Meat Free Monday: Keeping Cool on a Hot Summer Night

Hi everyone. I'm back from my month in Maryland and am slowly readjusting to the temperatures back at home. Here in Florida it is crazy hot and humid this time of year. My husband works for a major home builder and the last thing he wants after a long day in the heat is warm food. It was also the first day of school, so after a lot of chaos, I wanted something easy. Tonight's meat free Monday meal is a different take on salad for dinner. I give you "Pizz'alad". Sounds ridiculous,  but hear me out.

Just take your favorite pizza dough.... something thin & crispy tends to work best. Tonight, I did a whole wheat crust I like to make, but a store bought lavash/ flat bread or a naan works equally well for this. It can be gluten free or whatever kind you like it really doesn't matter. Fathead dough if you're doing the keto diet works great for this as well.  Crisp it up in the oven and then let it cool to room temperature.

Next , I like to spread a thin layer of an herb cheese or some kind of a spread like a tasty hummus. then I load it up with some chopped salad and whatever veggies I need to use up. For example: tonight I have a mixture of thin sliced romaine lettuce, sliced red bell peppers, cucumbers, a handful of alfalfa sprouts, blanched green beans & snap peas, as well as my new favorite obsession, mini san marazano tomatoes.  then I drizzle the entire thing with my dressing of choice.... tonight its an Avocado ranch that I made.

And voila. slice & eat it up. its cool, light, crunchy, refreshing and an easy dinner that doesn't add to the heat in your system from the craziness outside. on another note, if your kids are pizza fans, this is another way to get them to eat some veggies in a fun way.   Hope you enjoy this easy weeknight dinner as much as we do.  Stay cool!

"Oh, he occasionally takes an alcoholiday".- Oscar Wilde

Please Note: I actually wrote this post last year and forgot to publish it. Hope you find it enlightening.

St Patrick's day is one of those holidays that has become for most Americans, to drink way too much alcohol and pretend that they're Irish by wearing lots of green. Its supposed to be a celebration of Irish American culture.  Unfortunately,  most partyers don't even know the history of the holiday. Out of respect for the Irish I'd like to set the record a bit straighter.  Here's a mini history lesson.

Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people by driving the away the snakes.  Or to put it more bluntly, he was the person who got the credit for stomping the Pagan religion out of Ireland (which is another reason why I usually don't celebrate this holiday). In the centuries following Patrick's death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most well known legend is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.  

March 17th is celebrates the day that died St Patrick back in the 5th century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast--on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage (not corned beef which is a collaboration that originated in New York  between Jewish & Irish immigrants).

I'm all about having a good time, and love some good boot stomping Irish music, but St Patrick's Day is one day of the year you can't pay me to be in a bar. Instead of a nasty light beer dyed green,  we will be enjoying some nice stouts and lagers in the comfort of our home. If you do enjoy a nice pint of stout, please do not drink it cold out of the fridge.  Drink it like they do in Ireland, sip it at room temperature, all the wonderful coffee and chocolate flavors will develop and it tastes so much richer. We prefer to enjoy comfort food on chilly March evenings. Since its rainy and cooling down a bit from last week's heat wave I made up a nice batch of Guiness beef stew for the weekend (complete with local grass fed beef & organic veggies of course).

One thing I particularly admire about most Irish cuisine is that its main influence is what is locally available and seasonal. Its also usually made from simple and inexpensive ingredients.
If you want to celebrate by incorporate more green in to your diet (which is always a good thing to do)  here are a couple of tasty recipes (not necessarily Irish) that are good anytime of year :
-  Pea & mint Bruschetta, a yummy appetizer & a great way to enjoy the flavors of spring
-Colcannon Quesadillas - a yummy vegan bar food twist on the traditional Irish dish
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with White Beans & Kale
-Some great Greens recipes from fitsugar.com
-and don't forget your morning green smoothie!


Here's an Irish Toast to all of you:
"May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire."

Hakuna Fritatta & a cup of Jo

Happy Friday all! Sorry I've been a bit more absent than I like lately but all this rain has me working over time in my garden. I had no idea a garden would be so much work. I am happy to say that I am finally reaping a bunch of rewards.  We have a had a ton of rain this summer in Central Pennsylvania and my plants have gotten huge.  There has also been twice as many weeds to pull. I was feeling a bit frustrated because as big as the plants are, I haven't been seeing any veggies yet, but the plants have had a ton of flowers.

 A few weeks ago I talked to a fellow backyard gardener and she explained when you see lots of flowers but aren't getting any fruit there is usually a mineral or nutrient deficiency.  I have been determined to keep my heirloom vegetables 100% organic, gmo and chemical free so I hopped online to do some research and was surprised at the solution I found.

