THE LOVELY CRAZY
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
- 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
I have been meaning to make this jam for a while now. I’ll buy a bunch of jalapeños, then slowly, before I get to cooking them down, end up eating them all. But not today, and the rewards are great, Fresh jalapeño jam. So much potential for the greatest of things (I am thinking mango jalapeño sorbet… no, I am making jalapeño mango sorbet) And if you, like me are a jalapeño fan, this is going to make your life amazing. You will find yourself jamming up everything, or maybe just eating it with a spoon.
Whatever you want to do with it, just make it.
Honey and jalapeños.. All you need, well a little salt and water too, but that’s it.
What you need to do is remove the stems,, most of the ribs and half of the seeds removed. (You could remove all or none of the seeds depending on you heat preference) Chop the peppers into small chunks, toss into a pot, sprinkle with a bit of salt, add in a splash of water. Place the pot on medium heat. Top it with a lid, and give the peppers a good stir every few minutes. While the peppers are cooking, you want to make sure the bottom isn’t sticking and buringin. If that starts to happen, just turn the heat down a bit and add in a little splash more of water.
After about 20 minutes, the peppers are fully cooked and falling apart. The liquid is cooked down and the peppers are starting to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. When that happened, remove the pot from heat.
Now you can either blend the peppers, mash the peppers with a fork, or leave it chunky. Thats a choice Ill leave to you. ( I like to blend, but keep some chunks)
And drizzle in a bit o honey. As little or as much as you like.
And scoop into a jar. Eat the jam on anything you want. (I found myself eating it with a spoon)
Keep it Real!
-C
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam
- 10 large jalapeño peppers
- a pinch of salt
- About 1 tablespoon of honey, but add more if you like (And if you want to keep it vegan, use agave or sugar)
Wash, remove ribs and most seeds (the more seeds you leave the hotter it will be) and dice jalapenos into small chunks. Place in a pot with a few splashes of water and a sprinkle of salt. Turn on medium heat and cover, stirring every few minutes. If the peppers seem to be sticking o the pot and burning, turn heat down and add another splash of water. After about 20 minutes, the peppers should be really tender and falling apart. The liquid should be completely cooked out and the peppers will start to caramelized at the bottom of the pot. When that starts to happen, remove from heat. Now either mash with a fork, blend with a hand blender, or leave superr chunky. Drizzle in honey (or sweetener) and stir.
Eat right away or stick in a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week (It won’t last that long)
I am a year round maker and consumer of soup.
With that being said, the nature of my soups change seasonally. My summertime soups are usually on the lighter side, made with the fresh bounty of the season, and spiced more on the light and floral side, opposed to the really deep and warm spices that I use all winter long,
This corn chowder is made just right. It had the perfect balance of hearty and creamy from the potatoes and use of pureed onion cream, but still light and refreshing from the sweet fresh corn and the lemony fresh thyme. It is for sure a great summertime soup (chowder) Even the Mr. was even really into it, and he claims he doesn’t like corn. (I say bullshit to that.. he eats corn all the time)
Now to chowder!
The Stuff. Some super fresh corn on the cob, a couple onions, a few chopped up potatoes and a chopped up carrot. Then we have a little oil, a lemon, dried thyme and salt and pepper.
To start, take an onion, chop it up, and toss into a large heavy pot with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stick pot on stove on medium heat and cook until onions are soft and traslutcent. When the onions are done, remove and add to a blender or bowl. (if using a hand blender) Add in the juice of the lemon and blend it all up until nice a smooth.
You have now made a nice creamy cream that will help make the final product more, well more creamy without the use of cream (lets say cream on more time !) .Set aside.
When the pot is empty again, add in the rest of the stuff, including the cobs of the corn, (they hold a butt load of flavor) the dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Place on stove and add enough water to completely submerge the veggies. Keep pot on a medium heat, add a lid, and stir ever once in a while. Cook until the potatoes are nice and tender. (when the potatoes are done, so is everything else)
Now that everything is all cooked up, remove the cobs and stir in the onion puree.
