Tag: Mediterranean Diet
Gazpacho
Gazpacho! What in the world is gazpacho? The origins of the word itself are unknown, though theories abound. Some people believe it comes from an Arabic word for “soaked bread”; others claim it has roots in the Hebrew word for “to break into pieces.” If you watch the video of Ina Garten preparing this recipe, though, you’ll hear her call it a “salad soup.” Elsewhere I’ve seen it described less appetizingly as “liquid salad,” which sounds like something a catatonic hospital patient would receive through a tube. I like to think of it as a salsa soup, which is what I called it when my kids asked what we were having for dinner and I didn’t want to say “liquid salad.” I really couldn’t see them running to the table after me calling…
If you’re someone who enjoys salsa, you’re highly likely to be a fan of gazpacho. One of my salsa-loving friends refers to tortilla chips as “salsa transportation devices” because, when it’s good salsa, don’t you really just want the salsa? The chip itself is definitely not the main attraction. Well, what if you didn’t have to bother with the chip for propriety’s sake? What if you could just eat the whole bowl of delicious salsa? Guess what, my friends?
YOU CAN!!!
And THAT is the meaning of gazpacho.
(You may, of course, have to get over the fact that it’s a cold soup, which seems like a contradiction in terms. But once you do, you’ll be thankful. As a colossal fan of soup, I can tell you it’s a delightfully sneaky way to still get to eat soup in the summer. We enjoyed it with pesto grilled cheese sandwiches and I thought it was the perfect combination. So go get grinding and chopping–summertime is liquid salad gazpacho time!)
Gazpacho
(Barely adapted from Ina Garten)
Ingredients:
1 cucumber, halved and seeded but not peeled
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. tomato juice
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
1. Chop the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, and red onion into 1-inch cubes. Place each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped (about the texture of a very chunky salsa).
2. After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add garlic, tomato juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, mixing well.
3. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serves 4-6.
Basic Mini Frittatas
If I’m being honest, I have to admit I’ve been stuck in a breakfast rut for years. Not that I mind. Toast, whole grain muffins and quick breads, and cereal have been my trusted morning companions for years. So even if they are same-old, same-old day after day, I just really, really like carbs, so my bread-based breakfasts suit me pretty well. If I had a personal Breakfast Food Pyramid, it would look like this:
As you can see, eggs are not high on this list. (Well, technically, they are high, but in the upside-down-backwards kind of high, like how you want to score low, not high in golf.) Still, there is the occasional morning when something other than straight-up carbs appeals to me, or when I need to make something portable to take to a brunch, or when I give in to my husband’s pleas to make these muffin-sized frittatas. Because they really are a wonderful, satisfyingly savory way to make eggs. As with most egg dishes, these frittatas are unfailingly modifiable, so you can pretty much throw in any savory ingredient and wind up with something pleasing. Additionally, they’re embarrassingly easy to slap together and reheat beautifully (30 seconds in the microwave) for a convenient protein-y breakfast. I’ve made them for everything from bridal showers to Easter brunch to a quick dinner for the babysitter to feed my kids. Not that they’re going to supplant my grain-focused morning meal, but they certainly are easy, tasty, and healthy enough to make a semi-regular appearance.
Basic Mini Frittatas
(Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)
Ingredients:
8 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
Optional add-ins:
2 tsp. dried parsley (I always add this, regardless of other add-ins, as it gives such nice color!)
1/2 c. chopped cooked meat–ham, salami, bacon, chorizo, etc.
1/2 c. cheese–feta, Parmesan, shredded cheddar, etc.
1/2 c. cooked chopped vegetables–sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, etc.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and generously grease a regular-sized muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, pepper, and salt to blend well. Stir in any and all optional add-ins. Using a measuring cup to scoop, fill in muffin cups almost to the top.
3. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until frittatas are set in the center and begin to brown on top. Carefully loosen frittatas from muffin cups and serve immediately or refrigerate for later reheating.
Makes about 10 mini frittatas.
