Zucchini, Baby!

Steph 1: Buy one of these bad boys at the farmer's market.

Step 2: Make it into a cake.

But wait!

Before you eat your cake made from a vegetable, eat this fish for dinner!

Oh yeah, THIS fish.  Topped with butter and cheese. Mmmmm.

Parmesan topped Tilapia

What you need:

4 tilapia filets (thawed if frozen)

Salt and pepper

3 tbsp butter

1/8 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese

3-4 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp fresh thyme

How to do:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Pat down the filets with paper towels.  Place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

In the meantime, mix together the butter, cheeses, garlic, and thyme.  

When the fish is finished baking, take it out and turn on the broiler. 

Flip the fish over and top with the mixture.   

Broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is beautifully golden and bubbly and your kitchen smells wonderful.  (Please note: the smell is of garlic and parmesan, not fish)

recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats

--back to zucchini--

Serve with zucchini and onions with basil, unless you follow a recipe from a not-to-be named website that has poor directions and so it gets done 25 minutes after your main dish. 

I know this might seem a bit heavy and maybe even (gasp!) unhealthy, but it really isn't.  I love Brummel and Brown butter spread and it's only 3 tbsp.  Shoot, I make cookies and muffins with WAY more butter than that on a regular basis.  Cheese is always good, so it doesn't neccessarily count.  I used the two different kinds because I think shredded parm has a much different flavor than the grated kind in the plastic container and Breeze isn't a huge fan of it.  It really isn't heavy either, it's very light and delicoius.  Also, we don't eat a lot of fish at the Breeze house but I know Omega-3's are very important. 

This is a great dish to fit in some fish. 

I think I'll end on that. =)

Enjoy!

Burritos! Whole Foods!



Clockwise from the left:  7 layer dip, Nancy's avacado garlicky dip and homemade pita chips, veggie chips, burritos, and an assortment of veggies with ranch dip. 

 Do you have foods that when they are cooked or even mentioned they remind you of someone or something??

Burritos are that way for me.  They remind me of Salon 9 and Brian Hendrickson.  He makes the best burritos ever!  That's them on the left.  The mixture of meat and beans paired with the crispy shell is ba-nanas!  For my last day of work on Thursday, the Salon 9 staff had quite the spread of deliciousness to send me off.  Even Kennedee, who I'm pretty sure is scared of the kitchen, made some ah-mazing seven layer dip!  I so appreciate what they did for me and I was so happy they went with the Mexican theme. 

Nancy made me white texas sheet cake.  Yummmmmm.

Somebody had a few bites before I got to take a pic.  I don't blame them, it is out of this world fabulous.  The almond flavoring is nothing short of amazing. 

I'm so going to miss everyone at the shop AND their food.  As my last attempt at being in charge, I pulled everyone together for a group photo.  It took an act of congress, but look how good the picture is!  Isabel needs to be a model! 




What a good looking group!

 

On another note, Friday I got to go to Whole Foods with my mom!  It was really fun!  I had to hold back and not buy everything I wanted, but I grabbed a good amount of things that I can't find in the Burg. 

My favorite finds:

I've never even seen Quinoa pasta! 

My sister and I always talk about how celeberties love coconut water but we tried the regular flavor and both think it is sick!! So I got some flavored kinds to test out. 

Seseme crisps- a super healthy snack!

Veganaise!  A much healthier alternative to Mayo.

Pop Chips!! 3 bags for $5 at that! 

And the best find of all:

Synergy Kombucha!! I'd give anything to be able to buy this in town!

Did you notice all the exclamantion points?  Exciting stuff!

Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken

When things seem out of the ordinary, like when you are approaching your last day of a job you've been going to every day for the past eight years, sometimes all you want is normal.  Well, tomorrow is my last day at Salon 9 and so tonight all I wanted was taco meat and my favorite orange blackberry muffins. 

But last week everything seemed totally normal, so I took a walk on the Asian side!

Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, whisked
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup ketchup
3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like spicy!)
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

How to do:
Pre-heat your oven to 350. 
For the chicken:
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
You'll want to do this in two batches.
Roll the chicken in the cornmeal, then in the egg.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook until just browned on the outside, not fully cooked.
In a 9x13, place the battered chicken in a single layer. 
For the sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, agave, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes. 
Pour half the mixture over the chicken and place in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes.
In the meantime, pour the remaining sauce in a small saucepan, and reduce the sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently.
When the chicken is done, pour most of the remaining sauce over the top.  I reserved just a little bit of sauce to have on the side. 
Pour the sesame seeds on top of the chicken.

On a side note:  Next time I would either use less vinegar or more agave/sugar.  Breeze thought it tasted perfect though so do what you please!
Recipe adapted from  this Tasty Kitchen Member. 

Follow these photos for a wonderful dinner:

Everyday ingredients you have in your cabinet to make sweet and sour chicken!

Brown the chicken covered in cornmeal.

Bake the browned chicken for about less than an hour.

 Thicken the sauce over medium heat.

Serve with brown rice and mixed veggies!

Enjoy!!

Faj-hi-tas! Say it with me!

Chicken & Steak Fajitas

We made enough dinner to feed a small army tonight.  Dinner was ready to eat at 9:00 pm.  TONS of food at 9 on a Sunday.  We will be eating fajitas all week long!

It was one of the best meals we've made in a while.  I would highly recommend that you make it this week.  Or you could just come over and eat the pounds of fajita meat and veggies that we have left!  Either way, fajitas should be in your near future.

Ingredients:
for the marinade
2 oranges
3 limes
~2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp chili powder

2 chicken breasts
Around 1 pound fajita steak
1 red pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 small onion

Lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, refried beans, and salsa for topping

How to do:
Mix the juices from the oranges and limes with the other marinade ingredients.  Pour over the meats and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. 

Slice up the peppers and onion.  Heat some olive oil up in a skillet and add the veggies.  Cook until softened. 

Dice the tomatoes, chop the lettuce, dice the avocado, and shred the cheeses.  (see note for an avocado tip.)

In a skillet, cook the meat. 

Dive in! 
Recipe adapted from the lovely Giada. 
This meal really awakens your senses, the colors and the smells were both amazing!  Check out these photos!

Mmm.. Veggies!

Toppings.  We clearly love cheese.

Can you see that steam!?  I like my fajita veggies HOTT!

A feast fit for two. 

Washed it all down with a water with lime.  Tequila sounded good but it was Sunday and I had my fair share of margaritas y cervezas this weekend.

Note:  To slice avocados cut the avocado in half and remove the seed.  Leaving the avocado in the peel, cut the slices and remove them one by one from the peeling.  Smooth as pie!  Or something like that!

Enjoy!

Eggs + Muffins = Meggs or Effins? You Decide.

These egg muffins are ah-mazing!  They are fluffy and wonderful on the inside and have a nice golden edge on top.  Girl, breakfast for dinna don't get much betta.  Except when you add bacon and toast. 

Ingredients:
5 eggs
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, finely chopped
4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 handful fresh spinach
7 or so basil leaves, torn
A little bit less than 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper, heavy on the salt (I RARELY say this)

How to do:
Pre-heat the oven to 350.
Crack the eggs, separating the whites from the yellows. 
Saute the onion, zucchini, and tomatoes in a tiny bit of olive oil.  Add the spinach until just wilted followed by the basil leaves. 
To the yolks, add the sauteed mixture, cheese, milk, and salt and pepper.  
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until peaks form.  Fold them into the egg mixture.

Grease the muffin tins to the max!  This is really important because you do NOT want stuck on eggs.  Trust me, you want them to pop out cleanly.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a plate.  If you have extras, place them on a cooling rack so they don't become soggy. 

Recipe adapted from The Sweet Beet.

From start:

To finish:

         Add whatever veggies you want to these.  Heat them up throughout the week for a quick and easy breakfast or snack.  To store in the refrigerator, wrap in paper towels and store in a container.  To store in the freezer, separate them by wrapping them in plastic wrap and store in a container. 

Enjoy!

Peaches 2 Ways: Peach Crisp & Rustic Peach Pie

I bought a bulk amount of peaches this week.  I just couldn't resist their sweetness and the way the just melted in your mouth.  I did the only logical thing to do when one has too many peaches, added butter or bourbon (or both) and baked something delicious!  I have two recipes to share today.  The first I would recommend for a weeknight and the second I would recommend for the weekend. 

