Yes, Mom... it's National I Love Food Day!

Are you like me... there's just too many to list!

The following are my favs, and in no specific order...

1.  See's dark chocolate scotchmallows

2.  Hot cinnamon rolls with raisins (Fred's has the best!)

3.  Toast with something savory and something sweet (cottage cheese and fruit or honey)

4.  Onion rings (well done, of course)

5.  Grilled salmon where it's crispy on the outside

6.  A yummy veggie salad with a little drizzle of olive oil, lemon & salt

7.  A deliciously BBQ'd hamburger, rare

8.  Tropical fruits

9.  Delicious tomatoes, red onions, basil, israeli feta and herbs

10.  Melon with cottage cheese

11.  Ice cold, crispy fresh veggies

12.  A white pizza with extremely thin and well-done crust (pref. Pizzeria Mozza)

Yes, i do love food!

Now please tell me... what are your favorites?

Bon Appetit!

L'shana tova 5776!

A blessed and sweet new year to all!

Fregola with Fresh Corn and Scallions

About a year ago i discovered an interesting pasta called fregola.    I generally stay clear of pasta, but these were so small and interesting... like tiny beads, similar to Israeli couscous.  Originally i had it in a salad which i enjoyed, but outta sight - outta mind.  Until i came across this little delight at Bay Cities.  I bought a package and then looked online to see what others have made with it.  It looks like the most popular additions are corn or peas... i guess anything small so that you don't lose the little fregolas in a dish with large ingredients.  I decided fresh corn right off the cob, and a lot of scallions would do the trick, but then a little truffle oil never hurt anything, so...

Ingredients --

• 1 pound of Fregola
• 4 ears of corn
• 2 cups of freshly chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup of grated reggiano parmesan
• extra virgin olive oil
• a tad of truffle oil
• salt
• pepper

Boil the fregola in water with a lot of salt, or as the package instructs.
Meantime, shave the corn off the cobs, and chop the green onions.
Add all 3 ingredients to a large pan with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and a dash of truffle oil. Unfortunately, this is all done by "eye" so i can't say how much to use.
Add the parmesan stirring frequently.  After about 10-15 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste and stir until the aroma tells you "finito!  Time to eat".  This dish can be served either hot or cold.

Buon appetito!

Turkey Chili with Cranberries

Last week i was in New York for Laurence's NYU graduation.  We had a great time and ate at some great restaurants.  The funny this is, the day of his Tisch graduation we couldn't catch a cab (ok... for much of the trip we couldn't catch a cab) and walked forever just to find a place to eat.  We all were tired of walking in the rain and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, decided to eat at the next available place.  Turned out to be The Counter, a restaurant we have in our very own backyard.  I'm not crazy about their turkey burgers, but Debbie and I decided to try the turkey chili with a green salad.  Wow!  It was fantastic.  I thought about that chili every day.  In fact, i took most of mine back to the hotel and ate it cold the next day for breakfast. 

                Polenta Cakes                           Turkey Chili in the Making     

Here's my recreation...

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground turkey (mixed white and dark meat)
• 2 cups of chopped white onion
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
• 1 package of sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• chili seasoning mix
• 1/2 bottle of good red wine
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 large can (32 oz) of stewed cherry tomatoes 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

In a large skillet, saute the ground turkey and chopped onions until the turkey is thoroughly cooked.
Transfer the turkey and onions to a large stock pot.
Add salt and pepper, half of the dried cranberries, chili seasoning mix, tomato paste, chopped sundried tomatoes and the stewed cherry tomatoes.
Mix thoroughly.
Add wine and let simmer for an hour or two.

This time i spooned the chili over polenta cakes and topped with a sprinkling of dried cranberries, but it would also be good with an arugula salad and cornbread.

Buon appetito!

Indian Carrot Salad

A girlfriend brought me a bunch of beautiful Indian carrots at the farmers' market.  I had never seen such beautiful carrots.  They remind me of all the beautiful colors you see in both red and golden beets.

Indian carrots

I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, and most recipes i found were geared towards Indian cuisine.  I do love Indian food, but i've never made it and i wasn't about to try cooking Indian dishes on a school night.  With that said, i decided the easiest thing to do would be to turn them into a beautiful salad.  And beautiful & delicious it was!

Indians and Persians make a great duo.

Juicy pomegrantes

Ingredients --

• 1 bunch Indian carrots (actually, any kind of carrot will work just fine)
• 2 persian cucumbers
• 3 Tablespoons of pomegranate seeds
• 3 slivered scallions
• 3 Tablespoons of dried cranberries or Craisins

Grate the carrots and cucumber.
Add finely sliced scallions, pomegranate seeds and dried cranberries.
I had planned to use just a splash of olive oil, but decided it needed more of a pop, so i threw together the following vinaigrette, but i have no idea what the measurements were --

Autumn Beet and Kale Salad

I enjoy beets, and really appreciate the beautiful colors in "golden" beets.  Yellows, oranges and reds.  At the farmers market i picked up a bunch of baby golden beets and a bunch of baby purple beets.  The man said i can get a third one for $1, or pick any bunch of greens.  Since i only knew i wanted to make a salad, i opted for fresh kale.  And while i was there, i picked up mint and persian cucumbers.  How could i go wrong? 

Baby golden and purple beets

Fresh kale and mint

Then i suddenly realized that i can add golden raisins and dried cranberries to pick up the colors from the beets while adding a sweet touch.  Fun!  My only dilemma was what kind of dressing?  And then i remembered i still had some of the vinaigrette from Sunday Suppers at Lucques (recipe, below).  The dressing was delicious then, and equally good on the beet salad. 

