FOOD HEALTH LIFE

From what I have seen, gardens are full of the peppery green known as arugula and their going to seed! So snatch up as much as you can and make some pesto. You may be most familiar with basil pesto but really pesto can be made with any green so long as you get a good balance of flavors. Often times, in fact, basil pesto is overpowering so adding another green, like arugula, parsley, mint or spinach can make for a milder sauce. In this recipe I use walnuts instead of pine nuts, simply becasue I had them on hand and they are much cheaper. Not to mention walnuts are my favorite and have a very similar consistency to pine nuts. Also I used ricotta salata along with parmesan to add a creamy texture and less salty taste.

Pesto is not only delicious it is also a great way to get the full raw benefits from the ingredients. And during what has already turned out to be a hot running season it is a great way to recharge and fuel the body. So eat up!

INGREDIENTS:

• fill food processor 3/4 full (loosely packed) with baby arugula 
• add hand full of fresh basil leaves
• small handful of raw walnuts
• 2 inch cube ricotta salata
• 1 inch cube parmesan
• 2 small cloves, garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

With the greens already in the food processor, go ahead and add the rest of the ingredients. Roughly chop the cheeses, walnuts and garlic. Turn on processor and immediately start pouring olive oil through slowly, until you have a moist paste. Take a taste and add salt to your liking. 

Add a generous dollop of pesto to your favorite pasta or potatoes with green beans and cherry tomatoes for a unique summery salad.

Zucchini is a funny vegetable. It doesn't have a whole lot of taste but you can do a lot of things with it. One of those things is pancakes. They are a great way to use up that over abundance of zucchini in your garden this Summer.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 zucchini, grated
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 6 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 300. Mix zucchini and onion with beaten eggs, then add flour, salt and baking powder. Heat pan to medium high then reduce to medium, add tablespoon of olive oil. Ladle two large spoonfuls of the mixture onto pan. cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Place on baking sheet and and put in oven to stay warm. Cook off the rest of the mixture. Makes 4 to 5 pancakes.

Serve with an arugula and tomato salad, sprinkled with ricotta salata. Drizzle pancakes with balsamic vinaigrette.

In recent weeks our country has endured more than its share of ups and downs and sideways: tornadoes, high gas prices, flooding, "Birthers", the assassination of OBL, levee breaches, more flooding, "Deathers", and ahhhhh Spring. How is it that any of us are still sane? Is it because we plug-in, de-sensitization? The more the we know the easier it is to cope with the lack of ease? These days life is not all together easy no matter how fast 3G or 4G networks can upload a photo.

This is when I run down to the garden and get excited about harvesting crazy arugula that grew back from last year, discover overgrown mint in the parking lot and notice a mysterious cilantro plant that is growing in the backyard. How does cilantro just start growing in your backyard? I have no seeds, and have not seen any cilantro anywhere in the vicinity. Spring is here!

So to balance the good and the bad this is what I suggest - soup, the ultimate comfort food.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 2-3 cups veg. broth (depending on how thick you want it)
• 1 cup hummus
• 5 mint leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• zest of 1/4 lemon
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat defrosted spinach in veg broth, add roughly mashed garbanzo beans, mint, scallions, and garlic. Bring to a simmer, then puree 3/4 (or all of the soup if you'd like it fully smooth) of the the soup in blender. Return the soup to the pot and stir in hummus, lemon zest and juice. Bring back to temp, salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

 

 

It has been almost a year since I wrote a post about a branzino meal I had out on night. It was good, but my gripe with Edo Squid in Richmond is that they over garlic most everything and by the end of the night I get a wicked case of indigestion. But, I still love eating whole branzino and ever since a good recipe was published in WSJ last Winter I've had a little birdie (my fiancee) chirping in my ear about making whole branzino. So we finally got it done. It was so easy that making a side of saffron risotto was no problem. I got my branzinos at Whole Foods, where they scaled and gutted them for me.

FISH INGREDIENTS:

• 2 whole branzino
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed and cut in half
• six round slices of lemon
• 6 kalamata olives, chopped
• fresh herbs
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

RISOTTO INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 2 cups veg broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 roma tomatoes, chopped in chunks (seeds removed)
• large pinch of saffron
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Set your oven to 350 degrees, salt and pepper the inside and outside of both fish, then stuff them with you choice of herbs (rosemary, oregano, marjaram, parsely) lemon slices, olives and garlic.

