Sweet Peppers, Oven Roasted

Take the time to make these roasted peppers. Super simple, delicious and versatile, these peppers can served as a side dish or in a salad. I served them on top  broiled salmon and quinoa.

Delish!

Oven Roasted Sweet Peppers

INGREDIENTS

• 3 sweet peppers sliced into rings
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into small pieces
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Pour the olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet
3. Place the hot pepper rings onto the baking sheet, turning over on the pan to coat with the olive oil.
4. Throw the garlic cloves into the pan.
5. Sprinkle with coarse salt .
6. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Check on them every five minutes or so to ensure that the peppers aren't browning too quickly. If they are, lower the heat to 400 degrees.
7. Remove from oven and pour the rings and oil into a glass jar or bowl.

Excellent in egg dishes, pasta salads or mixed into a green salad with nuts and cheese.

Indian Spiced Okra

I've liked okra for a long time, but have never made it before.

When I was in second or third grade, we had to bring in a regional American dish. I asked my mom to make okra, which I believe was cooked in a tomato sauce. I loved it.

The other day, my co-worked showed up with an Indian spiced okra. I hoped she would share the recipe with me, which she was kind enough to do.

Here is the first of what I hope will be the first of many entries that feature some delightful Indian flavors. Thanks, Reshma!

recipe courtesy of Reshma Iyer

Indian Spiced Okra

as featured on The Fruit Guys website.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch Okra cut into small rounds
•  ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon Chili powder/paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon Coriander powder
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• Salt to taste

PREPARATION

1. On a slightly warmed up pan, add oil.
2. Once the oil gets nice and hot, add the cumin, cooking until the cumin gets darkish brown and you can smell the aroma.
3. Add the turmeric, chili, cumin seeds and coriander powder in quick succession. Note: You have to literally cook these spices for 2-3 seconds, you will notice it getting smokey.
4. Add the Okra and stir around, reduce the flame to low-medium.
5. Add about 5 tbs of water or to your discretion - basically there should be just enough to cook the Okra and not more than needed or it does turn sticky and pasty.
6. Add the salt and cover and cook for about 5-7 mins. Keep checking. If the water does not seem to reduce, remove the lid.
7. Once you are able to break a piece with the spoon or your finger, its done.

Cook’s Notes: 1 bunch of okra should fit into your hand when held up vertically. Wash okra before cutting or they will get pasty.

Featured: DailyBuzz Food: BBQ Vegan Skewers

My BBQ Vegan Skewers are featured on today's Top 9 on DailyBuzz Food.

Loving this! The site, DailyBuzz Food is an update and add on to FoodBuzz. I love the new format, and am excited to be included.

There is a tab on the top of the site for Special Diets. Until today, I hadn't really thought my recipes would fit into this. Upon further inspection into my list of posts, I guess I do talk a lot about alternatives to dairy and gluten. And now vegan. You can track my eating habits through the last 3+ years of posts to see just when all these exceptions to my very full diet began. Blogging is interesting in that way. Sometimes you repeat and repeat (you'll see roast chicken here and any number of smoothies appear over and over). Sometimes you change and update (no more cheese for me: make the pesto without it, it'll be just as good).

Take a look at the collections they have featured so far (the new format just started this month). It's really nifty.

Thanks, DailyBuzz Food (I still want to call you FoodBuzz, is that ok?)!!

Really Tasty BBQ Vegan Skewers

As you may or may not already know, I'm a really big meat eater so BBQ vegan skewers are not normally I'd partake in, let alone create.

Given the bounty of the season, and my effort to eat a bit lighter, I thought we'd give some vegan skewers a try. I've been getting amazing vegetables these past few months and want to showcase their flavor. What better way to do this than by grilling veggie and tofu skewers, coated with a light olive oil mustard and thyme marinade?

Tofu has only appeared once on this site, as part of my beloved version of Cook's Illustrated's Hot and Sour Soup. I usually eat around the tofu in the soup, only eating little bits of it for the texture. Imagine how delighted I was by the flavor and consistency that the tofu had in these skewers. Not crisp, but firm, and just the right amount of marinade seeped into the tofu cubes to give you that extra flavor in every bite.

