We love Breakfast!

Hey Banjo and I were just featured as guest reviewers on Tampa Bay Breakfasts. Pretty cool pretty cool.
A couple of weeks ago Banjo and I were out for breakfast at Skyway Jacks II, where we met Andy and Marek. Banjo and Marek totally hit it off and turns out Andy and I are both Bay Area Regional Food Epicurean Reporters...who knew!
I had the veggie omelet and banjo had the sausage patty. A good time was had by all.

Check it out:

http://www.tampabaybreakfasts.com/?p=1463

Recipe of the Week: Mexican Grilled Cheese

I am posting this recipe for my good friend Carol. I made this Terranova favorite about a month ago and invited her over, she didn't come eat but has asked me to tell her about it a couple times since then. It's everything you love about a grilled cheese with a spicy kick. I serve this with a traditional tomato soup and avocado with salt and lime, but it would also go very well with a salad if you want to curb the guilt.

The dips listed are from Terranova Catering (in Gainesville FL) and are sold at the downtown farmer's market every Wednesday. If you can not make it there, I've listed some substitute recipes below. They are good to make and have to eat with other things too!

Mexican Grilled Cheese

Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
Jalapeno Jack Cheese, grated
Chipoltle Dip (recipe below)
Cilantro Pesto (recipe below)
Red Onion, sliced in thin half moons
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Publix White Mountain Bread, sliced
Butter

Heat skillet over medium heat. Butter outsides of bread with butter. On insides of bread, each sandwich should have one side spread with cilantro pesto, and the other side spread with chipoltle dip. Once skillet is hot, place one slice of bread butter side down. Then proceed to sprinkle a healthy amount of each cheese and layer in slices of red onion. Pepper to taste.
Top with second slice of bread (butter side up). Grill each side till golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

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Chipoltle Dip
I am sure there is an exact recipe online, however if short on time this is a good substitute.

1/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. sour cream
2-3 Chipoltle Peppers, sliced from can (buy chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce)
2-3 Spoonfuls of sauce from chipoltle pepper can (to taste)
Fresh Cracked Pepper (to taste)

Mix Well.

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Cilantro Pesto
I used this recipe from AllRecipes.com and it was good. I used half as much olive oil and it was fine with me, especially for this recipe since you don't want to soak the bread.
This is also good to have around, good on baked potatoes and pasta.

1 bunch Cilantro, stems removed
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbs. White Wine Vinegar
1/4 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/2 c. Walnuts or Pecans
Salt to taste
1/2 c. Olive Oil

Blend everything, except olive oil, in electric food processor or blender. Add 1/4 c. Olive oil, blend pesto. Add additional olive oil until pesto reaches the consistency you like.


Enjoy~

What's Cooking Tonight: Basil Pesto Pasta Primavera

Friday night pasta night :) I often make pasta primavera, it's not really a recipe so I don't normally write down what I do but tonight's was really good so I'm writing it down. I typically use whatever I have around. So for tonights recipe I didn't have to go get anything except garlic and butter ( just b/c we're out). The picture shown is not this meal, I can't seem to find my camera cord. This meal is actually very nice looking with all of the colors of the vegetables and beans (red, purplish, green, orange etc..).

Basil Pesto Pasta Primavera

1/2 box Rigati Ziti, cooked al dente
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
3 Tbs. Salted Butter
3-4 large Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbs. All Purpose Flour
2-3 Tbs. Whole Milk (a good splash)
2-3 Tbs. Basil Pesto
1/4- 1/2 c. White Wine (I used a chardonnay)
Kosher Salt (to taste)
Cracked Black Pepper (to taste)
Red Pepper Flake (to taste)
Garam Masala ( I used a good sprinkle of this and it was good, but I felt it wasn't needed)
1 can of Dark Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. Frozen Peas
1/2 c. Frozen Cut Green Beans
1/2 c. Edamame, shelled and cooked
1/2 c. Shredded Carrots
3/4 c. Grape Tomatoes, sliced on the diagonal
1/2 c. Walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Have all your veggies and pasta prepped and ready to go.
In a large sauce pan melt butter over medium heat. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until butter begins to brown and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Sprinkle flour over butter and garlic and wisk in. Cook flour 1-2 minutes until it begins to lightly brown. Wisk in a good splash of milk (I think it would be around 2-3 Tbs.). You don't want it to be super runny, more like a sauce consistency. The flour should make it thicken. Wisk in pesto, and then white wine. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add the rest of the vegetables and the kidney beans. Stir well to coat all of the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil. Cook 3-4 minutes until all of the vegetables are cooked and heated through. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flake. Stir in cooked pasta. Cook until heated. Add seasoning and wine as needed. Take off heat and stir in toasted walnuts. Serve.

