Posted in Uncategorized on July 19, 2008| 2 Comments »
With temps well into the 90s, and the humidity just as high, the kitchen is officially closed today. Instead, here are some summer blooms from around my home.
Stella d'Oro daylily
black-eyed susans
little pink
flowering hosta
yellow-throated red wine daylily
Posted in pasta, Presto Pasta Night on July 18, 2008| 3 Comments »
A new edition of Presto Pasta Nights Roundup can be enjoyed at Ruth’s delicious blog, Once Upon A Feast. Great recipes for beating the heat and still getting your minimum daily requirements of pasta!
Posted in bread, dairyfree recipes, desserts, fruit, Recipes on July 17, 2008| 4 Comments »
Everyone has their favorite blueberry recipe, and here’s mine, slightly modified from Jane Brody’s Good Food Gourmet. Enjoy!
Blueberry bread
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9x5x4-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the margarine and egg to the dry ingredients, and mix to combine.
In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and the water. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, and stir til everything is just combined. Stir in the blueberries and pecans, and transfer to your loaf pan.
Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until your tester inserted into center of bread comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Mmmmmm!
Posted in apples, eggs, fruit, Italian on July 16, 2008| 2 Comments »
Here is another great dish from Gina DePalma’s best-selling cookbook, Dolce Italiano. We had this for dinner, with a salad on the side, but it would also be perfect for a brunch, lunch, or even dessert. The apples, sauteed in olive oil with sugar and cinnamon, were tucked inside the omelet, and the honey sauce on top was light and yummy. A delightful Northern Italian recipe, and a must-buy book.
Posted in Recipes on July 15, 2008| Leave a Comment »
After falling in love with this easy sorbet recipe, I knew it would not be long before I tried my hand at another one. This time the theme was peaches and cream, two flavors that truly belong together. While I liked this new sorbet alot, I think I’m still partial to the pineapple and coconut. I guess I’m a sucker for a pina colada. Enjoy!
Peaches ‘n’ cream sorbet
2 15-ounce cans cling peaches in pear juice from concentrate (no sugar added)
1/4 cup coconut milk (or more, to taste)
sweetener of your choice
Empty the two cans of peaches, with their liquid, into a flat plastic container, and freeze.
When ready to make, remove from freezer and allow to sit out for about 15 minutes. Remove from container in big chunks and place in your food processor, along with the coconut milk. Process until smooth and creamy. (You may have to scrape some chunks down from the sides a couple of times). Add sweetener, to taste, as desired. Serve immediately. Makes 4 – 6 servings, depending upon how fast it gets consumed.
Posted in chicken, dairyfree recipes, main dishes, Recipes, soy yogurt, tomatoes on July 14, 2008| 3 Comments »
My mother used to make us corn fritters as kids. She would fry them in about a 1/2″ of oil. We LOVED them, but I remember that they were really greasy.
I wanted to duplicate the delicious flavor and great eating experience of eating a corn fritter, but also wanted to update it a little, to be more low-fat conscious and maybe with a little zing. I made these today, and added some diced cooked chicken to them, although it’s not necessary. The tomato-pepper puree spooned over the top makes the perfect complement and balance, and with a vegetable salad on the side, this was another great summer meal. Enjoy!
Chicken-corn fritters with tomato-pepper puree
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup plain soy yogurt
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 cup cooked chicken, diced small
12 ounces frozen corn, completely thawed
Canola oil
Tomato-pepper puree (recipe to follow)
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, corn meal, salt, sugar, baking powder, and cayenne. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, and margarine. Add to the dry ingredients, and stir until just mixed. Fold in the scallions, chicken, and corn.
In a skillet, heat a few tablespoons canola oil over medium-high heat, then add the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls. Cook until golden on each side. Serve with the tomato-pepper puree. Makes 4 servings.
Tomato-pepper puree
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 slivered sun-dried tomatoes
1 chopped red pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
freshly ground pepper
kosher salt
In a saucepan, place all the ingredients except the ground pepper and the salt. Cook over medium heat, covered, for about a half hour. Add water by the tablespoons, as needed, if mixture starts to appear dry.
