10 August 2015 Easy Vegetable Tian

Easy Vegetable Tian

August 10, 2015 By

Cooked TianI participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program (see details on my Bracco Farms CSA experience) where the basic idea is that a farmer grows for a group of members who have purchased “shares” in the harvest. Every two weeks, I get a box full of incredibly-fresh, organic, non-GMO produce that I’ve been having a lot of fun cooking with.

Last week, I received three beautiful summer squashes that were gigantic in size. I decided to make a completely meat-free dish with them to help celebrate #MeatlessMonday.

A vegetable tian can really incorporate a wide variety of fresh produce….tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, squashes, eggplants…the list goes on. This version is very simple – onions, squashes and yellow tomatoes from my garden. With just a grating of Parmesan at the end of the cooking process, this tian can be served on its own as a light dish or with a salad, piece of fish/chicken/meat.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  2. 1 medium onion, thinly-sliced
  3. 1 garlic clove, minced
  4. 1 large yellow squash, thinly-sliced
  5. 1 green squash, thinly-sliced
  6. 2 large tomatoes, thinly-sliced
  7. ½ tsp. each salt, pepper and oregano
  8. 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  9. 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. You could use any shaped oven-proof dish here.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil then add the onion. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic to the cooked onion and continue sautéing for an additional minute. Place the onion-garlic mixture on the bottom of the pie plate.
  4. Arrange the squashes and tomato slices in a spiral pattern over the onions and garlic, alternating between each vegetable.
  5. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and oregano over the vegetables then drizzle with the olive oil. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the dish from the oven, turn the broiler on high and sprinkle the Parmesan over the vegetables. Place the dish under the broiler for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have browned. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for two minutes, then serve.

Makes 4 generous servings.  

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,
9 August 2015 Arugula, Pear, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto Salad Bundles

Arugula, Pear, Gorgonzola and Prosciutto Salad Bundles

August 9, 2015 By

Proscuitto RollsLast weekend, I was hosting a casual outdoor party and was looking for hors d’oeuvres that were easy to pick up and eat without utensils.  A salad I enjoy serving is a baby arugula salad with the traditional pear and blue cheese combo. I perused Pinterest for interesting salad serving ideas and ran into an idea where the salad is rolled in a slice of Prosciutto – brilliant and very portable.

After seeing the concept, I ran with the idea with my own ingredients and the results were pretty darn tasty.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp. each salt, pepper and oregano
  • 4 cups baby arugula
  • 8 slices Prosciutto
  • 4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola
  • 1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and cut in thin slices
  • 2 Tbsp. good quality olive oil

Directions:

  1. In an airtight jar, add the mustard, half cup of oil, vinegar and salt, pepper and oregano. Shake well to combine and create a creamy dressing. This dressing is great on most things and can be stored in the sealed jar for a week.
  2. Within an hour of serving, place the arugula in a medium bowl and add 4 tablespoons of dressing. Toss to coat the greens.
  3. On a clean work surface or a plate, place the slices of Prosciutto. Divide the dressed arugula into 8 portions and place a portion to one end of a Prosciutto slice. Repeat with the rest of the arugula. Top each portion of arugula with a bit of blue cheese and with two slices of pear. Roll the Prosciutto over the salad in a tight bundle.
  4. Place the salad bundles on a serving platter and drizzle with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Makes 8 arugula salad bundles.

Filed Under: American, Appetizers, Sides, Starters Tagged With: , , , ,

Easy 4th of July Starters

July 3, 2015 By

With so many “lists” out there of tasty-sounding 4th of July recipes, it’s difficult to pick which are best for your own get-together.

Below are 5 easy yet delicious, tested recipes that are sure to get the festivities started on the right foot!

Cheesy and Garlicky Pull Apart Bread
Easy Pimento Cheese Dip
Green Goddess Dip
Hasselback PotatoesMemorial Day Flag
Pork Belly Deviled Eggs

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Sides, Starters Tagged With: , , ,
20 June 2015 Extra Lemony Lemonade

Extra Lemony Lemonade

June 20, 2015 By

LemonadeSummer’s a perfect time to squeeze some lemons for icy cool lemonade. This party-friendly drink can be served with or without booze, satisfying most guests at your next BBQ.

