Fourth of July: Vegetarian Grilled Fajitas

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Simply put, you need to make these grilled vegetable fajitas for Fourth of July. Because they are made up of many different grilled veggies, your guests can pick and choose what they want to include on their fajita. Which will leave you with plenty of time to enjoy the festivities.

I grilled everything on my stovetop in a grill pan. If you have a BBQ grill, that'll make things even easier, especially clean up. You can char the peppers, instead of slicing them up and grilling them, to make them more like a roasted pepper. And to make this completely vegan, use Vegannaise instead of mayonnaise. Of course you can go the meat route just by adding some grilled steak or chicken to the topping options. You will not be disappointed.

Happy Fourth of July!

Vegetarian Grilled Fajitas

as featured on The Fruit Guys website.

INGREDIENTS 2 bell peppers (any color), de-seeded and sliced in strips 1 onion cut into strips 1–2 zucchini (or other summer squash) cut in lengthwise slices 1/4-inch thick 3/4 cup olive oil 1/4 teaspoon dried cumin 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, Vegenaise, or sour cream Flour tortillas

PREPARATION

  • Heat up 1/4 cup of the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet, preferably a grill pan.
  • Place sliced bell pepper and onion in the pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  •  Stir in squash slices and cook another 5 minutes or until squash begins to soften and just turn brown.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Mix together mayo/sour cream, cumin, paprika, and chili powder.
  • Spoon veggie mixture onto well-heated tortillas, roll up, and top with a dollop of the dressing.

Serves 2. Prep time, 5 minutes; cook time, 20 minutes.

Cook’s note: Try adding sliced grilled mushrooms and/or eggplant, and topping with guacamole or fresh avocado slices. Heat tortillas in grill pan, or wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F.

Aquaboulevard: Two Years Ago, Paris

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Original post can be found here.

It hit 92 degrees today (yes, still measuring in American). We knew this was coming, so we headed out to 

Aquaboulevard

on the outskirts of Paris.

It only took us two trains and 35 minutes to get there. Essentially, it’s an indoor and outdoor water park. The place is like a little city. There is a sports club, a sporting goods store, restaurants and a movie complex.

When we arrived, we went straight to Decathalon, the sporting goods store. My swimsuit was very much the worse for wear, and we had read you needed a swim cap for the pools in Paris. There were more suits than I’d seen in one place. Mine cost only 9,9euros, Isabella’s was 4,5euros. Really some of the best fitting suits we’ve had, as well. We also got swim caps, goggles, a towel and a pair of flip flops for me. Thus outfitted, we set out to find the entrance to the pool.

We got to the dressing room and found pandemonium. I never thought I had a problem with crowds, but I guess I do. Though, there maybe a difference between European personal space and American. There was some unknown bagcheck system which took us 45 minutes to master.

Then we headed out to the pools in Aquaboulevard. Oh man, it was great. There was a wave pool that activated every thrity minutes or so, with teenagers mobbing the deeper end and kids, parents and grandparents on our end. We went down two water slides each and tried for another one, but it was way too crowded.

There was a professional photographer making souvenir photos. I noted his lens and camera set up and thought we’d give it a go. The results were very good, actually, and Isabella is very happy to have our three commemerative shots as a keepaske.

After the dressing room, we needed to eat. The food available was not great, and so, sadly, we ended up at McDonald’s. They have a fourth course to their Happy Meals here, fruit. And, an alternative to french fries, potatoes deluxe. We ate, got our pictures taken care of and left.

Outside, a thunderstorm had been brewing and so, we walked back to the train in the rain, dealt with rushhour on the Metro and recounted the fun we had along the way!

Raspberry-Peach Jam from The Feed: America's Test Kitchen

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Thank you Lori Galvin for posting this wonderful recipe for raspberry-peach jam. I'm fairly new to jam making (especially when actually following a recipe). This one is great! It was super easy to make, and I never once felt like it might not get to the thickening stage, as so often happens.

The sights and smells that fill your kitchen while making this great jam will bring home Summer. Beautiful colors and flavors mix to make a slightly tart spreadable fruit. I love how little sugar this recipe called for, it's as close to eating just fruit as I've gotten when making jam.