While the oven heats up, start your risotto. Set a heavy pan on medium heat with the a good drizzle of olive oil, butter and garlic. Add the rice and let it start to toast in the mixture. Once good and hot, add wine and stir. As the wine absorbs, add saffron and 1/4 of the veg broth. Stir, let absorb, then add more broth, stir, add tomato. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to add broth until rice is al dente.

Place fish in a deep baking pan and coat with olive oil and 1/2 cup of white wine - Cook fish in oven for 35 minutes. When done mix the juice from the fish into your risotto.

Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Since I have quit drinking coffee I have gotten creative with trying new beverages at home. These days I mostly drink hot green tea in the morning (not so creative, I know), I'm back to hydrating with coconut water from time to time since I'm back in the Bikram studio, and I just jarred my first batch of Kombucha - and it's good! Let's see, I've also switched from soy milk to almond milk, yum.

What I'm most excited about right now though, is my mango smoothie which I have been making since Whole Foods had champagne mangoes on sale. It wasn't until this afternoon though when I added aloe juice to the mix that I got it just right. I bought aloe juice last night for the first time as the label boasted a slew of health benefits. When I gave it a try, it tasted a little to sweet to really drink on it's own. Then I realized it would add a smoother sweetness to my smoothy than the mango and orange juice alone.

It includes just 4 ingredients:

• 1/2 small fresh mango/ champagne mango, chopped
• 3/4 cup aloe juice
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup oj
• splash of almond milk for creaminess

Fill the bottom of your blender with just enough ice to cover the blades. Add mango, aloe, oj and almond milk - blend, voila!  Whenever I eat mango I think of the Seinfeld episode when George tries some mango and exclaims, "I feel like I just had a B12 shot!". And it's true, this smoothie gives a nice boost of energy. I especially like it for breakfast to get me going or with a light lunch after a workout.

 

Well, the weather is less than Spring-like and I am just itching to get some veggie plants in the ground. But no, it's cold and my plants are inside waiting out the cold weather. This recipe is indeed a reflection of how eager I am for warm weather days. No doubt, I was happy to endure Winter but we never really got it. I think it snowed twice in the city of Richmond - the second time being Christmas day. So... you know how the sentiment goes, "If it's not gonna snow, just warm up already!"

I'm really not one to cook Summer vegetables unless it's Summer and they're locally grown, but for some reason this light and sweet pasta dish just came to me. It's great for dinner, light enough for lunch and gonna make a great left-over snack post-Ukrops 10k on Saturday.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 3/4 frozen sweet green peas
• 3/4 cup prosciutto, chopped
• 1/2 cup spaghetti squash, *steamed & chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup Pomi tomato puree
• 1/4 fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 box Orcchiette pasta

*I had some spaghetti squash left over from the night before which I had steamed the night before and added some olive oil, salt and pepper so it was already seasoned. I then chopped it up so that it would add a sweet creaminess to the dish.

To get started set a large pot of water to boil.

Chop the pepper and onion small in order to get as much flavor out as possible, also the small bits get stuck inside the concave side of the pasta making each bite delightful. Set a large saute pan to medium and drizzle in some olive oil. When hot, add the pepper and onion and cook until translucent and starting to brown, reduce the heat and add the peas, squash and prosciutto (if adding peas in frozen, wait to add meat until peas are hot).

Mix in fresh parsley and tomato puree, bring back up to temperature and add touch of salt to taste. Reduce the vegetables' heat to low as the pasta continues to cook. When the pasta is done, reserve 1/2 or 3/4 cups of starchy pasta water before straining (to keep pasta from sticking together coat with a small amount of olive oil). Drizzle some of the starchy water over the veggies, mix, then add some of the Parmesan, mix and repeat until you have a desirable amount of sauce.

Add pasta to sauce and mix until sauce has evenly distributed throughout.

Serve with a green salad and you're done!

 

 

This could be the best meal to satisfy a big appetite in a healthy way. I have been craving random things like black beans and spinach and with the coming of Spring and nice weather healthy Mexican food is seeping into my consciousness. To accompany this recipe I made a delicious salsa verde to add a cool fresh spot to the dish. I just love the citrusy flavor of tomatillos. To get started:

INGREDIENTS - SOUP

• 1 can black beans (drained not rinsed)
• 2 cups organic baby spinach (or 2 loose handfuls)
• 2 organic chicken tenders
• 1/2 yellow onions, chopped
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• salt to taste

Heat olive oil on medium in saute pan add half the jalapeno, then add chicken tenders. Add just a dash of cumin and salt. Cook for 4 minutes in either side or until cooked through, but not over done (the tenders should not shrink too much). Cut tenders into long strips then chop.

