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! ~