My 10 year old nephew, Giovanni, helped me out. He loved when one of the peaches fell out the window while I was shooting a picture. He was a great help in measuring out the sugar and checking the recipe to make sure I was actually following it. Gio was in charge of testing out the thickened jam on the back of the frozen spoon. He's a maker of robotic things, magician, stop-motion animator and a great guitar player. He also has an interest in all kinds of crafts and is game for helping me with a variety of projects.

I added three vanilla beans split open to the jam during cooking. Every time I make jam, I love to add a little something extra like vanilla beans or jalapeños. It makes the jam turn out just a little bit different and everyone knows that it was made by me.

You can find the recipe here, at America's Test Kitchen's The Feed. Thanks again to Lori Galvin for sharing!

Support Your Local Butcher: Drewes Brothers Meats

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Local butchers are becoming fewer and farther between these days. I am lucky enough to live in a city that has several outstanding butcher shops. I have no issue with large supermarket butcher departments, nor with pre-packaged good quality meat.

What I love about going to my local butcher shop is the personal connection. They may not know me by name (though I do hear them calling many of the customers by name) but they do know what I ordered last time I came in. Asking how the chuck roast they sold me last week turned out and suggesting a nice pork shoulder for my BBQ pulled pork.

My local shop is called Drewes Brothers, walking distance from my house (though a bit further away than the Whole Foods, well worth the extra few blocks). They butcher all of their own meat and make many of the sausages they have on offer (like these bratwurst).

Here's a little back story from their website:

Josh and Isaac , are the fourth owners since Drewes Brothers originally opened in 1889. Thought to be the oldest operating butcher shop in California, Drewes offers old style service with new school attitude.

Josh and Joey are more than happy to spend a few extra minutes explaining the paticulars of a type of meat to a customer or offering cooking tips for roasting a tri-tip. All the while the radio blaring out Metallica or the days Giants game.

I remember going to the Westi Meat Market with my parents in Queens. The butchers were a bunch of German men (one or two of whom were quite handsome, which pleased Gran Fran no end) who worked very hard and had some of the best hot dogs and liverwurst I've ever tasted. They always offered the little kids a mini hot dog (fully cooked, ok to eat while you wait) and had German treats like Haribo Gummi Bears well before these became widely available in the States.

Drewes Brothers offers a small selection of sauerkraut and mustard. They also have on hand potatoes, lemons, onions, and a few other must-haves when cooking a nice roast.

So stop on into your local butcher shop and see what they have for you. They'll take good care of you.

Juice...Grapefruit, Avocado, Beet, Watermelon...The List Goes On

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Hello and welcome to another juice recipe. I'm no longer on my juice cleanse, but I loved the juices I made so much, that I decided to continue making them.

This week's juice has a few ingredients I haven't included in previous juices: watermelon and grapefruit. Wow! The watermelon is just the right sweetness to offset the earthiness of the beets. The grapefruit's sour tartness tastes just right against the smooth, bright flavor of the avocado. Topped off with fresh coconut water, this juice is my favorite so far.

It's a lot thinner than the other juices I've made, not in a bad way, but in a really refreshing way. I thought I liked the juice to be more of a pureed salad, but now really want more of a liquid texture. Now that I'm making juice on a more regular basis I'm learning that I need to trust my instincts when it comes to flavor mixing. Juice after juice, I've been really pleased with all of my combinations.

Raw Beet, Avocado, Nectarine, Strawberry, Watermelon, Grapefruit Juice

Ingredients

  • 1/2 avocado, skin removed, cut into chunks
  • 1 small nectarine, pit removed, sliced
  • 1 grapefruit, skin removed, cuts into chunks
  • 4 small strawberries, sliced
  • 1 beet, skin removed, sliced
  • 3 small pieces watermelon, cubed
  • 1 cup coconut water
  • Ice cubes

Method:

  1. Put all the ingredients in a blender or drink mixer with a good blade.
  2. Pulse on high until everything is chopped up.
  3. If you want the juice to be thinner, add more coconut or regular water to the mix.

A Little Romance: Repost From Paris, 2010

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Originally posted on my blog from our Paris trip, 2010.  You should really watch "A Little Romance". It's available on Amazon Instant Video or you can purchase it here. 

Anybody who knows me at all, knows one of my all time favorite movies is “A Little Romance”. It takes place here in Paris and in Venice and is the story of a 13 year old rich American ex-pat girl who meets a 13 year old working-class French boy.

