I’m beginning to think there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a tray of slow-roasted tomatoes.  Now, I know I’ve said this about a lot of things.  Bread, for example.  And it’s true that there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a loaf of bread with your own two hands.  But man, these tomatoes are something.  And they are simple.  So simple, that the extraordinary flavor almost doesn’t make sense.  The flavor is sweet, but intense.  Sultry, even.  You’ll see.  You’ll be smitten, too.

If there’s one thing I learned about food while living in Sicily, it’s this:  less is more.

Simplify.

Want to learn how to cook?  Quit trying to follow complicated recipes out of fancy books.  First, you must simplify.

What ingredients do you like?  Walk through the produce section of your grocery store or your local market without a grocery list and without any particular recipe in mind.  What catches your eye?  What calls to you?  Pick it up, take it home, and see if you can figure out the simplest way to make it taste really great.

There are very few ingredients, animal or vegetable, that wouldn’t benefit from something as simple as a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt, or a squeeze of lemon juice.

But wait, you want to know about these tomatoes, don’t you?

The great thing about slow roasting tomatoes is that you can make even run-of-the-mill grocery store tomatoes taste great.  All you need are a couple of baskets of grape or cherry tomatoes, some cloves of garlic, olive oil, salt, and that jar of Italian seasoning that’s been hanging out in the back of your spice cabinet.  See?  It’s simple.

While the idea of turning on the oven for three hours during the last heat wave of summer probably isn’t that appealing, the temperature will be so low that you won’t even notice it’s on.  Trust me, I did it yesterday.  And yes, we really are having a heat wave here in Southern California.

It’s highly unlikely that you’re going to have any leftovers, but the tomatoes can be stored with a bit of olive oil in a covered container in the refrigerator.  The garlic cloves can be peeled and eaten (mmmm…roasted garlic…) or just tossed in with the tomatoes for extra flavor.  But again, make sure everything stays refrigerated if you aren’t going to eat them immediately.  But, you will eat them immediately.

My absolute favorite way to eat these tomatoes is on bruschetta smeared with goat cheese.  If you’re in search of a simple appetizer that will completely blow your guests away, here it is.

Now these tomatoes are certainly not my idea.  There are tons of recipes for slow-roasted tomatoes floating around out there and really, I suggest you customize this to suit your own taste.  The version I like comes from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, so be sure to head over there to read about her gorgeous tomatoes and gorgeous new baby, before making some of your own.

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Cherry, grape or pear tomatoes (or whatever tiny tomatoes you prefer)
Garlic cloves, unpeeled
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Combination of dried Italian herbs (such as fennel, oregano, basil, or thyme)*

1. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and heat oven to 225 degrees.

2. Cut enough tomatoes to fill the sheet pan (about 2 small baskets should do the trick) and place them cut-side up on the parchment paper.  Scatter a handful of unpeeled garlic cloves throughout the tomatoes.

3. Drizzle olive oil all over the tomatoes, then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

4. Mix together some of your favorite dried Italian herbs (or just use a commercial blend) and measure out about 2 teaspoons of the mixture. Grind the herbs into a powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle then sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes.

5. Bake tomatoes at 225 degrees for 3-4 hours, or until they have shriveled but still contain a bit of moisture inside.  The time will depend on the size of your tomatoes, so start checking early.

6. Let cool and eat immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.  The garlic cloves can be peeled and eaten or stored in the jar with the tomatoes for a few days, refrigerated.

Recipes Notes: *I really like to include a good amount of fennel seed in my herb mixture.  Even if you think you don’t like fennel, you might enjoy it here.  I like to grind the herbs into a powder before sprinkling over the tomatoes, especially if using fennel seed and/or rosemary.  But, it’s completely optional.  I generally combine five or six different dry herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and fennel.  Use as many or as few as you like.  You might even try leaving the herbs out completely.

Around the Web:

• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes at Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes at A Veggie Venture
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes at The Perfect Pantry
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes with Sea Salt and Coriander from Orangette

My sister is a huge fan of roasted red pepper hummus so she was one inspiration behind me creating my own version at home.  The other inspiration was my fancy new blender that I just knew would create the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever made.

And I was right.  This was the smoothest, creamiest hummus that has ever come from my kitchen.

I’ve been without a regular blender for over a year now.  The last one I owned, an overpriced and under-performing Kitchen Aid blender, broke as soon as the warranty expired.  And I wasn’t in a big rush to run out and replace it with another piece of junk.  I’ve never been a huge fan of blenders because I have never owned one that worked really well.  Sure, they all claim to crush ice.  But they never really do.

