A simple meal in a hurry!

Sometimes you want a pretty meal of deliciousness but simply.  This is one of those meals.  I'm going to give you this recipe as a visit to my kitchen, following me through the steps of preparation on a beautiful spring day.

Start with a glass of wine and a smile, it's a beautiful day!  (May I recommend an Eberle Winery Chardonnay?)  

Take some mild fish filets and sprinkle them with curry powder, let sit while you prepare your side dishes.  (I keep frozen tilapia filets on hand in the freezer for this favorite meal).

Prepare a rice medley mix (like the unseasoned ones from Trader Joe's)from a package or just plain long grain rice.  The secret to good flavor is to brown chopped onions and grated carrot and toast the rice a little before you add chicken broth.  Make it easy by keeping chopped onions in the freezer in 1/4 cup amounts.
Add 1/2 tsp tumeric for that pretty yellow flavor.  Yes, yellow is a flavor...warm, golden and happy!

The rice to water ratio depends on how much you are making.  It's easiest if you do the browning in a pan, dump everything into a rice cooker and use the recommended amount of liquid to rice.  Then just use the browning pan for your fish.

I also keep chopped up frozen bacon (ends and pieces)in the freezer so I can brown it and add vegetables like these fresh green beans to steam in the bacon fat with a little water like a greasy delicious bacon broth.  

After I set the table and finish my glass of wine then it's time
to add butter to the pan I browned the onions in and cook the tilapia 4 to 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  It will smell amazing.

Dinner's ready!

Finally! My most asked for recipe...

Squash Blossom Quesadilla - Farmer's Market Inspired!

I have eaten almost exclusively organic for about 6 years but I am trying to step up my game, especially when I am craving familiar foods that I grew up with, my comfort foods.  The Mexican grilled cheese sandwich or "Quesadilla" is one of those foods.  Here I used a quality New Zealand sharp cheddar cheese and add squash blossoms to increase my healthy vegetable intake and a roasted yellow chili instead of a traditional jalapeno, anaheim or serrano chili.

I am just going to let the photographs "BE" the recipe with the exception of brushing the corn tortillas with olive oil after softening them on a griddle along with roasting the chilis at the same time.

Serve with avocado, salsa is nice too!

Purslane Salad

Purslane is also known as a common weed in my yard anyway.  I bought some at the Farmer's Market to try it out.  When it starts growing again in the yard it will become a regular part of my salads!  It is super high in Omega-3 fatty acids and protein...a great vegan choice.  It is also used by herbalists as a blood cleanser, has antiparasitic properties...well, see for yourself what Cornell University says here.  Best of all it is a yummy, crunchy green addition to your salads.

Purslane Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing for 2
torn leaves of butter, green and red leaf lettuce

leaf clusters of purslane

2 chopped lemon cucumber or 1 persian 

1 chopped tomato 

You can also add cubed avocado and toasted pumpkin seeds if you have them but then you will have to eat this salad all summer long because then, well, it's just TOO GOOD!

Lemon Garlic Dressing
sliced clove of elephant garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Whisk together ingredients, crush garlic if you don't like the raw garlic flavor of slices.  Pour over the salads right before serving evenly distributing the bits of garlic goodness.  (The secret is for both you and your loved one to eat garlic together.)  




Serve with great crusty bread, I served it with a loaf of Italian Semolina bread from the Farmer's Market.

Farmers Market Bounty

It's the middle of summer and I didn't plant a garden this year but thank goodness for the many Farmer's Markets in Southern California!  I have heard some snooty opinions on the "Best", usually hours from where I live but the best ones for me are always Locally Grown!  I like supporting the small backyard farmers and local growers in my neck of the woods...they are like neighbors to me.  Often I am surprised to find out they are acquaintances who soon become friends as we do business together...that means samples and specials and set asides!

  

It is good to know that there are people in my area who are equally concerned about the toxic effects of pesticides and herbicides so they grow their own food and in the process have extra to share in the local Farmer's Markets.  I find everything I need in fruits and vegetables except maybe lettuces since we live in such a hot summer area, they don't do well.  Now I just have to get someone to grow golden beets for my favorite roasted beet salad...although one of my new faves is a purslane (weed) salad with a lemony garlicy dressing and good crusty Italian Semolina bread from the market.

  

That's another great thing about the Farmer's Markets...wonderful breads, marinated garlics, olives, homemade cheeses, local honeys, homemade soaps and so much more.  LOVE IT!  Go visit one and don't forget to recycle your grocery bags or take your cloth ones.  Don't know where you can find one?  In Southern California the Los Angeles Times has a great interactive map here and nationally here.  Have fun!

If You Hate Apple Pie, You Will Love French Apple Pie!

Not just because it's french, but it's a great combination of toasty walnuts, sweet apples, spicy cinnamon and the crumbly crust.  It's easy to make and not too sweet and goopy like a storebought apple pie which is why everyone who hates apple pie usually loves this one.
The only reason I am going to make a Sandra Lee reference in this recipe is because I cheat on the crust.  Okay, the other reason is so that I could reference Anthony Bourdain's hilarious, blog post about her... travelchannel.com/anthony-bourdain and of course there is this reason he dislikes her so... this-cake-will-make-your-eyeballs-burst-into-flame

come into the light...angels are singing...really!