There is one thing that almost every home across the country has and surprisingly enough we consider it trash: coffee grounds.  Coffee grounds are approximately 1.45% nitrogen. They also contain magnesium, calcium, potassium, and other trace minerals. They are great to add to your compost bin to create some really great fertilizer.  You can also give your plants the benefits by simply sprinkling the used coffee grounds around the base of your plants before watering or it rains.  Tomatoes and roses especially like this method.

You can also use the grounds to create a slug and snail barrier. Coffee grounds are both abrasive and acidic, so a barrier of grounds placed near slug-prone plants may just save them from these garden pests

I gave it a try and the garden exploded, especially the zucchini and cucumbers.  Ironically enough, Wednesday was National Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbors Porch day.  I understand why, because there are is only so much zucchini you can eat at a time when your garden decides to let loose.  I spent yesterday baking zucchini bread and a few other yummy treats to portion and keep in the freezer. After all of that work I wanted an easy dinner (and I still had more zucchini to use up), so I made a frittata.

A frittata traditionally is an open faced omelette that the ingredients are added into the raw egg mixture before it is cooked (instead of being added after the eggs are fried and folded into the middle).  THey typically are cooked over low heat for about 10-15 minutes, although I prefer to make mine in my convection toaster oven.  Here's what I did:
First off, I beat 4 eggs in a glass bowl with a whisk & added in about 2 tablespoons of flour.  Then I folded in  1 1/2 cups grated zucchini, about a 1/2 cup grated carrot and about 1/2 cup shredded cheese (sharp cheddar works nicely)  to the mixture. 

I lined my stoneware baker with a piece of parchment that had been greased and poured the mixture into it. I then baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  When it was done I lifted the parchment out of the baker and cut it into wedges. Add a nice glass of pinot grigio, a side salad and you've got one quick & easy dinner.

Today the garden harvest madness continues with making tons of pickles and oven roasted tomato sauce.  I'll talk about the cucumbers next week. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying all the wonderful produce this summer has to offer!

We're building a grocery store.... in the back yard

parsley, mint & rosemary

OK, so this post took me an entire month instead of a few days to get written.  About a month ago, I mentioned I was planning a garden. As life got busier and more stressful, getting the garden started has become my lifeline. Getting seedlings started, nurturing them to life and getting my hands deep in the earth really relaxes me. Plus, the warm weather showed up about a month early so I had some outdoor catching up to do.

My first task was planning out what we wanted to plant. I wanted to choose things we eat a lot of and really enjoy. The prospect of a much smaller grocery bill was really intriguing.  I also wanted to make sure everything I grew was an heirloom organic variety. This took a little research on my part to find companies that had seeds not only to meet those high standards, but also that would do well in our growing region.

I see blueberries starting to form! yay!

I settled on 4 different companies based on what each had to offer:
1) Seeds of Change- asparagus crowns, catnip, cucumbers, lettuces & marigolds
2) Annie's Heirloom Organics- 2 tomato varieties, celery, watermelon, carrots & golden beets
3) Shenandoah Farms- organic herb plants
4)True Vine Ranch - Organic blueberry bushes

Next once the seeds arrived I set up a little incubator area in my living room. I bought some organics seed starting mix, moistened it up and then put a small scoop in each of my biodegradable seedling containers. I placed each container on a tray covered them with plastic wrap and put a grow light above them. Then was the hardest part.....the waiting. I am definitely an instant results kind of gal so this has been really tough. I'd water my seedlings every day and finally after about a week and a half I started to see sproutlings.

A word to the wise, just because the sprouts are looking healthy does not mean they are necessarily ready to leave their warm cocoon yet. I made that mistake to early (like I said, I'm crazy impatient) and had to start the process all over again with my beets and cucumbers. 

one of the overgrown & neglected raised garden beds we inherited with the house

While I was waiting on my seeds to grow, I've had plenty of work to do to get the yard ready. First I had to clear out all the leaves, weeds & dead plants left behind by the previous owners.  I also cut back the existing raspberry bushes so they could get healthy again and have some breathing space (they were completely overgrown).  Next I had to empty out the raised beds of the old dirt and put in new, organic dirt, since I had no idea what had been in there before and I didn't want to contaminate my wonderful organic heirloom veggies. What I thought was a simple job turned into a very grueling week-long project. So yes, gardening is definitely hard work but it will be so worth it! (not to mention my arms are starting to look great form all the digging).

Our cat, Isis, seems to enjoy all the outside activity too. She's never been an outdoor cat before, but with the security of a nice fenced in yard, we can't seem to keep her inside. She loves being out in the garden, and munching on leaves of my raspberry bushes (when she thinks we're not looking).

