California Road Trip: Food and Scenery

I just returned from another fabulous trip to Southern California. This time Lori and I began our adventure in Marina Del Rey and Santa Monica.


We then headed south to San Diego and west to Coronado Bay to enjoy the scenery and magnificent sunsets, not to mention the long awaited late afternoon and dinner reunion with 2 of my favorite cousins Peter and Jane in their fabulous (I want to live there) town of Ocean Beach.

And then we were off to Murrietta Hot Springs (slightly north and most definately east of San Diego) to the desert and valley of the SoCal wine country where we took in the surrounding mountains and experienced the pleasant, dry heat of the dessert. We enjoyed another reunion with extra-special friends we hadn't seen in over 15 years, dining outdoors at Ponte winery. We indulged in Ponte wine, great conversation, belly laughs and tears (mostly mine), fabulous food and a marvelous fine-mist spritzing devise that kept us cool in the desert heat. Heavenly. Just heavenly.

But this is a cooking blog right? So let's get down to business. I'd like to talk about the one constant I experienced at just about every meal I enjoyed- the Avocado. It first appeared in a guacamole as a garnish in some fish tacos I ate (at 2 separate times), then in a vinaigrette on my lobster and crab cobb salad and later as an olive oil infused dipping sauce for the freshly baked bread at the winery. This is some versatile fruit I'm talking about. So when I got home I pulled out my food benefits chart and checked out what this baby has to offer. So after you read the next sentence, fasten your seat belts and run right out and get yourself some of this healthy goodness. Here are the benefits: Avocados battle diabetes, lower cholesterol, help stop strokes, control blood pressure and smooth your skin. Not bad for a bumpy, alien-looking little piece of fruit!

A while ago I came up with an avocado cream cheese spread that works beautifully on toasted or grilled bruscetta. Or as a dip for chips or raw veggies and a sandwich spread (instead of mayo or mustard or ketchup).

Avocado Cream Cheese Spread
Serve on 1 loaf (1 lb) French baguette sliced and toasted

1 avocado sliced
1 tsp Dijon mjustard
Juice of one lemon
8 oz pkg Philadelphia reduced fat cream cheese softened to room temp
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Garnish
1/4 cup fresh tomatoes small dice
1/4 cup red onion small dice or substitute 2 T fresh chives chopped

Put all ingredients (except garnish) in food processor or blender and mix until combined. Refrigerate an hour or two to let the mixture set up and the flavors meld. Meanwhile chop garnish ingredients and set aside. Top toasted bruscetta with avocado spread and garnish with 1/2 tsp of tomato mixture.

Now let's tackle the sandwich spread I mentioned a minute ago. The sandwich I love with this spread I call an ABLT: Avocado Spread, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. Omit the mayo you usually slather on since you're getting a lot more flavor from the avocado spread. Avocado tastes great with bacon. And tomato. And lettuce. And bread. And remember there's some cheese in this spread which also tastes great with all of the above. And if you want to really take it over the top, sprinkle on some crumbled blue cheese, which ALSO tastes great with everything on this sandwich. I can go on and on about the use of avocados and cheese, but it's late and I'm once again on east coast time. So for now, goodnight and enjoy!

Garden Fresh

I was lucky again this weekend to get more vegetables from Fran's garden and her tomatoes are out of this world FRESH. I decided to incorporate them into an old fashioned salad that back in the day was a staple at every steakhouse in the country- The Iceberg Wedge. I used to make this type of salad many years ago before we had the availability of all the lettuces we have now. Anyway, this is a blast from the past for me and I decided a blue cheese dressing jazzed up with turkey bacon chunks might put this salad right where I wanted it- over the top.

Iceberg Wedge Salad (serves two)

1/2 Iceberg lettuce cut in half
2 medium garden fresh tomatoes sliced
2 hard boiled eggs sliced

Blue Cheese Dressing
4 slices turkey bacon
1/2 cup Lite Mayonnaise- I like Hellmann's
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic- optional
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

To make the dressing: Cook the turkey bacon. I bake mine in a 385 degree oven until crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. When cool, chop into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces. Combine all ingredients except cheese and bacon in a medium-large bowl and whisk until combined. Fold in cheese and bacon and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors meld.