I knew that there was another class of blenders out there that could do all sorts of wonderful things, but they have always been way out of my budget.  So I’ve made do with my food processor and immersion blender and for the most part have been perfectly happy.  But I’ve always been secretly envious of those lucky Vita-Mix owners.  And yes, I have been researching high-powered blenders for the past year, silently wishing to have one one of these mystical machines taking up more of my precious counter space.

And then it happened.  I innocently went on a trip to Costco with my sister and brother-in-law.  I was there with good intentions.  My main mission was to pick up some new books and dvds to send to Justin in Iraq, and I had just placed a dvd set of 24: Season 7 in the cart when I heard the sound:  a blender!  I couldn’t help myself, I started walking towards the sound and the gathering crowd.  On the table was one of the two blenders I had been dreaming of for the past year.  It was a Blendtec, and I was instantly hooked.

I stood there wide-eyed as the showman created something with the texture of ice cream out of nothing more than a handful of strawberries and some ice cubes.  I eagerly tasted the samples of the ‘whole fruit’ juice he made after throwing a mixture of fruits, peel and all, into the miraculous machine.  Penny and Robert eventually found me and started laughing uncontrollably when they saw me standing there, transfixed.

I know, I know.  It was like being sucked into a real-life infomercial.  Except this was a product that I knew.  It was a product that I had researched.  And that’s how they got me.  It didn’t help that Penny and Robert were standing there urging me to do it.  One of my brother-in-law’s favorite pastimes is to take me to Costco and see how much money he can get me to spend on things I don’t really need.  For him, this was the mother lode!

So you’ve already figured out that I bought it.  It’s been over a month now and do I regret it?  Not one bit!  This ‘blender’ is amazing.  It will pulverize anything I put in there, wet or dry.  I can grind grains into flour, I can grind nuts and spices, even tiny amounts.  I can make velvety smooth sauces.  And of course, it makes excellent hummus.  I’m not gonna lie, these things are expensive and plenty of you will think I’m crazy.  But for me, it was worth it.

My name is Nicole and I am in love with my blender.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded*
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sriracha (or to taste)
scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  You may have to stop to stir and/or scrape down the ingredients a few times.

Leftover hummus can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days.  I’ve also heard that it freezes well, but we never have any leftovers!

* I know that roasted red peppers are available in jars at the grocery store, but they are so easy (and in most cases cheaper) to roast at home.  And of course, freshly roasted peppers taste much better than the ones from a jar.  Here are instructions for roasting red peppers. And did you know that you can freeze roasted peppers?  Why not roast a bunch at once and then freeze the leftovers?  Here are instructions for freezing roasted peppers.

This week I am participating in the second round of Eating Down the Fridge. The challenge was created by Kim O’Donnel of The Washington Post blog A Mighty Appetite.  The goal is to completely avoid food shopping (including eating out) for a full week, and instead concentrate on using what is already stored in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.  Because I have been out of town, I started the challenge a couple of days late.  But as of Monday, I have done no food shopping or eating out (with one exception) and I plan on continuing at least through Monday, but perhaps even longer if I can.

Perhaps a week doesn’t sound like a very long time to go without shopping, and for those of us without kids it’s not that long at all.  But my goal for this challenge is to use up things in my freezer and pantry that have long been neglected.  And although I don’t do major grocery shopping more than a few times a month, I am used to popping up to my local market a few times a week for various ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables.  And quite frankly, I’ve been eating out a lot lately, so eating 21 meals in a row at home will be a bit of a challenge for me!

Yesterday at lunchtime I was starving.  But as I rummaged around my kitchen, I realized that I had no quick snacks to grab.  I had no bread to make a sandwich, no crackers or bananas to smear with peanut butter, and no leftover dinner to reheat in the microwave.  It shouldn’t have been a big deal since I have a fridge and pantry stocked with ingredients, but I had let myself get too hungry and I really needed something fast.  Yes, I could have eaten a bowl of cereal, but I decided to step up to the EDF challenge, and start eating down my fridge.  I drank a tall glass of water to quell my hunger pangs while I started searching for something to prepare.

