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Finally, it’s safe to turn the oven back on. No more heatwave (PLEASE NO MORE!!!) Last week was such a bust of life, I still feel like I am recovering. But let’s not talk about anymore. Lets talk about this cauliflower situation that was a highlight of my week.
I have been meaning to do this for a while now. And I have attempted, I’ll have the intention, get the cauliflower and peppers, then somehow forget that I was going to cook it and just feed it to the mr raw, or he will just start eating at it and then the head is not intact anymore (He loves raw cauliflower). And sure, you don’t need to have a whole head of cauliflower to roast it and enjoy it, but come on, doesn’t it look super badass and pretty whole? And you can slices of it like you would a cake, a really yummy veggie cake. So yeah, it should be a whole head. Anyways, besides being pretty, this thing was freaking amazing. I love cauliflower, roasted cauliflower even more. Add to it some slightly sweet and cheesy pepper sauce, holy ho…I almost ate the entire thing myself. It was everything and more how I wanted it to turn out and am now forever going eat my cauliflower exactly like this (but probably not always). And the sauce…. I am going to make giant jars of it and stick it on everything. So good.
Now lets get to it.
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The stuff. A whole head of cauliflower, a couple colorful peppers, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil.
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Start with the cauliflower, Trim away any big leaves from the bottom and stick the whole head into a oven safe pot big enough to hold it.. Add in a little water and stick on the stove top on medium heat to cook for a few minutes, just to give it a little head start.
And preheat the oven
Pre roasted, slightly streamed cauliflower goes into the oven until a nice golden brown and all pretty like.
While the cauliflower is roasting, roasted the peppers too.I place mine whole onto a lightly oiled cast iron pan* and stick into the oven.
Once the peppers are starting to char and have become soft and tender, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes or long enough for you to handle them. When cooled enough, remove the stem, seeds and any of the skin that is coming off.
*Last year I used the same cast iron pan over and over to rasot peppes and never cleaned it, or bothered to oil it. By the end of the summer, there was a 1/2 inch thick layer of hard as rock caramelized pepper juice that I had to chip it away with a chisel… so yeah. be careful of pepper juice.
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Toss the roasted peppers into a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a splsh of oil and s little salt and pepper.
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And taste.. and try not to eat it all right now (It is so f ing good)
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And take that sweet, so delocouis sauce and smother all over the roasted cauliflower.
If you want, stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to crust up a little bit, but not a necessary.You can call it here and go to town.
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I stuck in back in the oven for a few minutes… But again, not necessary.
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And now you have this giant, amazing, head of delicious cauliflower, waiting to be eaten. I recommend removing the head and sticking it on a cutting board, you know, for easier cutting, and also it looks pretty badass.
Cut into chunks and serve right away.
Goodness gracious was this thing so freaking good!
Have a fantastic day!
-C
- 1 fresh head of cauliflower
- 2 red(yellow or orange work too) peppers
- 2 -3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (the more the cheesier)
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- juice of a lemon
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Take whole head of cauliflower and trim any big leaves or stem off bottom. Stick into a big oven safe pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Place a lid on pot and stick on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until water has evaporated. and cauliflower is slightly tender.
Preheat oven to 425.
After the brief cook on the stove top, remove lid, drizzle cauliflower with a tiny bit of oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stick into oven without the lid.
Now that the oven is on, toss peppers into oven, either on a baking sheet, pan, or on the rack if you have the space and cook until all roasted and soft (should take about 15 minutes). Remove when cooked and let cool off for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stem and any of the skin that want to come off and stick into a food processor. Add in the garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once the head of cauliflower is cooked and browned, remove from oven and dump/ smear with the red pepper sauce. If you want, place back into oven for a few more minutes, or not. Good both ways.
Remove from pot and cut into big ass chunks. Garnish with something green and eat until you can’t eat anymore.
If by chance you have any left overs (which I highly doubt) try blending it up as soup. It is freaking fantastic!
I am not complaining at the least bit, but man, so,so,so many tomatoes. Everyday more and more are ripe and ready for the picking, some even starting to fall off the plants.
If you were to come to my house, you will notice that I have bowls and baskets all over the place, just full of not just cherry tomatoes, but big baskets of the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes this girl has ever seen. It’s actually causing me a little anxiety. I cannot bare to think of one single tomato going bad. I and am on a mission to eat as many of the heirloom ones as I can ever day. But that still leaves all the sweet little cherry tomatoes, which I do still snack on, (and try and make the mr snack on too) but am having a had time keeping up with eating all of those on top of the other kinds. But again, not a complaint, cause one can never really have too many tomatoes.
So instead of just continuing to make sauces and soups, (I have yet to do a tomato canning day, which is in need of happing asap) I figured I would give the mr a break and make him something a little different. A big tomato slab tart. And a tart needs some type of cream, so fresh corn and avocado cream happened as well.
Lovely looking, yummy, and pretty easy to make. Uses a good amount of tomatoes (I was fooled.. I used two pints for this tart, went to garden afterword, got 4 more pints) and is perfect for a lunch situation or a light dinner. Add some greens, maybe some cheese (the mr and his cheese) and you are sitting pretty and ready to go.
Lets get tarting!
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The stuff… For the tart we have flour, slat, a little vinegar, icy cold water, frozen olive oil* and a big bowl of cherry tomatoes. For the avocado and corn cream, well we gots an avocado, a cooked cob of corn,a few cloves of garlic (I forgot in the picture) and a lemon. Salt and pepper for everything.
*Note. I recently read on the food 52 website that freezing the olive oil for crust makes the oil distribute more like butter and makes the dough super flaky and crispy, which it indeed did. I will forever freeze oil for oil crusts, Thanks food 52 for being so smart.
Start by making the dough. Whisk together the flour and salt, then dump in the frozen olive oil. Using a fork or a pastry cutter and working as quick as you can, cut the oil into the dough.
When the mixture resembles a course crumb, add in vinegar and mix with fork, then add in water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to comes together. Dump mixture out onto a floured surface and form into ball. Wrap in plastic and stick in the fridge for at least an hour or even over night.
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Chilled dough placed on a lightly floured surface, ready to roll.
You know what to do here.. roll it out and stick it in a baking sheet or, if you don’t have a small baking sheet, use a large casserole dish. You could use a pie plate, but you might have a little extra dough (pie dough cookies?)
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And dump in the tomatoes. Don’t forget to remove the little green tops if they have them. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper. and into the oven it goes.
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While the tart is baking, make the cream. Scoop fruit of avocado, the corn off the cob, a clove or two of garlic, juice of lemon, and salt to taste, into a blender (or bowl if using a immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Taste and ass more swooning if needed. and if you want the cream a little thinner, add in a slash of water.
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Cream oh creamy goodness. (So great on tart, but also makes a great dip, toast spread, salad topper, or eaten straight with a spoon.)
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The tart has been baking and after about an 45 minutes, it should be done. Remove from oven when the tomatoes have all bursted and are starting to caramelize and the crust is cooked through and golden brown,
Let cool for a few minutes. I
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You got you tart, the cream, and if you are in into it, a nice serving of some freshy greens to some extra heft and color…SOmething on the more bitter side like kale or young chard pairs very well with the sweetness of the tomatoes.
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A big slab on greens with cream on slab.
The mr added a little cheese to his… if your a cheese person.(he sure likes his cheese)
Pretty food.. Food so good!
Happy Humpty hump!
