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Monday

4

June 2012

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COMMENTS

Meals from the Garden

Written by , Posted in Thoughts

I love my little apartment garden. It’s not large by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s fun. Just the other day I went to check on the carrots. I’d pulled one a couple of weeks ago and it was tiny and not too tasty. The one I pulled on Sat was short and fat. It was yummy!

I have a few other things ready for harvest: kale, spinach, basil, parsley, oregano, chives, a few potatoes, and green beans. I have some tomato plants, with flowers… that are falling off. Gardening fail. My dad said maybe the soil needs some nutrients that it’s not getting, like potassium maybe. I’m wondering if I could just put some banana peels under the tomato plants?? 🙂

Fresh produce is very inspiring to me when it comes to planning my menu. There are so many delicious things to do with the summer fruits and veggies that are in season right now. Here are a few of my favorites made into summer menu ideas:

BLT Pizza with a Basil and Tomato Salad

Fruit Salad alongside Joy the Baker’s amazing Cinnamon Rolls with Buttermilk Glaze (p42 of her cookbook)

Pluot Tart with Black Pepper (I know, black pepper with fruit sounds weird. It wasn’t. It was delicious!!) with Grilled Steak

Santa Fe Quesadillas with Guacamole and Tomato-Corn Salsa

Panzanella Salad with Grilled Chicken

Basil and Summer Squash Risotto (You can freeze leftovers for another meal!) with Honey Soy Salmon and for dessert Brûléed Pluots and Nectarines

Mom’s Potato Salad with Uncle Jake’s Back Ribs and Mint Iced Tea and for dessert, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce

Tomato and Basil Grilled Cheese

Penne Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce alongside Grilled Pork Chops drizzled with Reduced Balsamic Vinegar 

Taco Salad

Veggie Pizza with a Green Salad

German Style Potato Salad with Grilled Sausages and Fruit Salad

Happy eating, Friends!

Friday

1

June 2012

8

COMMENTS

For the Love of Pluots and May Birthdays

Written by , Posted in Thoughts


Every once in a while I’m inspired, really inspired. I can come up with a dish on the fly when I need to (like when it’s dinner time and I don’t have the ingredients for what I was planning to make from my menu). But, then there are other times when I’ll glance over, say, at the pluots that we got in our Abundant Harvest Organics box, sitting in a basket 6 feet away from me and my brain kinda goes, “Pluots… Oooh! I could picture them on a tart with reduced balsamic vinegar drizzled over it… the Flavor Bible says black pepper goes with pluots… would anyone besides me like that? Is that weird? Pepper with pluots? I think it sounds yummy. It also says onions… what if I caramelized them? That would be good I think, not gross, because they’re caramelized. Ooh, and I should chop some strawberries and sprinkle them over top… black pepper also goes with strawberries… Brown sugar could be the “sauce” and I could use some of the pizza dough that I made last week so I don’t have to make pie crust! I should warn people that there’s pepper on it, so they’re not surprised… Pluot Tart with Black Pepper. Done.”

I call it a tart, but I’m not sure if that’s really what it is. I’m OK with that.

It could be eaten on it’s own, of course. But, I think it would be good as part of a meal. Perhaps alongside a dinner of… Grilled Beef and an Arugula Salad with a Lemon and Olive Oil Vinaigrette (lemon and olive oil both go well with arugula, beef, and pluots). You could try it for breakfast/brunch with some scrambled eggs and strong coffee.

Want to know the reason I made this dish today?! Once a month at Husband’s work, in the Digital Media department, they do a birthday celebration. Does this remind anyone else of this Office episode: Michael goes out into the “wilderness” leaving Jim in charge. Jim decides to combine all the birthdays into one party. He fails miserably. This seems like a successful version of the episode. For the March birthday celebration I made a BLT Pizza and brought it over. Today, inspired by the pluots, I’m making a dish that I created specifically for the celebration.

Here’s to work parties, fun co-workers, and birthday celebrations! Yay for May birthdays!