I do have to admit, I think I'd like these more with shrimp in them, but the tofu was a surprisingly good part of the whole.

BBQ Vegan Skewers

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skewers, soaked in water if they are wood
• ½ block super firm tofu, water pressed out, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 cup summer squash cut into chunks
• 12  mushrooms, cleaned, ends trimmed but left whole
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 2 sprigs thyme leaves, minced
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. Preheat grill to high.
2. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3. Alternating squash, onion, tofu and mushroom, make six skewers.
4. Brush with the dressing on all sides.
5. Place on the grill and cook for five minutes with the lid closed.
6. Open the lid, brush with dressing on all sides, cook for five minutes more on second side, turn and repeat above steps.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms at The Italian Pantry

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

 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.

Vegan and Gluten-Free Mini Veggie Pizza

Comfort foods are my best friend. My parents are both great cooks and go out of their way to make everyone's favorite foods at all times. One of my favorite childhood dishes, was the English muffin mini pizzas Joe (my dad) would make for us. Honestly, I can't remember if he made them very often , but this is a dish I always associate with him.

I've been wanting to make these mini pizzas myself, but I have two problems: gluten and dairy. In the past, I've made my own pizza crust with gluten free flour, but I just want to be able to throw together a quick and easy pizza, that reminds me of Joe's pizza.

My solution presented itself in the form of these great gluten and dairy free Amy's sandwich rounds. I haven't had much luck in finding a small roll or English muffin-type of bread in the past. These are amazing. They are nice and soft, but not too chewy and held up well with all of the toppings on them, too.

Veggie Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 3 to 4 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in olive oil
• 3 to 4 asparagus stalks, steamed and cut into small pieces
• Amy's Gluten-Free Sandwich Round or 1 English muffins or 1 pita cut in half
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. If using pizza dough: prepare as per the package instructions and pre-bake the dough halfway.
2. If using English muffins or pita bread: place in a toaster oven or a regular oven on broil for 3 minutes.
3. Take the partially baked pizza dough or the toasted bread and layer on top all of the veggies.
4. Pour the oil over top, and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
5. Place back in the oven or broiler and cook until the veggies and crust/bread have browned slightly.

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

Cook’s note: You can add 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese as a base, before you place the vegetables on the bread.

Beet Salad with Oranges

 Gran Fran knows her way around beets. She would make them for us on a regular basis. Her salad involves only some olive oil and vinegar. And, she also cooks her with the skin on, removing it after cooking. Her method involves roasting the beets in the oven individually wrapped in foil (Gran Fran, let me know if I'm wrong here). Skinning the hot beets made me stay away from beet cooking for a good long time. My hands not only turned red from the juice, but also were slightly burned each time I tried to de-skin one of the beets.

My sister Danielle taught me this method, which turns your fingers red immediately, but leaves you with fewer burn marks on your hands. I think I end up with more beets, too. Using a vegetable peeler allows you to remove just the brown skin and preserve more of the good stuff.

I cook the beets in what will become the dressing for the final product, too, which gives you a really flavorful dressing. And, you are able to eat these hot, if you want to, without having to waste any time peeling off the skin.

The addition of oranges and sunflower seeds to this salad make it the perfect Spring-is-Here dish. It's fruity and earthy with just a little bit of crunch.

Featured on The Fruit Guys website.

Beet Salad with Oranges

INGREDIENTS

• 3 beets, skins peeled off, greens removed, cut into eighths.
• 1 small shallot, cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 orange cut into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon sunflower seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place the beet and shallots onto a rimmed baking sheet, or into a baking pan large enough to allow space between the pieces.
3. Mix together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the beets, making sure to coat all sides of the beets.
4. Roast the beets in the oven for 40 minutes, or until fork tender, turning the beets every ten minutes or so.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the warm beets with the orange segments.