First up, peach crisp.



I wish you could at least smell this crisp's amazingness.

 I combined two recipes for this.  I found one for bouron peach hand pies at  Smitten Kitchen and one for apple crisp in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.  I adapted the filling from the first recipe and used the crisp from the second. 

Ingredients:
for the filling
5-6 peaches, peeled, chopped, and pitted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp bourbon
for the crisp
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
5 tbs cold butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour (either all-purpose or wheat)
dash salt

How to do:
Preheat the oven to 400. 
In a small bowl, combine the peaches with the sugar, vanilla, and bourbon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, oats, flour, and salt.  I did this by hand, working the softened butter in with the other ingredients.  This can also be done with a food processor, a fork, or a pastry blender.  I went old school and used my clean hands. 

Pour the peaches in a greased (or buttered) 9 inch pie pan. Crumble the topping over the peach mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

Next up, Rustic Peach Pie!

I feel like the word "rustic" perfectly describes this pie.

This recipe came directly from Hungry Girl Por Vida.  The pie crust she used was from Martha Stewart.  I'm pretty sure 99% of the pies I found online used Martha's recipe.  She clearly knows her sh*t. 

I made this pie for my dad today and served with vanilla ice cream, it was the perfect Father's Day gift!  It didn't look all that beautiful, but luckily dads don't care about that kind of stuff.

Ingredients:
for the crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks butter, cut into cubes
1/4 - 1/2 cup ice water
for the filling:
5-6 peaches, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp cornstarch

How to do:
Crust first.  Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Chop the butter into cubes.  Mix the butter into the flour mixture with your clean hands until it resembles a crumbly mixture.  This takes a little while, so be patient.  To be honest, it was kind of relaxing and the mixture was so much softer than I expected.  Try to enjoy this step!  Next, add about 1/4 cup of the ice water and start forming the crust.  Add more water as needed until the crust is easy to work with.*  Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. 
Mixture second.  In a bowl combine the vanilla bean paste and the sugar to make vanilla sugar.  Whisk in the cornstarch.  Mix in the peaches.  Let this mixture set aside while the crust is still chilling. 
Pie.  Roll the crust out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or if you're out, spray the baking sheet with Pam).  Pour the peach mixture into the center of the crust.  Bring the sides of the crust up around the mixture, leaving the middle exposed.  Sprinkle sugar on top. 
Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. 

*I did not use enough water because I was afraid of it being runny and my crust came out drier than I would have liked.  It looked similar to a biscuit but tasted like pie crust.  Next time, I'll use more water.

I hope you try one of these recipes during the summer while peaches are in season. They are both very good and pretty simple and best when served to your family! 

And as my final thought, vanilla bean paste shuts it down.  Buy some soon!

Enjoy!

Zucchini & Squash

We are on a zucchini and squash kick.  It's just so summer-like.
Tonight we couldn't decide what would be the better way to cook the vegetables.  Foil pack on the grill?  Sauteed on the stove? 
What's the best way to decide?

COOK OFF!!!



pre-cooked vegetables



Breeze headed out to the grill.  I headed to the couch to relax until there were only 10 minutes left for the food on the grill, then to the kitchen.

The recipes were similar, but I kept mine a secret until dinner was served.  Mine had to be just a little bit different than his...

Breeze's Method:

He put the zucchini and squash slices along with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper.  He sees nothing wrong with excess amounts of ingredients.  He then placed the veggies on the grill at the same time as the hamburgers and flipped them a couple of times. 

Jenni's Method:

First, I put a couple of teaspoons of oil in a skillet and let it get hot.  Second, I placed the zucchini and squash slices in the skillet with salt, pepper, and a large pinch of red pepper flakes.  Third, I sauteed the vegetables on the stove top for about 10 minutes until they were cooked but not too soft.  While the veggies were still hot, I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top. 

post-cooked vegetables.  don't they both look good?!

The Results:

A tie?  They were both very good.  Breeze's had a bit much oil and mine could've used a little more seasoning.  If you had to nit-pick. 



Vegetables together.  Like bffs. 

As my mother would say, they were just a little different but real vegetables.  Wouldn't you say that, mom?  :)