Southwest Turkey Salad

This salad was really high in protein and fiber, low in calories and fat, and delicious.  I ate too much (belly ache from the aforementioned fiber) and I really liked the flavors.  I didn't add the can of green chiles or jalapeños but we both agreed it needed a little more kick so I'd try that if you're going to make it.  This would be a nice dish for a potluck or picnic, a brunch, or to have on hand for lunch.  We ate it with some bread for dinner last week when it was really hot out.  

Southwest Turkey Salad (6 side dish servings)

3 T olive oil

1/2 cup orange juice

2 T red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

1 can diced chiles or jalapeños

3 cups cubed turkey

1/3 c. chopped red onion

2 T chopped cilantro

Whisk together the oil, orange juice, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir in the beans, corn, chiles, turkey, onion and cilantro.  Serve right away or refrigerate for a few hours.

Blackberry Ice Cream

How is it almost the end of summer and I haven't posted any ice cream recipes yet??  I've been making some of my tried and true favorites (see "ice cream maker" label on the side bar) but finally made a new recipe.  There were beautiful, ripe blackberries at farmer's market this weekend and I bought a few baskets.  I immediately hid 2 cups in the refrigerator so I could make ice cream because any berries brought into this house are quickly devoured.

I looked at several recipes with true custards and if you have the time or patience (I wanted instant gratification - ice cream tonight for dessert), try the Pioneer Woman's version (or this one looked good).  Instead, I went for a quick vanilla base with blackberry puree stirred in.  Delicious!

Blackberry Ice Cream (makes about 5 cups)

2 cups of blackberries
2 T sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1.5 cups milk
1.5 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, combine the blackberries, 2 T sugar, and lemon juice.  Stir and mash up the berries a little bit over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and let it cook for about 20 minutes or until the berries have released a bunch of juice.  Put the blackberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer extracting as much juice as possible.  At this point, it would be ideal to refrigerate the blackberry puree until cold.  I used an ice bath just to cool it off.  I was in a hurry, remember?

In a bowl, stir the milk, cream, 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla with a whisk until the vanilla is dissolved.  Add the blackberry puree and stir until combined.  Make according to your ice cream maker's instructions, about 20-25 minutes for the Cuisinart.  Transfer to another container and freeze it until it's the desired consistency.

Cabbage Salad

A few years ago, the LA Times published a recipe for a red cabbage salad that was supposed to be like the Clearman's North Woods Inn version.  I've made it a couple of times, most recently for my Dad's birthday (we also had Clearman's cheese toast) and it's yummy!

Clearman's Red Cabbage Salad

1/2 cup plus 2 T. red wine vinegar

3 T. sugar

3 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 head red cabbage, coarsely shredded

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and onion powder until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Whisk in oil. Dressing can be made ahead and stored in fridge. Bring to room temp before using. Pour over cabbage, toss well and let sit 10-15 minutes. Toss again and serve.

Zucchini from the garden, part 2

Now for a savory take on zucchini.  My mother-in-law brought me an enormous zucchini from her garden in Temecula (think baseball bat) and it sat on the counter for about a week.  In that time, two different friends were over and told me that I should stuff it.  And, then, Elise had this recipe on her blog.  Perfect.  I haven't made stuffed zucchini before and this version doesn't use the scraped out zucchini pulp in the actual stuffing but it's a hearty vegetarian dish and we used cherry tomatoes from Big's garden.  I really loved how it turned out and now that Big has some huge zucchini ready to go, I'll probably be making it again soon.

don't know why my pictures turned out so bad this time around . . . 

Pesto Stuffed Zucchini (serves 4)
from Simply Recipes

2 cups of day old bread, cubed
1 T. butter
2 T. pine nuts, toasted
1 very large zucchini (at least 2 lbs)
1/4 cup pesto (I used store bought)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
A handful of cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
salt

The bread should be a little dry so it will toast better.  If you don't have day old bread (which I didn't), cut up fresh bread and spread on a baking sheet.  Heat in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes to dry it out.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium skillet, melt butter on medium.  Add the slightly dry cubed bread, toss to coat at least some of the sides in a little butter.  Lay out in a single layer and cook without moving the croutons until one side is lightly browned and then toss and let a few more sides get a little brown.  I burned mine a bit so watch out :)  Remove from pan and let it cool to the touch.

