All Posts By: NANCY DeLUCIA REAL

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These cookies burst with rich flavors – chocolate, vanilla and sesame. And the best part is that the cookies have a low sugar content.

Delight your guests with these Chocolate Easter Cookies on April 20th or anytime!

You can make these scrumptious cookies ahead and freeze them in double freezer bags.

Active Prep time: 30 minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 9-12 minutes
Makes: 25-30 cookies

Ingredients:
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons tahini
2/3 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 to 1 cup toasted sesame seeds (TO TOAST SESAME SEEDS: PLACE SEEDS IN A NONSTICK SKILLET AND TOAST ON MEDIUM-LOW HEAT UNTIL LIGHT BROWN, STIRRING CONSTANTLY)

Prepare Cookie Batter:
1. In a double-boiler, heat and melt the chocolate chips and butter together. Stir in the tahini and set aside.

2. In a 3-cup bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.

3. In a 4 to 6-cup mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs until blended.

4. Stir brown sugar and vanilla into eggs; beat until uniform.

5. Next, stir in the chocolate/butter/tahini mixture and mix until uniform.

6. Add the flour mixture to wet ingredients and beat until combined and a batter has formed.

7. Cover and chill the cookie batter for 30 minutes.

8. After 30 minutes, preheat oven to 375°F and line a 18-inch X 16-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Shaping & Baking Cookies:
1. Place toasted sesame seeds in a 2-3 cup bowl; set aside.

2. Wet your hands with water and grab enough cookie batter to shape a 1-inch ball.

3. Roll ball in sesame seeds, shaking out excess.

4. Place cookie ball on cookie sheet.

5. Repeat wetting hands, shaping cookie batter into balls, rolling in seeds and placing on cookie sheet – cookie balls should be 2 inches apart on sheet.

6. When all cookies have been placed on baking sheet, transfer the sheet to a rack positioned in center of oven.

7. Bake cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, or until puffed.

8. Cool completely. Cookies can be made a day ahead or they can be frozen in double freezer bags up to 2 months.
Text & Photograph ©2025 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Serves: 2

Since I dislike thin, watery soups, I came up with this “dense” soup (without using flour, cornstarch or other thickening agents). Instead, I simply minced three ingredients that I buy from a local farmers’ market. And then… I created this Market Veggie Soup which will please vegetarians and vegans alike!

Ingredients:
2 medium carrots, peeled (ends cut & discarded)
1-1/2 medium zucchini, ends cut & discarded
1/2 medium white or yellow onion
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium Russet or Yukon Gold potato
1 vegetable bouillon cube
3/4 cup canned, whole white or pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1-1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach

Prep the Veggies:
1. In a food processor, mince together 1/2 carrot, 1/2 zucchini and 1/2 onion; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, dice the remaining carrot and zucchini; place in a bowl with cold water & set aside.

3. Peel and dice the potato.

4. Add diced potato to veggies in bowl with cold water; set aside.

Make the Soup:
1. In a 4-quart saucepot, heat the olive oil (DO NOT LET IT REACH A SMOKING POINT).

2. Transfer the minced veggies from food processor to hot oil in saucepot.

3. Using a wooden spoon, stir-fry the mixture over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. After 1 to 2 minutes or when the mixture has softened, add 3 to 3-1/2 cups cold water to the saucepot.

5. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil.

6. When mixture boils, drain the diced veggies in bowl and add them to the saucepot.

7. Crumble the bouillon cube into the soup and stir.

8. When the soup boils, stir in the beans and chopped spinach; cook over medium-high heat until all veggies are tender.

9. Serve Market Veggie Soup with your favorite bread!
Text & Photograph ©2025 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Serves: 4

When I was growing up in Italy, my grandmother or “Nonna” had a meal to prepare on a daily basis by 1 p.m. At times, she only had pasta and grains on hand and didn’t have time or money to shop for foods.

One day, my Nonna created a last-minute dish that required a short pasta variety. Since she only had long fettuccine, Nonna grabbed a few at a time, broke them into one-inch pieces and said, “Ecco! (there!), now I have short pasta”. She then made a quick tomato sauce, cooked and drained the pasta, threw in the chickpeas and served everyone. When we added grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano to this poor man’s dish, it tasted heavenly!

Here’s the recipe – only three ingredients are needed!

Ingredients:

One pound long pasta or short (if using long pasta, break it into one-inch pieces)
One 14-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained
2 to 2-1/2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce
Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. In a 4-quart saucepot, bring water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the chickpeas; set aside.

