August 4, 2010

Stuffed with cheese.  Breaded and fried.

Do I really have to write any more?

I’ve been eyeing these gorgeous squash blossoms for ages now, and finally decided to try my hand at stuffing them.  Lucky me, it must have been in the cards because one of my favorite growers at the farmer’s market gave me 2 baskets for the price of one!  I took it as a sign and took them home to experiment.

A simple recipe… take your favorite soft cheese (I used light Laughing Cow), some Parmesan, garlic powder and pepper mixed together and gently stuff into the blossoms.  A light dusting of flour, a dip into milk or egg, and a roll in some seasoned toast or bread crumbs.  That’s all the prep you need to do!  I fried these little flowers for a minute on each side, until golden, taking care not to brown too much.  I recommend serving these over a simple spoonful of your favorite tomato sauce with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top.  To DIE for.  Guess what we had for dinner this night??

August 4th, 2010 | Category: Food, Grow It, Locally Made, Main Dishes, Recipes, Veggie | Comments (2)

July 8, 2010

Some of the true fruits of the season!  Tender squashes during this time of year don’t need big fancy recipes to let their flavor shine through.  Who has time for big fancy recipes during summer, anyway?

This stuffed squash recipe is so simple that I won’t even type out a proper recipe~

I gently scoop out the inside of each squash half (I’ve found that a small melon baller works best for me), taking care not to dig too deep. This will give you little squash boats to fill with your stuffing.  Using a knife or pulsing food processor, chop the scooped out squash and combine with chopped onion, peppers, and whatever other vegetables you’d like.  Here I’ve also added shredded carrot and chopped parsley.  A bit of salt, pepper, garlic for seasoning, and a sprinkle of bread crumbs to keep the mixture together, (quinoa is also great in these). 

Fill your squash with the mixture and top with a bit of Parmesan, goat or feta cheese. I pop these into a 375 degree oven until slightly browned on top (20-30 minutes depending on squash size).  Yum!

If you are looking for another simple recipe for these summer squash beauties, here is my recipe for Squash Ribbons with Parmesean.

July 8th, 2010 | Category: Food, Locally Made, Main Dishes, Recipes, Veggie | Comments (3)

July 1, 2010

There’s something about this time of year that inspires me, maybe it comes from those sunny, beachy memories from my childhood.  Summers smelling like the last bit of chill in the morning air before it heats up, and the scent of freshly cut grass.  Hours of playing outside in the sun, the twinkly sound of the ice cream truck nearby, and picnics…

Picnics always seemed to turn any day into a special occasion, its own Holiday.  Coolers and totes filled to the brim with sandwiches and salads, and always a few treats.  The mere though of it makes me feel the warm sun on my shoulders and grass under my toes.

All of this picnic dreaming made me realize that within a matter of days, we will have the king of all Picnic Holidays ~ the 4th of July!  What is more American than potato salad on Independence Day?, I had to ask myself when I thought about the upcoming festivities.

And inspired by the thought, here is a tasty potato salad recipe to add to your holiday picnic menu!

Literally translated, the French call potatoes Apples of the Earth…pommes de terre.  It wasn’t until this year that we had eaten fresh potatoes, newly dug from the ground.  BOY oh BOY it is a different world from the store bought potatoes we have been accustomed to!  Creamy, fresh, springing with vitality… I truly understood what the French were talking about.

For my Potato Salad, I used tiny New Potatoes bought from the Arroyo Grande Village Farmer’s Market.  I added some fresh arugula to make this more of a salad, and inspired by a wonderful food blogger, Bea from La Tartine Gourmande, I added some marinated cucumbers and radishes.  A fun and colorful idea!

A sprinkling of thyme and parsley added to a light dressing, making it perfect for travel, finished off this yummy meal.  It was a hit with J and even baby J couldn’t resist some for dinner.  Perhaps we’ll have to repeat this lovely meal on our upcoming Holiday…

HAPPY 4th OF JULY, FRIENDS!!

A big thank you to SLO Veg for the amazing produce I’ve used here:  pink and purple radishes, purple onion, cucumbers, and arugula. It’s no wonder that SLO Veg is celebrating 1 year in business with 1000% growth with such great produce and service, congrats on an impressive first year!!

Read on for the Recipe…

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July 1st, 2010 | Category: Food, Inspiration, Main Dishes, Recipes, Veggie | Comments (2)

January 15, 2010

A Tale of Two Burgers! With rainy weather looming on the horizon, I thought I’d better share these before we all want to stay inside with a nice bowl of comforting soup or stew.  We haven’t made normal burgers in quite a while…besides the special occasion, red meat has been a rarity around our dinner table.

Our two standard burgers are now Turkey Quinoa and Eggplant.  I love adding different ingredients to regular recipes, and with turkey burgers we’ve had great luck with brown rice, shredded carrots, and my favorite, quinoa!  Great taste, fiber, protein and a fantastic binding agent all in one.

And if you haven’t tried an Eggplant Burger…OH MAN, you are missing something in life!  Talk about an economical way to feed a crowd….for the cost of one eggplant you can get 8-9 servings.  Healthy and cheap…that’s my kind of meal.

