Raspberry Cabernet Sorbet

I think it has been the hottest summer ever.  Over the weekend Chris and I had tons of great ideas - we were going to go for a hike with the dog, paddleboard on the lake, and maybe end the day dine alfresco and hit up the outdoor patio of our favorite wine bar.  I had been out of town with my girlfriends the weekend before so we wanted to get some fresh air and enjoy a just-him-and-me date night.   That soo didn't happen - why? Because it was ungodly hot in Charlotte with 500% humidity.  It hurt to breathe outdoors.  So instead we ended up going to the movies and drinking wine indoors :)  Nothing is better than sitting, indoors and drinking wine!!  Outdoor activities?  Nope, not in this heat!

So this dessert is absolutely perfect for this time of the year and very easy to make.  It combines two of my favorite things - red wine and icy sorbet.  This sorbet is different than the typical sorbet as it contains some dairy, but the ingredients easily come together and you end up with a bright and delicious berry sorbet.  The cabernet adds a nice layer of flavor and also helps break down the raspberries.  Next time you are craving a cool and refreshing treat I highly recommend you try this boozy sorbet!

Ingredients
recipe by Mark Bittman

12 oz frozen raspberries
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cabernet sauvignon

What the mixture looks like right before you add the final tablespoon of wine

Method

All you need to make this is a food processor!  Combine the raspberries, sugar, yogurt and 2 tablespoons of wine and process for 2-3 minutes.  Add the additional tablespoon of wine and process for another 1-2 minutes, but make sure the sorbet doesn't liquify from over processing.  I think the sorbet needs about 1-2 hours in the freezer to firm up, but you can serve immediately if you need to.  Stay cool and enjoy!

Corn and Manchego Tri-Color Quinoa Salad

Do corn and tomatoes mean summer to you?  They do to me, especially tomatoes as you've seen here, and here. Growing up my family spent a lot of time at my Grandmom's summer house on the Maryland Eastern Shore and at the beach where both corn and tomatoes are grown in abundance.  Corn on the cob was almost always served at dinner.  My family liked to eat it slathered in butter with lots of salt and pepper... Mmmm, so good. Unfortunately today I realize it's probably not the best thing to eat every weekend. So I decided to take two of my favorite summer ingredients and combine them in a way that is healthy and flavorful!

This dish is tied to together not only by pretty tri-color quinoa (I used tri-color because it is pretty, but regular also works), but cilantro, lime and of course, manchego cheese.  I don't use manchego cheese a whole lot, but it's buttery texture truly makes this dish.  Try to buy a good quality manchengo if you can.  This dish is the perfect meal to make a big batch of and take for lunch or use as a dinner side.  It so delicious!

Local Silver Queen from the farmer's market

Ingredients
serves 4

2 ears of corn or two cups of frozen corn
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup minced vidali onions
1 tomato diced
2 tbsp cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt
pepper
4 oz manchego cheese, grated
1 cup of cooked quinoa

Method

In a large skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter over medium heat.  Add 1/4 cup onions and saute for 2 minutes.  Add two cups of corn and saute for another 5 minutes.  Add diced tomato, cooked quinoa, salt and pepper.   Let cook for another 8-10 minutes.  Lastly add the cilantro, lime juice and grate the manchego cheese over the dish.  Stir together and serve in a bowl.  Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by this week's Food Matters Project recipe - Corn Avocado Salad. This is my take on a similar but avocado-less recipe :)  Get the original recipe here! And check out everyone else’s take here.

Parmesan Honey Sweet Potato Chips

Annnnd we're back!  Whhheww, that was an extended blogging/ just need to chill break.  It was a good break and now I am so excited to start sharing recipes with you all again.  During my break, I was still cooking, but I was most re-making my favorite recipes and eating lots of simple fruits and vegetables.  I feel like a regular at my local farmers market!!  Such a great feeling!

One of my all-time favorite veggies are sweet potatoes.  They are a super food, and super good for you.  I like them because they satisfy my carb cravings yet fill me with nutrients.  This time I decided to turn them into chips - with a vegetable peeler!  It's pretty easy and there's no need for any fancy cutlery, or a mandolin.  I wish I would of starting doing this earlier.

