Garden Fresh Salsa – The Perfect Use for Tomatoes From Your Garden!

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fresh, salsa, tomato, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

One of my favorite foods in the world is salsa!!! And it gets even better when it’s made with tomatoes fresh from your own garden! If you’ve never grown you own tomatoes, you need to give it a try! Store bought tomatoes have a fraction of the flavor as home grown. I had lot of tomatoes on the vine. I had originally planted them with the intention of making marinara sauce, but salsa was calling to me!!! This recipe is easy to make. It just involves some chopping, but it is worth the effort! It is so flavorful and when you’re making your own you can adjust the heat level to your liking. You can’t beat the flavors of salsa made with fresh, garden grown tomatoes, cilantro and peppers!!!

I find the salsa is best made ahead and allowed to chill in the fridge. Letting the salsa rest a few hours to a day, allows all the flavors to mingle and blend together nicely.

Healthy tip: For me it’s all about the salsa! The chips are a vehicle to shovel the salsa in my mouth. Another vehicle I use is sliced zucchini. I put my mandolin slicer to work and slice up a bunch. It’s a great alternative for all kinds of dips.

Garden Fresh Tomato Salsa

4 cups tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

Salt

Pepper

Seasoned salt

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, diced or pressed

1 1/2 Serrano chilies, seeded and diced very finely

1 tbsp olive oil

In a bowl, mix tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, red pepper flakes. In a sauce pan, saute garlic and chilies in olive oil until slightly browned. Add garlic and chilies to other ingredients in bowl and stir well. Store in fridge for several hours before serving. You can eat immediately, but the flavor is better if allowed to mingle a bit.

Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler – The Perfect Summer Dessert for Your Barbecues

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cobbler, dessert, Easy, fresh, fruit, Peach, recipe, summer, vegetarian

Happy Father’s Day!!! One of the desserts we’ll be enjoying today is peach cobbler. My husband got some beautiful fresh peaches from a neighbor’s tree. One of the great thing about living in Northern California, is the amazing, local produce that we have access to. These peaches were perfectly ripe, so sweet and delicious. Cobbler was calling to me! It’s so good, but rather easy to make. This came of the oven a wonderful bubbly golden brown! If you have access to fresh fruit (peaches, berries, nectarines) I highly recommend this recipe!

Peach Cobbler

1/2 cup butter

4 large peaches or about 5 cups, sliced (or other fruit)

2 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 1/4 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 tbsp baking powder

Dash of salt

Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Put butter in medium size baking pan and put in oven to melt butter. Meanwhile, add peaches, 1 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice to sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat while stirring constantly.  Once butter is melted (do not let brown!), remove baking pan from oven. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cup sugar, milk, flour, baking powder and salt until just mixed. Pour over butter in baking pan, but do not stir any more. Pour peach mixture over batter in baking pan, but do not stir. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly. 

This is delicious served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

Enjoy and again, Happy Father’s Day!

Pineapple Mango Salsa – A Gorgeous Party Dish!!!

Tags

fresh, jalapeno, lime, mango, Pineapple, salsa, tomato, vegan, vegetarian

Yesterday, we had a college graduation party for my oldest daughter and her husband. Whew! Got one kid through college! I had seen varieties of this salsa online and thought it was just stunning. This party was the perfect opportunity to make this visibly beautiful, wonderful tasting salsa! This salsa had so many great, fresh flavors! The sweetness of the pineapple and mango mixed with the savory flavors of tomato and onion with a little bit of spice from the jalapenos!

At the party, we enjoyed this with tortilla chips. Tonight I’m planning to serve it over fish. I’m hoping we can find a beautiful trout or maybe some tilapia. This will be delicious too!!!

Pineapple Mango Salsa

1 fresh pineapple

2 fresh mangoes, finely diced

1 small sweet onion (I used a yellow onion)

1 medium, fresh jalapeno, finely diced (Reduce or increase to get the amount of heat you want. Taste test!!!)

