Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Let’s get one thing out in the open. Go ahead, hate me if you want, but I am not a fan of summer. I grew up in Kentucky, and now live Tennesse, so the heat & humidity are really something I should be used to. I just hate the heat, and I hate sweating. Bleh. Before it was even June, or even technically summer, I had already pronounced that I was ready for fall. But… Summer does have a couple redeeming qualities. One is, I LOVE it when most of the students are gone for summer. I live on the edge of Vanderbilt University, and I love love love my emptier streets & restaurants! Second, I do enjoy cruising around the lake on my dad’s pontoon boat, and swimming in the lake. And third, I really enjoy all the seasonal produce. Watermelon, fresh corn on the cob, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant…. YUM!
If you’re looking for a way to take advantage of summer’s bounty, look no further. This recipe was so incredibly simple, I must admit, I was a little dubious of it’s outcome upon reading. The reason I decided to go ahead and make it, was I already had every single ingredient on hand, thanks to my CSA and a few other staples. I’ll admit, I was wary of the raw vegetables. I just wasn’t sure if the texture and flavor would be as appetizing as say, roasting. Roasting vegetables is pretty much my go-to for a lot of my CSA veggies, but a recipe that doesn’t require an oven is a great change of pace. So, when I saw this in a Whole Foods email newsletter, I bookmarked it.
Slicing the squash & zucchini into ribbons makes for a beautiful presentation, and is what gives this dish it’s faux “pasta” name. I love a colorful dish, so it’s no surprise I was drawn to this. I believe we eat with our eyes first, and with all our senses. The aroma of fresh basil is so refreshing. We ate dinner downstairs with our neighbors, and everyone (EVEN THE BOY!) raved over this dish. With the simplicity of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh basil, oregano, it all combines to create an incredibly flavorful dish. Honestly, the summer’s heat is worth it with a dish like this!
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Raw Summer Vegetable "Pasta"
Ingredients:
2 zucchini squash, shaved thinly lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
2 yellow summer squash, shaved thinly lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
5 oil-packed sundried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
1 teaspoon finely chopped oregano
Directions:
In a large bowl, gently toss together all ingredients. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.
Per serving (about 6oz/169g-wt.): 60 calories (25 from fat), 3g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 7g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 2g protein
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
For some reason, I always feel the need to preface a quinoa post by telling you how much I love quinoa. And how much I love these types of salads. So let’s get that out of the way, shall we? I LOVE QUINOA!!!! I LOVE THESE WHOLE GRAIN SALADS!
I was browsing through my Epicurious app on my new iPhone 4, and I quickly came across this recipe. Instantly I added it to my favorites. I knew I would be making this, because it combined so many fresh & seasonal vegetables.
Let me first begin by mentioning, this recipe tells you to use an extra-large bowl. I quickly realized my extra-large bowl was NO WHERE NEAR BIG ENOUGH. I ended up mixing & storing it in my large round cake carrier, using the domed lid as the bowl, and the flat bottom as the lid! I kid you not. (Don’t worry, I didn’t serve it in that! I portioned some of it out into a smaller, more presentable bowl.) You could easily halve this recipe for a smaller amount.
Once I got the salad mixed together, I didn’t have room in my fridge for the huge cake carrier, so I brought it to my downstairs neighbor’s fridge for storing. I made her taste-teste it, and asked her opinion, because she loves quinoa salads as much as I do. We both determined it definitely needed something to brighten it up. It was good, and had potential, but it wasn’t quite there yet. After some pondering, I determined it needed orange zest & orange juice. So I made a touch more of the vinaigrette, and added in the zest of 1 large orange, and the juice of 1/2 a large orange. After adding that to the salad, it really perked it up. The extra flavoring from the orange, combined with letting the salad rest in the refrigerator overnight, really took a salad that upon first taste I thought “ehhhhh…”, to “mmmMMMMmmmmm!” Everyone who ate some agreed it was definitely delicious. So delicious in fact, it was devoured! I was then “forced” to make it again in order to photograph it. That was perfectly fine with me, because I could take it to a friends’ for dinner, as well as eat it for lunch many days in a row. 🙂
I can assure you, whether you make the whole recipe or halve it, you will not be disappointed. This salad can easily serve as a vegetarian entree, as I ate it that way many days in a row. There’s so much nutrition and color with the tomatoes, spinach, quinoa (I used red quinoa), cucumber, and feta. Once I adapted the recipe by adding the orange juice and zest, it became a delicious salad with a touch of sweetness, a tang of vinaigrette, a refreshing hint of mint, savory saltiness from the feta, along with the crunch and substance of all the vegetables. This is a salad I will turn to again and again.
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Quinoa, Garbanzo, & Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quinoa (9 to 10 ounces), rinsed, drained (I used red quinoa, because it's what I happened to have on hand.)
