Go Raw! Zucchini Pasta with Pesto and Tomatoes

08. August 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Zucchini and Summer Squash have started showing up in my CSA box.  There are SO many different ways to prepare squash but there is one way that is hands down my all time favorite.  I’ve been steering clear of pasta for a couple years now.  It’s a double whammy really: type 1 diabetes and a gluten allergy.  Pasta is the death of my blood sugar and my energy level.  UGH.  So when I came across a recipe for raw zucchini pasta, I flipped out.  It’s just like pasta, but it’s raw zucchini!  No carbs, no wheat, no spiked blood sugar, no feeling like a train wreck the next morning, no negative side effects at all.  I can eat as much of this pasta as I want and my body squeals with delight because of all the vegetable intake.  Oh joy!  Allow me to introduce you to the best no-carb, all natural, unprocessed pasta goodness ever.  You can put whatever you want on top, but this is how I gobbled this pasta dish up.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Walnut Pesto and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

Zucchini or summer squash, peeled (amount depends on size of squash and how many people you’re feeding)
Salt/pepper
3 medium tomatoes, quartered
4 garlic cloves (divided)
A couple glugs of olive oil
2/3 cup walnuts
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese (optional)

Method:

Start with the zucchini and peel it into long strips (or short stripes if the squash is round) until you reach the seeds in the middle (a julienne peeler works best or a spiralizer if you have one).  You don’t want those in your noodles.  With a knife, cut each strip into noddles the width of fettuccine or however wide you like them.  Put noodles in colander, sprinkle with salt and let water drain off for at least 30 minutes.   It helps to squeeze the noodles every once in a while.

In the meantime, put tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, a dash of salt and pepper, and drizzle of olive oil in a food processor and pulse until slightly liquified but still chunky.  Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Pesto time: put walnuts, basil, 2 garlic cloves, a dash salt and pepper, good glug of olive oil and Parmesan in a food processor and pulse until desire consistency.  Add more olive oil until smooth.

When zucchini noodles have drained and are flimsy like cooked noddles, toss with pesto and top with tomatoes.  Diiiig in and enjoy.

*for a little added umph, fry up some pancetta or andouille sausage to put on top.  Yum yum.

**oh, and that there glass of wine is an Oregon Pinot Blanc which just happens to be my favorite white varietal.  Bright like a Pinot Gris, but much more flowery and soft.

Baked Beet and Carrot Burgers

02. August 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

I’m in a world of gardeners and farmers.  More than ever, I long for a green space, a plot of dirt, a lush patch of land with the fruits of my labor.  I live in a bright, airy loft with high ceilings…but no yard.  It’s great in many ways, but it’s missing something very important.  I have friends, however, that have yards and love to grow things.  Nadine, from the CSA is my main outlet when I need to feel my green thumb.  She hooks. me. up.  Seriously, I can dig in the dirt with her and enjoy the veggies.  And my friend Tayler, the adorable Awkward Olive brought over some of her bounty to combine with Nadine’s bounty and oh the magic we made.  We’ve only cooked together one time, but I’m preemptively assuming we’ll do it again.  And again.

Neither of us had any idea what was going to go in our belly’s last night, but we flipped through Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables and found a recipe that had just the right ingredients based on what we had from the garden.  So without further ado, I present to you:

Baked Beet-and-Carrot Burgers with Wild Rice and Sunflower Seeds
Yields 8 patties

Ingredients:

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (I suggest toasting them yourself)
1 cup toasted sunflower seeds (same)
2 cups peeled and grated raw beets (1-2 medium beets)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4)
1/2 cup minced onion
2 farm fresh eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked wild rice (quinoa would be awesome also)
1/2 cup veggie or canola oil
1/2 chopped fresh herbs (we used a mix of parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, and basil)
3 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Butter or oil to coat baking sheet

Optional toppings: hummus (my personal favorite), avocado, radish relish, etc.

Method:

-Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly coat baking sheet with butter.
-Mix everything together in a large bowl until well combined.
-Shape mixture into 8 patties (don’t be afraid of red hands!) and arrange them on baking sheet.
-Bake patties until brown and crispy around the edges, 20 minutes or so.  You may need to flip them over half way thru to get them to crisp up on both sides.
-Be amazed and how tasty tasty these are!