I found a half-empty jar of marinated artichokes hiding in the back of my refrigerator and decided it was time to use them up.  My first thought was pasta.  So I pulled a box of penne out of the pantry, found a container of kalamata olives and some feta cheese (score!) in the fridge, and was about to get to work.  And then I had a change of heart.  I remembered the jar of tahini and cans of garbanzo beans in the pantry and decided to throw the leftover artichoke hearts in a batch of hummus instead of tossing them with pasta.  And as I was lamenting my lack of pita chips or crackers to go with the hummus, I remembered the package of frozen naan I had picked up at Trader Joe’s on my last visit.  Perfect!  Since hummus only takes minutes to put together, I had lunch in front of me even faster than if I had made the pasta.

Artichoke Hummus

1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped or pressed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
juice of half a lemon (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
small squirt of Sriracha (optional)

1. In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary.  Add salt and Sriracha (if using) to taste. Extra lemon juice or tahini may also be added to taste.

2. Spoon hummus onto a plate, creating a bit of a well in the center.  Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.  Serve with your favorite flat bread, crackers, chips, or fresh vegetables.

Recipe Notes: Ingredient amounts, including garlic can be adjusted to suit your own taste.  Be careful with the hot sauce, a little bit adds a nice boost, but too much will overpower the flavors of the hummus.  If you cook your own garbanzo beans rather than using canned, reserve a bit of the cooking liquid to thin the hummus in place of plain water.

Although I have commited to Eating Down the Fridge this week, I did go out to dinner with friends last night because it had been planned before I joined EDF.  I’ll be extending the challenge for an extra day to make up for the dinner out.  Interested in participating in the next round of Eating Down the Fridge?  Join the Facebook Group to receive alerts about upcoming events.

You also might have noticed that I took a week off from The BBA Challenge.  I was in the mountains with my family for a few days and decided I would rather spend quality time away from the computer rather than worry about completing my weekly bread post.  But I will be back Monday to tell you about making Peter Reinhart’s version of Challah!

Related Recipes:

• Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
• Mediterranean Olive Hummus
• Chickpea Soup with Ginger and Coriander

Around the Web:

• Jalapeño & Lime Hummus from Karina’s Kitchen
• Parsley Hummus from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Hummus from Closet Cooking
• Slow Roasted Tomato Hummus from Andrea’s Recipes
• Cilantro Lime Hummus from Two Peas and Their Pod

While we mostly eat guacamole during spring and summer when Southern California is bursting with fresh, local avocados, I couldn’t resist digging through the large pile of perfectly ripe Haas avocados at the grocery store the other day. I guess I can thank the Superbowl for that!

Why is homemade guacamole so often reserved for special occasions and social gatherings? Considering that avocados are really good for you and fresh guacamole is so delicious and easy to prepare, I think it makes a perfect afternoon snack. In fact I love making small batches just for me!

Worried about calories? You should know by now that the avocados are filled with the good fats your body needs.  And you don’t always have to always eat guacamole with deep-fried tortilla chips (although that’s still my preferred method of getting guac into my mouth). Instead, try serving it with Whole Wheat Pita Chips and you’ll have a filling, nutritious snack to get you through the afternoon.

After years of making overly complicated but average tasting batches of guacamole, I finally realized something. Guacamole is best left simple and fresh. Avocado, onion, chile, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper are the only ingredients needed. Nothing dried or powdered, no extra spices, no secret ingredients. I don’t even add garlic. And to me, this is the best tasting guacamole around.

The method is simple.

First prep your ingredients: remove the stem and seeds from a fresh serrano chile (or jalapeno) and then mince it. The seeds and white membrane inside the chile hold the majority of the heat, removing them keeps the guacamole from being too spicy. Make sure not to touch your eyes after handling the fresh chile pepper!

Next, remove the thick stems from half a bunch of cilantro and put the leaves in a pile.

Run your knife back and forth through the pile of leaves until the cilantro is finely chopped. You should end up with about three tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro.

Next, mince one quarter of a red onion. You should end up with about 1/4 cup minced onion (to learn the best method for chopping an onion, read this post).

Squeeze the juice of one lime into a small bowl. You’ll need about two tablespoons of juice.

Prep work is finished, now you’re ready to make the guacamole! Cut your avocados in half and remove the large seed.

Use a big spoon to remove the avocado from it’s skin, it should come out easily if the avocado is ripe (and it better be ripe!).

Put all four halves of  peeled avocado into a medium bowl and add a tablespoon of lime juice. Mash it all up with a fork, making it as chunky or smooth as you want. The lime juice adds flavor, but also keeps the avocado from turning an ugly brown color, which is why I have you add some of the juice at this point.

