Asparagus & Orange Salad
Guess who's on a salad kick?? That's right. This girl! I'm making June the month of salads. I will eat more of them...at least one per day. I will love them, and I'll get rid of this double chin I see staring back at me in my cellphone when I'm typing a text message. What is with that?! Salad will become my new best friend. A best friend that gets rid of my double chin. A best friend that I can eat.
If you've been around here for awhile, you already know how much I love citrus and how awesome I think asparagus is. But it wasn't until now that I married the two and fell in love. This salad was unexpectedly delightful! Crunchy vibrant green asparagus, juicy orange segments, smoky sesame seed heaven...the aftertaste is truly awesome. It's Asian and then it's not! This salad is destined for warm afternoon barbecues or fancy Tupperware picnics on the beach. Hello summer. Goodbye double chin!
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Chickpea & Raisin Salad
I have a problem reading recipes. When I look at a recipe, I pay close attention to the ingredients and instructions. If there's a total execution time, well that's cool too, but I never really pay close attention to the serving size, unless I need to make enough for a crowd. For some reason my brain assumes that most recipes serve enough for 4 which means Casey and I might have leftovers. I know, it's stupid.
So when I made this Chickpea & Raisin Salad and went to rinse 3 cans of chickpeas, I got a little nervous. Let me spell this out for you- this recipe serves not just two, but EIGHT people.
Throughout the week, I ate this salad and mixed it up in several different ways and am happy to report that it didn't bore me one bit. It's perfect on its own, but tastes wonderful with feta, spinach, cucumbers, and Italian parsley. Throw it in a wrap! Add some to your salad! It would be great with couscous and grilled chicken and I'd even try throwing some carrot shreds in. Basically, it's extremely versatile, so incredibly simple and can be eaten at any temperature! I think you'll love the subtle hint of cumin mixed with the sweet juicy raisins. Just remember that this recipe makes a lot and if you want to brighten it up, add more vinegar.
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Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Do NOT adjust your computer screen. That really IS strawberry & basil you see on a crostini. This bruschetta is a riff on the oh-so-fab Caprese salad, except we substitute fresh mozzarella with GOAT CHEESE and tomatoes with STRAWBERRIES! And what do we get?? Crazy deliciousness! The strawberries are mixed with a little bit of balsamic vinegar, which brings out their underlying tang & sweetness. Shreds of basil provide some greenery and a hint of sophistication! And the goat cheese...it's just pure decadence.
If you bring these bruschette to a party this will happen:
1. people will scratch their heads.
2. they'll eat a few.
3. guests will fight over the last one!
I like to call them The Unusual Suspects. No one suspects how good they are, and then they're all gone.
Pan Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs
Do you balance your checkbook? I don't, but I do check my bank statement online at least three times a day. I also have a checkbook that I keep track of in my head of what I've eaten. This week I've made a few too many carb deposits. It's a simple/routine transaction. It's like going up to a drive-thru ATM. It's fast... in & out. To balance my carb indulgences this week, I made myself an asparagus based breakfast. There's a small, yet noteworthy appearance of carbs in this dish and we'll get to that soon. But LOOK! I didn't pair this fried egg with two pieces of sourdough toast like I normally would. Instead, you'll find a large section of green on my plate! I find that eating something green for breakfast makes me feel like I'm a rock star. Think Bon Jovi at a yoga retreat.
Anchovy bread crumbs. Let's discuss. It's one of those things that make you go hmmmm. If you're Italian, you might already know that the secret ingredient to most Italian dishes is ANCHOVY. Yes. Anchovy. It's not something that hits you in the face; it's subtle. It adds a salty component to a dish and adds some depth. It's what makes my Grandma's stuffed peppers amazing. But it's a secret. Don't tell her I told you that.
Here's an analogy for you. These anchovy breadcrumbs are like diamond earrings. They have the power to elevate an outfit and in this case, breakfast! When the runny egg oozes all over the asparagus you'll love the flavor packed crunch of the bread crumbs. Promise.
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Potato Rosemary Pizza
Dear Low Carb/College Student Tracy,
I write this letter from the future! I am the Carb Loving Tracy of 2011! That's right. You will not spend the REST OF YOUR LIFE being low carb. Does that upset you? I doubt it. By the time you're this age, you won't care. So... Tracy. You are in college AND you are low carb. How does that even work?? What do you do when your roommate orders pizza? I just can't imagine how you manage! You should get an award for the those 4 years of being low carb. Sadly, you don't. Life is rough. You will learn this.
When you're 31, you'll make a fantastic pizza from scratch. And get this....this pizza will have POTATO on it. That's right. Hot Carb on Carb action! The crust is crispy & all profesh tasting and the potatoes are creamy & utterly delicious. Did I mention there's rosemary involved? Oh there's also some onion in there too! Booya! (a word of the future) They get nice and charred. It's heaven!!!
