24 on the 24th!

faFor my birthday, I decided that it would be extremely fun to have a wine tasting. Everyone brought a bottle of wine to share. We created a score sheet and rated the wines on a 1 to 5 scale. At the end of the night, we chose the best red and the best white and awarded them prizes. To go along with all of the wine, we made some spectacular hors d'oeuvres. All in all, a pretty perfect birthday celebration!


With a wine tasting, you must have cheese. We created a simple cheese plate with a stilton, blue cheese, brie, and pepper jack along with crunchy crackers and crispy grapes.


We also made deviled eggs with capers and parsley. Simply boil the eggs for 15 minutes, drain, and place in ice-cold water. Peel, then scoop out the yolks. Mix the yolks with a healthy portion of mayonnaise, a bit of mustard, capers, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. Once the yolk mixture is mixed together, transfer the mixture into the egg whites and sprinkle with more chopped parsley.


A bean dip with crudite is always a good idea. It's simple to make and delicious to eat (not to mention nutritious). Puree 1 can white kidney beans, with a 1/2 cup basil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste. Serve with pita chips and fresh vegetables.


Creamy Mushroom Phyllo Triangles (Cooking Light, December 2007)

These are super yummy and great to make ahead of time (if only I had). They can even be frozen and baked directly from the freezer, just add 7 minutes onto baking time.

3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 3/4 oz.)
1 lbs. button mushrooms
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 oz.)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
6 oz. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
24 (18 x 14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
olive oil-flavored cooking spray

1. Cover porcini mushrooms with boiling water in a bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Drain well, chop.
2. Place half of button mushrooms in a food processor; pulse 8 times or until finely chopped. Remove from processor. Repeat procedure with remaining button mushrooms. Add onion to processor; pulse 8 times or until finely chopped.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; saute 5 minutes. Add button mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and liquid evaporates (about 10 minutes). Stir in porcini mushrooms, oregano, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until cheese melts. Stir in parsley.
4. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying), place phyllo sheet on large cutting board or work surface. Cut sheet in half lengthwise; lightly coat with cooking spray. Fold phyllo piece in half lengthwise to form a (3 1/2-inch wide) strip. Spoon a level tablespoon of mushroom mixture onto 1 short end of strip, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold 1 corner of edge with 1-inch border over mixture, forming a triangle; continue folding back and forth into a triangle to end of strip. Place triangles, seam side down, on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat tops with cooking spray.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.


Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta (Cooking Light, September 2008)

These were definitely the hit of the party. We were completely out of these (and most everything else) when the party ended. We are continuing to use the remaining fig preserves on toast. It is best with goat cheese though.

1 1/4 cups chopped dried Mission figs (about 9 oz.)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup coarsely chopped orange sections
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
40 (1/2-inch-thick) slices Fresh bread baguette, toasted (about 8 oz.)
1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) crumbled goat cheese
5 tsp. finely chopped walnuts

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until figs are tender. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
2. Preheat broiler.
3. Top each bread slice with 1 1/2 tsp. fig mixture and 1 1/2 tsp. goat cheese. Arrange bruschetta on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with walnuts. Broil 2 minutes or until nuts begin to brown. Serve warm.


Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Cooking Light, August 2008)

The recipe has shrimp in the rolls, but I omitted them to make it vegetarian. You could certainly add tofu or avocado for an added punch. I think these were slightly underappreciated at the party. But that's just fine with me, because I got to eat all the leftovers!

Rolls
1 cup thinly sliced Bibb lettuce
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup cooked bean threads (cellophane noodles, about 1 oz. uncooked)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 2)
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil
1/4 cup chopped mint
6 oz. cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, coarsely chopped
8 (8-inch) round sheets rice paper

Dipping Sauce
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1. To prepare rolls, combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add hot water to a large, shallow dish to a depth of 1 inch. Place 1 rice paper in dish; let stand 30 seconds or just until soft. Place sheet on a flat surface. Arrange 1/3 cup shrimp mixture over half of sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Folding sides of sheet over filling and starting with filled side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Gently press seam to seal. Place roll, seam side down, on a serving platter (cover to keep from drying). Repeat procedure with remaining shrimp mixture and rice paper sheets.
3. To prepare dipping sauce, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients; stir with a whisk. Serve with summer rolls.

Tandoori Twist

I really like to look through the appropriate month sections of the Cooking Light cookbooks to find meals. They typically use more seasonal ingredients, which I always want to take advantage of. While flipping through the July section, I found a recipe for Chipotle Tandoori Shrimp Wraps that intrigued me from the get-go. Adam ate the meal as it appears in the recipe. I simple created a veggie version by substituting tofu slices for the shrimp. The only other aspect of the recipe we changed was that we broiled the shrimp and tofu. We would have grilled them, but we ran out of propane for our grill. Oh well. They were quite delicious regardless!


Chipotle Tandoori Shrimp Wraps (Cooking Light, July 2006)

1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt, divided
2 Tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. adobo sauce
2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
cooking spray
8 (7-inch) flatbreads (such as Flatout)
1 cup diced peeled mango
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 thinly sliced fresh jalapenos peppers
8 lime wedges

1. Combine 1 cup yogurt, ginger, and next 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal bag. Toss well to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.
2. Prepare grill.
3. Remove shrimp from bag; discard marinade. Thread shrimp evenly onto 8 (10-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 2 minutes on each side or until done. Let shrimp stand 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from skewers. Divide shrimp evenly among 8 flatbreads. Top each serving with 2 Tbs. mango, 1 Tbs. onion, 1 1/2 tsp. cilantro, and 1 Tbs. yogurt. Divide jalapeno evenly among flatbreads; roll up. Serve with lime wedges.