Another related project we started is a compost pile. I bought a nice stainless mini bucket for my countertop, complete with charcoal filter so it doesn't stink up my kitchen.  I place all my vegetable scraps, egg shells and coffee grounds in the pot. When it gets full, I empty it into a a bin my husband rigged up out of an old storage tub. He just drilled some holes into it the mixture could breathe. We have plans to get a big double barrel composting bin, but this was an easy to do free way to get started.  Once the mixture breaks down, it becomes a natural and effective fertilizer for my garden crops. No chemicals needed.

After the the little shoots get some bigger leaves on them and the ground is warm enough you can plant them in a pot, raised bed or a traditional garden bed. Be sure to keep watering regularly and to cover your plants in the event of a chilly night since it is a bit early in the year to be planting in some parts of the country.

I'll follow up and let you know how the garden is progressing. I also will talk about natural pest control.  Hopefully you'll be inspired to start your own garden. The food really does taste so much better when you grow it yourself!

ITs Spring! While the Hubby is Away, I will play....with food that is.

With the warm weather starting about a month early in my area, it feels great to get a jump on my spring projects. Spring is such an inspiring time of year and a great time to begin new journeys and goals. I also tend to find time alone very productive.The whole house, and my mood, feel so much fresher and more vibrant.  My husband has gone out of town for work for a few days and they also happen to be my days off, so I am in a project frenzy. I miss him already, (and he's only been gone a few hours), but I have to admit I get twice as much done around the homestead when he is not here. I am updating my resume and putting the finishing touches on the website for my coaching business.  I look forward to contemplative time working in my garden, sowing seeds for my summer veggies and even spring cleaning.  Note: If you want to clean without the chemicals, checkout a post I did a few years back on Homemade household cleaners.

My husband also tends to be a rather picky eater. He will not eat a number of my favorite veggies. Unfortunately, my remedy has become to only make the foods I crave (that he won't eat), when he is not around. His latest seasonal veggie victim is peas. No sense in denying myself the pleasure of some amazing veg, so I am using his time away to make all kinds of wonderful spring dishes. 

Here are a few spring recipes and yummy snacks that I will be treating myself to:

• pea & mint bruschetta, a yummy appetizer and I get to use mint form my garden, yay!
• Protein Power Goddess Bowl,  from the Oh She Glows blog
• Baked Kale chips, yummy & easy snack recipe by the gluten free girl
• Greek Quinoa salad, from Kath Eats Real Food

For dinner I'll be making pasta, since its something else I don't get often that Charley doesn't enjoy too much.
I'll be using whole grain pasta with homemade oven roasted tomato sauce.

Michelle's Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
For the sauce take a couple of organic tomatoes and cut them in half. Drizzle with olive oil  and minced garlic and place in a baking dish. Slow roast them for about 2 hours at 250 degrees. The roasting will concentrate all the wonderful sweetness of the tomatoes & you won't need to add any sugar, like all the bottled sauces are full of. When the tomatoes are done roasting puree them in a blender or food processor. Then toss with your favorite cooked pasta. I'll be adding some zucchini and spinach to mine.


 I hope you get to enjoy all the beauty of the spring renewal season that is all around us and get some good quality time to relax and ground yourself like I am over the next few days. Happy Spring.

Its cold outside so Lets Talk Turnips

I went home to Baltimore this past weekend and spent much of my time there reminiscing and talking with my husband  about great meals and fun times I had growing up. We talked about Sunday dinners in our family after a long day of chores. We always loved the pot roast, but we hated what it came with: turnips. My exposure to turnips was pretty bland: they were sliced and then boiled. pretty flavorless. Pot roast night was the only night we ever saw them so we usually slathered them in gravy. My brother (Happy birthday today Eric, BTW) also got pretty creative trying to pass them to the dog, but even Brandy had his limits of what he would eat.

I was checking out a blog post on the New York Times and the turnips popped up.  It seemed like fate and I was determined to remedy my turnip stigma from my childhood.

So here are the great facts about turnips and a few ideas for you to truly enjoy them.  Turnips are very low calorie root vegetables; contain only 28 calories per 100 g.  The root part of the turnip is high only in vitamin C (which is usually the only part most of us have ever eaten). The green leaves of the turnip top ("turnip greens") are  where all the action is. They are a good source of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium.   They are very good source of anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber.  Turnip greens are also high in Lutein. Turnips also are rather inexpensive compared to many other vegetables so they can be great for families on a budget.

As an adult, I'm finding a lot of new ways to play with my food and there are so many great resources available online to get recipes and ideas quickly. The turnip is no exception to that. It can be used in soups, gratins, all kinds of wonderful dishes. I especially love using the greens, they are packed full of nutrients.

