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Endive Mango and Avocado Cups with Peanut Chicken from We Olive to Eat

Check out this delicious recipe from We Olive to Eat Catering (fun name!). Visit their blog for LOADS of delicious recipes highlighting extra virgin olive oil. Lucky for us, they included California endive in this one!

Endive Mango and Avocado Cups with Peanut Chicken

Ingredients

· 1 avocado small dice

· 1 mango small dice

· 1/2 cup of cilantro

· 1 cup of cucumber small dice

· 1 endive~leaves broke off

· 1/2 cup of Peach Balsamic

· 1/2 cup of Jalapeno Olive Oil

· Salt and pepper to taste

· Shredded Chicken with Peanut Sauce (see recipe)

Directions

Fill the cup of endive slices half way with shredded chicken. In a bowl, combine avocado, mango and cucumber. Drizzle with peach balsamic and jalapeno olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Top bowls off with diced mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Shredded Peanut Chicken for Endive Salad

Ingredients

· 1 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

· 3/4 cup of Elki Peanut Sauce and 1/2 cup to finish chicken

· 1/2 cup of white wine

· 1/2 cup of water

· Salt and pepper to taste

· 1/2 cup of green onion sliced on Biases

· 1 lime

Directions

Place chicken breast in sauce pot and cover with Peanut sauce, wine and water. Cook on medium heat for 15 peanuts. Let cool and on a cutting board shred chicken with two forks. Season with salt and pepper, zest and juice of lime, green onion and 1/2 cup of the rest of peanut sauce.

Clean Eating Endive Salad from Tiffany at The Gracious Pantry

“This salad is a fabulous reminder of how light and flavorful autumn and winter produce can be.”

Even if Indian Summer lingers on, it’s nice to see apples crowding the markets again. Here’s a wonderful recipe to take advantage of fall and winter vegetables from Tiffany at The Gracious Pantry. As she describes it: an “explosion of flavor.” What more could you ask from a salad?

Click here for the full recipe.

Tiffany McCauley is a published cookbook author, recipe developer and food blogger. She publishes TheGraciousPantry.com, a blog for clean eating recipes as well as the soon-to-lauch recipe blog, UncomplicatedCooking.com.

Ants on a Log Makeover from Anne of Teach. Eat. Love.

Ants on a Log Makeover from Anne of Teach. Eat. Love.

Here’s a great recipe update from Anne of Teach. Eat. Love. that replaces celery with California endive in the classic “ants on a log” snack. The traditional filling of raisins and peanut butter also gets a sophisticated upgrade, as dried cranberries, apples and blue cheese take a starring turn. Try this with a nice glass of white wine for an elegant appetizer.

For the full recipe, click here.

About the blogger

I’m Anne: baker, teacher, canner, runner, novice quilter, dark chocolate lover, gardener, etsian, wife, and mama. My favorite time of day is dinner, when my family enjoys delicious food at the table together. My blog is Travel. Eat. Love.

Braised Endive from Adam of Amateur Gourmet

Braised Endive from Adam of Amateur Gourmet

A cube of braised endive served on a cheese plate at The French Laundry inspired Adam Roberts to recreate what he had tasted at home. Better yet, he decided to prepare it for breakfast, served aside what he calls a “typical breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast.”

“The suprise is that (braised endive) is really easy to make at home,” Adam writes. With the help of a little butter, olive oil and heat (oh, and more butter), Adam transformed a few heads of endive into his morning side dish.

Did the braised endive play nice with the eggs and toast? Click here to find out and see if you dare to try endive for breakfast!

Adam Roberts started his blog Amateur Gourmet as a way to chronicle his journey into the culinary world and out of a career in law. Along the way he has published a cookbook, hosted “The FN Dish” on the Food Network website and written for some of the best known food sites and publications around. 

Sugar Snap Pea and Endive Salad from Cheri at Skinny Chick

Sugar Snap Pea and Endive Salad from Cheri at Skinny Chick

Summer is officially here, bringing long hazy days spent trying to beat the heat. What could be more in order than a fuss-free meal that involves no cooking? Cheri from Skinny Chick has just the recipe. She offers this delightful salad featuring sugar snap peas, endive and a light vinaigrette. Oh, and don’t forget a gentle dusting of Parmesan cheese! Read the full recipe here.

About the blogger

Cheri Liefeld is a recipe developer, food writer and cooking instructor. She offers easy, healthy recipes for family meals, entertaining ideas and ideas for cooking with kids on her blogs Skinny Chick and Adventures in the Kitchen.

Neufchâtel and Smoked Salmon Boats from Jaymee of E is for Eat

Neufchâtel and Smoked Salmon Boats from Jaymee of E is for Eat (click for recipe)

Sometimes, especially in the heat and humidity of summer, cooking is just not an option. Try these delicious Neufchâtel and Smoked Salmon Endive Boats from Jaymee of E is for Eat. Of course, they make a stunning appetizer for your next cocktail party, but why wait for a special occasion? By combining some flavorful ingredients–that conveniently require no cooking–you have a scrumptious light meal whenever the mood strikes!

Many thanks to Jaymee for sharing her delicious endive recipes with us. If you missed any of them, check out her Escarole, Endive,  Radicchio and Asparagus Salad and Tuna Salad in Endive Boats, too. If you live the Bay area, be sure to catch Jaymee on ComcastSportsNet Bay Area!)

Jaymee Sire is an Emmy-award winning sports reporter, anchor and host at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in San Francisco. When she isn’t covering a sporting event, her true passion is food…whether it’s eating out or cooking at home. She writes a blog called E is for Eat, posting alphabet-themed recipes and restaurant reviews several times per week. Be sure to follow Jaymee on Twitter and E is for Eat on Facebook.

Endive Cashew Slaw + A Giveaway, from Rachael of La Fuji Mama

Endive Cashew Slaw + A Giveaway, from Rachael of La Fuji Mama

We can’t believe that our OnDiva campaign, started back in December 2011, is drawing to a close. We have been honored to partner with five spectacular food bloggers–Carolyn, Dara, Paula, Rachael and Winnie–to help spread the word about endive and all its versatile deliciousness. These talented culinary stars have tempted us with everything from California Endive and Homemade Boursin and Smoked Salmon to French Onion and Endive Soup with Pancetta to Kid-Friendly Ham and Cheese Endive Nachos. Of course there was a helpful tutorial on How to Grill Endive tying in beautifully to the Grilled Endive Caprese Salad.

Today, Rachael from La Fuji Mama, launches us tastefully into summer with her Asian-inspired Endive Cashew Slaw. What’s more, she’s giving away a shipment of freshly packed California Endive so that you can try any one of these amazing recipes yourself. Read the full post and recipe here and enter to win!

