In the interest of aiding and abetting my new passion for photographing the plants and flowers that thrive on our property, I've started a new blog to house my growing photo collection. Living in such a paradise should not be kept to oneself, should it?
The new blog is called Raven Ridge Gardens and I will be posting photos there with wild abandon. Do add this address to your "favorites" and take a look whenever you'd like. I hope you will enjoy my garden as much as I'll enjoy bringing it to you.
Looking at the 2 bunches of parsley and cilantro left over from making last night's dinner, pesto came to mind. Frozen cubes of it to toss into a soup or with a (low carb) pasta; to thaw and use as a spread on garlic toasts or to dip your favorite veggie into. The list is practically unlimited.
This recipe was adapted from my recently acquired "Seasonal Southwest Cooking" by Barbara Pool Fenzl. A beautifully photographed and presented cookbook packed with mouth-watering recipes of the American southwest persuasion.
Cilantro Pecan Pesto 1 cup toasted pecans 1 cup grana padano, (or other parmesan cheese) broken into pieces 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (some small stems okay) 1 cup packed fresh, flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, depending on your heat tolerance 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds 1 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients except olive oil, salt and pepper into a food processor and pulse until blended but still coarse. Pour in the olive oil and continue to pulse until a beautiful green paste forms. You don't want this too smooth; it should still have granular bits in it. Add salt and pepper to taste, pulsing briefly to blend.
If using the same day, place in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. Alternatively, fill non-stick mini muffin tins almost full and freeze, uncovered. When frozen, pop the pesto out of the tins and freeze in a zip-top freezer bag. Allow to sit at room temperature to thaw.
...happy flavors! Our friend Jeff is in residence this weekend so my mini-hiatus from cooking has come to an end. Not that I mind. Sometimes having houseguests is just the thing that's needed to kick-start one's flagging culinary enthusiasm. More about that later.
Fresh corn, cilantro and honey tangerines in the market were my inspiration for dinner tonight. What began in my mind as one salsa quickly morphed into two in the cooking process as I decided that adding black beans to the beautiful corn dish would make it really ugly and, while probably tasty, decidedly not blog-worthy.
As things came together, I thought of Normie's request from some time ago for something spicy with no meat. Leave out the chicken breast, spoon the salsas over steamed spaghetti squash and you've got a fresh, vegetarian explosion of flavors. Just a thought! Either way, this is a company pleaser. Plus, with all the fresh goodies in it, I've decided it's a worthy offering for Herb Blogging Weekend #30 over at Kalyn's Kitchen.
Fresh Corn Salsa 1 red bell pepper, charred, peeled and cut into small dice 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, depending on their heat, charred, peeled and cut into small dice 3 ears fresh, white corn, kernels cut from cob 1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped into small dice 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 teaspoon ground coriander 3/4 teaspoon cumin seed, ground slightly in a mortar 1/3 cup red onion, chopped into small dice 1/3 cup packed, fresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine 1 mango, peeled and cut into small dice 1 tablespoon Safflower or Canola oil and 2 teaspoons butter for the pan Salt & pepper to taste
Char and peel the peppers and place in a paper bag to sweat. Set aside. Prep the rest of the ingredients before beginning to assemble the salsa.
Melt the oil and butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet onion and saute until softened but not browned. Add the corn kernels, garlic, ground cumin seed and coriander and continue to cook until the corn is still crunchy but cooked slightly and the spices give off their aromas, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl. (Use the cast iron skillet for the chicken breasts below.)
Add the chopped cilantro, red onion, red and jalapeno peppers and mango to the corn mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings if needed and set aside at room temperature.
Black Bean Salsa 2 cans small black beans, rinsed and drained well 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 2 tablespoons red onion, small dice 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped juice and pulp from 1 honey tangerine Salt & pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. Adjust seasonings to taste and set aside at room temperature.