I know what you're thinking. How did you cave? What stopped you from being low carb? Well...hmmm...it's simple. You will move into a teeny 1 bedroom apartment with Casey when you graduate from college. Your parents will freak out but it's just because moving in with a boyfriend is a BIG deal. You'll understand this a few years later. They weren't stupid; they knew what they were talking about. You'll spend your nights cooking for the two of you and he'll convert you into a pasta loving addict. Don't worry, you'll weigh less in the future than you do now. See? Carbs aren't so bad! However...Casey? He becomes your husband and he puts on a few pounds but it's only because you feed him really well. He's still a handsome guy, even with gray hair!
Tracy, please know this-- Carbs are good. Just remember to eat more salads to balance it out. Now....could you please go and get yourself a sandwich on a fat sourdough roll? Stop torturing yourself.
Carbingly,
Tracy the Carb Lover
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Ahh-mazing Tomato & Basil Pizza
My name is Tracy, and I've wasted 31 years of my life being afraid to make my own pizza dough. I've used flatbread as a substitute for pizza and yeah, it's a GREAT substitute...it's just that I don't always have the time to make my own dough...and why should? It never turns out the way I want it to. Some parts are too thick and doughy & not completely cooked. Some sections have holes in them and the middle is always so soggy that the cheese slides right off. I've never been able to shape the dough into a perfect circle because I have some expectation that I can toss the dough into the air like a scene from Mystic Pizza. I really can't do that and I'm not Julia Roberts.
Then I found this recipe...this fool-proof EASY pizza dough that abolished my pizza dough fears.
Mix dough together. Let it sit. Cut it in half. Let it sit. Pull it across a lubed baking sheet. Heat your oven like a mofo. Top the pizza, bake and BANG. You have a thin crust pizza that tastes it came from a pizza joint. The bottom is nice & crispy and slightly oily. The sauce is sweet & salty and the cheese is absolutely divine. It may not be round and it may not look perfect, but just one bite will make you forget perfect triangular pizza slices. Those pizzas look silly anyways. This dough is a game changer and I'm a believer.
Other things to note:
- This recipe makes two pizzas. You can freeze one round of dough or refrigerate it for a day if need be.
- Don't be worried if the dough springs back when you shape it. Let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. Gluten is funny. It's not you.
- Don't be nervous if the dough doesn't seem super wet and smooth after you initially mix the ingredients together. When you let the dough rise in the moist dish towel, all will be good. There's no knead to worry. ;)
- If you are making this on a weekend for lunch, start the dough at 9:30am & you should be eating pizza by lunch time.
- I completed another item from my 31 comes before 32 list! #6. Make my own pizza (and not fail!) Wahoo!
Artichoke & Basil Bruschetta
Friends! I'm teaching a cooking class with Digital Media Playground at Macy's (in Union Square) this Saturday. You should totally come! I'll be doing a little demo on one of my favorite summer foods, bruschetta! My friend Denise will also be teaching a lesson on food photography & how to take awesome shots indoors with tricky lighting. It's gonna be fun!
I've been testing bruschetta recipes this week and yesterday I came up with this scrumptious Artichoke & Basil Bruschetta for the class. On top of a grilled/garlic rubbed crostini you'll find creamy ricotta, basil, marinated artichoke hearts, a slice of Parmesan cheese with a squeeze of lemon. It's so good I made it for both lunch AND dinner yesterday. You are going to LOVE it! One bruschetta down, three more to go!
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Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa
I learned a few lessons from this Coconut Shrimp & Pineapple Salsa recipe:
Lesson # 1 When Sriracha is involved in a recipe, it has to be good! I already knew this...but oh my word! Sriracha, cilantro AND pineapple. Heaven! Also, I love any excuse to use my beloved cock sauce. *snort*
Lesson # 2: No matter how hard I try, I can't convince myself that baked coconut/panko covered shrimp taste just like the original fried version. Not to say that these shrimp didn’t taste good, they were actually pretty scrumptious! It’s just that whenever I order coconut shrimp on a menu, they’re both fried and earth shattering. I’m usually on vacation when this happens... drinking fruity cocktails that have umbrellas hanging off the edge of them. So yeah. Maybe that’s the real disconnect or maybe I just really need a vacation? (I do.)
Lesson # 3 I must make this pineapple salsa OFTEN and triple the recipe! We ran out of salsa before we ran out of shrimp. I think there was a point where I looked back and saw Casey drinking the juice from the little bowl I put it in. I think that's a sign that he liked it?
Lesson # 4 Fry the shrimp next time. If I'm really craving fried coconut shrimp, then I should do it. It's not like I'm going to make this dish weekly... I'll probably follow all the the same steps but fry the shrimp in a shallow amount of oil in a frying pan. If you're looking to eat something lighter, by all means make this recipe!
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