Pluot Tart with Black Pepper

Last modified on 2012-06-01 23:05:57 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Pluot Tart with Black Pepper
Recipe Type: Savory dessert, Appetizer, Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Inspired by May birthdays and sweet, summery pluots, this dish would be a great appetizer, side dish, or savory dessert.
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust
  • 3 T reduced balsamic vinegar (start with about 1/2 C)
  • 3-4 pluots, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch salt
  • 4 strawberries, chopped
  • 1/2 C red onion, sliced
  • 2 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 1 T butter, melted
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cook until thickened and syrupy, about 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
  2. In a hot, dry pan, cook onions with maple syrup and salt. Cook over medium-low heat until caramelized, about 10 minutes.
  3. Thinly roll crust. Bake crust for 5 minutes at 425F.
  4. Brush crust with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and press it into the crust with a spatula (just a little).
  5. Top with onions, pluots, nutmeg, and pepper. Bake for 7-9 more minutes (until crust is to your desired doneness).
  6. Top with strawberries and drizzle reduced balsamic vinegar.
  7. Serve at room temperature, or warm.

Friday

1

June 2012

0

COMMENTS

Pluot Tart with Black Pepper

Written by , Posted in Appetizers, Baking, Dessert, Fruit, Inspired By, Lunch, Sides, Vegetarian

Pluot Tart with Black Pepper
Recipe Type: Savory dessert, Appetizer, Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Inspired by May birthdays and sweet, summery pluots, this dish would be a great appetizer, side dish, or savory dessert.
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust
  • 3 T reduced balsamic vinegar (start with about 1/2 C)
  • 3-4 pluots, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch salt
  • 4 strawberries, chopped
  • 1/2 C red onion, sliced
  • 2 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 1 T butter, melted
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cook until thickened and syrupy, about 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
  2. In a hot, dry pan, cook onions with maple syrup and salt. Cook over medium-low heat until caramelized, about 10 minutes.
  3. Thinly roll crust. Bake crust for 5 minutes at 425F.
  4. Brush crust with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and press it into the crust with a spatula (just a little).
  5. Top with onions, pluots, nutmeg, and pepper. Bake for 7-9 more minutes (until crust is to your desired doneness).
  6. Top with strawberries and drizzle reduced balsamic vinegar.
  7. Serve at room temperature, or warm.

Tuesday

29

May 2012

2

COMMENTS

Bruléed Pluots and Nectarines – Episode 25

Written by , Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Dessert, Fruit, Gluten Free, This Week's Feast, Thoughts

Summer fruits: Peaches, nectarines, pluots, plums, apricots, and apriums… are simply wonderful on their own. But, it’s always fun to have a new way to eat them. A fancy way.

Invite some friends over, they’ll be impressed (just don’t tell them how simple it was).

Picture in your mind: Nectarines and pluots (from this week’s Abundant Harvest Organics box), orange zest, cinnamon, bruléed brown sugar (bruléed means burned)… Should I go on? OK, I will… Maple syrup, strawberries, almonds, reduced apple cider vinegar… Imagine these flavors after a nice dinner of Grilled Steak and Veggies, or Roasted Tomato Pasta and Cucumber Salad, or BBQ Chicken, Garlicky Potato Skins, and Roasted Green Beans. These little gems will satisfy your sweet tooth! 

Is it time for dessert yet?!

Happy Eating!

Print
Bruléed Pluots and Nectarines

Bruléed Pluots and Nectarines

Ingredients

  • 1 nectarine, halved
  • 1 pluot, halved
  • 4 T brown sugar (or granulated or raw sugar)
  • 3/4 C plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 t cinnamon
  • 1 t orange zest, grated (optional)
  • 1 T reduced apple cider vinegar (reduced from 1/2 C)
  • 2 strawberries, chopped
  • 1 T roasted almonds, chopped

