Roasted Delicata Squash and Apples {12 weeks of Winter Squash}

Are you in charge of bringing a side dish to a Thanksgiving dinner this year? I usually am known as the one who will bring a healthy and "amazing" dish. My sister-in-laws always seem so impressed and amazed at the "unique/interesting/lovely" appetizers I bring to the collection of mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles and Holiday ham.  I'll let you in a little secret though if you promise not to tell………

I usually spend a total of about 30 minutes on most of  the side dishes and appetizers I bring to just about any party but most especially Holiday dinners. 

Shhhhhhh, our little secret!

It doesn't have to look or taste like you threw something together though and it most CERTAINLY doesn't need to come out of a box or a can! Fresh fruits and veggies always have a way of shining all on their own with very little need of help in the way of additives, sauces or a ton of spices.

This side dish is sweetened with a touch of honey, which you can't really tell is in there but compliments the earthy flavors of the squash and apples and will help the kiddos eat their healthy veggies happily. {o.k. I had 1 out of 4 kids who didn't like it but hey, those aren't bad odds!)

I adore squash in all of it's varieties but this is the first time (I made this dish at least twice before posting as usual) that I've had delicate squash. I am now in love. Love at first taste actually. This is hands down the easiest of ALL squash to prepare. Simply cut the ends off, slice in half lengthwise with ease thanks to the very light skin, scoop out the small bit off seeds and roast. 

Bam!

This side dish will go alongside some other fabulous squash dishes my fellow squash loving bloggers have made for week 3 of 12 weeks of winter squash. Only 12?!!! 

SERVES    6           TIME    30 MINUTES        

Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 
2. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3. 1 tablespoon honey
4. 3 garlic cloves, sliced
5. 2 small delicata squashes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
6. 2 fugi (or similar) apples cut in half lengthwise, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, any seeds removed
7. 1 small red onion, cut into 12 wedges
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10. 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add squash and onion; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Carefully remove preheated pan from oven; coat pan with cooking spray. Spread vegetable mixture evenly on baking sheet. Bake at 475° for 20 minutes or until tender, turning once. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

If not serving immediately, cover with foil. 

Other Thanks Giving Day Sides and Appetizers from Simply Healthy Family

Stuffed Acorn Squash with fresh Cranberries and Pecans

Spiced Cranberry Chutney with Apricots, Cherries and Pecans

Pepita Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Do you share my love for winter squash? Join the party and link up and share a yummy squash recipe you made this week! Don't got squash? No bigs. Just link up next week!

Artichoke Pesto Pasta with Grilled Shrimp

I swore I would never ever be that parent who lives and breathes vicariously through their children's
lives. If you were to ask me I would tell you that I think I'm doing a pretty good job at fulfilling that goal. I would then go on to tell you that I actively encourage all 4 of my youngin's to aspire to what they want to be by engaging them in the things they are good at and helping them to work through those things that they aren't perfect at.  It's hard being a 4, 7, 8 and 19 year old after all.


I love baseball. I always have. The crack of the bat, the smell of the grass, the fresh air and the way the major league players look in those grey pants   the old fashioned, all American feeling of it all. I was never great at playing the sport but I sure wished upon more than one star that I would be the team hero at least once rather than 'Odd Man Out' more often than not. That's the thing about baseball. It's a team sport but when your up to bat or a pop fly is hit to your corner of the field, ALL eyes are on YOU. As a kid, one minute it feels like you're the team Super Hero and the next minute, you strike out (again) and you are shunned and ridiculed.






Being the mom of 3 boys (and 1 perfect little girl) means I can get my fill of watching and being a part of sports like my fav, baseball. My oldest son had a serious love affair with basketball and played his heart out on city leagues, clubs and in junior high where he was even team captain for 2 years, until when he got to high school and wasn't quite good enough to make the team.

It broke his heart but to my amazement he didn't sulk or even complain. Instead, my 13 year old son, went home and all on his own wrote a resume to the head coach of the High School Team listing all of the reasons why he was qualified to be a part of the team no matter what he had to do. Whether it be by being a team manager, passing out and picking up the balls, encouraging his team mates (which he did graciously and enthusiastically) and by just doing whatever was need of him, just so long as that he could be a part of the team while he practiced and practiced and practiced.