-C
For the Tart
- 2 pints of any variety cherry tomatoes. A variety look nice
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil (frozen ahead of time)
- 1 teaspoon salt for crust
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
- salt and pepper
- 9×11 baking pan*
For the Corn Avocado Cream
- 1 cooked and cooled cob of corn
- 1 avocado
- 1 lemon
- salt
- 2 cloves of garlic
*Note. I used a 9×11 baking sheet, but if you don’t have one, you can use a big glass casserole dish. Or you could even use a pie plate, but you will end up with a little extra dough and you might not need all the tomatoes.
Start by making your dough. Whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the frozen olive oil into flour with either a pastry cutter or a big fork until it has a crumbly texture. Add in the apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of water at a time until dough starts to come together.(about 3-4)
Dump out onto a surface and fomr into a disk. Wrap with plastic and stick in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375
Get your chilled dough and, on a lightly floured surface,roll out into a rectangle roughly the size of your baking sheet. Place in sheet pan and make it look pretty. You can use your fingers to lightly press the dough into pan Dump in your cherry tomatoes. If you want, once the tomatoes are in, slightly fold the edges towards the tomatoes and away form the side of the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the finest drizzle of olive oil. Stick into the oven for about 45-55 minutes. The Pie is done when the tomatoes have popped and starting to brown and caramelize and the crust is golden brown.
While the pie is baking, remove corn from cob. Add to a blender with the avocado, garlic and and the juice of the lemon. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, slice big slabs of tart and spoon on big globs of the avocado corn cream. If your into it, a bed of fresh greens is very much nice.
Shovel into face.
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I probabaly have already told you, but August is for sure my favorite month of the year (well,one of my favorites)
There is bounties of bounties of fresh, sweet and colorful, oh so juicy, crispy crisp, just so f ing amazing, produce exploding all over the place. I have probably gained like 75 thousand pounds in the past month due to all of the fruits and veggies that I have been consuming. I am starting to consider it a full time job just to keep up with the eating.
Another reason why I love August so much is becauuse the days are still nice and warm, but the nights are starting to cool which means I get to make so much soup!!!!!.
This soup is the freshest freshy soup yet. Everything is from the farm and or the garden (except the salt pepper, vinegar and oil), some picked within hours of me making this.
. I am a lucky/spolied veggie brat.
Anyways. This soup. The fresh tomato base gives it a sweet, slightly acidic kick. So super creamy due to the lovely earthy stocks of the chard. Slightly spicy and earthy from the arugula* and chard green green. This soup… it just tastes so fresh and clean, yet hearty and satisfying. A perfect soup for a mid August night, eating outside, watching the sun slide behind the mountains and the temperature dropping just enough that you might want a light sweater. Or you can just eat it from the pot in the kitchen while watching TV. It’s good eating anyway you want.
*Here in America, it’s called arugula. Else where , it’s called rocket. I wish we all called it rocket, although I do like the name arugula, but for like my first born child or maybe a pet goldfish. Anyway, rocket is arugula, or vice versa.
Soup time!.
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The stuff. Some big fresh tomatoes, a few stalks of chard, and a few handfuls of arugaula (aka rocket). A couple carrots, an onion, some garlic, salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil.. Oh, and I added some balsamic vinegar, which for some reason didn’t make it into the picture (sorry vinegar)
Start by removing the chard leaves from the stalks. Set aside leave with the arugula. Chop up the carrot, chard stems, onion and garlic and toss into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of water, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir around and stick o nthe stove on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the veggies start to soften up.
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Now chop up the tomatoes into chunks and toss those right into the pot with the other stuff. Add in a few cups water and a few glugs of balazmic vinegar. Bring everything to a boil and then turn heat to medium low and place a lid on pot and let cook at medium heat for another 20 ish minutes, or until the tomatoes are falling apart.
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Now that everything is all cooked up, blend it up.
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And now take the chard leaves and the aruglula and chop into little pieces….into the pot they go.
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Mix it all up.. and take the blender to the soup again….if you want a smaller sized bite.
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Soup Into bowls..Then into mouth.
Happy August!!
And hey hey hey.. Have the best weekend!
-C
- 4-5 large fresh tomatoes
- 4 large stalks of rainbow chard
- 2-3 big handfuls of arugula
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large or 2 small carrots
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2-3glugs (about 2 tablespoons) balsamic vinegar
- 3 cups water
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
To start, remove stalks of chard from leaves and chop stalks, onion, carrot and garlic into chunks and place int a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash or water, and spinkle of salt and pepper. Place on stove on medium low heat sand cooke the veggies down until starting to soften and garlic is becoming fragrant. While that cooking, remove core from tomatoes and dice them up. Toss into pot with the cooked down veggies with the vinegar and water. Place a lid on the pot and let cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the tomatoes are falling apart.
When cooked, using with a hand blender or a normal blender, blend the soup until smooth. (if using blender, pour back into pot)
Now take the arugula and chard leaves and chop them into wee little picese and mix into soup. If you want to, blend the greens into the soup.. but not until smooth, unless thats what you want. Cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowl and serve with lots of fresh cracked pepper, maybe a little balsamic drizzle or even some mustard (I at left overs with mustard and it rocked my world)
spoons work eel las eating utencils.
The past week was freaking gross hot, like sweaty, smelly, I want to live in the Costco walk in freezer hot. But today, well today was the most lovely day. A cool dry 70 with a nice breeze and sunshine. Then around dinnertime, a little bit of rain, followed by a rainbow. It was the most fantastic perfect weather.This is why I love living in Vermont. We get weather.
.Last night, dinner was all about trying to make some more room in the fridge for the farm share pick up tonight and to make something that I didn’t have to really watch. (the mr and I were moving the beehive to the roof of the house so I wanted to make something that I could leave on the stove and not have to babysit (just stir every now and then). With the weather being so freaking amazing, with a cool crispness in the air, I was craving something a little more on the warm and comfy side. And what do you know, the stuff I had left in the fridge (there is still a basket of zucchini on the table) was what was needed for a big pot of stewed summer ratatouille with lentils. It was everthing that I ever could need and want for a meal. Full of the best veggies and lentils, easy to make, nothing fancy to do. Just stick stuff into a pot and cook until done.
Cooler, light long sleeve, kind of weather. Enough rain where I didn’t have to water the garden, the most perfect pot of the best ratatouille shared with the mr. and a feeling of accomplishment and excitement (bees on the roof!).
The perfect night.
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The stuff. Zucchini, yellow summer squash, eggplant, onion, tomatoes and lentils. And we have some fresh basil, fresh oregano, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some salt and pepper.
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To get this party started, chop up the onion and toss it into a big heavy pot with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stick on the stove on medium heat.
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While the onions are cooking, mince up the garlic and chop up all the other veggie into medium sized chunks.
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When the onions start to become translucent and smell fantastic, add in all the veggies and garlic. Give it a big stir and place back on the stove to cook for a few minutes to let the veggies release some of their liquid.
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Then add in the lentils along with a equal amount of water and top with a lid.
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After about 30 minutes, the lentils should be near done and the veggies tender, the tomatoes pretty much dissolved. Now chop up the basil and oregano and toss it in along with a few swigs of the balsamic vinegar. Give it a stir and keep on cooking for another 10ish more minutes or until the lentils are nice and tender.
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Scoop onto bowl then into mouth. If you like, finish off with a bit more fresh basil or,ike the mr, top with parmesan cheese.
Have a fantastic day! So close to the weekend!!