Once the avocado is mashed, stir in the onion, chile, cilantro, salt, and a dash or two of fresh ground black pepper. Taste the guacamole and add enough of the remaining lime juice to taste. I like lots of lime juice, so I use most of it! Keep tasting and adjusting seasonings until you get it right or the guacamole is gone!

Homemade guacamole is simple to make and tastes so much better than the store-bought varieties, you’ll soon be wheeling your cart right past those plastic tubs of green goop without a second glance.  Enjoy!

Guacamole

2 ripe Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup minced red onion (about 1/4 of an onion)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
scant 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

In a medium bowl, mash together avocado halves and one tablespoon of lime juice with a fork. Add chile, cilantro and onion and mix well.  Add salt, pepper, and remaining lime juice to taste.

Yield: about four servings

Recipe Notes: I find this guacamole to be only mildly spicy, but If you would like less spice, start with only half of a chile and make sure to remove all the seeds and white membrane before mincing.  If you would like a very spicy guacamole, leaves the seeds in and/or use more chiles.  And of course, all ingredients can be adjusted to suit your own taste!

Related Recipes:

• Avocado Pie
• Black Bean Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• Chili Garlic Corn Chips
• Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
• Smoky Tuna Dip
• Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce

Around the Web:

• A Twist on Guacamole from 101 Cookbooks
• Guacamole from Andrea’s Recipes
• Perfect Guacamole from Simply Recipes
• Gourmet’s Mango Pomegranate Guacamole from Serious Eats
• Authentic Mexican Guacamole from Whipped

Want to wow your guests during this year’s round of holiday parties?  Serve them this Smoked Tuna Dip and watch the compliments flood in. They’ll never know that you whipped it up ten minutes before they arrived!

I first tasted this Smoked Tuna Dip at a restaurant in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. We were there for a military function of some sort and this dip was set out on the appetizer table. We could not stop eating it and by the end of the night, my friend and I had pestered the owner enough that he finally gave up the recipe.

Well, he didn’t give us the actual recipe, but I did the leave the party with a list of ingredients scribbled on a piece of paper. He wouldn’t give exact amounts, and for all I know, he left out some magical secret ingredient. But this version that I put together this morning tastes amazing and I really think you should give it a try.

This dip is as easy to put together as a ranch dip or spinach dip, but I think it’s a great option when you want to change things up a bit. Serve it with your favorite crackers, or even pita chips and your guests will love you for it!

Feel free to adjust the ingredients to suit your own taste.

Smoked Tuna Dip

1 small can albacore tuna, drained well
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened slightly
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 teaspoon worcestershire
scant 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
dash or two of pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
paprika or smoked paprika (optional)

Blend all ingredients together well using a stand mixer or hand mixer. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking. Be careful adding more liquid smoke, a little goes a long way! When ready to serve, try adding a light sprinkling of paprika over the top for decoration.

yield: about 1 1/2 cups of dip.

I want to add a quick note to say thanks to everyone who was so supportive yesterday while I was having technical issues with the blog. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to see almost two weeks of my life disappear in an instant (I say ‘my life’ because I’ve been doing absolutely nothing but work on the blog for the past month). And the worst part was that apparently someone at my hosting company made a mistake and restored the database on the wrong site. I’m not sure how that can even happen, and I have yet to receive even an apology from the company.

All I can say is thank goodness I had copies of everything, and thank goodness I only lost eleven days worth of work. I want to remind everyone to be extra fastidious about backing up your work, regardless of what it is. This is especially true of your digital photos.  Accidents happen.

Again, thanks for all the supportive e-mails and messages I received yesterday. Everything is back up and back to normal, as far as I can tell. And I will now be making back up copies of my blog even more frequently!

And yes, although I almost threw in the towel last night, I am still going to finish out this month of NaBloPoMo and continue to share one recipe a day until November 30.

And a quick reminder that it’s not too late to enter the knife giveaway! For those of you who left a comment before yesterday’s disaster, you’ll have to leave one again in order to participate. For those of you just hearing about it, I am giving away a 9-inch Chef’s Knife compliments of New West KnifeWorks. To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite thing to eat during the holidays. A winner will be chosen at random.  Good luck!

Related Recipes:

• Black Bean Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• Homemade Chili Garlic Corn Chips
• Spinach and Feta Turnovers
• Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
• Easy Deviled Eggs

If you’re reading this post and you haven’t voted yet, I’d prefer that you bookmark this recipe, go find your local polling place, and come back and read this later.  Really!  Go vote!  And please, if you’re in San Diego, don’t let this silly rain keep you from voting in this historic election.

