Roasted Asparagus with Lemon

Is there any vegetable that roasting won’t make delicious?? Asparagus is great, but roasting it and adding a bit of lemon takes it to a whole other level. This is one of the quickest, tastiest side dishes you can make.  I would eat this for a snack.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON (serves 2-4) 
– 1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed – get thicker spears, if you can – these will hold up better during roasting
– zest of 1 lemon
– 1 tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste (kosher is best here, or any other larger-grain salt)
– couple of grinds fresh black pepper
– 2 tbsp. EVOO
– squeeze of lemon juice, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Trim the asparagus – you can kind of just bend them towards the bottom, and the “woodsy” part should snap off naturally.

3. In a large ziplock bag, combine the EVOO, lemon zest, and half of the salt & pepper.

4. Add asparagus spears to the bag, zip it, and roll the spears around inside the bag so they get covered with everything.

5. Add asparagus to a roasting pan in a single layer.  Top with the remaining kosher salt & pepper.

6. Roast for approx. 10 minutes, shaking the pan about halfway through to get them to roll around a bit and get all sides cooking.
7. Remove from the oven, squeeze a little lemon over them, and serve.

— Also, check out what some of my girlfriends and I did last night!  Indigo dyeing!!!  This was so much fun, and we got pretty creative, and I felt like I was back in summer camp, which was awesome.  There are some seriously talented people out there who do this “Shibori dyeing” (to clarify, we are not those people) – check out this blog for a little tutorial:  http://honestlywtf.com/diy/shibori-diy/  
After you dip these, even though the end color is indigo, the pieces come out kind of an acid green. So weird.
Some of our masterpieces!!  This was such a fun, and funny, craft project. Definitely worth the blue-stained fingernails today!

Avocado & Tomato Salad with Lemon Olive Oil

Ohhh, this is just the best thing ever.  There are 5 main ingredients in this recipe, and they all combine to create one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had.  The creaminess of a whole avocado together with toasted, super thin slices of almonds is insanely good on its own.  Combine that with the peppery-ness of some arugula, the freshness of plum tomatoes, and a little dusting of parmesan cheese, dress it with a really simple lemon olive oil, good grief.  This seems like a really indulgent little lunch, but it’s so healthy, and pretty, too. The next time we have people over for dinner, I think I’m going to make a platter of this for the salad course. Any takers?

AVOCADO & TOMATO SALAD WITH ARUGULA, TOASTED ALMONDS, & LEMON OLIVE OIL (serves 1)
– 1 ripe avocado, halved
– 1.5 plum tomatoes, cut into quarters (discard the middle part with the seeds)
– handful arugula leaves, or mixed greens
– handful thinly sliced almonds (you can find a bag of these in most grocery stores), toasted
– parmesan cheese, for topping
– juice of half a lemon
– 2 tbsp. EVOO
– good-quality salt, for topping

1. In a small pan, toast the almonds over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently so they don’t burn.  They should toast up pretty quickly – maybe only 2-3 minutes.  Remove pan from the heat and set aside. 


2. Cut the avocado in half – run a knife through it, twist it open, then carefully whack the avocado pit with the knife blade and remove it. Then, run your knife around the perimeter of the avocado halves, and carefully squeeze out each avocado half.


3. Arrange arugula leaves in the center of a plate, then place the avocado halves on either side.  Add sliced tomatoes.


4. Combine the lemon juice and EVOO, stir to combine.  Drizzle over the avocado/tomato/arugula.


5. Top with the toasted almond slices, dust with a little parmesan cheese, then add a pinch of really good quality salt crystals over everything to bring it all together. 

I’m going to go make another one of these right now.  So good!

Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillos have to be one of the cutest foods out there.  They come in their own little leaf packaging, they’re a bright green which would be fabulous in a wedding color palette, and they’re perfectly, adorably, palm-sized. They also have a really unique flavor – kind of tart, kind of tangy – and are a great, fresh base for an incredibly flavorful salsa.  I used this as a topping to the fish tacos I made a couple of days ago, and it was terrific.