Here are a few of my favorite finds that I'll be making at home this winter.
Wilted Greens with Garlic & Anchovies
Roasted Vegetable with Pecan Gremolata
Warm Turnip Green Dip
Roasted Turnips with sweet potatoes, apples, & dried cranberries
Black-Eyed Pea Cakes and Beer-Braised Turnip Greens
Chinese Hot Pot of Beef and Vegetables
Beef Beer & Barley Stew
Lentil Stew with Winter Vegetables
Brussel sprouts, beets and Turnips with hazelnuts

Hopefully you'll find one or two gems that you like as well and incorporate more of this wonderful root vegetable into your meals at home.

Belated meat free Monday Post- Yummy fall sides

Hello everyone and Happy almost Thanksgiving.  I always liek to try new sides and recipes. This time of year there are a wealth of them. I recently started watching a show on ABC called "The Chew". ITs a nice daytime show that's centered around food & family, which I love. The fact that one of the 5 co-hosts is Mario Batali (fav celeb chef), doesn't hurt either.  What's refreshing about this show is that the daughter of the famous Dr. Oz, Daphne Oz, is also one of the cohosts. I like this because she keeps the balance of the other chefs and keeps a healthy focus running throughout it.

Below are two recipes that I have recently discovered, one from an episode of "the Chew" and the other from Wegman's. Both are a healthy ( and vegetarian) side dish option using leafy greens that taste fantastic, and are not covered in a ton of fatty sauce, such as a certain green bean cassserole that so many enjoy this time of year. We've started making these regularly at home. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Mario Batali's Stuffed Acorn Squash

Wegman's cocounut cream kale has captured my heart & my tummy. i know it sounds weird... And no, it is not sweet. Check it out for yourself :Wegman's Coconut Cream Kale

Hope these recipes help you have a tastier holiday weekend that is also better for you!

Woohoo! Its October!

October is here and it is by far, my favorite month of the year. There are so many great things to love about October: the weather starts getting a little chilly but not quite cold, nature brings forth all of my favorite produce,  the leaves change, and it has my favorite holiday, Samhain (or Halloween to all of the muggles reading this post). Fall weddings are always so pretty and I just got to celebrate one of my best friends getting married on the Eastern shore  of Maryland this past weekend. October is also Vegetarian awareness month and Breast Cancer awareness month.So, needless to say, I find October to be a stellar month.

Doesn't my friend look amazing?! And you can't even tell that I was crazy sick in this picture (I'm the brunette)

Tonight I have the apartment to myself  while my hubby is at school and thought I'd enjoy the quiet.... by raiding the local farm around the corner and celebrate a belated meat free Monday. Besides, what is a better way to celebrate vegetarian awareness and help fight cancer than eating a super veggie laden meal?!

In a baking dish I diced up some brussel sprouts, a sweet potato, a beet, sliced kale, some squash and a handful of cranberries. I tossed them all together with some olive oil and sea salt. Then I covered the dish with some foil and roasted everything for about 45 minutes on 350. This is what I ended up with.

Its delicious and filling! I'm sitting back enjoying my dinner while watching "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead". Its making me feel that much better about all the green drinks I've been enjoying at breakfast.
Well, I'm going to get back to my relaxing, stay tuned throughout the month for some great veggie dishes as well as info on breast cancer awareness month.  Tomorrow morning I will be experimenting with oats and chia seeds. I'll let you know how that goes. Happy October Everyone!

Keepin' It Green

Happy Meat Free Monday Folks! I woke up this morning feeling a little under weather. I think I have a cold coming on. My solution, blast my body with lots of fruit and vegetables  and help it to heal itself. 


In trying to keep up with eating breakfast every morning, I started off  my day by having a green smoothie for breakfast.   Green drinks are something I've been wanting to try for a while. On the advice of some of my classmates, I've been experimenting with different fruit and veggie combinations. They look weird, but taste really good.   Ideally, using fresh veggies & fruit is the best way to enjoy these drinks. Leaf vegetables are typically low in calories, low in fat, high in protein per calorie, high in dietary fiber, high in iron and calcium, and very high in phytochemicals such as vitamin C, carotenoids,lutein, folate as well as Vitamin K.These drinks are a great way to get kids to enjoy vegetables too.

The Basic Green Smoothie Recipe


This is what I recommend for starting out (makes about 1 quart/1 liter).


1 or 2          ripe bananas
1/2 cup       of another fruit: (pineapple, blueberry, apple, peach, mango)
1 1/2 cup    fresh greens:   (~2 chard leaves or ~1 handful spinach/kale)




~ 12 oz water (or to desired consistency)

If you don't have a blender or juicer, or you're short on time, you can buy pre-made green drinks and smoothies.  The fresh ones are best, just be sure to read the ingredient labels to make sure there aren't any additives and that you are truly just getting blended fruit and veg.   I like Naked juice and Odwalla brands, if I have to grab a smoothie on the run.