-C
Makes 2-3 big servings (if serving with pastas or rice, its more like 4-5 servings)
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow summer squash
- i medium onion
- 1 small eggplant
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 medium to large tomatoes
- handful fresh basil leaves
- a few glugs of balsamic vinegar
- couple sprigs of fresh oregano
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Drizzle a little olive oil into a large pot. Dice up the onion and place on medium heat and cook for a few minutes. Mince up the garlic and chop up the remaining veggies into medium sized pieces. Once the onion is cooke a bit and strting to smell oh so nice, toss the veggies and garlic into the pot. Mix, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place a lid on it. Cook for a few minutes to draw out a bit of liquid from the veggies. Now add in the lentils and the water. Stick the lid back on and let cook for about 30 minutes on medium low heat or until the lentils are starting to soften.
When the lentils are mostly soft, but still have a bit of biet, dice the fresh herbs and toss into pot with a few swings of balsamic vinegar. Stir and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the lentils are full cooked.
Remove from heat and ladle into bowls..
Serve with rice, pasta, bread, a big old pile of fresh greens, or just as it is.
Eats fantastic right aways, or cold late at night standing in front of the fridge..
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IF you like potatoes and guacamole (probably even if you think you don’t like potatoes or guacamole) then oh boy, do I have a treat for you.
Guacamole Potato Salad.. Only the best potatoes salad you will ever put in your mouth.
I tried to make this a few weeks back and ended up not getting to my potatoes in time to use, so I had to put the salad on hold. But this weekend I was ready. The grill was prepped, the corn was husked, and the poatoes were boiled. Then it happened, I made the best potato salad ever. It changed the way I feel about potato salad. (I have never really been a huge fan) Sure, I love potatoes, but in the past I have experiences to many overly dressed, really heavy, and overall, some pretty crappy paotao salads. This salad, well it is the exact opposite. This salad is all summer. Bright and light, so full of flavor, but not overly heavy and gross. I mean, its potatoes covered in guacamole… How can that not be amazing. I am now a potato salad fan (for life!).
So my suggestion for you. Have a cook out, invite your friends, grill up some veggies or whatever and make a humongous batch (you will need a humongous batch) of this potato salad. Sit back and watch (while you are eating) and see peoples faces light up with joy and happiness. You will be number one. The hostess with thte mostest. People will fall at your feet…
or not. (But probably)
So here, take a look, and make.. Your day, week, life will be better for this.
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The stuff; Potatoes, avocados, mini onions, and tomatoes. Pickled Jalapeños (with juice) garlic, and the juice from a lemon And lastly,a big bunch of cilantro, and salt.
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First things first, boil the potatoes. Stick in a pot of cold water with a palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a medium heat and stick a lid on the pot. Cook until fork pierces easily through then strain from water and let cool. When cooled, but still slightly warm, dice them up into mouth sized pieced. Place potatoes back into pot and drizzle a few glugs of the pickled jalapeño juice over them. Place in fridge to complete cool.
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While the potatoes are cooling down, mix up the quad dressing. In a large bowl, take the avoado fruit and mash and smoosh until relatively smooth and mix in minced garlic , lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt.
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Dice up the onion, jalapeños, tomatoes and add to the mashed avocado and mix that all up…and try not to eat it all before the potatoes get in.
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add in lots of chopped up cilantro
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Nothing compares..
Have a great day and get to planning you next cookout!
Later!
-C
- 3 lb. of potatoes of a small waxy variety (like red or new potatoes)
- 1 1/2- 2 whole avocados
- 2 small Roma tomatoes or q large
- 2 mini onions with greens or 1 regular white onion
- handful (or more) of pickled jalapeños and the juice
- juice of 1 lemon
- a bunch of fresh cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper
Wash potatoes and stick in a big pot with cold water and a good palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn heat downy to a a medium heat, stick a lid on it and cook potatoes until a fork can pierce through. Strain from water and let cool enough to handle. Once cooled, cut potatoes into mouth sized pieces, place back into bowl, and drizzle with a few teaspoons of pickled jalapeño juice. Stick the potatoes in the fridge and let completely cool.
While those are getting cold, make the guacamole dressing. In a big bowl, place the avocados (pits and rind removed of course) and smash and smoosh until a smooth constancy. Add in a pinch of salt, mince the garlic and toss that in, and add the juice of the lemon. Now dice up the garlic, onion, tomatoes and jalapenos and gentile fold it all in to the avocado mash.
Once the potatoes are cool, roughly chop the cilantro and add that and the potatoes into the guacamole and mix around until everthig is all coated. Top with some more cilantro.
Eat as a side, a meal, a snack, or dessert
a fork pierced nicely but a large wooden spoon works too.
Lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge.
First things first… This is the BEST SOUP EVER! And yes, soup is for summer too.
I make a lot of soup, especially in the summer. It’s one of the best ways to use up an extra large bounty of any kind of veggie. And with me, I am that person that everyone know will take any or all of the extra veggies that come out of their gardens. I have been handed down bags of fresh produce, loving picked by some old man from his backyard garden who then gives it to his grand daughter, who then gives ti to a friend, which then gives it to a sister, then gives it to me. I think I end up with all the extra veggies in the county (keep them coming) And around these parts, the zucchini are starting to come in and I have already gathered a mound of beautiful green zucchinis on the eating table. It’s kind of fantastic I am more then happy to take all of your extra zucchini, even the kind of big ones… cause I can make just about anything out of zucchini. And I will for sure eat it all.
With that said, you might not want to give me ALL of your zucchini because you are going to want to make this soup.It’s smooth and creamy (thanks to all the zucchini) but still has a nice chunkiness from the lentils. And the spice is nice, even on a warm day. Plus, this is one of those soups that tastes just as good cool as it does hot..
I was serious when I said that this was the best soup ever, becauce it is. (for now)
So make the soup,then give me your extra zucchinis…. if you have any left after this.
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The stuff. Lots of chopped up zucchini along with a chopped up carrot and an onion. Curry powder, salt and pepper, and some oh so sweet little red lentils.
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Grab a large pot and toss all of the chopped up veggies, a good handful of curry powder, salt, pepper and a cup or so of water, right on in. Give it a stir and place on medium heat with a lid and let the veggies cook down until nice and soft.
Once all the veggies are tender, remove from heat and add in enough water to completely sumerege the veggies.
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And now bust out the blender, or hand blender and blend the veggies as smooth as you like, adding more water if needed to get the soup moving. Here is a good tie to taste and season it with a bit more of whatever you need.
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Now dump in the lentils into the soup along with another couple cups of water for good measure.(don’t worry if it seems watery.. the lentils will suck up the water) Stir, bring back to a boil, then turn heat down to low and stick the lid back on. Let that simmer until the lentils are cooked.
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And maybe you want to be a little fancy… add a few thinly sliced zucchini to the pot, you know, for a tasty garnish.
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Scooped into bowls, with the garnish and lots of cracked pepper.
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Now go for it.
And watch out, I though I made enough for the mr. and I to eat for a few lunches, but we ended up eating almost all of it in one sitting and then I ended up eating the little bit left for a mid afternoon snack (I was amazing cold too!). But it’s cool, I up making it again today.. So f*ing good.
Have the most fantastic day!
-C
- 2 -3 zucchinis ( I used one really big one)
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 uncooked cup red lentils
- 2 -3 teaspoons curry powder*
- salt and pepper
- water
*Use a pre blended powder, or make your own. I use a combination of equal(ish) parts cumin, cardamon, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and ground mustard. And I tend to go heavy on the cumin and turmeric… But do whatever you like.
