Access Hollywood Live: Curtis Stone’s Healthy Living Recipes

Curtis Stone – the handsome chef who was ajudge on “America’s Next Great Restaurant” and host of “Top Chef Masters” — has teamed up with Post Cereal’s Great Grains and is spreading the word to consumers on how to “Keep It Whole,” by eating less processed foods for better nutrition and more flavor.

On Thursday, Curtis stopped by the set of Access Hollywood Live to show Billy Bush and Kit Hoover some of the healthy, yet delicious, recipes!

Spanish Frittata

Ingredients:
1 large red-skinned potato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 button mushrooms, halved
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2-inch-long strips
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch-long strips
12 large organic free range eggs
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 oz. feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

Preheat the oven to 350. Fill the bottom of a vegetable steamer with about 1 inch of water. Cover, and bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Add the potato pieces to the steam basket, cover the pot, and steam for 12 minutes, or until a skewer meets just a bit of resistance when inserted into the center of the potato. Remove the potatoes from the steamer and let them cool completely.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and sauté for two minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and pale golden. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, and shallots and cook for four minutes, or until the vegetables soften slightly. Stir in the zucchini and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Whisk the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl to blend well. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the saute pan. Add the tomatoes and feta cheese, and cook without stirring for about five minutes, or until the egg mixture is almost set but the top is still loose. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the center is just set. Using a silicone spatula, loosen the frittata from the pan. The slide the frittata onto a plate and serve.

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Roasted Eggplant Dip with Crispy Pita Chips

Eggplant Dip Ingredients:
2 eggplants (about 2 lbs)
4 tsp plus
2 tbsp EVOO
1 head garlic, separated into cloves
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pita Chips
3 pita breads, split horizontally in half
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the eggplant dip: Preheat the oven 400 and preheat a grill pan over high heat. Prick the eggplants all over with a fork and rub them with 2 tsp olive oil. Place the eggplants on the hot grill pan and cook for 8 minutes, or until charred all over.

Meanwhile, place the garlic cloves on a sheet of foil and drizzle with two tsp of the olive oil. Fold in the edges to form a packet.

Place grilled eggplants and the pouch of garlic on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the garlic is tender and golden and the eggplants are very tender. Remove the eggplants and garlic form the oven, and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temp to 375.

Remove and discard the skin from the eggplants and garlic. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Chop the eggplant pulp and garlic to form a coarse puree, and place in a large bowl. Stir in the tahini, parsley, lemon juice and remaining two tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the pita chips: Cut each pita half into wedges and arrange the wedges evenly over two large baking sheets. Brush the pita edges with olive oil, and sprinkle with the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the pita wedges are crisp and golden. Let the chips cool, and serve with the eggplant dip.

Both the dip and the chips can be made ahead of time. Place them in airtight containers, and store the dip in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Great Grains Raisins, Dates & Pecans Pancakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves 6 (approx 2 pancakes per serving)

Ingredients:
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups plus 6 tablespoons Great Grains Raisins, Dates and Pecans cereal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (about) unsalted butter
2 small bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup pure maple syrup

Method:
To make the pancakes:
– Whisk the ricotta and egg yolks together in a large bowl to blend, then whisk in the buttermilk.
– Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the ricotta mixture.
– Stir with the whisk just until combined. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cereal.
– Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar in another large bowl until firm but moist peaks form.
– Using a large silicone spatula, gently fold the egg whites through the batter in 2 additions.
– Heat a griddle or large nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat.
– Melt some butter on the hot griddle.
– Working in batches, ladle about 1/2 cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Using the back of the ladle, spread the batter to thin out the pancake to about 1/2 inch.
– Cook the pancakes about 3 minutes per side, or until they puff, become golden brown, and are just cooked through.

To serve the pancakes:
– As the pancakes are done, transfer 2 pancakes to each of 6 plates.
– Top the pancakes with the bananas and blueberries and drizzle with maple syrup.
– Sprinkle each serving with the 1 tablespoon of cereal and serve immediately.

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Fresh Linguine with Garlic Shrimp and Homemade Pesto

Pesto
1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup EVOO
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Linguine
12 cherry tomatoes on the vine
4 tbsp EVOO
salt and freshly ground black pepper
9 oz fresh linguine
2 garlic cloves, minced
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Parmesan shavings, for garnish

To make the pesto: Grind the basil, pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese with a mortal and pestle unitl a smooth paste forms. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a food processor instead.) Slowly add the olive oil, grinding until a smooth sauce forms. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. Then cover and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450. Place the vine of tomatoes in an ovenproof skillet. Drizzle 1 tbsp of the oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 8 minutes or until heated through.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking, for about two minutes, or until al dente.

While the linguine cooks, heat the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shrimp and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are just cooked through and the garlic is tender. Stir the pesto into the shrimp mixture.

Drain the linguine, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the linguine in a large bowl with the shrimp-pesto mixture, adding enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten the sauce so that it covers the pasta evenly.

Using a two-pronged carving fork, swirl some pasta around the fork. Slide it off the fork, letting it mound in the center of the plate. Repeat. Arrange the shrimp and the roasted tomatoes around the pasta. Garnish with the cheese and serve.