I served this dish with a salad, I also made pepperoni stuffed shells for Chad since this dish is meatless and almost totally cheese-less besides the pesto.
Happy Friday Everyone :) ~ s

What's Cooking Tonight: Eating Well's Egyptian Edamame Stew

This one may sound a bit out there, but its easy-tasty-and packs protein for those who don't eat meat. I literally was able to throw it together in 30 minutes done. I like that a lot. Just make sure you buy the shelled edamame. It took forever to find at Publix so I just grabbed the first one I found. This was another recipe where I only had to pick up 3 things, so I like it.
I'm serving it over whole wheat cous cous, with a side of fresh corn on the cob.

This is taken directly from Eating Well.com...they go on to explain exactly how this is Egyptian. I for one, know little about what they eat over there:
A riff on the Egyptian classic ful medames, a highly seasoned fava bean mash, this version is made with easier-to-find edamame. Edamame (fresh green soybeans) have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. They can be found shelled in the freezer section of well-stocked supermarkets.

Egyptian Edamame Stew

4 servings, about 2 cups each

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

• 1 1/2 10-ounce packages frozen shelled edamame, (about 3 cups), thawed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or mint
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add edamame and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, covered, until the onions are starting to brown, about 3 minutes more. Add garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the edamame and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro (or mint) and lemon juice.

(I LOVE that Eating Well always includes the nutritionals)

Per serving: 257 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 15 g protein; 10 g fiber; 520 mg sodium; 304 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (90% daily value), Vitamin A (35% dv), Iron (25% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 very lean meat, 1 fat

ENJOY! ~

What's Cooking Tonight: Cooks Illustrated's Best French Onion Soup

It had been awhile since I've made French Onion soup and I saw online that Cook's Illustrated had updated their recipe. ..so I figured I'd give this new recipe a try. Its such a rich tasting soup and my favorite part about this recipe is the non-active cook time. You actually caramelize the onions in the oven. Yes it does take a long time to make, but if you're going to be around the house anyway it is an easy recipe to do. I recommend it. I made 1/2 a portion since I don't own a 7 qt. pot and it was enough to make 6 ramekin sized bowls full. We tried it last night when it was really for tonight. They say its better the day after. . . I'm looking forward to finding out.

My mother makes a great French Onion Soup and when she serves it it is paired with a Spinach Salad with a Hot Bacon Dressing and homemade croutons. (go for it if you eat meat)

The Best French Onion Soup

From: Cook’s Illustrated

Serves 6

Notes:

For the best flavor, make the soup a day or 2 in advance. Alternatively, the onions can be prepared through step 1, cooled in the pot, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe.
Ingredients:

Soup

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
• 6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (Make sure you get Yellow)
• Table salt
• 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (They recommend Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth )
• 2 cups beef broth (They recommend Pacific Beef Broth)
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper

Cheese Croutons

• 1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions:

For the soup:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
3. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, roughly 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.)
4. Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
6. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

For the croutons:

1. While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To serve:

1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

A great blog which I follow off and on featured this recipe and added wonderful step by step pictures. Check it out:
http://www.cookography.com/2008/the-best-french-onion-soup-ever

What's Cooking Tonight: Sesame Noodles and Grilled Fish

After work today I decided to do a little experimenting. I have been craving this Asian-inspired pasta salad for a couple of days. They used to make a version of it at Civilization (a restaurant in Gainesville I used to work for), theirs wasn't always my favorite but it definitely had some shining qualities. I wanted a quick way to get that rich sesame flavor, the light creamy sauce and lots of crunchy veggies without buying a store full of ingredients. All I had to buy for this was the salad dressing, green onions, carrots and sesame oil. I'm sure there is a much more gourmet recipe out there, but this seemed to work out pretty darn well and will now be a part of my regular rotation of recipes :)

Spicy Chilled Sesame Noodles

1/2 box Whole Wheat Linguine
1/4 c. Marzetti All-Natural Asian Ginger Dressing
1/2 c. Sour Cream (low fat)
1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil
1-2 Tbs. Sriracha *to taste
1-2 tsp. Kosher Salt*to taste
1/2 Tbs. Red Pepper Flake *to taste
1 Tbs. Toasted Sesame Seeds
1/4 c. Toasted Slivered Almonds (optional)
1/2 c. Frozen Green Peas
1/2 c. Shredded Carrots (raw)
1/4 c. Green Onions (thinly sliced)