For lemonade that’s extra lemony, follow these simple steps:

  1. Cut a lemon into quarters. Remove the seeds and discard. Cut off the ends with a sharp knife and discard them but leave the rest of the peel on.
  2. In a blender, place:
    1. The quartered lemon pieces
    2. 2 tablespoon of granulated sugar (can substitute same amount of honey)
    3. 5 medium ice cubes
    4. 1 ½ cups of cold water
  3. Blend on full power for 1 minute, or until smooth.
  4. Serve in a tall glass over ice.

Makes one drink.

Note: You could add an ounce of Vodka to the glass prior to pouring the lemonade in it for a tasty adult beverage.

Filed Under: Cocktails Tagged With: , ,
13 June 2015 Bloodhound Shake

Bloodhound Shake

June 13, 2015 By
Photo Credit - Liz Clayman

Photo Credit – Liz Clayman

June 13th is World Gin Day and to help celebrate, I’m sharing an inventive cocktail recipe by Allison Kave, Butter & Scotch, Brooklyn, NYC. 

This drink is made using Caorunn, the small-batch Scottish gin made with foraged Celtic botanicals.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ounce Caorunn Gin
  • 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
  • 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
  • 1 scoop strawberry ice cream

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender until blended.
  2. Pour into a parfait or pint glass.
  3. Top with whipped cream and a slice of fresh strawberry.

Makes one cocktail.

Filed Under: Cocktails Tagged With: , , ,
1 June 2015 Almost Guilt-Free Individual Eggplant Parmesan

Almost Guilt-Free Individual Eggplant Parmesan

June 1, 2015 By

Eggplant ParmesanSometimes, when I’m in the grocery store, produce just speaks to me. On this last trip, eggplants screamed for me to take them home (well, seemed like they were screaming).

While I love breading and flying eggplant for eggplant Parmesan, I wanted this version to be less indulgent and lighter so I grilled sliced eggplant and made individual servings.

This technique of making single servings guarantees we won’t overeat, well, unless we decide to have a couple of servings.

The use of my Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce keeps this dish fresh and is a good use of basil and tomatoes as crops are plentiful.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large, medium girth eggplant, sliced in 8 thin disks
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. each salt, pepper
  • 3 cups Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce (could use store-bought)
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese   

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Lightly oil each side of the eggplant disks then salt and pepper them. Heat a grill to medium-high heat and grill the eggplant disks for 3 minutes on each side. Alternatively, use a grill pan to cook the eggplant.
  3. Place 4 ramekins on a baking sheet. Add a tablespoon of marinara sauce to each ramekin and top with a grilled eggplant disk. Top each eggplant disk with ½ teaspoon Parmesan and 1 teaspoon Mozzarella. Add a tablespoon of marinara, another eggplant disk and top with the remaining cheeses.
  4. Cook the eggplant Parmesans for 10 minutes, turn the broiler to high and cook an additional 4 minutes or until the cheesy tops have browned.
  5. Serve as a starter or as a side dish alongside grilled Italian sausages with the remaining marinara sauce.

Makes 4 side dishes.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Italian, Sides, Starters, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,
31 May 2015 Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce

Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce

May 31, 2015 By

Marinara SauceMy local grocery store had beautiful, organic Roma tomatoes this morning so I was inspired to make a light marinara sauce to complement my Almost Guilt-Free Individual Eggplant Parmesan.

The quick recipe calls for a food processor, but if you don’t have this handy kitchen appliance, use a blender or hand-chop the tomatoes.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp. each salt, pepper, dried basil and sugar
  • 8 Roma tomatoes, pureed in the food processor
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

  • Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, pepper, dried basil and sugar and cook for 1 more minute.
  • While the onion/garlic mixture is cooking, place the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds or until mostly liquid with a few small tomato pieces.
  • Add the pureed tomatoes to the onion mixture in the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the fresh basil right before serving.