When my mom and I went to Venice in 1989, we spotted many of the locations the movie was shot in. As of today, I have found two or three of the key spots in Paris. The main one, is their second meeting at the Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel, near the Louvre, pictured at right.

Isabella has commented many times over the past two weeks how much romance she is witnessing and how nice it is. I have to agree, being a die-hard romantic, it is nice to see how Parisians show their passion. There is sometimes just a gesture or a hand on a back, but you can see the connection in a way I’m not sure I’ve seen in the US.

Keep in mind, I’m a sucker for flowers, little notes of admiration or your day-to-day romance. But, this is different and I hope to see the kind of romance we’re seeing here back home. It would be nice to live in a place where romance triumphs.

By the way, in the Luxembourg Gardens, we saw a man and his friends unfurl a banner in front of a huge crowd of people and then cheering. As it turned out, he was asking his lady to marry him. She said yes, as I’m sure most of us would!

Below is one of the sweetest dialogues from the movie (which I own, and is also available on Netflix via mail or instantly, in case you have a need to see it):

Lauren King: I used to think, maybe a long time ago, like… like in the time of the pharaohs or Louis the 13th that, there was somebody, made just perfect for me. I mean, when you think about it and consider that your feelings of love, begin when you’re about ten and if you live to say 70, well that’s pretty limiting because, what chances there that he’ll be alive at the same time you are? You know?

Daniel Michon: I feel the same things. I mean, even if she lived in my lifetime. What if my perfect woman lived in India or California or Brazil? What chance is there that I’d meet her when I live in La Garenne?

Lauren King: It’s incredible isn’t it?

Daniel Michon: Absolutely… incredible. [holds her hand]

Stuffed Squash Blossoms at The Italian Pantry

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Go see Gran Fran right now. Summer is officially here and she has some lovely recipes for you and all of your fruits and veggies.

Her blog, The Italian Pantry, features seasonal recipes that she learned from her Italian-American Nonna (grandma) and mother. Each one is unique and all will wow your friends.

She has a wonderful recipe for stuffed squash blossoms. It's that time of year (at least here in California). I've started seeing the lovely blossoms in the farmer's markets.

Please, go take a look at her recipe and make yourself and your friends a taste treat.

That is all.

Delightful! Roasted Summer Squash with Roasted Garlic and Fennel

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 Wow. That's all I can say. This summer squash with roasted garlic and fennel salad blew me away.

(yes, I know I came up with it and that's not a really modest thing to say, but I'm just being honest).

The taste of fennel brings me directly back to Gran Fran and Joe's house. We eat fennel raw, like it's celery. I didn't realize this was not the way normal people ate fennel. I was surprised to find it cooked in a dish at a restaurant and everyone at the table looked at me like I was crazy.

When we were kids, I remember once we told one of the neighbor kids that it was gum, but I have no idea why we decided to trick this kid. I happened to have some fennel in my mouth that I'd been chewing for a long time, so it had become a kind of a paste. I guess the kid believed us, not sure, I remember just following along what one of my older sisters told me to do and ended up chewing that fennel for a very long time.

But I digress. The short story here is that I came up with a perfect combination in this recipe (no modesty again). The crunch and anise of the fennel against the soft sweetness of the roasted squash is just right. By adding in some mellow roasted garlic and a bit of vinegar, the dish comes together perfectly. If you eat cheese (which I can't), make sure to have some nice grated Parmigiano Reggiano on hand to sprinkle over top.

 as featured on The Fruit Guys website

Roasted Summer Squash with Fennel and Roasted Garlic

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup summer squash of your choice, cut into chunks
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/8 cup red vinegar
  • 1 bulb fennel shaved
  • 4 cloves roasted garlic (recipe here)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place an empty jelly roll pan in to heat up at the same time.
  2. Once the oven has preheated, carefully remove the tray from the oven, pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil onto the tray and place the summer squash on top.
  3. Turn the squash chunks over several times to coat in the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pieces have browned and softened.
  5. In a large salad bowl, mix the roasted summer squash with the shaved fennel, roasted garlic and the remaining oil and vinegar.

Serves 4. Prep time, 5 minutes; cook time, 20 minutes.

Cook’s note: Serve alongside a frittata or a pizza.