3. When water boils, cook the pasta to desired tenderness (9 to 10 minutes).

4. Drain the pasta and return it to the saucepot.

5. Quickly stir in about 2 to 2-1/2 cups tomato sauce and the chickpeas.

6. Serve immediately and ask guests to add cheese to their pasta e ceci, if desired.
Text & Photograph ©2025 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

I first had tuna ceviche at a seafood restaurant in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It reminded me of tuna tartare or tuna poke. Here’s my take on this Japanese-inspired, Mexican food.

INGREDIENTS:
Two 6 to 8-ounce sushi-grade tuna filets, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (available at a Japanese supermarket or seafood section of any supermarket)
Juice of 1 to 2 limes
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup finely-chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely-chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1 package corn tostadas

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large glass or porcelain bowl, combine the tuna, juice from one lime, Dijon mustard, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon jalapeño pepper, red onion, carrot, cilantro, salt and ground black pepper.

2. Toss all ingredients together; taste.

3. If more lime juice, jalapeño and/or salt are needed, add a little more; taste once more.

4. If needed, adjust seasonings again.

5. Serve the tuna ceviche immediately on corn tostadas.

6. The tuna ceviche can be made a few hours ahead on the same day, covered and refrigerated.
Text & Photograph ©2025 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time for Cake: 20-30 minutes for batter and 23 to 28 minutes for baking
Prep time for Cream Cheese Frosting: 5 minutes
Prep time for Frosting & Decorating Cake: 20 to 25 minutes
Serves: 12 to 16

This spectacular, melt-in-your-mouth cake can be made a day ahead. You can frost this magnificent creation, place it in a cake box and refrigerate it.

The pistachio cake is moist, delicious and rich with a luscious frosting. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE:
1½ cups roasted unsalted pistachios
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil (preferably organic safflower or sunflower oil)
1½ cups unbleached, granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup whole, plain Greek yogurt (do not use low fat or nonfat yogurt)
¾ cup milk (unsweetened, nondairy milk can be used, as well)
2 cups all-purpose, unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS FOR CAKE:
1. Set a cake rack at center of oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Meanwhile, line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cakepans with parchment paper; grease the pan sides with vegetable oil.

3. In a food processor, pulse-blend all the pistachios until they form fine crumbs (like sand, not powder); set ground pistachios aside in a bowl.

4. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter and vegetable oil on low speed until somewhat blended.

5. Then, set speed on medium and beat butter-oil mixture until smooth – about 2 minutes.

6. With mixer running, pour in the granulated sugar a little at a time.

7. Continue beating sugar on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. The mixture should turn light and fluffy.

8. Add the eggs, egg whites and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth and uniform, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes.

9. Add the yogurt and milk; mix on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds.

10. Add the flour, ground pistachios, baking powder and salt.

11. Beat on low speed, scraping down bowl with a spatula, until just combined.

12. Divide cake batter among the two pans, spreading it with a rubber spatula across the surface.

BAKE THE CAKE:
1. Bake the cake for about 23 to 24 minutes.

2. After 23 to 24 minutes, insert a pointed knife at center of each cake. If it comes out dry, the cakes are done. If not, bake for 2 to 4 minutes longer and test again.

3. Place both cake pans on cooling racks or on trivets on a counter and cool slightly (about 10 minutes).

4. Remove cakes from pans: using a rubber spatula, run it around edges of each cake pan. This will loosen the cakes.

5. Carefully flip each cake over onto a plate; peel off the parchment paper and quickly reinvert the cakes (right side up) onto a cooling rack or plate; cool completely.

INGREDIENTS FOR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
FROSTING:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
One 8-ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
5-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (this is powdered sugar)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
For Décor: nonpareil candies, colored sugar crystals or other decorative candies.

MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1. Flip one of the cakes upside down and place it on a cake board or plate (this will be your serving plate).

2. Gently lift edges of cake and tuck 3-inch aluminum foil strips underneath cake. The strips will fit in between plate/board and cake. They will keep the plate/boad clean.

3. Using a frosting knife or butter knife, add 3 or 4 dollops (about ¾ cup of the frosting) across top of cake.

4. Gently spread the frosting evenly across cake and down to the sides. Be careful not to have cake crumbs mix in the frosting.

5. Top with the second cake layer (right side up) and repeat frosting the top.

6. Use remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of cake.

DECORATE THE CAKE:

1. Use colored nonpareil or sugar crystals and “splash” them at sides of cake. It will become messy, but it’s okay!

2. Decorate top of cake, per your artistic taste and/or holiday or other celebratory theme.

3. Gently lift the bottom edges of cake and SLOWLY pull away the aluminum foil strips.

4. Place cake in a box and immediately refrigerate it (keep in mind the cream cheese cannot be left out at room temperature).

5. The cake can be set out of refrigerator up to one hour before serving time.
Text, Photograph & Video ©2024 Nancy DeLucia Real