Which he did. And he got better. And they let him play. Joy.




























Back to baseball and my 7 & 8 year old boys. My 8 year old could care less about sports. I'm o.k. with that. Really. I find it exhilarating that all of my children are unique and special with a set of their own  interests, skills and personalities. My 8 year old son loves art and building things, especially Lego's & Origami.

My 3rd and youngest son, age 7 was very eager to play baseball much to my excitement. He has my family's body type which I prefer to say is "Athletic" instead of "Big Boned".  He has a natural athletic ability when it comes to physic and strength and if we can just work on that coordination and speed thing I think we might have something here……..

"Not living vicariously through my children. Not living vicariously through my children."


Today was the last game of the season. When I asked him to go get ready to go to his game he pouted and sulked and then flat out protested. I said "What's wrong Nolan, I thought you liked baseball?" and do you know what my son said to me?



"My favorite part of baseball is the end. When it's over."


Wow.

Maybe he'll change his mind.

Maybe not. And I'm o.k. with that. Kind of.

There is always comfort in pasta. Always. As long as it's a good quality, better yet home made pasta you can really sink your teeth into. As long as there as a fresh sauce or pesto you can twirl your noodles through life will be o.k.  Molto Bene!!

Not home made, but this pasta was fabulous. Thick and non starchy cooked to Al dente perfection with a hollow center to soak up even more of the green sauce! Swoon.

A twist on your traditional pesto, artichoke hearts make a light and lovely green pasta sauce. This unpretentious pesto would also pair well with jumbo grilled shrimp alone as an appetizer. 

A twist of lemon, a toss of freshly grated Parmigiana ~Romano and a bit of Italian parsley along with pine nuts or walnuts and you have yourself a guest worthy meal in minutes. Don't forget the wine!

Ingredients

1 package of pasta, cooked to package directions
5-7 artichoke hearts (found in glass jars)
1 large handful fresh Italian parsley
2 handfuls of walnuts or pine nuts (about 1 cup for those who measure)
1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiana~Romano2-3 cloves fresh garlic
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons of water to thin pesto to desired consistency
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
red chile flakes if desired

1 lb. large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Pre-heat grill. Spray a grill pan with oil. {You can also bake shrimp at 400F for 8-10 minutes or stir fry). Grill shrimp over medium flame until they turn dark pink, about 3 minutes per side. Don't overcook or they will become dry! Remove from heat and set aside. No need to season shrimp for this recipe.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Combine all ingredients, artichoke hearts through cracked pepper in a food processor or blender till combined.  Toss pesto with pasta to coat. Sprinkle with chile flakes for some heat if desired. I do. ;}

Pepita Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms //// Appetizers to Bring to Your HolidayGet Togethers.

I made these savory stuffed mushrooms in preparation for our upcoming Thanksgiving get togethers. I think that one of my favorite parts of the Holiday's is taste testing all of the possible appetizers that may or may not make it to our family dinners and the small gatherings we 'squeeze in' with our closest friends. Thank the Lord we have such large families and such good friends so I can taste test to my hearts content!  Can I get a  'HALLELUJAH!'

 All of the women in our group thought these were an amazing appetizer! I  l.o.v.e. stuffed mushrooms in a perfectly stalky kind of way and these were just a bit different than any I've ever had, very light and healthy without the cheese overload and yet they fulfilled my cheesy, stuffed mushroom addiction  craving. The Pepita seeds were a wonderful twist to the usual pesto. My husband 'liked' them but said he expected more 'kick' which is to be expected of my cooking….. and from men  ;}   It ain't got no beef in it honey!

As I so eloquently mentioned before, I have an appetizer fetish/love/addiction which I am not ashamed of whatsoever. In fact, if it were up to me, I would quite happily live off nothing but appetizers (and the appropriate wine) for dinner every. single. night. 