To prepare the salad: Place lettuce wedge, tomato slices and sliced egg (plus any other vegetables you might like- scallions and carrot slices are nice) on serving dish. Spoon blue cheese dressing liberally over vegetables and dig in and enjoy the crunch.

Re-mix: My mom used to make this salad with a homemade Russian dressing and it's equally as good. She'd mix mayo, ketchup, chopped egg and sweet relish. I don't remember the proportions exactly but will be happy to figure them out if anyone is interested.

Ratatouille

Summer produce from my friend Fran's garden is what healthy cooking is all about. Last weekend she presented me with baby eggplants, summer squash, green peppers and tomatoes and the next thing I knew I was in my kitchen making a ratatouille that's fast, easy and delicious. I didn't follow a recipe and just did what seemed to feel right. I also used a few items from my fridge. With a dish like this- any, and (almost) every combination seems to work. So have fun- and change, omit and add ingredients any way you like.



Garden Ratatouille

2 T canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 baby eggplants peeled and cut into 1" dice
1 8 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 summer squash cut into 1" dice
1 zucchini cut into 1" dice
2 plum tomatoes chopped
1 jar 14 oz Classico tomatoe sauce
1 jar 14 oz of water
2 small bay leaves
additional salt and pepper if necessary

Heat oil in large saucepan on medium/medium low. Add onions and green pepper and sweat them for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute. Add eggplant, mushrooms, summer squash, zucchini and plum tomatoes. When mushrooms and eggplant begin to soften add tomato sauce, water and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook 25 minutes uncovered. This will allow some of the water to evaporate and the flavors to concentrate. And that's it. You've got ratatouille!

I didn't measure the quantity this recipe makes, but it is substantial. So I decided to make a pasta cheese bake with some of it.



Baked Ratatouille, Penne and Cheese

1-1/2 cups penne pasta uncooked (I use low carb Dreamfields)
3 cups of ratatouille mixture
1 cup reduced fat shredded Italian 4 cheese blend (I used Sargento- I love all their cheeses)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook penne according to package directions. Coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl combine penne, ratatouille and 4 cheese blend. Pour penne mixture into baking dish, top with parmesan cheese and bake 30 to 35 minutes. I had this for dinner with a crisp green salad and lunch the next day with a few slices of Italian bread.

And what happened to the remaining ratatouille? It's in the freezer for round two next week...



...which will be ratatouille served on crusty bruschetta. It makes a great appetizer or light lunch and can be served warm or at room temperature. One little tip here- before I top the bruschettas, I go back into the dish and chop the veggies a little smaller so nothing rolls off the small rounds of bread. Enjoy!

Baked Not Fried

It's been about a month since I wrote my last post, but I must say I haven't been slacking. It all started with my July 4th visit with Sharon and a snack we had at Faneuil Hall- a simple falafel platter with hummus, salad and pita bread. I knew I could make those delicious little balls of chick peas and spices without deep frying them, but it took many tries (a month's worth). I've always been a great believer in oven frying and this task was a challenge. I immediately got the spices right, but had some trouble with the baking time and temperature. There's a reason falafel are deep fried. The oil helps them crisp up and adds to the flavor. But I kept at it and came up with a reasonable facsimile for fried falafel that I think are pretty delish.

Baked Falafel

3 T canola oil
1 15.5 oz can chick peas drained
1/2 cup onion chopped
2 tsp garlic chopped
2 T AP flour
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
2 T chopped parsley (optional)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper


Pre heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour canola oil in baking dish and place in middle rack of oven. To make the falafel mixture combine chick peas, onion, and garlic in a food processor or blender. Add remaining ingredients and whirl until combined. Shape mixture into 12 balls. By this time your oven should be pre heated and you can remove the baking dish and place the balls in the pre heated oil. Don't crowd the balls because the baking powder makes them spread. Bake 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake another 15 minutes. Serve warm.

