Summer nights

One of my favorite things about summer is the way the heat of the day transitions into the most pleasantly warm summer evenings. It’s the perfect weather for an array of night time summer activities such as going to fairs, beach bonfires and strolling around town late into the evening without having to wear a jacket or scarf. It’s also the perfect temperature for dining al fresco. Nothing says summer more than packing a blanket and basket full of scrumptious goodies and dining outdoors. This past weekend I did just that only better! How on earth you may ask can one possibly improve upon something as wonderful as a summer time picnic? With a musical stage production of course! (not just for pizza parties!). The Moonlight Amphitheater in Vista has been putting on fabulous summer stage productions since the 1970’s. You can buy an actual assigned seat for the show but I recommend buying a seat on the lawn. Not only are the lawn spots cheaper but they are the perfect area for a pre performance picnic. When you arrive they give you lawn chairs (which are much more comfy than the assigned seats if you ask me) and then you get to go claim your spot. I recommend getting there super early to stake out a prime spot on the lawn and give yourself plenty of picnicking time. Last summer I caught the last showing of one of my favorites Little Shop of Horrors. The show was spectacular, excellent cast, great music, and a different twist at the end than in the movie. The only down side was that since it was the last show the summer the weather was most definitely starting its transition to fall so by the end of the performance I felt like a popsicle. Luckily the café at the amphitheater has hot chocolate so I was able to warm myself with a cup during intermission. This year I decided to beat the start of the fall chill and attend one of their first shows of the summer, Guys and Dolls. As anticipated it was fabulous and equally fabulous were my picnicking/musical watching companions



Kate and Mark



Stevie B and me

Prior to the start of the show we shared a delicious picnic dinner. Our spread for the night consisted of:

- Herby flatbread
- Gazpacho
- Stilton cheese with apricots on Pecan Nut thin crackers
- Humboldt Fog goat cheese on strawberries
- Roasted red pepper hummus with veggies
- Oatmeal cookies
- Newman’s chocolate bars
- Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade
- White wine

The show for the night did not start till 8pm and we arrived at 6:30 to claim our spot on the green, this gave us plenty of time to enjoy a nice leisurely picnic. Everything was delicious, the hummus and veggies were light and flavorful and easy to pack, the apricot stilton from Trader Joes was scrumptious as always, and the combination of pungent and creamy Humboldt Fog with the sweet strawberries never fails to please. Prior to our summer evening outing my day had been spent in my favorite place, cooking up some of our scrumptious picnic goodies. The herby flatbread was the first on my list of recipes to tackle. I wanted it to be a cross between two of my favorite breads, Indian nann and focaccia. I used mild flavored and finely milled flours for the most part as to not distract from the flavor of the herbs in the bread and give the bread a lighter texture. I decided to make it a flat bread because I thought it would be better suited for dipping in the soup and spreading cheeses on but it could be easily make into a fluffy loaf like traditional focaccia as well. Likewise if you wanted to use this to serve with an Indian dinner or if you wanted to make something more like a pita bread you could leave out the Italian herbs and add others or serve plain instead.

As I combined all the different ingredients in my mixer, waited patiently for the dough to rise, and then finally shaped the breads and cooked them up I had butterflies in my tummy. Could this specific combination of flours, yeast, and binders really turn into the scrumptious bread I had imagined or would I be bringing extra crackers to the picnic instead? I was so pleased to find that the bread turned out perfectly! Texture wise it was spot on to what I had hoped for and the flavor of the herbs and olive oil reminded me of all the delicious focaccia breads I use to make in my gluteny bread making days. I will say though that this bread like many gluten free breads is tastiest when served warm. Not to say that it tastes like rubbish after it has cooled but if you have the option and the means (reheated on the stove, in the microwave, over a fire, or eaten straight from the oven) please do try it warm, you won’t be disappointed.

Herby Flatbread
Makes 6 flat breads or 1 not so flat bread

Ingredients

¾ cup millet flour
½ cup sorghum flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup super fine brown rice flour
1 ½ teaspoons xanath gum
1 packet quick rise yeast
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups warm water
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped herbs (I used rosemary, oregano and a smidge of basil)

extra oilve oil and sea salt for topping with

Making the bread

Combine all of the flours and whisk together until combined. Add your flours and all of the other ingredients except for the herbs and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes then slowly add the oil while you continue to mix for another minute. Once the oil has fully combined with the dough add your chopped herbs of choice and mix on low until the herbs have been evenly dispersed throughout the dough. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place (such as an oven, turned off of course!) for 1 hour. If you would prefer to make this into a loaf of bread instead of flat breads at this point you should put the dough into a greased 9 inch cake pan and let it rise in the pan.