I decided to use the first few peels with the skin because the potato skin also has a lot of nutrients.  (Though you could peel the potato first and then just use subsequent peels if you don't like the texture of the skin).   Salty parmesan and sweet honey come together and compliment these crispy chips.  They are addictive as a snack and make a fun side dish!

 Ingredients

2 small sweet potatoes or 1 large sweet potato
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp honey (I used local sourwood honey)
1/4 cup shaved parmesan
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper

Method

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.  Start to peel potato into strips and keep going.  (I used a medium sized mixing bowl for the potato peels which I recommend because it was easy to then mix all the seasonings and potato peels in).  Now add in the olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, honey and parmesan.   Mix together with your hands until evenly coated.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the sweet potato peels on the sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes till crispy.  Enjoy!


This recipe was inspired by this week's Food Matters Project recipe - beet "sandwiches".  This is my take on a similar but beet-free recipe :)  Get the original recipe here! And check out everyone else’s take here.

Tomato Mozzarella Crisp w/ Oats & Walnuts

The month of May I was traveling, a lot.  And while traveling I tend to try to make healthy choices, but I don't hold back.  Why would you?  Beer battered Hogfish?  Sure!  Another glass of wine?  Of course!  So in between trips I tend to detox - sauted veggies for dinner, lots of smoothies, and I go easy on carbs and meat.  But even after a jam packed weekend away, I had to try out this tomato recipe from The Food Matters Project.

I love tomatoes!  Do you?  Awesome, we're in for a good summer then.  In the past year I have discovered several new farmers markets that were under my nose that I hadn't yet been to.  I think tomatoes are one of the friendliest, easiest summer vegetables to find locally, and cook with.  Hands down.

This is a recipe that can be modified throughout your entire summer.  This recipe would also be great to serve guests as a summer side dish with bbq.  The ripe red tomatoes are sliced into wedges and topped with fresh mozzarella, parmesan, bread crumbs, rolled oats and garlic.  Fragrant fresh basil really ties the whole dish together!

I waited till today to make this week's recipe so I could visit the farmers market and get some local yummy ripe tomatoes!  This week Nicole of The Giving Table hosted Mark Bittman's Savory Tomato Crisp.  

Ingredients

3 lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (preferably local)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup bread crumbs (preferably whole grain and homemade w/ a food processor)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus a little more for topping
4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped, plus a few leaves for garnish
Salt and black pepper
 
Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a deep pie dish or round baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or extra virgin olive oil (use a misto!)

In a large bowl, place the tomato wedges and sprinkle with the cornstarch, and salt and pepper. Toss gently and let the mixture sit. In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, oats, walnuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, 3 tablespoons and olive oil.  Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

Toss the tomato mixture again and transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the crisp is as dark as you like on top and bubbly underneath, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool to warm or room temperature before serving. To serve, scoop portions out with a large spoon. Enjoy!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!!!  This weekend is officially the start of the summer!  To celebrate, I am headed down to Key West to stay at a friend's house for some R&R and girl time.  While getting ready for the holiday weekend, I honestly haven't been cooking anything Cheese Please worthy :)  Unless you count enormous bowl's of sauteed kale, tomatoes and goat cheese.  If you need something low carb, very healthy yet really quick to cook  - try it out.  It's been my go-to, and I have to admitt I had it 3 times this week and for dinner last night... slight obsessed. 

Anyways, while I'm away (and hopefully having fabulous meals I will be re-creating for all of you), I'll leave you guys with some great past recipes I think would be phenomenal for this Memorial Day weekend! 

Watermelon Feta Salad - this is so delicious, great for bbq's too
Viet Grilled Chicken - delicious recipe for when you're grilling out
Shrimp Chorizo Burgers - spicy, sultry, yum
Grilled Rum Peaches with Mascarpone Cheese and Orange Blossom Honey - enough said
Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars - bringing these delicious guys down with me to Key West!