Stay tuned for our recipe round-up featuring links to all of the OnDiva inspiration from the last six months!

Grilled Endive Caprese Salad from Winnie of Healthy Green Kitchen

Grilled Endive Caprese Salad from Winnie of Healthy Green Kitchen

In her final post as one of our beloved OnDivas, Winne from Healthy Green Kitchen proves that California endive feels at home in summery dishes. Her take on the classic Caprese salad will have you firing up the grill to add some smoky endive (and loving it)!

For the full recipe, visit Healthy Green Kitchen. Then check out all of Winnie’s endive posts!

• Endive and Satsuma Mandarin Salad
• Oven Braised Endive with Gremolata
• Endive Green Apple Salad
• Chicken, Endive, and Root Vegetable Soup with Endive Parsley Pesto
• Endive, Kale, and Smoked Salmon Salad with Avocado and Pink Grapefruit

Thank you, Winnie, for all of your endive inspiration! (You can continue to find Winnie at her blog, on Twitter and Facebook.)

Escarole, Endive, Radicchio & Shaved Asparagus Salad from Jaymee of E is for Eat

Escarole, Endive, Radicchio & Shaved Asparagus Salad from Jaymee of E is for Eat

Once again, we are thrilled to feature a recipe from Jaymee of E is for Eat. She shared this recipe in May to celebrate National Salad Month. We think salads made with California endive should be on your menu any time of year, especially as we move into those hot summer months. Plus, this recipe includes asparagus, which is in season now!

Stay tuned, because we’ll have more links to Jaymee’s  fabulous endive recipes coming up! (And if you live the Bay area, be sure to catch Jaymee on ComcastSportsNet Bay Area!)

Jaymee Sire is an Emmy-award winning sports reporter, anchor and host at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in San Francisco. When she isn’t covering a sporting event, her true passion is food…whether it’s eating out or cooking at home. She writes a blog called E is for Eat, posting alphabet-themed recipes and restaurant reviews several times per week. Be sure to follow Jaymee on Twitter and E is for Eat on Facebook.

Win Some Freshly Packed California Endive!

Caramelized Endive with Brown Butter Sage Sauce from Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food

Ready for another chance to win a shipment of freshly packed California endive? Head over to All Day I Dream About Food, a food blog written by Carolyn, one of our OnDivas. She’s hosting a giveaway that includes California endive, a copy of the fabulous and beautiful cookbook Ripe, and a Discover Endive dip tray. And just to get your taste buds fired up, she’s provided a lovely round-up of endive recipes for you to try.

Hurry over, as the sweepstakes ends on June 4th!

E is for Eat, and Some New Endive Recipes from Jaymee Sire

We recently discovered a new (to us) food blogger creating some amazing dishes with California endive. Even more fun, now we get to share her blog, E is for Eat, and endive recipes with you!

Tuna Salad in Endive Boats, from Jaymee of “E is for Eat”

First up: beat the heat this Memorial Day (and all summer long) by whipping up Tuna Salad in Endive Boats. No cooking, barely any clean-up…what could be easier? And that’s not all. Read more of Jaymee’s ideas for filling endive boats here. Then stay tuned, because we’ll have more links to her fabulous endive recipes coming up!

Jaymee Sire is an Emmy-award winning sports reporter, anchor and host at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in San Francisco. When she isn’t covering a sporting event, her true passion is food…whether it’s eating out or cooking at home. She writes a blog called E is for Eat, posting alphabet-themed recipes and restaurant reviews several times per week. Be sure to follow Jaymee on Twitter and E is for Eat on Facebook.

How to Grill Endive, from Paula of Bell’alimento

How to Grill Endive

Just in time for grilling season, OnDiva Paula from bell’alimento gives us her tips on mastering the grill. Find out her favorite veggies for grilling, and while you’re there, check out the rest of her endive recipes!

What are some of your favorite foods to grill during the summer?

Discover Endive in the Eat Write Retreat swag bag {Giveaway}

Swag bags lined up for Eat Write Retreat. Photo courtesy of Daphne Domingo.

Recently, Discover Endive added a fun and convenient dip tray to the Eat Write Retreat swag bag. We would like to bring a little of Eat Write Retreat to you, our readers. That’s why we’re raffling off one of the over-the-top-swag bags from the event. This reusable Feastie tote is filled with:

• Calphalon Contemporary Bronze Nonstick 12″ Omelette Pan
• OXO Cherry & Olive Pitter
• OXO Mini-Chopper, courtesy of The Mushroon Council
• Herbivoracious, by Michael Natkin (which has a lovely endive recipe!)
• Goo Goo Clusters
• Chef Salt
• Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsels and coupons
• Glee Gum
• and more!

If you would like to win this swag bag, shipped directly to your door, simply follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Once you do, leave a comment here letting us know. You can earn two entries for following us on both Facebook and Twitter!

To enter, you must be at least 18 years old. No purchase is necessary to win, and the sweepstakes will end at 5:00 pm EST, May 21. Shipping only to continental US, excluding Alaska. Winner will be chosen randomly from all Discover Endive Facebook and Twitter followers who also leave a comment below. Winner will be contacted by email. Once notified, winner will have 48 hours to respond, at which time a new winner will be randomly chosen.

This sweepstakes is now closed. Congratulations to happygrape2 on winning the Eat Write Retreat swag bag!

Endive Spears Stuffed with Teriyaki Turkey, Edamame & Baby Corn from OnDiva Dara at Cookin’ Canuck

Endive Spears Stuffed with Teriyaki Turkey, Edamame & Baby Corn Recipe {Giveaway}

When we asked our team of OnDivas to create some kid-friendly California endive recipes, we knew we were in for a treat. And so were the kids that got to taste test the recipes!

This week, Dara from Cookin’ Canuck shared her Endive Spears Stuffed Teriyaki Turkey, Edamame & Baby Corn. Turns out her boys are new fans of California endive thanks to this recipe.

Ready for your chance to become a fan? Head on over to Cookin’ Canuck where Dara is giving away a year’s supply of freshly packed California Endive, delivered throughout the year, right to your door!

Turkey Taco Endive Boats from Carolyn at All Day I Dream About Food

Turkey Taco Endive Boats from Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food

Carolyn echoes every mother’s frustration: how can I please all of my kids all of the (dinner) time? Then a lightbulb went off and she presented a family favorite–Turkey Tacos–with a twist: endive leaves in place of taco shells.

Want to know how she scored with her kids? Read more here to find out!

For more delicious endive recipes, tips and nutritional information, visit the Discover Endive website.

