Browsing Tag

tomato

Tasty

Girls Love to Brunch

November 6, 2013

Every Sunday I tell myself I am going to wake up and whip up an amazing brunch for the hubby and I, and by the time I work my way down my mental to-do list, I am too overwhelmed… this past weekend though I was excited to put together a brunch that tasted like it took MUCH more time than it did.

Brunch

The key to this meal – the best ingredients you can find.  I went to the farmer’s market at 9am and bought farm fresh eggs, Early Girl tomatoes (that no joke you could smell when walking by their stand… I didn’t even know tomatoes could smell amazing!??!), and Levain rustic bread from the Manresa Bread Project.  By 11am I was home from errand running and was eating this meal by 11:30am… doesn’t get much better than that!

Charred Tomatoes and Toast 

  • 4 Slices Rustic Bread
  • 4 Tomatoes
  • 1 Clove of Garlic, peeled and sliced in half
  • 4 Eggs
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive Oil
  1. Toast your bread (you could put it in the toaster, but I toasted in in a pan on the stove)
  2. Remove from heat and rub sliced end of garlic on bread.
  3. Brush olive oil on bread.
  4. Slice tomatoes in half (I sliced the ends off too, just because I’m weird about them)
  5. Brush sliced end with olive oil.
  6. Heat a pan over medium heat and once pan is warm place tomato, sliced side down on pan.
  7. Don’t move and let them cook for 3-4 minutes (until charred).
  8. Remove tomatoes from pan and place 2 atop each piece of bread.
  9. Drizzle some olive oil in a pan and crack eggs into pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  10. Let eggs cook, undisturbed for 2-3 minutes (until egg white sets)
  11. Remove eggs once finished and place atop tomatoes and toast

Now what is the best thing to wash this meal down with? My easy go to brunch drink – a Michelada Cubana!

Michelada Cubana

Michelada Cubana 

  • 1 Corona 
  • Fresh squeezed lime juice (of 2 limes)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 4-5 dashes of Tabasco (or more if you love it really hot)
  1. Rim a glass with lime juice and salt. 
  2. Mix ingredients listed above and pour into glass.

Michelada

*I premixed this drink in a pitcher when I got home and refrigerated it while I was making brunch.  Once the eggs were cooked I poured it into the salt rimmed glass and was good to go!

Cocktail Eggs Brunch

Tasty

Bruschetta Dip

October 2, 2013

Tomato Garlic BasilI had to prep a gluten free appetizer and got overwhelmed by the fact that pretty much every hors d’oeuvre I love is based on carbs/bread/gluten.  My solution bruschetta dip!  Or as I also call it… Italian salsa!

Bruchetta with Chips

  • 2-3 cups heirloom tomatoes/Sweet 100’s (the key is GREAT produce… I picked everything up from the farmers market that day)
  • 3 cloves garlic (or more if you really love garlic)
  • a large handful of basil
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  1. Slice tomatoes into bite-size pieces (I quartered them), cut basil into thin strips (I rolled  5 leaves at a time and used herb shears to cut thin strips), and mince garlic.  Combine everything in a large bowl. 
  2. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour to let the flavors really meld together.
  4. Serve with gluten free crackers (if going the gluten free approach)… otherwise serve with buttered and toasted baguette bread slices!

Bruchetta DipI can’t wait to serve the leftovers with a scoop of burrata cheese and a balsamic glaze drizzle…

 

Tasty

Weekly Menu #16

September 23, 2013

Some yummy menu ideas to use up your end of summer produce!

Spicy Soba Noodles and Tofu with Peanut Sauce

spicy soba noodles with peanut sauce

SO easy and even more delicious! It is s great cold for lunch the next day too! spicy soba tofu with peanut sauce

Chicken Flautas in a Roasted Tomatillo Broth

Chicken Flauta

These were amazing and the recipe makes quite a few… I prepared half of them and froze the other half.  Always love a 2 for 1 meal 🙂

Flautas with Tomatillo Broth

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parm

A yummy and healthier alternative to fried chicken parm!  I added sliced cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil on top for a fresh finish!

Tasty

You Say Tomato…

September 4, 2013

Farmers MarketAnyone who knows me knows I hate tomatoes… so how could it be that I’m buying tomatoes ON MY OWN ACCORD lately?! Enter – heirloom tomatoes.  Something about them is so appealing, and the sweetness of them makes it hard to deny how tasty a summer treat they are!  Here is how I’ve been enjoying the produce lately…

Roasted Tomato Crostini

Honestly I’ve been making roasted tomatoes weekly and enjoy them over ricotta and sprinkled with basil.  I tried a fun variation this weekend of a crostini lightly brushed with a garlic clove and topped with warm goat cheese and a balsamic reduction.

How to Roast Tomatoes:

  1. Wash cherry tomatoes (can do with any kind, but I like smaller, sweet ones)
  2. Spread out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (optional)
  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (Maldon sea salt will change your life)
  4. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or so (keep an eye on them, because it depends how many you use/how hot your oven gets, etc. – you want them blistered but not burnt)

Caprese

I also love a great caprese salad.  Want to elevate it? Substitute mozzarella for buffala mozzarella or burrata (your life will be changed).

Caprese Salad

  • Sliced heirloom tomatoes
  • Sliced basil leaves
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Balsamic reduction/olive oil
  1. Slice tomatoes
  2. Season with salt and pepper (once again, I HIGHLY recommend Maldon sea salt)
  3. Tear pieces of basil and sprinkle atop tomatoes
  4. Place a portion of cheese on top of tomatoes (you can slice mozzarella into smaller pieces, burrata can be torn in half and served in the center)
  5. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and/or olive oil.
Tasty

Farm to Fork

August 28, 2013

Breakfast Tostada

Step 1: Chop Swiss Chard – saute stalk separately from the greens with garlic, salt and olive oil

Assemble 1st layer: Swiss Chard

Assemble 2nd layer: Lentils (rinse canned lentils and warm on the stove or microwave) – you also could use black beans

Step 3: Chop sweet potatoes and saute with chopped onion, garlic and olive oil (add herbs if you wish!)

Sweet Potatoes Assemble 3rd layer: Sweet Potato Mixture

Sweet PotatoAssemble 4th layer: Eggplant (saute chopped eggplant or any other squash you like)

EggplantStep 5: Fry eggs

Assemble 5th layer: Top eggs with chopped heirloom tomatoes and basil

TomatoStep 6: Enjoy!

089The joy of this meal is you can use whatever you have in your fridge/garden/kitchen – an “everything but the kitchen sink” type of meal if you will… get creative!  This is also a great meal to top with your favorite hot sauces… mine being the green Tabasco 🙂

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