After an hour has past remove the bowl of dough from its warm cozy place, it should appear to have puffed up and risen just slightly. If you want to bake a loaf of bread brush the top of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Put the bread in an oven preheated to 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and cooked throughout. To continue on making the flat breads grab a plate or pie tin and sprinkle it with 1/4 cup of tapioca flour and set aside. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and using floured hands shape the 6 pieces into balls. The dough will be pretty sticky so using the flour will keep it form clinging to your hands and keep the balls from sticking to each other too much. Place the balls in a bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.

After the dough has rested use your hands shape a few of the balls into a flat pancake shape.

You may need to flour your hands again to keep the dough from sticking to them. Place the flattened balls onto a baking sheet sprayed with a non stick spray. Lightly coat the top of the bread with a smidge of olive oil, this will help prevent the bread from burning and also remove any of the flour residue that was left behind from shaping. Broil the breads in the oven for 2 or 3 minutes on each side, watching to make sure that the bread does not burn.

Once the breads are done remove from the oven to cool and repeat process until all the breads are done.

Enjoy your bread straight from the oven or save for later, they will keep for 2 or 3 days if stored in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic and foil.

Next on the list of picnicy goodies to whip up (literally) was a gazpacho soup. This was another culinary first for me. I had tried gazpacho a few times before so I had a pretty good idea of what to add to it. With gazpacho it’s best to use organic and most importantly fresh ingredients in order to make your soup as flavorful and healthy as possible. It’s easy to make this soup as spicy or mild as you like, I made a very mild soup for our picnic since the spice tolerance of my picnic companions varied. If you find this is the case for your dinner party as well you can always have chili powder and hot sauce on the side for guests to add to their soup as they please.

Gazpacho
Serves 4 or 5 hungry friends

Ingredients

3 heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
3 roma tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups V8 (or other tomato juice mix)
½ red bell pepper, roughly chopped
½ green bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 sweet roasted red peppers
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon jalapeño, chopped (if you like it spicy)
juice from ½ lime
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy)
salt to taste
1 cucumber, peeled seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen sweet corn

Add all of the ingredients to your blender except for the cucumber and corn and blend until all of the veggies have been pulverized to a thick soup consistency. Add the cucumber and blend for a couple seconds to break it up a smidge but not completely then add the corn and mix by hand. Pop the soup in the fridge to chill until ready to serve. For the picnic I pre portioned the soup into 4 containers and then packed them in an ice chest to keep cool until we were ready to eat.

After all the food was prepared I packed everything up in the ice chest and picnic basket and headed out to enjoy our picnic dinner. Check out the super cute basket I got at Cost Plus: World Market.

This was the first picnic outing for my new basket and it worked like a gem. Light yet sturdy and the perfect size for a small dinner. It even has a spiffy spot to put your wine bottle too!

The picnic was a delicious success and one that I look forward to repeating soon on my next visit to the Moonlight Amphitheater.

What to do on the hottest day of the year

I love Fridays! Typically Friday is the start of three days of only having to work one job a day for me. Sometimes I even have an entire day off from both jobs on Saturday or Sunday which is always quite a treat. At the FDG office more often than not on Fridays we take off from work an hour early to get a head start on our weekends. This past Friday was the start of a heat wave here in San Diego so to celebrate the suddenly summery weather we closed up the office at 3:30pm. So what did I do with my free time on this 90+ degree day? I went home to cook of course!

I spent 3 ½ hours baking banana nut muffins for Saturdays breakfast, loaves of French bread to take along on a wine tasting adventure and picnic on Saturday afternoon and a delicious Friday night dinner of roasted veggie risotto. Sure, keeping the oven at 400 degrees for hours on end and then sautéing and simmering items on the stove for an hour might not have been the best method to keep the house and the people in it at a comfortable temperature on such a hot day but the deliciousness of the meal and breads made it well worth dealing with the heat.

The risotto was amazing! I actually did not start eating risotto until fairly recently. If you can’t eat gluten it’s a great substitute for pasta when you are craving creamy carbohydrates. I always thought that to make it you would have to add gobs of butter and thick cream to get it to the rich and thick consistency risotto is known for. Not true! The most common rice used for risotto is Arborio which is a rounded, white grain rice. Because Arborio has such high starch content when it is slowly cooked in broth it releases this starch from the grain. So it is the rice itself that creates the creamy, buttery like consistency of the dish. You will notice in the recipe that only a little bit of olive oil is added in the beginning and then just a dab of butter at the very end, if you want to leave out the butter to lower the fat content you could. Personally, I think the butter really compliments this dish so I always add about a tablespoon of whipped earth balance to the pot at the end which is a good compromise. So without further delay here is the delicious and nutritious roasted veggie risotto recipe.