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Rustic Tomato Cheese Tart

Do you know those small mini magazine's you see at the grocery store while waiting in line to check out?  They aren't full sized magazines like Food and Wine or Cooking Light, they are the smaller ones. Normally these dedicated to holiday meals, brownies, or easy week night meals.  Sometimes I can't help but flip through them.  I think it's because they are mini sized magazines, and all things mini seem to call my name!

Anyways, today I spotted one with a rustic tomato cheese tart on the cover.  It was beautiful.  I was also starving at that exact moment and decided on the spot that I was scratching all dinner plans and making this gorgeous cheesy tomato tart!  (Even though you're not supposed to, I tend to always end up grocery shopping while hungry).  Unfortunately, the cashier interrupted my tomato cheese tart fantasy and yelled at me to hand over my grocery card.  Flustered from being caught fantasizing over a tomato cheese tart, I quickly handed my card over and started bagging my own groceries.  I never got to buy the mini mag, or scan the list of ingredients to mentally file them away.  Darn!

So this is what I imagine the recipe would say :)  Coincidentally I had made a previous stop at the farmers market for my orginal dinner plan, a bruschetta recipe chosen by Chef Laura as Home with The Food Matters Project.  I couldn't resist these gorgeous yellow and red local tomatoes, how pretty are they?  So instead of a classic bruschetta, I ended up with this tart!   So glad!  Thank goodness for mini magazines!!

Ingredients

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed on counter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup goat cheese (approximately, use your own judgement)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 red tomato, sliced
1 yellow tomato, sliced
1 tbsp fresh basil
fresh parsley to garnish
non-stick cooking spray

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.  Place thawed puff pastry on baking sheet.  Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle garlic powder on the puff pastry  Top with crumbled goat cheese, and then arrange slices of tomato in what ever patter you'd like.  Top with fresh basil and bake for 20 minutes.  Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

This is such a great appetizer for the summer, I see myself making this again and again!

Blondies with Browned Butter & Nutella

Someone get this jar of Nutella out of my house!  It's doing evil things to me.  I'm aware of that jar at all times when I'm home.  It seduces me, gives me compliments and lures me to it.  Then afterwards, I feel guilty and remorseful.  No, we're not talking about dating, we're talking about the most amazing chocolate hazelnut spread on earth.  A couple of weeks ago I bought my very first jar of Nutella.  The jar's empty now. 

Did you know that when paired with Milton's multi-grain crackers, Nutella tastes like an E.L. Fudge cookie?!?  I kid you not. 

So when I needed a desert/thank you for letting us stay overnight gift for this weekend, I turned to Nutella.  I also have wanted to make a blondie for a long time.  Traditionally, blondies are essentially the same recipe as their cousin the brownie, but blondies use butterscotch instead of chocolate.  So, how about we swap out butterscotch, and add Nutella?  Sound good?  Okay, done.


These blondies turned out amazing.  I decided to brown the butter first before putting adding into the rest of the ingredients.  Browned butter is also amazing, it transforms ordinary melted butter into a rich nutty, delicious butter.  This nutty flavor and aroma compliments the blondie base and the Nutella swirls.  Go get a jar of Nutella and make these!
  
Ingredients

Basic blondie recipe adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, browned
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
3 1/2 tbsp Nutella

It's been good to know you Nutella, but we need a break.  It's not you, it's me

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 by 8 baking pan and set aside.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt. Set aside.

Browned butter - for good instructions, go here.  In a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, mix together the packed light brown sugar, browned butter and vanilla extract.  Once combined, add in the egg and mix.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients until almost combined.  Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.

Evenly spread the blondie batter into the baking pan. Measure out the Nutella. Drop the Nutella on top of the blondie batter. Drop the Nutella in three rows.  Swirl the Nutella up and down. Then back and forth.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 Cool and then cut into squares. Enjoy!

Strawberry Salsa Fresca {with Blackened Mahi Mahi}

It's full blown strawberry season here in Charlotte!  You know you are getting old when on a single Saturday you have a choice of Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby, the Wells Fargo Golf Tournament (i.e. large social event) and a SC Strawberry Festival and you choose the Strawberry Festival.

What?  My 22 year old self is ashamed.  In the end we didn't end up going... let's just say Chris wasn't as excited as I was (shocker) ... which actually was okay, to be honest I knew it was a long shot :)   The local farmers market however was overflowing with sweet, ripe South Carolina strawberries.  I ended up buying two quarts!

