Passion Fruit Mojitos

Passion fruit is in season right now, and I have been LOVING these passion fruit mojitos. I mentioned them in a post last week, and I ended up making them again this morning (...without the rum!).

These virgin passion fruit mojitos are tart, sweet, and fizzy — the perfect drink for a hot day like today

Easy Asian Sesame Slaw

This Easy Asian Sesame Slaw is a crisp and tangy side that pairs perfectly with a heaver main dish on a hot day. It's really simple to make, too, and the leftovers make a great lunch the next day. 

Tapas Sunday: Eggplant Caponata

Robust and rich, this flavorful eggplant dish makes a wonderful appetizer with flatbread or toasted baguette. Eggplant is cooked with onions, tomato, garlic, olive oil, capers, olives, and fresh herbs until soft, then sprinkled with toasted nuts and served hot, room temperature, or cold. It seems like every cook has their own version of caponata. I looked at several caponata recipes for reference, but in the end I relied mostly on  my personal taste. The resulting eggplant dish was savory and oh-so-satisfying. I can't wait to try the leftovers with pasta!

Gazpacho

This is my second attempt at making gazpacho in as many weeks. The first one had potential, but the recipe called for the tomato mixture to be pureed, then strained. After straining the soup, it was so thin it resembled a juice more than a soup. Without the vegetable puree to add texture, the flavor seemed lacking as well. I was disappointed to say the least, but when I had a friend over for dinner this past weekend, I decided to try my hand at this chilled soup one more time, to accompany a side of Asparagus and Red Corn Salad.

Asparagus and Red Corn Salad

My friend Dave came over for dinner on Saturday. I didn't want to use the oven at all, so I decided to make a couple of cold sides to accompany a main dish that could be cooked on the stove top.

Tapas Sunday: A Farm Fresh Feast!

This Sunday, Nate and I visited the Underwood Family Farms. We had quite a lot of goodies to choose from for our tapas extravaganza!

I started off by making this "Magic Sauce," a blend of olive oil, garlic, paprika, thyme, rosemary, oregano, lemon juice, salt, and crushed red pepper.

I decided to make some Roasted Baby Blue, Red, and White Potatoes. I tossed them with about 2 TBSP of the sauce, then roasted them at 400° for about 20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. I sprinkled the potatoes with salt, then served them on the table with the rest of the sauce for dipping.

Nate stepped up to the plate and made some Fried Green Tomatoes! He worked off of this recipe but made some modifications along the way. He did a great job! The crust was crunchy and not greasy, and the tomatoes were just tender enough. We dunked the tomatoes in the amazing garlic/basil dip I got from Brothers Mediterranean Food at the Farmer's Market.

Next up, I made Stuffed Red Cherry Peppers Wrapped in Bacon. Oh yeah. I cut the tops off the peppers and scooped out the seeds. They are a little spicy without the seeds, and REALLY spicy with them! I then cooked the bacon on one side in a frying pan (1 slice per pepper). The filling consisted of 2 T cream cheese, 2 T goat cheese, and 1 T "Magic Sauce," mixed together until smooth. I stuffed the peppers with the cheese, then wrapped them in the slices of bacon, with the crispy side of the bacon facing the pepper (since the outside would get crispy in the oven). I baked them at 400° for 10 minutes, until the peppers were mostly tender and the cheese was nice and gooey.

Last but absolutely not least, we had a platter of Sliced Heirloom Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, drizzled with Magic Sauce and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

We served it all with some wedges of fresh pita bread from the market and a glass each of chilled Pinot Grigio.

Not a bad spread! Though we couldn't finish any of it (except for the peppers). Let's just say I'm pretty excited about my heirloom tomato and pita bread lunch tomorrow!

Crostini with Goat Cheese and Peach-Jalapeno Jam

Last night we had some friends over, which means I got to do one of my favorite things...make snacks! I had four peaches sitting in the fridge, and I knew that a slightly spicy, sweet peach jam would be the perfect complement to some tangy chèvre.

I was right, and everyone loved the crostini. I served it along with some roasted potato bites with a homemade lemon curry mayo. That was amazing too, but I forgot to take a picture! We also had a selection of beverages, including cider, beer, and wine.

