Thursday, August 26, 2010

Roasted Butternut Squash, Zucchini and Red Onions with Thyme

Foggy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon.....always something to do on the Pacific Coast. After a day of paperwork thought that some time in the kitchen would be good. Dicing and chopping always calms the mind.






Did you know that zucchini is a member of the the squash and pumpkin family of vegetables? Well I certainly did not, so taking this new bit of information into the kitchen I decided to roast squash and red onion as a side dish for this evenings meal. Have a feeling that being creative with this particular vegetable is going to be important for the rest of the summer.





Ingredients:

4 cups of butternut squash cut into 1/2 dice
1 large zucchini sliced about 1 inch slices
1 large red onion
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 clove garlic,smashed with salt and then minced
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp balsamic oil
Feta or goat cheese crumbled on top when serving

Cut up vegetables, combine oil, balsamic, garlic and thyme together. Mix together, roast 400 degrees for approx 25-30 mins. Garnish with Feta cheese. Serve warm. This would also good on top of a salad or some type of brown rice, quinoa or barley.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Chicken Cutlets with Tomato Cream Sauce




Went for an afternoon hike, the fog was just starting to come in so we decided to go inland. Cape Perpetua sounded like the obvious choice, close and always beautiful. After looking over the trail map we realized we had never been on the Discovery Trail which started at the north side of the RV parking lot. What a find this was, incredible trees that creaked and groaned in the wind, patches of ferns and peak a boo views of the Pacific throughout. Amazing!





After arriving at home and needing something relatively easy to fix for dinner, decided upon this simple main dish that is delicious and easy to make.  The fresh lemon juice makes this dish really pop!

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into cutlets
salt & pepper
small amount of flour to dust chicken with
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped tomato
2 Tbsp heavy cream
A garnish of chives

First; to carve cutlet from chicken breast, cut in half lenghwise, pound with mallet in between plastic wrap. Season with salt and pepper then dust with a coat of flour. Preheat heavy bottom non-stick pan with oil and saute chicken on both sides. Transfer to platter, pour fat from pan. De glaze pan with chicken broth, return to heat and cook about 2 min. Add lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook about 1 min on each side, remove to platter. Stir in tomato and cream into sauce. Heat through, pour over cutlets. Garnish with chives. Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Potato, Onion and Rosemary Frittata

After a long walk on the beach and the usual stop at my favorite coffee place I felt like something a little more hearty than my customary bowl of cereal. After looking around the rather empty pantry and fridge I decided upon a potato and onion frittata with rosemary. First I select the rosemary from the herb garden to clean and chop. Next slice the potato and onion and then hear the sizzle of the onion as it hits the skillet. The savory aroma now hits the senses. Wish there were more mornings like this....



Friday, August 13, 2010

Sweet Corn, Arugula and Red Onion Salad







Can't get any better than this, fresh corn, red onion and arugula from our garden. Had this salad before at our neighboring Whole Foods Market. Incredible fresh flavor and ease to prepare make this dish a summertime favorite.Can't remember if they used fresh Basil or Thyme, I bet either would be fine.  

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Shaved Zucchini, Mushroom or Asparagus Salad

After working in the garden all day, I decided upon a pretty simple dinner for this evening. The zucchini has just started the summer take over....so a raw shaved zucchini salad sounded perfect. The lemon juice in this recipe tenderizes this vegetable and after the addition of Olive Oil and Parmesan cheese you have the perfect side dish for most any summertime meal.

The key to this recipe is really fresh ingredients. I have used fresh shaved asparagus, mushrooms or zucchini for this combination of ingredients. Use a vegetable peeler with the asparagus and zucchini, and a knife with the mushrooms.  Let the lemon tenderize the vegetables at least  a half an hour.
Ingredients:
2 Zucchini, if doing asparagus approx 30 stems, mushrooms approx 6 ounces.
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons fresh olive oil
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh pepper

To Prepare: Shave Vegetable with vegetable peeler, (mushrooms cut thinly) Place in bowl with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Refrigerate, then toss in shaved Parmesan Adjust for salt, add pepper..

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Kale and White Bean Soup

Last night I soaked a cup of white beans to go with the kale from the garden for a nice comforting bowl of Kale and White bean soup. It's almost noon and  the mist surrounding our little cottage town seems quiet and serene. Then for the background noise you can hear water pounding the rocks,  throwing the spray this way and that.. Perfect weather for a cup of steaming soup.

Ingredients:
1 Onion
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
2 carrot sticks
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
8 cups chicken stock
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale
1 appr 2 inch piece of parma rind
6 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons fresh parsley

To Prepare: Saute onion in Olive oil. 1 to 2 tablespoons, approx 10 min. Throw in carrots and celery. Cook another 5 min. Add garlic cook 1 min. Add tomatoes, stir then add in chicken stock. Tie the thyme together, adds beans and red pepper flakes. Simmer until done, a couple of hours. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. Remove cheese rind. Serve with crusty bread and a simple salad.