Make about 3 cups.

Notes: Finished sauce can be cooled, placed in airtight containers and frozen for a month. It can also be refrigerated for 3 days.

Filed Under: American, Italian, Sauce, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , ,
26 May 2015 Chocolate Lava Cake in a Minute

Chocolate Lava Cake in a Minute

May 26, 2015 By

Chocolate Lava CakesFirst off, there is indeed a reason why I’m sharing a recipe that’s completely not “from scratch” and that’s cooked in the microwave, of all things. Every Memorial Day, friends come up from Florida to celebrate with us and we’ve gotten in the habit of finding the most hands off recipes on the net and reproducing them for one of our dinners to see if our guests notice the difference. Last year, we did the embarrassing 60 Second Mixed Berry Cobbler that our friends LOVED. This year, I picked a chocolate lava cake recipe that uses a brownie mix and is cooked in the microwave. Was I doubtful this would work and would actually be edible – YES!!!

The main reason I picked this recipe is that it could be made way in advance and just cooked (microwaved) at the last minute. The addition of an extra egg over what the brownie mix calls for creates a more cakey brownie, so closer to a true chocolate lava cake. Was this the best version of this popular dessert I’ve had – nope. Was it pretty good considering the 2 minutes it took to make and the 5 minutes it took to cook – yes. I cooked 4 cakes at a time, but each cake would cook for a minute if microwaved as a single serving.

While cooking, each cake puffs up like a soufflé and once it comes out of the microwave, it deflates leaving room for a scoop of ice cream in the jars. Using good quality ice cream does improve these babies.  

PARTY TIP: You can make the cakes up to step 4 below, cover each jar with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Just bring to room temperature before continuing to step 5, the cooking part.

Ingredients:

  • 1 brownie mix (I used Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge in a family size for 9×13 pan) prepared to package directions
  • 1 large egg
  • 16 Dove Milk Chocolate Promise individual chocolates
  • Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

  1. To the brownie batter made to package directions, add the egg and stir to combine.
  2. Coat 8 (6 oz) canning jars (or other microwave-safe small containers) with cooking spray.
  3. Spoon about 1/3 of a cup of batter in each jar – it shouldn’t be more than half full.
  4. Place 2 of the Dove chocolates in the center of the batter in the jars and cover them with batter.
  5. Microwave on full power for 1 minute per cake. I cooked 4 cakes at a time for 2 ½ minutes total.
  6. Serve the cakes, topped with a scoop of ice cream, while still warm.

Makes 8 individual servings.

I used this recipe as inspiration.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , , , ,
15 May 2015 Basic Crepe Batter Recipe

Basic Crepe Batter Recipe

May 15, 2015 By
Crepe with Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar

Crepe with Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar

This simple batter is best made the day before and refrigerated.  Great stuffed with hazelnut spread and raspberries.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup flour
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

  1. Stir together flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. Add milk, oil and eggs.  Mix well until the batter is smooth.  Let rest in refrigerator for at least an hour or ideally overnight.
  3. Heat large frying pan on medium-high heat.  Add 1 tsp vegetable oil.  Add ¼ of the crepe batter and swirl plan to create a thin crepe. Cook 1 minute on each side and serve with favorite topping.

Makes 4 crepes.

Filed Under: American, Breakfast, Canadian, French Tagged With: ,
8 May 2015 5 Easy Mother’s Day Breakfast Recipes

5 Easy Mother’s Day Breakfast Recipes

May 8, 2015 By

Mothers-Day-Flower-Art-1For those who prefer to stay home and treat mom to breakfast on Mother’s Day, here are five easy recipes to treat her to that don’t require advanced cooking skills to prepare.

World’s Easiest Pancake Recipe

Cremini and Spinach Crustless Mini Quiches

Waffles with Raspberries and Nutella

World’s Best Hollandaise Sauce for Eggs Benedict

Breakfast Portobello Mushrooms with Shiitakes

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Breakfast Tagged With: , ,
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