Archive | 2008

Sun-dried Tomato Jam

6 Jul

Looking to develop new offerings for my itty-bitty food business, I decided to try a sun-dried tomato something.  In the same week, I ran across 2 tomato jam recipes and I considered it a sign.  The one I followed mostly was Giada’s recipe here…. of course, tweaked to make it vegetarian.

The results… delicious, but too time consuming and expensive to produce for a growing business so I decided then to share with you the fruits of my labor.

This jam tastes awesome spread on top of a crostini, over a goat cheese toast, or as a condiment for a sandwich, like an Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich.  I am sure you and I will be able to come up with many more uses.  Check it out!

 

 

SUN-DRIED TOMATO JAM

4oz sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil and finely chopped
About 1 tbs of the sun-dried tomato oil in the jar
½ tbs olive oil
½ medium sized onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
¼ cup vegetable stock
Kosher Salt and cracked Black pepper to taste

 

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, onions and garlic.  Stir together and cook until the onions have softened and reached a consistency similar to the tomatoes.  This will take about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the sugar, vinegar, water, vegetable broth, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and bring to a simmer covered for about 30 minutes. 
  3. Uncover and cook some more for about 20-30 minutes, allowing for the liquid to evaporate and the mix to attain the consistency of jam.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool off.
  4. Use right away or keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Believe me, it won’t last longer than that…

 

I know the color in the pictures looks not-so-appetizing, but the flavors ROCK!!!!  It’s sweet and savory all at the same time.  This has become one of my go-to condiments…

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BB Shake

5 Jul

We definitely need to integrate more fruits and vegetables in our diets.   I’ve heard the saying that we need to eat “the rainbow” – eat food from all the colors of the rainbow throughout the day.

Let me give you an idea for purple… the BB Shake.  I am sorry if I am turning into Rachael Ray naming the inventions I create in the kitchen.  To be honest, I do it so I can keep track of them.  Because if I’d name everything only by the main ingredients it contains, the picture folder names would be ultra long.

No matter how I name it or you want to call it, this shake is GOOD!!!  The B’s come from the Banana and the Blueberries in the recipe.  So it’s basically a Banana Blueberry Shake.  You can make it vegan or not… just play around with the ingredients and enjoy a great breakfast drink full of antioxidants and potassium.

 

 

 

THE BB SHAKE

1 banana
1 handful of blueberries
¾ cup of pineapple juice
½ cup of yogurt or kefir – I use the plain kind, but vanilla would also work nicely
A big squirt of agave nectar
2-3 cubes of ice

 

  1. Mix everything in a blender.

 

If you rather not consume anything dairy… this shake works equally well without the yogurt/kefir.  If the shake is too think, add a bit of water or extra juice and it should loosen up.

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Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

4 Jul

My friend Rosani is a Honey Mustard fan… so when we decided to go away for the weekend last weekend, I wanted to bring with me my Honey Mustard Vinaigrette dressing. 

That’s the thing about being vegetarian… that sometimes you need to travel with your kitchen kit to avoid being restricted by restaurant choices.  We stayed at the Villa Montaña resort in Isabela.  They have these cute, nice villas with a small, but well equipped kitchen.  We stopped at the local market and bought enough goodies for the 3 days of our stay.

Rosani is on a diet where she has been eating mostly green fresh salads.  So I wanted her to try my dressing to give some needed variety to her salad repertoire.

 

 

HONEY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

2 tbs egg-free mayonnaise – I like Vegenaise
1 ½ tbs Dijon mustard
1 ½ tbs Honey – agave nectar would also work
1 tsp Kosher salt
A few grinds of freshly cracked Black Pepper
2 tbs of Extra-Virgin Olive oil

 

  1. In a small bowl, add the mayo, mustard, honey, salt and pepper and whisk together. 
  2. Whisk in the olive oil in a small drizzle.

 

Adjust the quantities depending on the amount of people eating… 

 

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Roasted Potato and Pumpkin Salad

3 Jul

Tell me honestly… what did you think when you read this is a recipe for a roasted potato and pumpkin salad?  Something like the traditional potato salads drenched in mayo and seasonings?

Don’t get me wrong, I love the traditional potato salad, but this week I was in the mood for something fresher.  To add the roasted potatoes and pumpkins to a fresh green salad and dress with a light vinaigrette…  that’s something more summery!!!  I added the pumpkins because I wanted a little variety and that sweet flavor.  Plus, I had a big piece in the fridge and I didn’t want it to spoil on me. 

This might work perfect for your 4th of July picnic or backyard BBQ.