From top to bottom: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA, Lagunitas IPA, Samuel Smith's Organic Hard Cider.

Other than the homemade mayo, the crostini was definitely the big hit of the night. This recipe was super easy to put together and was just delicious! The only thing to watch out for is the boiling jam, because it splatters like crazy and sticks to your skin like magma. I have the red burn on my wrist to prove it.

Crostini with Goat Cheese and Peach-Jalapeno Jam

4 peaches, peeled and cut into chunks, then pureed in blender until mostly smooth
2 Jalapenos, seeded and diced small
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1 scant cup of sugar

1 loaf crusty bread (baguette or ciabatta)

1 4oz log chèvre

Add all of the ingredients (except the bread and cheese!) to a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, stirring to combine. I recommend tasting the jalapenos to see how spicy they are. The ones I got were not spicy at all, so I added some cayenne pepper. The jalapenos did lend a nice peppery flavor to the jam, nonetheless.

Cook the jam over medium heat, and bring it to a boil. Cook it until the foam on top subsides and the jam is thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon. You can let it get as thick as you like, I would have liked to cook my for a little longer but I only had an hour and a half after I got home to clean the apartment and get all the snacks together!

Once the jam is thickened to your liking, chill it in the refrigerator.

Slice the bread about 1" thick. Brush with olive oil and toast or broil until golden and crispy on top. Spread with goat cheese while still warm, then top with peach-jalapeno jam, and garnish with some ribbons of basil.

The best part is that this morning, I made goat cheese and peach jam stuffed french toast for breakfast out of the leftovers!

Tapas Sunday: Heirloom Tomatoes

As the summer progresses, something miraculous happens at the market... HEIRLOOM TOMATOES appear at nearly every stall. Brown, yellow, red, magenta, orange...bulbous, round, oblong...these tomatoes are incredible to look at and, best of all, incredible to eat!

Nate and I were feeling tired after a late night with friends, so when we got home from the farmer's market, I wanted to whip up something easy and delicious. These tomatoes did just the trick...

They are best prepared as simply as possible. Slice, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

The yellow tomato was bright and tangy, while the brownish-greenish-reddish one tasted...like tomato heaven. Seriously, it was probably my favorite tomato I have ever tasted, even though it was pretty ugly on the outside. 

I served them alongside some wedges of warmed fresh pita bread and a garlicky, basil-infused dip I got at a Mediterranean food stall at the market.

With a glass of freshly brewed iced tea to wash it all down, this was an incredibly refreshing, satisfying meal. 

Padron Peppers

This tapas dish may be one of the simplest, quickest, and tastiest snacks ever made. Padron peppers (Shishito peppers can also be used) are quickly sauteed in hot olive oil until the skin blackens and blisters, then are sprinkled liberally with sea salt and served. A fun surprise? About one in ten Padron peppers is very very spicy, while the rest are mild (like Shishito peppers), earning them the nickname "Russian Roulette Peppers." This batch, which we served at our inaugural Tapas Sunday, didn't have any of the spicy buggers — so I guess we'll have to keep on making them!

Sauteed Padron Peppers

1 lb Padron or Shishito Peppers
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan until almost smoking. Add peppers and saute, turning frequently, until slightly blackened and blistered. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Patatas Bravas

Waxy, tender fingerling potatoes roasted until golden and crispy, served alongside a slightly sweet, tart, and spicy tomato based sauce...it may not be 100% authentic, but this roasted Patatas Bravas recipe was delicious, and made a great addition to our first Tapas Sunday spread!

Patatas Bravas are a very traditional Spanish tapas. The more authentic recipe fries the potatoes instead of roasts them, and serves them in the sauce instead of on the side. I chose to roast the potatoes to save on the calories (and the mess!), and left the sauce separate so the potatoes would remain crispy. The sauce was so good I ended up toasting up some baguette slices so we could scoop up the leftovers. Muy Bien!

