Zucchini Muffins

Our weekly delivery of fresh produce from Wintergreen Farm in Noti, Oregon has been nothing short of amazing these past few weeks.  With each delivery my fridge is getting more and more jam-packed full of lettuce, sweet carrots, beets, summer squash, berries, green beans, broccoli...I could go on and on.  The fresh basil and tomatoes have by far been my most favorite treat of the summer--I have NO problem getting through those between deliveries.  Some of the other veggies however have been a little more challenging to use up before they go bad or get burried under the next delivery.  This week I've been hard pressed to work my way through an abundance of zucchini.  Fisher and I have had zucchini cakes for breakfast (grated zucchini mixed with egg), we've been eating zucchini sauteed, breaded and pan fried and in any other form I can think of to cook it...including zucchini muffins.

I did a little research online looking for a recipe for zucchini muffins but didn't find anything I was too excited about so, I decided to invent!  Creating a recipe is always fun but a little nerve-racking...thankfully these turned out pretty delicious.  Another zucchini down....

Zucchini Bran Muffins

1 c All-Bran cereal

1/2 c milk

1/4 c vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c dark brown sugar

1/4 c orange marmalade (I used a orange/lemon jam made by my aunt-in-law)

1 tsp vanilla

1 zucchini, grated and squeezed dry of excess moisture

1 1/2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pumpkin seeds for tops of muffins(optional)

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine bran, milk and oil in the bottom of a medium sized mixing bowl.  Add in the eggs, sugar, marmalade, vanilla and drained zucchini.  [NOTE: After grating the zucchini drain off excess liquid by placing the zucchini in the center of a clean kitchen towel.  Gather the towel tightly around the zucchini, twisting and squeezing the excess liquid out.]  Stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder & soda, salt and cinnamon.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just to combine.  Divide the batter evenly into muffin cups (will make about 12 small or 6 large muffins).  Sprinkle the top of each muffin with raw pumpkin seeds.  Bake in preheated oven for about 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out dry.  Let cool and enjoy!

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

 'Tis the season!  Tomato season!  Not only can you find real, tasty tomatoes at local farmer's markets (or growing in your father-in-law's garden...hint, hint Bob) but you can also get your run-of-the-mill, grocery store variety for a bit cheaper than normal.  I did just that, pick up a TON of plain-Jane tomatoes for very little cash, while conducting one of our bi-annual epic shopping trips to Costco.  A couple flats of beefsteak tomatoes, two pounds of grape tomatoes and two more pounds of Roma tomatoes were headed home with me...destined to be turned into enchilada sauce & marinara sauce.

Both of these sauces are really easy to make and you'll be so glad you put in the time when you pull a jar out of the freezer on a night you really don't feel like cooking anything complicated.  They can be used as a dip, base for soups, or just as they were intended...as sauce.  Oh, so delicious!

Enchilada Sauce

8 beefsteak tomatoes

2 yellow onions

6 cloves garlic

2-3 dried California chilies

2-3 dried Guajillo chilies

2-3 dried New Mexico chilies

1 chipotle chili in Adobo sauce

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (give or take)

1 tsp cumin (more or less)

pinch of dried oregano

Wash, stem and quarter the tomatoes then place in a large dutch oven or stock pot.  Peel and quarter the onions, add to the pot.  Smash & peel the garlic cloves, throw in the pot.  Stem and seed the dried chilies, tear into chunks and add to the pot.  Add in at least one whole chipotle pepper (the kind you can get in a can, packed in adobo sauce.  You can add more if you like it spicier.  I recommend starting with one and adding more later if you like).  Add enough water to the pot to come about half way up the tomatoes/onions/etc.  Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Let cook for at least an hour, maybe a little more until the tomatoes and onions are totally cooked down and the chilies are soft.  With an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth and then stir in your spices, adjusting to your taste.  If you prefer more heat, add in another chipotle and puree that in.  You might want to add more salt than what I listed--just keep tasting and adjusting.  Simmer for another 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly.  Transfer the sauce to plastic containers or glass jars and freeze!

