Mango and Chia Smoothie

On a hot night, something soothing before bed!

An unexpected request from my daughter, led to the really late night snack of a smoothie!

But on such a hot evening this summer, who could resist.  

She found this recipe on RUNTASTIC.

Fortunately, we had all the ingredients, so into the kitchen we went.  The two of us together, chopping fruits and veggies.

Into the blender for a quick spin,  and voila !!

This is a great post work-out protein shake, but also as my daughter would say,

a very nice cold, relaxing treat before bed!!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

1 Mango

125 grams raspberries

1/2 cucumber

1 1/2 Tbsp. chia seeds

250 ml. coconut water

200 grams low-fat greek yogurt

mint

  Cut the mango and cucumber into small pieces. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses. Garnish  with raspberries, chia seeds and mint.

Summer Fruits Pie

A beautiful combination of summer fruits

Lattice top crust allows plenty of steam to escape

leaving a perfectly cooked filling that is not soupy.

In this pie I used a combination of nectarine, plum and blackberries.

There are many wonderful combinations of summer stone fruits and berries

that could be used, ending with the same lovely results.

It really just depends what is in season and what you can find that is really fresh

at the farmers market.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

6 cups fruit( summer stone fruit and berries)

1 granny smith apple,peeled,cored and grated

2 Tbsp. instant tapioca

1/2 cup sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

pie dough for double crust pie

   Cut stone fruit into slices add to bowl with the berries.  Add sugar and instant tapioca and lemon juice. Stir to coat fruit with sugar and tapioca granules.  Let sit for 30.  Add grated apple, stir.

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

   Roll out bottom crust and line 9" pie pan.  Roll out dough for top crust.  Cut into 1" strips.  Fill bottom crust with fruit.  Lay lattice strips on top.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Put pie pan on cookie sheet to catch in fruit juices.   Bake for 30 min.  Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30, until crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbling.

Ranch Style Beans

Whenever the family gathers at my brother's house, he loves to barbeque over oak,  Santa Maria Style tri-tip.

What is needed on the side is some good ranch style beans!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Ranch style beans
Ingredients:
16 oz. of dried pinto beans or pink beans

1 ham hock

2 small tri-tip steaks
6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 15 oz. can of tomatoes (or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of water
6 cups of beef broth or reserved ancho soaking water
Salt and black pepper 

garlic powder

liquid smoke

Method:
Soak the beans covered in water—either overnight or the quick soak method in which you place the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat and let sit for one hour.

Drain the soaked beans.

In a cast-iron skillet heated up to medium high, cook the anchos on each side for a couple of minutes (or until they start to bubble and pop), turn off the heat and fill the skillet with warm water. Let them sit until soft and rehydrated, which should happen after half an hour or so. 

Rub the tri-tip steak pieces with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Sear in a cast iron skillet.  Adding one drop of liquid smoke to each side of the steak as it cooks.  Set aside.

In the pot you’ll be cooking your beans, heat up a teaspoon of canola oil and cook the onions for ten minutes on medium. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Throw the cooked onions and garlic in a blender and add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, water and hydrated ancho chiles. Puree until smooth.

Add the pinto beans and 1 cup of  beef broth to the pot and stir in the chile puree. Also add your ham hock and seared tri-tip steak. On high, bring the pot to a boil and then cover; turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2 1/2 - 4 hours, stirring occasionally.  When you're satisfied that the beans are done, salt and pepper to taste.

Base recipe courtesy of "Homesick Texan"  with my own additions of the meat portion.

Sticky Rice with Coconut Sauce and Mango

This Thai dessert is so addictive!

It is absolutely one of my favorite desserts with Asian food. 

The combination of the sticky sweet rice and the sweetened coconut milk, 

plus the tang of the mangoes is a perfect combination.

I personally love sticky rice so much, the texture and chewiness is addictive.  

Most people would be pleasantly surprised that such a simple dessert

could be so satisfying.

As Always,

ENJOY!

3 cups sweet rice

1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup sugar

1-2 mangoes, cut into wedges

      Add the sweet rice to a large bowl.  Cover with at least 6 cups of water.  Soak for 4-6 hours.

       If I am serving this dessert for dinner, I start the rice soaking right after lunch.

   Open a can a coconut milk and add to a small sauce pan with the sugar.  Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 1/2 hour.  Stir occasionally so the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pot.  Cover and let cool on stove.  This can easily be made a day ahead and reheated when ready to serve.

    Cut the mangoes into pretty wedges.  This can be prepared a day ahead as well.  Store in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Set out a few hours before serving to allow to come to room temp.

   Drain off soaking water, and put plumped wet rice into cone shaped bamboo basket(found at Thai markets) over pot of boiling water so it can steam.  Steam for 45 minutes, turning the rice at least once during the cooking.