Cook pasta in large salted pot of boiling water 10-11 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Wisk together the salad dressing, sour cream and sesame oil. Adjust to taste. Add in siracha to taste. In a medium bowl pour dressing mixture over pasta and stir. Toss in frozen peas and carrot shreds. The heat from the pasta makes the peas defrost pretty quickly. Stir in red pepper flake, salt, sesame seeds and almonds. At this point taste it to see if you need to add anything else. Chill in the fridge. Add the green onions just before you serve it. Can be made a couple hours ahead of time. However this gives the noodles more time to soak up the dressing, so if you do make it ahead of time be ready to add 2-4 more Tbs. of salad dressing and red pepper flake to taste.

*Notes: Sriracha is found sometimes at Publix, definitely at Asian supermarkets. Its really good red spicy sauce and has a rooster on the front of the bottle.

ps- if you don't like spicy, the dressing is good without the sriacha and red pepper flake. just not as good in my opinion :)

Enjoy~

Mother's Day Brunch

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommies out there. This year unfortunately I am not with my mother today, but she is on my mind. In honor of her I would like to share our last mother's day brunch menu with everyone because it was a good one.
It was a beautiful day, we ate outside on the patio. I decorated the table with fresh daises and set the table with a combination of green fiesta ware and depression glass.

Mother's Day Brunch

Fresh Fruit Salad: with orange sections, strawberries, peaches and bananas topped with toasted nuts and coconut.

Butter Pecan Waffles with hot maple syrup

Bacon

Iced Coffee

Grapefruit Juice

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Helpful hints and reminders . . .
*Any time you are making waffles or pancakes and working to get everything to come out on time you need to keep the oven warm and place prepared waffles in as you go working in batches. Everyone, especially mom, needs a hot waffle.
*Be sure to take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time so it is not rock hard.
* Make the coffee first and cool before pouring over ice, you can also use coffee ice cubes so you don't get all watered down. I used organic milk in this batch. trust me its good.
*Use your favorite recipe for waffles ( I used one from Cooks Illustrated) and add chopped candied pecans to the batter as cooking.

Recipe of the Week: Jeanie's Killer BLTs

Ok, so I don't eat too many BLTs anymore since becoming vegetarian. But back when I did eat meat I was visiting my cousin Jeanie in St. Augustine and we were hanging out and she suggested we make BLTs for lunch. I actually had never had one until that point. I used to not be a big fan of raw veggies on sandwiches and didn't like mayo. Well she insisted and let me tell you she can make aBLT. We grubbed out that day.
Since then I became a BLT lover and have tried many a BLT out and made many at home...but somehow they don't touch hers. It's a simple sandwich, but it's the details with each ingredient that make this sandwich so good.
This is her recipe below. . . .

Jeanie's Killer BLTs

Thick Sliced Bacon
Suggested Brand = Maverick Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon. Organic if available.
Cook bacon in the oven at 375 for 12-15 minutes, she cooks the bacon on a regular baking sheet that's been covered with foil. Always check the bacon after 8-10 minutes. Don't burn it! You may have to rotate your pan if your oven cooks unevenly.

Crisp Romaine Lettuce
Washed and torn into sandwich sized pieces.

Beef Steak Tomato or a good hardy in-season Tomato
Washed and sliced medium to thick.

Mayonnaise
Suggested Brand: Hellmans

Salt & Pepper

Bread
Suggested Brand: Publix Italian Bread from the bakery OR Spelt bread (found in freezer section) Toast or crisp bread, make sure you time everything out so that the bread is warm when you're ready to put the sandwich together.

ASSEMBLY:
Spread Mayo on both sides of bread. Place 2-3 strips of bacon on one side of bread, layer lettuce then tomato slices on the other side of bread. Salt & Pepper the tomato. Put it all together and serve immediately. yum!

Serve with cold bread & butter crinkle cut pickles, raw veggies and lite bleu cheese dressing and kettle cooked potato chips.

Variations: If you are at a swanky grocery store you could try this with heirloom tomatoes, they are delicious. Also, if you are not a mayo fan a good honey mustard can be substituted. Try the mayo first. :)

enjoy~