{taken with my phone @ farmers market}

So what did we do with all those strawberries?  Well, I bought them two days ago, and they're now gone.  We made quite a few smoothies, we pureed them into a strawberry margarita (phenomenal btw), and we made a really delicious strawberry salsa fresca.  Salsa fresca simply means fresh sauce and by using just picked local berries, this it was!  

Sweet strawberries and kiwi are combined with a little bit of shallot, cilantro and lime juice.  A jalapeno pepper is added to up the heat factor.  It's up to you whether to use the seeds or not... I think it really depends on how you are using the salsa.  I choose to serve this strawberry salsa fresca over blackened mahi mahi.  Blackened fish is slightly spicy, so a fruity yet zesty salsa was the perfect accompaniment. 

Ingredients
Inspired by the Food Matters Project

Strawberry Kiwi Salsa Fresca
1 cup of diced strawberries
1/2 cup diced kiwi
1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 tablespoon of minced shallot
1 minced jalapeno pepper {with or without seeds}

Blackened Mahi Mahi
serves 2

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
2/3 lb of mahi mahi {or any other white fish}

Method

In a large glass bowl, combine the strawberries, kiwi, cilantro, shallot, jalapeno and lime juice.  Stir together and cover.  Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. 

In a small glass bowl ,combine the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika.  Sprinkle evenly on the top side of the mahi mahi.  Heat a caste iron skillet over high heat.  Add a little bit of olive oil and place fish in skillet.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes and then flip for another 3-4 minutes.  Fish is done when it flakes with a fork.

Top fish with salsa and enjoy!

Asparagus and Dandelion Soup

 

So this week it's supposed to be hot here in Charlotte, high's in the upper 80's, and full blown sunshine.  I guess this is "spring" in the south, or spring started at the end of February... I'm definitely not complaining! Either way we're still getting used to the warm temps living here.   So why soup, you ask?  Because, honestly, I get chilly in the air conditioning (pathetic, I know), and more likely I need to detox after the weekend :) 

My Mom and Dad came to visit so we showed them some good southern hospitality and eats.  Early Sunday morning Chris fired up the smoker and by the afternoon we had mouth-watering pulled pork, brisket, and racks of baby back ribs.  It was delicious.  In addition to all that I made a strawberry, mango and goat cheese spinach salad, and tried out this recipe for mac-n-cheese.  We also celebrated my Dad's birthday, so I proudly made my first salted nutella tart.  Everything was slowly savored and we were fat and happy by day's end.  So today, you can see I REALLY needed some detoxing slimming asparagus.  And when I need to detox from a weekend of indulgence, I always turn to soup.

This soup yells spring not only because of the asparagus, but I love the addition of dandelion greens.  They have a pleasant bitter flavor that tastes great sauteed or in a soup.  Dandelion greens are another great leafy green to experiment with, I encourage you to give them a try.  Sweet potato, spring onions, white beans and a parmesan rind provide a complex flavor that is not only delicious, but healthy :)  The recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman and part of The Food Matters Project.  For the orginal recipe visit Adrienneats, and for what other food bloggers did, check out The Food Matters Project.

Ingredients

1/2 cup White beans
1/2 a medium sweet potato, diced (I left the skins on)
1/2 lb asparagus, sliced into 2" pieces
2 cups dandelion greens, leaves removed from stems
1 tsp garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Parmesan rind
4 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup water
2 stalks of spring onion

Method

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Add chicken broth, white bean, sweet potato, asparagus, dandelion greens and parmesan (pretty much the rest of the ingredients).  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Top with extra parmesan and enjoy!

Mango Chicken with Cashews

I am OBSESSED with this dish.   Like, eat it for 3 meals straight and then call all of your friends and family to tell them about it, obsessed (sorry Mom).  I might even go as far as saying it tastes better than any mango dish I have had in a Thai restaurant, and way better than most take out food.  I made this last week, and have plans to make it again this evening it is that good!