Chop up the veggies and toss into a big pot with the curry powder,a good pinch of salt and pepper, and about a cup of water. Stick on burner on medium heat and cover. Cook for about 8 minutes, making sure that the water never full evaporates (just add more if needed ) and conitunue to cook the veggies until they are all soft and tender. Remove from heat completely submerge the veggies with water. Now either with a hand blender, or a regular blender, puree the veggies until smooth . Place puree back into pot (or leave in pot) and add in the red lentils and another 2 cups water. Bring the soup back to a boil then turn heat down to low, cover and let the lentils cook through completely. The soup is done when the lentils are cooked through and you are ready to eat. And if you think that soup is to thick, add more water, or to thin, cook down fa little longer.
Scoop soup into bowls or cups, add a few thinly sliced pieces of zucchini on top with lots of freshly ground pepper (if you want) and enjoy with s smile and maybe a spoon.
I made a pie dough a little while ago with the intention of making a cherry pie…but I ate all the cherries . (I do that a lot… eat all of something that I was intending to use for something else)
And then I think about that saying.. The road to hell is paved in good intentions.
.Well I guess I am going to hell.
So no cherries, but I have a crap load of summer squash (and it’s only the beginning) and a few peaches that are in need of some eating. And what’s that, a container of ricotta in the fridge from lasagna a couple weeks back…. Meant to be and not in hell yet!
Sure, I could have made one single crust galette, sweet or savory, and thrown it to the masses for consumption, but I figured that I might as well just hit two birds with one stone. A dinner and a dessert, all at once, and call it a victory in time management and putting a dent in the pile of squash on the table. (don’t be fooled, I love excess amounts of squash.. It’s like the printer paper of the veggie world.. can be used for everything!) And bonus, only one set of dishes! I mean come on, this is so good, easy and just really pretty. I know, I know….. so smart.
Anyway, here, take a look, get inspired and make some pretty dinsert (dinner and dessert) galettes.
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The stuff. For the base, we need one single crust pie dough (that’s going to be for two smaller galettes) and some ricotta cheese. The savory galette has summer squash, salt, pepper, lemon ( the zest) and a couple tomatoes. The sweet needs honey, a peach, and a few strawberries.
And if you want, change up your toppings. Pretty much any fruit or veggie combo would work. And spice up the ricotta if you wan. Garlic, fresh thyme, cinnamon… whatever will make you happy.
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First things first. Roll ourt dough. You could cut the dough in half and roll two separate disks, but I just rolled out one big rectangle shape.
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And onto the baking sheet and into the fridge to rest.
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While the dough is chillin, take half of the ricotta and whip it up with some honey and thinly slice up your fruit.
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Take the other half of the ricotta and add a bit os lemon zest, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and mix that up. And thinly slice up the squashes and dice up the tomatoes.
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Two crusts(or one cut in half. Smear the honey ricotta on one side, savory on the other, leaving a boarder so you can fold the dough over.
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Now pile the fruits on the honey ricotta, veggies on the savory, and fold the uncheesed part of the crust over. just enough to keep everything from falling out. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the veggies.
Stick into a preheated oven and bake until the crust is cooked all nice and golden brown and crispy.
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While the galettes are baking, toss the chunks of tomatoes into a skillet with a splash of oil, salt and pepper and stick it into the oven too. Just bake until the tomatoes are nice and soft. You can stick in the oven right away and let the tomatoes cool, or towards the end of the bake time so that you can eat them warm… these tomatoes are good hot or cold.
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all baked up, removed from the oven, looking oh so pretty.
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Pile the roasted tomatoes onto the savory tart. And if you got it, a bit of chopped freshy fresh basil
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And drizzle a little bit more honey on the sweet.
And serve… Is it savory first or do you go sweet?
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How about a pice of both. Dnner and dessert.. all on one plate!
Happy Tuesday!
Ba Bye!
-C
-Makes 2 small or one large galettes
- a single pie crust (recipe here.. or use whatever dough you like)
- 1 cup of ricotta cheese
For the savory
- 2 cups thinly sliced green and yellow summer squash*
- 2 roma tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- teaspoon lemon zest
- a few fresh basil leaves
- olive oil
For the Sweet
- 2-3 tablesppons honey
- 1 peach thinly sliced*
- 3-4 strawberries thibky sliced*
*Note. Feeling like blueberry apricot or maybe potatoes and peas? Swap out any fruit and veggie (and spice) combination you want. The possibilities are endless! And if you want to do just one big galette, go for it.
Roll out pie dough in either 2 separate disks or one large rectange cut in half and.place on baking sheet and stick in fridge. While dough is resting, divide the ricotta into separate bowls. Add the salt, pepper and lemon zest to one, and the honey to the other. Using a fork, whip them up.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
When the oven is preheated, grab the crust from fridge and smear the ricotta fillings evenly on the middle of each crust, leaving about an inch and a half boarder. Layer on the toppings, (sweet on honey, savory on lemon pepper.. or whatever floats your boat) and fold border over the edges of the filling. Place in oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the crusts are nice and crispy and golden brown.
While those are baking, dice up the tomatoes and toss into a oven safe skillet with a little drizzle of oil and sprinkle of salt. Stick that into the oven for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are nice and soft. You can do this right away, or towards the end of the bake time of the galettes… roasted tomatoes are great warm or cold.
When the galettes are done baking, remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Top the savory galette with the roasted tomatoes and chopped fresh basil. Drizzle a little more honey on the one with the fruit .
Serve one, then the other, or both at the same time!
Eats good hot, warm, or cold. Utensils not required
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Last week I bought this nice hunk of locally made tofu to bring to my sisters for dinner. I was planning on making T.A.L.T.’s, but when I told her what I planned on making, she turned it down. She asked, ” is there bacon with that? If not, I don’t really feel like tofu”. And I was like, “No there is not F**king bacon….. when did I mention bacon?”
We still went over for dinner, Just me,her,and the Mr. I brought myself a big salad. The other two ended up eating a frozen pizza and blue cheese dressing (I think they might have eaten dressing with a little bit of pizza…barf) But whatever, her lose, cause I made the T.A.L.T.’s a few days later. They were amazing (the tofu was soo good!) and I am pretty sure she would have loved them. Oh well, now she will just have to make them for herself if she ever decided to she wants one.
So here.. To everyone and to Shannon….. How to make a T.A.L.T. .. There is NO BACON!
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The stuff… Some nice firm tofu, half a ripe avocado,lettuce (I used baby greens), and some sliced up fresh and tasty tomato. To spice up the tofu, we use galic powder, salt pepper, and a nice smokey paprika. Oh.. and a big hunk of a soft and crusty baguette to stick it all in.
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To get this TALT going, thinly slice up as about a 1/3 of a block of tofu. (for one sandwich) Or slice up the whole thing to make more sandwiches.
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On a plate or in a bowl, mix together the garlic powder, paprika and a little salt and pepper. Gently dredge both sides of each piece in the mixute.
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Paprika is so bright and pretty.
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Place the tofu in a lightly oiled and preheated skillet on medium heat. Cook each side until crispy and golden brown.
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Slice you bread open and toast if you want. Scoop avocado onto the bread( a little on both sides). Add the tomato and the seasoned tofu and last but not least, pile on the greens.
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TA DA! A Sandwich… a damn good one at that .