For lunch I had some spicy black bean soup. It really helped clear up my stuffed up sinuses. I finished clearing them out when I got home from work with the aid of my netipot.


For dinner I tossed some whole grain pasta, in homemade basil pesto with some Kale, spinach, broccoli & I tossed in some cannellini beans for some added protein.  It was really yummy and super easy to make. 

Now I'm nursing a cup of green tea, with a hint of honey from the farm around the corner to soothe my sore throat.   It may not be the instant feel good cure for a cold, like some of the pills and remedies in the drug store, but I have peace of mind that I'm giving my body the tools to help it heal itself. .... Now if that can just be sooner than later so I can be healthy enough to enjoy being in my best friend's wedding this weekend.... :-)

Have a Fiesta Friday!

Its crazy in the world out there lately. A few weeks ago we experienced a hurricane and an earthquake all in the same week. I was trying not get caught up in everyone's doom & gloom, especially when people were yelling at me at work for situations I can"t control (the entire east coast had sold out of sump pumps and I'm a kitchen designer at Lowe's)...

Anyway, amidst all of that negativity,  my hubby & I decided to have fiesta Friday.  We made up some sangria and some nice turkey tacos. I was determined to get some more veggies on our plates and didn't want to have unhealthy refried beans (besides I really don't like them), so I came up with a nice black bean salad instead. We both really enjoyed it. I love having leftovers to use in burritos & salads the next two days as well. Below are the results.


This experiment turned out surprisingly well for a last minute idea and it was great to use up some of my leftover bits in the fridge & pantry.
Toss together all the following ingredients and let marinate at least 30 minutes before serving.
1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups corn kernels (we used leftover from the local farmers market, but thawed frozen kernels work well too
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green onion sliced
1 cup diced jicama 
1 Tbsp lime juice
spice blend I used: cumin, paprika, cilantro, red chili pepper, garlic and a smidgen of sea salt

***Note: if you're not familiar with Jicama its kind of a cross between a potato with an apple or a pear. It is usually found in the produce section of your grocery store or favorite Latin market.


This weekend we are "rained in". We live in central PA and the flooding has been way worse than anyone expected. So instead of being grumpy about it, we're reveling in having time to actually be home together for a long weekend. We'll be cleaning & organizing to give ourselves some stress relief, have some laughs while playing our favorite games and of course, I'll probably be cooking up a storm as usual. Not sure what I'll be making to keep the dark clouds away, but I'll be sure to post the results. Happy Friday!

Fresh Gazpacho- Summer In a Bowl

As soon as the weather gets warmer, my body craves veggies & fruit like you wouldn't believe. I am definitely, and always have been, a seasonal eater. When its hot I prefer the majority of my meals to be of a chilled variety and that usually means heavily vegetable based. My favorite of these meals has always been a cold bowl of fresh gazpacho.

I recently celebrated Lammas, an old festival day celebrating the first harvest of the year. I was debating on what to make for a special dinner and then Gazpacho popped in my head. I had a ton of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes from my parents garden to use up and as a city dweller, that is about as close to a first harvest as I'm going to be able to do. I accompanied my meal with a whole grain zucchini corn bread. Since today is my MFM post for vegans I'll post that recipe later....In the meantime, make up a batch of this easy to make and delicious chilled soup. Serve it up with some good crusty bread and I guarantee you'll be hooked. Gazpacho also works great for all of you out there that are raw food fanatics as well, since it involves zero  cooking. All you need to make it is a good knife or a food processor.

You'll need:
4 large ripe tomatoes
3 medium cucumbers, peeled
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 small can tomato juice
2 red bell peppers

Cut the vegetables into large chunks. Place all the ingredients in your food processor or blender and pulse until is the same consistency as a chunky salsa.  Chill in the refrigerator for one day to let the flavors marinate before serving. 

Note: this is a good recipe to make at least one day in advance as it tastes so much better once the flavors have had a chance to marinate together for a bit.

Holy Zucchini Batman!!

I love summer produce and getting food from the garden, but right about this time every year I get overwhelmed. There is so much produce I don't know what to do with it all before it goes bad. I can only can & preserve so much of it. This week I feel like Bubba Gump, but instead of 50 ways to serve shrimp, I'm coming up with ways to use up an insane amount of zucchini. Just look at all this veg in my fridge.....awesome, but I need to seriously cook like crazy.  Especially, considering my parents are giving us another load this weekend when we visit them on the eastern shore.