Chicken Breasts 4 halves skinless, boneless chicken breast filets, pounded to a uniform 1/4-1/2-inch thickness 1/2 cup no fat, low sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup dry white wine juice from 1 honey tangerine to measure about 1/3 cup 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut in 1 tablespoon pieces safflower or canola oil for the skillet salt and pepper to taste
Place oil in cast iron skillet used for the corn and heat over medium high. When hot, add the pounded chicken breasts, not crowding the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on one side, seasoning with kosher salt, then flip over to the other side and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Keeping the heat under the pan, add the chicken broth and stir, loosening the browned bits from the bottom. Add the white wine and tangerine juice and boil until reduced by 1/2. Quickly whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time until fully melted and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and add the chicken breasts back to the pan with the juices that accumulated on the plate. Stir to coat the chicken.
To plate, place a breast on each plate with a spoonful of each salsa beside. Spoon pan sauce over the chicken.
[Also on the menu was pan roasted asparagus which is very easy to prepare. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Wash and trim 1 pound or more asparagus spears (can be peeled with a vegetable peeler) and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil then sprinkle with kosher salt and some toasted sesame seeds. Roast in oven for about 12 minutes or until soft, but not mushy, and slightly browned.]
Dessert was fresh, sliced strawberries accompanied by pieces of dark chocolate and very small glasses, thimbles really, of Taylor Fladgate 20 year old tawny Port. Oh, the decadence of it all.
A few days ago, when we had some spectacular sunshine, I strolled around my yard snapping photos of flowers, foliage and herbs. The yard is full of these "chameleon" spiders right now. They change from soft yellow to chartreuse to pink and are a joy, and sometimes quite a surprise, to encounter. The rose is Gertrude Jekyll. Click on the photo to enlarge. And since a rose may be used in a number of culinary ways, I'm sending this along to Kalyn's Herb Blogging Weekend #30 as a second offering this week. Kalyn is not only a tremendous cook with a prolific collection of recipes on her blog, she's my favorite low carb guru and an endless source of inspiration.
Can you guess what herb this bud is from? The resident worm harbors no clues, but I'll give you one: in olden days it was used in salads. Check out the current Weekend Herb Blogging #30 over at Kalyn's Kitchen this week. Her round-up appears on Sunday night. Click on the photo to enlarge.
I came across these photos today of a dinner I made at least a week ago. One of those quick meals made with whatever was on hand at the time, that tasted so good and then, when I go to blog it I can't remember how I made it. This is what drives Clay crazy. He's always telling me to write things down and I always think, this is so simple, I'm going to remember what I did. Then I don't. Oh well. I know I deglazed with a white wine - a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, I believe. Leeks were involved. Carrots, garlic, spinach and parmesan too. Enjoy the photos while I try to remember it all. Or simply make up your own.
(As stated here, I'm cooking low carb, healthy meals from George Stella's low carb cookbook, Eating Stella Style,until I reach my target weight of 128 pounds.) I couIda' done this without George. I make soups all the time - on the fly, off the top of my head, with what's in the fridge and pantry. I'm somewhat famous for my soups and it's hard to credit someone else when I make up a batch. But I have to admit that the recipe I'm about to give you was inspired by George Stella's low carb cookbook, Eating Stella Style. Sometimes just a hint of inspiration, a whiff really, is all one needs to take off with what ingredients are at hand. While this isn't the prettiest soup on the block, it's low carb, low calorie, delicious, wonderfully healthy, filling and easy to prepare.
Mushroom Kale Soup 1-2 tablespoons Smart Balance for cooking 1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems on, sliced 1/4 cup Texas sweet onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon or less kosher salt freshly ground black pepper, such as Tellicherry 28-30 ounces fat free, low sodium chicken broth (store bought or your own) 2 tablespoons dry vermouth 1 large bunch kale, stem ends trimmed, sliced across leaves to make strips (makes about 4 cups) 1/2 cup fat free 1/2 & 1/2 such as Land O' Lakes
Over medium heat, melt butter in large, heavy pot then add mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and saute until soft and tender. Add broth and vermouth and increase heat to high to reduce liquid slightly. Add kale and cook until tender but still green. Lower the heat to medium, stir in the 1/2 & 1/2 and warm gently. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.
Alternatively, a la George's suggestion, you can puree half of the soup in a blender and add it back to the pot thereby thickening it somewhat. I like my soup more rustic, brothy and chunky.
To add more protein and make this a main meal, add some diced, cooked, leftover chicken to this soup.