Roasted Patatas Bravas

For the potatoes:
1 lb fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, dried, and sliced in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

For the sauce:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small-diced yellow onion
2 tsp olive oil
1 T flour

1 can tomato puree
1 can vegetable stock
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 T red wine
1 T white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Toss sliced fingerling potatoes with 1 T olive oil, 1/2 tsp paprika, and some salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking dish and cook for 30 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 425° and cook until golden brown and crispy on bottom.

While the potatoes are cooking:
In a medium sauce pan, saute 2 tsp olive oil, onions, and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Take care not to brown the garlic.

Add 1 T flour and stir to coat. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve potatoes alongside the bravas sauce. Yum!

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

I love chickpeas, and I'm always looking for new ways to cook them. Nate's not a big fan of the texture of beans, so I thought it would be fun to turn some into a crunchy, spicy snack. This recipe is really easy and makes for a great treat or part snack.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry

1 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350­°. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Set them on a double layer of paper towel. Cover with another paper towel, and gently roll the chickpeas to dry them. Remove the top layer of paper towel and remove any loose skins from the beans. 

Put chickpeas on a large cookie sheet. Put pan in oven and bake for 30 minutes, shaking about every 10 minutes. 

Remove pan from oven. Toss chickpeas with olive oil, spices, salt and pepper, then return to oven for another 20-30 minutes or until crunchy, shaking the pan often. 

Tapas Sunday

In my house we have a "Pizza Friday" tradition, as I mentioned in my post White Pizza with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Manchego. Starting this week, we have a new tradition: Tapas Sunday!

I go to the farmer's market every Sunday morning, and when I get back I am always eager to cook something up. Tapas are the perfect way to try a taste of several ingredients without depleting our supply for the week ahead.

What are tapas? Tapas are a Spanish tradition: simply prepared small snacks meant to accompany a glass of beer or wine. They're becoming increasingly popular all over the United States as well. Tapas bars offer a selection of wine, beer, and small snacks like olives, garlic shrimp, or herbed almonds.

For our initial Tapas Sunday, I made Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas, Patatas Bravas, and sauteed Padron peppers. Alongside these yummy treats we drank a slightly chilled 2009 "Tempra Tantrum," a wine blend of Tempranillo and Grenache grapes from Toledo, Spain. It's a very subtle, easy to drink red wine, and was the perfect accompaniment to our casual Sunday afternoon spread.

Stay tuned this week for the tapas recipes!

Spicy White Bean Dip with Crusty French Bread

I had no idea what I was going to make this weekend. My mother can attest to this fact; on the phone I was complaining about how I had nothing to cook and she said I should just post whatever I make anyway. But I couldn't in good conscience just post spaghetti with diced tomatoes from a can...so I dug deeper in my cupboards to see what I could find.

I had an old can of butter beans, and plenty of flour and yeast...I could make french bread, with a white bean dip! After some internet research I found a recipe that didn't call for lemon juice (I am out of lemons probably for the first time since I moved to California!), and that also incorporated one of my favorite condiments, Sriracha sauce.

You can see the tasty results below!

Spicy White Bean Dip with Crusty French Bread

For the dip:

1 15 oz can White Beans

1 Clove Garlic, chopped

1 T Olive Oil

1 T Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce

1 tsp Soy Sauce

2 tsp Sesame Oil

1/4 C Water

Juice of 1 lime

Drain the beans and rinse. If using a large bean (like butter beans), remove the thin skins from the beans. 

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor, adding the beans last. Blend until smooth. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, Sriracha, and sliced green onions.

For the bread:

2 3/4 C flour

1 packet active dry yeast 

1 C warm water (110­° F)

1 T olive oil or melted butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Add water to a large bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Cover bowl and set on counter in a draft-free area, to let yeast proof. 

After about 10 minutes, when yeast is foamy, add the other ingredients except for the egg white. Mix until dough comes together (it will be very sticky!) Flour a flat dry surface, and turn dough out. Knead 8-10 minutes or until elastic and smooth, using additional flour as necessary to prevent sticking. 

Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray; add dough ball and roll so dough is coated. Cover bowl and place in a draft-free area to rise until doubled, about 1 hr.

(These initial steps can be done in a bread machine as well. Proof the yeast in the bread pan in the machine, add the other ingredients, then select the dough cycle. When dough cycle finishes, remove dough from pan and continue with the steps below).

