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)

March 27, 2010

Can we chat about my latest obsession?  Bloom Microgreens have been popping up in my SLO Veg deliveries this year and I can’t get enough of these fresh and tasty little leaves!

I add them to sandwiches, on top of my morning bagel (with avocado, to die for) or sprinkle them into salads.  Microgreens are the young sprouts of vegetables and Bloom has a huge variety to choose from.  My personal favorite right now is their Rainbow mix, which includes cabbage, broccoli, chard and sunflower shoots.  The Sunshine mix is so tasty as well, and I’m looking forward to trying their Asian mix (includes wasabi sprouts!) and their selection of herb greens.

I have to add another reason for why I love these microgreens…. have you ever gotten a box of sprouts from the grocery store and tried to take just a pinch out at a time?  It’s virtually impossible and I always end up yanking the whole lot out of the box.  Bloom microgreens are easy to take out a few at a time… I don’t know, it’s the little things that make me happy!    Bloom is located in Los Osos, CA and run by Kara Wood, yet another wonderful local business to support.   Yum!

March 27th, 2010 | Category: Food, Locally Made, Veggie | Comments (3)

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 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)

October 5, 2009

So….I didn’t win the recipe contest.  But that’s ok…

…if you want to know how to make Bruschetta (sooo innovative) I can send you to the magazine site.
BUT if you want something creative, savory and downright scrumptious…READ ON!

Mushroom & Goat Cheese Flautas

Recipe makes 8 flautas (Very filling-  Serving suggestion: 1 for an appetizer; 2 for an entrée)

Ingredients:

·  1 tablespoon butter
·  2 tablespoons olive oil
·  8 oz crimini mushrooms, diced
·  1/3 cup red onion, diced
·  1/3 cup red pepper, diced
·  1/4 teaspoon each:  dried dill, dried oregano, Worsteshire sauce
·  1/8 teaspoon each:  dried garlic, paprika, ground pepper, salt
·  1 tablespoon lemon juice
·  2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
·  8 oz goat cheese
·  1/3 cup ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese works too!)
·  8 flour tortillas (8 inch size)
·  Oil for frying

Make ‘em:
1.  Melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet; sauté mushrooms, onion and pepper until slightly soft; add spices (dill through salt) and remove from heat.
2.  In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, ricotta and mushroom mixture.  Gently toss in lemon juice and cilantro.
3.  Spread two spoonfuls of mixture in a line on a tortilla and roll up from one end to an other, like a small burrito.  Make sure not to roll too tightly to prevent mixture from leaking.  Secure wrapped tortilla by inserting a toothpick through the middle.  Continue with remaining tortillas.
4.  In a large skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable or canola oil to medium heat.  Fry flautas in two or three batches, watching closely.  Flip when one side has become golden in color (30-60 seconds each side).  Drain on paper towels and allow to cool for a couple minutes.

Serving Suggestion:  Serve with a sweeter dip such as Pineapple or Mango salsa

Might have to make some again this week, yummmmmy!!

October 5th, 2009 | Category: Food, Recipes, Snacks, Veggie | Comments (5)

September 16, 2009

I finally have a shopping buddy for the Wednesday Farmer’s Market by our house, though I have to say he didn’t seem as excited as I was about it.  Maybe that’s just because he’s not on solid foods yet…

Jesse and I saw some beautiful summer squash and zucchini for a very thrifty price and we could not resist!

On the menu for lunch:  Zucchini and Squash Ribbons

A quick toss in the pan with some salt, pepper, and a spray of oil.  Add some parsley and garlic if desired, then a MUST:  top with Parmesan cheese!

A beautiful day to be out before this area feels the bite of fall approaching.  This might be my favorite time of year….the fog of summer has vanished, the stiffling heat of late summer has come and gone, and we still have time to enjoy the best fruits (and veggies) of the season!

Can’t wait to share more recipes from the rest of our market scores!

September 16th, 2009 | Category: Food, Grow It, Local Places, Recipes, Veggie | Comments (6)

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)