Now with a hand blender, blend up until the chowder is thick and smooth, but still nice and chunky. (If you are working with a blender, just remove about half of the soup and blend up, then dump back in) The optimal chunkiness is up to you , so blend, check the chunk, then blend a little more if needed. If you feel that the soup is to thick, add in a little more water, or to thin, just cook down o little longer.
Once you like the constituency,season to taste with salt and pepper and place pot back on a simmer until you are ready to serve.
And thats how we make corn chowder
It tastes best serves in the daintiest of the cups, sprinkled heavily with cracked pepper, and with a side of some cracker situation (Saltines would be best, but sometime there are only triscits in the house)
Summertime is for chowder!
HAPPY Humpday Wednesday!!!
-C
Makes a pot big enough for 4-6 nice decent sized servings
- 2 fresh ears of corn
- 3 medium (tennis ball sized) red or white potatoes
- 2 white or yellow onions
- 1 carrot
- Juice of a lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
- salt and pepper
To start, peel and dice one whole onion and toss into pot with olive oil and stick on medium heat. Cook onions until translucent and fragrant. Remove from pot and add cooked onions and the lemon juice to a blender and puree until smooth and set aside.
While you are cooking down the onions, dice up the carrot and onion, remove the corn kernels from the cob, and chop up the potatoes. Once you have removed the first batch of onions, toss in corn, onions, carrot, potatoes, and the dried thyme. Stir around in the pot on medium heat for a few minutes just to warm up the spices. Add the cobs into the pot and fill with enough water to cover the stuff in the pot. Place back on medium heat with a lid and cook for another 20ish minutes, or until potatoes are super tender and almost falling apart.
Remove cobs from pot and add in the onion puree. Now either remove about half the soup and place in the bender and blend up til smooth, or use a hand blender and blend up chowder until you get your desired chunkiness. If you think the chowder seems to thick, add in more water, or to thin, just cook down a little longer on the stove.
When ready to eat, ladle chowder into a cup or bowl and add lots of fresh cracked pepper.
Serve with a cracker and a spoon to eat it with.
It seems that everywhere I turn this week, there corn. So much so that its coming out of my ears…..get it.. ears! (yes I am that lame)
Yup, its now officially (but unofficially) summer and that means 2 things, well 3 things. First, we eat corn. Secondly, It’s hot out, and get so hot in our little tiny loft that having the oven on is like torture so I avoid it at all costs. And lastly, I seem to always have less time(or forget) to make dinner cause, you know, I am outside running around with my head cut off.
The solution to the last two…..Quesadillas.
I probably make the mister quesadillas at least 5 time a week. They are just so easy to make (takes about 8 minutes) are full of some kind of veggie situation and lots of cheese (which is the misters favorite food group). You can make one, for a quick lunch, or very easily make 10 to feed a few people for a easy dinner. (everyone likes a quesadilla!). And even though I cooked these particular ones inside, quesadillas are great made outside on the grill. They just make so much sense.
And so it goes.
Summertime + corn = Charred corn and kale quesadillas.
The Stuff. Freshy freshy corn on the cob. A few flour tortillas, a bunch of chopped kale and some shredded cheese. (I used pepper jack)
With a sharp knife, cut the corn off the cob. I find using a deep bowl works best to catch corn, and you could even invert another little bowl inside to rest the cob for easier cutting (I skipped extra bowl.. once less dish to wash)
While you are cutting the corn, preheat a large pan on medium high heat.
Once the pan is hot, toss the corn kernels right on into it and sprinkle with salt and pepper Let cook for a minutes or two, then give it a stir and cook for another minute.
After about 4 minutes the corn turns bright yellow and starts to char. Remove pan from heat and toss in the chopped up kale.
And compile the quesadilla. Tortilla, grated cheese, corn and kale, more cheese if you please, and top with anther tortilla. Place assembled quesadilla into the pan and place on medium heat. Cook both sides until brown and cheese is ooey gooey.