I want also to highlight the gorgeous salad we eat with a bunch of garden goodies on it: fresh greens with dragon’s tongue beans, fresh cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, and Tayler’s homemade croutons!  This whole meal was so hearty, healthy, and solid.  Hooray for local, seasonal, delicious food with local (hopefully not so seasonal), like-minded friends!

 

Spicy Slaw with Shredded Chicken

25. July 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

How can something so simple and so fresh and bright be so packed with flavor and utterly delicious?  I’ll most definitely make this slaw all summer because it incorporates two of my favorite things in life: local/seasonal produce and Sunset Magazine.  I picked up my CSA box on Sunday and had a bunch of yummy produce to cook for the week: cauliflower, beets, garlic, greens, summer squash and zucchini, herbs, and a beautiful head of cabbage.  When I thumbed through the latest issue of Sunset, I saw a recipe for Spicy Slaw and figured I might as well go for it.

I tweaked it a bit and was blown away and how tasty and perfectly seasoned this slaw was.  And there’s no mayo in it so it isn’t heavy or at risk of spoiling on a picnic.  It was actually in a feature about food to make while camping.  Next time I go camping, I’m for sure going to bring this dish.

I added some shredded chicken and a soft/medium boiled egg on top and turned it into a main dish.  You guys are gonna love it!  So fresh, healthy, and easy.  Bon appetit!

Spicy Slaw with Shredded Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients:

Slaw:
4 chicken thighs or 2 large chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 beautiful head of cabbage (1 lb), cut into shreds
1/4 red onion, cut into long slivers
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large carrot, grated
4 soft/medium boiled eggs

Dressing:
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 heaping tbsp sweet/hot mustard
juice from 1 lime
2 tbsp agave nectar or honey
3 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:
Combine chicken, cabbage, bell pepper, onion, and carrots in large bowl (be creative with your veggies here.  Grate up some raw beets to give it more color…).

Whisk together dressing ingredients, reserving some cilantro for garnish.

Toss slaw with dressing, making sure it’s well coated.  Transfer to plates and top each serving with a sliced up egg.  Garnish with remaining cilantro and dig in!  You’ll want to eat this all summer long.

 

The Long Way Home

19. July 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hops!

I took Hwy 219 from Newberg to Woodburn on my way to the winery and drove through some purdy country roads and found a hop field (or orchard?) in St. Paul (home of the annual St. Paul Rodeo, hence the “purdy”).  I love how they climb up the  wires and make a curtain of green.  I kid you not, I almost rear-ended a garbage truck looking in awe at these.  But rest assured, I pulled over to take the photo.

Thanks iPhone and the CameraBag app.

Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs

18. July 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

One of the most memorable and impressive appetizers I’ve had at a restaurant or otherwise were the beet-pickled hard boiled eggs at Grüner in Portland.  They were so creative and had such a beautiful visual representation.  When I get some baby beets in my CSA box last week, along with some farm fresh eggs and shallots, I set out to recreate the tasty little pinkies.  It was way easier than I thought too, and so fun!  And they definitely impressed Allison and Kelly who came over for dinner that night.  The yolks can be deviled in so many different ways so I went to go ol’ Tastespotting for some ideas.  I mixed a couple different recipes and came up with this one:

Beet-Pickled Deviled Eggs with Crispy Shallots
Yields 16 halves

Ingredients:
8 large farm fresh eggs
3-4 baby beets or 1 medium beet, sliced thin
3 cups water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
4 small shallots, sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup hummus
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp diced green onion
Dash of Cayenne
Dash of Paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Hard boil them eggs.  I prefer starting the eggs in cold water, bringing them to a boil and keeping them at a boil for 7-8 minutes, then running them under cold water.  Once cooled, peel and set aside.  Be careful when peeling because you want them to look goooooood on the plate.

In a medium saucepan, bring water, vinegar, beets, shallots, sugar, and bay leaf to a simmer and cover until beets are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Cool completely uncovered, then transfer to jar, add unpeeled eggs, and put in fridge to marinade overnight (or at least 2 hours).  I let mine marinate for almost 24 hours.

When ready to serve, remove eggs from pickling mixture, slice in half and carefully removed yolks and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir together with hummus, lemon juice, mustard, green onion, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Use a small spoon or piping bag to fill eggs.

For the shallots, heat butter over medium-low heat and add shallots and a little salt.  Cook down until caramelized, then keep going until they get crispy.  These are the yummiest little nuggets ever!

Place shallots on top of filled eggs, and sprinkle with paprika.  We drank these with an ’09 Rosé of Pinot Noir from Lachini Vineyards in Oregon, but a Gruner Veltliner would be awesome too.