TOMATILLO SALSA (serves 4)
– 4-5 tomatillos, seeded and diced (approx. 2 cups)
– 1/3 red onion, diced
– 1 lime, juiced
– 2 small cloves garlic, chopped
– handful cilantro, chopped
– 1/2 tsp. cumin
– 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, couple of grinds fresh black pepper

1. Peel the “leafy” part away from the tomatillos.  This has a bonus of smelling like crumpling leaves in the fall!  Wash the whole tomatillo to remove any residue.


2. Cut the tomatillos into quarters, then with your fingers, kind of push out the whole middle part to “seed” them.  These seeds are teeny, so don’t worry if you don’t get all of them.  You also lose a lot of the bulk of the tomatillo in this process, but that’s ok too.


3. Dice a 1/3 of a red onion – make slits along the natural ridges of the onion, lengthwise, then flip it to the side and make horizontal cuts. The onion will dice itself naturally.


4. With a Citrus Reamer, juice a lime into a small prep bowl.  Add the cumin, garlic, salt & pepper, stir to combine.


5. Combine the diced tomatillos, onion, chopped cilantro in a bowl.  Add the dressing and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve as a topping to any mexican dish, or even on its own.

Fish Tacos spiked with Cilantro and Lime

When I first heard of fish tacos, I thought they sounded totally gross.  Fish tacos??  How would that work? Weren’t tacos just meat, salsa, lettuce and shredded cheese? Little did I know.  A couple of years later, these are one of my favorite things to make – they’re healthy, full of flavor, and are really adaptable to different ingredients.  This one infuses tilapia with cilantro and lime flavors, and is topped with avocado slices and a tomatillo salsa for a fresh, quick dinner.  A fresh, light creamy avocado dressing would also be really nice with this, too.

FISH TACOS SPIKED WITH CILANTRO AND LIME (serves 2 for dinner – approx. 4 tacos)
– 1 lb. tilapia
– handful cilantro, chopped
– small whole-wheat tortillas
– 1 lime, zested and juiced
– 1/2 tsp. cumin
– dash paprika
– 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
– 2 tbsp. EVOO
– couple grinds of fresh black pepper
– sour cream, for topping
– tomatillo salsa, for topping
– avocado, for topping

1. Zest the lime (just the green, not the white – the “pith” is really bitter), then juice it.  This was the first time I got to use our new Rosle Citrus Reamer, and holy moly.  Game-changer.


2. Combine the lime juice with the lime zest, cumin, paprika, salt & pepper, stir to allow the spices to mix with the lime juice.  Add the olive oil & chopped cilantro, stir to combine.  


3. Add the fish to a ziplock bag, then pour the marinade over it. Ziplock the bag, shake it all up so that the marinade covers the fish, and let sit for approx. 20 minutes (I used this time to make a tomatillo salsa).



 4. If you have a Le Creuset Grill Pan (Le Creuset continues to be awesome), get it super hot (medium-high heat, no oil), then add the fish.  Cook until it’s flaky and cooked through, approx. 7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the tilapia.


5. Warm the tortillas in a microwave – 4 at a time, in a paper towel, for approx. 45 seconds – then top with the fish.  Add avocado slices, tomatillo salsa, sour cream.  These are light and delicious, and a little different than our typical mexican fare, the turkey taco lettuce wraps.  Hope you like them as much as we do!

Chili with Chipotle and Lime (Homemade Chili Seasoning, too!)

There are few better comfort foods during the winter months than a bowl of chili.  It feels like it’s been snowing for weeks here, so I yesterday I made a big pot of this, and let it simmer for hours. I also made my own chili seasoning for 2 reasons: 1. I’m not a huge fan of spice, so this lets me control the amount of heat that goes into it (although I think this mix was a good middle ground for both Brad and me); and 2. Pre-packaged seasonings are full of preservatives and other gross stuff, and it’s so much easier, and healthier, to throw a “seasoning packet” together using whatever’s in your pantry.

I’ve made this a couple of times with a few tweaks, but this is going up on the site now because last night, after a couple of bites, I asked Brad what he would change about it. He answered: “I would eat this faster, and with a bigger spoon.”  So…I think we’ve found the recipe.