Instructions

  1. Halve fruit and remove pit. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes (in toaster oven, conventional oven may require less time), until fruit is tender and warmed through.
  2. In small saucepan bring vinegar to a boil over medium heat. Reduce (about 10 minutes) until thickened and syrupy. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.
  3. Mix yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, and zest together. Set aside (you could freeze it and have frozen yogurt).
  4. Remove fruit from oven. If any juices have accumulated in the middle of the fruit (where the pit was), spoon out (otherwise the sugar will just soak in). Top fruit with sugar and carefully melt the sugar using a kitchen torch. If you don't have a torch, place in the broiler and cook until sugar is browned (keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn - it will just take a couple of minutes). Let the sugar cool for a minute or so. It should harden and form a sort of crust.
  5. Top with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of almonds and strawberries, and a drizzle of the reduced vinegar.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/bruleed-summer-fruit-ep25/

This episode is sponsored by Abundant Harvest Organics and Molly Jenson!

(Please excuse the half French, half English word. I know it’s not correct. It’s a play on words. You hadn’t noticed? Oh. Now it might bother you. I hope not.)

Monday

28

May 2012

0

COMMENTS

Mediterranean Quinoa

Written by , Posted in Beans, Cheese, Dinner, Gluten Free, Grains, Main Dishes, One Dish Dinners, Quick and Easy, Quinoa, Vegetables, Vegetarian

This blogging adventure of mine is still a pretty new endeavor. It has needed plenty of encouragement, support, and love. When I first started (officially) blogging a little less than a year ago, I asked a few friends if they wanted to be ambassadors. Their job was/is to tell people about my blog and get them interested. In return I promised to create a dish for and named after them.

This past Wednesday, after a long and tiring day of editing, I was trying to come up with something for dinner. I finished work at 6, and was supposed to Skype with my family a few minutes later. I had something on the menu, but hadn’t done any work to prepare it (and might not have even had all the ingredients required). So I stood at the pantry cupboard and sought inspiration. I think some of the best meals come from staring at a bunch of ingredients sitting on a shelf. This was no exception.

The ingredients that sounded yummy to me reminded me of what one of my ambassadors had said she liked. The wheels started turning and I soon had the makings for “Mediterranean Quinoa for Stephanie”.

While I cooked, I had a small glass of wine. I was finishing up the dish and preparing to plate so I could take a few photos, so I poured a little more for the photo. Or so I thought. I realized that I’d picked up the olive oil, which was sitting right next to the bottle of wine, and poured it into my mostly empty wine glass. Whoops. Have I mentioned that I was really really tired!? Not one to waste food or wine, I poured the glass into the dish of rosemary infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar that we were going to dip our bread into. 🙂

A little bit about Stephanie Gladysz… She’s become a friend because I’m friends with her daughters Genevieve of Create Nourish Share, and Alexandra of Pink and Honey. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It gets really really cold there in the winter. She and her husband own and operate Joey’s Restaurant in Regina, SK. They make really great fish and chips! She wrote a book called (Gasp) I have an idea! She’s really good at connecting people to my blog and often tells someone a specific post that reminded her of them. She’s a good encourager too. I’m thankful that she’s been willing to tell people about my work.

Thanks, Stephanie! Here’s the recipe that I created for you. I hope you enjoy it!!

Print
Mediterranean Quinoa

Mediterranean Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 1/2 t salt (or more)
  • 1/2 to 1 t freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 t fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1/2 sweet paprika
  • 2 C kale, stems removed, torn
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1 C black beans, lentils, or garbonzo beans, cooked
  • 1 1/2 C veggie stock
  • 1 C water
  • 1 C quinoa, uncooked
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 1 T lemon juice, for serving
  • parmesan cheese, grated, for serving
  • green or kalamata olives, chopped, for serving

Instructions

  1. In saucepan, heat 1 T olive oil; add onion, salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook 3 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
  3. Add quinoa and oregano. Stir and cook 30 seconds - 1 minute.
  4. Add water and stock, bring to a boil. Add beans and simmer 10 minutes. Add tomato, 5 minutes more.
  5. Turn off heat. Stir in kale, oregano, and remaining 2 T olive oil.
  6. Serve topped with olives, a squeeze of lemon juice, and parmesan cheese.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/stephanie-an-ambassador-for-de-ma-cuisine/

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