But when it’s all over and we can relax and (hopefully) breathe a sigh of relief, I want you to make these oven-roasted sweet potato french fries.  I’ve made several versions of these over the years but this batch is by far the best.  As usual, it’s the simplest combination of ingredients that makes me the happiest!

If you’ve never eaten oven-roasted sweet potato fries, you need to know that they won’t be as crispy as the deep-fried restaurant version.  But I think the flavor of these can’t be beat and I don’t even miss the crunch.

For those of us who aren’t a huge fan of sweet potato dishes that are overly sweet, this is the perfect way to reap the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes and still enjoy a savory snack.

And what kind of food blogger would I be if I didn’t include a quick recipe for a Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce?  You’ll find it at the very end of this post!

Roasted Sweet Potato Fries with Rosemary and Garlic

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small clove of garlic, peeled
2 T. olive oil
2  medium sweet potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, mash together the garlic, salt, and rosemary to form a paste.  If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, put ingredients into a small bowl and mash the garlic, rosemary and salt against the side of the bowl with a fork.  It takes a bit more effort, but you’ll be able to work it into a paste.
3. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic paste; set aside.
4. Scrub sweet potatoes and cut off any blemishes that you wouldn’t want to eat.  Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch pieces.  Stacking two pieces together, cut potatoes into 1/2 inch strips.  Do the same with remaining potato.
5. Put potato strips into a large bowl; Add oil mixture and toss well until all potatoes are well coated.
6. Spread potatoes out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (the parchment is optional, but makes for easier clean up!). If you don’t use parchment, make sure to grease the baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or some extra olive oil.
7. Roast potatoes for 30-35 minutes, checking every ten minutes and rotating the pan for even browning. Every once in a while check to see if the potatoes are browning too much on the bottom.  If that’s the case, turn them over.  I didn’t have that problem, but you never know! Keep a careful watch towards the end and remove as soon as the smallest pieces just barely start to blacken on the ends.

yield: two servings

Recipe notes: Two medium sweet potatoes will serve 2-3 people as an appetizer.  I think you could toss in one more potato without needing any more garlic paste or oil.  But if you are cooking for a crowd, double all the ingredients and plan on using two baking sheets. Remember to keep the potatoes in one layer and don’t crowd them too much or they won’t brown evenly.  These fries are best served right out of the oven!

Combine finely chopped rosemary leaves, kosher salt, and one garlic clove then pound and grind them together to form a paste.

In a small bowl, mix the rosemary garlic paste with the olive oil.

Cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices.

Stacking two slices together, cut potatoes into 1/2 inch strips.

Put the cut sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the rosemary garlic oil mixture.

Now toss the potatoes until they are evenly coated with the oil mixture.

Spread the potatoes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Roast the sweet potato fries in a 425 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Check them every ten minutes, and stir or turn them if they appear to be getting dark on the bottom. Watch carefully towards the end because they can burn quickly!

Although these fries are great on their own, who doesn’t enjoy a special dipping sauce every now and again?  Ranch would work well, but I really enjoyed the buttermilk blue cheese dressing that’s served with sweet potato fries at one of my favorite local restaurants, Urban Solace.  If you live in San Diego and you’ve never been there, be sure to check out their Sunday Bluegrass Brunch for some great food, great atmosphere, and great music!

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

2 oz. dry blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
dash of onion powder
freshly ground black pepper to taste

yield: approx. 2/3 cup of dressing

For those of you just tuning in this month, I’m happy to say that I’m participating in the National Blog Posting Month challenge. For this year’s edition of NaBloPoMo, I’ve pledged to post a new recipe every single day for the month of November. If you don’t want to miss a recipe, sign up to receive my recipes by e-mail. You’ll only receive an e-mail when I write a new blog post, and your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Interested? Sign up now!

Related Recipes:

• Chili Garlic Corn Chips
• Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
• Whole Wheat Pita Chips

Around the Web:

• Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Dani Spies
• Curried Sweet Potato Fries from Green Lite Bites
• Parmesan Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries with Horseradish Sauce from A Veggie Venture
• Grilled Sweet Potato Fries from Kirsten’s Home Cooking

It’s time to eat your vegetables!

I really haven’t been eating enough veggies lately.  Bacon? Plenty.  Chocolate chip cookies? Oh yeah!  Pizza? Three days worth.  Cinnamon buns? That was our dinner the other night.