1-2 limes, juiced (This depends on the size and juiciness of the limes)

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

4 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Cut about 1/3 off the pineapple, leaving the stem intact. Before cutting, I laid down the pineapple to see if there was a side where it rested solidly on it’s side. Then I made my cut directly on the opposite side of this. You want to make sure it will make a stable serving bowl for you. Hollow out your pineapple. Finely dice the meaty parts and discard the hard core section. In a separate bowl, mix all ingredients.

This is best made up to 24 hours in advance, so flavors can mingle. It will make more than what will fit in your pineapple serving bowl, so store in a sealable bowl. I stirred it several times during the 24 hours, making sure the flavors were mingling well.

Everyone just loved this salsa!!! I hope you do too!!!

Enjoy!


Super Fresh, Simple Lunch: Greek Salad with Quinoa

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cucumber, Feta cheese, fresh, Greek, healthy, Lunch, Parsley, quinoa, salad, simple, tomato

  My weekend started yesterday already (Yay me!), so today I didn’t have to eat out a lunchbox today (Yay me again!)! I felt like sticking to the Greek path I started last night with the tzatziki, although without garlic this time, and made a quick Greek salad with quinoa. Here’s what I put in it: […]

https://fudgeandfettuccine.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/super-fresh-super-simple-lunch-greek-salad-with-quinoa/

Lobster Avocado Pesto Pasta – Food of the Gods I Tell You!!!!

Tags

avocado, Cilantro, Cooking, Dinner, Food, fresh, healthy, lobster, pasta, pesto, spaghetti

  

The photo of this blog post alone had me! Lobster and avocado!?! Food of the gods!!! This is a recipe I will definitely have to try and I will let you all know if I do!

lobster avocado pesto pasta my own recipe   pesto 2 ripe avocados 2 green onion sprigs juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup cashews 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper pasta 1 lb spaghetti pasta 1/2 lb langosta lobster […]

http://cookingfromtheheart.net/2016/03/16/lobster-avocado-pesto-pasta/

Ranch Flavored White Bread – A Great Recipe for Your Bread Machine!

Tags

baking, bread, bread machine, Cooking, Food, fresh, Ranch, recipe

 I adore my bread machine!!! I almost never buy French bread loaves to go with dinner any more. I keep baking supplies on hand, so I can pop them in the machine and have wonderful, warm, fresh-baked bread to serve with dinner. The other night, I made a Ranch Flavored White Bread that was very good! The flavor was great and the texture was just perfect! Some recipes return a very dense loaf of bread, but not this one. I have tip for you that helps! Read on!

The addition of dry ranch salad dressing mix to this recipe adds a touch of aroma and flavor that takes the bread up a notch. The flavor is very subtle, but you can taste the little bit of ranch tang! 

So I mentioned a tip. It’s all in the flour! Let’s face it, the biggest ingredient in bread is flour, so it pays to spend a little more and buy the good stuff. I had been using the store brand of bread flour, but I decided to invest in some King Arthur Bread Flour and the investment paid off. Take my advice and give the good stuff a try! The higher quality flour gives you a lighter, fluffier bread with great texture. With some ingredients the cheaper store brand will work just fine, but sometimes it is worth investing in the more expensive version.

Ranch White Bread

5 oz water

3 tbsp Canola oil

1 egg, beaten

2 1/4 cup bread flour

1/4 cup dry milk

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp ranch mix

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp yeast

Spray bread machine pan with non-stick spray. Add water, oil, and egg. Add flour, dry milk, sugar and ranch mix. Sprinkle salt around the edge of the pan. Push dry ingredients towards the edges creating a well in the middle and there you add the yeast. Put in bread machine and set for a medium, basic white setting. 

Tip: Salt can prohibit yeast from fully acting, so try and load ingredients, so that salt and yeast are kept separate.

Enjoy this tasty bread!!!

Best Ever Green Bean Casserole – Not Your Grandma’s Canned Casserole!

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Alton Brown, Cooking, Food, fresh, Good Eats, Green Bean Casserole, side dish, vegetable

  

 Now I love grandma’s  old green bean casserole as much as the next person! Those canned french cut beans drowned in cream of mushroom soup topped in canned french fried onions are somehow comforting and satisfying. But we all know this can’t be healthy for us! This old version is packed with fat and sodium.