For lunch at work I had my falafel cold with a hummus dressing and feta cheese salad.

Hummus Dressing
2 T hummus tahini (store bought)
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
3 T light soy sauce
5 T canola oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 T water

And right before I began writing this post I enjoyed them warm with a cool Indian Raita on pita. Very tasty.

Raita

1 cucumber peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

3/4 cup non fat yogurt

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 T fresh mint or parsley (optional)

Baked, Stuffed Weekend

This past weekend was a celebration of two birthdays for me. America's 234th and my friend Sharon's 60th. I love America and am happy to be a part of any revelry that honors the greatest country on earth. And I adore Sharon, whom I've known since 8th grade. We now live about 1,000 miles apart so our visits are few and far between. But this year we celebrated a special birthday in Boston, where so much of our country's history began.

Here we are in our twenties....

And this weekend, during

the first heatwave of the season.

I must say, Sharon looks a lot cooler than I do. Anyway, when Sharon and I celebrate, we do quite a bit of eating. Our weekend was all about the seafood, and if you know Boston, you'll appreciate our adventure. We went to Legal at least twice for snacks of clams on the half shell, fish chowdah, and fresh oysters. Faneuil Hall was around the corner and while we baked in the blazing heat we enjoyed lobster rolls and stuffed clams. In between bites we went on a whale watch and saw at least 30 whales, up close and personal. It was breathtaking. We also took an educational boat ride through the Charles River Locks, and saw a 3D movie at the Imax cinema titled Underwater. We dined in the North End and had to go back for pastries the next day. And let's not forget the room service at the Marriott Long Wharf where we each enjoyed another delectable lobster roll that went beautifully with the complimentary bottle of birthday champagne.

This post is going where, you're wondering? To a recipe I got many years ago when I was married to Lori's dad. His mom is an excellent cook and I never hesitated to ask for any (or all) of her recipes, which I still make and enjoy. While eating the stuffed clams at Faneuil Hall I realized Marion's are better and I'd like to share her recipe. And it's EASY!

Marion's Baked Stuffed Clams

1 can minced clams (about 5 oz)
1/3 cup clam juice- this comes in a bottle, usually near the canned clams
2 T melted butter
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 -1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Grated Parmesan cheese (no amount given)
Paprika (no amount given)
Cleaned, empty clam shells

Mix all ingredients together except Parmesan and paprika. If time allows, let the mixture set a few hours in the refrigerator. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill clam shells with clam mixture, top with cheese and a sprinkle of paprika. Bake on cookie sheet for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you don't have clam shells lying around, (I usually don't) you can buy the oven proof "fake" ones at the supermarket. Or you can fill small ramekins with the mixture and serve individually. I don't remember how many this recipe makes, but Marion's note on the bottom of the recipe card says she doubles or triples the recipe for a crowd. I haven't made these in a while but I remember the last time I served them I added some hot sauce to the mixture. And the canned clams are fine. You still feel like you're seaside in the summer.

Far Out. I mean Far Eastern

By now you know I love meatballs. I can't think of a better culinary vehicle for flavor than the simple meatball. The ground meat seems to adore just about everything it comes in contact with and meatballs are great as a meal, appetizer and snack.


You also know I love everything Asian. So the experiment last week was to create meatballs with a Far Eastern flare. I don't think I've ever had a meatball in an Asian restaurant that I could base a recipe on, but I liked the concept and ran with it. And they were great. And in true Linda fashion, having a nice dipping sauce made them all the more delicious. Plus, all the ingredients I used are available in your local supermarket so there's no excuse not to try these little lovelies.


