Breakfast Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

One of our favorite breakfast treats is a good lemon poppy seed muffin. These muffins provide just the right touch of sweetness thanks to the all-natural flavors of lemon zest. We love how simple it is to throw these muffins together-- and once they're in the oven, you can't beat the lemony aroma that wafts through the house! 

If you need a yummy recipe for the next brunch get-together or lazy Sunday morning with the family, this one's a winner. If you'd like to add a little extra sweetness, try sprinkling sugar over the muffin mixture before putting them in the oven.  Read on for the recipe...

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

(Makes 10-12 servings)

Ingredients:1/2 cup sweet creamy butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
zest from 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. 

3. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating two times with the buttermilk, then lemon juice, and then vanilla. Beat just until smooth.

4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the muffin batter until blended. 

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, 3/4-full. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Italian Recipe: Pasta with Tuna & Lemon Sauce

This is a deliciously simple no-cook pasta sauce. We love the tangy hint of lemon that gives it an extra dose of flavor, and it blends perfectly with tuna. The addition of olives and capers makes this no-fuss Italian dish all the more satisfying. It’s a piatto povero. The sort of meal that was a staple for Italian peasant families, and still remains a favorite across Italy today. In other words, you can make it on the cheap.With only a handful of basic ingredients you’ve got a complete dinner.

While some people swear by using shells for this recipe, we’ve found it goes great with all sorts of pasta varieties: taglietelle, penne, spaghetti, you name it. Experiment with different combinations until you find your own personal favorite!

Pasta with Tuna & Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 quarts water
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 pound pasta of your choice
• 1 (6-ounce) jar artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/4 cup drained and rinsed capers
• 1/2 cup pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 2 (6 1/2 ounce) cans imported Italian tuna in olive oil, drained
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add salt and pasta. Wait for the water to return to a boil, then cook al dente according to package directions.
2. Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water.
3. Move pasta to a serving bowl. Add reserved cooking water to the pasta—this keeps it from sticking together.
4. One by one, mix in artichoke hearts, capers, olives, lemon juice and zest, tuna, and olive oil. Sprinkle black pepper to taste.
5. Garnish with chopped parsley leaves and a dusting of parmesan.
6. Buon appetito!

Recipes makes four servings. 

Simple Side Dish: Broccoli with Lemon & Parmesan

If you're looking a way to spruce up that broccoli you were intending to serve, here's a fantastic recipe. Broccoli with lemon and Parmesan cheese turns a standard vegetable side into an outstanding dish. The lemon adds just the right amount of sweetness and acidity while the Parmesan cheese gives the dish just the right amount of saltiness. Some would prefer to roast the broccoli, but steaming it maintains the delightful crunch. After steaming, toast a little garlic and some shallots, and use the Parmesan cheese and basil leaves as a garnish. Keep reading below for this simple recipe...

Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 12oz broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Arrange the broccoli in a steamer. Steam, covered, 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Set broccoli aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, garlic, and shallots. Cook 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the oil mixture, zest, lemon juice, and salt to the broccoli. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the broccoli mixture with the cheese and basil.
3. Enjoy!

Grilling Recipe: Rosemary Lemon Chicken

We wanted to enjoy a simple, grilled chicken for dinner, ad were looking for a great recipe, and some interesting ideas to turn the chicken into something special. After a little searching, we found our answer in rosemary and lemon.

Before grilling, we marinated the chicken overnight in a simple mixture of oil, lemon juice, garlic, and chopped rosemary. The real secret to adding even more flavor to this dish is how you baste the chicken while it cooks. Instead of using a brush, dip a small bunch of rosemary sprigs in olive oil and brush the chicken. This keeps the chicken nice and moist and results and delightful, garlicky chicken, with a very strong, delicious rosemary flavor. Keep reading below for this fantastic recipe...

Grilled Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced, plus 4 sprigs rosemary, whole
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large pinch paprika

Directions

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, mustard, garlic, chopped rosemary, salt, pepper, and paprika. Add to a large zipper-lock bag. Add the chicken to the back, turn to coat the chicken, seal the bag and chill for 3 hours or overnight.
2. To cook, heat the grill to medium-high. Let the chicken come to room temperature. Brush the grill grates with olive oil. Brush the marinade off the chicken then place the chicken on the grill. Put the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small dish next to the grill with the sprigs of rosemary. Dip the tops of the sprigs into the olive oil and occasionally baste the chicken with the sprigs until the chicken is cooked through (about 3-4 minutes per side).
3. Serve the chicken hot with roasted vegetables.
4. Enjoy!