So, I woke up this morning feeling motivated, but I've learned that in order to keep up my momentum I need to reward myself....what better way to do that than have a nice breakfast. I sauteed some zucchini in garlic & olive oil, tossed in some eggs and a hint of milk to make an omelette. Top that off with some sliced grape tomatoes, italian seasoning (harvested from my patio garden of course) and a smidgen of parmesan cheese. What I ended up with is a super yummy, mediterranian inspired omelette. I also got my protein and first serving of veg in for the day.

BTW, a small side note: I cooked this in my eco-friendly nonstick pan (they use ceramic instead of that nasty PFOA that is used on traditional nonstick pans), that is made by Cuisinart. It works fantastic. We received it as a wedding gift and my husband likes it so much he's been cooking breakfast almost every weekend for me. 

I still have a ton of zucchini left so here's how I'm using it:
-Its not summer without zucchini bread. I make several loaves, slice them up and then store the slices in the freezer so I can enjoy the summery snacky goodness for a few months. ITs also great for breakfast on the go.
-On the indulgent side, I love making chocolate zucchini bundt cakes. The zucchini keeps the cake super moist and whats more decadent than chocolate cake with chocolate chips baked in?!
-Breaded & baked zucchini fries are always a yummy snack. I like to served it with homemade roasted  tomato ketchup or a good marinara for dipping sauce.
- Here's an awesome recipe from Gourmet magazine that we love for parties: Zucchini Bacon Fritters
-We also love grilling off the zucchini and other veg with some fresh mozzerella to make paninis. The grilled vegetables also freeze surprisingly well.
-There's a family dish I love in the summer that my Great Aunt Jeanette calls LOMO. We have no idea where the name came from. Essentially all you do is saute about 2 sliced onions with some ground beef (I prefer ground turkey to cut the calories & fat).  Drain the excess fat from the pan.  Then add about 4 diced Roma tomatoes, 2 whole zucchinis (sliced into rounds), garlic, rosemary & oregano.  Let this cook covered until the juices reduce down and form a kind of stew. Then add a handful of Parmesan cheese.  This is a great way to use up extra zucchini from the garden as well as tomatoes. We usually will make batches of it and store it in seal a meal bags in the freezer. When we heat it back up, its great served over rice.

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to enjoy your own zucchini explosion at home. I'll be posting form Maryland's eastern shore this weekend, who knows what I might get into to post about..
After that, the long awaited wedding wrap up (I finally got my wedding proofs). Hope you have a great weekend and can stay cool in all this extreme heat this week. Happy Summer!

Happy Bastille Day!

Yup, I'm celebrating French independence day.  Why? because that is where my father's family is from.... and also I'll make any excuse to cook my favorite comfort food recipes from my ancestral heritage.  Also, this is the 3rd day in a row I'm stuck at home nursing a sinus infection. When I am stuck at home & get a dose of cabin fever or if I am really upset about something, I cook. Any of my dear friends and family have witnessed this because I channel my grandmother during tough times and then feed everyone way too much food until whatever the current storm in my life passes over. Cooking calms me down, gives me a project to work on by myself providing time to think  and also some sort of peace knowing that a little bit of myself is in every dish I make and that the people I care about most in this world will get to enjoy it.

So for today, I've  made two things: a triple berry pie because I have berries from Strite's orchard that I refuse to go to waste and they happen to be the patriotic colors of the French flag as well. I also am making a variation of Ratatouille.

My grandmother and her sister, my great aunt Jeanette, grew up in a tiny farming village in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. They ate simply growing up, living off the land. this was not because it was the right thing to do, but it was because that was what they had to do.  One of my favorite stories from their childhood, was that often it rained, they ran out in the grasses outside, picked snails and enjoyed escargot for dinner.  I always found it funny how dishes that many American think of as fancy French food, actually started off as peasant fare.  Ratatouille is one of those dishes that a lot of folks in farm villages ate. It consists of summer squashes, tomatoes and eggplant with garlic and herbs cooked together until it forms a stew. To me, it is the taste of summer on a plate.

Michelle's Ratatouille Pasta

• 2 eggplants (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• coarse salt to taste
• 4 yellow squash (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds penne rigate (with ridges) or fusili
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

I actually halved the above recipe since its just myself & my hubby enjoying this tonight. Traditionally this dish is a vegetarian one, but since my hubby wanted some more "oomf" to it, I also added some spicy andouille sausage sliced up.We also used whole grain & vegetable fusili. This time we tried Hodgson Mill brand & its not bad.  If you have a gluten free diet, this dish is excellent on its own and really doesn't need the pasta, I just use it to turn it into a full meal as opposed to a side dish.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Stir together eggplants, onions, 1/4 cup oil, and kosher salt in a large roasting pan, then roast mixture in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Stir in squash, bell peppers, 2 tablespoons oil, and more kosher salt and roast mixture, stirring occasionally, until bell peppers are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

While vegetables are roasting, simmer tomatoes, garlic, thyme, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and kosher salt in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir tomatoes into roasted vegetables and season ratatouille.