Roasted Veggie Risotto

Ingredients for the squash

1 medium size butternut or acorn squash (peeled and cubed)
1 teaspoon minced fresh or dried sage
1 teaspoon powdered sage
a dash or two of cinnamon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
olive oil

Ingredients for the risotto

1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 cups warm vegetable broth
¼ c minced onion
2 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)
½ cup warmed dry white wine
1 cup arborio rice
1 tablespoon butter (I like whipped Earth Balance)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Ingredients for the veggie sauté

Approximately 3 cups sliced mushrooms (you can use whatever mushrooms you love most, personally I like the pre sliced crimini from Trader Joes because they save time and are delicious!)

4 or 5 generous handfuls of fresh spinach

1 or 2 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)

Salt, pepper, cinnamon and powdered sage to taste

Preparing the squash

Poke the squash several times with a fork and then microwave for a couple of minutes to soften it and make it easier to cut. Using a big knife cut the squash in half and remove the guts. Peel and then cut the squash into little cubes that are around ½ an inch or inch square in size. Put the squash in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sage, cinnamon, salt and pepper and use your hands to make sure all the little squashy squares are coated with oil and spice. Pop this into a 400 degree oven and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Once the squash is done remove it from the oven and set aside.

Preparing the Risotto

Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat, add to that your onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add to this your rice and stir constantly for a couple of minutes until the rice is fully coated with the oil. Now you can add the warmed white wine, turn your heat down a smidge to medium and stir constantly until the wine is almost absorbed. Now you are ready for the broth. Add one cup at a time the warm vegetable broth, stir this frequently and once the broth is nearly absorbed add another cup of warm broth. We warm the wine and broth because of the sensitive nature of the rice, to add a cold liquid at any point tinkers with the delicate cooking process of the arborio rice and could result in a crunchy or hard risotto. Depending on your stove you might have to turn up or down the heat a bit, you want it to be simmering but not boiling so the rice is not burned. Repeat this process of adding warm broth a cup at a time until the rice is tender but slightly al dente. Typically this takes about 6 or 7 cups of broth over a 20 minute time period. Now you can add your parmesan cheese and butter (if you like!), stir until combined and then turn off the heat.

Preparing the veggies

While your risotto is cooking you can also be prepping the veggies. In a pan heat a tablespoon of butter or olive oil over medium heat, add to this your crushed garlic letting the garlic infuse the oil for a minute or two. Add to this your sliced mushrooms of choice and season them with a little salt and pepper, sautéing until they soften and brown up a bit. Once the mushrooms are ready add to the pan your roasted squash and spinach. If you like you can add a little more powdered sage to this. Lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and let cook about 4 or 5 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.

To serve place a generous portion of the risotto in a bowl and top with a heaping scoop of veggies. If you like (and I think you might!) you can add another sprinkling of parmesan cheese atop the veggies, pour yourself a glass of the same white wine you used in the risotto and enjoy!

i <3 carbs!

Back in the day when I used to eat gobs and gobs of gluten if you were to ask me what my favorite food was I would have likely answered you with one word...

BREAD

Cinnamon raisin, Dudley’s jalapeño, French baguette, sweet Hawaiian, buttery focaccia, fresh baked banana, Indian nann, hearty whole wheat crusted with seeds or even a fresh loaf of your basic fluffy white. From breakfast to dessert, every snack and meal in between bread was always the perfect solution to what my palette was craving.

When I first realized I had to stop eating gluten I was crushed. Life without bread. How was I to go on?! The only thing I loved to eat more than bread was pasta, cereal and veggie burgers (gluten, gluten and more gluten). So I moped about it for a while, ate a lot of fruits and veggies, started eating meat again and even began eating fish (gasp!). I found some gluten free breads at specialty markets but did not have much luck finding anything worth eating (hint: more often than not if you have to buy your bread from the freezer section it is not going to be extraordinarily tasty). So then I did what any resourceful gal would do and decided to bake my own bread. Now this did not seem like it would be a vary daunting task considering I had been baking since I was a little tyke but no no no I quickly realized I was going to have to start from scratch (pardon the pun) and learn to bake all over again. At first my finished product was not much better than what I had found in the stores but after a few months of researching alternative binders and experimenting in the kitchen with a plethora of flour combinations I figured it out (yay!). Now when I am craving blueberry muffins, fresh chocolate chip cream scones, sweet pumpkin bread or herbed focaccia I need not pout because within a few hours time I can easily whip up anything my bread loving tummy desires. For instance earlier this week I realized I was in the mood for sandwiches so Sunday night before bed I filled my bread machine with ingredients, hit start and while I was sleeping cooked up a loaf of sandwich bread. My lunches this week have been a delicious smorgasbord of sandwich creations. There was the herbed turkey, mozzarella and spinach smothered with homemade pesto on Monday, the peanut butter, honey and banana on Tuesday and the salami with aged cheddar and pepperoncinis on Wednesday. As if that was not enough sandwichey goodness for one week I think I have just enough bread left for one more delicious sandwich. A sandwich that I am going to go home and make right now! :)