When the croutons are cool, toss together with mozzarella, and then the pesto.  Add the parmesan cheese, chopped cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and toast some more.

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the inner flesh with a metal spoon leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness in the zucchini boats.  Place zucchini boats in a roasting pan.  Sprinkle the inside of the zucchini lightly with salt.  Fill them with the stuffing mixture.  Pour a cup or so of water into the bottom of the roasting pan (so that the zucchini doesn't dry out on the outside), to about 1/4 inch depth. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the stuffing is toasted and the flesh of the zucchini feels soft when poked with a fork.

Too hot to cook . . .

I'm appreciating my air-conditioned house these days and remembering the summer when we didn't have a/c and I was 9 months pregnant with Big when we had a heat wave like this.  But, my a/c still hasn't been inspiring me to cook.  And, subjecting my husband to the barbecue just doesn't seem nice.  Luckily, we've had a bunch of leftovers and salad fixings from last week.  I'm planning to try a new gazpacho recipe tomorrow night.

We've done sixteen items on our summer bucket list and at this point, I'm realizing some of them (tennis lessons, running races, the Hollywood Bowl) might not happen.  But, it's been a fun summer and we still have a few weeks left before school starts up again.  Here's what we've been doing in the heat:

Floating in the pool

Diving in the pool

Watching the Olympics and pretending to be Olympians (gymnasts in this shot)

Chilling out in the library

Concocting our own paint

Today's recipe is sort of like cooking and it doesn't require heat but unfortunately, it won't feed your family either.  Big and I made our own watercolors the other day.  I suppose you could eat them (no weird chemicals) but you shouldn't.  I didn't realize when I first read the recipe that these would dry and harden like regular old watercolors.  It took a few days for our jars to dry out but they should last a long time.  Don't be afraid to use plenty of food coloring and make the paints dark because they'll fade some when they dry.

Read this post here for the recipe and directions or here's my version (I made half the amount of the original recipe):

In a plastic cup (I used disposable because I didn't know if I'd dye my regular cups), mix 1 Tablespoon baking soda, 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon light corn syrup, and 1/2 Tablespoon corn starch. Mix it until it's well dissolved.  You want it to be a gooey consistency, almost to where a blog would hold its shape.  If it's too thick, add a little vinegar as needed but remember, it's going to dry solid.  Add your food coloring and stir.  Pour into a little jar or container with a lid.  Rinse out your plastic cup and start again on your next color.  I did the process 6 times for the colors you can see above.

We found our jars at Michaels for a couple of bucks in the paint section (clear plastic with white plastic lids) and used regular old food coloring.

Adventures in Atlanta

It's hard to believe that just last weekend we were in Atlanta.  We visited my husband's aunt, uncle and grandmother and had a wonderful trip.  The girls loved spending time with their great-aunt, great-uncle, and great-grandmother, getting to know Barkley the dog, and seeing some of the sights.  We visited the Georgia Aquarium and the Tellus Museum and had some memorable meals out.

Since this blog is all about the food, I'll share two spots you can't miss if you're in the Atlanta area.

First, the Varsity.  The original location opened in the 1920s in Atlanta and it seems like the equivalent of In-N-Out in California . . . fresh ingredients, enormously popular, great burgers . . . but the menu is more diverse, it's known for being the world's largest drive-in, and it has an Atlanta flair all its own.

Their hot dogs are popular but I had a cheeseburger, onion rings (to die for!) and a Frosted Orange (tasted like a 50/50 bar).  We had dinner here after the aquarium and Little was so tired she slept through the whole meal.  Big gave her burger two thumbs up.

Next up, Henry's Louisiana Grill.  I love cajun food and every bite I had in this restaurant was amazing.  To get a feel for the place and Chef Henry, who is larger than life and we got to chat with for a bit, check out this video clip.  We had the scallop appetizer he prepares in that clip.

My husband had blackened petite filets over goat cheese grits and I had a sampler of the Louisiana Shrimp Creole, the Louisiana Ooh La La over grits, and red beans and rice.  Fun atmosphere and one of the best meals I've had in a long, long time.  Don't miss this place!  And Henry, let us know when you want to open a location in Southern California.  Thanks Joe and Sharon for everything!

