Cooking and Chef Recipes

Calling all cauliflower heads! Try this crisp-tender mélange featuring golden, pan-roasted cauliflower, tossed with garlic, then simmered in marinara. Of course you could stop right there, but the divas prefer to top things off with a nutty mix of feta, asiago and shredded mozzarella cheeses. And for added color and a fresh herbal edge, Italian basil is scattered over all. It's as delicious as a gooey square of mom's lasagna, without the huge carb overload.

As most cauliflower enthusiasts know, the trick is in caramelizing the veggie to bring out the natural sweetness. We love this one-dish wonder as a quick weeknight supper, or for brunch with poached or scrambled eggs. On the side, serve up some crusty bread or a chopped arugula salad, tossed in lemon fresh lemon juice and your very best extra-virgin olive oil.

Photo: The Walt Disney Company

Spring is one of Florida's beautifully subtle seasons, when we get a jump on our neighbors to the North with blueberries, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelon. It's also time for one of the divas' favorite outings, the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival (through May 17), showcasing our state's fabulous farms and flora.

This year they've ramped up the food to include all sort of wonderful tastes at little Outdoor Kitchens around World Showcase Lagoon – what a perfect place to nosh and burn off calories.
One of this year's new dishes is this vegetarian, gluten-free kale salad, a bowl packed with protein and good-for-you crunch. You'll find it at the Urban Farm Eats kiosk, but it's also super-easy to make at home.

If you're lucky, you've tasted the delicately delicious starter at your favorite sushi place that inspires this recipe. Cooked, chilled, then tossed with a perfectly balanced Asian vinaigrette, this spinach is at once, sweet, savory and salty. With a spicy sesame kick, it's lo-cal bliss in a bowl, savored slowly with a lovely pair of chopsticks.

Serve this as a starter with steamed sea bass, brown rice and hot sake. Make extra marinade for dipping. Open Sesame!

In a world of chichi food, nothing says "I love you" for Valentine's Day like a luscious homemade pie. We discovered this rich slice of peanut butter, chocolate chunks and fresh whipped cream on a fishing trip to the legendary Rod & Gun Club in Everglades City, Fla., where it's been a favorite for decades.

This homey recipe will carry your sweetheart right back to a childhood of candy bars and gooey goodness. Here's our version of this sweet pie for your sweetie pie.

For those of us who suffered the childhood agony of boiled Brussels sprouts, it's time to rethink those itsy orbs.

Oh-so-thinly sliced, pan-seared and caramelized, Brussels sprouts are reborn. Tossed with pecorino Romano, plump golden raisins and a drizzle of sweet agave nectar, they're ready to wow even the most discerning foodie.

Delish with ham, roasted pork or a juicy leg of lamb, and, even better, this side is on the table in just 10 minutes.

You could open a can, but nothing says "I love you" more eloquently than a fragrant bowl of homemade chicken soup. And with convenient off-the-shelf stocks and broths in your local grocery,

it's easy to nurture your sweeties with a soul-infused bowl of goodness.
For a quickie, no-hassle version of this soup, use a rotisserie chicken from the deli. Remove and discard the skin and fat and toss it right into the broth (the bones will add homemade flavor to canned broth).

Breathe in the love, banish a nasty cold, open hearts and sinuses.

December is cookie time, and every year we look for a winner for our diva pal Julie's annual Cookie Party competition. That sublime sweet that will outshine all the others.

We think we found it at the Biltmore in beautiful Asheville, N.C., and with a little coaxing, we got Chef David Ryba from The Dining Room at the Inn on Biltmore to part with the recipe. You'll be on cloud nine after baking these Fluffy Cloud Cookies, a riff on traditional chocolate chip cookies with added lightness from cake flour.

Happy holidays from the divas!

Relish a relish with nary a cranberry. Crunchy pickled red onions bathed in a kicky Latin marinade of orange juice, smoky chipotles and a swig of tequila adds a bit of sass to even the most traditional holiday menus. And you won't believe how easy these complexly flavored beauties are to create.

Without the hassle and mess of canning, the marinade performs its magic in the fridge, working to draw some of the liquid from the onion, leaving it as crisp as a fresh apple. And you can pickle to your heart's content up to two months before you plan to serve the sweet/hot scarlet nibbles (or fill an extra jar or 10 as the perfect gift for the foodies on your holiday shopping list).

Serve alongside, oh, just about everything--a swanky buffet, the humble casserole, a platter of cheeses, or straight from the jar for a low-calorie late night indiscretion.

Turkey day is upon us, and while divas stick with the basics like Aunt Glo's stuffing and Polly's pecan pie, we love adding a new twist to the holiday buffet. 'Tis the Florida season for greens to flourish, and Swiss chard is one of our favorites – a super-model beauty with rich, dark greens leaves and the rainbow of reds, purples, and yellows in its stalks and veins.

Swiss chard is nutritious and full of fiber, and for our holiday buffets, we want a touch of indulgence, so this side dish adds butter, cream and cheese. What's not to love?

Straight from the can, it's hard to make the case for the humble bean. But add a bit of this, a lot of that, and suddenly an economical bean dish is a deliciously trendy one-pot wonder.

White Beans Provencal, with the flavor-rich base of a classic mirepoix (onion, celery and carrots), herbs of Provence, fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic and white wine, is the perfect side, main course, or fabulously healthy lunch. Serve with roasted lamb, meaty cuts of lemon-and-oregano-marinated swordfish, or simply with love.