gazpacho

Today’s the day! My last blog for Easy as Pie. It has been a blast talking with you all about food. I hope you have tried a few of my recipes or that they have inspired you to try something new.

I’m leaving you with one of my top ten favorite recipes. It’s not a brownie, a cookie or a cake--- it’s cold soup! Ha! But seriously, I wait all year to make gazpacho. I think it is one of my favorites because it is full of fresh ingredients that come together perfectly on their own. No cooking required. Just some chopping and a light dusting of salt and pepper and you have a beautiful, flavorful soup. In each bite you’ll taste a bit of each ingredient—the cool, bright cucumber, mild warmth of the red onion and garlic, earthiness of the tomato and red pepper. It’s the perfect summer first course or served as a meal with hunks of crusty bread for dipping.

This is so simple. But with a flavor that will make you feel like a top chef.

Chop up the vegetables in to similar sized cubes. The cucumber.

Vine ripe tomatoes--all the same or a combination of your favorites. I used some plain red slicers and about two cups of yellow cherry tomatoes. No real favor change—just what I had on hand.

A roasted red pepper, peeled and seeded. Sometimes I oven roast mine but I charred this one right on my gas burner. Flip it a few times until charred all over. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to let it cool and sweat. You might want to do this first to give it time to cool. When it is, the skin will peel right off. Take out the seeds and stem after peeling and toss the pepper flesh in the blender.

Chop a red onion—I had a white one on hand.

Most gazpacho recipes call for a bit of bread which helps thicken the soup. You won’t even know it’s in there. I used one low cal slice of wheat bread.

Add a small amount of olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

These ingredients fill my blender to the brim so I tend to add one ingredient and blend for a second. Add the next ingredient and blend. Eventually these flavors all blend together so the order doesn’t matter.

The final concoction is smooth, tangy and perfect. Add more salt to taste or a squeeze of lime for brightness. Chill before serving to allow time for the flavors to blend.

Keep cooking, friends. Enjoy every bite!

 

Gazpacho
adapted from My Father’s Daughter  

8 ripe vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled and cored
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped (about 2/3 cup)
1 roasted red bell pepper1/3 cup peeled and diced red onion (1/2 onion)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup 1/2-inch bread cubes, cut from day-old sourdough, country bread, ciabatta, or the like
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lime, halved
top with croutons for garnish

Combine all of the ingredients up the olive oil in a blender and blend until desired consistency. I like mine to be almost smooth with a little texture. Once blended, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lime and a few cubed cucumbers or croutons.

 

Weekend recipe ideas

With the weekend in mind, here are a few things I’d love to make:

BLT corn salad lettuce wraps from Joy the Baker sound like a great thing to let guests snack on before a meal or at a causal cookout.

photo via Joy the Baker

I’ve been dreaming of these roasted shrimp enchiladas with jalapeno cream sauce since I saw them on Pinterest. It has a few steps, but Damn Delicious's blog makes it seem fairly easy to put together. Mouth. Is. Watering.

photo via Damn Deleicious

I love this pretty purple blackberry frozen yogurt from Kitchen Corners.

photo via Kitchen Corners

How about washing it all down with a watermelon cucumber cooler? Martha Stewart always has tasty seasonal cocktail recipes. This would be good without alcohol, too.

photo via Martha Stewart

Happy weekend!

mini peach cobblers

This peach cobbler for one recipe from Joy the Baker is perfect when you want a little sweet treat but not the sweat of a full blown cake or pie. As Joy mentions, I'd totally eat it for breakfast and I did eat it for a midnight snack. Nom.

Just cut peaches in half and remove the pit. No need to peel.

Combine some flour, brown sugar, old-fashioned oats, cinnamon and salt (Joy also likes shredded coconut and slivered almonds but I used what I had on hand.) Combine the dry ingredients with cold, cubed unsalted butter.

Pile equal portions into your peach holes, peach pits, peach ravines, what have you.....

.

Bake. Top with ice cream. You're done! And your mouth is happy.

For more happy, spend lots of time on Joy's blog over HERE.

Peach Cobbler for One, Joy the Baker

1 ripe peach

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon shredded coconut

1 tablespoon slivered almonds

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice a peach in half and remove the pit.  With a small spoon, scoop out the the dark red pit center, creating just a bit more room for the crumble topping.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, salt, coconut, and almonds.  Add butter and, with your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients.  Quickly break up the butter until it is well combined.  Some of the butter bits will be the size of oat flakes, others will be the size of small peas.