 

 

ROASTED POTATO AND PUMPKIN SALAD

4-5 baby red skin potatoes, washed well and quartered
1 cup of pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 tbs olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 tsp Herbamare seasoning
Fresh Baby Spinach  – or a mesclun greens mix
Tomatoes, sliced
Sweet Bell Peppers – red, orange and yellow ones, cut into thin strips
Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400° F.
  2. In a roasting pan, toss together the potatoes and pumpkin pieces with the olive oil, salt, pepper and Herbamare seasoning.  Toss together until well coated.  Roast for about 30 minutes, turning the potatoes/pumpkins once, until the skins are golden brown.  Turn off the oven and leave them there for a few minutes. 
  3. In a salad bowl, combine your fresh salad components – spinach, tomatoes and bell peppers.  You can add ANYTHING you want here in your salad.  I’m just giving you what I ate and shows in the picture.  Add the potato and pumpkin pieces and toss with the vinaigrette.

 

 I guess this idea would also work with roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, sweet plantains or parsnips too.  A nice twist on the typical salad or potato salad…

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No Boil-Ahead Pasta – Spinach and Tomato Version

3 Jul

This idea started a few months ago, when going thru my daily fix of Serious Eats I found a Talk Thread about mac and cheese recipes where you didn’t need to boil the pasta ahead of time.  Based on that thread, that same day I made my Easiest Baked Pasta Ever!!!! Recipe post.

Inspired by the concept, I decided to give it a twist.  My friend Ana asked me to bring something to her daughter’s graduation family get-together a few weeks ago, because I would not be able to enjoy most of what she had ordered thru a caterer.  Wanting to show-off my skills with the audience, I created this recipe.  I am bold (sorry for all the modesty) because I had the guts to make a recipe for the first time for 12 people.

Thanks to all my prayers after the thought came to my mind of how scary it would be to screw this up… the recipe turned out great.  I actually learned a few cool tricks that I may incorporate into new recipe creations.   This pasta is super easy… just throw all the ingredients together in a casserole dish and voila!  The pasta is ready.  No need to even stir the pasta at all… what could be simpler???

 

 

NO BOIL-AHEAD PASTA – SPINACH AND TOMATO VERSION

2 cups whole wheat pasta – macaroni, penne or rigatoni would all work well
3 tbs melted butter or olive oil
2 cups white cheddar cheese, shredded – I used a whole bar Cabot’s Hunter’s Dangerously Sharp variety
4 oz Fontina cheese, shredded
4 oz cream cheese
3 ¾ to a 4 cups of milk
1 tsp mustard
1 cup spinach – you can use fresh or frozen
½ cup chopped tomatoes
Salt and Pepper to taste

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
  2. In a large casserole dish, about 9″ x 13″, toss the pasta and the melted butter or olive oil, whichever you’re using.  Spread the pasta as evenly as possible to allow for even cooking.
  3. Now, without stirring anything sprinkle the cheddar and Fontina cheeses on top of the pasta.  Add the spinach and the chopped tomatoes as evenly as possible over the cheese.  Add the cream cheese in small pieces on top of the spinach and tomatoes.
  4. Mix together the milk and mustard and pour carefully over the whole thing.  Try not to displace the pasta a lot.  The idea is that now the pasta is all enveloped in the milk and this makes the cheese kind of mix a bit with the pasta.
  5. Place in oven for about 45-55 minutes until golden brown on top.
  6. Allow the pasta to cool off a bit before serving it.

 

People loved the mini pieces of cream cheese… because we placed them kind of last, the cream cheese melts a bit, but does not disappear within the sauce.  Instead, they stay on to like soft pillows of cheesy goodness.  Everybody had something to say about the cream cheese bits… specially my mom and Ana.

I hope this inspires you to be brave and to try new dishes on people even if you’ve never done them before.  My advice… start small and this pasta is easy enough to be a sure hit.

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Some of you noticed the aluminum tray the pasta is in. So, just for clarity and transparency purposes…

I cooked the actual pasta in a glass Pyrex casserole 9″ x 13″ dish.  Because this pasta was to be consumed in the home of my friend Ana, whom I love dearly as if she were my own sister but who is undoubtedly a meat eater, and I didn’t want my Pyrex dish, that has never ever been touched by a non-vegetarian utensil to be forever ruined by someone, that even though, very well intentioned, might try to serve themselves with the same serving spoon as the other meat dishes there or wash it with the same rag as the other meat-including trays.  For that reason, I transferred the pasta when it was cooled off, into this disposable aluminum tray.  Aluminum is not my favorite, but is what’s most accessible at the grocery store and I am sure the majority of the people who consumed it didn’t even care.  I must say I was EXTREMELY LUCKY I was able to transfer it in one piece preserving the look and appetite appeal of the dish.   The photo was taken by friend Ana at her home, with her camera, as I forgot completely to take a picture while at home in the original glass dish.

I hope this clears out any confusion…

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