After missing a few months, I am finally back for the September Food ‘n Flix movie, hosted by France at Beyond the Peel. The movie for this month was It’s Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin. Streep and Baldwin play a couple that have been divorced for over a decade but fall into an affair with each other after their youngest leaves for college – despite Baldwin being remarried and his cheating being the reason for their divorce in the first place. Martin plays a new love interest for Streep who she could really hit it off with – if her affair with her ex wasn’t always getting in the way!
In the film, Streep owns a bakery and is an amazing home cook (her food being one of the things Baldwin misses most about her). I was inspired by her gorgeous vegetable garden and her pastry skills to try a new version of my Squash Galette. (more…)
A few weeks ago I posted about doing a roasted tomato pasta, but forgot to take a picture of the finished product! So when I saw these gorgeous local tomatoes at the market, I wanted to make it again.
So – toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and roast at 400 for 20 minutes or until they are bursting and caramelizing. I roasted mine ahead of time and stored them in the fridge until I needed them.
Then you just toss the hot tomatoes (I reheated mine when I was ready for them) with hot pasta and they will turn into a chunky sauce. Top with fresh basil and adjust for salt and pepper. That’s it! Gorgeous, fresh, fast, and easy.
I discovered this method of hard cooking eggs (attributed to Alton Brown) via Pinterest and Greetings from the Asylum. The concept is that baking them instead of boiling them is more consistent and results in less gray, less smelly, more creamy eggs.
As you can see, the eggs will sit perfectly on most oven racks and it doesn’t matter how clean the rack is, because you will be peeling the eggs. Bake them at 325 for 30 minutes.
As soon as you take them out (with tongs), plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking (and prevent that grey ring around the yolk that happens when they cool too slowly). (more…)
Last year we made our first trip to The Inn at Little Washington over Labor Day weekend and we had a wonderful time. This year we were debating whether to spend the holiday weekend at the beach, or return to the Inn. Eventually our taste buds won out and we decided to head to Washington, VA.
Unlike the year before, we decided to stay at the Inn itself (instead of one of the less expensive B&B’s nearby) and our room was absolutely gorgeous! We stayed in the Norman House Garden Room with a living room, wet bar, huge bathroom, and private garden – just wonderful! We also upped the ante this year by having 2 dinners at the restaurant – one of which was at the chef’s table in the kitchen!
Here we are with Chef Patrick O’Connell in the kitchen!
A while back, I posted a super tasty enchilada recipe. Now that I am practicing healthier eating habits, I wanted to revamp that recipe to be lighter. I used whole wheat tortillas, fat free sour cream, fat free soup, and reduced fat cheese and they tasted just as great as the original!
Before I get into the main part of the recipe, I want to talk about a basic technique that I use all the time. A lot of my recipes call for “cooked, shredded chicken”. You could acquire that in a number of different ways (and in fact, shredding a rotisserie chicken is one of the easiest) but I want to show you my favorite method. I like to poach big batches of chicken at a time (especially when I see a bulk pack on sale), shred it, and freeze it so that I always have some on hand.
To do this, place boneless skinless chicken in the bottom of a large pot. Toss a quartered onion, carrots (no need to peel), celery, garlic, peppercorns, a bay leaf, and herbs over the top. I like to use thyme and this year I grew some myself! Cover with water (just the chicken, the veg can be floating), bring to a boil, then quickly reduce the heat to low so that the water is barely at a simmer. Partially cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat completely, and allow chicken to sit in the hot water for another 15-20 minutes. Doing it this way prevents is from being overcooked and keeps it moist and tender. (more…)
I am so obsessed with figs right now. I buy a pint (or two) every week. And while they are amazing on their own or simply drizzled with honey, I like to give them the fancy treatment from time to time.
Like with this gorgeous pasta dish with figs, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, spinach, and lemon zest.
Or done up in a super classic pairing with prosciutto and mozzarella.
I cut some Black Mission figs in half, sandwiched a piece of mozzarella between them, wrapped them in the prosciutto and skewered them.
Then I broiled them until the ham was nice and crispy and the cheese was melty and drizzled the whole thing with honey. Ridiculously yummy – and the house smelled fantastic!
I am nowhere near done with my fig phase, still – more to come!
whole wheat spaghetti, enough for 2 people
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 cup white wine
1 small lemon, juice and zest
1 big bunch of fresh spinach
4.5 oz goat cheese
3.5 oz walnut halves, toasted in a dry pan
salt
5 fresh ripe figs, cut into quarters
Boil the spaghetti to al dente, according to the instructions on the package, and set aside when done.
Add olive oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Add garlic and let it sweat for about 30 seconds before adding the wine and lemon juice. Stir around, add spinach and goat cheese while stirring (save a small piece of the goat cheese for later). Let it simmer for three minutes before adding the spaghetti and the roasted walnuts. Stir for 30 seconds, taste it and add salt if needed, make sure that the spaghetti is covered in the goat cheese/wine/lemon cream then turn off the heat.
Add the figs and gently fold them into the pasta. Serve on a big plate or in a bowl with the rest of the goat cheese and lemon peel sprinkled over it.
I was so inspired by this shaved vegetable salad at Simon in Las Vegas that the first thing I wanted to do when I got home was to make my own version.
So I went and bought the vegetables I wanted to use – carrots, celery, beets, fennel, and asparagus.
Then I sliced them up using the slicing blade on my food processor (a mandoline would also work) and tossed them with high quality olive oil, lime juice, and sea salt.
I actually stored the vegetables like that in the fridge and throughout the week or so that they lasted I would take out what I needed and add it to raw kale massaged with olive oil (which takes some of the bitterness out) along with watercress, grapes, pepitas, and fresh mozzarella for a delicious summer salad.
It is so healthy and fresh and keeping the vegetables raw means that you are getting the full nutritional value from them, plus they keep you super full. But this seriously tastes so good that you will not even be thinking about how healthy it is.
What says “Summer” more than peaches or tomatoes? In this recipe (recommended by my lovely former roommate Bradley), we combine the two into a delicious compote with just a hint of sweetness and serve it over curry rubbed pork tenderloin. (more…)
I don’t normally cook a lot of seafood other than my usual seared salmon, but in the summer I do get cravings for it. The reason is unknown – maybe because it is light and refreshing, maybe because I wish I was at the beach. Either way, I have a couple of light and healthy Summer seafood recipes to share with you.
These shrimp tacos are filled out with a slaw of cabbage, corn, fresh squeezed orange and lime juice, and a dab of sour cream. A great balance between warm tortillas, hot shrimp fresh out of the pan, and cool, crunchy slaw – they are healthy, filling, and super tasty.
This next recipe combines two superfoods into one awesome meal for Salmon Burgers with Tangy Avocado Sauce. (more…)
I always crave ice cream during the summer – who doesn’t? But now that I am trying to be more healthy, I am looking for alternatives. I found this recipe for Creamy Blackberry Frozen Yogurt that only used 3 ingredients and had to try it! Super creamy, sweet, and delicious – this was more than I was hoping for. Plus this recipe will probably work with any fresh fruit.
Does anyone have any recommendations on what I can replace the sweetened condensed milk with to make it even more healthy? Honey, maybe?
3 cups fresh blackberries
3 cups Greek yogurt
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
In a blender, puree the blackberries with the sweetened condensed milk. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove most of the seeds (optional).
In a medium bowl mix the puree with the Greek yogurt. Pour the mixture in to your ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