Back to the recipe, I am giving you the cheater package measurements:


1 package refrigerated Pillsbury pie crusts (2 in a package)  You can make your own, I am sure Martha Stewart has an amazing recipe but everybody will think you made this cheater crust which is why I stopped  making pie crust messes in my kitchen.  Just throw flour on your face and say, "Yeah, it's my grandmothers recipe from her grandmother!"


1 plastic (sorry, earth) bag of generic green apples
3 or 4 good baking apples like Johnagolds or Gala
2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cups sugar
3 tbsp. butter (best hint ever!  freeze the butter and then grate off the 2 tbsp. with a cheese grater)
1 tbsp. flour


Topping
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup raw sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 stick of frozen butter, grated (now that you know about my butter tip, throw away your pastry blender!) 

• Roll out the cheater pie crusts, dampen the top of one with water and place it on top of the other one to make one crust.  Place into a pie pan (I love stoneware especially Pampered Chef) and crimp, cover the crimped edges with a strip of foil and stick into a preheated 350 degree oven while you prepare apples so you won't have a soggy crust, about 10 minutes.
• Peel the apples and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks into a bowl.  Throw in the cinnamon, sugar and grate the butter into the apples.  Mix and put into the pie crust.  
• Throw the remaining ingredients for the topping into the same bowl (now empty) and mix it well.  With your hands, pat the whole mess onto your apples evenly.  
• Cover the pie top with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour taking off the foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes to brown.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream (like I had to tell you that!)

The raw sugar makes the topping extra crunchy and of course, all that butter makes it french, rich and delicious.


Note:  Please don't add raisins to this or tell me about how wonderful an addition golden local harvest home dried raisins are.  Cooked raisins are as appealing to me as boiled roaches.  'nuff said!    

Should Be World Famous Unbelievably Delicious Potato Enchiladas

You heard that right folks!  I am giving you the most unbelievably simple and delicious recipe in our family.  (That's not saying much usually, because my mother didn't learn how to cook til I was, well...like 10 or 11 but my grandmother cooked GREAT and now my mama gets the credit!)


You will crave these...I can't even type the recipe without my mouth watering up!  Read the instructions carefully, lay everything out on your workspace to assemble the enchiladas because this goes fast!


5 small to medium potatoes, cubed
oil for frying
1 can las palmas medium hot enchilada sauce*
1 can tomato sauce or puree
4 ounces of sharp cheddar, grated
4 ounces of monterey jack, grated
1/2 minced onion 
1 dozen corn tortillas


Fry the potatoes in about an inch of oil in a medium pan until browned, crisp on the outside and tender inside...about 10 to 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside next to the cheese (mixed together) and onions.


You will need 2 sauce pans...one will need a 1/2 inch of oil for lightly frying the tortillas, one will need the enchilada sauce mixed with the tomato sauce heated on a medium flame after the potatoes are done.


While the oil and sauce are heating, prepare a bowl of ice water for your fingers (which will be handling the hot tortillas with sauce) and lay out your workspace with 2 plates.


When the oil is hot, dip a tortilla in the oil til lightly crisp on one side with tongs and then place it in the frying pan with enchilada sauce.  Be sure not to get any enchilada sauce in the oil because it will spatter!  So use a separate pare of tongs to remove the tortilla from the enchilada sauce and lay on a plate.  Stack the tortillas on a plate until you have six.  Now it's time to roll your enchiladas.


Place a small amount of potatoes then cheese and onion (to taste) in the middle of your tortilla and roll up, then place on your serving platter with the ends down.  Too much and you can't roll it, too little and it won't be filled.  You want to have every forkful have a little tortilla, potato and cheese.  You are kind of gauging enough filling for all 1 dozen.  After you have rolled 6, repeat the frying, filling, rolling process on the remaining 6 tortillas.  


Serve immediately with the tradition side dishes of beans and rice.  For this late breakfast, we had rice and avocado.



*One of my readers made this the day the recipe came out with her own homemade enchilada sauce.  I am adding this recipe (gluten free) if you would like to have a homemade sauce as well.


Okay, so enchilada sauce...from Kathy Runkle
16 ounces tomato sauce
16 ounces chicken broth or water
1 onion
garlic cloves, as many as you want
garlic salt, cumin, chili powder to taste
Oil for cooking

Saute the onion and garlic until soft. Put in a blender with the tomato sauce and broth or water. Blend well. Pour back into pan. Add seasonings. (I like about 2 teaspoons garlic salt, about 4-6 teaspoons cumin, and about 2 teaspoons chili powder. About. I don't actually measure.)


Actual Video of my mother preparing these will be posted soon (I am still learning how to edit the video) and in a couple weeks she is going to let us video her make rice!  Her rice is truly GREAT as well.  It's not just me saying that, EVERYONE says that...even other mexican mamas who have been cooking all their lives!