Henry's Louisiana Grill
835 N.Main Street
Acworth, Georgia

Zucchini from the garden, part 1

"the best day of my life"

Big is super proud of her garden.  It's not as big as last year and she doesn't care for her most bountiful crop, the cherry tomatoes, but we have been harvesting some great stuff.  The last few years our tortoise George would eat her sunflower seedlings before they got very big and we never had a flower.  This year, Daddy made some raised planter boxes for Big and the sunflowers are growing.  A few days ago when the first blossom opened, Big said, "this is the best day of my life."

In the last few weeks, we've made 3 batches of these zucchini muffins with the zucchini from our garden.  They're a huge hit and a more healthful muffin recipe (no white flour or sugar except in the chocolate chips).  Hope you enjoy!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (1 doz regular or about 30 mini)
from Bash!

1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
2 medium zucchini, grated
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
handful of chocolate chips (I used mini ones)

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes for regular sized muffins and about 12-15 minutes for mini muffins.  

Cooking with my Cousin

My cousin Hannah and her family came to California a couple of weeks ago.  Hannah is a great cook and makes dinner for her family every Tuesday and you can read about her adventures here.  When I found out that she brought her awesome recipe binder with her, I knew we had to cook together!  We put together a menu, invited her parents, my parents and our grandma to eat, and had a fun afternoon in my kitchen.  Along with preparing the food, like good bloggers we made sure to take photos of it all.  Well, I think Hannah did better than me - I'm missing a picture of the summer drink we made to serve with the appetizers.

Menu

Watermelon Mint Cooler

Cucumber Avocado Spring Rolls with dipping sauce

Kung Pao Chicken

Rice

Edamame

Watermelon

Mocha blondies & peanut butter ice cream

I've never made summer rolls before and they were really easy.  It takes a little bit of time to fill and roll them all but it went quickly with two people.  I thought they needed a little kick and Hannah suggested soaking the carrots in the dipping sauce so that the actual roll has some of the sauce flavor which I'm going to try next time.  I might also make a spicier sauce to go with them.  Sunset magazine last month had some great alternate filling ideas.

The Kung Pao chicken was good but again, I'd probably spice it up if I was just cooking for my husband and I.  We added sriracha at the table which helped.  I also made 2.5 times the recipe and didn't have a pan / pot big enough.  Next time, I'll do batches instead of crowding the pan so that the chicken browns up a little better (and faster).  By using gluten-free soy sauce, the meal (with the exception of dessert) was gluten-free!

Overall, the meal and the company were terrific and it was a memorable evening.  Thanks for cooking with me, Hannah!

Cucumber Avocado Summer Rolls (10 appetizer servings)
from Williams Sonoma website

Mix together the following ingredients for the dipping sauce:
Juice from 1/2 lime
2 T canola oil
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. brown sugar

Prepare your vegetables:
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into a 1/2 inch dice
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 english cucumber, cut into thin strips
leaves from one bunch mint
leaves from one bunch basil
10 green lettuce leaves

20 rice paper rounds, 6 or 8 inch diameter

Place a wide, shallow bowl of warm water on a work surface.  Lay a clean kitchen towel next to the bowl.  Dip 1 rice paper round into the water for a few seconds to soften, then lay it flat on the towel.  Dip a second round into the water and lay it directly on top of the first one.  Using another towel, pat the top rice paper dry.  At first, it seemed like the rice papers weren't soft enough but they softened up and got more pliable as they set there and we added the fillings.

Center a lettuce leaf on top of the stacked rice papers.  Starting about one-third in from the edge closest to you, arrange a few basil and mint leaves in a line across the lettuce.  Top with a small row of the carrot, then on top of that, a small row of cucumber, and finally top with a small roll of avocado.  Be careful not to overstuff the roll.

Lift the bottom edge of the rice paper up and over the filling and then roll once to form a tight cylinder. Fold in the sides of the rice paper and content to roll the remaining rice paper and filling ingredients into a tight cylinder.  Set aside with the seam side down.  Repeat with the remaining rice papers and filling ingredients to make 10 rolls.

Cut each roll in half crosswise and arrange, cut die up, on a platter; serve with dipping sauce.  Makes 20 rolls.

Kung Pao Chicken  (4 servings)
from Cooking Light 12/10
2 T dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 water
3 T lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. bottled minced ginger
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less depending on your taste)
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
2 T chopped, unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

1. 1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; sauté 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.
2. 2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Sprinkle with nuts.