In my organic produce shipment last week, I received some beautiful, fresh green beans and onions. A green bean casserole sounded great, so I hit the internet in search of a recipe. One of my favorite Food Network stars provided exactly what I was looking for. Mr. Alton Brown has provided the recipe for what he calls “The Best Ever Green Bean Casserole”. He demonstrated how too make this dish on his show Good Eats.

On a side note, if you haven’t checked out the show Good Eats, I highly recommend it. Old episodes are available on Netflix. This is a tongue in cheek look at cooking that often examines the science and history behind cooking. It’s a lot of fun and very educational. It’s a perfect show for kids and adults that like to cook.

Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

• For the topping:

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• Nonstick cooking spray

For beans and sauce:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 cup half-and-half

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Chimichurri Sauce – A Bold Sauce for Your Grilled Meats

Tags

argentina, barbecue, chimichurri, Cooking, Food, fresh, Herbs, sauce

  
Here in California, we’re still enjoying warm weather, but fall and the cooler weather is starting to encroach upon us. I thought I would share one last summer-y, barbecue related recipe.

I haven’t made it in a little while, so I’m past due! One of my favorite additions to barbecued meat is Chimichurri sauce. I always make this from scratch. Actually, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a ready-made version of this sauce in the store. There’s a product idea I just gave away!

The combination of all the fresh ingredients provides an intense, full-bodied flavor that really compliments the meat well. When serving this sauce, I would keep the seasoning of the meat to basic salt and pepper and let the Chimichurri add the bold accompaniment. This sauce is a rich, green color that screams garden freshness! And that smell!!! All those fresh herbs and garlic will make your mouth water!

This sauce supposedly originated in Argentina and is primarily served over beef. If you’re like me though, once I find a sauce I love, I want to put it on EVERYTHING! Go ahead! Put it on your chicken, fish, bread, rice, whatever! I’ll never tell!

So at your next barbecue, impress your friends and family with something other than the usual barbecue sauce!

Chimichurri

1 cup stemmed flat-leaf parsley

1 cup stemmed cilantro

1/2 cup stemmed mint leaves

7 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup water

In a food processor, add first 7 ingredients and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil, vinegar and water and continue to blend until you have a thick sauce. Serve within a few hours.

Organic Produce – It Makes Thursdays Great!

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Cooking, farm fresh, fresh, fruit, health, Healthy Cooking, healthy eating, low-fat, non-fat, organic, organic produce, pesticides, produce, produce delivery, vegetables

  Why do I love Thursdays? Because when I get up every Thursday morning, I have a wonderful box waiting for me on my porch. That box is filled with beautiful organic produce. My husband and I recently became more aware of how many chemicals are on the produce we eat due to pesticides. We decided to try and eat organic produce as much as possible. Everything we want is not always available so we’re not eating strictly organic, but we figure any amount of organic produce has got to be better for us! What you see in the attached picture is what came in our produce delivery box today. We decided to go with a farm to door delivery service. All the produce is organic and is locally grown. I like it because were getting beautiful, seasonal vegetables and fruit as well as helping our local farmers stay in business. We’ve noticed the produce is near perfect and so fresh! It lasts much longer than what we buy in the grocery store. It hasn’t sat on grocery store shelves for any length of time or gotten caught up in a long shipping process. There are a number of these such services so you can look online for one in your area. We live in the San Francisco East Bay Area and use Doorstep Farmers. I’ve been very happy with the service. I particularly like that I can go to their website and customize my delivery. This way I make sure I’m going to get produce our family will actually use. Many of these services sell other organic kitchen staples as well, such as olive oil, honey, and eggs. Many of you may have access to local farmers markets and that is also a great resource for organic produce. Unfortunately for me, the only one we have is during daytime hours while I’m at work so the delivery service is a great option for our family. I hope you consider going organic with your produce. With every dollar we spend we have a voice to tell retailers what we the public want. The availability of organic produce has greatly improved and as we buy more retailers will continue to stock with more variety. Also, if you don’t have access to a farmers market go online and take a look at these online produce delivery services. You might find it works well for you too!