Eat Your Greens!

These are a couple of my go-to salads lately.  They are fairly simple to put together and have quite a bit of flavor, crunch and texture.

Super Green Salad

Ingredients

• 1 stalk romaine
• 1-2 cups kale
• 1/2 cup roasted corn (I like Trader Joes frozen)
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• olive oil

For the Dressing:

• salt, pepper, cayenne
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 lemon
• olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.  Drizzle kale with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in oven for 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop all ingredients in place into a bowl.  When kale is crispy, add to the salad.

For the dressing: Mix olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne until blended.  Pour over salad and give it a shake so the salad is coated with all the dressing.

Sweet Asian Salad with Soy-Lime Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/4 head red cabbage
• 1-2 cups crispy kale (roasted as explained above)
• 1 stalk romaine
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1-2 pears
• 1 avocado
• fresh parsley

For the Dressing:

• 1 lime
• Soy Sauce
• Olive Oil
• Rice Vinegar
• Honey
• Salt, pepper, cayenne

For the salad: Prepare the kale as explained above, and chop the remaining ingredients.  Add the kale to the salad.

For the Dressing: Blend all ingredients together and then pour the dressing over the salad. Shake and coat and enjoy!

mangia!

Red Chile Salmon with Grilled Corn and Sweet Potatoes

During the summer months, Matt and I opt for the grill most nights.  Its simple, an easy clean-up and allows for a long, lingering dinner on a hot, swampy summer night in DC.  Tonight we chose salmon and experimented with this rub, inspired by Bobby Flay’s Boy Meets Grill recipe.

serves 2-4 people

Ingredients

• 2 fresh salmon steaks
• 2-4 ears of corn
• 2-4 sweet potatoes, whole and with skin

For the Rub

• Cayenne
• Cumin
• Red pepper flakes
• Cinnamon
• Brown sugar
• Olive oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper

Instructions

To start, put the corn and sweet potatoes (with skin) on the grill as they take about 25-30 minutes to cook.  To get a ‘grilled’ corn look, husk it first, so the kernels can grill some.  Putting whole sweet potatoes on the grill is a new thing, but has proven to be a winner as its easy and delicious!  When the potatoes are cooking with the skin, they almost caramelize from the inside out and when you go to eat them the skin just peels right off.  You will know the sweet potatoes are done when they start to ooze.

Next, combine all ingredients for the rub and brush over the top and bottom of the salmon steaks.  Let it marinate (if theres time) for as long as you can (20-30 minutes is probably good).  On the grill, cook on one side for about 2 minutes and then flip to top side and cook for about 5 minutes.

Serve the corn with a Chipotle-Butter (by simple combining melted butter with siracha sauce, chipotle spices or tabasco).

mangia!

Oh – and we enjoyed these delicious tomatoes – a gift from the generous Sandy – while cooking away!

BBQ Seitan with Quinoa, Avocado and Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 package of seitan
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced into quarters
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 5 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh corn, lightly roasted (or the frozen roasted corn from TJs is great!)
• BBQ sauce
• 1 cup quinoa
• salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine quinoa with 1 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan.  Simmer on medium heat until water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, pat dry the seitan and pull apart to small pieces (about 1-2 inches).  Lather with BBQ sauce and place in the oven on Hi Broil for about 10-15 minutes (you want to cook just a bit, but more importantly evaporate the water content).

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, corn and avocado.  Add the seitan and season with salt and pepper to taste.  You can then either add the quinoa to the rest of the ingredients to make it as a salad, or serve the quinoa as a base and keep it separate.  Either way its a delicious and fresh lunch or dinner!

mangia!

The aunts do DC!

I love having visitors in town (especially when its family) because its a great excuse to have them over for brunch, make a whole lot of delicious baked goods and have them swoop over how delicious everything is (that did happen but Im kidding.  I really just like to spend time with them and eat yummy food ).  So, this weekend my two energizer-bunny-we-dont-stop-for nothing aunts (can you say Tocco!) hit up DC and in just 2 days explored every corner of the city!  Seeing everything from the Smithsonian, the monuments and cherry blossoms, to the cathedral and Gtown waterfront, we decided by the end of the weekend they could be qualified tourist guides.  The weekend finished off with a wander through Eastern Market and we all ron de vu’ed at our place for a final goodbye brunch. Among a delectable spread (if I say so myself), we enjoyed these delicious muffins.  I particularly loved the lemon extract because it made them taste so light and refreshing and gave them a real taste of spring time.  So whether you’re having guests or you just need a nice morning muffin, these are sure to please all.

Lemon Corn Blueberry Muffins

makes 1 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cornmeal (go for the real grainy stuff, not ground)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup veggie oil
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, lightly dusted with flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease muffin tin or line with muffin liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking power, salt and sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, vanilla, lemon and zest.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and then carefully fold in the blueberries, be careful to not overmix it.

Fill each muffin liner to the top and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Serve warm and eat up.

mangia!

Pancakes with Cashew Butter and Raspberry Sauce

A surprise visit from Mikey Tocco yesterday… we celebrated our Monday holiday with a delicious pancake feast!

Lemon-Corn Pancakes with Raspberry-Lemon Sauce and Cashew Butter

makes about 12 medium pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 cups soy or almond milk
• zest from 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cornmeal in a large mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, mix together wet ingredients and sugar.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined.

Heat butter in skillet on medium heat and enjoy making the pancakes!

Top pancakes with sauce and cashew butter.

Banana-Berry Pancakes

makes about 8 medium pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup soy or almond milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 banana, sliced or mashed
• 1/2 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh

Instructions

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and combine wet to dry until combined.