Enchilada Sauce                    Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

8 beefsteak tomatoes

1-1.5 lb grape tomatoes

2 lb Roma tomatoes

1 head garlic

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

sugar

1 yellow onion

2 tbsp concentrated tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp each of dried basil and dried oregano

Pinch of dried rosemary and dried thyme

Half bottle of good, dry red wine (I used left over Chianti)
1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz)

Wash, stem, quarter and seed the beefsteak tomatoes.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Wash, stem, half and seed the Romas, place on baking sheet.  Wash the grape tomatoes (leave them whole) and spread out on baking sheet.  (You might need two rimmed baking sheets to hold all of this.)  Cut the whole head of garlic in half at the equator, place both halves cut side up on the baking sheets.  Drizzle all of the tomatoes, etc with extra virgin olive oil and a little balsamic.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a light dusting of sugar.  Roast in a 225 degree oven for about 2-2.5 hours.  

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  

Peel and chop the onion into large chunks.  In a large dutch oven or stockpot, saute the onion in about 1/4c of good olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes--until soft and translucent.  Squeeze the cloves of roasted garlic from one half of the head you roasted earlier into the pot--since they have been roasted, the cloves should come right out easily--you may have to use a fork to get a few out.  Stir those around with the onions for just a sec--you don't want them to get too brown or burn.  They're already roasted so their flavor is mild and sweet rather than sharp as they are raw.  Add in the tomato paste and herbs.  Stir, cooking for just a couple minutes.  Pour in the wine, stir to combine, simmer for a few minutes.  Add in all of the roasted tomatoes with whatever juice has gathered in the baking sheets as well as the can of tomato sauce.  Simmer on medium-low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring from time to time.  Using an immersion blender, puree the contents of the pot.  Taste and adjust the seasoning as you see fit.  If the sauce tastes a little acidic, sprinkle in a little more sugar   Remove from the heat, let cool slightly then transfer to containers for freezing.  Enjoy!

Since you only used half of the head of roasted garlic, save the other half for garlic bread or another recipe.  Just store in the fridge and use within a few days.

Summertime Grilled Panzanella Salad

Farmer's market was today!  I so look forward to Wednesdays.  Not only do I get to spend the whole day downtown, enjoying the sun and fresh air while selling bread for the bakery, but I also get to do my weekly shopping for fresh, delicious produce and other treats.  Today I picked up these gorgeous berries, sweet yellow tomatoes and artichokes (to be grilled later this week).

After a day of fun in the sun, I was craving a summery dinner and a grilled panzanella salad sounded just about perfect.  Grilled bread, Italian sausage & veggies tossed together with fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes and fresh basil, all dressed with an olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.  Simple and delicious.

Summertime Grilled Panzanella Salad with Italian Sausage

1 loaf good bread (I used ciabatta)

olive oil

 Italian sausage (Use about 1-1.5 links per person.  I used sweet sausage but hot would be better)

1 red pepper, cut into large pieces (grilling size)

1 zucchini, split lengthwise

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges

8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into bite sized pieces

6-8 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Dressing

1/2 tsp honey

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

Coat the zucchini,red pepper & sausages in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a hot grill.  Grill the veggies just until their tender and have nice grill marks.  Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices, drizzle with a little olive oil and grill lightly, just enough to toast.  Cut the grilled bread, sausage, red pepper and zucchini into bite sized chunks and arrange on a platter with the pieces of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes & torn basil leaves.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the bread salad.  Enjoy!

Cookies You Can Eat For Breakfast

I have a bit of a cookie problem.  Once I start, I find it VERY hard to stop.  And a cookie for breakfast? Definitely, yes.  So, when I make cookies anymore, I try to up the health factor just a little.  I find it helps reduce the guilt factor.

For these cookies, I just followed the recipe on the inside of the lid on the Quaker Oat tub.  But, I of course had to make a few adjustments.  First of all, I reduced the granulated sugar by 1/4 cup.  For the flour, they called for a cup and a half.  I used 3/4 cup all purpose (unbleached) and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour.  I also added a rounded tablespoon of ground flax meal and about one tablespoon (maybe slightly less than that) of whole flax seed.  I like to have a dried fuit in my oatmeal cookies but I was out of both raisins and dried cranberries but I did have some dried figs.  I put the figs (I think there were about 8 of them) in a saucepan, covered them with boiling water and let them soften up for about 5 minutes.  When they were soft enough, I sliced them up along with a handful of raw almonds.  Fold the the figs, almonds and a handful (about 1/2 cup) of dark chocolate chips to the cookie dough.  Scoop the dough out onto your baking sheets and then sprinkle the top with some raw pumpkin seeds and a tiny bit of kosher salt (so yummy).  Bake at 375 for about 10-12 minutes.  I like to take my cookies out of the oven when they're still slightly underdone in the center.  Let them finish cooking for a few minutes outside of the oven--this keeps them nice and moist and chewy.  Enjoy!

