Daydreaming Garden

It is that time of year when I take great pleasure in watching my garden grow. As I wait for sun, rain and nature to take its natural course, I start to daydream of all the wonderful ways that I will prepare the fruits of my labor. Right now I am focused on just how pretty the sweet peas are winding and clinging to anything and everything. Their beautiful pinkish purple blossoms letting me know that something special is yet to come. Gardening is so magical and so satisfying in so many ways.

Sweet Pea Salad

3 to 4 cups of cooked rice, any type
2 c. of fresh from the garden sweet peas, may substitute frozen
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, taste much better if you toast the walnuts first
1/2 c. chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 c. sliced green onions (scallions)
1/3 c. bottled buttermilk ranch or creamy Italian salad dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

In bowl combine rice with peas, nuts, pepper and onions. Add salad dressing and gently toss to coat. Chill and toss again just before serving.
This salad is very pretty served in lettuce cups or over lettuce covered plates.

Gourd Ole`

Italians have always loved using butternut squash in less conventional ways than most. In many good Italian restaurants you will usually find on the menu; butternut squash ravioli with butter and sage an absolutely classic, comforting dish. I have also noticed more and more upscale restaurants are offering butternut squash pizzas and focaccias', which I look very forward to trying. I am sure the natural sweetness of the squash mingling with a nice gorgonzola or other sharp tangy cheese is quite an inviting combination on a crisp hot from the fire crust.

When I spotted this recipe giving butternut squash a Mexican twist, I knew it was a must try and I was right it is unbelievably good.

Butternut Squash in the Style of Refried Beans

1 med. butternut squash

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tbsp. corn oil

1 tbsp. bacon fat

6 corn tortillas or 4 flour tortillas

2 c. shredded cheese (Cheddar or Jack)

1 c. shredded iceberg lettuce

Quarter the squash and steam until tender. Heat the tortillas in a little corn oil until crisp. Peel squash. Heat oil and fat in large skillet, add squash and mash and stir while adding chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic. Keep stirring and mashing until fairly dry.

Spread on tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil until bubbly. Cover with lettuce and dot with salsa. Serve remaining salsa on side.

SALSA CRUDA:

3 peeled tomatoes, diced

1 med. onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp. oregano

2 oz. canned, diced green chilies

Combine and mix well. Let stand to allow flavors to mingle.

photo/sweetjane/flickr

Fire Up The Senses

In a desperate attempt to triumph over the excruciating boredom that can come from eating a "Garden in the Raw", I had to get creative or fail in my attempt. One of the greatest epiphanies that I have had while on this 21 day raw food journey is; Flame to food is good! By taking away the cooking aspect of what we put in our mouths food lacks one all important component needed to complete the sensory experience....Aroma! Raw foods lacks that symphony of smells, those little beads of flavor that attach themselves to the hot steamy wisps that rise from our food and into our nose, one glorious whiff at a time. If all our senses are not addressed the overall eating experience is far less pleasurable and leaves us unsatisfied. Sure raw foods have their own fresh from the earth scent and yes it is good delicious food but when that is all you are eating......it's like going to the Opera and every performer has laryngitis. Beautiful set, beautiful costumes and when they open their mouths to sing...Nada! I think you get the picture.
This was my attempt in giving the Diva her voice back so to speak and once again regain some of that pleasure that one should joyfully derive from eating.

Raw Vegetable Relish Salad

2 or 3 medium zucchini squash, chopped
2 yellow squash (summer squash), chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 ears of corn, cut kernels off cob
4 or 5 button or baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
3 or 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds
The juice of two fresh limes (may also add zest and pulp for added flavor)
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 head of celery cabbage (Napa cabbage and romaine leaves also work well) tear off leaves and spoon on relish, it ends up being like a finger salad or a crisp veggie taco. This raw veggie relish is also wonderful in a halved avocado or stuffed inside mushroom caps.

Place all the ingredients in a big container (preferably one with a lid). Mix everything well and let sit in refrigerator for at least three hours or better still overnight. This is one of those dishes that gets better and better the longer it marinates. The flavors are vibrant and so fresh on the palate and yes, it has a wonderful aroma.

Simply Better

The asparagus has been looking so perfect in the stores these days in both the green and the white. The stalks have been long and thin instead of thick and woody as they had been in the past. I do love asparagus as do most of my family and friends so when I see some so perfectly displayed it is a must purchase for our eating pleasure.
Even though asparagus holds its own in any fancy preparation, it really is at its best in its simplest form.

Fresh Asparagus

2 lb. asparagus
Salted water
1/4 c. butter, melted
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle of pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon or orange, optional (but a really delicious addition)!

Snap or cut off tough ends of asparagus. Wash. Leave whole or cut into bite-size diagonal pieces. Cook in salted water until tender. If you find tips cook too fast compared to ends when cooking whole, make a pillow of foil to hold tips up. Drain very well. Turn into shallow serving dish. Drizzle butter over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Makes 4-6 servings of about 4-6 spears each.

