Recipes Archives - Page 3 of 13

Garden Tomatoes with Burrata Cheese

August 12, 2015 by Carrie Leave a Comment

My garden is flourishing. In fact, it’s not just flourishing, it’s growing enough food to feed a small army. We are happy to share everything this mutant garden produces, except the tomatoes.

Have you ever tasted a super-ripe garden tomato that is one day away from turning to mush?

If your answer is no, you have not lived, my friend.

TomatoSlice — Perfection in a garden-grown tomato. No white, no chewy places, just super ripe goodness bursting with flavor.

After visiting one of my favorite Portland haunts with two of my favorite ladies and our husbands, I was inspired to find the biggest, ripest tomatoes and make a simple salad with quality ingredients. Because flavorful, satisfying food doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. It just has to taste good.

I’ve been a fan of the traditional tomato mozzarella salad for many years. Who doesn’t love mild, slightly creamy fresh cheese paired with the bright acidic flavor of a ripe tomato with a touch of basil?

(Okay, if you hate tomatoes or cheese, this is admittedly not the recipe for you.)

For the rest of the tomato loving world, this recipe will change the way you eat your tomato mozzarella salad. In fact, you might never go back to store-bought tomatoes or mozzarella again after tasting this.

Burrata is a shell of fresh mozzarella, stuffed with cream and cheese curds. It’s creamy, decadent, silky smooth, and provides the perfect accompaniment to those sweet, ripe tomatoes.

There are six ingredients to this and it takes roughly seven minutes to prepare. But it is so impressive and addictive, I have a hunch you can get that prep time down to five minutes. I will say this, though. The quality of the ingredients is in direct correlation to the fantastic taste factor. Without the quality ingredients I’ll list below, you will take this dish from a 10 to a 5. So, if you want to do your tomatoes justice, spring for the ingredients. You won’t regret it.

TomatoCloseUp — I intentionally did not filter or tweak the colors in any of the pictures because I want you to see how beautiful and ripe these tomatoes are. It’s possible.

Ingredients:

2 large, very ripe tomatoes from the farmer’s market or your garden. (Deep red, people. No orangey red.) Pick ones that are on the cusp of being too ripe. You can also ripen them in a window sill for a day or two.
1 ball of fresh burrata cheese (I found mine at Whole foods.)
3-4 leaves of fresh basil, torn or roughly chopped
1-2 Tbsp organic olive oil
fresh cracked pepper
kosher-style sea salt

Directions:

Remove burrata from refrigerator, drain water, and set aside.
Slice whole tomatoes one inch thick.
Arrange tomato slices on a platter and top with basil, fresh cracked pepper, and salt.
Place burrata in the center of the tomato slices. Lightly drizzle entire plate with organic olive oil.
Serve and devour immediately.
My husband and I ate this for dinner the other night. Just this. Nothing else. Because we are adults who love good food and also don’t like expending energy on a 95 degree day unless we have to.

Toematoe Tomahhtoe,
Carrie

Grilled Summer Salad

July 30, 2015 by Carrie Leave a Comment

I’m all about inventive grilling. I often slather a little oil on whatever food I have on hand and then throw it on the barbeque. Mango, bananas, bacon, whatever.

So, why not salad?

Romaine lettuce provides lots of crunch, and holds up well over the flames. The charred green onion is a throwback to one of my favorite traditional Guatemalan dishes, and adds depth, sweetness, and a little spice. Top with tomatoes and Goddess dressing, and you have one of the best salads ever. Of all time.

Also, if you’re looking to impress folks at a cook out or win over a friend or family member to Team Salad, this is The dish. It’s simple, surprising and full of flavor.

Don’t have a grill? No problem! Use a stove-top grill pan instead.