Oh, as for the salt on top of the cookie--this is so good if you like sweet/salty combinations.  I used unsalted butter in the dough and did add the salt they called for in the dry ingredients.  But if you're using salted butter, I would probably reduce the amount of salt you add to the dry mix.

For My Dear, Sweet AJ

Well, I will be the first to admit I'm not doing so great at this food blog thing.  I was all pumped up at the start, so excited to have an outlet for my hobby of cooking.  But here's the thing...I was really trying hard to write out the recipes to be exact measurements, include detailed instructions, etc.  And I'm sorry, but, that's not how I cook.  A regular meal in this house is usually thrown together with little planning, a dash of panic and a hefty serving of a two year old running in circles around my legs screaming at the top of his lungs (he's cute, but he's loud).  So, writing down a recipe and keeping track of how much of each ingredient I used?  Not happening.  That's why I haven't been posting much...or anything, I guess.  But, I've decided, who cares?!  I'll just write about what I cook, give you a quick run down on how I made it and a good estimate of how much of each ingredient I used and you can take it from there.

And my dear, sweet AJ...since you're probably the ONLY person still reading or wanting to read this blog, I'm sending a personal apology to you!  I'm sorry I've been so bad about updating...I'll be better in the future (I hope).  But THANK YOU for reading this and even trying my dishes!  

So now, the food!  I made halibut soup a few days ago.  We have it pretty often (when we have the fish)--it's a dish my mom makes and taught me how to make.  This batch however turned out especially good.

Halibut Soup

1 tbsp Olive Oil

6-8 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (do NOT use maple bacon--just the plain smokey stuff)

1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced

3-4 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I like to use the stalks from the middle of the bunch, with the leaves)

3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds

~6 cups water

~2 potatoes, diced

dried thyme (about 1 tsp)

celery salt (about 1/2 tsp)

kosher salt (Add to taste.  And, you'll feel like you're using a lot since you're just using 

water as your liquid.  So, just keep adding a pinch at a time until it tastes good.)

fresh cracked pepper (to taste)

fresh halibut (or bass, ling cod, whatever white fish you prefer.  Use enough to serve 2-3 people and cut the fish into 1 in cubes)

1 head bok choy (washed, and cut into 1 in wide ribbons.  Use mainly the leafy parts and half of the white part)

Heat your soup pot on medium heat, add about 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook the bacon bits.  When they are cooked to your liking, remove from pan with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.  Leave the bacon grease in your pot, still on medium heat and add in the onion, celery and carrot.  Cook for maybe 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  When they look about halfway cooked through, add in the water, potatoes and seasonings.  Let this cook for at least 15-20 minutes.  Taste the broth and adjust your seasonings as needed.  Taste the veggies to make sure they're done.  About 5-10 minutes before you plan to serve, drop in the cubed fish and bok choy.  Cover, reduce heat to simmer and let that cook for about 5-7 minutes.  The fish should be cooked through and the bok choy wilted and tender.  Taste again...adjust again if needed.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with crunchy bits o' bacon.  Enjoy!

NOTE: I haven't always added the bok choy to this soup.  I only did this time because we've been getting a delivery each week from a local farm of fresh veggies.  Over the past few weeks, we've received A LOT of bok choy.  I've been trying to add it into everything.  It was certainly good in this soup!

Blog Worthy

Oh boy...I have to apologize for not keeping up with this little blog of mine.  Life seems to throw you every once in a while and over the past few months, I feel like I've been seriously tossed about.  Between starting a new job, starting daycare (for my son, not me) and all the separation anxiety and new germs that come with, having to move (that's a whole different story...or maybe I should say saga in itself) along with all the other demands of everyday life, my little blog has been lost in the mess.  We haven't even been eating very well around this house....let alone eating well enough to brag about ;)
But, the dust cloud seems to be settling, and I might just find time again soon to get back to blogging.