4 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves
2 15- to 16-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained
1 3/4 cups 1/3-inch cubes unpeeled English hothouse cucumber
1 1-pint container multicolored baby heirloom tomatoes, halved (2 1/2 cups)
1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 cups coarsely crumbled feta cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a large orange (or if using a small orange, go ahead and use all the juice)
zest of 1 orange
Directions:
Place quinoa in large saucepan; add enough salted water to cover quinoa by 1 inch. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 16 minutes. Drain. Chill until cool.
Chop spinach leaves, & mint. Halve tomatoes & cube the cucumber. Combine spinach leaves, garbanzos, cubed cucumber, halved tomatoes, mint leaves, and half of feta cheese in extra-large bowl. Add cooled quinoa and toss gently to blend.
Whisk vinegar, smoked paprika, orange zest & orange juice in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining feta over.
Let chill in refrigerator a minimum of 4 hours, or up to overnight, for flavors to combine, and spinach leaves to slightly soften.
Friday, July 23, 2010
I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve baked cookies. And you know what… it has. I’ve made a few bars in the recent past, but not cookies. You see, I have this bad habit. I like cookie dough. No, I LOVE cookie dough. I just can’t be trusted with cookie dough or cookies in the house, so I need an occasion or an event to bring them to. Finally, I found one. A trip to the lake with my parents, The Boy, & little brother, seemed like the perfect reason to bake.
These cookies were the classic oatmeal chocolate chip. Chewy & soft, with the melted chocolate chips inside. Perfect combination of sweet & healthy (oats = healthy… right?). These were a big hit on the lake, with everyone gobbling up more than a few. I saved a couple balls of dough in the freezer to bake on demand… and a lot of them were enjoyed unbaked too!
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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
as seen on Baking Bites, originally from the Frog Commissary Cookbook
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups oats (rolled or “quick,” but not “instant”)
2 cups chocolate chips (about 12-oz.)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour in to the sugar mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.
Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread. Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and light golden at the center.
Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Alright, so I feel the need to ‘fess up to something. I have no kids, no pets, no yard/garden, a very short commute, and yet, I always feel as if I have NO TIME! (Let me take a second to mention I do have a full-time job, working at least 40 hours a week.) How is it possible I can barely find time and energy? Whatever the reason, that’s where I am. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have noticed my frequency of posts is down to 1 a week, where I used to post 2-3. Part of that is finding time & energy to blog, and part of that is finding time & energy to actually COOK! Sometimes I find myself in a mad dash to cook dinner, and I have no idea what to fix.
More than once Near East Couscous saved me. You see a LONG time ago (think April 1st), a representative from Near East contacted me about receiving a sample of their products. I immediately said yes, because it’s a line I already purchase. After a short time I received their Parmesan flavor. I was very excited about this, as I hadn’t tried any of their flavors before, just the basic couscous. Well… life got busy, and the two boxes sat in my cupboard. One night I had about 20 minutes to throw dinner on the table and I used one of the boxes as a side dish to some grilled chicken and roasted veggies. Sadly, while that meal was VERY tasty, I didn’t feel it incorporated the couscous in any way that was blogworthy to share. So, more time passed.
Then, a night last week, I found myself with a the average amount of time to get dinner on the table, but no idea what to prepare for dinner. I needed to use the two chicken breasts I had set in the fridge to thaw that morning. I suddenly remembered the couscous, and thought “By-golly, I’m finally going to make something good with this!” (PS. I am from Kentucky, where people say things like “By-golly”, don’t judge.) After I quick browsing of their site, I settled on a recipe. I even had time to make it from downtown Nashville, out to the grocery in Green Hills, back to my apartment (located about halfway in between the two), and had dinner DONE, all between the hours of 6pm-7:20pm. I KID YOU NOT! (I know to most of yall this won’t make sense, but to Nashvillians, that’s quite a feat!)
Now, you probably want to know how this tastes? Well, rest assured it tastes great!! I used fresh broccoli, so it stayed crisp and bright. The chicken cooked up fast because it was cut into pieces. And I already knew the couscous cooks VERY fast. The combination of flavors balanced, and seemed rich and light at the same time. Best of all, we had plenty of leftovers, so I could enjoy it more than once! Because of the balance of protein in the chicken, carbs in the couscous, and broccoli with lots of flavor & fiber, this serving filled me up. This is something I know we’ll enjoy again. Especially when I’m in a time crunch!
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Chicken with Parmesan Couscous, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes
adapted from Near East recipes
yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups fresh broccoli flowerets, (you can sub frozen, just be sure to thaw)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
2 Tablespoons dry white wine or water
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 package (5.9oz) Near East Parmesan Couscous Mix
1/4 cup (2oz) feta cheese, crumbled
Directions:
In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and chicken, cook until chicken begins to brown. Add broccoli, cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
Stir in water, sundried tomatoes, wine, red pepper flakes, and content of Spice Sack; bring to a boil.
Stir in couscous; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
Fluff couscous lightly with a fork. Stir in cheese, serve immediately.
(In case I wasn’t clear enough in my post, I was provided the couscous free of charge by the Near East company. I accepted it to review and offer my honest opinion. I was not paid to write this post. I ONLY post about products I can honestly recommend.)
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