Ingredients:

2 hearts of romaine, sliced length-wise
4 campari tomatoes, chopped (trust me, they’re worth the money!)
1 bunch green onions
olive oil spray
dried Italian herbs
dressing of your choice, though I prefer something creamy like organic Goddess dressing with extra white wine vinegar for some pucker

Directions:

Mist romaine halves and whole green onions with olive oil.
Place romaine halves flat side down on the grill, and allow to char a bit. Flip over and allow the rounded sides of the romaine to wilt and brown up.
While lettuce is grilling and wilting, char green onions on the grill.
When lettuce is charred and wilted, remove from grill and sprinkle with herbs, salt, pepper, dressing. Top with green onions and tomatoes.

Prepare to have a new favorite summertime dish! You’ll need a fork and knife for this salad and it is well worth it. Even veggie-hating littles will love this.

What lights your fire?
Carrie

Boozy Lamb Short Ribs

July 29, 2015 by Carrie 1 Comment

You know how you have friends coming over and you want to cook for them, but lack the kitchen space, air conditioning, and energy to execute it?

Yeah. Me, too.

Here’s The Thing, though. I am fairly certain my love language is food. And I’m also fairly certain I have conditioned my family and friends to receive my love in this manner. Food is NOT love, but food can be a loving gesture in a world of convenience and fast meals. What’s better than sitting down with friends and sharing a great meal, enjoyable conversation, and choice adult beverage? Not much.

Also, food is effing delicious, so there’s that.

When I want to share the love and keep the temperature in my kitchen down while making the most of my limited energy, I always turn to my crockpot. I used to have major bias towards slow cookers. I grew up with crockpots galore at church potlucks. Everyone clamored for an outlet to plug in their pot before service started so their mystery dish would stay hot and avoid poisoning a whole congregation. It was a sea of crockpots

A couple of decades later, I decided to try to resurrect my slow cooker that was still sitting in my kitchen in the box from our wedding when my truly kind souled cousin gifted us with it. I got brave. I bought the food. I read a couple of blogs. I studied and sweated and prayed to the kitchen gods that it would all turn out beautifully. It didn’t.

I ruined a 5 lb brisket.

$40 of beautiful, succulent, grass-fed meat totally ruined because I didn’t understand fully how to use my slow cooker. I did not sear it. I under-seasoned it. I ADDED WATER. Then I cooked it on high for 4 hours. It was totally inedible, but of course we ate it anyway because we have a strict budget and can’t afford to toss food when it doesn’t turn out well. I nicknamed it the Brisket of Tears, because I wept when I ruined it, and again every time I ate the chewy, gray, tasteless meat.

A couple of years ago, I decided to master the crockpot. I did a massive amount of research. After a week of fretting and praying and hoping that I could pull it off, I made a pork shoulder. It was phenomenal. It gave me confidence. And I went further into the slow-cooker abyss.

When I found a ridiculously good sale on New Zealand grassfed lamb, I knew I could execute it well. My dish would not go the way of the church potluck or failed brisket attempt of 2009. Nope. It would succeed.

This is probably one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I’m not exaggerating in the least. The flavor of the lamb is complex and finishing the whole dish off in the oven to crisp up the fat made this dish completely decadent.

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of lamb riblets or short ribs
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1/3 cup olive or avocado oil (I prefer avocado bc of the mellow flavor)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup(ish) fresh mint leaves
1/4 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh rosemary
4-5 cloves garlic
1 medium shallot or small onion, quartered
2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp (+) fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp (+) salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (except for lamb) in blender or NutriBullet. Pulse until everything is combined. Pour over lamb and marinate in a ziplock bag or covered dish for 2-12 hours, or if you’re in a hurry, skip the marination and use right away.
Rub crockpot with a little oil, and put lamb and marinade in. For best results, cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Eight hours is optimal, but do what you can.
When the lamb is finished in the slow cooker, transfer to a baking sheet and bake on 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes to crisp up the fat and caramelize.
Garnish with chopped mint leaves and devour immediately.

I served this with a side of saffron infused basmati rice, pan fried mushrooms and sweet onion, along with a fruit-filled salad. There wasn’t even a speck of lamb left on the bones, and we devoured an entire plate in 20 minutes flat.

You will love this. Trust me. Or don’t. But take a chance. And make friends with your crockpot this summer.