I have high hopes that I will be most diligent in posting my absolute  favorite, tried and true (don't fret Martha, I know I'm no expert.")  Holiday appetizers which are totally family reunion worthy (I know what expectations that brings) and yet so simple that they will bring you ZERO stress while throwing together and the most skeptical of MIL's will appreciate.


This is my vow. I got your back!

• 20 small cremini or white mushrooms, *stems removed
• 4 tablespoons (plus a few to place on top) unsalted Pepita's (pumpkin seeds), toasted
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves 
• 2 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 3/4 teaspoon grated orange rind 
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2-3 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 

Preparation

1. 
   
2.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange mushroom caps, stem sides up, in pan; cook 5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Turn mushrooms over; cook 5 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Place mushrooms, stem sides down, on paper towels to drain and cool.
3.  Place 4 tablespoons Pepita's, parsley, and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until chopped. With processor on, slowly pour oil through food chute; process until well blended.
4.  Fill each mushroom cap with about 1 teaspoon pesto; top evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons Pepita's. Serve either warm or chilled. Place a small sliver of shaved Parmesan for presentation if desired. 

NOTES:  I find it much easier to use my fingers instead of a knife to 'pluck' out the mushroom stems. It makes a nice 'cavity' for stuffing's that way. 

Use any combination of herbs or greens you desire. 

Make sure to pat dry the cooked mushrooms so they are not soggy. This appetizer is best served immediately or chilled and served. 

Greek Yogurt and Goat Cheese Tzaziki Roasted Red Pepper Zucchini Rolls with Pesto Dip A.K.A. Extremely Creative and Interesting Snacks for an Unbearably Boring Mom.

Let's talk about creative energy, or rather the lack there of. For instance, I'm pretty sure that I had something rather interesting to say 15 minutes ago but since then 1 million and 1 other extremely important things have happened. Such is the life of a mom of 4. Any mom actually, but I speak for myself (disclaimer numero uno).

Case and point. In the last 15 minutes I have:

Tried to console a very distraught 4 year old little girl about a broken crayon which her 8 year old very artistic brother absolutely had to have because it was  "Imperial Blue" and the exact shade he needed to finish his bird drawing and "NO!" another shade of blue from the enormous bucket of crayons wouldn't do and excuse me please but it in fact is not a crayon but a pastel! ..............................

Stopped 3 times to put on baby doll clothes. On the same baby doll.

Tried to reason with a dramatic 6 year old over why it's not the end of the world when someone touches him, looks at him, breathes on him.

Prepared myself for yet another night of over reactive drama and whining about how grosssssss dinner is before they even know what it is.

Tried to take a picture or two of for mentioned dinner when the house we moved into several months ago does not have ONE SINGLE north facing window, or any decent window for food photography for that matter.  (note to self, look for new house immediately. post note, be in complete denial that the housing market is yet again rising faster than my strategic abilities allow.)

Exaggerating? Who me? NO. Not this time my friends, not this time. Life as a mom, end of story. 

Again, I'm pretty sure I had something very creative or mildly interesting to say in regards to this post 15 minutes ago but alas, you will forgive me as my creativity has been sucked away over the years and replaced with the cutest of cute, adorable, little, needy monsters. 

What's the opposite of boring? These super cute snack containers from Planet Box. I. heart. their lunch boxes and so when they offered to send me one of their brand new sectioned snack boxes, 

"The Shuttle" with a perfect little dipping container I was waiting by the window for the UPS guy.  

This little snack container was much roomier than I imagined and perfect for my portioned, 5 a day small meals. As you can see it held my 'second' lunch quite nicely and I won't even mention the fact that my dear husband swiped it from me the  next morning. I did get a nice text message around lunch time about how fantastic my zucchini rolls were. Cudos.

I love Planet Boxes sleek and convenient  design and that the magnets were interchangeable. My boys loved this alien one and when mommy wants to take it to work I simply take the magnets off or I can switch them out for one of their other cute magnets. These cute space guys ended up on our fridge. 