Remove from pan and cut into triangles (or any shape you want)
Serve right away. Can be eaten on a napkin, plate, or directly off the counter.
Not needed, but it would be nice of you to serve with a little avocado, salsa, or sour cream.
Happy Tuesday!
-C
Makes two 8 inch quesadillas
- Four 8 inch flour tortillas (use gluten free if needed)
- 2 ears of fresh corn
- 3-4 larges kale leaves
- 1 cup* shredded pepper jack cheese (use vegan cheese if needed)
*Note. Use more cheese if you want
Preheat a large pan on medium high. While the pan is heating up, cut the corn from the cob. Once pan is hot, toss corn kernels into hot skillet and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Give corn a stir after a few minutes. Once the kernels start to turn bright yellow and get a little charred, remove pan from heat. Chop up kale into little pieces and toss into pan with the corn while the pan is still hot. Mix around and let the kale wilt a bit from the residual heat.
Ready your tortilla. Place half the cheese onto totilla, add on half of the corn and kale mixture, sprinkle with a bit more cheese and top with another tortilla. Place onto now empty pan and heat up quesadilla until brown on both sides and chesse is melty. Remove from skillet and cut into triangle. Repeat for the second quesadilla.
Serve right away with or without some guacamole, salsa, or sour cream.
plates are not required.
It’s Friday!!! And what does that mean? Pizza Pizza!!!! But not just Fridays…pizza happens more times then not in our house…It’s the misters favorite food and for real, he could eat it everyday, all day.…He is kind of made of the stuff. As for me, well I don’t mind making it for him because it’s easy. And because I am making it, it doesn’t have 8 million calories, 9 million grams of fat and have 10 million milligrams of sodium like takeout of frozen. My pizzas are for the most part pretty freaking heathy. It really depends on how its topped. Like take this one.. Homemade pesto, good quaility cheese, (you can use vegan or low fat) chickpeas and tomatoes. Not to shabby. And really, it isn’t any more complicated then calling the take-out place or unwrapping the frozen plastic disk from the box. All you need is some good dough (I guess you could use store bought) and some good quality toppings… and you’re there…Pizza in your face.
Not too many ingredients here. 3 cups of all purpose flour or 2 cups all purpose and 1 cup white whole wheat. A teaspoon salt, a teaspoon honey (use sugar if vegan), yeast and warm water… 
When dough has doubled, dump back onto a floured surface and divide into 4 equal sized balls (or as many balls at whatever size you want)
To make the dough in a skillet, oil the bottom of a 15 inch skillet, turn burner on to high and let preheat until the oil is sizzling. Roll dough out to roughly the size of the skillet and when it has preheated, place dough on in there and let cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dough starts to bubble and the bottom has started to brown. Turn burner down to medium and flip. Cook this side for another 3-5 minutes.
Now the crust is ready for the toppings!!
Happy Cinco de Mayo! And what better day to share my version of my oh so fantastic pico de gallo, or as I call it, super freshy salsa.
The stuff. Chopped Roma tomatoes, chopped red onion, a diced jalapeño, lemon, a bunch of cilantro, and salt.
And thats it. Now eat… with something or without.
My winter farm share is coming to an end this week. One more pick and then a three week stretch until the summer share starts… WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!! Stock up as much as I can is what.
The stuff….For the split pea gravy we have a carrot, a parsnip and a large onion chopped into small chunks. Salt, thyme, a bay leaf and of course the split peas. Then there is the celeriac root* sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds and some plain old yellow mustard .
Toss the chopped parsnip, carrot, onion and the spices into a pot on medium heat and let veggies sweat a few minutes until tender. Add in the split peas and enough water to cover everything. Turn pot on high and bring to a boil, then cover and turn to low. Make sure to give the pot a good stir ever few minutes and add more water if needed 
Once the peas have soften, remove the bay leaf and puree until smooth and oh so creamy. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. If you find that the gravy seems to thick, just add in more water until it’s the consistency that you want. 
The gravy is made, the celeriac is roasted… now we are ready to eat!! 
