White Gazpacho

Sometimes I find it hard to entertain at my house in the summer because I don't want to turn on the oven or stove and add all that unnecessary heat into my un-air conditioned house.

That's why no-cook meals like gazpacho are genius. Cassandra inspired me with a text photo of what she called "CSA Green Gazpacho" last weekend. It sounded so refreshing I knew I wanted to make my own cold soups ASAP! [NOTE TO CASS: If you have a few minutes, I'd love it if you'd post in the comments what all went into your green version!]

For my summer deck dinner party last night, I made two kinds of gazpacho. One was the same kind I have made for years, and the other was a White Gazpacho, that actually turned out light green because I didn't peel my cucumbers. I liked both of them, Alicia preferred the traditional, and Terrin liked the white one. So, I am going to consider both recipes successful.

To go with our gazpacho, I had an assortment of hard and soft cheeses, bread, crackers, and olives. It was quite Mediterranean! And while there isn't any meat in this meal, it was substantial enough that we were all so full we turned down dessert (yes, really!).

The White Gazpacho is oddly sweet, but acidic from the vinegar. It's got the great cucumbery flavor that's grounded by the earthy almonds. I don't think I would enjoy a huge bowl of it as a main course, but it's perfect as tapas or a first course. And of course, since it's chilled it will cool you down and completely refresh you!

White Gazpacho, adapted from Ellie Krieger

3 thick slices day old crusty bread, cubed

1/2 cup warm water

1 large clove garlic, grated on microplane

1 large seedless cucumber, chopped

1 cup green seedless grapes, halved

3/4 cup Marcona almonds

3 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

juice of 1/2 small lemon

3 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Pour water over bread cubes and let sit a few minutes to soak. Then blend the soaked bread and the rest of the ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Best if chilled at least an hour before serving. Garnish with more Marcona almonds or some toasted slivered almonds and halved green grapes.

ONE YEAR AGO: Quinoa Salad with Tahini Dressing

Asian Noodle Salad

Being a fan of hyperbole, I was immediately drawn to the title of a blog post from the Pioneer Woman. The title was: "My Most Favorite Salad Ever. Ever, Ever, Ever!"

The Pioneer Woman has all kinds of great recipes, and she has about a kazillion readers. I think the key demographic she's going for are truly beginner cooks because I personally get a little irked by all the photos of her chopping and preparing every single ingredient that goes into each dish. Like, really? That's how you cut up cabbage? Well shucks, I thought you used a fork! (Excuse the extreme sarcasm, it's late and I haven't had any alcohol at all today. Detoxing from vacation is hard!)

Anyways, the complete over-the-top gushing over this salad was enough to convince me to try it. And I'm glad I did, it was very good and very healthy. But it is a far cry from my most favorite salad ever (Anyone? Yep, it's the Nicoise! Which I've only mentioned about 8 thousand times on the blog). I liked this asian flavored salad because it wasn't doused in a high calorie peanut butter sauce for a change. It's light and very refreshing.

Also, the preparation of this salad was thrilling! Seriously - to be back in my kitchen after a vacation, prepping fresh veggies and whisking a vinaigrette....it's my happy place, my zen palace, my calm oasis. Chopping vegetables may just be one of the most therapeutic and restorative pasttimes I will ever experience. Just me and my Wusthof, slashing away at fresh summer produce!

I served my salad with some baked tofu (yeah, the pre-packaged Thai-flavored kind) for additional protein. Next time I'll grill my own tofu cuz that will taste way better. In the end, it was a satisfying, CRUNCHY, and pretty dinner.

Asian Noodle Salad, from The Pioneer Woman

1/2 lb cooked whole wheat pasta noodles (fettucini, linguini, or spaghetti will work)

1 head napa cabbage, chopped

1 bag bean sprouts

sliced bell peppers, in a variety of colors

a big bunch of spinach

a few scallions, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped

*add any other veggies that strike your fancy!

Add all these veggies and noodles to a BIG bowl, then prep your vinaigrette.

8 Tbsp soy sauce

8 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

Juice of 1 lime

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped (yes, really! Another bunch!)

Whisk these ingredients together and toss with your veggies. Like any other cabbage slaw, it wilts a little so you may think you don't have enough liquid at first but trust me, you will.

ONE YEAR AGO: Collard Wrap

Grilled Pizza

Oh heeeeyyyyy food blog readers! I didn't forget about you beautiful people! OK, maybe I did forget about you a little bit but only because I was soaking up sunshine for 2 weeks up north at the lake. I'm sure you understand? Minnesota summers are so glorious when the weather cooperates!!!

I had AMAZING food on vacation. I cooked up this Trader Joe's brown rice medley and made a greek salad with half of it (cucumbers, artichokes, garbanzo beans, feta, red wine vinaigrette) and a mexi salad with the other half (corn, black beans, edamame, lime/chili oil vinaigrette). It was a great way to get my whole grains and veggies even while surrounded by burgers and bratwursts.