Light & Luscious Dessert Recipe: Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are irresistibly tang- yet slightly sweet and buttery- thanks in no small part to the shortbread crust. The cake-like top with the powdered sugar only serves to complete the treat, making these lemon bars a totally addictive dessert.

In the past, we've found many lemon bars are too sweet, or their crusts are too soggy. We wanted to find a way to fix these problems and bring out the tangy citrus without drying the treat out too much. To fix the sweetness, we used the juice from three or four lemons with some added zest in the filling while dialing back a little on the sugar. For the crust, we used confectioners' sugar and cornstarch, finding those gave the perfect texture. To prevent sogginess, we pre-warmed the crust in the oven and added the filling to the warm crust. Keep reading below for this fantastic dessert recipe...

Lemon Bars

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar (plus more for decoration)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoon butter, slightly cooler than room temperature, cut into 1" pieces

FILLING

• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons
• 3/4 cup lemon juice from 4 large lemons, strained
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 13"x9" baking dish and line with a sheet of parchment paper. Dot the paper with butter, then lay a second sheet crosswise over it.
2. Pulse the flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor or blender. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds. Pulse until the mixture is a pale yellow and resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle the mixture into the lined pan, and press firmly with your fingers into an even 1/4" layer over the entire bottom of the pan and about 1/2" up the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake about 20 minutes.
3. While the crust is cooling and baking, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour for the filling in a medium bowl, then stir in the lemon zest, juice, milk and salt to blend well.
4. when the crust is done baking ,reduce the oven to 325F. Stir the filling mixture to reblend, then pour into the warm crust. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the filling feels firm when lightly touched (about 20 minutes). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Lift the confection up by the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Fold the paper down and cut into serving size bars.
5. Sift confectioners' sugar over the bars for decoration.
6. Enjoy!

Twist on a Classic Recipe: Lemon and Garlic Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

If you’ve ever ordered a Caesar Salad in a restaurant and been disappointed because of some aspect of the dressing, we’ve got the perfect recipe for you. Sometimes the dressing is too creamy, sometimes it’s too “anchovy”…sometimes there’s just too much of it, period. Instead of taking your frustration out on the salad itself, consider making your own from scratch and, while you’re at it, change up the ingredients and add some grilled shrimp instead of chicken. Caesar Salad is one of the best recipes to make at home because you know what’s going into it and how to cater to your own taste—although we don’t think you’ll have to change too much of this recipe for it to taste just right—and you’ll have made one of the best Caesar salads you’ve ever had!

Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

(Serves 2) 

Ingredients

Shrimp:

• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (10-12 shrimp)
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 4 cups romaine lettuce, roughly torn or chopped
• 2 tablespoons pasteurized egg substitute
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, very finely sliced or grated
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Croutons:

• 4 pieces French bread
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.
2. Halve your garlic and rub cut sides on all sides of the bread slices.
3. Cut your bread into 1/2-1-inch cubes and drizzle with olive oil, then add salt and pepper.
4. Place bread cubes on baking tray in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
5. In a pan, over medium heat, add olive oil and wait until hot before adding shrimp, crushed garlic cloves, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp is opaque, 2-3 minutes per side. Take off heat, remove garlic cloves, drizzle with lemon juice and set aside.
6. For the salad dressing, combine and mix all of the “Salad” ingredients except the lettuce and parmesan. Add in the romaine and croutons and toss well. Add shrimp and, if needed, adjust seasoning.
7. Garnish with Parmesan cheese on top.

Cool Summer Treat: Blueberry Lemon Popsicles

Don’t want to wait for the ice cream truck to roll through the neighborhood? No problem. If you have popsicle molds already, then homemade frozen treats are just a few steps away. (And if you don't, click here to see some online.)

If you’re on a dairy-free diet, no problem – grab 12 ounces of blueberries and 4 tablespoons of honey (plus the lemon juice) and skip the yogurt entirely. Want to add some other fruits? Swap in some of your favorite berries! Plus, making these homemade popsicles is something the kids or grandkids might love to do. 