Place peach halves, cut side up, in a small, oven-safe dish.  Top each peach half with a generous portion of crumble topping.  Heap it on!

Bake for 20 minutes, until topping is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cold milk.  Peaches are best served warm from the oven.

slow roasted tomatoes

Summer makes everything so simple. Corn, tomatoes, peaches, berries…just a few things that are abundant this time of year and are nearly perfect all by themselves. Each weekend when I unload my sack of fresh fruits and veggies my brain and taste buds are singing a little something like this:

As Ms. Wanda Jackson says, "Let’s have a party! Whew!" I know...I'm a goof.  

Something I love to make in the summer is roasted tomatoes. I talked about roasting peaches here and roasting tomatoes does the same thing---brings out natural sweetness. Plus, they are very versatile---so I hear. I eat them like candy.

Slice a quart of cherry or grape tomatoes in half.  

Sprinkle with some olive oil and a little salt. Then put them in a 275 degree oven for two to three hours. I check them at about two hours but low and slow is the game. Use that time to do some laundry, run an errand, take a nap or play outside.

When finished, they should look something like this---starting to crisp on the edges, caramelize, yet the centers stay juicy and sweet. 

So what can you do with them? Here’s a few ideas:

Add to sandwiches, a wrap or a burger
Use as a topping for crostini
Blend in with a homemade tomato soup
Stir into pasta
Use as a pizza topping

This time I used them as a topping for chicken Milanese, a GP recipe and basically a breaded chicken cutlet. Milk and Mode blog shows you how to make it here. With a salad on the side this was a perfect, light summer dinner.  

photo via My Father's Daughter cookbook

Mexican Elote - corn + mayo + cheese = yum!

The super talented ladies of Prairie Hive have done it again! Their quarterly online magazine is always full of beautiful things from interior design to clothing to party planning tips. Each issue not only creates a world I’d like to fall in to---they show you how to do it over on their daily blog!

The recent issue had a Spanish summer vibe featuring an easy to recreate taco party with margarita mix bar. Isn't this pretty?

Picture via Prairie Hive

The issue features shrimp tacos, chicken flautas, strawberry balsamic salsa and a pineapple salsa I can’t wait to print and make myself. Check out this post on creating a margarita bar with jalapeño, watermelon and grapefruit mix ins.

Picture via Prairie Hive

Something I think would go great with this party is Mexican elote. While I’ve never had authentic elote, I’m a big fan of the American adaptations I’ve tried. The easiest, and my current favorite, comes from the On a Stick book I talked about recently.

All you need is fresh corn, some mayonnaise and parmesan cheese.

It’s great with just those three things but sprinkling on a bit of cumin, cayenne and a squeeze of lime really makes it perfection.

Instead of slathering your corn with butter this summer, give these toppings a try.

Mexican Elote

Slightly adapted from On a Stick

Ingredients
Fresh corn on the cob, shucked and cleaned – however many ears you need

Mayonnaise – 1 tablespoon per ear of corn

Parmesan cheese – 1 tablespoon per ear of corn

Chili powder – ½ tsp teaspoon per ear of corn

Cayenne pepper – ¼ tsp per ear of corn (or adjust per your preferred heat level)

Cumin – ¼  teaspoon per ear of corn

Lime wedge – 1 per ear of corn

Directions

Shuck and clean the corn. Cook in boiling water for five minutes or prepare the corn your favorite way—I know some people like grilling.

In a bowl, measure out the amount of mayonnaise you will need.

In a separate bowl measure the amount of Parmesan cheese you will need.

In a third bowl, combine the chili powder, cayenne pepper and cumin you’ll need. Keep cayenne separate if you have someone who doesn’t like heat.

Spread about one tablespoon of the mayonnaise over an ear of corn. Using your hands is easiest or you could brush it on with a pastry brush.

Sprinkle the cheese mix over the corn pressing lightly to adhere to the mayo.

