Summertime is salad-for-dinner time. Am I right?
So what do you do when, 2 weeks after summer solstice, the sun has appeared for a total of 3 1/2 hours, and dinner on the deck means long pants and long sleeves?
I figured if I had to wear a sweater, then the salad probably needed a warm-up too. And as I found out, cashmere isn’t the only goat product with excellent thermal properties.
My intention was celebratory shot glasses made from meringue. The final result was more like clay pots. I kinda dig them though — and as a strawberry coulis delivery device, they performed brilliantly.
My last little sweet bite — Lemon Drops — were 1 perfect bite. These guys are a little bigger, so it’s more of a 2 bite scenario. But the potential for mess is small, as the chilled coulis is thick enough to hold in the curve of the pot while you finish that first sweet mouthful…
Salicornia Virginica is a small, salt tolerant plant that thrives across the shorelines, wetlands and salt marshes of North America. Known by a number of names –including samphire, pickleweed and sea asparagus — this nutrient-rich green vegetable adds a not-too-salty crunch when served cold in sushi, or hot alongside a grilled steak.
Plus, if you know where to find it, it’s free. Shazzaam! Take that global marketplace.
Sometimes you just want a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of oil to lightly dress a salad. At other times, you need a more substantial, flavour packed multi-purpose vinaigrette/dressing/dip — as you can see, this tasty concoction falls into the latter category.
Cheater (no yolks, no cooking — i.e. fast) homemade ice cream with intense, tangy citrus flavour.
My kinda summertime treat.
Baba Ghanoush. Fun to say, difficult to make look pretty. Food this colour is generally not a good idea.
But even the most aesthetically demanding foodies I know make an exception for Baba — it`s just too smoky, creamy and delicious to pass up.
We had it out on the deck last night with some flatbread and beef short ribs fresh off the charcoal grill. The sun may be acting a little shy lately, but I am determined to usher in summer, post-haste. Enough with this inside living stuff…
Lookie here! I deep fried myself (and Howard) some leftovers, and they sure were tasty.
“Deep fried leftovers? How do I get me some of those?” you ask.
Well, first, go off and make yourself a full recipe of Black & White Quinoa Risotto. Enjoy a big bowlful. Isn’t it good? Don’t eat it all though. It’s even better deep fried…
These are easy, quick to assemble,vegan and sugar free — yet they`re flaky, sweet and (just) gooey enough to satisfy everyone.
Think McDonald`s Apple Pie — ONLY MADE WITH REAL FOOD. Read the rest of this entry »
How many of us knew anything about quinoa 5 or 10 years ago? (Don’t answer that if you’re native to the Andes mountains.)
Nowadays, it’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t at least heard of it. I don’t have a lot to say about it that you can’t read somewhere else. It’s the perfect food, contains all the essential amino acids, is an excellent source of protein, is not a grain, but rather a plant seed, and therefore gluten free. Oh yeah, one last thing: quinoa comes in white, red and black.
Sometimes, it’s just good to get the dry stuff over with.
You may remember back in February when I happened across a bounty of organic Meyer lemons, sweet limes and tangerines — not an everyday find in our little island’s grocery store – giggling with glee, I picked through the pile, sliced & packed them with salt, and stuffed them into jars.
Six weeks later, we had our first taste of my salt-cured citrus. Since then, we’ve minced the intensely flavoured peel into almost every meal.
It took me until last week to find the sweet side of salt preservation – too long, I know — but life isn’t about regrets. And besides, who can bemoan the final result? From an unexpected treasure trove of lemons, we have a pot of sweet (and slightly salty) liquid gold. Read the rest of this entry »