CHILI WITH CHIPOTLE AND LIME (and homemade chili seasoning, too!) Serves 7-10
– 1.25 lbs. ground beef
– 14.5 oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained
– 14.5 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
– 14.5 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
– 14.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
– 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
– 14.5 oz can petite cut tomatoes with chipotle chilis (chipotle salsa will also work – use 2 cups of this)
– 6 oz. can tomato paste
– 5 stalks celery, chopped (approx. 2 cups)
– 1 green pepper, diced
– 1 medium onion, diced
– 1 tsp. chili powder
– 1 tsp. cumin
– Juice of 1/2 lime
– 1 1/2 C. water
– sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, avocado for garnish

HOMEMADE CHILI SEASONING
– 1/2 tsp. cumin
– 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
– 1/2 tsp. coriander
– 1 tsp. chili powder
– 1/2 tsp. oregano
– 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
– dash paprika

1. In a large skillet, brown the beef.  If it’s lean, you won’t need to drain it, but if it isn’t, drain the excess fat that collects.

2. In a large pot (I used one of my trusty Le Creusets – I really don’t think I’d be able to cook as well without these), heat 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium high heat. Add the diced celery, green pepper, and onion, add a heavy pinch of kosher salt, and let them sweat for approx. 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

 

3. Add the tomatoes & tomato paste, stir to combine, cook another 5 minutes.

4. Combine all the ingredients for the chili seasoning.

 


5. Add the beans (if you can find them, Eden Organics make one of the best canned products on the market – they are truly organic, their cans are BPA-free, etc.) and meat to the pot with the veggies and tomatoes, mix all of this together. Next, add the chili seasonings. Stir well.

 


6. Add 1.5 cups water, then stir this all together, cover, and let simmer for approx. 4-6 hours.


7. Just before taking this off the stove, stir in the lime juice, then let sit to combine.  Taste, adjust seasonings (I’m a huge fan of adding Herbamare to this – it’s a great, natural blend of sea salt and herbs/minerals – and usually I add about another tablespoon of this to bring everything together), then pour yourself a bowl.  Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado chunks, scallions, etc.


A small confession – I ate this again for breakfast this morning.  So delicious!


andwhatiate.com

 My birthday was on Monday, and my little sister bought my domain name for a present!  So we are now…

ANDWHATIATE.COM

Such a great gift – I was so excited.  All the old links will still work, but now it’ll be easier to access the site instead of typing in the longer address I used to have. I feel so official now. Thanks Colly Doll!

So B and I decided to head down to Philly for a late birthday dinner at Amada, one of our all-time favorite restaurants.  The space somehow manages to be enormous but cozy, the tapas they serve is out of this world, their sangria tastes like Christmas morning, and the “little plates” give you an excuse to eat a LOT of some of the best food I’ve ever had:

A ridiculous meat & cheese plate: chorizo pamplona,  serrano ham,  & salchichon; then aged manchego with truffled lavender honey (!!!), ersmesenda with chocolate hazelnut puree, and a garrotxa with a garlic dulce de leche

Ensalada Verde with avocado, asparagus, favas, and green beans/  a spanish flatbread with artichokes, wild mushrooms, black truffles and manchego
parmesan artichokes and lamb meatballs
Grilled calamari with spanish pesto
“Mother and child”: chicken breast, fried egg, mojama & truffles

Combine that with a delicious “breakfast” (yes I know that’s a reuben) at the Downtown Deli, then lunch at Carl Von Luger’s with my Mom, and it was one of the best dining days I’ve had in a while.


And February itself has been pretty great in general: 

Yoga Dance party in one of the rooms at the gorgeous Scranton Cultural Center, hosted by Mission Yoga; The Dinner of Love at The Colonnade to benefit the Sant’ Andrea Society; a weekend yoga workshop with the amazing Pradeep Teotia at Balance (during the Northeast’s biggest snowstorm in decades, which ended up making it an even more incredible experience); a weekend at Moosic Lake with my girlfriends; Philly for my birthday; and a great yoga mat carrier from Green Being Scranton, among other things, to cap it all off.