Kid-Friendly Ham and Cheese Endive Nachos from Rachael of La Fuji Mama

Ham and Cheese Endive Nachos

Looking for a way to entice your kids to eat more endive? With all the nutrients that endive packs into those pale yellow or red leaves, you should be!

One of our OnDivas, Rachael of La Fuji Mama, helps out with this great recipe for Ham and Cheese Endive Nachos. All the crispy, crunchy, salty, cheesy goodness, with less fat and calories than traditional nachos. Find out which took less time: making the nachos, or watching them disappear!

Read more…

 

Korean Barbeque-Stuffed Endive Leaves from Amy of Word Kitchen

Today we are honored to have a guest post from Amy of Word Kitchen, who writes about the culinary connections between American Thanksgiving traditions and her son’s South Korean heritage. Her Korean Barbeque-Stuffed Endive Leaves are a savory treat from her home to yours, ready to be enjoyed any time!

Writer Amy Rogers Nazarov (in black, at end of table) enjoys Thanksgiving dinner with her family at home in Washington, DC in November 2011. The Korean Barbeque-Stuffed Endive Leaves were long gone by this point. (photo courtesy Ari Nazarov)

My husband Ari and I brought our son home from South Korea when he was almost nine months old.

Adopting Jake has made our lives richer in so many ways, from the friends with whom we socialize – families built by adoption and biology – to the dreams we nurture about a journey back to South Korea so Jake can see where he was born – and, with luck, see his foster family and his birth relatives.

Jake is almost five years old, and talking openly about his adoption is just the way we do things around here. He knows he did not come out of my belly but out of his birth mom’s. There is a photo of his foster mother holding him on our living-room mantel. And I’ve told him he used to ride in his foster mom’s podaegi when she went out to buy food or run errands in the bustling city of Seoul. A podaegi is a Korean baby carrier, a great length of fabric the caregiver wraps around herself and the baby so the infant is cozily snuggled against her back. The moment I first laid eyes on my son, in the parking lot of his foster family’s apartment building, all I could see was his head sticking out of the podaegi.

Happily, Jake likes Korean food, which we eat in restaurants about once a month and which I am learning to make at home. Last Thanksgiving, I experimented with Korean barbeque, which is usually made with short ribs marinated in a salty-sweet sauce. I thought it might be the basis of an appetizer giving a nod to Jake’s birth culture, which we seek to honor and learn more about any chance we get.

My entire family – my parents, my brother and sister and their spouses and children – came from New England to Washington to celebrate and eat with Ari, Jake and me. By and large, it was a traditional American feast: there was a 20-pound turkey, my brother Paul’s green-bean casserole, my sister Alison’s squash, my mother Carol’s apple pie (true confession: we’d all take apple over pumpkin any darn day). But like I said, I wanted to put a Korean stamp on the meal.

This dish is based on the Korean barbeque recipe in Joohee Muromcew’s The Baby Bistro Cookbook (Rodale, 2003). I used 80/20 ground beef, marinating it for an hour or so before I dropped it down in the hot skillet. The first time I prepared the dish, I made two mistakes: one, I used ground sirloin, which dried out because of the relative lack of fat. Also, I worked the marinade into the meat, which made the cooked beef tough. I advise you to purchase ground chuck for the recipe and then to just let the meat hang out in the marinade, turning it a couple of times; you’ll have a chance to work the flavors in later when you are browning it.

When it’s cooled a little, I spooned the cooked beef into endive leaves, which not only add crunch, color and contrast but are sturdy enough to hold the meat. My husband is a vegetarian, but everyone else gobbled up the meat-stuffed leaves with gusto.

My hope is to serve a Korean dish at every Thanksgiving. We’re a Korean-American family now, and preparing and eating the food of our son’s birth country can, I think, help tide us over until we get back to Korea one day to help him better understand where he came from on his journey to us.

Korean Barbeque-Stuffed Endive Leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 scallions or chives, chopped

½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 T hoisin sauce (optional)

1 T white sugar

1 T brown sugar

2 T toasted sesame oil

1 pound ground beef (preferably ground chuck, which has a higher fat content)

Two heads of endive, washed, with leaves pulled off and ready to fill

Mix the scallions, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce (if you are using it), sugars and oil in large self-closing plastic bag (it has to be big because the meat’s going into it). Make sure you dissolve the sugars. Place the beef in the bag and let it marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes. You can also leave it there overnight.

Into a skillet preheated to medium, dump the entire contents of the bag. Break apart the marinated beef with a spoon for 10 minutes or more. Resist the urge to turn up the heat; the sugar in the marinade can burn if it’s too hot.

Once the meat is no longer pink inside (be sure to take out a knife and check!), pile a tablespoon or so of the beef into the waiting endive leaves (enlist some help from anyone standing around in the kitchen, as this is a bit time-consuming). The bigger leaves might be able to hold a bit more.

The meat-stuffed leaves look nice arranged on a round platter. These tasty bites cool off quickly, but they taste good warm or at room temperature.

About the blogger:

Amy Rogers Nazarov (photo courtesy Ari Nazarov)

Amy Rogers Nazarov writes about food, adoption and technology from her home in Washington, DC. Her byline has appeared in Cooking Light, Washingtonian, The Washington Post, The Writer, Cure, BizTech, The Baltimore Examiner, Media Bistro, and many other outlets. Amy blogs at www.wordkitchen.net, tweets @WordKitchenDC, and is represented by Fairbank Literary Representation (http://www.fairbankliterary.com/)

This past weekend, Discover Endive participated in the annual IACP Conference in New York City. IACP is the International Association of Culinary Professionals. During the conference, Discover Endive hosted a table at the Culinary Expo, and one of the largest trade magazines for the produce industry (The Packer) featured our social media efforts in a wrap-up of the event.

Read more here.

The Packer is the fresh fruit and vegetable industry's leading source for news, information and analysis.

 

Recipe Post Round-Up

We’ve had a bumper crop of endive recipes show up on our virtual doorstep lately. Because we’re the sharing kind, we’re including the links for you here. Let us know if you try any of these recipes. Better yet, post about it on our facebook page (where there happens to be a “pop-up” endive giveaway taking place. Ends today!)

• Endive Salad inspired by a visit to Michigan from Stealth Cooking
• Endive Slaw with Shabark Hickory Vinaigrette from the Fooducopia Blog. Shagbark? That’s right, shagbark.
• Arugula, Endive, Beet and Blood Orange Salad  from Simmer and Steam, including an impressive iPhone photo of the finished dish!

Endive Tart Tatin from Faith at An Edible Mosaic

An Edible Mosaic: Endive Tart Tatin

Faith from An Edible Mosaic proves that you can have your cake and eat it too. As she writes:

“When a girl gets a huge box of endive, after she shares some of the loot with her neighbors and makes endive salad a couple times, what’s she to do with it all?  If your mind went to dessert, you are truly in good company.”

