• 10Sep

    Honey, I Chopped the Herbs!

    Repeat after me: “I, (insert name here), promise to never, ever, ever use dried herbs when I cook. Dried herbs taste like tea leaves and are useful only if you want your food to taste like tea. I will only use fresh herbs, or I will use no herbs at all.”

    Whew. I feel better.

    Here are two gateway recipes to lead you out of the dried herb rut. These are both simple and tasty and can be used at snack time or for breakfast. The secret is fresh herbs and honey.

    Zesty grapefruit:

    Slice a grapefruit in half. Sprinkle freshly chopped mint over the top and drizzle with honey. Refreshing!

    Waffles with Ricblueney Basil:

    (OK … I know that ricblueney isn’t a word. I just thought it sounded better than ricotta, blueberry & honey.)

    Make your favorite waffles. Cover with a scoop of ricotta, blueberries, honey & chopped basil.

    Easy.

    Forgive the picture. Obviously I used a pre-made, frozen commercial waffle. I had a moment of inspiration and didn’t want to wait for homemade waffles to cook before trying this. To be fair it was a whole-grain waffle!

    Filed under: Breakfast
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  • 10Sep

    Green Salsa

    If you told me I would be stranded on a desert island for a month and could only being three food items with me, I’d list salsa as the #1 item. I doubt I could live without it. Seriously.

    So, to take advantage of the last of the serrano peppers from my garden I whipped this thing up. Literally…in the food processor.

    Ingredients:

    4 tomatillos
    2 green serrano peppers
    1 small onion
    3 cloves garlic
    1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
    Juice from 1 lime
    Salt & Pepper

    Directions:

    1. Husk tomatillos and cut into quarters. Peel garlic. Peel & cut onion into quarters. Roughly cut serranos into 4 pieces (seeds included).

    2. Throw tomatillos, serranos, onion, garlic & cilantro into food processor and process until everything is finely chopped. Remove from processor into bowl and add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.

    Servings : 8
    Preparation Time : 10 mins
    Cooking Time : 0 min

    Filed under: Appetizers
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  • 09Sep

    Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

    My husband is training for a marathon. He rarely makes suggestions in the kitchen, but during marathon season (which is year round) he asks for granola. Now that it feels like autumn, I felt like introducing some autumn flavors into my granola. This is what I came up with. I forgot to measure as I was going, so don’t hold me to these exact measurements. Go with what feels right!

    Ingredients:

    4 cups oatmeal
    1 cup oat bran
    1 cup flax seed
    1 cup chopped pecans
    1 cup slivered almonds
    1 cup sesame seeds
    3/4 cup olive oil
    1/2 cup agave syrup
    1/2 cup canned pumpkin
    1 Tbsp cinnamon
    1 tsp nutmeg
    1/4 tsp cardamon
    1/4 tsp salt
    2 cups dried cranberries

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix the first six ingredients in a large bowl.

    2. Mix the remaining ingredients (except the cranberries) in a small saucepan and heat through until sauce simmers.

    3. Pour the sauce over the oat mixture and stir until completely coated. Spread mixture over a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until toasted. Stir halfway through baking.

    4. Once granola is cooled, stir dry cranberries into mix and you’re done!

    Servings: 9
    Preparation Time: 10 mins
    Cooking Time: 60 mins

    Filed under: Breakfast
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  • 03Sep

    Roasted Tomatoes

    I have an over abundance of tomatoes. Living in the Garden State comes with it’s perks. I planted three different tomato plants and now have to figure out what to do with all the tomatoes. One of my favorite ways to cook tomatoes is to roast them. Simple and delicious.

    Ingredients:

    Tomatoes
    Olive Oil
    Salt & Pepper

    Instructions:

    1. Cut up tomatoes. Make sure they’re roughly the same size. I halve the cherry tomatoes and cut the larger tomatoes into the same size as the cherry tomato halves.

    2. Lightly coat tomatoes with olive oil; add salt and pepper to taste.

    3. Roast in a 300 degree oven for about an hour and a half to 2 hours. Juices should be bubbly when done.

    Variations:

    I added crushed garlic and sliced peppers into my last batch of roasted tomatoes. They added a nice kick. A sprig of rosemary added to the tomatoes during roasting adds a wonderful aroma. Chopped onions also roast nicely with this recipe. I also like to add fresh herbs at the end, such as basil or parsley. The possibilities are endless.

    Serve over fresh pasta and cover with Parmesan. You can also serve this as a bruschetta on top of toasted baguette slices and your favorite cheese. Delicious!

    Filed under: Sides
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  • 02Sep

    Grilled Berry Chocolate Shortcake

    Josh was craving something sweet. So I checked out my kitchen to see what was there and whipped this bad boy up.

    Ingredients:

    2 slices shortcake
    1 tsp olive oil
    1 cup frozen mixed berries
    1 Tbsp organic sugar
    1 ounce organic dark chocolate candy bar, broken into pieces
    1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp whipping cream (divided)
    1 tsp Trader Joe’s Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean Grinder blend

    Instructions:

    1. Brush both sides of shortcake slices with olive oil and place on a hot grill. Grill until crispy on both sides.

    2. Mix berries and sugar in small saucepan and cook until warm and slightly syrupy.

    3. In a separate small saucepan, combine chocolate pieces and 1 Tbsp whipping cream; heat until chocolate is melted.

    4. Using a cold mixing bowl, whip the 1/2 cup whipping cream with a whisk attachment and add the Trader Joe’s Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean blend while whipping. Continue whipping until peaks form.

    5. Put the dessert together: Swirl chocolate mixture onto bottom of plate and place grilled shortcake on top. Pour berries and juice over top of shortcake and top with whipped cream.

    Servings: 2

    Preparation Time: 5 mins

    Cooking Time: 5 mins

    Filed under: Desserts
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