Stick the celeriac on a plate and dump good amount of that gravy right on top. Feel free to add a bed of spinach, or a grain or anything you want, because why not, and also some chopped tomatoes for a little acid and prettiness.
When something goes on sale at the grocery store, I tend to buy it. Being that it is Valentines Day this week, all the stores are having specials on all sorts of sexy things… and strawberries are one of them. Now I am not a huge fan of buying produce that is terribly out of season, but I can’t help myself…a good deal is a good deal and the strawberries were a super good deal. I was just going to make some sweet ass strawberry jam or maybe a lovely strawberry cake with them (and I probably still will), but these strawberries are actually super juicy and full of flavor, and it’s always nice to eat some full flavor freshy strawberries… especially soaked in balsamic vinegar. And yeah, I think that this salad is pretty sexy, so it makes for a perfect Valentines day dish.
A handful of ingredients and 5 minutes will get you to a fantastic salad experience.
Pour the vinegar on the strawberries and let sit for at least 5 minutes. (the longer the strawberries can sit with the vinegar, the better)
Pile it on.. thinly slice avocado.. rough chopped toasted almonds… It’s pretty much as easy as it can get.
And last but not least, toss on the balsamic soaked strawberries and drizzle the remaining vinegar. (if you made hearts, place on top to make pretty) Sprinkle with a pitch of salt and pepper and pow! Fancy, sexy, delicious salad.
All I want to do is make everything into hearts and turn everything pink…Is that a problem?
So lovely. Shadow hearts while the whoopie hearts cool.
Whoopies all paired up
Stuffed with a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream ( a cold can of coconut cream whipped with a splash of vanilla and a tad bit of sweetener) and sprinkled with my home-made beet dyed coconut sprinkles…..
I have never in my life seen, let alone received, a kohlrabi as big as the one I picked up from my farm share last week. It was, no joke, bigger then my head. (completely nuts) If I didn’t know the farm and the farmers of my CSA, I would have to question whether or not it was grown in radioactive sludge…(kind of like the dandelions in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie from the 90’s)
A gigantic kohlrabi cut in half ( I only used one of the halts) A whole yellow onion and 2 large carrots. I also added in 4 cloves or garlic
All of those chopped veggies get thrown into a pot with two cups of water and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cover and place on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. (give a stir ever now and then) Keep cooking until the veggies are fork tender. 
Once the chunks are all cooked up, its time for the immersion blender. (or into a regular blender) Add in at least 3 cups of water, but more to thin out to your desired consistency and let it rip. Stop blending once the soup is nice and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Leave on low heat to bring back to a good soup eating temperature.
Now the soup is done.. and you can eat it just as it is, but you should really add in the asparagus. It is just so f*ing good. Just grab a few spears, dice them nice and small, and throw into the soup pot. Let it cook for another 5 minutes and wa la.. 
Soup is done. Ladle into bowls and if you want a little fancy presentation, add a swirl of mustard (it’s so good) and a whole cooked asparagus spear.
I was informed yesterday that if I was going to make tortilla chips, that I better make some sweet ass dips to go with them. I kind of agree… tortilla chips need dip… or better yet, two dips. Queso and guacamole. It’s what needed to be done, and so I did it.
Perfect…
To think that both of these dips took about 10 minutes total to make. (I had pre baked the cauliflower and sweet potato) And for real, I would spend much more time if I had too because both of these dips are so freaking good, I definitely will be making these on the regular.
It’s Mother’s Day weekend which means that you and I and everyone out there should feel the slightest bit obligated to at least do a little something nice for your mom for the mere fact that you were borned. And really what better way to celebrate mom than with food… It really is the least that you can do. (I think mom’s also like flowers and cards and handmade pasta necklaces) My mom is defiantly about the food. (she has had her fair share or pasta necklaces) A many years back on Mother’s day, this sweet little girl (me) made her mother a special breakfast treat…blueberry scones. And ever since that day, for every freaking holiday, birthday, whatever day, my mother requests (demands) a batch of those scones. She is always saying that these are her favorite treat and that no one has ever made them as good as I do. (I guess that just reiterates that I am her number 1 child)
The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. A bit of sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, and butter (use vegan butter and nut milk if you want to make them vegan) And of course we need the blueberries which can be fresh or frozen. I usually use fresh, but the store I stopped at only had really big containers of fresh that were like $1000 dollars a piece and the organic frozen happen to be on super sale. So you know, the cheap in me won that battle. 