Click through to her lovely food blog and read how she turned the queen of vegetables into a dessert fit for a king!

About the Faith:

I live in New York with the love of my life, my wonderful husband, Michael.  I enjoy reading (cookbooks mostly), watching movies (fantasy, horror, historical fiction, and thriller), traveling (to the Middle East in particular), and am enamored with ancient cultures (especially Rome and Egypt).  My favorite foods are grapes, spinach, and chicken makhani, and my vice is Swiss dark chocolate. 

Caramelized Endive with Brown Butter Sage Sauce from Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food

Caramelized Endive with Brown Butter

Looking for a delicious endive recipe, that is both easy and fancy? Carolyn, from All Day I Dream About Food shares her secret recipe that had even her finicky husband asking for more! Read her post for the glorious details!

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We’ve discovered a few more lovely endive recipes for you. Take a click through:

• Sauteed Belgian Endive with Bacon and Goat Cheese from Blue Kitchen
• Prosciutto Wrapped Endive from Nutmeg Nanny
• Pear & Raspberry, Endive & Cress, Goat Cheese Salad from Marilinda Hodgdon of foodfloozie.com

Chicken, Endive and Root Vegetable Soup from Winnie of Healthy Green Kitchen

Chicken, endive, and root vegetable soup with endive parsley pesto (photo courtesy Healthy Green Kitchen)

Nothing is more inviting that a delicious bowl of piping hot soup. Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen showcases California endive in two different ways in this delectable Chicken, Endive and Root Vegetable Soup.

Can you spot the endive? Read more here to discover her secret.

 

French Onion and Endive Soup with Pancetta from Dara of Cookin’ Canuck

French Onion and Endive Soup with Pancetta from Cookin' Canuck

Dara from Cookin’ Canuck helps us get through the last of winter’s chill with her fabulous French Onion and Endive Soup with Pancetta. Learn how she includes pancetta in a healthy lifestyle, and you can even catch a glimpse of our fun OnDiva video, put together by Rachael of La Fuji Mama.

Ricotta and Endive Appetizer from Paula at Bellalimento

Ricotta and Endive Appetizer

This Sunday, February 26, the 84th Academy Awards will be broadcast. Paula, from Bellalimento shares her delicious Ricotta and Endive Appetizers, which make a great snack to share during award show viewing! Elegant, delicious, easy and nutritious. What more could you ask for? Read Paula’s full recipe here!

 

Bacon, Gruyere and Endive Quiche from Carolyn at All Day I Dream About Food

Bacon, Gruyere and Endive Quiche (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

Today, Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food treats us to this wonderful quiche. An ode to comfort food during the long days of winter, her quick and easy quiche combines bacon, Gruyere cheese, heavy cream and endive, which has been sauteed in the rendered bacon fat.  Check out her full recipe here!

12 Days of Endive, Days 8 and 9

When last we saw Rachael, one of our fearless OnDivas, she was filling us in on all the reasons to include California endive in your diet. On Day 8, Rachael breaks down the difference between red and white (or pale yellow) endive. Can you guess what it is?

On Day 9, Rachael recounts all the different names that endive goes by. What you may not realize is that endive grown in California is purported to be less bitter than its European ancestors. However, it still packs a nutrient-dense punch!

And don’t forget you have a chance to win a shipment of freshly packed California endive just for sharing your favorite dip recipe at the Saucy Dipper. Visit this Dipstock post for more information!

Cucumber-Yogurt Dip

This is a light, refreshing dip to use with California endive “dippers”. Snack guilt-free during the big game!

Cucumber-Yogurt Dip

Makes about 2 cups, serves 8 to 10

1 medium cucumber, preferably seedless, peeled and grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 bunch scallions, thinly sliced then chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 2 teaspoons dried dill
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix cucumbers with salt and marinate 15 minutes at room temperature, or until liquid comes out of cucumbers. Drain cucumbers, gently pressing out excess liquid. Combine with remaining ingredients and serve with endive spears.

And don’t forget you have a chance to win a shipment of freshly packed California endive just for sharing your favorite dip recipe at the Saucy Dipper. Visit this Dipstock post for more information!

Raspberry-Yogurt Dip

This dip will make a splash with the younger set. Let your kids help you make this, and watch them devour it on California endive spears!

Raspberry-Yogurt Dip

Makes about 2 cups, serves 8 to 10

1 cup walnuts
1 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted and drained
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest (green part only)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Place walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. In a large bowl, fold together the ground walnuts with the remaining ingredients. Serve with endive spears.

And don’t forget you have a chance to win a shipment of freshly packed California endive just for sharing your favorite dip recipe at the Saucy Dipper. Visit this Dipstock post for more information!

Carrot-Orange Dip

Here’s another great recipe that will put California endive to use as the “slimmer dipper.” Try it at your next gathering!

Carrot-Orange Dip

Makes about 2 cups, serves 8 to 10

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the carrots, orange juice concentrate, olive oil, and ginger in a medium
pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring
occasionally, or until the carrots are very soft. Cool to room temperature. Combine
carrot mixture with remaining ingredients and chop finely in a food processor. Season
to taste with salt and pepper and serve with endive spears.

 

Slimmer Dipper for Super Sunday Snacking

According to the third annual Supervalu Snack Down Survey by Harris Interactive, the favorite snacks for football parties are dips and spreads.

But sack the high-calorie chips and crackers! There’s a healthier way to enjoy these crowd-pleasing snacks.

With approximately one-calorie per leaf and an impressive nutritional profile of vitamins A, B, C and K, beta carotene, potassium and fiber, substituting California endive leaves is one great call.

And because the cost per pound of endive is less than most chips and crackers, it’s a less expensive choice as well.

The perfect slimmer dipper, California endive leaves are ideally shaped, crisp enough to glide through a bowlful of dip or safely cradle a yummy bite without the threat of drips or spills.

Try these easy, make-ahead dips to eat deliciously healthy while celebrating the big game in style. And young football fans will love endive’s juicy crunch, especially when scooping up “pretty in pink” raspberry dip.

Romesco Dip

Makes about 2 cups, serves 8 to10

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
1 cup garlic croutons
1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup roasted almonds or hazelnuts, peeled or whole
2 teaspoons Spanish pimentón (sweet smoked paprika), or paprika
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the garlic in a small pan and cook
together until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Cool, then
combine the garlic mixture with the remaining ingredients and chop finely in a food
processor. (If using salted nuts, rinse lightly and drain, and do not add more salt.)
Season to taste with salt and serve with endive spears.

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For more endive information and recipes, visit the Discover Endive website!

