Fresh Summer Zucchini Frittata

This is a lovely frittata with a beautiful presentation. 

These open zucchini flowers that I cut from my garden this morning were used in the frittata.

After washing the flowers, I gently shook off the water, pinched out the stamen, split the petals, and laid them on a towel to dry while preparing the other ingredients.

After mixing eggs with whole milk, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper, I sautéed two small diced zucchinis for a few minutes (in a non-stick pan) with a small minced shallot in a little extra virgin olive oil.

I gently poured the egg mixture into the pan with the sautéed zucchini and shallot, trying not to disturb them, and topped the mixture with the pretty zucchini flower petals.

I covered the pan with foil, finished cooking on medium/low-medium heat until done (firm in the middle), and slid the finished frittata onto a glass serving plate. We enjoyed the frittata with some Vermont bacon. Or some nice crusty toast rubbed with a garlic bulb and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil would be a nice side.

I followed the recipe in my Extra Virgin cookbook, but it can also be found here: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/debi-mazar-and-gabriele-corcos/frittata-with-zucchini.html

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For a lactose-free and milk protein-free version for me: I used organic vanilla soy milk (I think soy milk with vanilla tastes more like milk) in place of whole milk and Go Veggie casein- and lactose-free (and non-GMO) Grated Parmesan Style Topping. As much as I dislike using processed food, this is one of only a few cheese substitutes I'll use. When using Go Veggie, I use a little less than the portion called for since the flavor can be overwhelming. And, of course, the frittata would taste fine without cheese or cheese substitute.

Baked Beet Chips With Guacamole

Here's a great snack idea from the Extra Virgin cookbook or show. I first saw this on their cooking show, also called Extra Virgin, and it sounded so good and easy I wanted to make it for my family. Plus, I was impressed that they made this for their daughter's birthday party -- beet chips for kids!

I chose yellow beets because I thought they'd look more like potato chips, which would make my family more open to trying them. Plus I think their flavor is more mild (less "dirt" like as they say!) and sweeter than red beets.

I used three beets, rather than the amount called for in the recipe, because it was just the four of us. I adjusted the extra virgin olive oil amount accordingly. After the first batch, I found that there was too much extra virgin olive oil to achieve full crispness so I wiped some off the beets before cooking the next batch. Next time, I'd use only enough oil to lightly coat the beets. It also took some adjustments in oven temp and cooking time to get the right amount of crispness (everyone's oven is different!), but worth it. Their were some burnt spots, but tasted fine. They are tricky to make, but now that I know what I'm doing I'll be more successful. I have to say, though, the beets honestly tasted really good raw!

The recipe for this delicious healthful beet snack can be found in their Extra Virgin cookbook or here: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/debi-mazar-and-gabriele-corcos/guacamole-and-baked-beet-chips.html

Guacamole

I used my own guacamole recipe, which is simple. I vary my recipe often, but this time I made it with two avocados smashed with one small garlic clove, minced, and one small shallot, minced, a pinch of sea salt and a little freshly ground pepper. 

Sometimes I add cilantro or parsley to my guacamole. I like to use only a small amount of garlic so it doesn't overwhelm the avocado flavor. Sometimes I don't use garlic. And sometimes I like to add a few chopped organic grape tomatoes. I love to use a small shallot because it's mild and, again, it doesn't overwhelm the avocado flavor. 

Dragon Fruit And Orange Cocktail

Dragon fruit isn't local food here, but I just had to give it try when I saw this funky looking fruit in the grocery store.

The flavor was much like a kiwi. After looking up recipes, many were salads, we decided to make a nice refreshing drink and cocktail.

My daughter loved it without the alcohol. I had mine with rum.

The recipe can be found here, http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/orange-dragonfruit-cocktail/3a64cdbe-d793-4f60-bae1-b99e2fb37749. 

Enjoy!

Potato Crust Frittata

Frittatas are crustless but there were just a couple of potatoes left in the potato bowl that were getting soft so it was time to make something with them or they'd end up in the compost bin. So rather than cook them separately for, maybe, breakfast potatoes or hash, I decided to use them in the frittata as a crust.