34 and 2 days…

The Kitchen’s Tomato Soup

The Kitchen, one of my very favorite restaurants in Boulder, is everything that’s right with the world.  The space is warm and welcoming.  Their food is outrageously, ridiculously delicious.  They highlight local & organic farms, farmers, and Colorado ranchers. They’re committed to sustainability, financially generous to their community, and environmentally conscious to the point where the restaurant’s leftover cooking oil is used to fuel the car of one the servers.

And.

They make the world’s greatest tomato soup. Enjoy.

THE KITCHEN’S TOMATO SOUP (serves 8-10, or 2 very lucky people who will eat this for lunch & dinner for 2 days straight.  Ahem.)
– 1 & 1/3 sticks unsalted butter. 
– 1 large vidalia onion, sliced into half-moons
– 3 16-oz. cans whole peeled organic tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
– 1/3 cup heavy cream
– Good quality EVOO or Basil Oil, for finishing
– Kosher salt

1. In a large saucepan (or, better, a Le Creuset dutch oven, which I use for just about everything), melt butter over low heat.  Add the half-moons of onions and stir to coat with the butter.  Add a good pinch of salt to help them “sweat”, not brown, and stir to incorporate that.  Reduce heat to lowest possible setting, cover, and cook for approx. 30 minutes or so, until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally during the 30 minutes these are cooking.


2. When onions are soft, add the tomatoes & their juices.  Increase heat a little bit – to a simmer – and gently cook these for another 30 minutes.


3. Add cream, stir to combine.  Then, with an Immersion Blender – I’m amazed by how much I use this in cooking – puree the soup until the texture is smooth but still has a little texture to it.  Taste, adjust seasonings, and taste again.

pre-stirred, pre-blended
 4. Pour yourself a bowl, drizzle a little EVOO or basil oil over the top, serve alongside a grilled cheese sandwich, and add The Kitchen to your list of places to eat at the next time you’re in Colorado. 

Oscars tonight!!!

Sauteed Zucchini Ribbons with Shallots & Garlic

I’m really looking forward to zucchini season coming around again.  I use it in so many recipes that it makes me sad to see the miniature little organic zucchinis that are available this time of year.  That said, grab a bunch of them, because this is one of the tastiest, most delicate side dishes you can make.


SAUTEED ZUCCHINI RIBBONS WITH SHALLOTS & GARLIC (serves 2-3)
– 5 small or 3 large zucchini
– 2 shallots, sliced into thin moons
– 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
– 1 Tbsp. butter
– Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Wash the zucchini, then peel it.  Even though the skin will be removed, they’ve still grown in the ground and are dirty – so wash them to get rid of anything that’s lingering. With a vegetable peeler, remove the outside layer of the zucchini – the greenest part – and discard.  Then, continue to peel the zucchini into ribbons until you get to the seeds in the middle.  Throw away the “core” of the zucchini, and set aside the ribbons.

2. In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  When melted, add the garlic and shallots, and saute, stirring frequently, approx. 3 minutes.

3. Add the zucchini, then saute until wilted and beginning to color, approx. 5-7 minutes.  If too much brown starts to appear on the bottom of the pan, add 1 tbsp. of water and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits and incorporate them back into the zucchini. Add kosher salt & pepper to taste at the end, so that the zucchini gains some color and doesn’t “sweat” as much.

4. Serve alongside your favorite “main” – I love this with steak, but it works with just about anything.

Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”

These were, in my opinion, the recipe standout during the South Beach Diet craze.  With the inclusion of (small amounts, but still) butter, heavy cream, and a dollop of Boursin cheese, a little richness gets added, but  these still stay much more on the side of “healthy” than traditional mashed potatoes ever would.  I actually think these are better than mashed potatoes – see if you can sneak them in as a substitute and see if anybody notices the difference.

CAULIFLOWER MASHED “POTATOES” – serves 3-4
– 1 large head cauliflower (organic, preferably)
– 1/4 c. heavy cream or half & half
– 1 tbsp. butter
– 2 tbsp Boursin – we use shallot & chive, but any flavor you like will work
– Kosher salt & pepper to taste
– 2-3 bay leaves

1. In a deep pot, boil about 3 inches of water & add a couple of bay leaves.  The bay leaves will infuse the water, and consequently the cauliflower as it steams, with more of a “potato” sort of flavor.