Photo/savila/flickr

Pizza Bianca

CknLomeins?Flickr.com

I have always been a huge fan of white pizza; I actually prefer it over the traditional with tomato sauce. Don’t get me wrong that doesn’t mean that I’d pass up a slice of the tomato sauce laden pie but if given the choice I will always choose the white.
I have grown up with some really great pizza makers, my aunt, grandmother and I even had an uncle that use to make a pretty mean pizza. Over the years I have honed my own pizza making skills mostly because I really haven’t had much luck finding any pizzeria’s around here that I like. There is one exception though, a little place called Surace’s right around the corner, so close I can walk to it. Surace’s makes this white veggie pizza that I adore, it comes with lots of cheese olive oil, garlic, broccoli and artichokes. I tweak mine a bit and order it with extra cheese and anchovies, it is so good.

White Pizza

Pizza dough (your recipe, store bought, frozen bread dough, whatever you like to use)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 cup shredded provolone (may also use any other cheese you prefer)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano

1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and thinly sliced
Cut up broccoli, Spinach (again, whatever you like)
Anchovies (optional)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees F.

Press out dough or place store bought shell onto a pizza pan or cookie sheet.
Drizzle dough with oil and scatter minced garlic over dough to the edges.
Cover with all of the cheeses combined and work all the way to the edge of the dough.
Top with artichoke hearts, broccoli (whatever toppings you like)
Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until cheeses have melted and begin to bubble. Remove from oven and garnish with parsley. Cut with pizza wheel or knife into squares or wedges and serve.

Vegetables For Dessert

I was surfing the internet and came across this recipe and found it to be very intriguing. I have not made it yet but I just know that my curiosity is going to get the best of me before long and before you know it I’ll be running to the store to pick up the ingredients.
To all my blogger and non blogger friends out there, has anyone ever heard of, tasted or made this? If so I’d love to hear from you and find out more about it. I’m guessing that even with the unusual combinations of flavors or because of them that this could truly be a very delicious recipe.

Vegetable Dessert Tart

Tart Shell:

2 c. sifted flour
1 c. finely ground walnuts
1 c. butter, chilled

Filling:

2 c. chopped chard
1 c. golden raisins
1/4 c. honey
4 eggs, beaten lightly
2 c. grated zucchini
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
8 leaves fresh mint, chopped
1/2 c. Chardonnay wine (any light wine)
Fresh strawberries, for garnish

Combine flour and nuts. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix well in food processor until dough forms a ball. Spread in a pie pan to a thickness of 1/8 inch and going 3/4 inch up the sides. Chill while making the filling.
Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl. Pour 1/2 in blender and puree. Combine with remaining ingredients and pour into shell. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until filling is set and inserted knife comes out clean. Cool in pan 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Just Frittering My Life Away......

I love Bisquick; it makes life in the kitchen so much easier. I have been making Fritters since my early teens; I started making them with apples. Over the years I have used a variety of fruits such as cherries, peaches and bananas. Vegetable Fritters can be a wonderful addition to any meal we regularly enjoy corn, artichoke, zucchini and spinach.
For a truly delicious appetizer try making clam Fritters, you can dip them in tartar sauce or cocktail sauce. They are easy to make just follow the recipe below, minus the apples of course and substitute 2 cans of drained chopped clams, that’s it. If you want to get fancy and make the clam Fritters casino style just add a little crumbled crisp bacon and finely chopped bell pepper. When they come out of the fryer a squeeze of fresh lemon makes them taste like the real deal.

Apple Fritters

2 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

2 cups of apples any variety , chopped (or use 2 cups of any ingredient to create the Fritter of your choosing)

Oil for frying

Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on apple fritters (also great dipped in maple syrup or honey)

Mix Bisquick, milk and egg until well blended. Stir in apples. Drop by small teaspoonfuls into about 2 to 3 inches of deep hot oil (360-375 degrees). Turn and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with sugars, syrups or honey.
Makes roughly 2 dozen

The Vegetable Conspiracy

I think we have all had that one vegetable in our lives that has taunted us. My father hated squash, my grandmother use to trick him and tell him they were whipped sweet potatoes so he would eat them. When my mother was little she hated lima beans and her mother having a sense of humor would often make her succotash (heavy on the lima beans)! My mother would try to fit them all in her napkin for fear she’d never be allowed to leave the table. For me it was carrots, I didn’t like them raw or cooked. I didn’t even like the smell and wouldn’t you know it, carrots just happened to be my mothers favorite. So guess what I got all the time? Even if buying “Swanson Frozen T.V. Dinners” she always managed to pick out the ones for me that had the little carrot coins as a veggie. Do you know how many Swanson Dinners had corn or peas as a veggie option?….I loved corn and peas.
But time goes by and people change and their taste buds change right along with them. Now my father loves squash, my mother likes, not loves lima beans and I actually like carrots; ‘raw, cooked, in stew and especially glazed”.


Glazed Carrots

1 1/2 lbs. fresh carrots
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
2 tbsp. butter


Scrape carrots and remove ends. Cut into lengthwise strips. Heat salted water to boiling. Add carrots, bring to a second boil. Boil 18 to 20 minutes. In a 12” skillet put butter, brown sugar, orange zest and salt, add carrots. Cook over low heat until carrots are glazed and caramelized evenly, takes 7 to 10 minutes.