Blueberry Lemon Popsicles

(Makes about four popsicles)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt, plus several extra dollops for each popsicle*
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Juice from one lemon (or about three tablespoons lemon juice)

Directions:

1. Mix 1 cup of yogurt, 3/4 cup blueberries, the honey, and the lemon juice together in a blender or food processor until smooth.
2. Grab the popsicle molds and put a few blueberries in the bottom of each mold, followed by a couple dollops of yogurt. Then, add a few more blueberries before filling the mold the rest of the way with the blended blueberry-yogurt mixture.
3. If the molds don’t come with handles, cover the molds with plastic wrap and make small holes in the wrap for the popsicle sticks -- then place the popsicle sticks through the holes and into the center of each popsicle mold.
4. Put the popsicles in the freezer for several hours.
5. Enjoy!

* If you don’t want the separate layer of yogurt, just blend the entire cup of blueberries with the entire cup of yogurt (and honey and lemon juice) and fill the molds completely with the whole mixture.

Sweet & Simple Dessert Recipe: Lemon Cupcakes

One of the best things about lemon-related desserts is the way they’re so different from the pack. Lemon is a great flavor, it cleanses the palate and provides a little zing to something that can otherwise taste cloying. It’s also pretty cute if you top them with edible flowers, but maybe that’s just us…. Lemon cupcakes are some of our favorites around here and we like them extra lemony, so we thought we’d share how to get the perfect amount of tart zestiness into these sweet treats!

Lemon Cupcakes

(Makes 15 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

          1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

             1 1/4 cups sugar

             1/2 cup whole milk

             1 stick unsalted butter, softened

             3 large eggs

             2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 large lemon)

             1 tablespoon lemon zest

             1 teaspoon baking powder

             1/2 teaspoon salt

             1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract           

Frosting:

            2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

            3/4 cup butter, room temperature                       

            1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

            1 splash heavy cream, if needed

            1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

            1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 375º F and line your cupcake tins.
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder together.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until yellow, thick and fluffy. Beat in your eggs, one at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next.
4. Mix in vanilla, lemon juice and zest.
5. Gently add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, alternating with the milk. Start and finish with the flour. Do not over mix.
6. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 3/4 full and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 15-17 minutes.
7. Remove trays from oven and allow to cool.

Frosting

1. In your mixer, whip butter with lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Remember to scrape the sides of your bowl.
2. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time and add lemon juice and vanilla. If needed, add in splash of heavy cream to lighten the frosting.
3. Continue whipping until very fluffy. Wait until your cupcakes are cooled, then pipe or spread your frosting.
4. Edible garnish optional—enjoy!

Italian Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

A few bites of cheesecake normally leaves you feeling overstuffed-- it's one of the heaviest desserts out there. Delicious, but sometimes a little too much.  That's why basing the cake with ricotta makes such a difference. Ricotta is lighter and fluffier. It makes for an altogether more refreshing treat.

The addition of lemon zest makes for a tangy, mildly sweet cake that hits the spot on lazy, summer afternoons. All sorts of Italian desserts combine these two ingredients-- ricotta and lemons-- with palette-pleasing results. Make sure to stock up on high-quality ricotta (fresh from the farmer's market is ideal!). It makes all the difference. 

Ricotta-based cakes are a staple in bakeries all over Italy. They vary in texture and sweetness. We think this recipe provides just the right balance. It's a great alternative to the sticky, sugar-saturated desserts that populate supermarket shelves. Still, it's got just the right touch of sweetness.  Try it out for yourself, and you'll understand why it's so well-loved both in Italy and beyond. 

Photo credit: Flickr user Rowena

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

Ingredients:  Crust:  1-1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 45 wafers) 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest   Filling: 2 pounds fresh, whole-milk ricotta cheese 2/3 cup white sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 6 eggs 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs, butter and lemon peel. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9 1/2-in. springform pan. Bake at 325° F for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. 
2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, stir ricotta with a rubber spatula until it reaches an extremely smooth consistency. Add the sugar and flour into the ricotta, mixing thoroughly.
3. Stir in the eggs 1 at a time. Next add in the vanilla, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. Mix well. Pour batter into crust.
4. Bake in the center of the oven for about 75 to 90 minutes at 300°  F, until the cake is a light golden color. When it's ready, the center should be fairly firm, and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center will come out clean.
5. Cool cake on a wire rack. Cover, and chill till serving time.
6. Buon appetito!