-C
Makes on 6-8 inch sandwich
- 1/3 block of extra firm tofu*
- 1/2 of a ripe avocado
- 1 small tomato thinly slices
- a handful of baby greens or a few lettuce leaves
- A 6-8inch hunk of a soft and crusty baguette (use a gluten free bread of choice if needed)
- 1 tablespoon SMOKEY paprika*
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder*
- salt and pepper.*
*Note.. This is enough for one sandwich. If making more then one, use the whole block, or even if you not, you might as well cook the whole thing for and have some extra for later use. If you do cook it all, just add another tablespoon or so of the paprika and the garlic powder.
Remove tofu from package and stick between a clean dish towel. Press as much liquid out as you can without smooshing it. Cut tofu into 1/4 inch thick slabs. Mix the spices with a pinch of salt and pepper in a shall bowl or plate and dredge both side of the tofu in the mixture. Lightly oil and preheat a skillet to medium heat. When the tofu is seasoned, stick onto skillet and cook each side until crispy and brown. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. (If you like you tofu a little more on the crunchy and dried out side you can stick the tofu in the oven for a few minutes)
To assemble. Slice bread, toast if you want. Place equal amounts of avocado on each side of bread. Layer on the sliced tomatoes, the cooked tofu and add on the greens. Close up sandwich and place on a plate.
Bite, chew, swallow.
Smile
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 8, 2015 by maximios • Blog
Finally, it’s safe to turn the oven back on. No more heatwave (PLEASE NO MORE!!!) Last week was such a bust of life, I still feel like I am recovering. But let’s not talk about anymore. Lets talk about this cauliflower situation that was a highlight of my week.
I have been meaning to do this for a while now. And I have attempted, I’ll have the intention, get the cauliflower and peppers, then somehow forget that I was going to cook it and just feed it to the mr raw, or he will just start eating at it and then the head is not intact anymore (He loves raw cauliflower). And sure, you don’t need to have a whole head of cauliflower to roast it and enjoy it, but come on, doesn’t it look super badass and pretty whole? And you can slices of it like you would a cake, a really yummy veggie cake. So yeah, it should be a whole head. Anyways, besides being pretty, this thing was freaking amazing. I love cauliflower, roasted cauliflower even more. Add to it some slightly sweet and cheesy pepper sauce, holy ho…I almost ate the entire thing myself. It was everything and more how I wanted it to turn out and am now forever going eat my cauliflower exactly like this (but probably not always). And the sauce…. I am going to make giant jars of it and stick it on everything. So good.
Now lets get to it.
The stuff. A whole head of cauliflower, a couple colorful peppers, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil.
Start with the cauliflower, Trim away any big leaves from the bottom and stick the whole head into a oven safe pot big enough to hold it.. Add in a little water and stick on the stove top on medium heat to cook for a few minutes, just to give it a little head start.
And preheat the oven
Pre roasted, slightly streamed cauliflower goes into the oven until a nice golden brown and all pretty like.
While the cauliflower is roasting, roasted the peppers too.I place mine whole onto a lightly oiled cast iron pan* and stick into the oven.
Once the peppers are starting to char and have become soft and tender, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes or long enough for you to handle them. When cooled enough, remove the stem, seeds and any of the skin that is coming off.
*Last year I used the same cast iron pan over and over to rasot peppes and never cleaned it, or bothered to oil it. By the end of the summer, there was a 1/2 inch thick layer of hard as rock caramelized pepper juice that I had to chip it away with a chisel… so yeah. be careful of pepper juice.
Toss the roasted peppers into a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a splsh of oil and s little salt and pepper.
And taste.. and try not to eat it all right now (It is so f ing good)
And take that sweet, so delocouis sauce and smother all over the roasted cauliflower.
If you want, stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to crust up a little bit, but not a necessary.You can call it here and go to town.
I stuck in back in the oven for a few minutes… But again, not necessary.
And now you have this giant, amazing, head of delicious cauliflower, waiting to be eaten. I recommend removing the head and sticking it on a cutting board, you know, for easier cutting, and also it looks pretty badass.
Cut into chunks and serve right away.
Goodness gracious was this thing so freaking good!
Have a fantastic day!
-C
Take whole head of cauliflower and trim any big leaves or stem off bottom. Stick into a big oven safe pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Place a lid on pot and stick on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until water has evaporated. and cauliflower is slightly tender.
Preheat oven to 425.
After the brief cook on the stove top, remove lid, drizzle cauliflower with a tiny bit of oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stick into oven without the lid.
Now that the oven is on, toss peppers into oven, either on a baking sheet, pan, or on the rack if you have the space and cook until all roasted and soft (should take about 15 minutes). Remove when cooked and let cool off for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stem and any of the skin that want to come off and stick into a food processor. Add in the garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once the head of cauliflower is cooked and browned, remove from oven and dump/ smear with the red pepper sauce. If you want, place back into oven for a few more minutes, or not. Good both ways.
Remove from pot and cut into big ass chunks. Garnish with something green and eat until you can’t eat anymore.
If by chance you have any left overs (which I highly doubt) try blending it up as soup. It is freaking fantastic!
I am not complaining at the least bit, but man, so,so,so many tomatoes. Everyday more and more are ripe and ready for the picking, some even starting to fall off the plants.
If you were to come to my house, you will notice that I have bowls and baskets all over the place, just full of not just cherry tomatoes, but big baskets of the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes this girl has ever seen. It’s actually causing me a little anxiety. I cannot bare to think of one single tomato going bad. I and am on a mission to eat as many of the heirloom ones as I can ever day. But that still leaves all the sweet little cherry tomatoes, which I do still snack on, (and try and make the mr snack on too) but am having a had time keeping up with eating all of those on top of the other kinds. But again, not a complaint, cause one can never really have too many tomatoes.
So instead of just continuing to make sauces and soups, (I have yet to do a tomato canning day, which is in need of happing asap) I figured I would give the mr a break and make him something a little different. A big tomato slab tart. And a tart needs some type of cream, so fresh corn and avocado cream happened as well.
Lovely looking, yummy, and pretty easy to make. Uses a good amount of tomatoes (I was fooled.. I used two pints for this tart, went to garden afterword, got 4 more pints) and is perfect for a lunch situation or a light dinner. Add some greens, maybe some cheese (the mr and his cheese) and you are sitting pretty and ready to go.
Lets get tarting!
The stuff… For the tart we have flour, slat, a little vinegar, icy cold water, frozen olive oil* and a big bowl of cherry tomatoes. For the avocado and corn cream, well we gots an avocado, a cooked cob of corn,a few cloves of garlic (I forgot in the picture) and a lemon. Salt and pepper for everything.
*Note. I recently read on the food 52 website that freezing the olive oil for crust makes the oil distribute more like butter and makes the dough super flaky and crispy, which it indeed did. I will forever freeze oil for oil crusts, Thanks food 52 for being so smart.
Start by making the dough. Whisk together the flour and salt, then dump in the frozen olive oil. Using a fork or a pastry cutter and working as quick as you can, cut the oil into the dough.
When the mixture resembles a course crumb, add in vinegar and mix with fork, then add in water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to comes together. Dump mixture out onto a floured surface and form into ball. Wrap in plastic and stick in the fridge for at least an hour or even over night.
Chilled dough placed on a lightly floured surface, ready to roll.
You know what to do here.. roll it out and stick it in a baking sheet or, if you don’t have a small baking sheet, use a large casserole dish. You could use a pie plate, but you might have a little extra dough (pie dough cookies?)
And dump in the tomatoes. Don’t forget to remove the little green tops if they have them. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper. and into the oven it goes.