Did I forget to mention a beautiful BBQ Sauce that we made ourselves for the first time?

I really should mention that…  I put this Homemade BBQ Sauce in everything, from using it as dry-burger-prevention mixed into the turkey patties, to a glaze on the eggplant slices, and pretty much anything else I could slather this on.

Go ahead and give these a try…I promise they won’t disappoint.  Maybe they’ll just shoo that bad weather away!

Recipes after the jump!

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January 15th, 2010 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Veggie | Leave a comment

January 7, 2010

“It always takes me by surprise!”, I told J over and over during these past few days.  “Do you mind if we BBQ again?”  Do you really need to ask a guy that?

Just when I had gotten used the chilly temps of a Central Coast winter night, here comes New Year’s and the inevitable heat wave.  Don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying I don’t enjoy these toasty 75 degree days (though it must have hit 80 in my neighborhood), the balmy evening sunsets and grilling outside every night.

But I needed something different.

Our solution to the Hot Weather Grilling Blues?  Cold Noodles!  Our standby recipe consists of a Sesame Peanut Butter sauce, but I had to try something new tonight.  A can of light Coconut Milk from our cupboard provided all the inspiration we needed!

Add tender baby Bok Choy, Sugar Snap Peas and a bright squeeze of Lime, and we found our tasty meal for this summery night.  I call this Thai Coconut Noodles… and please don’t be intimidated by the Thai name, I have a few short cuts that may not make this authentic, but can resonate a balmy tropical evening if you just close your eyes and have a taste…

Recipe after the jump!

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January 7th, 2010 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes | Leave a comment

January 4th, 2010

First off, a big HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you out there!!  I have a sense that this is going to be an amazing year for all of us…can’t you feel it in the air?  I have so many friends and acquaintances whom have mentioned how 2009 was a great year for them, but they know that 2010 will be even better.

I love seeing this despite all of the changes we’ve all had to go through with our little economy acting as it has been…many of us are more appreciative, grateful and hopeful.  And yes, we had quite an extraordinary year ourselves with our new family addition being at the top of our list.  Very happy and grateful…not much can get us down.

And so, a simple celebration for the start of this New Year.  I’ve always loved New Year’s more than the other holidays during this time.  There’s nothing like a fresh start, a clean slate.  New Year, Old Traditions… for us that means ringing in the new digits with a fiesta, including our own take on Cole Slaw, Tortilla Soup and homemade Guacamole.

Recipes after the jump!

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January 4th, 2010 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (2)

July 23, 2009

A rebellion against my last post….was I too preachy about the negatives of frying foods?
Probably not, but here is what was created in the same day as that Oven Fried Eggplant Parmesan:

Scrumptiously fried Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flautas.

I’ll share my secret recipe with you all in a future post…I’ve entered these in a contest so wish me luck!

(Yes, they’re worth the wait…..!)

July 23rd, 2009 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (6)

July 21, 2009

One of the many ways my husband won my heart was through his Eggplant Parmesan…who could blame me with the dreamy combination of homemade sauce, crispy breaded and fried eggplant slices, and melted mozzarella cheese?  I could tell each time he made this dish that it was a labor of love (and maybe showing off a bit??) with all of the preparation it took just to assemble!  We would make double batches just for leftovers and freezer stock just so all that hard work wouldn’t be just for one night’s dinner!

Well, over the years we’ve created our own shortcuts and ended up making a bit healthier version of the beloved classic!   Instead of frying batch after batch of greasy eggplant slices, we just set them in the oven to “Oven Fry” and forget about them for a bit.  (Healthier than frying, PLUS the house doesn’t smell like a grease pit.)  Another update is when assembling, we layer thick slices of beefsteak tomatoes along with the eggplant, small amounts of sauce and fresh mozzarella…you GOTTA try it!

Oven Fried ~ Oven Baked Eggplant Parmesan

• Peel and slice eggplant into 1/4″ rounds (2 lbs. will make a 9 x 13″ pan of Parmesan)
• Dust in flour, dip in egg/milk bath, and coat in seasoned breadcrumbs.
• Lay breaded slices on baking sheets (we use our Silpat mats, but a non-stick spray will work also) and spray tops will an olive oil spray.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden, flipping once halfway through.

• In a 9 x 13″ pan, begin assembling by coating the bottom with a small amount of sauce, a layer of eggplant slices, a small amount a sauce, slices of tomato, slices of mozzarella, then another small amount of sauce.  Continue this pattern two more times, finishing with a sprinkle of Parmesan to top it off!
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Let this dish stand for a while…it always tastes better after resting for a bit…and ALWAYS tastes better the next day!

PS:  These leftovers make AWESOME sandwiches the next day!

July 21st, 2009 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Veggie | Comments (5)

April 12, 2009

Ham and Cheese Quiche with Aparagus and Spinach

Forget the main course and endless side dishes…roll it all into one easy dinner!  Okaaay, I added some sides as well…garlic sauteed spinach and creamy sweet potatoes.  (Chocolate bunny not shown.)

Have a great holiday!

April 12th, 2009 | Category: Food, Main Dishes, Recipes | Comments (6)