The Long Way Home

11. July 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , ,

Summertime in Oregon means green.  It means sunshine and golden hues.  It means growth and warmth and beauty.  For me, it means taking the long way home.  I moved out to wine country in November, right when everything was closing up for the winter.  I’ve been waiting for this season for months and now I’m soaking it all in.

There are so many beautiful back roads lined with vineyards, fields, gardens, orchards and views of the valley.  Country life is a lot slower than city life and I’m hardly ever in a hurry to make it home.  I’ve learn in my life that it’s not all about the destination, but that the journey is just as important.

There is beauty in the journey and the detours that we might miss if we’re always in a hurry to get from point A to point B.  Every time I take the long way, I’m making it my challenge to find something beautiful that I would not have seen on the straight path home.  Stay tuned for the journey.

Here are some of the latest beauties:

Field on Wilsonville Rd 3 miles from my house. I feel so serene here.

Who doesn't love a red barn with a golden glow?

So warm. Imagine me on a blanket in this field wearing a straw cowgirl hat. PERFECT!

Waxing Crescent Moon.

The perfect blue.

Alloro Vineyard at sunset. Felt like Italy.

What are these little white flowers? I've been seeing fields of them everywhere. This is on Lebeau Rd in Sherwood.

Loved these dandelions! I took Wilsonville Rd home from Portland yesterday because it was a beautiful afternoon and 99W thru Tigard just felt wrong.

Make a wish!

 

Outstanding in the Field

06. July 2011 · 3 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , , ,

My mom and I started drooling over the pictures from Outstanding in the Field last year and have been so excited to be part of one this year.  OITF is a traveling farm dinner that goes around the country (and to Europe this year!) and sets up the most beautiful tables in the most beautiful places.  They sources all their meat, produce, and wine from local farms, chefs, and vintners and it’s not uncommon to be sitting next to the farmer who raised the pig that you’re eating.  Might seem weird, but it’s awesome if you think about it!  The pig had a name and lived in a green pasture instead of being crammed in pens and walking around in its own…well, you know.  You never know, I just may pick up my life for a season and travel with OITF next season.  It’s seriously in the works ;)

It was so much fun to enjoy this event in Oregon with my parents, but also with Clare Carver and Brian Marcy of Big Table Farm.  The are salt of the earth people and know how to savor life on a farm and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Give me a pink farm house in the middle of canyon over a chic downtown loft anyday.

Ok people, drool on.  But keep in mind that my camera ran out of batteries before the food even came.  At least I got to enjoy the meal without distraction.

And because this here bloggy has a foodie theme, here’s the menu for y’all:

Ayres Creek chickpeas, crudité, parsley purée
Square Peg pork terrine, toast, mustard seed
Bay shrimp, basil, green garlic aioli
2009 Riesling, Big Table Farm, Brooks Estate Vineyard

Amy’s greens & veggies, Clare’s eggs, Brian’s Vinaigrette
2009 Pinot Noir, Big Table Farm, Cattrall Brothers Vineyard

Ayres Creek Frumento, Big Table Farm spiced hen, grilled squash and chilies
2009 Pinot Noir, Big Table Farm, Willamette Valley

Square Peg Farm while hog; hams in hay, buoy smoked sausage & belly, roasted herbed loins, liver mousse.
Ayres Creek zolfino beans & wild greens
2009 Pinot Noir, Big Table Farm, Resonance Vineyard

Brown butter shortbread, Viridian Farms strawberries, raspberries, and cream.
2008 Syrah, Big Table Farm, White Hawk Vineyard, Santa Barbara

Crispy Polenta with Garlic Scapes and Sauteed Kale

03. July 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I am loving having a CSA box!  There are so many fresh veggies in there each week, and some that I’ve never even had before!  My friend Toni from Boulder Locavore posted this recipe last week and I got really excited.  I adapted it a little bit to use more of my CSA box, but it turned out wonderfully.  I was so blessed to make this for my best friend Zoe and our great friend Angie.  I even opened a couple great bottles of wine and we laughed, cried, and thoroughly enjoyed our day and evening together.  Hopefully this meal will bring about as much greatness in your day as it did to mine.  I added a bit of protein to this recipe by buying couple good sausages from the meat case at Whole Foods you can eat this as is and be sat-is-fied!