So into the bowl goes all the dry stuff; flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and the sugar. Give it a good whisk.
Now dump the blueberries into the flour mixture. Toss them around to give them a coat of flour. Add in the buttermilk and vanilla and give a little mix until liquid is absorbed. We are trying to handle the dough as little as possible.
Turn mixture onto counter. It’s very loose, but thats what it should look like. 
Very gently and with as little handling as possible, gather dough up, knead a few times till everything just comes together. Press dough into a disk that is roughly an inch thick…. and it doesn’t need to be perfect. 
Cut the disk into even sized pieces. Do 6 big, 8 normal, maybe even 10 smaller. Whatever size you like. (I did 8) Place the scones onto a baking sheet, using a spatula to transfer, and sprinkle the tops with a little bit of sugar. Into a preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
And when the scones look all nice and browned and a tester comes out clean. remove and either serve right away warm, preferably with huge cup of coffee or tea, or stick on a rack to cool before storing in air tight container.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 19, 2015 by maximios • Blog
This time of year, there are so many reasons for popsicles, but I think that main reason is that I don’t want to willingly turn on the oven for any amount of time. It’s just to f-ing hot.
Lately, it’s been hot. And humid. And gross. Just way too hot to make anything in the oven. So when I grabbed the rhubarb out of the fridge, knowing that if I didn’t use it soon it would go bad, I immediately thought to make pie. Then I was like,” hell no, not going to happen. I need to freeze this shit”. And freeze it I did..into the greatest, slightly sweet, slightly tart, bright pink popsicles of happiness. They are really the perfect little frozen treat. Not overly sweet and sticky, have a lot a fresh clean flavor, and takes the edge off of the super summer heat and humidity, even if only for a few minutes.
I love popsicles.
But sadly this is probably the last rhubarb for the season (Or maybe the second to last..I think I saw some for sale at the coop a few days ago)
So get it while you can and make these popsicles!
The stuff. Rhubarb, a lime and a little bit of honey (or any sweetener you like). Plus you are going to need some water, but I bet you have some of that on hand.
Chop the rhubarb into inch chunks and toss into a big pot with the water. Stick on the stove and bring to a boil then turn heat to low and let simmer.
Once the rhubarb is so soft that it falls apart, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
With a fine mesh stainer, strain juice into a large jar or bowl.
Now you have the juice for the popsicles and the left over rhubarb stuff is the rhubarb butter.
Place the rhubarb butter into a jar, adding a little honey(or whatever) if you want and eat with anything and everything ( I’ve been adding it to the mr’s yogurt and just eating it with a spoon)
And now add the juice of the lime to the rhubarb juice and add a little honey or whatever sweetness to taste.
And add the rhubarb juice to your popsicle molds and stick in the freezer with sticks tops or wait two hours and add wooden sticks.
When frozen, run the mold under a little hot water and pop those suckers out.
A two for one deal here. And timed perfectly. You have the rhubarb butter to eat while you wait for the popsicles to freeze. So smart
Happy Tuesday.. Keep it cool!
-C
makes 6 4oz popsicles and about a cup of jam
Chop the rhubarb into inch ish chunks and stick into a big pot with water. Turn on high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer until the rhubarb is so soft its falling apart. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Take a big jug or bowl with a fine mesh strainer,strain the liquid from the solids. You can use a wooden spoon to stir around to help get the juice flowing. Place remaining solids into a jar and add as little or as much or as little honey (any sweetener you like) and give it a stir. Thats your jam
Now for the popsicles. Add the juice of the lime and a tablespoon or two of honey (or whatever sweeteners you like) and mix around. Pour into popsicle molds and stick into freezer.Know your mold.. if you need to insert a stick, do so after about 2 hours.