Cook penne  in a  pot of boiling salted water until al dente (to the bite) and drain. While pasta is cooking, stir parsley and basil into ratatouille and season. Toss pasta with 1/3 of ratatouille and serve topped with remainder. Enjoy with a nice light red wine and a crispy hunk of a baguette.

Getting tired? I tend to keep myself  going with some inspiring tunes. Today I'm enjoying the sounds of Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier while I'm relaxing and then maybe I'll play some French house music later when I have to motivated for the cleanup.


Triple Berry Summer Pie
Ok so first things 1st, the pie.  In France they usually eat tarts or free form pies called galettes, as pie is more of an American dessert. Unfortunately  I'm out of almond flour  to make a proper crust, and galettes are a huge mess in the oven, so pie it is!  First I tossed a mixture of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries together with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch and about 1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon.  You can use any mixture of berries you like, these were just what I had on hand.  I added 2 hearty splashes of Cointreau (Note: Cointreau is an orange flavored liquor, using Grand Marnier will give you the same flavor profile) liquor (about 2 tbsp),    and then tossed the mixture with my hands. when its was mixed it looked like this:

Next I poured this mixture into my pie dough shell which I had already formed in my stoneware pie plate. Incidentally my mom always taught me to keep homemade pie dough in the freezer, ready to go. If you're not this fortunate to have it on hand, the ones in the refrigerated section of the grocery store work too. For those of you with Gluten intolerance, Wegman's carries some great ready to use gluten free pie shells in their frozen section.  I took a second piece of pie dough and cut it into strips to make a lattice.  Once I placed this on top I baked the pie for 35 minutes at about 350F in my convection toaster oven.  (I didn't want to waste the energy of heating up an entire oven and the apartment for just one pie).

Et voila! We're sure to be enjoying this later tonight with some vanilla ice cream while watching some of our favorite french inspired films. I think Pixar's Ratatouille & French Kiss will be our movies of choice. I hope you have as nice an evening as we will and happy summer!

Reflections on the Sweet Potato

ok so I'm on a food kick again today... big surprise there. Most of us envision sweet potatoes as things that are topped in marshmallows & sauce at Thanksgiving. Thanks to a lot of good press and low carb diets, many restaurants are now offering sweet potato fries and baked ones as side dishes. In general, these are generall the orange fleshy ones, also known as yams (they come in a variety of colors ranging from yellow to purple).

Yes the rumors are true, this starch vegetable is really good for you. Check it out:
Sweet potato contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. Sweet Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.

Growing up, my favorite sweet potatoes were the white ones. Their flesh is a pale yellow in color and given proper ripening time, they are amazingly sweet on their own, no butter or other toppings needed on these babies.  My mom just gave me a large number of these from her garden that she recently harvested. I wanted to make sure they didn't go to waste so I was thinking of creative ways to use them. Here are some of what I'm doing with my super sweet stash:
-glazed sweet potato wedges
-sweet potato & chicken curry 
-sweet potato bisque soup
-sweet potato pie
 -curry chicken pot pie casserole (recipe below)

Need some recipe ideas? I highly recommend doing ingredient searches on the following websites
-www.myrecipes.com  -here you'll find recipes from cooking light, southern living, Sunset and a number of other magazines
-www.epicurious.com  -a large number of recipes from bon appetit & gourmet among other foodie magazine favorites
-www.foodnetwork.com  - my go to source to find Alton Brown, Mario Batali &  Michael Chiarello recipes, (when I can't find it in their cookbooks)  and some tips form other celebrity chefs


Michelle's Hurry Curry Chicken Pot Pie Casserole- A great way to use up leftover bits
1 cup diced celery                                              1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced sweet potatoes                                1 cup frozen green beans
1 cup frozen corn                                                1 cup frozen carrots
2 tsp curry powder                                             1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup milk (preferably organic & not skim)       2 cups cooked chicken
3 Tbsp flour                                                        2 Tbsp butter
1 puff pastry sheet                                                 olive oil

Sweat the onions & celery in a bit of olive oil.  Move the mixture to the outside edges of the pan. In the center of the pan, melt the butter  and add the flour & curry to make a roux. Combine with a whisk until smooth. 

Toss the remaining vegetables in olive oil & roast on a sheet pan in the oven for about 10 minutes.  In a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk & stock together until the liquid is almost boiling.  Add the liquid to the saute pan mix. Boil for 1 minute.