While the tart is baking, make the cream. Scoop fruit of avocado, the corn off the cob, a clove or two of garlic, juice of lemon, and salt to taste, into a blender (or bowl if using a immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Taste and ass more swooning if needed. and if you want the cream a little thinner, add in a slash of water.
Cream oh creamy goodness. (So great on tart, but also makes a great dip, toast spread, salad topper, or eaten straight with a spoon.)
The tart has been baking and after about an 45 minutes, it should be done. Remove from oven when the tomatoes have all bursted and are starting to caramelize and the crust is cooked through and golden brown,
Let cool for a few minutes. I
You got you tart, the cream, and if you are in into it, a nice serving of some freshy greens to some extra heft and color…SOmething on the more bitter side like kale or young chard pairs very well with the sweetness of the tomatoes.
A big slab on greens with cream on slab.
The mr added a little cheese to his… if your a cheese person.(he sure likes his cheese)
Pretty food.. Food so good!
Happy Humpty hump!
-C
For the Tart
For the Corn Avocado Cream
*Note. I used a 9×11 baking sheet, but if you don’t have one, you can use a big glass casserole dish. Or you could even use a pie plate, but you will end up with a little extra dough and you might not need all the tomatoes.
Start by making your dough. Whisk together the flour and salt. Cut in the frozen olive oil into flour with either a pastry cutter or a big fork until it has a crumbly texture. Add in the apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of water at a time until dough starts to come together.(about 3-4)
Dump out onto a surface and fomr into a disk. Wrap with plastic and stick in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375
Get your chilled dough and, on a lightly floured surface,roll out into a rectangle roughly the size of your baking sheet. Place in sheet pan and make it look pretty. You can use your fingers to lightly press the dough into pan Dump in your cherry tomatoes. If you want, once the tomatoes are in, slightly fold the edges towards the tomatoes and away form the side of the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the finest drizzle of olive oil. Stick into the oven for about 45-55 minutes. The Pie is done when the tomatoes have popped and starting to brown and caramelize and the crust is golden brown.
While the pie is baking, remove corn from cob. Add to a blender with the avocado, garlic and and the juice of the lemon. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, slice big slabs of tart and spoon on big globs of the avocado corn cream. If your into it, a bed of fresh greens is very much nice.
Shovel into face.
I probabaly have already told you, but August is for sure my favorite month of the year (well,one of my favorites)
There is bounties of bounties of fresh, sweet and colorful, oh so juicy, crispy crisp, just so f ing amazing, produce exploding all over the place. I have probably gained like 75 thousand pounds in the past month due to all of the fruits and veggies that I have been consuming. I am starting to consider it a full time job just to keep up with the eating.
Another reason why I love August so much is becauuse the days are still nice and warm, but the nights are starting to cool which means I get to make so much soup!!!!!.
This soup is the freshest freshy soup yet. Everything is from the farm and or the garden (except the salt pepper, vinegar and oil), some picked within hours of me making this.
. I am a lucky/spolied veggie brat.
Anyways. This soup. The fresh tomato base gives it a sweet, slightly acidic kick. So super creamy due to the lovely earthy stocks of the chard. Slightly spicy and earthy from the arugula* and chard green green. This soup… it just tastes so fresh and clean, yet hearty and satisfying. A perfect soup for a mid August night, eating outside, watching the sun slide behind the mountains and the temperature dropping just enough that you might want a light sweater. Or you can just eat it from the pot in the kitchen while watching TV. It’s good eating anyway you want.
*Here in America, it’s called arugula. Else where , it’s called rocket. I wish we all called it rocket, although I do like the name arugula, but for like my first born child or maybe a pet goldfish. Anyway, rocket is arugula, or vice versa.
Soup time!.
The stuff. Some big fresh tomatoes, a few stalks of chard, and a few handfuls of arugaula (aka rocket). A couple carrots, an onion, some garlic, salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil.. Oh, and I added some balsamic vinegar, which for some reason didn’t make it into the picture (sorry vinegar)
Start by removing the chard leaves from the stalks. Set aside leave with the arugula. Chop up the carrot, chard stems, onion and garlic and toss into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of water, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir around and stick o nthe stove on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the veggies start to soften up.
Now chop up the tomatoes into chunks and toss those right into the pot with the other stuff. Add in a few cups water and a few glugs of balazmic vinegar. Bring everything to a boil and then turn heat to medium low and place a lid on pot and let cook at medium heat for another 20 ish minutes, or until the tomatoes are falling apart.
Now that everything is all cooked up, blend it up.
And now take the chard leaves and the aruglula and chop into little pieces….into the pot they go.
Mix it all up.. and take the blender to the soup again….if you want a smaller sized bite.
Soup Into bowls..Then into mouth.
Happy August!!
And hey hey hey.. Have the best weekend!
-C
To start, remove stalks of chard from leaves and chop stalks, onion, carrot and garlic into chunks and place int a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash or water, and spinkle of salt and pepper. Place on stove on medium low heat sand cooke the veggies down until starting to soften and garlic is becoming fragrant. While that cooking, remove core from tomatoes and dice them up. Toss into pot with the cooked down veggies with the vinegar and water. Place a lid on the pot and let cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the tomatoes are falling apart.
When cooked, using with a hand blender or a normal blender, blend the soup until smooth. (if using blender, pour back into pot)
Now take the arugula and chard leaves and chop them into wee little picese and mix into soup. If you want to, blend the greens into the soup.. but not until smooth, unless thats what you want. Cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowl and serve with lots of fresh cracked pepper, maybe a little balsamic drizzle or even some mustard (I at left overs with mustard and it rocked my world)
spoons work eel las eating utencils.
The past week was freaking gross hot, like sweaty, smelly, I want to live in the Costco walk in freezer hot. But today, well today was the most lovely day. A cool dry 70 with a nice breeze and sunshine. Then around dinnertime, a little bit of rain, followed by a rainbow. It was the most fantastic perfect weather.This is why I love living in Vermont. We get weather.
.Last night, dinner was all about trying to make some more room in the fridge for the farm share pick up tonight and to make something that I didn’t have to really watch. (the mr and I were moving the beehive to the roof of the house so I wanted to make something that I could leave on the stove and not have to babysit (just stir every now and then). With the weather being so freaking amazing, with a cool crispness in the air, I was craving something a little more on the warm and comfy side. And what do you know, the stuff I had left in the fridge (there is still a basket of zucchini on the table) was what was needed for a big pot of stewed summer ratatouille with lentils. It was everthing that I ever could need and want for a meal. Full of the best veggies and lentils, easy to make, nothing fancy to do. Just stick stuff into a pot and cook until done.
Cooler, light long sleeve, kind of weather. Enough rain where I didn’t have to water the garden, the most perfect pot of the best ratatouille shared with the mr. and a feeling of accomplishment and excitement (bees on the roof!).
The perfect night.
The stuff. Zucchini, yellow summer squash, eggplant, onion, tomatoes and lentils. And we have some fresh basil, fresh oregano, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and some salt and pepper.
To get this party started, chop up the onion and toss it into a big heavy pot with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stick on the stove on medium heat.
While the onions are cooking, mince up the garlic and chop up all the other veggie into medium sized chunks.
When the onions start to become translucent and smell fantastic, add in all the veggies and garlic. Give it a big stir and place back on the stove to cook for a few minutes to let the veggies release some of their liquid.
Then add in the lentils along with a equal amount of water and top with a lid.
After about 30 minutes, the lentils should be near done and the veggies tender, the tomatoes pretty much dissolved. Now chop up the basil and oregano and toss it in along with a few swigs of the balsamic vinegar. Give it a stir and keep on cooking for another 10ish more minutes or until the lentils are nice and tender.