When pops are frozen, remove from mold and eat your heart out.
I love summer!
All day, everyday, there is something new and delicious to pick and eat. I have my CSA with the Interval Community Farm, which is in full swing, so I am picking up thousands of pounds of fresh produce every week. (maybe not quite that much, but so so much) Plus our lovely garden is starting to reward up with the prettiest veggies as well. I have so much fresh produce that I find myself mindless eating just to make more room in the fridge.(not to mention that my counters are also covered and I have a laundry basket full of yellow squash and zucchini on the table). I guess its getting about time to do a little canning and pickling… but until then, I will just have to solider on and keep on eating!
So this salad is completely inspired by the ever exploding contents of my fridge (and table, and counters). Fresh zucchini, corn,and peaches roasted and tossed together with fresh tomato, creamy avocado, and herbs into one big bowl.. It’s like eating summer… And it fantastic.
The stuff. Zucchini, corn, tomato, peach, and avocado. A lemon (not shown..it rolled under the couch and I couldn’t find it for a little while) and salt and pepper. Also not shown is the bunch of fresh cilantro that I added at the last minute
I initially wanted to grill this stuff, but I didn’t feel like starting the charcoal and getting that all situated, so I just used the oven. So if you want, use the grill.
Cut zucchini into long wedges and cut the peaches into a few large slices. Place on a lightly oiled pan or baking sheet, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and stick into the oven at 425 degrees. Toss you corn into the oven too.. but I just stuck that on the oven rack.
While the stuff is roasting in the oven, chop the tomato into mouth sized chunks, and mash the avocado with the juice of the lemon( I finally found it) and a pitch or more of salt. Add enough water to make it slightly runny.
Afer about 15 minutes, the stuff in the oven should be done. You want the corn slightly charred and the peach and zucchini to be soft, but not mushy. Remove from oven and stick everything on a plate or baking sheet and let cool for a few minutes, or until cool enough to handle it.
And now cut the corn from the cob and dice the zucchini and peaches into chunks.
Toss it all into a bowl, give it a mix and smother with the avocado dressing.
And lastly, dice up and add a big ass handful of some freshly chopped herb.. (Cilantro is great, but basil is also just as nice) and toss that on top too!
So much color, so much tasty. This is all summer!
Happy Friday
BYE!
-C
Makes a meal for 1 or a side for 2
Note..If i had the time to light up the charcoal to grill, I would have. So Feel free to cook the corn, zucchini and peach on the grill if you so do please.
Slice peach into 4 equal chunks and zucchini into 4-5 wedges. Place in a lightly oiled skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stick the pan and the corn, husk removed, into oven at 425 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until the corn is charred and the zucchini and peach is browning and slightly tender. While this is going on, dice up the tomato into chunks and smash the avocadoin a jar until smoothish with the juice of the lemon, salt and pepper, and enough water to thin it out so that its kind of pasty. (make it any consistency you like)
When veggies are done cooking, remove from oven and place on the counter or a plate and let sit until its cool enough to handle. When cooled off, dice the peach and zucchini into chunks and remove corn from the cob. Toss together with the tomato, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, dump the mixed lemony avocado all over and top wit a heavy handful of some freshly chopped herb.
Serve warm or cold. Can be eaten with a fork or spoon.
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.
Maybe you, like me, went a did a little strawberry picking this past weekend. And maybe you, like me, pick so so many that now you have an overload of the most perfect, if not slightly too ripe strawberries staring at you, waiting to be eaten or, at the very least, cooked into some magical cake, pie, cookie, or whatever. But lets face it, its Monday and maybe we do not exactly feel the need (or have the time) to make a cake, pie, cookie or whatever tonight. So that leaves us with a crap load of strawberries that need to be dealt with.
And sure, we can freeze them, but maybe you, like me, already have a freezer full of other stuff. And just because we don’t want to bake a cake, pie, cookies, or whatever tonight, doesn’t mean we don’t want something amazingly tasty and fantastic.