Something’s seriously gotta change around here!  Granted, I have been cooking at home a lot lately.  But if I don’t get back to cooking some of my healthier recipes, I’m still gonna end up looking like I’ve been eating at McDonald’s every night!

And I know my body is getting sick of eating nothing but fat and sugar. Because yesterday, when I ran up to the market to grab some eggs, the broccoli cravings started.

Every once in a while, my body lets me know when it needs to get back on the green stuff.  I was walking past the produce on my way to eggs and I was stopped in my tracks by that huge pile of beautiful green broccoli.  My body was saying, “feed me broccoli NOW!”

So, I picked out some broccoli, grabbed the eggs, and headed home to feed the beast. I walked in the door, pulled out the pot with a steamer insert, washed and chopped the broccoli and had it steaming within about three minutes.  I was completely on autopilot, my body just wanted some vegetables immediately!

I don’t like my broccoli overcooked, so I steam it only until it’s bright green and just barely tender.  I ate the first pieces plain, with my fingers, right out of the steamer basket.

Once my body realized that I was actually feeding it good stuff, I was able to relax and think about what else I might eat for dinner. After ruling out bacon (only because I had already eaten it for breakfast), I decided that the rest of the pot of broccoli would do just fine for dinner, as long as I had some of my trusty dipping sauce!

Am I the only one who likes to eat steamed broccoli with my fingers?  Growing up, we always dipped our broccoli in mayonnaise (although I was probably forced to use a fork back then).  I still love broccoli with mayonnaise, but it’s not the healthiest option, right?

About a year ago, I started creating yogurt-based sauces for my broccoli and artichokes.  I still add a bit of mayo, but the sauces mainly consist of yogurt and chopped fresh herbs and lemon or lime juice. Usually I make them with whatever herbs I happen to have on hand, but the cilantro lemon sauce has definitely become a favorite!

Luckily I had all the ingredients to make my favorite one last night!  This sauce is so good with broccoli! But it’s also good for dipping artichoke leaves, and one night I realized that I like it with corn chips, too!  You could even use it for a salad dressing if you have any left over.

Creamy Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce

zest of one lemon*
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup thick yogurt**
1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more, to taste)
fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

1. Whisk together first six ingredients and add more salt to taste if desired.
2. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
3. Serve alongside steamed broccoli or artichokes.

Yield: approx. 1 1/4 cups of sauce

Notes:  *A microplane grater is a lifesaver when it comes to zesting citrus fruit!  **I generally use a strained, greek-style yogurt for my sauces and dips, but it’s also easy to strain the liquid from a regular plain yogurt.
This is a fairly tart sauce so if you’re sensitive to puckering, you might want to scale back a bit on the lemon juice and zest.  I like to add LOTS of fresh ground pepper, but I didn’t measure how much.  Just do lots of tasting and season as you go!

For those of you just tuning in this month, I’m happy to say that I’m participating in the National Blog Posting Month challenge. For this year’s edition of NaBloPoMo, I’ve pledged to post a new recipe every single day for the month of November. If you don’t want to miss a recipe, sign up to receive my recipes by e-mail. You’ll only receive an e-mail when I write a new blog post, and your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose. Interested? Sign up now!

Related Recipes:

• Oven Roasted Broccoli with Lemon, Chili-Garlic Oil, and Parmesan
• Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
• Blood Orange and Green Olive Salad
• Zucchini and Tomato Gratin
• Orange Cranberry Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese
• Tzatziki

Around the Web:

• Mom’s Dipping Sauce for Artichokes from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Creamy Feta Dressing from Kalofagas
• Creamy Herb Dressing with Yogurt from Thyme for Cooking
• Roasted Eggplant and Yogurt Dip from Chocolate and Zucchini
• Arugula Yogurt Dip from Tofu for Two

Does your morning bagel need a fall makeover?  Do you crave pumpkin cheesecake but don’t need the extra 1000 calories?  Do you like quick and easy recipes that taste really, really good?   If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’ll love this Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread!

Now I can’t take all the credit for this idea.  My friend Alexis sent me a message on Facebook suggesting that a pumpkin cream cheese spread for bagels would be a really great recipe for the fall.  Hmmm…pumpkin cream cheese?  I had never thought about it, but I know I love pumpkin cheesecake so it sounded like a good idea to me!