California endive is grown exclusively by California Vegetable Specialties, the only endive grower in the U.S., in Rio Vista, Calif.

12 Days of Endive, Day 6, 7 and more!

We have a lot to fill you in on here at Discover Endive. First, let’s catch up with Rachael at La Fuji Mama and her 12 Days of Endive series.

When we last saw Rachael, she was extolling the anti-cancer benefits of endive. Next, Rachael shared 12 fantastic ways to “Add Some Diva to Your Salad.” Yes, please! And on Day 8…find out about the mysterious evolution of red endive. Thanks, Rachael, for all you do to educate us on all things endive!

But wait! There’s more? Yes, more…

You can win your very own shipment of freshly packed California Endive. How? Well, check out this juicy (or should I say “Saucy”) tidbit:

Sara over at the Saucy Dipper has come up with not one, not two, but THREE dip recipes perfect for pairing with the endive. The dip recipes come just in time for Saucy Dipper’s special event called Dipstock. Discover Endive is happy to participate in Dipstock, a festival of dips, as Sara likes to call it.

The first 20 Dipstock participants will receive a dip tray from Discover Endive and one lucky winner will receive a free shipment of endive. Anyone can participate. All you have to do is make a dip and share the recipe. Visit the Saucy Dipper to find out more about Dipstock and to get the recipes for a Light Ranch Dip, Spicy Pineapple Dip, and a Greek-Food Lovers Dip, all of which taste delicious when served with endive.

12 Days of Endive, Day 5

No matter what day of the week it is, endive makes it easy to get a healthy meal on the table. How? Check out Rachael’s latest “12 Days of Endive” post for the latest endive fact that will make you smile…

Endive: perhaps the easiest vegetable going?

12 Days of Endive, Day 4

Wondering what to do with California endive? Did you know it is versatile enough to be cooked or eaten raw? Rachael of La Fuji Mama shares a wonderful list of ideas for dips, spreads and other fun fillings to go in raw endive leaves (spears) in her recent post Endive: Do the Dip!

Another bonus is that endive does not need to be washed. During the growing process, it never touches dirt, nor is it handled directly. That’s a great time-saver when you just can’t wait to bite into some endive!

For more fun endive facts, check out Rachael’s on-going series, 12 Days of Endive. You could even win a shipment of endive yourself. But hurry!

12 Days of Endive, Day 3: WIN SOME ENDIVE!

12 Days of Endive with Rachael from La Fuji Mama

On Day 3 of the 12 Days of Endive, Rachael schools us in the history of endive. This little vegetable has quite a storied past!

Want to win some freshly packed California endive?

Check out Rachael’s post, then come back here and leave a comment telling one new thing you learned about endive. If you do, you’ll be entered to win a shipment of California endive. Entry period will close on Monday January 23, midnight EST. Winner chosen at random from all valid entries. Void where prohibited. Shipping only to continental US, excluding Alaska.

What are you waiting for? Now’s your chance to win the Queen of Vegetables!

This sweepstakes is closed. Thank you for your comments! Congratulations to Shreela for winning a shipment of freshly packed California endive!

12 Days of Endive, Day 2 – Miso Hungry!

Want a little help pronouncing “endive” correctly? Rachael, from La Fuji Mama has you covered. Check out Day 2 of the 12 Days of Endive, and while you’re there, be sure to listen in to her brand new podcast series “Miso Hungry!” Congrats, Rachael!

12 Days of Endive with Rachael from La Fuji Mama, Day 1

Here’s a fantastic series all about endive from Rachael from La Fuji Mama: 12 Days of Endive. For twelve days, Rachael will be sharing interesting endive facts and recipes. Be sure to check back for her latest posts and updates!

First in the series, Rachael offers a delicious, family-friendly recipe with California endive as the base. The title says it all with this luscious dish: Sautéed Endive with Toasted Israeli Couscous and Poached Eggs. Click the photo to read more!

Sautéed Endive with Toasted Israeli Couscous and Poached Eggs

Recipe Round-Up: The OnDivas

By now you know that our OnDivas have been busy creating delicious endive recipes to spread the word about this delicious vegetable. However, not only can our endive afficianados create wonderful dishes with the “Queen of Vegetables,” they are talented in every area of the kitchen.

Without further ado, let’s take a quick peek into what the OnDivas are up to this week, in recipe round-up format.

Carolyn offers heartfelt Homemade Nutella Truffles (Low Carb and Gluten-Free) and a Thank You

Winnie slows down to enjoy braised sausage and tomatoes with chard and poached eggs

Paula teaches us How to Make Italian Hot Chocolate

Dara spices up Edamame (Soy Bean) Dip with Smoked Paprika & Garlic Recipe

Rachael creates magic with Snowman Peppermint White Hot Chocolate

Stop by and give them a read!

 

Rice Noodle Salad with Endive, Shrimp & Soy-Ginger Dressing

Rice Noodle Salad with Endive, Shrimp & Soy-Ginger Dressing

To ring in the New Year, Dara from Cookin’ Canuck proves that delicious and healthy go hand in hand with her Rice Noodle Salad with Endive, Shrimp & Soy-Ginger Dressing. Check out her website for the full recipe, as well as some endive nutrition facts that will have you asking for seconds!

Thanks, Dara!

Endive, Kale, and Smoked Salmon Salad with Avocado and Pink Grapefruit

Endive, Kale, and Smoked Salmon Salad with Avocado and Pink Grapefruit

Today, Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen has created a delicious Endive, Kale, and Smoked Salmon Salad with Avocado and Pink Grapefruit. As she describes, “It’s nutrient dense and delicious- perfect as a healthy New Year’s Eve party first course, or as a tasty low-carb winter meal to counteract holiday overindulgence.”

As you plan your New Year’s Eve festivities (and your return to healthy eating in 2012), make this salad a part of your menu!

For the full recipe, visit Healthy Green Kitchen

California Endive with Homemade Boursin and Smoked Salmon

Endive with homemade boursin and smoked salmon

The holidays are filled with wonderful opportunities to share home cooked meals, entertain friends and neighbors, and celebrate all that is delicious during the season. Today, one of our OnDivas, Carolyn, from All Day I Dream About Food, shares a family recipe for homemade boursin. The recipe is her husband’s, and Carolyn promises it is “out of this world!” She puts a healthy dollop on raw endive leaves, and tops that with smoked salmon. Try Carolyn’s version, or use the delicious spread as a base and come up with your own mouth-watering combinations. Ideas include:

• chopped walnuts
• dried cranberries
• thinly sliced cucumber
• buttery croutons (for extra crunch!)
• fresh herbs (basil, dill, Italian parsley)
• smoked almonds
• crumbled bacon
• a drizzle of honey

Mix and match a few to see what you like best! And be sure to visit Carolyn’s blog for the full recipe and story behind this family favorite!