Several different sizes to choose form with eco-conscience design and cute carriers. I love it!

Back to School Time Already! Time to get a sturdy lunch box that will last through the year! 

Planet Box sent me these items, all opinions are my own.

Almond and Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade and The World's Best Ever Steak Marinade

This weekend as you well know is Father's Day weekend. Instead of hanging out around the house and  grilling some steaks and swimming in the pool we decided it would be a good idea to take all of the kids and meet the fam up at Big Lake for some camping chaos fun. If you didn't read my post from last year you may not fully appreciate how difficult interesting it can be when camping with 3 young children and a cranky teenager. If your up for a good laugh read about our adventure here.  I remain very optimistic that things will go much better this year.......

For one thing, I'm going to make things a LOT easier on myself and stick with the basics. Simple, yet good food and packing just what's necessary instead of trying to plan for every inconceivable disaster. Quite frankly I'm just too pooped to plan.


Last weekend we grilled up some steaks which turned out to be hands down best ever and all around awesome. I'm not a huge red meat so when I'm craving a nice steak or burger It better be good. I like my meat very tender and super flavorful. These steaks were both and the tangy, sweet flavor can be attributed to this marinade which worked wonders on the meat. Man, it was so good!

I also attempted to make a red pepper, cilantro pesto from Dara at Cookin' Canuck  but ended up tweaking the ingredients and process a bit to end up with more of a tapenade. I love tapenades in every variety, they are so versatile and satisfying in a grown up sort of way. They can be paired with steak, on top of smoked or grilled fish (my favorite) or as a stand alone hor d'oeuvres with crackers, a baguette and of course a good aperitif.

Basically, for this to be a tapenade instead of a pesto, you need to use a bit more almonds and less red pepper. Preferably use a small hand food processor or pulse just a few times in your regular one. I love my little manual one for chopping garlic, finely mincing onion, herbs and making salsa and guacamole. It's just a tiny little thing and so easy to clean. I use it daily.

Almond and Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade

1 small red bell pepper, roasted

3 cloves garlic

1 cup blanched almonds (2 handfuls)

small handful cilantro

squeeze lime juice

2-3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil

Pulse all ingredients except lime juice and oil in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Drizzle in oil and lime juice. Pulse until desired consistency.

Happy Father's Day to my dad who is the coolest and most gerous guy I know and to my sweet and as perfect as they get husband who keeps me grounded, happy and calm. 

and to all you other dad's, I hope you have a wonderful day!

(camping or not)

Grilled Eggplant Caprese with Parmesan and Garlic White Bean Puree

Summer in Phoenix means very long, hot days and cooking is the very last thing I want to do. Sitting by the pool with an ice cold drink while waiting for my grill to work it's magic on these eggplants however, is my idea of a perfect summer supper. Grilling thick slices of eggplant brings out a wonderful smokey flavor that baking just can't replicate. In a pinch broiling them will do but I find that not only is the flavor not up to par but they turn out a bit soggier than when on the grill.











Now that the kids are out of school I seem to have lost any and all motivation to cook over involved meals. We have a fun, semi-structured summer plan to keep our bodies in motion and our minds from turning into jello. On the 3 days during the week that I work my mom is nice enough to have a short, fun and interactive lesson planned for them. They've been learning about insects, ocean creatures and the different parts of plants so far. After their lesson they do a fun project or a craft about what they learned.

On the week they learned about insects, they learned all about bees and how they make honey and interact with each other in the hive. We have a fun trip to a small, family owned farm near our house that has several bee hives on site! How cool! This will also let them see how and where plants, our food in particular grow. Right now they think that bananas grow at the grocery store and hot dogs grow on trees. O.K. not really, but living in the city they've only seen the few pathetic plants and herbs that mommy tries to grow in pots. So we are looking forward to a trip to a real farm.

Eggplant is almost at the end of it's season here in the Phoenix desert so we will have to pick up several while we are at the farm along with heirloom tomatoes, peppers, purple and green beans, 

summer squash and strawberries. 

