day 4. detox. dinner.

Detox is truckin' along. I kind of missed wine today so I made this fancy water to compensate. Also the beautiful, snowy, hour long walk I took the dogs really helped too.   

fancy water.

sliced lemons 

sliced limes

sliced cucumbers

plain seltzer water

black beans & brown rice with chicory & guacamole.
serves 2-4

for the beans:
1 15oz can organic black beans
3/4 of an onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & cracked pepper

1 lime for serving, cut into wedges
3 cups leafy chicory, roughly chopped

1. Over medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic, & cumin. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add beans, with the liquid. Cook for about 10 minutes, & mash the beans a little with the back of a wooden spoon.

1 cup medium grain brown rice

2 1/2 cup broth or stock (your choice, I used homemade chicken stock)

1. Cook according to your rice packaging directions. 

for the guacamole:

1 avocado, mashed

1 clove roasted garlic, mashed

1/4 of an onion, diced

2 TBL fresh cilantro, chopped

juice of 1/2 lime

sea salt & cracked pepper

1. Mix ingredients in a bowl. 

To serve, plate up some chicory, rice, beans & a dollop of guacamole. Squeeze with lime.

happy eatings & cheers!

spanish tapas.

 29 June 2012

Literally, this spread took less that 15 minutes. I was inspired by my craving for white Spanish Rijoa & Jamie Oliver's Best Chorizo & Tomato Salad from his book Jamie Does... Since I do not eat animals for the four-legged kind, I bought some beautiful chicken chorizo from Whole Foods for the salad. Add some crusty bread, some cheese & some beans--& we were in business.

This, like most food on this blog, is a template for what you prefer or already have. For instance, if you are not a fan of chickpeas, go for some cannellini beans--if you do not eat meat, go for a vegetarian chorizo. Because this was hardly what I would call a time consuming meal, it left us plenty of time to eat, drink & be merry--& on a Wednesday no less!

Chorizo & Tomato Salad

serves 4

1 raw organic chorizo sausage, roughly sliced

olive oil

3 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

3 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, quartered, smaller ones halved

3 spring onions, finely sliced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spanish extra virgin olive oil

sherry vinegar

a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

--Fry the sliced chorizo in a pan over a medium heat with a lug of dive oil. Stir it occasionally while you prepare your tomatoes and spring onions. Put them into a bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper, a lug of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley, toss everything together, then put aside.

-- The chorizo should be crispy with beautiful fat cooking out of it. Add the sliced garlic to the pan and keep it moving around. You don't want it to burn, so as soon as it starts to smell fantastic, get the pan off the heat and pour in a small splash of sherry vinegar to stop it cooking further. Stir, then spoon

the crispy chorizo and some of its lovely flavoured oil and garlic over the salad (if you've got any leftover fat in the pan, pour it into a jam jar and store it in the fridge - if you rub it all over a chicken before roasting it will add the most incredible flavour).

--Toss your salad and serve it right away. You'll definitely want some hunks of bread to mop up all that spicy garlicky dressing.

Warm Smashed Chickpeas

This is also from Jamie Does... as a tapas suggestion. We've made this multiple times, it is so, so easy & really lovely. 

Put a pan on medium heat & 1 15oz can of chickpeas in their juices. Boil for a few minutes.

Take off the heat & use a potato masher to mash the beans into a chunky consistency.

Mix in 1 TBL sherry vinegar & a lug of extra virgin olive oil.

Peel a clove of garlic & grate it into the mixture.

Stir & cook a few more minutes & season with sea salt & cracked pepper.

To serve, drizzle extra virgin olive oil into a well in the center & add a pinch of paprika...It will be really pretty (Jediah put a healthy pinch of Spanish paprika on ours, as you can see!)

accompaniments...

Manchego or a hard sheep's milk cheese 

crusty bread of choice

a jar of roasted red peppers, drained 

extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt

happy eatings & cheers!

the breakfast of lazy champions. spinach & chevre puff pastry rolls. {vegetarian option}

18 May 2010
Sometimes when you do not have any food in your house & you really have to scrounge for a meal--it ends up being bangin'! This breakfast/lunch/dinner item's ingredients basically all came from by freezer--ooo, kind of like a frozen dinner... but is inexpensive & a crowd pleaser.

I made this for breakfast during our semester finals week. It was just the perfect pick me up when all of my brain cells were slowly dying from end of the semester studying & writing &, yes, the last thing I really wanted to do was cook! gasp!

Basically, this is simple, inexpensive, & of course good. It is perfect for anything to an appetizer to dinner (with a salad or grilled vegetables); it is also easy enough to manipulate to what you have at home.

Spinach & Goat Cheese Rolls

serves 4

1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg, beaten
Flour for dusting
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted & squeezed of liquid
1 clove garlic, grated
1/3 cup pecorino, grated
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
Sea salt & cracked pepper to taste
4 oz goat cheese
6 slices turkey, chicken or ham, from deli (optional if you want it to be vegetarian-- try sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil instead)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl combine spinach, garlic, Locatelli, thyme & seasoning.

2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until 1/4" thick. Spread goat cheese on the pastry leaving around 1" edge. Then cover the cheese with the deli slices.

3. Sprinkle the spinach mixture over the deli slices. Roll the pastry from the shorter edge. Cut about 10-12 slices.

4. Place cut side down on the baking tray and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until beautifully golden. Let cool for about five minutes before serving.

happy eatings & cheers!