Endive with homemade boursin and smoked salmon

OnDiva Dara from Cookin’ Canuck

For the past week, we have been introducing you to our new panel of OnDivas. The OnDivas are each fabulous home cooks, creative recipe developers, talented food photographers and entertaining culinary writers all rolled into one. They are helping Discover Endive spread the word about California endive: the health benefits of eating endive, its value at the grocery store, and its versatility in your weekly menu. What’s more, this week the OnDivas offer you more wonderful holiday recipes and entertaining suggestions that will reduce your stress in the weeks to come!

Dara of Cookin' Canuck

Today, Dara from Cookin’ Canuck shares one of her “go-to” recipes for holiday entertaining, as well as revealing some of her favorite memories and foods from this joyful season.

What are some of your family’s traditional recipes or foods that you include in your holiday cooking from year to year? What are the “new” holiday culinary traditions you’ve created, and how did they come about?

Some of our holiday recipe traditions come straight from our childhood, such as my husband’s great-grandmother’s butter cookies in the shapes of wreaths and trees.  Being from Canada, my family holds tight to many English traditions, such as serving plum pudding (on fire, of course) and butter tarts.  Our new traditions include serving decadent maple-glazed cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.  We always serve turkey for Christmas dinner, but we make it on Christmas Eve and slather it with hot gravy on Christmas.  This takes some of the chaos out of Christmas day.

 The holidays just aren’t the holidays without _________________________?

…without watching my mum, my mother-in-law and our two boys dress up as reindeer, serenading us with jingle bells and Christmas carols.  It just never gets old.

What is your favorite holiday movie, television special, character or song?

Without a doubt, my favorite holiday character is the Grinch.  My dad started reading the story to us every Christmas Eve when I was very young and my husband and I now carry on the tradition with our boys.  We look at every picture in detail, marveling at all of the cool Seuss-ian toys.

What is one go-to recipe for the holidays that you can share with the Discover Endive audience?

My dad’s bread stuffing is a “must” at Christmas table.  Filled with fresh herbs and tender bread, the stuffing easily fills half of my plate each year…and then I go back for seconds.  He started making the stuffing when I was a teenager.  My mum was sick with bronchitis one year and my dad took it upon himself to come up with a stuffing recipe.  Surrounded by every cookbook we owned, he pieced together what has now become a family favorite.

What is one tip, suggestion or piece of advice for the Discover Endive audience to cut back on stress during holiday entertaining and/or cooking?

Delegate, delegate and then delegate some more.  Everyone wants to help, so let them!  The last thing guests want to do is sit idly by as they watch a harried host run around the kitchen.

Thanks, Dara!

Be sure to visit Dara’s food blog, Cookin’ Canuck for more great recipes and ideas.

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Stay tuned for more from the OnDivas, including California Endive Stuffed with Homemade Boursin later this week. And if you have a question for our OnDivas, post it to the Discover Endive facebook page or shout it out on Twitter!

OnDiva Rachael from La Fuji Mama

For the next week, we will be introducing you to our new panel of OnDivas. The OnDivas are each fabulous home cooks, creative recipe developers, talented food photographers and entertaining culinary writers all rolled into one. They are helping Discover Endive spread the word about California endive: the health benefits of eating endive, its value at the grocery store, and its versatility in your weekly menu. What’s more, this week the OnDivas offer you more wonderful holiday recipes and entertaining suggestions that will reduce your stress in the weeks to come!

Rachael of La Fuji Mama

Today, Rachael from La Fuji Mama shares one of her “go-to” recipes for holiday entertaining, as well as revealing some of her favorite memories and foods from this joyful season.

What are the “new” holiday culinary traditions you’ve created, and how did they come about?

One of our newer traditions (at least for me) is that I make fruit cake every year for Christmas.  My husband’s grandmother used to make it every year.  When she passed away a couple of years ago, I realized that there would be no fruit cake that Christmas, made especially sad by the fact that it is something my husband’s grandpa looks forward to all year.  So I decided to make it something I would do each year.  Now I look forward to the moment when I can give grandpa his own little loaf each December.

What is your favorite holiday movie, television special, character or song?

O Holy Night—the music never fails to send tingles up and down my spine.

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?

Getting to spend time with family.  It’s been a busy year, so having the opportunity to slow down a bit and gather round the dinner table with family sounds better than any gift that could be wrapped and put under then tree!

What is one go-to recipe for the holidays that you can share with the Discover Endive audience?

I LOVE chocolate covered pretzels, but always shy away from making them myself because I find the process monotonous.  This month I came up with a super simple way to get all of the same flavors of my beloved chocolate dipped pretzels in a homemade treat, without the monotony—my recipe for white chocolate peppermint pretzel bark: http://www.savvysassymoms.com/white-chocolate-peppermint-pretzel-bark/

What is one tip, suggestion or piece of advice for the Discover Endive audience to cut back on stress during holiday entertaining and/or cooking? 

Don’t forget to stop and live in the moment.  I find that it’s all too easy to get caught up in the stress of the holiday season and I have to stop and remind myself why I’m doing everything.  Stop and enjoy the looks of wonder on your children’s faces as they experience the magic of the season.  Don’t worry so much about perfection—I promise, no one else will notice.  You have the rest of your life to work on perfection, but you only have these moments once!

Thanks, Rachael!

Be sure to visit Rachael’s food blog, La Fuji Mama for more great recipes and ideas. Stay tuned for another interview, recipe and tip with another fabulous OnDiva, coming tomorrow!

OnDiva Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen

For the next week, we will be introducing you to our new panel of OnDivas. The OnDivas are each fabulous home cooks, creative recipe developers, talented food photographers and entertaining culinary writers all rolled into one. They are helping Discover Endive spread the word about California endive: the health benefits of eating endive, its value at the grocery store, and its versatility in your weekly menu. What’s more, this week the OnDivas offer you more wonderful holiday recipes and entertaining suggestions that will reduce your stress in the weeks to come!

Winnie Abramson of Healthy Green Kitchen

Today, Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen shares one of her “go-to” recipes for holiday entertaining, as well as revealing some of her favorite memories and foods from this joyful season.

What foods or recipes do you find that you save for the holidays, only making them at this time of year? 

I definitely do more cookie baking and more candy making this time of year. I limit sugar in my diet most of the time, but I make exceptions to this rule in December!

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? 

We live in NY and my husband works much of the time in Arizona so he’s generally only home on the weekends. My kids and I are looking forward to him being home for a longer stretch over the holidays.

What is one tip, suggestion or piece of advice for the Discover Endive audience to cut back on stress during holiday entertaining and/or cooking?