I thinly sliced the potatoes with a mandolin, tossed them in extra virgin olive oil and some Italian seasoning, and roasted them at 400 degrees until cooked through but not too soft, just a few minutes. (I always preheat the cooking sheet when roasting potatoes to prevent them from sticking.) 

While the potatoes cooked, I whisked 12 local eggs in a bowl, sautéed some savory local breakfast sausage in the same cast iron skillet that the frittata would be baked in, and chopped the left over roasted peppers, onions, and garlic from a previous meal, which amounted to about one cup. The chopped vegetables were then added to the whisked eggs.

When all the ingredients were ready, I first layered the potatoes and then the sausage on the bottom of a 12 inch cast iron skillet that was first prepared with a little extra virgin olive oil. The egg mixture was poured in slowly so it wouldn't disturb the potatoes and sausage. 

The entire frittata baked in the oven at 350 degrees until it was firm in the center. I didn't pre-cook the frittata over the stovetop because of the potato crust.

So, this is a great way to use up leftovers and a general idea of what I did. There are many precise, simple, time-saving frittata recipes available on the internet. Try a frittata for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner sometime! 

Salad Days

The warmer weather has us thinking about eating lighter meals. 

Salad days are here! 

Anything Goes Salad

My daughter and I were driving home from running errands the other day and we wanted to avoid making one last stop at the grocery store. So we thought about what was in the fridge and decided we had enough food to make a fun salad for dinner.

When we got home, we made a spread with baby lettuces, corn, chopped cucumbers, sliced avocado, grape tomatoes, strawberries that we mixed with a little white balsamic vinegar and agave nectar (honey would be fine), and leftover grilled chicken breast that we sliced. After we assembled our salads, we added some nice locally made Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette by D.E. Vine Foods. 

Deviled Egg Salad With Avocado  

For this salad, I just mixed six boiled eggs with a little extra virgin olive oil (about 1 tablespoon), Dijon mustard to taste (about 1 teaspoon), a little fresh ground pepper, two slices of chopped bacon (optional - I was using up our leftovers). Then I dropped a couple of spoonfuls over some baby lettuces and sliced avocado. I made the croutons by toasting the leftover ciabatta bread we had with our sausage and bean dinner the other night. For the dressing, I simply sprinkled a little extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar over the top and freshly ground pepper. 

Notes

Avocado: cut open and slice just before serving so they don't turn brown or coat with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning.

Corn: to avoid GMO corn I look for organic corn. Organic corn on the cob is difficult to find so I usually buy organic frozen corn in a bag, rather than corn in a can to also avoid possible BHT in canned goods. Sometimes it's difficult to avoid canned goods as in tomatoes and beans, but avoiding canned goods whenever possible is a good thing. I recently found jarred tomatoes at Trader Joe's but when I went back they didn't have any more in stock. I'll keep looking or jar some myself this summer!

Sausage and Cannellini Beans

I'm not one to get starstruck and don't watch television often but a few weeks ago (yes, just recently) I discovered the cooking show, Extra Virgin, and became an instant fan.

Given my fondness for the food prepared so lovingly on Extra Virgin, I wanted the cookbook also named, Extra Virgin, that was about to be released and reserved a copy. It arrived a day or two after its release on May 6th and this is the first dish I've made from the cookbook.

This dish, simply named, "Sausage And Beans" (salsiccie e fagioli) in the cookbook, was a hit with my family. I chose this recipe because my daughter loves Cannellini beans as does my son but he loves tomato sauce and meat even more. So this dish was perfect. I served it with toasted ciabatta to soak up some of the sauce. We placed a toast on our plates and ladled heaps of beans, red sauce, and sausage over the top. Delicious and flavorful!

Rather than the eight sausages called for in the recipe, I had a rope of sausage on hand which I cut into pieces before cooking, the reason the ends of the sausage look funky. Next time, I'll cook the rope sausage whole and slice after it's cooked or I'll buy individual sausages and keep the sausages whole for a nicer presentation.

Roasted carrots and red peppers was a nice side dish. To make week night dinners quick and easy I often roast vegetables in the oven while I'm preparing the main dish on the stovetop.

The recipe for Sausage and Beans can be found on the Cooking Channel website. It's a little different from the cookbook but sounds just as delicious.