Fold in banana and raspberries.

Heat butter in skillet on medium heat and enjoy making the pancakes!

Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

In a small saucepan on low heat, combine the arrowroot, berries, syrup and vanilla.  Cook until the moisture is released and the berries are warm and the sauce thickens.  Serve with pancakes.

Cashew Butter

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• dash sea salt
• maple syrup, to taste

Instructions

Process cashews in food processor for about 8-12 minutes, until the cashews start to form a butter texture. You may need to scrap the sides throughout the process. Add salt and maple syrup to taste.  Serve with pancakes.

mangia!

Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder

A new spin on corn chowder…add roasted tomatoes!

serves about 4

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 3 small-medium (red, yukon, yellow) potatoes, rinsed and chopped
• 4 cups of veggie stock
• 1-2 14 oz cans of sweet corn, roasted or 1-2 cups of frozen roasted corn from TJs or 4 ears of corn on the cob, grilled/roasted and cut from the cob
• 1/2 cup soy or other milk of your choice
• 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, roasted
• 3-4 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan and saute the onion and celery for about 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the veggie stock and potatoes and bring to a boil.  Simmer on med-low heat with top on for about 20 minutes (or until potatoes are soft).

Meanwhile, if you are using corn from a can or corn on the cob, pre-heat oven to broil, spread corn on a baking sheet or lie cobs out, and roast corn until browned or you hear it popping (about 10 minutes depending on your oven).

Add corn to the soup and add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Next, pour about 1-2 cups of the soup in a magic bullet, blender or food processor, and gently puree.  Add puree back to sauce pan with the rest of the soup and blend. Add milk and blend.  (By the way, this step can be done any way you prefer. Some do not like to puree their soup at all, while others like to puree the whole thing.  I like it partly-pureed, to create a creamy base, while still maintaining some texture and chunkiness to the chowder).

Next, place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and roast for about 5 minutes.  Tomatoes take much less time to roast than corn, so just be sure to watch them because they can overcook very easy.

Add the tomatoes and basil, salt and pepper to taste.  I think the soup is best when it has sat for an hour or two before (reheating) and serving.

mangia!

Pizza Party and Pumpkin Carving

We had a little pumpkin carving party with the Lewis’s and the Wilee’s.  And although it was a sad attempt at carving pumpkins (I think 3 yr-old Gaby’s was the best), the pizzas were a hit! (I mean, I didn’t get the title ‘pizza queen’ for nothing).   I used Niki and I’s (Niki’s) summer-time-award-winning pizza dough recipe and whipped up a few of the all-time favorites. The fig, brie and prosciutto is always a crowd pleaser.  I just wish I took some pictures – but the pizza was gone before I could blink!

Pizza Dough

makes 1-2 12-inch round crusts

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 tbsp active dry yeast
• 1.5 cups warm water
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2.5 cups flour (whole wheat or white)

Instructions

Mix yeast and water, add sugar, olive oil and salt and stir until blended.  Add flour and mix until not sticky.  Begin to knead dough for about 2-3 minutes.  Let dough rise (make sure to coat with flour as it rises quickly and fully and will stick to the bowl).  Once risen (about 30 min), punch down and separate into balls and begin to stretch to dough.

Pizza 1: Sausage, Peppers and Onions with Fresh Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 2-3 small vidalia or sweet onions
• 2-3 colored peppers
• 2-3 sausages (I used Italian hot, but you can use any variation)
• fresh mozzarella
• fresh basil
• 1 cup tomato sauce (go for the homemade)
• shredded 4-cheese italian blend cheese
• hot pepper flakes

Instructions

Cook sausage in links and chop into small pieces.  Saute onions and peppers and add sausage to it.  Coat pizza crust with tomato sauce, sprinkle with basil, cover with onions, peppers and sausage.  Top with fresh mozzarella, regular or soy, and sprinkle with italian blend cheese.  Sprinkle hot pepper to taste.

Pizza 2: Fig Jam, Prosciutto and Brie

Ingredients

• Fig Jam, a couple spoonfuls
• 3-4 slices prosciutto
• 1 triangle of soft brie, cubed or chunked
• 5-10 asparagus (or any green veggie in season), sauted
• 1-2 sweet vidalia onion
• olive oil

Instructions

Saute onion in olive oil and smother onto pizza crust.  Saute asparagus and lay onto pizza like spokes on a wheel.  Sprinkle with cubed brie cheese and prosciutto pieces.  Top with 1/2 teaspoons of fig jam over top.

Pizza 3: BBQ Chicken with Corn and Smoked Gouda

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce
• Corn (i prefer roasted which you can get at Trader Joes frozen section)
• 1 red onion
• 1 bunch cilantro
• smoked gouda cheese
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• olive oil

Instructions

Cook chicken breasts in a pan until tender, cube and smother in BBQ sauce.  Saute red onions in olive oil.  Lather pizza crust with tomato sauce and extra BBQ sauce and top with cubed chicken, sauted red onions, roasted corn, cilantro (to taste) and shredded smoke gouda cheese

Pizza 4: Traditional Margherita

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups tomato sauce
• fresh tomatoes, diced
• fresh mozzarella, regular or soy
• fresh basil
• shredded italian 4 cheese blend (optional)

Instructions

Lather crust with tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with diced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and top with shredded cheese.

Bake all pizzas on the grill or in oven at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

*Tips for pizza making: Pizzas are cooked best on a pizza stone. I also like to cook my pizza dough first before topping with any toppings to create some structure, especially with this dough recipe which is very dough and fluffy! If you cook the crust for about 5-10 minutes it will give it a good sturdy base before you lather it with the sauce and toppings.

mangia!