While the tenders are cooking add the other half of the jalapeno and the onion to medium sized soup or sauce pot and cook until transparent. Add beans, garlic, chicken and spices. Cook for 5-8 minutes then add 1 cup of vegetable stock. Stir in spinach, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and add stock as desired (I used a total of about 1 1/2 cups). Add lime zest an let simmer for about 5 minutes. Cover and remove from heat until ready to serve.

Brown rice cooking ratio: 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice.

INGREDIENTS - SALSA VERDE

• 1 large tomatillo, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, chopped fine
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• dash of salt

Add to bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for a few minutes before serving.If you are sensitive to spice, omit the jalapeno altogether or make sure to remove the seeds. The seeds bring the heat.

Add scoop of brown rice to bowl, top with a generous scoop of soup, salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Serves 2-3

 

Wow, it has been a very long time since I have posted. This recipe is in two parts, 1. Homemade gnocchi 2. Entree preparation. There simply is nothing like fresh gnocchi, it's chewy, gooey and full of potato flavor. Anything bought in the pasta aisle is incomparable. So, to get started you'll need:

• 3 large baking potatoes
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 beaten egg
• pinch of salt
• and any herbs or spices (or not) you'd like to add for additional flavor, I used Sage.

Boil the potatoes until fully cooked, took me about 30-40 minutes. Let them cool for a while, then peel and mash well. I used a pastry cutter to mash the potatoes and then combine the egg, flour, salt and herbs. (Start a pot of water to boil.) Mix and then knead until you've got a good working dough.

Flour a working surface and dust the outside of the dough. Cut into 4 equal parts, roll out thin then cut into 1 inch squares. Boil each dumpling until it floats, set aside to cool and toss a touch of olive oil so the dumplings do not stick together. My gnocchi become elongated after boiling so once they have cooled you may want to cut each dumpling in half for a smaller bite sized morsel. (Save some of this boiling water for the entree preparation.) This will make a lot of gnocchi so wrap any unused dough in plastic, for later use but be sure to dust with flour before wrapping.

When you're ready to start making your entree, you'll need:

• 1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola
• 1 large shallot clove chopped
• olive oil
• reserved water
• salt and pepper to taste.

Add the chopped shallot to heated olive oil in sauce pan set to medium. Toss in tomatoes as the shallot becomes transparent. Add gorgonzola when the tomatoes start to cook down. Just as the gorgonzola melts toss in desired amount of gnocchi ( about 2 1/2 cups for 2 servings). Toss with cheese and tomatoes, then pour in just a small amount of the reserved water to stretch your sauce. Keep tossing, add salt and black pepper to taste, and reduce heat to low.  Cover for just as long as it takes to get your plates ready for serving.

Buon appetito!

 

 

 

I am so excited about this recipe! My sister told me about a pie contest in Portland, Oregon which has sparked her interest in making savory pies - of course I like to call them "tarts" because I watch way too much Giada and Barefoot Contessa, and it tends to have a lighter connotation since they are open, not enclosed with crust.

So Sis, this one's for you! Give it a try for your Thanksgiving dinner, it would go great with bacon-wrapped turduckin. Cheers!

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 stick softened butter (if straight from refrigerator zap for 10 seconds in microwave)
• teaspoon salt
• dash of sage

For the filling:

• 1/2 butternut squash (use the top half of a medium sized squash) chopped into cubes
• 1 fennel bulb sliced
• 1 potato peeled and chopped into cubes (same size as squash)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated sharp white cheddar
• dry sherry
• olive oil
• Indian curry
• salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425. Cut the squash in half and peel off the skin from the top half using a potato peeler. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Do the same with the potato. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes.

Heat drizzle of olive oil on saute pan, medium/ medium-high. Cut off the long stems and root from the fennel, cut in half - longways - cut out the core, then slice. Rough cut one cup of onion. Saute until translucent, then add a couple tablespoons of sherry to moisten, and stir. Add a few dashes of curry and salt, mix well. (The curry should just add a nice warm aroma, not be overpowering - this is not a curry dish.) Cook until caramelized then reduce heat.