   To serve, place a mound of rice in the middle of a small bowl, pour over 1-2 Tbsps. of the coconut

milk and add some mango wedges on the side. 

Thai Beef Salad

Summertime is so perfect for this salad.  

When you don't feel like heating up the kitchen by cooking

indoors, just fire up the grill.  

It is a one dish meal!

Just open a cold beer to go along with the lime, spice, and salt of this salad.

Sit on the patio, in the shade and relax and enjoy!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

             

• 30ounces sirloin steak, or flank steak
• 7ounces salad greens (any kind)
• 2small red onions finely sliced
• 10kaffir lime leaves, fresh, shredded
• 3large mild red chiles, seeded and chopped (can add thai bird chiles if you like a BIG punch)
• 1 large cucumber, quartered and cut into bite size pieces
• 3-4 salad tomatoes

• • 
    
• 2⁄3cup cilantro
• 2⁄3cup mint leaves
• 2⁄3cup basil leaves

• DRESSING

• 1teaspoon soy sauce
• 2tablespoons fish sauce
• 2tablespoons lime juice
• 2tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar

• DIRECTIONS

  1. Brush the beef with a little oil and char-grill, barbecue, or pan-fry till cooked to your liking.
  2. (I recommend medium rare for this recipe, if you can handle a little blood.) Set aside for five minutes and slice it thinly.
  3. Place salad greens, onions,cucumber, tomato, kaffir lime leaves, chili, cilantro, mint and basil into a salad bowl and toss lightly.
  4. To make the dressing, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.
  5. Stir the dressing well.
  6. Place the beef on the salad and pour over the dressing.
  7. Serve immediately.

Thai Glass Noodle Salad with Crispy Pork and Shrimp

What a wonderfully refreshing salad.  

Potato salad and pasta salad can seem heavy and filling at times, especially

in the heat  of summer.  This Thai noodle salad is refreshing and light  and also 

very satisfying.

It is great to have on its own or as an accompaniment to other Thai foods.

As Always,

ENJOY!

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound cooked small shrimp

1 6-ounce package glass noodles (also called bean threads or saifun)
3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
1 bird's eye chili, ribs and seeds removed, minced (substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes)
2 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
Extra chopped peanuts for garnishing

Warm a teaspoon of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to break the pork into tiny crumbles. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring less frequently, until the pork turns deeply golden and crispy. Set aside.

While the pork is cooking, set the noodles in a bowl and cover them with hot water to soak. Let them sit until softened, about 10 minutes or until the pork has finished cooking.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the noodles and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the noodles are stretchy and tender. Drain and rinse under cool water. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the mass of noodles 3 or 4 times — this makes the long noodles easier to eat.

Combine the noodles, pork,shrimp, green onions, cilantro, chili, and peanuts in a large bowl. Whisk together the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice in a small bowl. Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your tastes, then pour the sauce over the noodles. Use tongs or clean hands to lift the noodles, fold them over, and gradually work the ingredients into the noodles. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving or refrigerate until serving. Garnish each dish with extra peanuts.

This dish is best on the day that it's made. For serving leftovers, make an extra batch of the sauce and add it to the noodles a few teaspoons a time, stirring the noodles until they loosen and become slippery again.

Grilled Zucchini

For summer, this is my new go to for zucchini. 

The flavors were so spot on for a summer dish.  It could easily go with anything else you are preparing!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

16oz. zucchini, quartered lengthwise

olive oil 

salt 

pepper

1 1/2 oz. sundried tomatoes, chopped

a handful of basil leaves, torn into pieces

    Trim ends and quarter zucchini lengthwise.  Toss with olive oil and place over hot grill. 

     I used my cast iron grill on the stove, cooking the zucchini spears in two batches.  Adding olive oil to the pan gives a smoky flavor to the zucchini as it cooks.  Turn the zucchini every few minutes so that all sides are cooked.  

    While the zucchini is cooking, chop the sundried tomatoes, tear the basil into pieces, and add to a large serving bowl.  Add some olive oil and salt and pepper.

     When the zucchini is done cooking, add to the serving bowl and toss with the toppings and dressing. Serve.

Tortellini and Potatoes with Pesto

Sometimes, we forget the obvious, that boiled things go together and that pesto is wonderful on 

all kinds of vegetables.

In certain regions of Italy they serve their gnocchi with cooked potato chunks.  So if it is good with 

gnocchi, why not with tortellini!

Of course some dinner creations are about using up what you have on hand, and then 

amazing creations come together unexpectedly!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

16 oz. cheese tortellini

16 oz. red potatoes

1/4 cup basil pesto

olive oil

romano cheese

pine nuts

       Quarter the potatoes and cook in a large pot of boiling salted water, until tender.  Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and put into a large serving bowl.