So that brings us to this super easy, oh so pretty, and ever so tasty way to move those strawberries….. Stick them in the oven and roast them. So simple and really truly amazing. When strawberries are roasted, they turn so tender and fall apart and release all of their juices that turn into a sweet syrup. They become almost jam like, but the flavors are way better, more complex. And there is no need for added sugar or any other stuff because the flavors and natural sweetness of the roasted strawberries stand on their own.
A few ways to which you might want to use roasted strawberries that will make your life better: Dump onto ice cream, yogurt, or make a strawberry shortcake or a strawberry fool. Scoop onto a green salad, mix into a bowl of quinoa, marinate some tofu, or add to roasted veggies. You can mix into muffin batter, into oatmeal, or add to a layer cake. They make a fantastic PB and J and the syrup in seltzer is a tasty drink. You can pretty much use them for anything. But MY favorite way to consume these…a bowl, a little spoon, and my mouth. Nothing else needed.
And if you didn’t happen to go strawberry picking this weekend. It’s cool, just pick some up from the closest farm stand near you. You can tell all your anyone thats asks that you picked them yourself. (not a lie, just a stretch cause you did, in fact, pick them up yourself)
Yea for Monday and for roasted strawberries! (Or at least yea for strawberries.)
All you need…A big (or small) bowl of strawberries.
Rinse those pretties and place them on a parchment lines baking sheet. (don’t skip parchment… these suckers get super thick and juicy.)
Here is the thing. These strawberries are picked from the lovely farm I get my CSA from.(How badass is it that we have a PYO part of the share). They are not like super market berries that are extra firm with dirty unappealing green tops. These little organic lovelys have tender little green tops…. I eat them. If you do not wish to eat the greens, just top the berry off before roasting.
So the berries, stick them in the oven at 450 degrees and roast them for about 35-45 minutes (depending on the size of your berries)
Pull them out when they start to get dark and slightly charred and the juice is thick and bubbly.
And scrap the berries, juice and all, right into a jar.
Eat with anything, everything and with nothing at all.
Happy Monday
-C
Place strawberries, with or without tops (your preference) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in a 450 degree oven and roasted foe about 45 minutes or until the berries are soft, mushy, starting to charr and have lots of bubbly juice, . When done, remove from oven and let cooll for for about 5 minutes. Transfer berries, juice and all, into jar.
Eat right away or stick in fridge. Juices thicken up when cooled.
Keeps about a week in fridge, but I highly doubt it will last the night.
This is a conversation that I imagine will be taking place in the near future.
Me- “Why, Mr. President,, I hear that you think peas have no place in a frozen cocktail drink… but, excuse me if I am being to frank., but you would, in fact, be wrong.”
He would then reply
“Oh man, you are so right! Why don’t you come have dinner with me , Michelle and the kids. We (or the kitchen staff) can make these amazingly awesome slushies (virgin of course for the kids) and walk around the house. Michelle will show you the gardens and I’ll show you all of my secrets hiding places. And don’t worry about driving home, you can crash in one of the spare rooms.”
And then we are all best friends and I go to there house for BBQ’s and make them dinner. My mr. and Obama will play basketball and talk about beer and I will go to workout classes and garden with Michelle..
It’s totally going to happen…
But for real, this slushy drink, it is sooooo good!!! How can anything blueberry mint not be. And sure , peas might seem like a strange ingredient in drink, but trust me, they are not. Peas have such a nice lovely flavor that bring a little sweetness, a little creaminess, and a tiny bit of earthiness to the slushy. And the booze, well that just makes it all the better. Plus, with it being the holiday weekend and pretty freaking hot (I know that the folks down south are melting) any and all drinks should be made in a slushy form.
So no matter how you feel about peas in other stuff (guacamole is fantastic with or without) Don’t knock it until you try it!. That’s you too Mr. President!