Scoop onto bowl then into mouth. If you like, finish off with a bit more fresh basil or,ike the mr, top with parmesan cheese.
Have a fantastic day! So close to the weekend!!
-C
Makes 2-3 big servings (if serving with pastas or rice, its more like 4-5 servings)
Drizzle a little olive oil into a large pot. Dice up the onion and place on medium heat and cook for a few minutes. Mince up the garlic and chop up the remaining veggies into medium sized pieces. Once the onion is cooke a bit and strting to smell oh so nice, toss the veggies and garlic into the pot. Mix, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place a lid on it. Cook for a few minutes to draw out a bit of liquid from the veggies. Now add in the lentils and the water. Stick the lid back on and let cook for about 30 minutes on medium low heat or until the lentils are starting to soften.
When the lentils are mostly soft, but still have a bit of biet, dice the fresh herbs and toss into pot with a few swings of balsamic vinegar. Stir and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the lentils are full cooked.
Remove from heat and ladle into bowls..
Serve with rice, pasta, bread, a big old pile of fresh greens, or just as it is.
Eats fantastic right aways, or cold late at night standing in front of the fridge..
IF you like potatoes and guacamole (probably even if you think you don’t like potatoes or guacamole) then oh boy, do I have a treat for you.
Guacamole Potato Salad.. Only the best potatoes salad you will ever put in your mouth.
I tried to make this a few weeks back and ended up not getting to my potatoes in time to use, so I had to put the salad on hold. But this weekend I was ready. The grill was prepped, the corn was husked, and the poatoes were boiled. Then it happened, I made the best potato salad ever. It changed the way I feel about potato salad. (I have never really been a huge fan) Sure, I love potatoes, but in the past I have experiences to many overly dressed, really heavy, and overall, some pretty crappy paotao salads. This salad, well it is the exact opposite. This salad is all summer. Bright and light, so full of flavor, but not overly heavy and gross. I mean, its potatoes covered in guacamole… How can that not be amazing. I am now a potato salad fan (for life!).
So my suggestion for you. Have a cook out, invite your friends, grill up some veggies or whatever and make a humongous batch (you will need a humongous batch) of this potato salad. Sit back and watch (while you are eating) and see peoples faces light up with joy and happiness. You will be number one. The hostess with thte mostest. People will fall at your feet…
or not. (But probably)
So here, take a look, and make.. Your day, week, life will be better for this.
The stuff; Potatoes, avocados, mini onions, and tomatoes. Pickled Jalapeños (with juice) garlic, and the juice from a lemon And lastly,a big bunch of cilantro, and salt.
First things first, boil the potatoes. Stick in a pot of cold water with a palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a medium heat and stick a lid on the pot. Cook until fork pierces easily through then strain from water and let cool. When cooled, but still slightly warm, dice them up into mouth sized pieced. Place potatoes back into pot and drizzle a few glugs of the pickled jalapeño juice over them. Place in fridge to complete cool.
While the potatoes are cooling down, mix up the quad dressing. In a large bowl, take the avoado fruit and mash and smoosh until relatively smooth and mix in minced garlic , lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt.
Dice up the onion, jalapeños, tomatoes and add to the mashed avocado and mix that all up…and try not to eat it all before the potatoes get in.
add in lots of chopped up cilantro
Nothing compares..
Have a great day and get to planning you next cookout!
Later!
-C
Wash potatoes and stick in a big pot with cold water and a good palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn heat downy to a a medium heat, stick a lid on it and cook potatoes until a fork can pierce through. Strain from water and let cool enough to handle. Once cooled, cut potatoes into mouth sized pieces, place back into bowl, and drizzle with a few teaspoons of pickled jalapeño juice. Stick the potatoes in the fridge and let completely cool.
While those are getting cold, make the guacamole dressing. In a big bowl, place the avocados (pits and rind removed of course) and smash and smoosh until a smooth constancy. Add in a pinch of salt, mince the garlic and toss that in, and add the juice of the lemon. Now dice up the garlic, onion, tomatoes and jalapenos and gentile fold it all in to the avocado mash.
Once the potatoes are cool, roughly chop the cilantro and add that and the potatoes into the guacamole and mix around until everthig is all coated. Top with some more cilantro.
Eat as a side, a meal, a snack, or dessert
a fork pierced nicely but a large wooden spoon works too.
Lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge.
First things first… This is the BEST SOUP EVER! And yes, soup is for summer too.
I make a lot of soup, especially in the summer. It’s one of the best ways to use up an extra large bounty of any kind of veggie. And with me, I am that person that everyone know will take any or all of the extra veggies that come out of their gardens. I have been handed down bags of fresh produce, loving picked by some old man from his backyard garden who then gives it to his grand daughter, who then gives ti to a friend, which then gives it to a sister, then gives it to me. I think I end up with all the extra veggies in the county (keep them coming) And around these parts, the zucchini are starting to come in and I have already gathered a mound of beautiful green zucchinis on the eating table. It’s kind of fantastic I am more then happy to take all of your extra zucchini, even the kind of big ones… cause I can make just about anything out of zucchini. And I will for sure eat it all.
With that said, you might not want to give me ALL of your zucchini because you are going to want to make this soup.It’s smooth and creamy (thanks to all the zucchini) but still has a nice chunkiness from the lentils. And the spice is nice, even on a warm day. Plus, this is one of those soups that tastes just as good cool as it does hot..
I was serious when I said that this was the best soup ever, becauce it is. (for now)
So make the soup,then give me your extra zucchinis…. if you have any left after this.
The stuff. Lots of chopped up zucchini along with a chopped up carrot and an onion. Curry powder, salt and pepper, and some oh so sweet little red lentils.
Grab a large pot and toss all of the chopped up veggies, a good handful of curry powder, salt, pepper and a cup or so of water, right on in. Give it a stir and place on medium heat with a lid and let the veggies cook down until nice and soft.
Once all the veggies are tender, remove from heat and add in enough water to completely sumerege the veggies.
And now bust out the blender, or hand blender and blend the veggies as smooth as you like, adding more water if needed to get the soup moving. Here is a good tie to taste and season it with a bit more of whatever you need.
Now dump in the lentils into the soup along with another couple cups of water for good measure.(don’t worry if it seems watery.. the lentils will suck up the water) Stir, bring back to a boil, then turn heat down to low and stick the lid back on. Let that simmer until the lentils are cooked.
And maybe you want to be a little fancy… add a few thinly sliced zucchini to the pot, you know, for a tasty garnish.
Scooped into bowls, with the garnish and lots of cracked pepper.
Now go for it.
And watch out, I though I made enough for the mr. and I to eat for a few lunches, but we ended up eating almost all of it in one sitting and then I ended up eating the little bit left for a mid afternoon snack (I was amazing cold too!). But it’s cool, I up making it again today.. So f*ing good.
Have the most fantastic day!
-C
*Use a pre blended powder, or make your own. I use a combination of equal(ish) parts cumin, cardamon, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and ground mustard. And I tend to go heavy on the cumin and turmeric… But do whatever you like.
Chop up the veggies and toss into a big pot with the curry powder,a good pinch of salt and pepper, and about a cup of water. Stick on burner on medium heat and cover. Cook for about 8 minutes, making sure that the water never full evaporates (just add more if needed ) and conitunue to cook the veggies until they are all soft and tender. Remove from heat completely submerge the veggies with water. Now either with a hand blender, or a regular blender, puree the veggies until smooth . Place puree back into pot (or leave in pot) and add in the red lentils and another 2 cups water. Bring the soup back to a boil then turn heat down to low, cover and let the lentils cook through completely. The soup is done when the lentils are cooked through and you are ready to eat. And if you think that soup is to thick, add more water, or to thin, cook down fa little longer.