Remove from heat, allow to cool, to place contents in food processor or blender, and puree. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Posted in chicken, main dishes, pasta, Recipes, tomatoes, vegetables on July 13, 2008| 3 Comments »
I’m not a huge fan of southwest-style cuisine, although I’m not really sure why.
This recipe really appeals to me, though. There are actually NO heavy spices or any cheeses in it. Maybe that’s what I like about it – its clean taste – all the vegetables’ flavors speak for themselves in this dish. The only seasoning is salt and pepper, and a little balsamic vinegar. Of course, I’m a big fan of pasta, so that helps, too! Enjoy!
Southwest pasta
16 ounces of tubular pasta (penne, rotini, your favorite)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or more, to taste)
1 diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 zucchini, diced
6 ounces string beans, cut into 1″ pieces
2 cups frozen corn (I used Trader Joe’s roasted corn – yum!)
freshly ground pepper
coarse salt
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pound grape tomatoes, halved
Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions and garlic until soft. Add the carrots, zucchini, and green beans, and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn and continue to cook, until the vegetables have begun to soften. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer everything to a large bowl. Stir in the remaining olive oil, the vinegar, the black beans, chicken, tomatoes, and pasta. Toss so that all the flavors mingle, and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve at room temperature, or chilled. Serves 4.
Posted in dairyfree recipes, desserts, fruit, Recipes on July 12, 2008| 1 Comment »
What a wonderful idea!!! It just goes to show you that there is always a great and simple recipe sitting right under your nose. This was incredibly easy to make, and I added about 1/4 cup coconut milk, and a little sweetener, although it tastes fine with its own natural sweetness, too.
This was smooth and creamy and went down so nicely on this hot summer eve. The perfect dessert. I may just have to try it with some other fruits also. Hmm….
Pina colada sorbet
1 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks, in their own juice
1/4 cup coconut milk
sweetener of your choice (optional)
Empty the contents of the can of pineapple into a flat plastic container and freeze.
When ready to make, remove from freezer and allow to sit out for about 15 minutes. Remove from container in big chunks and place in your food processor, along with the coconut milk. Process until smooth and creamy. (You may have to scrape some chunks down from the sides a couple of times). Add sweetener, to taste, as desired. Serve immediately. Makes 4 – 6 servings, depending upon how fast it gets consumed.
Posted in pasta, Presto Pasta Night on July 11, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Please make sure to visit A Scientist in the Kitchen blog, where this week’s edition of Presto Pasta Nights is being hosted. Just when I thought there couldn’t possibly be more recipes for pasta, this lovely festival sparks my tastebuds and imagination! Everything looks delicious, and some really great ideas, too.
Posted in fish, main dishes, Recipes, South Beach-friendly on July 10, 2008| 7 Comments »
This recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen, and I just love how they do their research to find the “perfect preparation” of a dish. The goal here was to have a glaze that held just the right balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy. I think they reached glazing perfection with this one, and a video is provided for people like me who love visuals. I did not at all find this too spicy, as I feared it might be. The glaze was a snap to make, although I did have some difficulty finding jalapeno jelly in my neck of the woods, but I did finally locate some at my fifth stop! I also especially liked the grilling method that they used – little tin foil boats for each fillet. It kept the fish intact and nicely charred, and easy clean-up. Enjoy!
Grilled salmon in jalapeno glaze
1/2 cup jalapeno jelly
2 scallions
1/2 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons margarine (recipe calls for butter)
4 salmon fillets, deboned and skinned
salt and pepper
In your food processor, process the jelly, scallions, cilantro, lime zest, and garlic until fine. Transfer to a small pan and, over medium heat, allow to bubble up for about 2 minutes. Reserve about 1/4 cup of glaze and put aside for finishing this dish, then add 2 tablespoons margarine to the glaze in the pan to thicken. Set aside.
Make four little trays (or boats) out of heavy duty tin foil for each individual salmon fillet, making sure to make a rim around each tray to keep the glaze and juices from spilling out. Lightly spray each tray.
Season each fillet with salt and pepper, on both sides. Brush the glaze on both sides. Place in the boats and place the boats on your heated grill. Carefully flip the fillets when blackened on one side and brush again with the buttered glaze.
When blackened on the flip side, plate the fillets, then add more glaze (the reserve) on the cooked salmon. Makes 4 servings.
Awarded to me by 
got no milk 