2.  Wash a cauliflower, then cut it into chunky florets.  The easiest way to do this is to cut the cauliflower in quarters, then cut out the middle stem.  The florets should naturally fall away, and you won’t get tons of chopped up pieces of cauliflower all over the counter.

  


3. Throw the florets in a Colander, then place over (not in) the boiling water, and put a lid over the top of it to keep in the steam.  I’m sure there are (much) fancier ways to steam things, but this is what we’re working with here.

4. Let cauliflower steam for approx. 10 minutes until fork-tender.  Remove the colander from the heat, turn off heat completely, and drain the water.

5. Put the cauliflower back in the drained pot on the same burner you previously used, which is now turned off.  This is my Dad’s trick for getting rid of excess water for mashed potatoes, and it works just as well here.  The leftover heat will kind of zap out any remaining water, which will give you fluffy “potatoes” instead of soggy, watery ones.  Stir the cauliflower pretty well to make sure it doesn’t burn.

6. Add the “extras”.  Heavy cream, butter, boursin.  The remaining heat of the burner will help break these down and combine them.  Mix this all together, then remove from the burner.

7. With an Immersion Blender – I’m amazed by how often I use this in cooking – blend this all together, really really well to achieve your desired consistency.  Taste, then add seasonings – I typically start with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper,  stir & taste, then adjust again.

8. Serve immediately, or refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days.

Whole-Grain Sour Cream Pancakes with Caramelized Peaches

I like to say that I’m not much of a “traditional” Valentine’s Day kind of girl. But between the delicious breakfast this morning (the first one I’ve made all year), the beautiful flowers, Veuve Clicquot & a ridiculous bottle of Pinot Noir from B, 2 very sweet cards and a fantastic steak dinner at home planned for tonight, I might have to rethink that.

I got the gorgeous Smitten Kitchen cookbook for Christmas this year, and the recipe for sour cream pancakes with peaches almost leapt off the page and bit me. They seemed so rich but so light, sweet but not overly so, and with the option of making them from scratch instead of a mix, I was able to edit them to incorporate whole-grain flour and make them a little healthier (ha).

By the way, I also like to say I’m not much of a breakfast person.  So after making these for our Valentine’s Day breakfast, I’m rethinking two things about myself today. These were amazing.

WHOLE-GRAIN SOUR CREAM PANCAKES WITH CARAMELIZED PEACHES (makes approx. 7 medium size, but completely filling, pancakes) – recipe taken almost exactly from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1/2 tsp. baking soda
– 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
– pinch nutmeg
– 1/4 tsp. table salt
– 2 tbsp. sugar (organic, preferably)
– 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
– 1 large egg
– 1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
– 2 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced 
– Butter

1. Whisk together the sugar, vanilla, egg, & sour cream in a large bowl.  
pre-whisked
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt. 
My Mom got me these awesome “odd-measure” cups for Christmas this year
pre-whisked
3. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated (don’t over-mix this, or the pancakes will be tough).

4. Melt 1.5 tbsp butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  When sizzling, add batter – enough to fill a large skillet with 4 pancakes with enough room between each.  Top the batter with peach slices.


5. Let pancakes cook until the edges start to brown, then flip the pancake/peach slice like a pro. Let the pancake & peach slices cook & caramelize for approx. 3-4 minutes on the other side.

6. Keep pancakes warm in the oven (low heat – approx. 250) while you make the second batch.  For the second batch, add another pat of butter, the pancake mixture & peach slices, & cook exactly as the first batch.  For the second batch, I also added a couple of slices of peaches to the pan & topped them with a tiny bit of sugar, then flipped them when I flipped the pancakes. The peach slices were so delicious I wish I made even more of them.  Serve with syrup & butter, & wish your tastebuds a happy Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Day breakfast table
Lilies, Hydrangea, Orchids, & Twisted Willow…gorgeous flowers from a man who knows me well!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.  <3