Tonapah Rob's Vegetable Farm. Heirloom Tomatoes

I'll have to post about the whole bee hive experience and pick up a bottle of the local, Organic honey they produce there! They also have over 300 hens so hopefully we will get some nice fresh eggs. 

So excited!

Simple Summer Supper

For the Eggplant Caprese

2 medium eggplants, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
8-10 oz fresh mozzarella ball, sliced
fresh Parmesan, grated
handful of fresh basil, chopped
EVOO for brushing eggplant
salt

For the White Bean Puree

2 cups dry white beans
4 cups chicken broth or water
1 small leek (optional, for more flavor)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 head garlic
1 teaspoon EVOO
1 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked pepper

Preparation: The night before, soak your beans in a covered bowl of water.

In the morning, drain and rinse the beans. Place in a slow cooker with water, salt

bay leaves and rosemary sprig. Cook on low for 8 hours. Do not pick up lid.

Putting it all together:

Fire up your grill on medium heat.

Using a paring knife, remove peel from eggplant. Slice into 1/2 pieces. 

Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. 

Remove loose skin from garlic. Cut the top 1/4 inch off of the head of garlic.

Lightly drizzle the exposed garlic cloves with oil. Place on grill. 

Cut the dark green leaves off the leek, discard. Slice the remaining white and light green

stalk in half lengthwise. Brush lightly with oil. Place leek cut side down on grill.

Place eggplant on grill and press lightly. Cook 5-6 minutes on each side (leave the leek face down). 

I like to close the grill lid to let the smoke work it's magic. Be careful not to let them burn.

Remove from grill. Set eggplant aside. Carefully chop leek into small pieces.

Meanwhile, remove rosemary and bay leaves from cooked beans. 

Put leek into the slow cooker with the beans. Carefully squeeze out cooked garlic cloves into

beans. Using an immersion blender, puree the beans until smooth. 

Spoon onto a deep plate. Top with freshly cracked pepper.

On top of the bean puree, place a slice of grilled eggplant, top with slice of mozzarella, tomato, chopped basil, repeat. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with basil.

I know it may sound like a lot of preparation but it's really not. I just wanted to explain in detail.  Also, 

the flavor of the bean puree was so complex thanks to slow cooking in the herbs, the grilled garlic and leek and paired wonderfully with the eggplant caprese.

 It makes this a complete and very satisfying dinner. 

Coconut Crusted Baked Chicken Strips {gluten free}

I remember when I was in college I thought grabbing some chicken fingers at Wendy's was a healthier choice than grabbing a cheeseburger, I mean no bread right? Wrong, duh me. I'm not going to lie, I still love a good, crispy chicken nugget but avoid the drive through like crazy nowadays. It's a good thing, a very, very good thing that home made chicken nuggets happen to be one of the very easiest things you can make. Yippee!







Anyone can make these even if you don't like to cook or it's not really your thing. This is one of my "go to" weeknight simple dinners. I'm bored to death with plain baked chicken not to mention the whole humane issue with eating cooped up chickens. Of course eating Organic & cage free chicken gets pricey when feeding a family of 6 so we don't have it very often.

These would be a perfect appetizer at a party!

When we do I make sure it's gonna be tasty and serve it up with lots of fruits and veggies. In this case, an amazingly sweet and creamy mango yogurt dipping sauce! I could have eaten it by the spoonful. Not ashamed.



One of my nutty kids doesn't like coconut (the shame) but the rest of us loved these sweet and crunchy chicken tenders and were more than happy to swipe Jack's chicken nuggets right of his plate. Ya gotta be quick around this joint when it comes to protecting your food and making sure you get the very last chicken nugget from the pan.

6-8 pieces chicken tenderloins (preferably Organic free range)

11/2 cups almond or other nut flour 

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

4 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons milk (dairy free if possible)

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon oil for coating pan 

2 ripe mango's + 1/2 cup yogurt = mango dipping sauce

peel mango and slice fruit away from pit. Discard pit, place fruit into blender or food processor. Add yogurt, blend.

Preheat oven to 400F

Arrange 3 deep plates on counter. Add flour to one,  beaten eggs to the second and coconut to the third.