Sprinkle your spice mix over the corn.

peach bbq sauce

A year ago there was a scandal in the food world. Well, the food world of those who read Bon Appetit magazine religiously as I do. There was a new editor-in-chief who was hired from a well known men's magazine to come in and clean ship. New design, new writers, new style. And boy, was it new. It looked EXACTLY like the magazine he was hired from. I didn't relate to the articles. I didn't care for the look. I wanted my old comfy magazine back!

And worse, there was rumor that the next cover would feature a celebrity, a first for a mag that typically had a dazzling plate of seasonal food on the cover. The celebrity....my gal Gwyneth Paltrow. Her cookbook, much beloved and mentioned here on this blog, had just been released. And while easy to look at, it wasn't as if she was a chef. She was no one in the food world. She was a home cook. Was that the point? The whole "stars: they're just like you and me!" bit? The blogs were in an uproar about yet another change to the magazine's point of view. 

And then the issue arrived in my mail box. I ripped page after page out. GP's recipes, different from her cookbook, were just want I wanted to make. Summer corn soup, fruit salsa with fish, and a delectable sounding peach bbq sauce. 

Change is hard and sometimes it has to be shoved down our throat to be accepted. I got used to the bold typeface and edgy photography. The new writing style which certainly skewed more masculine. After letting my subscription expire I subscribed all over again, now with a fancy free digital version I love to peruse on my iPad. 

But best of all, that controversial edition gave me a new sauce to try. Something easy to whip up and not from a bottle (though there are many GREAT bottled sauces out there). 

All you need is a few fresh peaches, ketchup, lemon, garlic, soy sauce and a little kick of something spicy. GP likes chilies in adobo. I had sriracha on hand this time. 

Chop the peaches and combine them with two minced garlic cloves, a squeeze of lemon, and half a cup of ketchup. I like about a tablespoon of soy sauce and half teaspoon of sriracha. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Add a splash of water or soy sauce to keep it loose if needed. Heat about 10 minutes while peaches soften.

 Put all that into a blender and blend until smooth. Done!

It's tangy but sweet with a spicy kick from whatever hot sauce you choose. GP marinated chicken breasts with half the sauce, grilled them, then topped the chicken with another layer. It's a great variation on the normal bbq sauce and could work on everything from fish to veggies.

Peach BBQ Sauce

from Bon Appetit June 2011

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped peeled fresh peaches or 9-10 ounces frozen sliced peaches, thawed, chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo or 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts
• Vegetable oil
  
• 
  

Preparation

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer until peaches are very soft and flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let cool. Pour peach mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place half the sauce in a medium bowl; add the chicken and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes, or cover and chill for up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce.
  
• Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Brush grill rack with oil. Grill chicken until browned and almost cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Brush on all sides with reserved sauce; grill until glazed and cooked through, 1-2 minutes per side. Slice crosswise. Serve remaining sauce alongside.

Mini chicken pot pies - low cal, fast meal

On one of my pantry raid menu planning days I noticed a box of Bisquick hidden on a shelf. I recalled a mini chicken pot pie recipe I had pinned on Pinterest and looked it up again to see what was involved. Bisquick was the the "crust" instead of traditional pastry dough. They sounded like a nice comfort food but without the heavy gravy and pastry required for an actual chicken pot pie. While I didn’t have every ingredient, I had most and improvised with a few others.

I sautéed half an onion, one small yellow squash chopped small with frozen peas and a turkey breast that was already cooked from a previous meal also chopped small.

While that warmed through, I mixed the baking mixture of Bisquick, egg and milk. Add some shredded cheese to the mixture, if desired.

In a regular sized muffin tin (12 muffins), add one tablespoon of the baking mixture to each tin.

Top with ¼ cup of your filling. Want more cheese? Add a little sprinkle now. I didn't add cheese to the baking mixture but I did add Parmesan cheese at this point.

Then top with another tablespoon of the baking mixture. And heck, more cheese if you want.

These puff up and make a nice single serving presentation. Kids might be fine with one and maybe a side of fruit, veggies or mac and cheese but adults may want two or three with a side.

I’ll admit, they didn’t satisfy my chicken pot pie craving. They were more eggy than doughy—almost like mini quiche. However, my recipe totaled just 66 calories per serving! That meant for the next day or two I had leftovers to snack on. Great for a little protein punch (eggs, turkey).

If you like this sort of thing, I encourage you to poke around the Betty Crocker website. They had several variations on this like cheeseburger, Thai and Mexican inspired.