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

For the polenta:
1 cup polenta, or corn grits
1/2 cup milk (I used hazelnut milk)
2 cups water
Salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp of butter (have any of that herbed butter left?  I used some of that!)

For the sauteed kale:
6 cups or more kale or any braising green, rinsed, dried, and torn into bit size pieces
1 cup baby fennel, chopped, separating fronds and bulbs
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
All of your garlic scapes, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt/pepper
Olive oil
Optional: Red pepper flakes for a little kick

Method:

Make the polenta first since it takes some time to set.  Spread butter in a loaf pan and set aside.  In a medium sauce pan, bring water, milk, and pinch of salt to an almost boil.  Slowly stir in polenta and bring heat to low.  Stir constantly for 10 minutes or so until polenta is thick like oatmeal.  Stir in butter, a pinch more salt, and fresh pepper.  Transfer to loaf pan and stick in fridge for 30 minutes to cool and firm up.  You’ll want it firm enough to slice into patties and grill them.

When loaf is firm, slice into 1/2 inch-ish slices.  Heat butter and/or olive oil in heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Add polenta patties to pan and brown them on each side until they are crispy and heated through.    Transfer one patty per plate and get ready for those sauteed greens.

While patties and getting crispy, start the saute.  You’ll need to multi-task on this one so be prepared.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium.  Add fennel bulb, red bell pepper, garlic scapes, and pinch of salt/pepper and saute for about a minute.  Add fennel fronds and red pepper flakes if you want and continue to saute for a couple minutes until fennel is translucent and garlic scapes starts to give off an aroma. In batches, add kale and saute down until they begin to wilt.  Do this is 3 or 4 batches so you don’t overload the pan.  Once the kale is wilted and deep green, plate up on top of grilled polenta.

If you wanted to brown up some sausage, add that to the plate too.  You can either add the sausage crumbles or bits into the saute and plate it up as one, or grill it up separately and serve on the side like I did.

Bon appétit!

Seasonal Baked Eggs: I’m Not Sure Why I’m Still Single.

25. June 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Boy, today was a busy, beautiful day.  I was down at the winery all day doing tours and pouring wine for some super fun people.  I don’t think I really had a chance to blink at all until I clocked off and enjoyed a glass of Dry Rosé with Noël and Dan on the patio overlooking the vineyards.  I was so glad they were up for the drive to come out and visit me!  What a treat.

I’m house/dog sitting this weekend in Tualatin off Stafford Road which is so freaking gorgeous!  I feel very much at peace here.  The big yard, the green, the country, the sunsets, the wine I’ve been drinking, the music I’ve been listening to, the warm days, the dogs, it’s just been nice.  I just feel this overwhelming sense of “aaaaaaahhhh” and can just let out a sigh.  You know those places, that let you just breath and smile and relax.  That’s this place for me.

So tonight, I made myself an easy but delicious meal using all the CSA goodies I had.  Herbs, kale, farm fresh eggs, onions, and…asparagus (which weren’t from the CSA farm, but I did get them at a farmers market!).  I added a bit of sausage and boom, a dinner was born that is just as picturesque as the scenery around the house.

If I served this for my dad he would say, “Mari, do the guys in your life know you can cook?  I’m lost for words as to why you’re still single.”  Me too, dad.  Meeeeee too.

 

Seasonal Baked Eggs:
Serves as many as you want.  For the sake of the recipe, let’s say there are 2 of you.

Ingredients:

A couple tbsp of butter
4 farm fresh eggs
4 spears of asparagus, cut into 2ish inch pieces
2 spring onions, sliced thin
1 cup kale and/or other hearty greens, chopped
2 strips of bacon or 1/2 link of chicken apple sausage (or as much meat as you want)
Fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and chives, minced
Salt and pepper
Any kind of cheese you like is optional.  Me and cheese don’t get along, so I skip it.  But I’m sure it would taste DEEEElish.

Method:

Preheat oven to 375º.  Butter 2 ramekins or small baking dishes and crack two eggs in each.  If yolk breaks, it’s okay.  It’s up to your preference, whether you like your yolks broken or in one piece.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Heat butter in saute pan.  Add onions and herbs and cook until aromatic and translucent.  Add sausage and cook until brown. (If you want to use bacon, cook that ahead of time and add to eggs right before baking.) Remove sausage and onions and transfer to plate, then add asparagus, cook for a couple minutes until bright green.  Careful not to over cook asparagus.  Remove and put on same plate with sausage.  Add kale and saute until kale is wilted.  Salt and pepper as you go.  You may need to add more butter to pan.

When everything is sauteed, put each ingredient on top of eggs however you want.  Mine overlapped a bit, but there was still some separation.  (Don’t forget to add the cheese underneath everything if you want.)

Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.  12 minutes was perfect for me.  Solid whites, and slightly runny yolks.  Put ramekin on a cute plate, and serve immediately….with a glass of bubbles, or at least a mimosa.  Or a glass of Pinot Noir, like I had tonight. A couple slices of avocado on top would have been awesome too.

What I love about this dish is how creative you can be with it.  Put anything you want in there: caramelized onions and red bell peppers with goat cheese and Herbs de Provence would be my second choice.  Go crazy!  You can’t go wrong.

 

 

 

 

Fish Tacos with Rhubarb Salsa

07. June 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

CSA (community supported agriculture) season is here people!  Hopefully the sun will shine a little more in Oregon so I can have fresh veggies and herbs every week.  Nadine from the Dundee Dirtbox CSA has become a dear friend and is delighting me with the fruits of her labor/Oregon bounty all summer long.  I’m sure I’m gonna be cookin’ up some good eats this summer.

This week’s CSA ingredients: rhubarb, spring onions, spring garlic, and fresh herbs.

I had no desire to make a rhubarb pie, or a rhubarb jam, or a rhubarb compote, or anything sweet and rhubarb.  I was bound and determined to make a savory rhubarb dish that was a little out of the box for most people.  Good ol’ Tastespotting lead me the in direction of these bad boys:

Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos with Rhubarb Salsa
(adapted from Kitchen Konfidence)

Ingredients:

Marinade:
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup lime juice
zest from 1 lime
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp tequila
2 tbsp olive oil
large pinch of red pepper flakes
1 sprig fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp cumin
salt/pepper

Rhubarb Salsa:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, diced (2-3 stalks)
1/3 cup spring onions, diced
1/4 cup green onions (plus a sprinkle or two for topping)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped (plus sprinkle of two for topping)
1/2 or 1 jalepeño, seeded and minced (depending on how spicy you like it.  I used 1/2 and didn’t feel much spice)
1/3 cup pickled cocktail onions (diced)
salt
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
splash of lime juice

Tacos:
1 lbs fresh white fish (I used wild cod, but halibut or tilapia will do)
8 corn tortillas
remaining marinade
1 ripe avocado (optional, but oh so good)

Method:

2-8 hours before you plan on eating these tacos, mix together all the marinade ingredients, put in a big zip-loc bag with the fish, and stick in your fridge until you’re ready to cook.

When you’re ready for dinner, make the salsa.  Here’s how: chop up the rhubarb, boil some water, and blanch the pieces in the boiling water for 20 seconds, then transfer to an ice water bath.  Pat them dry, transfer to medium bowl and add jalepeño, spring onions, cocktail onions, green onions, and cilantro.  Whisk together honey, vinegar, and lime juice and pour over rhubarb mixture.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Now it’s fish time: heat skillet over medium heat and add fish, then pour remaining marinade in the pan.  Poach fish covered, flipping once or twice until cooked all the way through, 10 minutes or so. In the meantime, heat small skillet over medium-low heat, add a splash of oil and fry small corn tortillas until crispy.  6 or so should do it.

When fish is cooked, tortillas are fried, and salsa is ready, assemble the tacos in this order: tortillas, fish, salsa, then top with avocado, and more cilantro and green onion.  Devour and behold the delight of savory rhubarb dishes.  yuuummm…

I made this dish for my mom and dad and here are the accolates:
Dad: “Have the boys you know realized that you can cook?” and “I love what you cook because it’s so healthy.”  Well, yes, I have cooked for plenty of boys and it doesn’t really seem to the be the way to their heart.  But thanks Dad!
Mom: “This isn’t just ‘pretty good’, this is like ‘Mar…this is SO good.”  Glad you liked it mom!  And I’ll cook for you anytime since you love cleaning up the kitchen :)

Wine pairing for the evening was provided by: Mark Ryan Winery, Vincent Rosé, WA 2010.  Other pairing suggestions: A dry or off dry Riesling, Processco (Bubbles will never be wrong), a Rosé of Zinfandel (not to be confused with a White Zin.  C’mon people.)  or a Muller-Thugau (Anne Amie Vineyards makes one of my favorites).

 

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