Working one at a time, place chicken tenders into flour and dredge on both sides to coat. Using your other hand, dip coated chicken into egg to coat. Next, lay chicken in coconut and dredge to coat, flip, coat other side.

Place on a lightly oiled pan or one lined with parchment. 

Continue to do this to remaining chicken. 

TIP 

 Only put half of the flour and half of the coconut onto plates as they will become gooey.

Half way through your chicken, quickly rinse off plates if needed and dry.

 Add remaining flour to one plate and remaining coconut to the other. 

Cook at 400F for 4-5 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip the chicken pieces over. 

Cook an additional 5-6 minutes until golden brown.

Don't over cook chicken as it will become dry and taste like cardboard.

Enjoy!

Do you cook less when the weather gets warmer? 

What is your favorite warm weather dish?

Smokey Baba Ganoush {roasted eggplant dip}

Teenagers. sighhhh.  Why didn't anyone ever warn me about how exhausting, annoying and all around taxing teenagers are? I'm pretty sure that had someone warned me I would have planned better. Prepared myself in some way, maybe gone to  pre-conditioning therapy, meditated more or sent him to boarding school at age 13. That would have been smart, best for everyone. Had someone only warned me.








I'm trying really hard to look on the bright side of the situation, see the positive. There are a couple I think. He never did drugs, drank (that I know of anyway) is a well mannered and mostly happy go lucky kid. He is healthy (well until I get through with him after this latest shenanigan anyway) and has potential..... I hope.

Hope. Pray. Wait. That's really all a mother can do when your teenager goes off to college for his freshman year, all expenses paid for by dear old mom and dad and comes home with a big, FAT 1.0 GPA. Yup.

My son. The boy we raised and taught to be responsible, trustworthy and work hard in life. The boy who was in Honors, AP and IB courses throughout high school. The boy who may or may not be cut out of our WIll. Not that we have any money left after throwing it away on what turned out to basically be a one year, $12,000 all expenses paid vacation in Eastern Arizona, middle of nowhere USA.


Hope. Pray. Wait.


Time for the boy to take responsibility for his own actions. Self accountability. Figure out things for himself. Hopefully not crash and burn and when he inevitably does, I pray he will man up and make things right. Finish school and be a strong, smart independent young man who comes groveling back to his poor defeated mom and dad and begs for our forgiveness and tells us how incredibly smart we really were.

What? O.K. so maybe that last part is a bit of a stretch.



Which brings me to baba ganoush. Of course.

BRAIN FOOD, Cardiovascular Health and Free Radical Protection

In addition to featuring a host of vitamins and minerals like fiber, magnesium and potassium, eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity. 

Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. 

photo source

For more information on how to choose and store eggplant visit World's Healthiest Foods

Smokey Baba Ganoush {Roasted Eggplant Dip}


recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma's Small Plates by Joanne Wier, published 1998


TIME    45 MINUTES      SERVES    4

Ingredients 

• 1 large eggplant

• 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed

• 3-5 garlic cloves, roasted

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin  

• salt, to taste

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

Directions 

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill. 

Preheat an oven to 400°F. 

Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill 4 to 5 inches from the fire. 

Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.  

Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin. 

Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl. 

Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste. 

Add the 1/4 cup tahini, roasted garlic,1/4 cup lemon juice, paprika and cumin and mix well. 

Season with salt, then taste and add more lemon juice, if needed. 

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well. 

Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley. Place the olives around the sides.

Bon Apetite!

Roasted Chickpea, Heirloom tomato, Avocado, Lemon Tarragon and Basil Salad.

My mom is in the background reminiscing about how she always used to win the spelling bee. Every year she says, and there was a big stage and real prizes, that's how they did it in my day. All because I asked her how to spell extraordinaire. I should have known better. She's still going on and on (can't blame a gal for reminiscing) so of course I ask her how to spell reminiscing and she pauses with a bit of doubt..... HA! I totally know how to spell doubt! So I promptly turn to my handy dandy, new age spelling check thingy on my state of the art MAC computer and it shuts my poor mom down and tells me how to spell reminiscing before she can spout it out.   Pooooor  mommy.