Pesto Pasta and Bean Salad
Today was a pretty chill, laid-back Sunday for our family. The best kind, if you ask me. My mom generously took our kids overnight last night, so my husband and I got to have dinner at the fabulous Wrigley Mansion, a Phoenix landmark since 1932, and sleep in this morning. It was kind of shocking how late we were able to sleep without the kids running around/arguing/informing us about poopy Pullups. (Anybody have a sure-fire solution for nighttime potty training a 3-year-old?) Anyway, the two of us went out for a late breakfast, which we almost never do–partly because we rarely eat out with kids and partly because I have a thing about brunch. I hate it. Seriously, it ruins my whole day. I’m the kind of person who wants to get up and eat something light and drink my coffee pretty much immediately. Brunch basically flies in the face of these desires. You have to do your hair and get dressed, get in your car and drive somewhere, order and wait until they bring out your food. Then you always, ALWAYS eat way more than you normally would and at lunchtime you still feel full and kinda gross but you want to eat. So you eat lunch and you feel even more over-full and gross. See where this is going? Whole day shot. You’re dead to me, brunch.
Still, despite my issue with brunch, our day was a pleasant one. After we picked the kids up from Grandma’s we went on a family outing to Ikea, where we got some fun stuff for the house, then went to Guitar Center, where the kids enjoyed jamming on the 95 keyboards they have stacked in one room. But even after skipping out on the meatballs and lingonberry sauce my family had for lunch at Ikea, those lemon ricotta pancakes I had at brunch still hung like dead weight in my stomach. Thankfully, our plans for dinner were the definition of light: this super-simple pesto pasta and bean salad. Yay!
If there was ever a straightforward, what-you-see-is-what-you-get salad, this is it. I love it for its simplicity, its quick prep time, and its healthful vegetarian ingredients. It would make a great side to tote to a summertime potluck–but for our family, served with a side of crusty bread, this is plenty for a modest dinner!
Pesto Pasta and Bean Salad
(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients:
8 oz. whole wheat penne or other small pasta
1 7-oz. container purchased basil pesto (or make your own)
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 c. arugula
2 oz. Parmesan/Reggiano cheese, shaved
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, make dressing by combining pesto, red wine vinegar, and salt in a large bowl. Add cooked pasta, beans, and arugula and stir gently to combine. Top with shaved cheese.
Makes about 8 cups.
Homemade Tomato Sauce Tutorial
Back in February, I mentioned how many tomatoes were growing packed into our garden bed like so many Japanese bullet train passengers. As a near-native desert dweller, I’m just impressed when anything edible grows out of the ground, but tomatoes are especially great to have handy, as they’re usable in so many dishes. For months they served us well in salads, tarts, pizzas, and sandwiches, but the day finally came when my husband said we needed to harvest the whole bed. (I wouldn’t know why. He’s the gardener. Probably it had something to do with the face-melting heat outside.) So out he went and returned with a heaping colander of ‘maters of all different shapes, sizes, and hues.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from gardening–or, more accurately, being the beneficiary of my husband’s gardening–it’s that the work comes both before and after the harvest. Tomatoes picked singly off the vine are a delightful convenience. Three hundred tomatoes sitting on your counter feel like a ticking time bomb of spoilage. Still, the work both before and after your produce is well worth it–not necessarily because it’s cheaper or easier than buying from the store, but because it’s a reconnection to the Earth, a reminder that all food comes at a cost of labor and love. And because food made from fresh fruits and vegetables is delicious!
With dozens of (mostly tiny) tomatoes now in my kitchen, silently begging the question “What are you going to do with us?” I knew I had to come up with something. Having never made my own from-scratch tomato pasta sauce, that seemed like an attractive option–made all the more attractive by the fact that I already had all the ingredients necessary! And I must say, it turned out INCREDIBLE. The flavor was so much richer and deeper than anything I’ve ever had out of a store-bought jar, probably due to the red wine, the fresh herbs, and of course, the garden-fresh tomatoes. My husband ate it on tortilla chips so he could have it as a snack.
So if you, too, have a glut of tomatoes from your garden or just want to try a better-than-store-bought taste experience, here’s a how-to for making your very own sauce for spaghetti, tortellini, meatballs, or any other creative choices (like tortilla chips).
Homemade Tomato Sauce
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
5 lbs. fresh tomatoes (10 large, 40 plum, or 100ish cherry tomatoes)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped fresh herbs (a mix of rosemary, basil, and thyme is ideal)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 c. red wine
1 bay leaf
2 stalks celery
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
Directions:
1. Boil and peel tomatoes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of ice water. If using large or plum tomatoes, use a sharp knife to score the top or bottom of each with a small “X” to make peeling easier. Place tomatoes into boiling water until skins start to peel. Depending on your tomatoes’ ripeness, this may take as little as 1 minute or as much as 3-4 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the prepared bowl of ice water.
The skins will begin to loosen and look like little Pacmans:
Let tomatoes rest until cool enough to peel. Once they are cool to the touch, peel and set aside. (The skins should slip off easily.)
Let’s pause for a moment to honor the many tomatoes who gave their skins for this sauce.
2. Puree peeled tomatoes in a food processor or blender.
3. Make the rest of the sauce:
Rinse the pot you used to boil the tomatoes. Heat oil and butter over medium heat in this pot and cook onion, carrots, and garlic until onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add pureed tomatoes, fresh herbs, Italian seasoning, and wine. Place bay leaf and whole celery sticks into the pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Stir in tomato paste and simmer another 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and celery sticks. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Maple Orange Creamsicle Granita
As I’ve mentioned before, when it’s citrus season in Arizona, there’s no escaping the hordes of oranges, lemons, and grapefruit that go rolling through the streets like the eleventh plague of Egypt (but, you know, the good kind of plague). This past week, I once again found myself in possession of a superabundance of oranges.
I’ll tell you why.
As a nutrition student, I’ve made it my project to volunteer for a local nonprofit called Save the Family by participating in their sack lunch program. Once a month, I make 15-20 sack lunches for the attendees of their many programs (GED classes, career training, etc.). It’s a great way to volunteer from home on my own time. Plus, it has to do with food! (And if you live in the Phoenix area, I encourage you to get involved!) For the month of March, my Meetup group with the longest name in Meetup.com history–the East Valley Catholic Stay-at-Home Moms–was looking for something to do for our semiannual service project. We ended up settling on providing 50 sack lunches for Save the Family, with each mom supplying one item to go in the lunches. As it turned out, one of the ladies got a friend with an orange tree to donate oranges….lots and lots of oranges. Even after packing the 50 sack lunches AND having my husband take a bag of oranges to give away at work, I still had a dozen oranges squeaking around in the fruit crisper in my fridge. What to do, what to do?
Here’s what to do! Make orange granita with an unusual twist. This is one of the few recipes I’ve found that actually uses up more than a single orange at a time. It knocked out six of those bad boys. Yessssssss! From the first time I made granita, I’ve been a fan–it’s such a fun, versatile (not to mention low calorie) dessert. This version combines tangy orange juice with a maple-cinnamon cream for a sophisticated version of the Creamsicle. (There is such a thing, right?) All in all a unique, refreshing warm weather treat for those of us who are experiencing Citrus March Madness (and 97 degree days in April).
Maple Orange Creamsicle Granita
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
2 c. fresh-squeezed orange juice (from about 5 large oranges)
5 Tbsp. maple syrup, divided
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
Dash cinnamon
1 large orange, peel and pith removed and flesh divided into segments
Directions:
1. Stir 2 Tbsp. of maple syrup into orange juice. Transfer to a shallow 1.5 quart dish. Freeze 2 hours, stirring and scraping with a fork every 30 minutes.
2. When ready to serve, combine yogurt, remaining 3 Tbsp. maple syrup, and cinnamon and divide between four bowls or small Mason jars. Using a fork, scrape granita into flaky crystals and place on top of yogurt mixture. Top with orange segments.
Serves 4.