The Most Perfect Pasta Salad

For some unknown reason, we keep receiving Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. I decided to flip through it and found this amazing looking pasta recipe. It was even better than I had anticipated! The recipe calls for shredded chicken. To make it vegetarian-friendly, we simply omitted the chicken and added sauteed portobella mushrooms and spinach to the mix. The yogurt, raisins, and almonds combine perfectly with the whole wheat pasta, parsley, spinach, and mushrooms to make a satisfying and complete meal.


Pasta Salad with Chicken, Raisins, and Almonds (Everyday Food: A Martha Stewart Magazine, July/August 2009)

coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz. whole-wheat penne rigate (or other short pasta)
2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
2. In a large bowl, stir together pasta, chicken, yogurt, raisins (if using), parsley, almonds, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Thin sauce with pasta water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. (To store, refrigerate, up to 1 day.)

Cobb(ish) Salad

We decided to try out veggie bacon to add some more variety into our veggie diet. From that spawned this idea for a cobb salad dinner. Adam's and mine turned out to be a little different from each other's, but that's what is so wonderful about salads--they can be made for the individual without much extra work. You could make your own salad bar for a crowd by having a big bowl with salad greens and little bowls full of your favorite salad toppings. Here's what we put on our salads:

Mine

hard-boiled egg slices
avocado
veggie bacon pieces
chickpeas
red pepper
red onion
tomato

Adam omitted the chickpeas and added toasted pecans. We each dressed our salad with a honey mustard vinaigrette. Delish and oh so healthy!

Asian Burgers

I certainly did a lot of cooking in July, but not so much blogging. Hopefully, I can catch you up with my wonderful summer food adventures before the summer is over. (Although, the Bay area summer doesn't really happen until September/October.) For a different take on the usual burger, we added an Asian flair. We mixed the meat with soy sauce, pepper, red chile and garlic paste, and a tiny bit of Chinese Barbecue sauce and topped the burger with a crunchy Asian slaw, which also went perfectly with my veggie burger. A nice spinach salad with grilled onions and a sesame vinaigrette served as a wonderful accompaniment.


Asian Slaw Burger Topping

Combine these ingredients in portions to taste. You'll want about a 1/3 of a cup of slaw per burger.

sugar snap peas, thinly sliced on a diagonal
carrots, thinly sliced on a diagonal
red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
splash of rice vinegar
splash of sesame oil
chile and garlic paste
Chinese barbecue sauce


Spinach Salad with Grilled Red Onion Rings and Sesame Vinaigrette (Cooking Light, July 2007)

1 large red onion, cut crosswise into 12 (1/4-inch-thick) rings (about 10 oz.)
2 tsp. dark sesame oil, divided
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. honey
10 cups baby spinach leaves (about 10 oz.)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sesame seeds, toasted

1. Prepare grill.
2. Combine onion and 1/2 tsp. oil, tossing to coat. Arrange onion on a grill rack; grill 9 minutes or until browned and tender, turning frequently.
3. Combine 1 1/2 tsp. oil, juice, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
4. Place spinach in a large bowl; sprinkle with pepper and salt. Add onions. Drizzle oil mixture over spinach mixture, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Strata

This is my first attempt and actual eating of strata. I have to say that it isn't my favorite dish I've made. The consistency of the bread is not ideal, but it is an interesting and different way to incorporate vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates into one dish. I recommend giving this a shot if you have some time to prep the day or morning before you want to serve it, as it does need to rest in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

Caramelized Onion, Swiss Chard, and Fontina Cheese Strata (Cooking Light, July 2007)

cooking spray
3 cups thinly sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
8 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (about 1 lbs.)
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 1/3 cups fat-free milk
1 cup egg substitute
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
dash of ground nutmeg
12 oz. French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 10 cups)
3/4 cup drained, crumbled water-packed firm tofu
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded fontina cheese

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; cook 12 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add chard; cook 5 minutes or until chard wilts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 tsp. salt.
2. Combine 1/4 tsp. salt, milk, and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Place half of bread mixture in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top evenly with tofu, half of chard mixture, and 1/2 cup cheese. Top evenly with remaining bread mixture, remaining chard mixture, and 1/2 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Remove strata from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake strata, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Summer Nights

This next meal epitomizes summer. We received our August Food and Wine magazine, and immediately we flipped through the pages finding this perfectly summery sensation. We even paired it with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which melded all of the flavors of the meal together. I definitely suggest making this complete menu as the whole is better than all of the parts (although those are pretty good too).


Quinoa Salad with Sugar Snap Peas (Food and Wine, August 2009)

1/2 lbs. sugar snap peas
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup minced chives

1. In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, simmer the peas until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and spread out on a large plate to cool, then pat dry. Cut the peas on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until all the water has evaporated and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa, then transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
3. In a bowl, combine the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Add the peas to the quinoa with the pumpkin seeds, chives and dressing; stir. Season with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.


Chilled Red Bell Pepper Shooters (Food and Wine, August 2009)

These shooters are accompanied by Parmesan dusted tortilla strips, which we omitted. But, I am sure that they would add a nice crunch to the meal.

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large red bell peppers (1 lbs.), thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
salt
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth [or veggie]
freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil, for frying
2 6-inch tortillas, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for dusting

1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the peppers, garlic, onion and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the peppers are softened, 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, water and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the peppers are very tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until lightly chilled.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the tortilla strips and fry over moderately high heat until crisp. Drain and dust with the cheese. Serve with the chilled soup in shot glasses.