It feels good to be baaaaaad,
Carrie

Hemp Heart Crusted Zucchini Fries {Vegan, Paleo}

July 15, 2015 by Carrie Leave a Comment

I know. You just read “hemp” in the title and immediately assumed it was about marijuana. I GET IT. I live in Oregon, where it is now legal to smoke, grow, and posses these controversial little plants.

But that’s not what this post is about. Because I’m not about to touch that conversation with a 10 ft ~~bong~~ pole.

Hemp hearts. These are the shelled seeds of the hemp plant, and they are loaded with maximum nutrition. Back when we were trying to find new and varied protein sources for my food intolerant toddler, these were a saving grace. I mixed them with a little bit of raw honey to make them barely sticky, and gave my kid the spoon.

He was a serious fan.

Now that summer is squarely upon us, I have zucchini coming out of my ears. It’s one of my kid’s favorite foods so I planted a few little seedlings…and they grew. In fact, they’re mutant and grow as big as my head. Or roughly seven times as big as my hand.

We have to get creative to use them all, so I’ve been trying out different recipes using as few ingredients as possible to maintain the natural flavor of the fantastic zucchini, and to get them out of my kitchen fast.

I made a fast coating of hemp seeds, arrow root, a dash of tumeric, paprika and salt. They were a fast hit with my family, and we chowed all of them.

ALL. OF. THEM.

They went so fast that I didn’t even manage to get a good picture because they were so tasty and nobody could wait for a dumb camera.

Did I mention they’re paleo and vegan, too?

Ingredients:

1 large (ish) zucchini, cut into sticks
1/2 cup hemp hearts
2-3 Tbsp arrow root powder or tapioca flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp tumeric (optional)
dash of paprika
small bowl of water
Coconut oil for cooking

Instructions:

In a medium frying pan, heat 1/4 inch of coconut oil until hot. (Typically medium+ setting, but don’t let it smoke.)
Combine hemp hearts, arrow root, and spices and blend throughly.
Take a piece of zucchini and dip it in the water. Remove and lightly shake excess water off.
Press each flat side firmly in the flour mixture and then place into hot oil, flat side down.
Rotate the zucchini to get both flat sides nice and brown (2-3 min each side). Be careful not to burn them!
Place on paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.

Eat as soon as they are cool! These stay fresh and delicious for a good 30 minutes after cooking.

What are your zucchini hacks?

Zzzzz,
Carrie

Blueberries and Cream Paleo Popsicles {Three Ingredients}

July 9, 2015 by Carrie 2 Comments

When you live in a region of the country that is poorly prepared for century mark temperatures, folks do everything they can to keep cool. Kiddie pools, sprinklers, poorly equipped window AC units, movie theaters, cold foggy days on the coast, and lazy days spent on the banks of a lazy mountain river are just a few ways we choose to beat the heat here in the Pacific Northwest.

But few things bring immediate relief like a good old fashioned popsicle.

The other morning after breakfast, I pulled out my final popsicle to photograph it. I had previously devoured the rest during naptimes earlier in the week. Because I’m an adult and like to enjoy a treat without sharing. But on this particular day, I made the monumental mistake in trying to get the picture while my son was awake.

As we started to swelter in the 100 degree weather in our south-facing second story home as our straining AC unit worked hard to keep up, I removed the final popsicle from the freezer. I stopped for a moment and let the frozen air fall over my face and shoulders, reveling that something could still be cold in this heat. I pulled out my camera and began searching for the right light to capture the cold, creamy, fruity essence of this frozen treat.

Enter E.

He wasn’t having it.

He didn’t care that mom needed to use the popsicle for work.

He didn’t care that it was the last one.

He didn’t care that I needed to take a really beautiful picture to share with you.

He. Didn’t. Care.

There was no stopping my tiny monster. I turned on Jimmy Fallon. I tried to distract him with his favorite snack. I pulled out the Tegu blocks, crayons, and even tried to give him my old phone to distract him. Nothing worked.

So, I went with it.