If you are having a party, do as much of the recipe preparation as you can ahead of time, and don’t choose recipes that require a lot of last-minute tending. For me, there is really nothing less fun than “babysitting” a fussy dish in the kitchen while everyone else is having a blast in the next room. It’s better to make things that are low maintenance, and that are fine served at room temperature. If your recipes require a lot of vegetable chopping or other similar prep work, try to get this done in advance (a day or two before your party).

What is one go-to recipe for the holidays that you can share with the Discover Endive audience?

We are Jewish, so I am going to have to say latkes. Here’s how I make mine.

Latkes

Ingredients:

* 4 medium-large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced longways (so they fit into the food processor)
* 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced to fit into the food processor
* 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
* 2 tablespoons finely minced green onion
* 2 eggs, preferably organic and free-range, whisked with a fork
* 2 tablespoons organic all purpose flour or leftover mashed potatoes
* Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Grapeseed oil for frying

Directions:

1. Using a hand grater or a food processor, grate the potatoes and the onion. Place in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and press out the water.

2. Mix the potato and onion in a bowl with the parsley, green onion, eggs, and the flour. Mix well. Season with 2 pinches each of salt and pepper.

3. Heat a cast iron skillet or a griddle and coat with a thin layer of the oil (about 1/2 inch). Place spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil, flattening each one with a spatula.

4. Fry several minutes, until golden brown, and then flip over and continue frying until both sides are well browned. Drain on paper towels. Add additional oil to the pan as needed to fry the rest of the latkes.

5. Serve immediately with applesauce and crème fraîche or sour cream (or the topping(s) of your choice).

Thanks, Winnie!

Be sure to visit Winnie’s food blog, Healthy Green Kitchen for more great recipes and ideas. Stay tuned for another interview, recipe and tip with another fabulous OnDiva, coming tomorrow!

OnDiva Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food

For the next week, we will be introducing you to our new panel of OnDivas. The OnDivas are each fabulous home cooks, creative recipe developers, talented food photographers and entertaining culinary writers all rolled into one. They are helping Discover Endive spread the word about California endive: the health benefits of eating endive, its value at the grocery store, and its versatility in your weekly menu. What’s more, this week the OnDivas offer you more wonderful holiday recipes and entertaining suggestions that will reduce your stress in the weeks to come!

Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food

Today, Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food shares one of her “go-to” recipes for holiday entertaining, as well as revealing some of her favorite memories and foods from this joyful season.

What are some of your family’s traditional recipes or foods that you include in your holiday cooking from year to year?

Growing up, we always had tourtiere, a French Canadian meat pie, on Christmas Eve.  My mother’s family is of French Canadian origin and it always felt very special to connect to that part of my heritage.  It’s a wonderful dish, and my husband and I now try to make sure we have it some time around the holidays.

What are the “new” holiday culinary traditions you’ve created, and how did they come about?

We started a tradition a few years ago that was an absolute hit with the kids.  On the night that we trim the tree, we also have pancakes for dinner.  I usually try to make the pancakes “holiday” themed, and last year I did Gingerbread Chocolate Chip pancakes.  The kids think it’s such a special treat to have pancakes for dinner, and little do they know, it makes for a quick and easy dinner to prepare.  But I can hardly wait until the kids are old enough to do all the clean up!

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?

A visit from my parents.  We don’t live close to our extended family, and we haven’t spent the holidays together in a few years.  I am really excited to be the one hosting, and I know it means the world to my kids to have their grandparents here.  And my father just melts watching his grandkids open their presents.  He spoils them rotten, too.

What is one go-to recipe for the holidays that you can share with the Discover Endive audience?

My recipe for French Canadian Tourtiere.  It’s easy to make, and it’s a really flavourful dish.

What is one tip, suggestion or piece of advice for the Discover Endive audience to cut back on stress during holiday entertaining and/or cooking?

Someone told me this before my wedding, and it applies to holiday plans and parties too.  It’s simply to keep in mind that your guests don’t know all the little details you were planning, so they won’t notice if one or more of those details is missing.  It’s all too easy to sweat the small stuff when planning parties and big dinners, but in the end, does it really matter?  The holidays are meant for enjoying the company of friends and family, so if one or two details don’t turn out according to plan, let it go.  Nobody is going to notice or care.

Thanks, Carolyn!

Be sure to visit Carolyn’s food blog, All Day I Dream About Food for more great recipes and ideas. Stay tuned for another interview, recipe and tip with another fabulous OnDiva, coming tomorrow!

OnDiva Paula from bell’alimento

For the next week, we will be introducing you to our new panel of OnDivas. The OnDivas are each fabulous home cooks, creative recipe developers, talented food photographers and entertaining culinary writers all rolled into one. They are helping Discover Endive spread the word about California endive: the health benefits of eating endive, its value at the grocery store, and its versatility in your weekly menu. What’s more, this week the OnDivas offer you more wonderful holiday recipes and entertaining suggestions that will reduce your stress in the weeks to come!

Paula of bell'alimento

Today, Paula, from bell’alimento shares one of her “go-to” recipes for holiday entertaining, as well as revealing some of her favorite memories and foods from this joyful season.

What foods or recipes do you find that you save for the holidays, only making them at this time of year?

When I think of Christmas foods for us it HAS to include my Mom’s Sugar Cookies, my Grandma’s Divinity and Fruitcake. It isn’t the holidays without those.

Finish this sentence: The holidays just aren’t the holidays without:________________?

My Family!

What is your favorite holiday movie, television special, character or song? 

My favorite Christmas song would have to be Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” My Mom would blare it every year while we were decorating the tree, and we’d dance and sing as loud as we could. Good times.

What is one go-to recipe for the holidays that you can share with the Discover Endive audience?

Easy appetizers that I can throw together at a moment’s notice. Crostini are my go-to appetizers. A favorite is this Sausage Crostini  

What is one tip, suggestion or piece of advice for the Discover Endive audience to cut back on stress during holiday entertaining and/or cooking? 

 Breathe and remember that your guests are there to see YOU and not the house.

Thanks, Paula!

Be sure to visit Paula’s food blog, bell’alimento for more great recipes and ideas. Stay tuned for another interview, recipe and tip with another fabulous OnDiva, coming tomorrow!

Endive and Beet Salad with Candied Walnuts

Endive and Beet Salad with Candied Walnuts

Serves 4

3 medium red beets, greens removed
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water

Candied walnuts:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch salt
1 cup walnut halves or pieces

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
Salt and pepper

Endive:
4 large endives, preferably 2 white and 2 red

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put beets in small baking dish with garlic, wine vinegar and water. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake until beets are tender when pierced, 45 to 60 minutes. Peel while warm. Let cool, then cut into small cubes.