For now however, you will have to settle for a picture of one of the most delicious things I've tasted in a LONG time.  We spent the night up the coast visiting with family and tending to some business earlier this week.  On our way south however we of course found time to stop at the fabulous Local Ocean Seafoods restaurant in Newport, OR.  This is by far one of the best restaurants I've ever been to and most definitely the very best for fresh seafood.  Upon seeing that a WHOLE fried rockfish was offered on the menu, my brother just could not resist.  The fish was fried whole, skin on and then drenched in a sweet & spicy sauce made with (this is my best guess) rice wine vinegar, garlic chili sauce, soy sauce, cilantro and probably a few other things I couldn't quite discern.  A feast for the eyes and certainly for the stomach--this dish had to be photographed and blogged about.

Girl's Night Hors d'ouvres

I had a few of my new friends over for a girl's night last weekend--such a wonderful night of chatting, eating good food and drinking delicious cocktails & wine.  I wanted to keep the menu simple and elegant so I put out a spread of a few light and fresh hors d'ouvres, served refreshing Moscow Mules and a variety of wines.  I was of course at work right up to a few hours before the girls came over so, I made sure that everything I was planning to cook could either be done a day ahead or was so simple it would be easy to throw together at the last minute.

My first item was sweet honeydew melon wrapped in salty prosciutto.  So easy to make and delicious!  I used a melon-baller to carve out serving of the melon the day before and then shortly before my friends arrived, I wrapped each ball in a slice of prosciutto.  A quick drizzle of fruity olive oil and a sprinkle of finely ground fresh black pepper and they were ready to go!

Next I wanted to serve something a little more filling, so I put together a Caprese bruschetta--toasted slices of fresh baguette topped with oven roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.  I roasted the tomatoes the day before serving by slicing Roma tomatoes in half (pole to pole), removing the seeds then drizzling with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, a tiny bit of sugar and finely chopped garlic.  They were roasted in a 200 degree oven for about 2-2.5 hours.  Roasting the tomatoes concentrated their flavor and their richness paired deliciously with cool, fresh mozzarella.

Fresh veggies are always a popular dish so, I cut up red pepper, carrots, celery and blanched some fresh green beans to be served with a butter bean hummus.  To make the hummus, I drained two cans of butter beans and then threw them in the food processor with olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Puree until smooth.  I cut all of the veggies the day before as well as made the butter bean dip.  I didn't blanch the green beans until right before the party.  Just trim the end of the beans, drop in a pot of salted, boiling water and cook for just a few quick minutes--you want the beans to be tender/crisp.  Remove from the boiling water and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Spread the beans out on a paper towel and let dry before plating to serve.

Being a big fan of cheese, I could have a spread of hors d'ouvres without a brie wheel.  I cut the rind off of the top and sides of the brie then wrapped the whole wheel in a sheet of store bought puff pastry (be sure to seal the pasty together on the underside of the wheel so that your cheese doesn't escape when it melts).  When you are ready to bake, heat your oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes--until pastry is nice and golden brown.  I served this with some sesame Melba crackers, green apple slices and thinly sliced hard, dry salami.

I had also recently marinated a mixture of green and kalamata olives in some olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, thinly sliced red chili pepper, smashed garlic cloves and orange slices.  Delicious and almost no work at all!

For a little something sweet, I made a pear tart with goat cheese and honey.  Just roll out a sheet of puff pastry to about 1/8-1/4 in. thick.  In a bowl, stir together about 3 oz of goat cheese with about 2 tbsp of good honey.  Spread this mixture evenly on the pastry sheet, leaving about 1/2 in border around the edge.  Thinly slice 3 or 4 pears and fan out in a decorative fashion on top of the goat cheese mixture.  Sprinkle the top lightly with a little brown sugar and then fold up the edge of the puff pastry to form a rim all around the edge of the tart.  Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown.

The cocktail of the night was my favorite, Moscow Mules--fresh lime juice, vodka and ginger beer (or ginger ale--which is what I used).  Garnish with fresh lime and a thin slice of fresh ginger--so fantastic and refreshing!

I had a wonderful evening of getting to know a few of the friends I've met since moving to this area a little better.  You just can't beat an evening of good food and great company.