Asian Inspired Chicken Meatballs

1 tsp vegetable oil
3 T scallions thinly sliced
1-1/2 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp fresh ginger grated
1 large egg slightly beaten
1 T hoisin sauce
1 T cilantro chopped
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp Sambal Oelek- Asian ground fresh chili paste
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken
1 T water (if necessary)

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat lightly with cooking spray. Set aside. In small skillet over medium to low heat, add vegetable oil, then the scallions, ginger and garlic and cook to soften, a minute or two at the most. Just don't burn the garlic. Let cool and place in a large mixing bowl. To mixing bowl add the rest of the ingredients (except chicken and water) and combine. Now add the chicken and lightly (with fingertips) mix ingredients until incorporated. If the mixture seems a little stiff add the water.

Now you're ready to make the meatballs. You can make 12 large meatballs or 24 small, cocktail size. If you're making 12, place them on your prepared baking sheet and give them a light spritz of cooking spray. Bake them for 20-25 minutes, turning them over at the halfway point. If you're making the smaller ones, spritz them too and bake 17-20 minutes, again turning them over at the halfway point. I served mine with a dip of course- store bought Sweet Red Chili Sauce.

And on night two, I heated a can of low sodium chicken broth, added a small can of straw mushrooms, chopped fresh scallions and cilantro, 1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce, a few meatballs and an ounce of linguini. It was souper. Pun intended.

Nutella-filled Chocolate Bites

I have been baking and enjoying Giada's chocolate hazelnut cookies for years. They're rich, chewy and chocolately. But apparently not rich and gooey enough for the mood I was in last weekend. So I did a slight re-mix and came up with a Nutella-filled mini sandwich cookie that gave this all star recipe the oomph I was looking for.



I didn't change the actual recipe too much. I just changed the size and the personality of the little darlings. Instead of getting thirty 3 inch cookies, I got about seventy 1-1/2 inch cookies which would yield 35 sandwiches if you don't carelessly pop too many of these little gems into your mouth. And of course the Nutella filling was the proverbial "icing on the cake".

These are a cinch to make, but I will warn you...they are time consuming. Measuring out and baking 70 or so cookies takes time and patience. But I do believe they are worth it.


Nutella Filled Chocolate Cookies

1 Jar Nutella- Chocolate/Hazelnet Spread to use for the cookies and the filling

Dry Ingredients
1-3/4 cups AP flour- I used my Trinity Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter room temp
1/2 cup sugar- I used Splenda No Calorie Sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar- I used 1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for Baking
1/2 cup Nutella
1 large egg room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (my addition)

Instructions:
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In medium size bowl combine all dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Set aside. In larger bowl combine butter, sugars and Nutella. Mix about 2-3 minutes. I use a hand mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix. Then add the dry ingredients, remembering to scrape the bowl to mix in anything that's sticking around the edges. Fold in the mini chips. You'll notice this is a very light batter. It almost feels like there are marshmallows in it. (An idea for a later date, maybe?)

Now you're ready to make the mini cookies. I discovered the best way to get a uniform size was to use a teaspoon from my measuring spoon set- that way all my cookies would be more or less the same size. (A melon baller might work too, but I couldn't find mine) After scooping out the little teaspoons of dough, roll them into balls about 1/2" to 3/4" and set them on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie ball. Bake 6 minutes and let cool a few minutes before you transfer them to paper towels to finish cooling. You'll literally have dozens of cookies all over your kitchen. When the cookies are cooled, and you hopefully haven't popped too many in your mouth, it's time to get out the rest of the Nutella and start filling the sandwiches. And that's the fun and messy part. Place as little or as much Nutella as you like in between 2 cookies, gently press together and your mission is accomplished.

After eating my fare share, I froze the rest and they are doing very well in the freezer. And they don't take long to defrost.



Nutella: If you're not familiar with this spread, you can find it in the peanut butter aisle of your supermarket. It's simply a smooth mixture of chocolate and hazelnuts. It contains a fair amount of sugar, but supposedly has many nutrients. It's great on toast and super on a warm, grilled, buttered crostini with a little bit of cinnamon. And if you're into easy, over-the-top desserts, try pan frying Nutella, peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff between 2 slices of bread (in butter). Then sprinkle on some powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream. Yeah, that's over-the-top.