Punch dough down. Roll out into a rectangle, then roll up the dough into a log. Sprinkle corn meal on a baking sheet; place dough log on sheet, seam side down. Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes.

Bake in a 375° F over for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with lightly beaten egg. Return to oven and cook 15-20 minutes. The bread will be golden brown, and when you rap on the crust it should sound hollow. Let sit 15 minutes before cooking.

Slice 1-inch thick, brush with olive oil, and broil until golden brown. Serve with Spicy White Bean Dip.

White Pizza with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Manchego

The last couple of weeks has seen the return of summer squash and zucchini to the farmer's market. I always get excited when something new comes into season, so I brought home several bright yellow summer squash and some light green, dappled Ishtar zucchini as well.

Come Friday night they were still sitting in the vegetable crisper. Now, Friday night is pizza night for Nate and me, a tradition carried on from his family — and suddenly I had an idea. White pizza with summer squash and zucchini, sprinkled with thyme and layered with Monterrey Jack, Parmesan, and Manchego cheese. Many white pizzas use ricotta in the place of tomato sauce; I used a drizzle of olive oil to keep things lighter, though ricotta could certainly be used if you're not trying to watch your girlish figure. The results were delicious and much more satisfying than a frozen pizza.

White Pizza with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Manchego

Thyme, Manchego Cheese, and Garlic

You can use any combination of cheese that you like for the pizza. I used Manchego, a sharp and salty Spanish sheep's milk cheese. 

Shave the cheese into hearty curls.

The other two cheeses I used were Parmesan, which I had on hand, and Monterrey Jack. I used to only use mozzarella cheese on pizza, but Monterrey Jack is supremely melty and creamy and works just as well. 

Parmesan

Monterrey Jack

Wash the zucchini and summer squash well. I peeled them almost entirely, but left some of the skin on for color.

Peel the vegetables into thin ribbons, using a vegetable peeler or mandolin. 

Roll out the dough. I made mine from scratch, but used my bread machine for the mixing and kneading. It's so easy and so cheap to make the dough at home this way (the best part is that I found my bread machine in the alley behind my apartment!). You can get good pre-made pizza dough at the supermarket if you don't have time to make it at home. For this recipe, I only used half of the dough and rolled it out very thin.

Brush 1 TBSP olive oil over the crust, then sprinkle with 4 minced cloves of garlic, about 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme, salt and pepper.

Now, spread the Parmesan and Monterrey Jack cheese over the crust...

add the zucchini and summer squash...

and top the pizza with the Manchego curls.

Pop into a 500 degree oven for about 7 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust.

The result is a pizza that is fresh and savory with a crispy yet chewy crust.

YUM!

Simple Strawberry-Orange Smoothie

This is one of my favorite breakfast treats, and it couldn't be easier to make.

Simply add 5-6 frozen strawberries and 8 oz of orange juice to a blender. Blend until smooth. The end result is both sweet and tart, frosty, and light. You can buy frozen strawberries at the store, but making them yourself is a great way to get the most out of a fresh basket. I buy three pints of fresh strawberries each week at the farmer's market, and when one starts getting soft, or weird enough that I don't really want to eat it raw, I hull it and pop it into a container in the freezer. By the end of the week, I have enough to make a Saturday smoothie.

Last night for dinner I made veggie fajitas for one (Nate is in Spain!)

Lots of colorful, fresh ingredients.

I didn't really use a recipe. Just saute 1/2 red onion, 3 minced cloves of garlic, and 1 diced jalapeno until soft. Then crank up the heat and add 1 bell pepper cut into strips, 3 chopped scallions (white/light green parts only), and 2 summer squash cut into half-moons. Add some cumin, paprika, oregano, salt + pepper to taste. Cook until the veggie are a little browned on the edges and the bell pepper is tender. 

Serve with freshly sliced tomato, whole wheat tortillas or wraps, Monterrey jack cheese, and salsa. 

The best part of it all?

I had lots of help!

Stay tuned for homemade white pizza with summer squash, zucchini, and garlic, followed by a clafoutis (gotta make something while cherries are still in season!