Tomatoes with Coriander Vinaigrette
Tomato & Basil=Caprese Salad. Tomato & Cilantro= Salsa. Right? Here's a salad that's sort of a hybrid of the two. Which means you can now eat salsa with a fork and knife! Chips are not invited to this party.
What you'll find here is a surprisingly delicious/refreshing/light sliced tomato salad with a little sharp kick of red onions, a toasty coriander undertone and a nice tang of red wine vinegar. Talk about tomato enhancing! A salad that is slightly reminiscent of salsa but then totally not. If you happen to have leftover Scalloped Corn & this tomato salad, do yourself a favor and grill a piece of bread, top it with a little leftover corn and a few slabs of tomato. You'll love it. I know this. What are you waiting for? Put those tomatoes to good use. Time's a tickin'!
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Scalloped Corn
You know how homemade macaroni & cheese has a bread crumb topping that's buttery and crunchy with edges that make you wanna scream Hallelujah? Take a look at this skillet. Now imagine that Hallelujah crust but substitute the mac & cheese for CORN. Out of all of the things I made for dinner on Sunday night, this corn is still lingering in my head. I thought I had found the best corn dish this summer with Thomas Keller's Creamed Summer Corn. Psshaw. This Scalloped Corn just knocked the creamed corn into the #2 slot. I didn't think that was even possible.
Make it. Rejoice. Hallelujah! You found a dish that reminds you of macaroni & cheese, corn pudding and creamed corn! Let me just remind you that we only have a few weeks left of corn season. You'd better get on this.
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Corn Zucchini Lime Pizza
For a good year, Casey worked close to the amazing/prolific Arizmendi Bakery. Not only are their pastries, muffins & cookies TO DIE FOR, they make the most fabulous/unconventional pizza with the craziest, most exotic toppings; it's fancy pizza! We created a tradition where every other Thursday, he'd call me and tell me what the pizza of the day was and nine times out of ten, he'd bring one home. I'd fire up the oven after hanging up and eagerly anticipated heating up the pizza and slicing into it.
One of the best pizzas he came home with was a wonderful corn, feta, lime & cilantro pizza that had slices of jalapeno scattered throughout. It tasted just like summer. Casey changed jobs, and sadly Arizmendi pizza has been out of our rotation. That hasn't prevented me from thinking about their pizza constantly. Before bed the other night, this pizza popped into my head and I seriously lost sleep over it. I woke up the next morning plagued with the NEED to make it. I fulfilled that need and if given the chance, I would have eaten the entire pizza myself. Thank heavens for husbands who come home early from work and neighbors who will try anything I make.
The corn is sweet and crunchy, the feta is salty and slightly creamy, the cilantro adds a nice herbal greenness to the pizza and the slices of jalapeno add great heat. Squeeze lime on top and all of the flavors step up a notch! This pizza is truly addictive, earth shattering and seriously the best way to exploit fresh corn right now. I can honestly say this is a pizza worth losing sleep over.
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Guacamole Hummus
If guacamole and hummus had a baby, they would name it Guacamole Hummus. It would be thick, rich and creamy. It would taste and look just like guacamole but have the density of hummus. Guacamole hummus would eventually settle down with a bowl of chips and make a nice home in your stomach. Don't you just love a happy ending? I do. Especially when there's an avocado involved.
Make this. Inhale it. Smother it all over your body. It's seriously good. Guacamole hummus is my new best friend.
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Tuscan Kale Salad w/ Pecorino
Kale and I have enjoyed a sultry love affair for over a year now. We've definitely moved past the puppy dog phase and we're currently treading in the I leave a toothbrush in his medicine cabinet territory. Yes, I'm talking about KALE. Lately I've been looking for something new to "spice up" our relationship. I've seen this salad on a few of my favorite food blogs and I thought it might lead us back to the non-stop PDA phase. It worked! Suddenly I'm absolutely infatuated with kale again and all it took was this simple salad!
Close your eyes and you might think you're eating a Caesar salad. Open your eyes and look at that dark leafy green pile of healthy kale sitting on your plate! Crazy, huh? You'll notice how creamy/sharp the Pecorino is and that lemony red pepper dressing sure is tangy AND spicy, right? I find that the texture of the kale shreds pairs so well with bits of the crunchy country bread crumbs, don't you? Now that I know how easy it is to make this, I'm totally going on a Raw Tuscan Kale Salad bender. Think Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas but sub the alcohol with Kale. Watch me.
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Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta
You made your own homemade ricotta! Now what?? You should make this simple/scrumptious herbed ricotta bruschetta because it's absolutely out of this world! I brought this appetizer to my neighbor's house last week and it was gone in NO TIME. Within minutes, I had to go back to my house to grab the rest of the ricotta. Just when I thought I was in the clear, I had to go back AGAIN for crackers! People were SCRAPING the sides to get every single last bit of herbed ricotta that was clinging to the serving bowl. If no one was looking I'm pretty sure they'd use their fingers. It's that good.
"This tastes like it came from a restaurant," my neighbor remarked. She's right; it totally does. It's thick, creamy, sophisticated and totally decadent. If I was having a fancy brunch at my house, I'd add a little smoked salmon on top and serve it with a green salad. Put this in your bag of tricks because it's sure to impress the heck out of people.
Homemade Ricotta
Early yesterday morning (before my coffee had a chance to kick in), I made my own ricotta. After a few simple steps and a brief period of waiting, I HAD MADE MY OWN RICOTTA!!! I spent hours bouncing off the walls with excitement. No, it wasn't the coffee! It was the ricotta! Ina Garten is a genius; but I already knew that. I absolutely love her and this recipe has clearly changed my life. This ricotta is silky smooth and creamy, not gritty and tasteless like the ricotta you find in a grocery store. Store bought ricotta is super expensive and this batch cost me less than a small tub from the store. How awesome is that?
Later on the in the day I made Ina's herbed ricotta bruschetta for lunch and it was absolutely divine. I'll post the recipe soon but first you should making your own ricotta! Put it on your weekend TO-DO list and join the fun!
Thank you Ina for helping me knock of another item from my 31 comes before 32 list!
#25. Make my own cheese from scratch=DONE.
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Vietnamese Noodle Salad w/ Grilled Tofu
It's hot outside and all I want to do is sit in front of a fan with a gigantic bowl of this Vietnamese Noodle Salad because it's both light AND hearty. It's the type of salad that's best served cold. It gives you the most pleasant after taste and doesn't put a lead weight in your stomach like most noodle salads. I bet it's the perfect thing to eat if you're planning on making out with someone later. Let me know how that goes!
Thinly sliced cucumbers, crunchy red peppers, tangy lime juice mixed with spicy chili sauce and the hugest dose of mint? YES, PLEASE. Did I mention the grilled marinated tofu? I don't think I did! It's a known fact that grill marks are sexy and just look at those grill marks! Get a bowl, sit in front of a fan, add a jar of fancy Iced tea and chow down. Your taste buds are begging to be awakened.
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