For walnuts: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In bowl, stir together sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Bring small pot of water to boil over high heat. Add walnuts and boil for 1 minute. Drain in a sieve. While they are still slightly
damp, add walnuts to bowl with spiced sugar and stir to coat evenly. Spread walnuts on parchment paper and bake until they are fragrant and sugar has melted, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

For dressing: In small bowl, whisk together oil, wine vinegar, shallot and salt and pepper to taste.

Add enough dressing to beets to coat them lightly. Slice endives crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces. Discard ends. Put endive in bowl and toss with remaining dressing. Arrange on serving platter. Scatter beets over endives, then scatter candied walnuts over all. Serve immediately.

Endive with Mexican Shrimp Salad

All week we’re highlighting fabulous yet simple recipes to help you add delicious dishes to your holiday entertaining, while minimizing stress. The recipe below uses the bold flavors of lime, cilantro and Serrano peppers to bring a taste of Mexico to your holiday table.

Endive with Mexican Shrimp Salad
Serves 6 to 8

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, very finely minced
Salt

Salad:
1/2 pound cooked and peeled baby shrimp
1/2 cup radishes, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 ripe but firm avocado, in small dice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus whole leaves for garnish
Minced serrano or jalapeño chile, to taste
1/2 lime
18 to 20 endive spears

For dressing: In small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt to taste.

In medium bowl, combine shrimp, radishes, avocado, green onion, chopped cilantro, chile and a generous squeeze of lime juice. Add dressing and toss gently with your hands. Taste for salt and lime.

Divide mixture among endive spears. Garnish each spear with a whole cilantro leaf. Serve immediately.

De-Stress the Holidays with California Endive

Home entertaining peaks at holiday time, and stress spikes along with it.

But that was last year. This year, implement a new strategy. Start stockpiling festive recipes that rely more on your flair than your time, such as anything made with the fashionable and elegant endive. Both white and red varieties make an immediate style statement and can take you from Thanksgiving through New Year’s with minimal effort. Endive (say on-deev) can help you keep a lid on holiday calories, too. At only one calorie per spear, endive is truly the “slimmer dipper,” a more wholesome choice than crackers or salty chips.

A versatile vegetable developed in Belgium (but now California grown), endive can come to the table either hot or cold. Crisp and refreshing when sliced raw in salads with candied walnuts and ruby beets, the shapely heads also bake to perfection. Braise them with broth, cream, and mustard for a side dish worthy of your Thanksgiving turkey or a holiday roast. For a cocktail party, the curvaceous spears can cradle any filling or scoop any dip, from a creamy feta spread to a spicy shrimp salad.

Endive may have a glamorous aura but it’s a remarkably practical choice: less expensive pound-for-pound than most bagged salad mixes; longer lasting (up to 14 days if kept in moist paper towels in a plastic bag); and all but effortless. You don’t even need to wash it or spin it dry; just slice the heads crosswise for salads, discarding the core, or braise the plump heads whole. Its captivating bittersweet flavor has made endive a European favorite, a complement to apples, pears, and nuts, smoked fish, and roast meats.

All week we’ll be offering fabulous recipes that add the delicious to your holiday entertaining, while steering clear of added stress. First up, Endive with Roasted Red Pepper Feta Spread!

Endive with Roasted Red Pepper Feta Spread

Makes 1 1/3 cups spread, to serve 8
1/2 pound Greek or French feta, in small chunks
1/2 large roasted red bell pepper, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, or more if needed
2 dozen white and red endive spears for dipping
Fresh dill sprigs, for garnish
Kalamata olives, for garnish

Put feta, bell pepper and garlic in food processor and blend, adding just as much olive oil as needed to make a smooth puree. Transfer spread to serving platter or bowl and surround with endive spears. Garnish with dill sprigs and olives.

For more holiday entertaining ideas, visit the Discover Endive website.

 

Meet the OnDivas!

Discover Endive is thrilled to introduce our fantastic panel of culinary stars, known as the OnDivas. These five talented food bloggers are helping to spread the word about California endive. Look for them on Twitter, facebook, Pinterest, StumbleUpon or anywhere people are talking about food! And of course, they each write, photograph and develop original recipes for their own fabulous food blogs.

Have an endive question? Ask them! Looking for a cooking tip? Put our experts to the test. These fine cooks will help you get to know California endive in a whole new way! Use the hashtag #OnDiva on Twitter to follow their endive updates. Follow them on facebook for the latest endive news and links. Stay tuned for giveaways and other fun promotions as well, as we kick off this lively OnDivas campaign.

We are extremely proud to be working with each of these talented women! Take a moment to say hello, won’t you?

Winnie of Healthy Green Kitchen

Winnie Abramson has a degree in naturopathic medicine and is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer at Healthy Green Kitchen. She loves sharing her experiences in and out of the kitchen and hopes to inspire others to cook more, eat better, and live greener. You can find her on Twitter @winnieabramson and on facebook, Healthy Green Kitchen.

Rachael of La Fuji Mama

Rachael Hutchings is the author of the blog La Fuji Mama, which focuses on bringing world flavors to the family dinner table.  She has eaten her way around the world, having lived in a variety of locations, including Paris, Tokyo, Memphis, and Los Angeles.  Rachael is a self-proclaimed Japanese cuisine advocate who loves introducing people to such things as the wonders of homemade tofu, the importance of sustainable seafood, and the secrets behind making professional-looking gyoza.  You can find her on Twitter @fujimama and on facebook, La Fuji Mama.

Paula of bell'alimento

Paula is a self taught cook who has a passion for all things Italian. The recipes featured on her blog, bell’alimento {Italian for beautiful food} are irresistibly Italian, focusing on simple, seasonal and satisfying ingredients. You can find her on Twitter @bellalimento and on facebook, bella alimento.

Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food

Carolyn Ketchum writes All Day I Dream About Food, a food blog that focuses primarily on low carb, gluten free recipes. She has a Masters in Physical Anthropology and Human Evolution from Arizona State University and has an extensive background in higher education administration. She currently lives in the Boston area with her husband and three children. You can check out her experiments with low carb baking at All Day I Dream About Food , as well as finding her on Twitter @dreamaboutfood and on facebook, All Day I Dream About Food.

Dara of Cookin' Canuck

Dara Michalski is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the blog, Cookin’ Canuck.  She fills her blog with healthy, innovative and easy recipes, exploring different flavor combinations that will be sure to please your family and guests.  She is thrilled to have to opportunity to write about the versatility of endive, incorporating it into everything from impressive hors d’oeuvres to down-home comfort dishes.You can find her on Twitter @cookincanuck and on facebook, Cookin’ Canuck.