Fresh mango is the base of this dish.  Mango is sweet, delicious, prevents cancer and is loaded with vitamin A and C.  For this dish you simply add mango to a few other asian kitchen staples, and process in a food processor.  I couldn't believe how easy it is to make such a tasty sauce.  Next the sauce is heated stove top with chicken and red/yellow bell peppers.  Cashews top this dish and really take it to the next level.  Trust me.   

Mango Fun Facts & Trivia

• Mangos are distantly related to a few plants that you'd probably never guess: the cashew and pistachio. 
• More fresh mangos are eaten every day than any other fruit in the world.
• India grows more mangos than all other fruits combined and is the largest producer in the world.
• A mango tree can get as tall as 100ft.
• Monkeys choose to eat the seed from the green mango. Ayurvedic healers suggest that it is the seed that gives the monkey its energy and powerful strength to jump in the tress {pretty cool}.
• According to Indian folklore, Buddha was given a mango orchard by a faithful follower so that he could rest in its cool shade. Many believe that Buddha meditated under a mango tree!  {of course he did!  I would too}

If you're now craving a mango or looking for new ways to cook up chicken, give this a shot!

Ingredients

2 ripe mangos (peeled, seeded)
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 lime (juiced)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 thumb length of fresh ginger (peeled and grated)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 pound chicken breast (sliced into bite sized pieces)
1 red bell pepper (sliced)
1 yellow bell pepper (sliced)
1 handful cashews

Method

Mix the mangos, chili sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cilantro in a food processor.  If you don't have one, invest in one, ask for one for your birthday, etc.  They make cooking so easy!

Taste the mango sauce and make sure that there is a balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty.  Heat oil in a pan.  Add the chicken and saute until cooked.  Add the mango sauce and peppers and simmer until the peppers are tender.  Remove from heat and serve on brown rice topped with cashews.  Bon Appétit!

Mango Fun Facts from http://www.mango.org/

Rosemary Asiago Cheese Bread {Whole Wheat}

Why would anyone want to bake their own bread?  That's crazy.  People who bake their own bread are weird I used to say.  Mind you, I am not a baker - at all.  I don't consider myself skilled in cakes, pies or pastries.  Now, after discovering how easy it is to make my own pizza dough, I felt courageous enough to give a loaf a bread a shot.  So fun!  And I was delighted to find it also pretty easy.  This bread is dense, yet full of flavor.  I love the idea of being able to control exactly what goes into your bread, no preservatives, or crazy unrecognizable ingredients.

This week, I was encouraged to give baking bread a shot by the Food Matters Project.  I love, love, love being a part of such a food conscious, healthy yet creative group of food bloggers.  For those unfamiliar, every week a fellow blogger chooses a recipe from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook, and over 40 bloggers take to their kitchens to create recipes inspired by that week's selection.

Real Whole Wheat Bread was this week's recipe chosen by Melissa of The Faux Martha.  When I'm at Whole Foods, I sometimes can't resist picking up a fancy loaf of bread with cheese in it.  So of course my take on the recipe involves cheese!  Fresh rosemary is also a obsession of mine.  So good!

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp active yeast
2 cups freshly grated asiago cheese, 1/2 cup reserved
1 tsp of fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup water

Method

In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, yeast, salt, rosemary, Italian seasoning and 1 1/2 cups asiago cheese.  Add 1 3/4 cups water (I used room temperature water) and stir until blended. The dough should be wet and sticky, but not liquid.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on your counter for 18 - 24 hours.  Try to give it the full 24 hours for the best taste!

Grease a metal baking sheet pan with olive oil.  Place the dough on the sheet.  With a sharp knife, gently cut a large X into the top of the dough.  Brush the dough with the remaining oil and sprinkle with reserved asiago cheese, use from 1/4 to 1/2 cup.  {I won't judge you if you use a full 1/2 cup, go ahead, do it!}  Top with extra rosemary.  Cover with a towel and let the dough rise again for about an hour or two.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for about 45 minutes until it is golden and sounds hollow when you tap on it. Immediately place bread onto a cooling rack and let it cool before slicing.  This tastes amazing on its own, with a little bit olive oil, or with some hot soup! Enjoy!