As the fennel and onions are cooking start your crust. In a large mixing bowl combine flour with salt and sage then work in the butter. Once the butter and flour have combined to create buttery crumbs slowly add small amounts of cold water until a solid ball of dough is formed. Roll out the dough until about 1/8 of in inch thick, place over a pie pan, press into place, and trim the over-hanging dough. Place in refrigerator until ready for baking.

After the vegetables have finished roasting, mix into fennel and onion. But make sure the fennel and onion have caramelized first, the squash can wait. When ready, mix in the vegetables adding a couple tablespoons of milk and water to help combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.

Blind bake your crust. First prick the crust throughout with the tines of a fork. Then place a coffee filter or piece of wax paper in the pan and fill with some dried beans or rice. This will weight the crust down and keep it from from rising off the pan, and keep it's shape. Bake for 25 minutes, then slowly remove the weight and bake for another 5 minutes or until light golden brown.

Set the crust aside to cool. The tart can be baked at any time. Just fill the crust fennel and squash, top with grated cheese and heat at about 375 until cheese is melted and tart is heated thoroughly heated. Then broil for a couple of minutes or until the filling and crust starts to brown. Beautiful!

I served my tart with sauteed kale, raisins and toasted walnuts. Put the raisins in a bath of hot water to plump them up while you chop the kale leaves - stems removed. At the same time toast the walnuts for just a couple minutes. In a heated pan (medium) with a drizzle of olive oil, add raisins with a splash of the water from bath and stir. Add walnuts, mix, then mix in kale until thoroughly moist, add a splash of sherry, salt and pepper to taste, mix, then cover for a couple of minutes, stir, then remove from heat before kale is completely wilted.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it has been a while since my last post and sadly a strained back muscle (which has more or less put me out of commission) has given me time to think about what I'm not doing. Writing my blog is one of those things and there have been a couple good things to write about.

The other weekend I made pork and beans and pumpkin muffins for yet another JMU tailgate. Initially I wanted to make baked beans, but I didn't have a proper Dutch oven to bake them in so I slow cooked them for umpteen hours. They were delicious and warm, really perfect for a cold day. The muffins were good too, for sure, but I couldn't compete with the store-bought Halloween cupcakes, they were too cute.

What I am really proud of most recently is my cornbread. About a year ago, I bought a bag of cornmeal that was local to the Outer Banks, a favorite vacation spot for me since I was a kid. My boyfriend and I were there for a wedding and on our way back to ole Virginie we stopped at an awesome seafood shop for clams. The Abbitt's Mill cornmeal was there, for the obvious ingredient of hush puppies. Seeing as I don't deep fry at home I bought it because, well, just because it looked good. I know I had used it before making the cornbread, since it was open, but I can't remember what for. But on this occasion I wanted to bring cornbread to a family dinner to go with crab cakes.

As I thought about cornbread I thought, "Ya know I really don't like cornbread all that much, but maybe I can change that." Add some chopped scallions, sweet canned corn and extra sharp cheddar - there's no way my cornbread is going to be dry and crumbly. Ok, so where do I go for a base recipe? Why not the bag of cornmeal. It had a few recipes on it for dumplings, cor sticks, hush puppies and finally cornbread - muffins. Of course I had used my last disposable muffin tin on the pumpkin muffins and forgot to buy more. Ugh... So I used 2  little bread pans: 5.5" x 3" x 2.25". They made the slices cute and small and cooked for just 10 minutes longer than the muffin version.

Note: Abbitt's recipe called for 1 teaspoon baking soda which I forgot to add but never missed in the finished product.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups cornmeal 
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded white sharp cheddar
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup semi-chopped sweet canned corn
• 4 tablespoons bacon butter
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons raw sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

PREPARATION:

• Pre-heat oven to 450
• Chop scallions and corn
• Add some bacon fat to a small saute pan, set on medium/ high heat and cover. As the fat begins to "melt" and you've got a good amount of grease on your pan uncover, remove the fat and melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in the grease.
• mix eggs and with bacon butter and buttermilk
• add cornmeal - mix well
• mix in scallions, corn, cheddar, salt, sugar and baking powder
• mix well and pour into baking pans
• bake for 25 - 30 minutes, knife test after 20 minutes (stick a knife down through the middle of bread and if nothing sticks to the knife - it's done.

After about 10 minutes or when the surface looks to have started to crust over you can pull it out of the oven and sprinkled with some sugar, salt and pepper to accent the flavors inside.

Enjoy!