Add the vegetables to the saute pan, followed by the chicken meat. Combine all together.  Season with salt & pepper.   Mixture will be thick. 

Place mix in a foil lined, stoneware casserole. Roll out the puff pastry. Puncture pastry with a fork multiple times. Then cut shapes out of the dough. Lay the shapes on the top of the casserole mixture.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 4 generous servings.

Vegetable from an Alien Planet: Beets

Growing up I had a bad connotation when I heard the word beets. We never ate them at home because my parents didn’t care for them, which probably only encouraged the stigma. That, and the fact my mom always made a funny face when we went to my grandmother’s for dinner and they were offered to us. In addition, when you cut them up it appears as if you have blood on your hands and the stain doesn’t come off very easily. And lets face it, they are kind of weird looking.

On the positive side, beets offer a ton of health benefits:

• The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent.
• The greens attached to the beet roots are delicious and can be prepared like spinach or Swiss chard. They are incredibly rich in nutrients, concentrated in vitamins and minerals as well as carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin. 
• One cup of raw beets is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. It contains phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium, as well as fiber, vitamins A and C, niacin, and biotin. Beets contain folic acid, which is recommended for pregnant women because it may lower the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects in newborn infants
• since beets are a root vegetable they are readily available during the winter months 

My boyfriend always has said how much he likes beets. So as with most things that’s I wouldn’t eat in childhood, I decided to give them another try…… and I enjoyed them immensely!

Here’s a great salad I frequently make from the Anheiser Busch cookbook. I substitute regular beets (as opposed to the golden ones the recipe calls for). I also prefer using organic beets as I find the greens on them tend to be in much better shape.  Many people don't think they care for beets, but most family & friends that I have tried this recipe on really like it.

 Citrus Beet Salad

Yield: 6 servings

• 1 1/2  pounds  small golden beets
• Cooking spray
• 1/4  cup  orange juice
• 1  tablespoon  cider vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  teaspoon  honey
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 4  cups  mixed salad greens
• 3  cups  chopped beet greens (about 3 ounces)
• 1 1/2  cups  tangerine or orange sections, halved crosswise (about 8 tangerines)
• 2  tablespoons  shaved fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1  tablespoon  coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 400°.
Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat beets with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool beets slightly. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Cut beets in half.
Combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add beets, tossing gently to coat. Remove beets with a slotted spoon, and set aside, reserving orange juice mixture in bowl. Add salad greens and beet greens to bowl; toss well. Place about 1 cup greens mixture on each of 6 salad plates; top each with about 1 1/2 cups beets, 1/4 cup tangerine sections, 1 teaspoon cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon nuts. Serve immediately.

 

Hope you enjoy!

A Falsely Accused Vegetable

Brussel Sprouts: most people hear the name and cringe. Many individuals have a stigma in their brain that says "if its good for you it has to taste lousy." And even more unfortunately, brussel sprouts are why they believe this to be true.

Here are the facts:
-most people have never tried brussel sprouts out of fear, because the veggie has received such negative press
-many of the ppeople who have tried them ate them when they were mushy or overcooked
-if you eat the smaller sprouts, preferably fresh off the stalk they actually have a very mild flavor & are not bitter
-Brussel sprouts are a great source of Vitamins A, C & k, as well as being chock full of antioxidents and a great source of fiber.



I know these few reasons are not enough to convince most of you to try them. The same was true for my family. So I did a little experiment. For thanksgiving dinner I prepared them in disguise as a slaw. I did not say what the slaw was made of and most members of the group loved it. When I told them what they were eating they didn't believe me. My dad's exact words were "just don't use the name brussel sprouts in the dish's name. Just call it slaw. That way no one will miss out. This is great."

Here is my recipe for the "Just Slaw", its super easy to prepare (makes 8 servings)

• 1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt plus additional for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds organic brussels sprouts, trimmed(if you can find them on the stalk even better)
  
• Candied Pecans (I prefer the sweet & spicy ones form Trader Joe's)
  

Whisk mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar in small bowl; whisk in oil. Season with coarse salt and pepper.
Bring large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon coarse salt. Add brussels sprouts. Cook until crisp-tender and still bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Cool on paper towels. Using processor fitted with 1/8- to 1/4-inch slicing disk, slice brussels sprouts. Transfer to large bowl. DO AHEAD: Dressing and brussels sprouts can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.
Toss brussels sprouts with enough dressing to coat. Let marinate 30 to 60 minutes. Mix in some pecans. Place slaw in serving bowl. Top with remaining pecans.

Hopefully, you will give this tiny but powerful vegetable a chance.