Since I happened to have canned pumpkin and cream cheese on hand, I threw together a couple of different combinations and quickly ended up with a delicious spread that works equally well on bagels and muffins.  And I’m not the only one who thinks it’s great.  I had a house full of guests yesterday and decided to make some homemade bagels for the first time just so we could all taste the pumpkin cream cheese.  More than once I heard things like, “Yum!  It’s like pumpkin pie…on a bagel!”

This morning as I was trying to think of other ways to use the spread, I decided that it might make a good dip for apple slices.  And I was right!  Since I still had a house full of guests this morning, I had plenty of apple tasters on hand.  My cousin Corinne took a bite and her eyes got wide.  At first I thought she didn’t like it, but then I heard, “Oooooh, it tastes like apple pie!”  And we all agreed.

I love it when friends request special recipes or give me suggestions.  Some of my favorite creations have happened that way (remember Jason’s Ultimate Manwich?).  So keep the ideas coming, guys!

One of the great things about this web site is that it helps keep me connected with friends that might otherwise drift away.  Being part of the military, we move around a lot and have met people all over the world.  While it is fun to meet new people, it’s difficult to keep in touch with them all!

I met Alexis while volunteering at the weekly newspaper on the military base in Sicily.  Alexis and her husband Ryan left the island a couple years before we did, but we ended up keeping in touch sporadically through e-mail and blogging.  I think if we hadn’t all started blogging, we probably would have lost touch!

I’m glad we did keep in touch because it was Alexis and Ryan who introduced me to Ben, the designer who created the latest blog design for Pinch My Salt. Isn’t the internet a wonderful thing?  I haven’t seen Ryan and Alexis in person since they left Sicily and I’ve never even met Ben in person.  But they’ve all helped contribute to this blog over the last couple of years!

Now, (in addition to suggesting recipes for Pinch My Salt) Alexis is working hard on her latest project, Earth’s Best Friend, a company that offers eco-friendly, sustainable pet clothing.  He hasn’t put in his order yet, but you might soon see Smack modeling a sustainable organic cotton jacket, just like Lucy the Boston Terrier.  Perhaps you didn’t realize that Smack is into doggie fashion, but Halloween is coming up so he’ll soon be sporting this outfit again:

And speaking of Halloween, the Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese spread would be a really tasty frosting on some pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies! A bit of red and yellow food coloring would turn it a nice shade of pumpkin orange!  And now that I’m thinking about it, the spread would also make an excellent frosting for some Halloween cupcakes! I’m sure you’ll think of many other things to do with it, once you give it a try!

Now we all know that sweetened cream cheese isn’t exactly a health food.  But in small amounts, on a bagel or spread on some apple slices, this cream cheese spread can turn an ordinary snack into something really special, without the guilt associated with some of our other favorite treats!  You could even try it with reduced-fat cream cheese, although I used the real thing.

I really hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.
2. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.
3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Enjoy!

Related Recipes:

• Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
• Basic Sugar Cookies
• Pumpkin Spice Scones
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Around the Web:

• Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Pie from Taste and Tell
• Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from Tammy’s Recipes
• Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting from Sophistimom
• Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
• Chocolate Pumpkin Cake from Gluten Free Mommy

Fourth of July is quickly approaching so I figure it’s finally time to share my favorite recipe for deviled eggs. The reason I’ve never shared it before is that I’ve never had a recipe written down. I usually just add the ingredients bit by bit until it tastes right. But this morning I decided to actually measure things as I went and now I can give you a recipe that somewhat replicates my standard deviled eggs.

So, what’s so special about my deviled eggs? Absolutely nothing. Just like my egg salad, I prefer my deviled eggs free of any additions. I don’t add anything sweet, I don’t add anything crunchy, I don’t even add anything spicy. And I never, ever, ever add any chopped onion. My eggs are universally appealing because no one has ever bitten into one of my eggs and encountered an ingredient they weren’t expecting.

But these eggs aren’t bland or boring. I think they are a bit tangier than the average deviled egg and that’s what keeps people coming back for more. The last time I made deviled eggs, the darn things were almost gone before I managed to make my way over to the plate! From now on, I’ll be sure to stash a couple extra in the fridge to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

And who says deviled eggs are just for parties and barbecues? I think they’re great anytime! Sometimes I’ll just make one or two for a snack. See that photo up there? I ate a couple of those eggs for breakfast this morning. And this one down below? I just ate that one, too.