Beets waiting for their jacuzzi to warm up

 

Cooked and peeled beets

Salad Ingredients -

• 1 bunch of baby golden beets
• 1 bunch of baby purple beets
• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 handful of fresh mint leaves
• 2 persian cucumbers, chopped
• 1/4 cup of golden raisins
• 1/4 cup of dried cranberries

Wash and scrub the beets well and cook in a pot with covered water until al dente.
I like to put on rubber gloves and then firmly rub the beets so that the peel falls off.
Cut the beets into bite-size cubes and refrigerate.

In a bowl, add chopped kale and fresh mint.
Add persian cucumbers, beets and then add golden raisins and cranberries.
Crumbled goat cheese and toasted nuts are a delicious option to this salad.

I then lightly tossed with Suzanne Goin's (Sunday Suppers at Lucques) vinaigerette (recipe below)...

~

The beginning of a delicious vinaigrette

Vinaigrette Ingredients -

• 1 T oregano leaves
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 t kosher salt

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the oregano, garlic and 1/4+ t of salt until it is a paste.
Transfer the paste into a bowl and stir in both vinegars.
Whisk in remaining 6 T of olive oil.

Buon appetito!

Delicious wild rice medley with just about everything but the kitchen sink

Wild Rice Medley with Everything but the Kitchen Sink

I've started attending a support group for those of us that have gone through weight loss surgery and I met some wonderful people.  I really appreciated the wisdom and openness from everyone.  We seem to have a lot of the same issues, fears and of course desires, which all revolve around food.

One particular woman appeared to be the envy of all.  Women wanted to be her, and men... well, you know the rest.  The woman leading the group was quick to point out that both this wise blond and I love to cook, so after the group she i started talking.  She told me about a rice dish she made, based on the wild rice salad served at Gulfstream in Century City.  I know this rice salad well and it is delicious, but i haven't ventured near rice since my surgery - one year ago.  I know i'm "safe" with brown rice; it's hard to overeat that nutty nice.  On the other hand, sticky white rice could be another story.

Dawn said that Trader Joe's has a brown rice medley that contains long grain brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds.  She suggested adding freshly shaved white corn, sliced almonds, jicama, carrots and onions.  Well, i think i went overboard.  I felt as though i needed a nap after all the chopping i did.  Although i must say this rice medley was delicious without adding anything to it.  It will definitely become a staple.

TJ's Wild Rice Medley, Cooked

Some of the goodies that i added to the rice...

My rice came out delicious, although i don't know that i would add quite this many ingredients.  Especially since i googled this dish and found the recipe and there's really not nearly as much in it as i thought.  Either way, my dish came out delicious and made enough to feed an army or two.

Ingredients -

• 1 16 oz. bag of TJ's Brown Rice Medley
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons of butter
• 1 large carrot
• 1 piece of jicama
• 1/2 cup of diced dried apricots
• 1/2 cup of diced dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup of golden raisins
• 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas
• 1 bunch of green onion tops, sliced thin
• 1 cup of edamame, shelled
• 1 cup of baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup of Lucini's Fig & Walnut Savory Artisan Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Sliced almonds

Make the rice separately by bringing 5 cups of stock to a boil.
Add the butter and then add the bag of rice.
Bring back to a boil and reduce the heat.  Let simmer covered for 35 minutes.
Remove from the stove and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the vinaigrette and toss well.
Add the dried fruit and then refrigerate.

After the rice has cooled down, add the other ingredients, and toss well.
I forgot to add the sliced almonds, but can still do it.  I also felt as though mine needed a little olive oil which i drizzed on top and then tossed again.

This dish was delicious and filling!  What a treat.  A healthy and delicious brown rice dish with a lot of healthy goodies.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Yummm!

Fresh arugula with oranges, shaved fennel & onion

On one of my trips to Ojai i had dinner in a little bistro in the middle of the village where all of the produce was fresh from local farmers.  I had a delicious salad with arugula, shaved fennel and some other goodies, but it was my first foray into raw fennel.  I loved it, but i knew i would since i adore licorice.  And yes, black licorice at that.  You can't have fun with fennel like you do with licorice whips -- no biting off the ends and using it like a straw in a soda pop.  But fennel has a nice crunch unlike licorice whips.  

I decided to make a salad to bring to Debbie's for lunch today, and I wanted the salad to be simple since i knew she had a lot of other dishes to go with it.  So, as delicious as the salad was in Ojai, i opted to leave out the berries, cheese and celery.  I'll save those goodies for another time.  I think most people enjoyed the salad i brought.  My only concern is should i not have dressed it until i got to Debbie's?  I knew she would have a lot going on, so i tossed mine with the dressing before leaving my home.  The fennel and onion didn't get soggy, but the arugula was a bit soft.  Either way, i think it had nice flavors and was different out of the ordinary.

Shaved fennel... paper thin

Shaved red onion... paper thin

Ingredients -

• one large fennel bulb
• one sweet red onion
• 1 package of fresh arugula
• two oranges, sectioned and sliced into bite-size pieces
• extra virgin olive oil
• red-wine vinegar
• sea salt
• fresh cracked pepper

Shave the fennel into paper thin slices.
Shave the onion into paper thin slices.
Mix into bowl with arugula.
Lightly toss with extra virgin olive oil, a couple splashes of vinegar, sea salt and black pepper.
Toss in orange segments.

Optional additions are shaved parmaesan, feta or goat cheese, along with either dried cranberries or sliced dried apricots or figs.

Voila!  Light and healthy.