Impossible Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Basic recipe from Betty Crocker but adapt to what you have on hand

Chicken Mixture

1      tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I used one cooked turkey breast)

1      medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2  cup chicken broth

1      cup frozen peas and carrots  (I used 1/2 cup peas and one small yellow squash diced)

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/4  teaspoon pepper

1/4  teaspoon ground thyme

1  cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz) (I used 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan)

Baking Mixture

1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

2 eggs

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add onion and chicken broth; heat to simmering. Add frozen vegetables and seasonings. Heat until hot, stirring occasionally until almost all liquid is absorbed. Cool 5 minutes; stir in cheese.

In medium bowl, stir baking mixture ingredients with whisk or fork until blended. Spoon 1 scant tablespoon baking mixture into each muffin cup. Top with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon baking mixture onto chicken mixture in each muffin cup.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I suggest to start checking them at 20 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes. With thin knife, loosen sides of pies from pan; remove from pan and place top sides up on cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes longer, and serve.

grilled fruit, and other fun foods, on a stick

I read about this cookbook On a Stick on a few blogs and also an interview with its author Matt Armendariz, a wonderful food photographer (yes, it's a profession), and really wanted this book. Though I seldom throw parties, I'm always looking for fun "party foods" and unique ways to serve them. This book, as the title describes, is all things on a stick which totally appeals to my love of fair food, kabobs, s'mores popsicles---happy foods come on sticks, no? And Matt feels the same.

Some of his recipes are what you might expect. Corn dogs and various meats, fried things and desserts. Others are plain wacky. Grilled spam and pineapple on a stick? Yes, please!

photo from On a Stick



Spaghetti and meatballs on a stick. WHA?!

photo from On a Stick

Pizza rolls on a stick. Wouldn't this be fun for a birthday party?

photo from On a Stick

Appealing to my entertaining side, this book also has a section for types of sticks that would be fun to use (more out there than bamboo and toothpicks--who knew!) and about 10 different dipping sauces from creamy to savory to sweet that can be mixed and matched with the recipes.

photo from On a Stick

Recently, we bought a new charcoal grill, our first, and I thought Matt's grilled fruit on a stick would be a nice and light dessert post burger binge. Just pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe but topped with a honey, mint and lime simple syrup and grilled for a smokey flavor and pretty grill marks.

Start with a fresh pineapple. Have you chopped one up before? A little messy from all the juice, but totally worth it in cost and flavor. This cutie was just $2.

Chop off the green top.

Chop off the bottom.

Cut the flesh down and around the sides like you would peel any other fruit. After I slice off the flesh, I go back over it with a vegetable peeler to get all the fine pieces I missed. You're left with a gorgeous hunk of pineapple. Smell the islands?

Pineapples have a core (think of the hole you see when you buy pineapple rings). If you want rings, slice it across in rings then gently cut out the core of each ring. That's a lot of work in my opinion so instead I cut around the core similar to cutting around an apple core. Then, I cut those wedges into cubes. Ditto, cut and cube some watermelon and cantaloupe roughly the same size.

The simple syrup is 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 white sugar, 1/2 water. Cook them on medium heat until sugar and honey dissolve. Add 10 - 12 mint leaves finely chopped and zest of one lime. Remove from heat and let it thicken as it cools.

This makes A LOT of syrup and you could certainly cut it in half or serve the remainder as a dipping sauce. I put my leftover syrup in a jar in the fridge to sweeten iced tea and maybe a weekend adult beverage.

Thread the fruit onto bamboo skewers that have soaked in water for about 30 minutes. Trust me, skipping this step will result in flames and burnt food.

Sprinkle with a touch of salt, says Matt (bleck, I do not salt my melon or cantaloupe normally).

Brush the syrup on to fruit. Grill 3-5 minutes per side. Brush again with syrup and cook another minute per side.

We were still getting the hang of the charcoal grill after years with a gas grill. As you can see, I didn't quite get the grill marks I wanted but the fruit did infuse with a smokiness from the grill and made for a pretty presentation. I'll be honest, I prefer my watermelon and cantaloupe ice cold but I did like the warm pineapple with sweet honey syrup. I froze the leftovers to put in a smoothie later this week.

Maybe I'll try the spam and pineapple skewers next!

Do you have a favorite food on a stick?