You might have noticed that I pipe the filling into my eggs using a pastry bag and decorating tip rather than just spooning it in. It’s not because I’m trying to be fancy. Trust me, I’m not fancy. But over the years I’ve figured out that if I fill the eggs using a pastry bag, I don’t run out of filling as quickly.

When I use a spoon, I usually put too much filling in each egg, then run out before I’ve filled them all. Using the pastry bag, I end up filling every single egg and then have a bit left over to squeeze on my finger (or directly into my mouth if no one’s watching).

It’s up to you. If you have some disposable pastry bags and a decorating tip that is suitable for the job, go ahead and pipe that filling into the eggs. If not, just use a spoon but try not to overfill them!

Nicole’s Best Basic Deviled Eggs

6 eggs, hard cooked and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
pinch of salt (optional)
fresh ground black pepper (optional)
smoked paprika (optional)

Cut eggs in half. Arrange egg whites cut side up on a serving plate and put the yolks in a small mixing bowl. Mash yolks with fork then stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Mash and stir all ingredients together well. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Spoon a little bit of the mixture into each egg white half, dividing mixture as evenly as possible between the eggs. Sprinkle eggs with smoked paprika if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 12 deviled eggs

Notes: As mentioned earlier, mixture may be piped into the eggs using a pastry bag instead of using a spoon. Recipe can easily be doubled. I always make my deviled eggs with Best Foods Mayonnaise (aka Hellmans) and just regular yellow mustard. If you don’t have white wine vinegar, just use your favorite kind or whatever you have on hand. If you don’t have smoked paprika, just use the regular kind. I suggest that after the first time you make these, don’t bother with the recipe and just add things to taste like I normally do–it’s more fun and then you don’t have to clean the measuring cup and spoons!

Related Recipes:

• Easy Egg Salad
• Egg in a Nest
• Spiked Egg Nog French Toast

Around the Web:

• Wasabi Deviled Eggs from Cooking With Amy
• Devilishly Good Eggs from Culinarily Obsessed
• Bacon Deviled Eggs from Cooking by the Seat of my Pants
• Deviled Eggs from Not Eating out in New York
• Estonian Deviled Eggs from Nami-Nami

Aren’t these the cutest little tarts you’ve ever seen? Believe me, they tasted even better than they look! I ended up making three things this morning to take to Thanksgiving dinner: cranberry and goat cheese tartlets (pictured above), three cheese tartlets with bacon and fresh thyme (pictured below), and a butternut squash casserole (forgot to take photo). All three were terrific but my sister and I both agree that the flower-shaped cranberry tartlets were both the tastiest and prettiest of the three.

But if you ask my brother-in-law, the three cheese tartlets with bacon and thyme were the best! I used the same tart pastry for both. The pastry is made from whole wheat pastry flour, butter, shredded Gruyere cheese, cracked black pepper and salt. I basically just made a basic pie crust dough but used whole wheat flour and added the cheese and black pepper. It was absolutely amazing! I don’t have an exact recipe because I made the tarts up as I went but they were so good that I will be making them again and writing down an actual recipe to give you before Christmas.

I used a mini muffin pan for baking both sets of tartlets. For the flower shaped ones, I used a flower shaped cookie cutter. I rolled the dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness then cut the flower shapes. I then fit the flowers into the mini muffin cups with the petals sticking up a bit so that they didn’t crowd each other.

For the cranberry filling, I mixed a mini log of goat cheese, a handful of chopped sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins), a teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme, salt and fresh ground pepper, and one egg. This made exactly enough filling for twelve tarts.

For the bacon cheese tartlets I just used a drinking glass to cut the pastry dough into rounds and then fit them into the mini muffin cups. It just so happened that the glass I chose was the perfect size!

For the bacon and cheese filling, I mixed one small log of goat cheese, some shredded sharp cheddar cheese, some shredded jarlsberg cheese, three slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled, a teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme, sea salt, coarsley ground black pepper, and one egg. This made more than enough filling for 12 tarts.

Next time I make these, I’ll be sure to take photos of the assembly process. They were fairly easy to make but a little time consuming since I had to roll out and cut the dough. I only made 12 of each because this whole thing was an experiment and I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. I definitely should have made at least twice as many! They disappeared as soon as I put the plates down (half of them went in my brother-in-law’s mouth).

The butternut squash casserole was also really good but I completely forgot to take photos of it! It was a savory casserole made with butternut squash, onions, buttermilk, cheese, and fresh thyme. The recipe is from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook and can be found online at StarTribune.com

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!