Scoop soup into bowls or cups, add a few thinly sliced pieces of zucchini on top with lots of freshly ground pepper (if you want) and enjoy with s smile and maybe a spoon.
I made a pie dough a little while ago with the intention of making a cherry pie…but I ate all the cherries . (I do that a lot… eat all of something that I was intending to use for something else)
And then I think about that saying.. The road to hell is paved in good intentions.
.Well I guess I am going to hell.
So no cherries, but I have a crap load of summer squash (and it’s only the beginning) and a few peaches that are in need of some eating. And what’s that, a container of ricotta in the fridge from lasagna a couple weeks back…. Meant to be and not in hell yet!
Sure, I could have made one single crust galette, sweet or savory, and thrown it to the masses for consumption, but I figured that I might as well just hit two birds with one stone. A dinner and a dessert, all at once, and call it a victory in time management and putting a dent in the pile of squash on the table. (don’t be fooled, I love excess amounts of squash.. It’s like the printer paper of the veggie world.. can be used for everything!) And bonus, only one set of dishes! I mean come on, this is so good, easy and just really pretty. I know, I know….. so smart.
Anyway, here, take a look, get inspired and make some pretty dinsert (dinner and dessert) galettes.
The stuff. For the base, we need one single crust pie dough (that’s going to be for two smaller galettes) and some ricotta cheese. The savory galette has summer squash, salt, pepper, lemon ( the zest) and a couple tomatoes. The sweet needs honey, a peach, and a few strawberries.
And if you want, change up your toppings. Pretty much any fruit or veggie combo would work. And spice up the ricotta if you wan. Garlic, fresh thyme, cinnamon… whatever will make you happy.
First things first. Roll ourt dough. You could cut the dough in half and roll two separate disks, but I just rolled out one big rectangle shape.
And onto the baking sheet and into the fridge to rest.
While the dough is chillin, take half of the ricotta and whip it up with some honey and thinly slice up your fruit.
Take the other half of the ricotta and add a bit os lemon zest, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and mix that up. And thinly slice up the squashes and dice up the tomatoes.
Two crusts(or one cut in half. Smear the honey ricotta on one side, savory on the other, leaving a boarder so you can fold the dough over.
Now pile the fruits on the honey ricotta, veggies on the savory, and fold the uncheesed part of the crust over. just enough to keep everything from falling out. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the veggies.
Stick into a preheated oven and bake until the crust is cooked all nice and golden brown and crispy.
While the galettes are baking, toss the chunks of tomatoes into a skillet with a splash of oil, salt and pepper and stick it into the oven too. Just bake until the tomatoes are nice and soft. You can stick in the oven right away and let the tomatoes cool, or towards the end of the bake time so that you can eat them warm… these tomatoes are good hot or cold.
all baked up, removed from the oven, looking oh so pretty.
Pile the roasted tomatoes onto the savory tart. And if you got it, a bit of chopped freshy fresh basil
And drizzle a little bit more honey on the sweet.
And serve… Is it savory first or do you go sweet?
How about a pice of both. Dnner and dessert.. all on one plate!
Happy Tuesday!
Ba Bye!
-C
-Makes 2 small or one large galettes
For the savory
For the Sweet
*Note. Feeling like blueberry apricot or maybe potatoes and peas? Swap out any fruit and veggie (and spice) combination you want. The possibilities are endless! And if you want to do just one big galette, go for it.
Roll out pie dough in either 2 separate disks or one large rectange cut in half and.place on baking sheet and stick in fridge. While dough is resting, divide the ricotta into separate bowls. Add the salt, pepper and lemon zest to one, and the honey to the other. Using a fork, whip them up.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
When the oven is preheated, grab the crust from fridge and smear the ricotta fillings evenly on the middle of each crust, leaving about an inch and a half boarder. Layer on the toppings, (sweet on honey, savory on lemon pepper.. or whatever floats your boat) and fold border over the edges of the filling. Place in oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the crusts are nice and crispy and golden brown.
While those are baking, dice up the tomatoes and toss into a oven safe skillet with a little drizzle of oil and sprinkle of salt. Stick that into the oven for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are nice and soft. You can do this right away, or towards the end of the bake time of the galettes… roasted tomatoes are great warm or cold.
When the galettes are done baking, remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Top the savory galette with the roasted tomatoes and chopped fresh basil. Drizzle a little more honey on the one with the fruit .
Serve one, then the other, or both at the same time!
Eats good hot, warm, or cold. Utensils not required
Last week I bought this nice hunk of locally made tofu to bring to my sisters for dinner. I was planning on making T.A.L.T.’s, but when I told her what I planned on making, she turned it down. She asked, ” is there bacon with that? If not, I don’t really feel like tofu”. And I was like, “No there is not F**king bacon….. when did I mention bacon?”
We still went over for dinner, Just me,her,and the Mr. I brought myself a big salad. The other two ended up eating a frozen pizza and blue cheese dressing (I think they might have eaten dressing with a little bit of pizza…barf) But whatever, her lose, cause I made the T.A.L.T.’s a few days later. They were amazing (the tofu was soo good!) and I am pretty sure she would have loved them. Oh well, now she will just have to make them for herself if she ever decided to she wants one.
So here.. To everyone and to Shannon….. How to make a T.A.L.T. .. There is NO BACON!
The stuff… Some nice firm tofu, half a ripe avocado,lettuce (I used baby greens), and some sliced up fresh and tasty tomato. To spice up the tofu, we use galic powder, salt pepper, and a nice smokey paprika. Oh.. and a big hunk of a soft and crusty baguette to stick it all in.
To get this TALT going, thinly slice up as about a 1/3 of a block of tofu. (for one sandwich) Or slice up the whole thing to make more sandwiches.
On a plate or in a bowl, mix together the garlic powder, paprika and a little salt and pepper. Gently dredge both sides of each piece in the mixute.
Paprika is so bright and pretty.
Place the tofu in a lightly oiled and preheated skillet on medium heat. Cook each side until crispy and golden brown.
Slice you bread open and toast if you want. Scoop avocado onto the bread( a little on both sides). Add the tomato and the seasoned tofu and last but not least, pile on the greens.
TA DA! A Sandwich… a damn good one at that .
-C
Makes on 6-8 inch sandwich
*Note.. This is enough for one sandwich. If making more then one, use the whole block, or even if you not, you might as well cook the whole thing for and have some extra for later use. If you do cook it all, just add another tablespoon or so of the paprika and the garlic powder.
Remove tofu from package and stick between a clean dish towel. Press as much liquid out as you can without smooshing it. Cut tofu into 1/4 inch thick slabs. Mix the spices with a pinch of salt and pepper in a shall bowl or plate and dredge both side of the tofu in the mixture. Lightly oil and preheat a skillet to medium heat. When the tofu is seasoned, stick onto skillet and cook each side until crispy and brown. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. (If you like you tofu a little more on the crunchy and dried out side you can stick the tofu in the oven for a few minutes)
To assemble. Slice bread, toast if you want. Place equal amounts of avocado on each side of bread. Layer on the sliced tomatoes, the cooked tofu and add on the greens. Close up sandwich and place on a plate.
Bite, chew, swallow.
Smile