Good time stuff. Frozen blueberries, frozen peas and a few shots of rum.* Fresh mint, lime juice and some plain bubbly water.
* Note.Rum can be replaced with gin, vodka or any hard alcohol you think you might like… or no booze at all.
And here it goes…….Everything but the bubbly water goes into the blender.
Blend it all up until you get a thick icy slush. Add in a little splash of water if you need to to get it moving. Turn blender off when it’s slush.
Now add in the bubbly water and watch it fizz. Turn the blender back on for another few seconds, just until it’s mixed up and all drinkable slushy like.
Pour into glasses, garnish with a mint leave, and serve with a bright colored straw.
There is no doubt that peas belong in this drink! Soooo F*ing good!!!!
Happy Friday and Happy 4th!
And don’t be stupid. No sloppy drinking and playing with firecrackers. Fingers and faces don’t grow back!
-C
*Note. you can use any liquor or no liquor you want.
Place all ingredients besides the bubbly water into a blender and blend until combined and thick and slushy (add a splash of water to get thing moving if needed). Stop the blending, add in the bubbly water and turn blender back on for just long enough to mix everything all up.
Pour into glasses and garnish with a mint leaf and a pretty straw.
Keep away from children…unless its booze free, then go for it
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
Having a vegetable garden is one of my joys of summer. You put seeds into the ground, water, weed, whisper sweet nothings to the plants as they start to grown and flourish. It’s all like magic.
And in the garden, working our crazy magic, we grow all sorts of things; broccoli, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and so on. And even though all equally fantastic and exiting to watch grow, they take a bit more love and care and most of all, time.
But not radishes. First into the ground as soon as the ground allows, and first to come to maturity. the lovely radishes is a champion on it’s own. Yeah, we thin and weed and water them a bit, but basically, once these zinging roots take hold, they shoot up and take charge. And within a month are ready to be picked and eaten. The closest thing to instant gratification in the garden that we can get.
This salad… oh this a good one. Its very slightly sweet, yet still has bit of bitter with a touch of spice and acid. A salad of the first radish harvest of the year,greens and all. (thanks to So, a little that will toss a cherry lollipop to the ground in exchange for a dirty bright red radish, and its greens. …she’s the best!) I feel in love with radish greens a many years back when I started a veggie garden of my own and realized the radishes do in fact grow with leaves and that those leaves are vey much tasty. Now I can’t imagine eating radishes without eating the leaves., that just seems like taking the best part and tossing it. Crazy, that’s what that is. And as crazy as it it, I still find that most people are tossing there greens.
So stop being an ass and eat them.
The stuff. A big bunch of radishes, chickpeas, and red onion. Red wine vinegar for the onions, honey for a sweet drizzle, salt, pepper and olive oil.
First thing first.. get that vinegar ond a sprinkle of salt on those onions. The longer they have to sit, the better.
And now that we got that out of the way, remove radishes from greens, give them a good wash, and chop them in half (or quarters if really big)
Toss the cut up radishes and the chickpeas into a lightly oiled skillet on medium high heat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Give them a stir and let cook.
Once the radishes are slightly browned and tender, turn the heat to low and drizzle on honey (If vegan, use agave or maple syrup)
While the skillet is still hot, toss your greens into and stir around until wilted.
Finish with the pickled red onion and grab a fork. I am all about plating food for others to eat, but I ate my half right out of the pan…one less dish.
Now eat you radishes!
Have a great hump day!
-C
Thinly slice the red onion and place in a bowl with a sprinkle of salt and the vinegar and set aside. Grab your radishes and remove radishes from leaves, wash leaves and set aside. Cut radishes in half (or quarters if really big) and toss into a lightly oiled skillet on medium high heat, along with the chickpeas. Cook until the radishes are slightly browned and tender. Once cooked turn heat to low, drizzle the radishes with honey (or whatever sweetner you’re using) and mix around. Toss in the cleaned rashish leaves and mix those around until wilted. When ready to serve, top with the pickled red onion and a bit more pepper.
Eat hot, warm, or cold.
A fork works better then a spoon.