One hour later...





yum! Best sandwich ever!! xoxo

Delicious Days

Even though my mouth has not been in the best of shape this week I must say that this has been quite the week of delicious eats. There were our last meals with Chris before he headed back to grad school on Sunday that began with a breakfast of fresh baked gluten free chocolate chip cream scones, espresso with vanilla silk and a sauté consisting of olive oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes, spinach, artichoke, ham, basil and cheddar cheese (with eggs added to it only after I removed a bit for egg hating me of course!). For dinner I made an even healthier meal of chili and homemade six cheese macaroni and cheese (white cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, mature Irish cheddar, romano, gouda and parmesan…oh my!).

The following day was Monday or as I like to call it dental torture day (see previous post for more detail) and while I thought I would be in for a day of bland and unappealing culinary creations it ended up being full of delicious surprises. Like the amazing tomato basil soup with crème fraiche I got for lunch that I always wanted to try at Waters but had not until then been able to bring myself to not order one of their delicious gluten free sandwiches. For dinner I continued with the soft foods theme and made a bowl of mashed yams with honey and then had chocolate soy pudding and tapioca pudding for dessert.

Aside from having a 24 hour headache as a result of dental torture day, Tuesday was even more delicious than Monday. We had a company lunch (all 4 of us!) and went to Sushi Station on the 101 to celebrate Cathy’s belated birthday. I have always wanted to try it because their motto is, “the food on your plate today was sleeping in the ocean last night”. I let Craig order as I am still quite the novice when it comes to ordering the raw fishies. We had one roll with salmon and avocado, another with tuna and real crab and a couple other super colorful and amazingly scrumptious twisty fishy creations. I found out we would be going for sushi the day prior and came prepared bringing along my own gluten free soy sauce which I mixed up with extra wasabi to make a nose tingling sushi dunking sauce. As if that was not enough yummy Asian cuisine for one day that evening I drove over to my favorite couples house, the Ford’s, for Dave’s going away Chinese dinner party. Justin had gone to Ranch 99 to get all the fixings’ and Kelly had whipped up a big batch of white rice the day prior to make the fried rice with (apparently a must when making authentic fried rice!). Justin manned the fryer and fried up crispy pork and chicken while Kelly stir fried the chicken again to make a scrumptious sweet and sour dish. Being the wonderful host and hostess they are they had bought gluten free soy sauce and set aside some chicken and plain veggies for me so I could whip up a gluten free dish for myself (I <3 them!). We marinated my chicken with toasted sesame oil, gluten free soy sauce, chili sauce, chinese five spice and fresh ginger and garlic. Later we pan fried this with bell peppers, onion, celery and pineapple and served it alongside steamed long skinny beans, broccoli and an ample serving of Kelly’s fried rice. It was amazing and defiantly the best home cooked Chinese meal I have ever had.

As if three delicious days were not enough on Wednesday the yummieness continued. Since I had such success with chewing on one side on Tuesday I went back to Waters on Wednesday and got my favorite, the turkey panini with roasted red peppers, spinach, pesto and cheese on gluten free focaccia (one of the many things I will dearly miss when we move to the new office). For dinner that night I made breakfast. Chicken apple sausage, freshly baked Irish soda bread with honey butter and sautéed artichoke, garlic, onion and spinach sprinkled with feta. Delish!

As for today I was still feeling quite full this morning from such a big dinner last night so I skipped breakfast and opted for multiple cups of tea and soymilk since I had planned to have lunch at one of the first places I fell in love with when I started working in Solana Beach last year, Naked Café. Soft tacos with chicken in a creamy peanut sauce, fresh salsa and leafy greens served along side coconut brown rice and black beans with my favorite drink, an yerba matte latte with extra foam. Lunches at Naked Café make me forget that I am mid work day. Watching kids playing at Fletcher Cove, surfers passing by with their boards and people riding by on beach cruisers wearing flip flops tricks my mind into thinking I have all the time in the world to sit and relax. Gazing at the ocean off in the distance as I sit and eat delicious food causes me to instantaneously slip into holiday mode. The beach has always had that effect on me which is one of the reasons I was so excited about going to work in an office that was just a hop skip and a jump away from the sand, sea and shells. But the feeling at this lunch was different, my heart was not as light and my spirit slightly troubled as I was unable to shake the thought that this time next month having lunch at this favorite spot of mine would not be so easy to do and that far too soon there would be fifteen extra miles added to the distance between my desk and the ocean.