I can't really feel all that proud about my somewhat limited technological (spell check told me how to spell that, I'm not ashamed) abilities because right after I was congratulating myself on my ability to spell a couple of 5th grade words and patting myself on the back for navigating through Photo shop to produce a half way reasonable food pic I found myself cursing my wireless mouse. You see, when I moved right, the arrow would go left. When I move up, the arrow would go down.  Gahhhh!  Why can't technology be simple?!!


Because idiots like me can't figure out when a mouse is turned upside down. In my defense it is wireless and is completely anatomical.

Yeah. I know.



It's a good thing I know how to cook without burning the house down. I love uncomplicated summer dinners. I'm declaring it summer here in Phoenix. It's in the 90's, good enough reason for me to turn off the stove and focus on quick and simple meals with fresh ingredients.






Simple, fresh ingredients. Heirloom tomatoes, chick peas drizzled with a good quality olive oil and sprinkled with some Himalayan Pink Sea Salt. Roasted to crispy perfection.  Don't feel like turning on your oven? No problem, neither do I come May. This salad tastes equally amazing with out roasting the chick peas. I happen to loooove the crispy texture and flavor that roasting brings to them but in a pinch, plain ol' cooked chick peas will do.



You can use canned chick peas or dry ones. If using canned, drain and rinse thoroughly. Put into a small bowl, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a salt. Spread onto a baking pan, I love my stone one which absorbs flavor and allows you to use less oil and is super easy to clean. During the hot summer months I can see myself skipping the oven all together but I do love the crispiness and flavor that roasting the beans adds.

Roast in the oven at 375F for 20-25 minutes to desired crispiness. I highly recommend investing in a baking stone. I use mine to roast veggies, bake cookies and pizza crust. You use a minimal amount of oil with a baking stone and it roasts more evenly that a metal one.  Check out this Rada Cutlery Stoneware

When I can find them, I love these pretty little Heirloom tomatoes. They are naturally sweet and so good for you, think no GMO's. Real tomatoes not genetically modified. Don't want to spend the money or can't find them in your hood. Use cherry or grape tomatoes instead.

Slice a semi-ripe avocado into bite size pieces. Sprinkle with a generous amount of dried tarragon. Tarragon goes amazing with avocado! Squeeze the juice of 1 whole lemon over the avocado and gently toss to coat. Lemon not only adds fresh flavor but helps the avocado not to brown quickly. Set aside.

Avocado tossed with tarragon and lemon.

This one was an instant keeper! Usually I make recipes several time before posting them on my blog. But I am sitting here writing this with a bowl full of this yummy salad sitting in front of me.

 It's  that  good.



Light, lemony, healthy and fresh. What more do you want in a summer salad?

Perfect to bring on a picnic! Enjoy with a cold glass of Pinot Grigio and an herbed salad mix.

TIME     20 MINUTES       SERVES     4-6 

Ingredients: 

2 cans (or 3 cups cooked) chick peas/garbanzo beans1 pint baby heirloom tomatoes, sliced in half ~ can sub cherry or grape tomatoes2 avocados, dicedsmall handful fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly1 teaspoon dried tarragon2 teaspoons divided extra virgin olive oiljuice from one lemonsalt ~ I love my pink Himalayan sea salt

Preheat oven to 375F.  

Drain and rinse chick peas if using canned. Put into a large bowl and drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat. Spread evenly onto a baking pan, I love my stone baking sheet.  Bake on center rack for 20-30 minutes to desired crispiness. 

Meanwhile, slice tomatoes in half and dice up your semi-firm avocado. Put avocado into a large bowl first and sprinkle with tarragon. Drizzle lemon juice over avocado and toss gently to coat. Add tomatoes to the bowl and sprinkle with a bit of salt and sliced basil. Add chickpeas and gently toss to combine salad.  

Serve with a green salad to make it a meal. Don't forget the Pinot Grigio!