But my proudest achievement was grilling pizza. I dug 2 whole wheat pizza doughs from my freezer and brought them to the lake on a whim. I've always wanted to grill pizza but didn't have the nerve. I thought with moral support from my mom and wine, we'd be able to figure it out!

There was no rolling pin at the cabin but fortunately I had dozens of bottles of wine. I rolled the crust out thin with a wine bottle and threw it on the hot grates of the grill. After about 1 minute the bottom was charred so we flipped the crust over and quickly threw on fresh tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms and onions, olives, and mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Then I just closed the grill cover to finish cooking the crust and melt the cheese. In all, the pizza was on the grill for only about 5 minutes.

The crust turned out perfectly crispy and the toppings were so fresh and delicious! I totally impressed the parents with this dinner! With a big green salad and red wine....wow.

My dad was right when he said (over and over and over again during the last 2 weeks) "It just doesn't get much better than this!" A truly Minnesotan sentiment, but spot on nonetheless!

ONE YEAR AGO: Beet and Goat Cheese Pizza

Pan Bagnat

I have wanted to post about this sandwich ever since I started Green and Lean back in January 2009! But for one reason or another I kept putting it off. Well, not any longer!

What is a Pan Bagnat you ask? Well, it's basically my favorite salad ever, the Nicoise, on a baguette. In a nutshell, this is the perfect picnic food.

Essential elements of a good Nicoise salad are: greens, hard boiled eggs, kalamata or nicoise olives, and a protein (usually tuna but chicken or white beans are a good substitute).

I blended my kalamata olives into a lovely tapenade with garlic, lemon juice, anchovy paste, and olive oil. Then I mixed up my tuna (actually sardines!) with some sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and capers.

Spread some tapenade on your baguette (I grilled mine for extra crunch). Layer spring greens, tuna mixture, sliced eggs, and more greens. Press the sandwich together or wrap in cling wrap to bind it all together.

The longer it sits, the more the flavors blend. It pairs wonderfully with a bottle of white or rose wine and some watermelon. As I said - perfect picnic food for summertime!

Pan Bagnat (aka French Nicoise Salad on a Baguette)

French crusty baguette, sliced lengthwise

Black olive tapenade, store bought or homemade

2 eggs, hard boiled

baby spring greens

1 can tuna or sardines (or cooked chicken or white beans), mixed with sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp capers

Optional - grill your bread. Spread a layer of tapenade on both sides of bread. Put a handful of greens on top of each layer of tapenade.

Scoop on tuna salad mixture, then put a layer of sliced eggs. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and put top of sandwich on top of eggs. Press together and wrap tightly in cling wrap or tinfoil. Tastes best after it sits for a few minutes to let flavors marry.

ONE YEAR AGO: Homemade Yogurt (a recipe I still make about every other weekend)

Mini Frittatas

Remember those commercials for the "Incredible, Edible, Egg"? I do, and that slogan runs through my mind each time I crack one of those babies open.

I love eggs so much and I eat them more often for dinner than for breakfast. I have blogged several times about frittatas because they're a great way to use eggs paired with your favorite veggies. But maybe you want a more individual way to enjoy frittatas for groups who have different likes and dislikes? Maybe you need a hand held breakfast on the go? Maybe you have cute flower shaped muffin tins? If any of the above apply to you, this is the method for should use!

I'm having some house guests this weekend and it's supposed to be hot. That means, in my house, no oven or any unnecessary heat sources can be utilized. So I baked these cuties up in advance for easy nuking (or enjoyment at room temperature!) on Sunday morning.

The method for Mini-Frittatas is so simple and can be varied a million different ways. In fact, I think it would be so fun to have a variety of meat and veggies available at a brunch and let people make their own Mini Frittatas! If you can chop, dump, and pour, you can make Mini Frittatas.

I browned up some breakfast sausage (that's a whole other post in itself - gross!) and paired it with spinach and mozzarella for my guests. The inspiration was my friend Colin's favorite pizza - sausage and mozzarella (don't worry Colin, I made extra sausage and I'll make you a batch of these on Sunday night!). And I also made a meatless batch in the flower petal tin for the veg-heads.

If I had some, I would have added a spoonful of frozen hashbrowns in here as well for an extra-filling Mini Frittata - that's how my mom makes her egg bakes and they're fantastic! Really, you can add whatever you want (the only caveat is to avoid super watery stuff like tomatoes, they don't work the best). Your Mini Frittatas will be delicious because you got to add your favorite ingredients!