        In the same pot with the boiling salted water, put the tortellini.  Cook for a few minutes until tender.  Remove with a slotted spoon, and place into the same serving bowl as the potatoes.

        Add the pesto to this bowl with a good drizzle of olive oil and some of the hot cooking water left in the pot.  Just enough so that the pesto becomes a nice sauce coating the potatoes and tortellini.

      Top with grated romano cheese and pine nuts.    Serve.

Granola Muffins

Still warm from the oven with butter melting in!

Makes 2 dozen muffins, plenty to share!

Make a mini loaf, perfect for toasting slices!

Muffins and quick breads are easy and fun to make, great for taking places

and sharing, and quick, like the name says!

It is a great grab and go for breakfast, for kids who are busy, and also an easy item to freeze to have 

at the ready for lunches, guests, or when a healthy snack is needed.

These granola muffins, not only have oats and other healthy grains, but lots of nuts

and dried fruit as well!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups granola with nuts and dried fruit

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla 

   Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees, using cooking spray to grease 24 muffin cups and one mini loaf pan.

Whisk together the eggs and oil.  Add the sugar, mix.  Add the buttermilk and vanilla, mix.

Blend together the dry ingredients.( flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda)

Stir into the egg mixture.  Add the granola.

Spoon batter into muffin tins and loaf pan.  Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Cherry Balsamic Tart

 Dark sweet cherries, make a rich looking pie.

Dense with fruit, and no juices spilling out.

Here is another great summer pie with a little twist.  The balsamic really helps enhance and add to the depth of flavor of a cherry pie or tart.

Creating a tart has two advantages.  One, no second crust needs to be rolled out, and two, because the top is completely open, all steam escapes. This creates a pie or tart that is not soggy and the fruit juices cook down to make a dense filling.

When making your summer pies, no matter what fruit type, try adding some new enhancing flavor!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

2 - 16oz. pkgs. frozen dark sweet cherries
1/2 cup tart dried cherries, chopped

3 Tbs. instant tapioca

1/2 cup sugar 

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. balsamic glaze

One crust pie dough recipe

one 9 inch tart pan or springform pan, greased

    Mix all filling ingredients together and let set at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Roll out pie dough, and line prepared pan.  Add filling mixture, spread evenly over crust.  Place pan on baking sheet.  Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for  10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375 and continue cooking for 45-50 minutes.  Let cool completely before cutting.

Raspberry, Lemon, Basil Tart

Perfect slices, without loosing a drop of goodness!

Simply raspberry to perfection!

This tart has so many elements to love!  Solid fruit filling that is not too sugary sweet. 

Adding the lemon zest and basil give it that fresh from the garden essence. 

The almond crumb topping just adds one more level of flavor to every bite, 

without being overpowering!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

one 9 inch tart pan or springform pan with removeable bottom, greased

2 - 12oz. pkgs. frozen raspberries

3 Tbsp. instant tapioca

1/2 cup sugar

zest of 1/2 a lemon

5 basil leaves, finely chiffonade, (approx. 1 1/2 Tbsp.)

one recipe pie dough

streusel topping:

2Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. finely ground almond slices

2 drops almond extract

     Cut butter and extract into dry mixture to form a crumb mixture. refrigerate until ready to use.

 Prepare pie dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  

In a large bowl add the raspberries, sugar, and instant tapioca.  Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.  Just before filling your tart shell, add the lemon zest and basil, mix to combine.

Roll out pie dough and gently press into the 9 inch tart pan.  Fill with the raspberry mixture.  Gently fold any excess pie dough over itself to the inside, to make a perfect shaped rim.

Put tart pan on a baking sheet and bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.  

 Slightly pull oven rack out, to add the topping. Distribute evenly over hot filling.  Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.  Let cool completely before cutting.

Carroll's Fudge Pie

So delicious, so quick and easy!

When you are going to have guest over, and don't know what 

to prepare and are running out of time, this should be your go to 

recipe!  It is quick and easy, and so delicious.  Very similar to a

flourless chocolate cake, with that light melt in your mouth texture. 

Cut into thin slices and serve with whip cream, chocolate cream, or 

ice cream!

As Always,

ENJOY!

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp.

2 eggs, seperated

2 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate

1/3 cup all purpose flour

a few drops of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

     Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

     Melt chocolate and let cool slightly.

     Beat sugar and butter until creamy.  Add eggs yolks one at a time.  Add cooled chocolate and beat.

     Add flour, vanilla and salt, fold into the mixture.

     

    In a clean bowl beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold into chocolate mixture in three batches. Spoon into a greased 9 inch pie pan and spread evenly.

    Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool.

Courtesy of the Baking Book by Linda Collister