussels

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor If you enjoy shellfish this is a classic. It is a quicker version of my favorite Italian seafood stew which may depending on what you start with may take a couple of hours to develop the stew prior to adding the shellfish if you use a…

Mussels in a White Wine, Olive Oil, Garlic, and Basil Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This is a super easy recipe and delicious complete meal in one bowl to throw together assuming you are sure to clean the mussels well. The easiest way to be sure the mussels are free of grit is to purchase them ahead of time, (be sure…

Eggplant-Basil Pesto Bruschetta

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor A super way to use older bread that is going or has become stale or just dried out. Topping can be just about anything you can dream up that would be tasty to yourself and friends. Sometimes I put out a bunch of ingredients and let…

Yucca Fries with Honey and Stone Ground Mustard Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Try this if you can find fresh yuca root, also called Cassava or manioc, as it is unusual to many folks that may not even know what yucca is let alone having it as part of a meal. The look is similar to potato fries but…

Black Bean, Cilantro and Mango Salad

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This tasty Caribbean Style cold salad is really easy to prepare and has a pleasing eye appeal and a very exotic nose.  You may choose to make ahead of time and hold, refrigerated for up to 2 hrs. prior to service. Enjoy!

Leftovers?

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor. Having leftovers from a meal is a good thing especially if you’ve planned for the leftovers to become some quick and easy sides, or meals for future breakfast, lunch, or dinners. Over the weekend we did a low country boil and as luck would have it…

Low Country Boil with Southern Fried Hush-puppies

Guests love this meal. It is both visually appealing and unique to in that it requires little preparation effort and, with a little bit of attention to timing, cooks everything in one pot ready to dump onto a large platter and serve. The choice of ingredients is up for grabs as long as it includes…

Hearty Chicken Soup

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor This is a relatively easy and quick recipe for a large batch of chicken soup that can be stored in smaller quantities, frozen and heated up later. One of my favorite reheats is to add whole wheat pasta, noodles or elbows to the soup when reheating…

Snake Bites

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Most of us have had an appetizer commonly known as “Poppers”. Normally this is a jalapeno pepper stuffed with cream cheese, battered and deep fried. The following recipe is a little more time consuming and adds a couple of twists, in that it incorporates shrimp, tempura…

Baba Ganoush (Eggplant Hummus)

Contributed by Donna Hargrove, D.O., Nutrition Editor Equipment Needed: Chef knife, cutting board, charcoal or gas grill, food processor or blender, fine grater or zester, measuring cups and spoons. Ingredients: 1 large or 2 medium purple skinned eggplant, whole ¼ cup tahini 3 poached garlic cloves, chopped

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Courtesy of Donna Hargrove, D.O., FACOG, – Nutrition Editor Equipment Needed: Covered bowl, food processor, chef knife, measuring cups and spoons Ingredients: 1 cup dried garbanzo beans 4 cups vegetable stock

Key West Pink Wild Caught Shrimp and Fresh Mozzarella Salad

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Equipment needed: Knife and cutting board, stock pot. Ingredients: 4 oz. shrimp (about 8 large), peeled, deveined, and butterflied.

Grilled Zucchini Salad with Lemon & Scallions

Recipe courtesy of Sharon Schneider  – Contributor, adapted from original recipe from Real Simple June 2009 Equipment needed: Knife and cutting board Basting brush (optional) Grill Flat iron grill or slotted grilled pan (optional)

Key West Pink Shrimp Salad with Roasted Beets, Greens, Tomatoes, Cucumbers and more…

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Equipment needed: Knife and cutting board, Flat grill or other grilling surface or sauté pan, mixing bowl Ingredients 12 Key West Pink shrimp wild caught, peeled and deveined

Ahi Tuna Tacos with Bok Choy and Shrimp

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Equipment needed: Knife and cutting board, Flat grill or other grilling surface, Ingredients: 2 oz. shrimp (about 4 large), peeled, deveined, and butterflied.

Black Bean, Mango, and Roasted Corn Salad

Recipe courtesy of Chef Bren Ankrum – Culinary Editor Equipment/ utensils required: Chef’s knife, mixing bowl. Ingredients: ½ lb. dried black beans soaked overnight in unsalted veggie stock and then cooked until tender 1 Mango, skinned and flesh removed from pit and cut to ½ inch dice