Mini Frittatas (makes 12)

12 eggs

1/2 cup water or milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Herbs of your choice such as chives, rosemary, thyme, parsley, etc

Cooked meat or meat substitute (optional) such as bacon, sausage, pancetta, etc

Cooked or raw veggies such as onion, mushroom, spinach, zucchini, fresh peas (!), etc

Frozen hash browns or cooked potatoes (optional)

Cheese of your liking, shredded or crumbled

Grease your muffin tins and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Crack eggs into large bowl. Add water, salt, pepper, and herbs. Whisk vigorously to combine.

Begin layering your ingredients in the muffin tins: potatoes on bottom, then meat, then veggies.

Pour egg mixture over your potatoes, meat, and veggies until about 1/4 inch remains on top. Sprinkle shredded or crumbled cheese on top.

Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Variations:

There are a million ways to enjoy Mini Frittatas! Here are a few I thought of off the top of my head!

Italian - sun dried tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella

Greek - spinach, kalamata olives, oregano, feta

Spanish - roasted red pepper, parsley, paprika, manchego

Tex-Mex - black beans, veggie chorizo, raw red bell pepper, pepper jack

Fancy - smoked salmon, chives, cream cheese

My Fave - sauteed mushrooms and onions, green veggie in season (asparagus, peas, zucchini), thyme, and goat cheese

ONE YEAR AGO: Green Bean and Tuna Salad

Tofu McNuggets

I've really been enjoying all the meal ideas and pictures on the fabulous Food Snob blog. Catherine talks about the cookbooks Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance all the time so I checked them out from the library last week. I've been looking for new ways to use tofu and tempeh and these books are jam packed with ideas.

The first recipe that jumped out at me was the Chile-Cornmeal Crusted Tofu from Veganomicon and I contemplated making it this weekend. Then I saw Catherine post the same recipe and she liked it so it shot straight to the top of my recipe to-do list.

I adapted the recipe a bit (by bumping up the spices and baking instead of frying) and I cut the tofu into chunks so I could throw them on top of a salad. Honestly, I was just trying to use up stuff from my fridge. I baked the crusted tofu cubes and they tasted like....Chicken McNuggets! Really!!! Or at least what I remember Chicken McNuggets tasting like.

I put my nuggets on top of a salad of broccoli slaw, grape tomatoes, sliced scallions, and chopped cilantro. The dressing was hot chili oil, olive oil, lime juice, 1 clove minced garlic, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of honey. It was spicy, crunchy, and delicious.

However, these nuggets would also be fabulous with just some ketchup for dipping ala Mickey D’s (only a helluva lot better for you!).

Tofu McNuggets (adapted loosely from Veganomicon)

Super firm tofu, cut into chunks

1 cup warm water

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup cornmeal

3 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

½ tsp cayenne (or more if you can handle it!)

2 tsp salt

Zest of 1 lime

Mix water and cornstarch in a bowl.

Mix cornmeal and spices on a large plate.

Dip tofu cubes into cornstarch mixture, then into cornmeal mixture to coat. Place coated tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spray or drizzle with olive oil to coat. Bake 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown and crispy (you could also pan fry in oil if you are feeling decadent).

ONE YEAR AGO: Roasted Tomato, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Sandwich

Guiltless Caesar Salad Dressing

After 17 months of food blogging (and some gentle urging from a best friend), I have changed the look of the blog. Hope this is not too upsetting for those who are change-averse.

When I was visiting Cassandra (the aforementioned best friend) last month, she made me a gorgeous meal of Caesar salad with tempeh croutons. It was incredible, along with one or more bottles of bubbly, served out of French teacups.

I wanted to try to re-create that meal tonight for Alicia and Terrin in the backyard. But I substituted chicken for tempeh and made a homemade dressing that was super healthy.

I love this dressing, it is simple and yummy. However, I brought a little container of Guiltless Caesar Salad Dressing to work to eat with some carrots as a snack and a co-worker mentioned that my office reeked of garlic so I would advise caution if you want to eat this in public!

I also bucked tradition and added sliced carrots, radishes, and grape tomatoes to the salad for additional crunch and color. Also, instead of croutons on the salad, I grilled up slices of a French baguette that were then rubbed with the cut half of a fresh garlic clove to go on the side.

Guiltless Caesar Salad Dressing (adapted from Alton Brown)

2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated on your microplane

2 cloves garlic, grated on your microplane

2 Tbsp dijon mustard (I used whole-grain style)

2 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp anchovy paste

1 cup soft tofu

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1 lemon

4 Tbsp olive oil

Blend all ingredients in food processor until desired taste and consistency. You may need to add more liquid (lemon juice or olive oil).

Serve tossed with fresh romaine lettuce and chopped red onion, lots of freshly cracked pepper, more parmesan cheese, and a protein of your choice (chicken, shrimp, tempeh, tofu, white beans) and garlicky bread.

Also required - lots of bubbly wine.

ONE YEAR AGO: Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza