Spring Rolls

Chocolate chip cookies or spring rolls?  Cookies or spring rolls? 

Big decisions going on over here! 

I am sure you are thinking those two options really aren't even from the same planet.  And they aren't.  I've been dropping hints recently that I would be posting the ever so popular New York Times chocolate chip cookie soon.  I really anticipated "soon" would have been here by now. 

But I just couldn't get behind something decadent and sweet this week.  Words I never thought I would write. Things have been a little Twilight zone lately--but in a good way!  

The past week was busy...I officially started in my new job with 4 days of travel, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, getting to know a new client and sending off a co-worker and mentor into a well deserved retirement.  All this activity translated into 5 solid days of eating every single meal out.  I haven't stepped on the scale yet, but it can't be good. Very doubtful I made it through the week unscathed. 

Given the many over indulgences of the past week, I had to choose the spring rolls.  No, I didn't make them this weekend, but just the thought of them is making me feel lighter already. 

I've made these spring rolls several times over the past few months.  My best friend turned me on to the recipe and it's now one of my go to light meals.  Spring rolls are almost like a salad wrapped up in a nice little bundle.  They are...

Easy to make

(once you get the rolling part down...don't worry if you tear the wrapper, it's forgiving)

Light

Fresh

Crunchy

Creamy

Refreshing

Low calorie

Delicious!

and

Healthy

Yep, food can be both delicious and healthy!  Who knew? 

It took a little coaxing, but I even got Hubby on board with this pure veggie delight!

A few notes...I have tried a couple of variations of this recipe by adding in additional elements like red pepper and mango.  The red pepper is okay, but doesn't really add anything special to the rolls.  But.  The addition of mango is AWESOME.  It brings in a juicy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the creamy avocado, fresh herbs, crunchy cucumber and carrot and the soy dipping sauce.  So tasty.  My photos are without mango as I didn't have any on hand this time.  But DO give mangoes a shot if you decide to make these spring rolls!  You could easily substitute peach or nectarine (white or yellow) if you can't find mango.   

I also made some adjustments to the dipping sauce adding extra soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.  Feel free to add or subtract according to your own tastes. 

The original recipe calls for using 2 pieces of rice paper for each roll, however I find it's unnecessary.  The reason they suggest two, is to prevent the roll from breaking during the construction process.  To me, it's a waste of a few extra calories especially when the rice paper itself isn't the star of the flavor show.  With a little practice, using one paper does the job just fine.  Rice paper can be found at your local Asian food market or most large grocery stores. 

This tasty, fresh, light, healthy spring roll is calling your name! 

Enjoy!

Spring Rolls
adapted from Williams Sonoma

Makes 10 rolls

Dipping Sauce:
Juice from 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoons brown sugar
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.

Rolls:
10 rice paper rounds (6 or 8 inches) - Or 20 rice papers if using two per roll
10 green lettuce leaves, such as bibb, butter, red leaf or green leaf lettuce
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
Fresh basil leaves (10-20 leaves)
Fresh mint leaves (10-20 leaves)
2 carrots cut into thin matchsticks (or coarsely grated)
1/2 - 3/4 English cucumber, seeds removed, cut into thin strips (about 4 inches long)
1 large mango cut into 1/2 inch strips (about 4 inches long) (optional)
2-3 green onions thinly sliced

To assemble rolls be sure all your ingredients are cleaned, cut and prepped before starting.  Fill a pie plate with warm water.  Place a clean kitchen towel next to the plate.  Dip 1 sheet of rice paper in the water for a couple of seconds, until the entire surface is just softened.  Place the softened paper on the towel.  (If using 2 rice papers per roll, use a second towel to pat the surface of the first round dry and then dip a second paper in the water and place on top of the first). 

Place one leaf of lettuce about 1/3 of the way up the bottom of the rice paper (closest to you).  Lay 1-2 leaves of both basil and mint across the lettuce.  Arrange carrots, cucumber, avocado and mango in rows on top of the herbs, keeping all the filling within the parameters of the lettuce leaf.  Sprinkle with green onions.

Lift the bottom of the rice paper up and over to just cover the filling gently and tightly tuck it under the filling.  Fold the sides of the rice paper towards the center creating a mini burrito.  Continue to roll tightly until a cylinder is formed.  Place the roll seam side down on a plate or cutting board.  Serve whole, or slice in half and serve with dipping sauce.

Note: If not serving immediately place a barely damp paper towel over the rolls until ready serve, up to 2 hours.

Sweet Pepper Soup and Herb Parmesan Crostini

I have not been a huge soup person in the past and have only made soup at home once in a while.  The weather has officially turned cool and I've been craving soup lately. I have made three soups in the last three weeks.  The first was a butternut squash soup from Cooking Light.  It was ok, but I didn't deem it blogworthy.  The second soup was chicken noodle from Cook's Illustrated.  A good solid soup, but I forgot to photograph it.  Guess that means I have to make it again.  And the third soup was this sweet pepper soup.  You will notice that I didn't reference a recipe source for this one, because it was really an amalgmation of a few recipes I came across and I'm going to deem this one my own since it was vastly different from any of the individual recipes.   

What I love about all this soup making is how easy it is.  Especially since I am not making my own stock and using store bought stock or chicken base and water.  I've been making the soup the night before we want to have it for dinner.  I have noticed this extra time allows the soup flavors to develop overnight making it even better the next day. 

I created this soup out of necessity of not wanting to waste 6 sweet bell peppers sitting in my fridge for over a week.  I was very happy with the result.  Hubby said this soup would be great with a grilled cheese sandwich and I have to agree.  We had the soup with herb parmesan crusted crostini which is great to dip in and soak up all the sweet pepper goodness.

Enjoy!


Sweet Pepper Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped into a medium dice
2 small carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
4 large garlic cloves, cut in quarters
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 sweet bell peppers, seeds and stems removed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 cups water
4 teaspoons chicken base (if you are using chicken broth instead, use 3 cups of low sodium broth)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 large basil leaves plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream and feta cheese to top soup

In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil on medium high heat and saute the onion, carrots and garlic until the onions are cooked, about 8 minutes.  Add wine and cook on high until only about a tablespoon of wine remains.  Add peppers, water, chicken base, red pepper flakes, basil and tomato paste.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until peppers are tender.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Alternatively, use a blender or food processor to puree the soup in batches.  Strain soup into a large bowl using a fine mesh strainer.  Don't skip this step if you like a smooth soup to strain out the skin from the peppers.  Serve with a small dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of feta and freshly torn basil. 


Herb Parmesan Crostini

Ingredients:

1 baguettte
1/2 cup coarsely grated or chopped parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon fresh chives, minced (optional)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat  oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. 

Cut baguette on the diagonal crosswise into 1/4 thick slices.  Mix all ingredients together and lightly spread cheese mixture onto the slices and place face up on the baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until crostini is golden brown.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

Delicious.  Easy.  Quick.  And healthy.  What more can you ask for in a dinner? 

My best friend sent me an email last week sharing this recipe.  She recently discovered it in her Cooking Light magazine and it's already been repeat meal in her household several times.   And I can tell you this will definitely be a repeat recipe in our house too.  Hubby loved it.  I loved it.  Those 2 things don't happen every day when it comes to food.

When I make a recipe for the first time, I am especially slow in getting it all together.  It usually involves me reading and re-reading the recipe about 50 times.  I tend to fumble around with the ingredients and my cooking utensils.  Realize I forgot to take out like 3 things.  Despite this being the first time I've made this recipe, it came together in about 30 minutes.  Which is fast for me.  Seems like all the meals that are supposed to take 30 minutes, like Rachel Ray's meals, never go down that way for me.  It's like you have to be an energizer bunny with mad knife skills to pull it off.  But this one really is so simple, and fast. 

A couple of notes.  I used feta cheese, because that is what I had on hand, and it was yummy.  I was anxious to get my pictures taken before the light disappeared so I didn't think to mash up some of the cherry tomatoes to make more of a light sauce on the spaghetti.  After the photos were taken and I sat down to eat, I poked all my cherry tomatoes with my fork and they burst open creating a tasty sauce to coat the pasta.  So imagine the spaghetti in the photos covered in a light red sauce.  If you want to add a little protein some marinated grilled shrimp would go great with this.

Already thinking about when I will make it again.  Must buy more cherry tomatoes.

Thanks for a great recipe Crystal (and Andy too!).


Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti
adapted from Cooking Light

4 quarts water
2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 2/3 cups cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped or torn fresh basil
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled semi soft goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven.  Add 1 tablespoon salt and the uncooked spaghetti to the boiling water.  Cook for 10 minutes or until spaghetti is al dente.  Reserve at least 1/3 cup of cooking water and set aside.  Drain spaghetti and then return to the pan and keep warm.

While the spaghetti is cooking, toss the tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, vinegar, 3/8 teaspoon salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and sliced garlic on a jelly roll pan or baking sheet.  Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes or until they are soft and lightly charred in places.

Add the tomatoes and any juices from the baking sheet into the pot with the spaghetti.  Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to the pan and using a wooden spoon scrape any browned bits off the pan.  Add this water to the pan along with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and warm over medium heat.  Add remaining cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the spaghetti is moist, tossing frequently with tongs.  Stir in basil and parsley.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Summer Tomato Salad with Basil, Goat Cheese and a Balsamic Reduction

Have you ever had a caprese salad?  Thick sweet juicy tomatoes topped with basil leaves, soft creamy fresh mozzarella and finished off with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  It's one of my favorite salads and one of my favorite ways to enjoy ripe summer tomatoes.  I decided to do a play on this delicious salad and twist it up just a bit using some fresh made basil goat cheese that Hubby and I picked up at last week's farmer's market in place of the mozzarella.  The other twist was to use a balsamic vinegar reduction that I saw recently on the The Pioneer Woman Cooks (check our her site to see a gorgeous caprese salad).  The balsamic reduction is so sweet and lovely and perfectly compliments the basil goat cheese, fresh basil and luscious tomatoes.

This summer tomato salad with basil, goat cheese and balsamic reduction is the final salad in the Trio of Summer Salads that Hubs and I enjoyed last weekend.  Since I love caprese salad, it's no surprise this was one of my favorites in the trio.  This salad is all about the tomatoes.  Maybe you have some nice ripe fat sweet tomatoes growing in your garden, or available from your local farmer's market? 

I really loved how the creamy mild basil goat cheese enhanced the tomatoes and balsamic reduction.  Simple ingredients, yet bursting with flavor.

One note about the balsamic reduction.  It thickens quite a bit after it cools...so be careful not to overcook.  I started with 1/2 cup if balsamic vinegar and ended up with way more than I needed.  I recommend using 1/4 cup and cooking it no more than 3 - 5 minutes if you don't want your balsamic to turn into tar. You can make more reduction if you have other dishes to use it on and you can store it in the fridge.

This salad is easy to make and incredibly delicious!  Give it a try!


Summer Tomato Salad with Basil, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

Serves 2

2 large ripe tomatoes
6-8 medium/large basil leaves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 ounce of goat cheese (you can use an herb cheese or plain chevre as well)
2 teaspoons of good extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Using a small sauce pan on medium low heat, cook down balsamic vinegar until slightly thickened, stirring with wooden spoon frequently, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Stack basil leaves on top of one another and starting at one end, roll the stack up into a little mini cigar.  Using your knife cut 1/4 inch thick ribbons starting at one end of the roll until you make your way all the across.  Wash tomatoes and dry.  Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick, discarding the slice containing the stem end of the tomato.  Place tomatoes on serving plate and season the top side of each tomato slice lightly with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Using a fork, crumble generous bits of goat cheese on top of the tomato slices, ensuring that each slice has least a teaspoon of cheese.  Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the tomatoes.  Use as much (or little) as you like.  Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and lastly, top with the ribbons of basil.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Corn Summer Salad

Grilled Corn Summer Salad is part 2 in the Trio of Summer Salads.  To see part 1 click here.  Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of the array of wonderful vegetables that are in season.  I love to pick up fresh fruits and veggies from our local farmer's market.  The bounty of goods we brought home were the inspiration for this and the other salads in our trio. 

Grilled Corn Summer Salad is tasty and easy to  make.  We grilled our corn and some sweet onions on the barbecue.  But you could easily cook your corn indoors on a grill pan or even in a regular non stick pan.  I love the addition of the smokey grill flavor in the salad.  The other ingredients in this salad were inspired by what was fresh from the market, but you could easily use other veggies or fresh herbs that inspire you.  Maybe some roasted red peppers or cilantro and minced jalapeno?

This salad is sweet, simple and light.  It would make a great side dish for your next summer BBQ!  The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled depending on the size of your crowd.  Enjoy!

Up next in the final part of the Trio of Summer Salads is Tomato Salad with Basil, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction. 


Grilled Corn Summer Salad

Serves 3-4 small portions

3 ears white or yellow fresh corn, husks and silk removed (we used white corn)
1 inch thick slice from a large sweet onion (any other onion type is fine too)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chiffonade of basil (chopped into long thin ribbons)
1/2 cup grape or small cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Juice from 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon melted butter
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Olive oil

Preheat your barbecue to medium/high heat.  Rub olive on husked corn and onion to lightly coat. Note: we grill a whole onion cut in 1 inch thick slices and use the extra onion for other meals during the week.  Place onion on the grill turning every few minutes until tender and lightly charred.  At the same time place corn on your grill and cook on all sides turning every couple of minutes, for about 10 minutes.  Once the corn onion are nicely browned from the grill remove and set aside to cool.Once corn is cool enough to handle use a large chef's knife to slice off the bottom where the husk was attached so that corn stands up flat when turned on it's end..  Position your ear of corn standing in a wide somewhat deep bowl and use a sharp knife to slice off the kernels as closely to the cob as possible.  The corn tends go flying and the bowl catches the strays.  Repeat with all your ears of corn.

If you don't have a barbecue you can use a grill pan following the same instructions above.  Or you can cut the raw corn off the cob (getting as close the cob as possible to extract all the sweet corn nectar) and heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a non stick pan on your stove stop to medium/high heat.  Saute the raw corn in the pan, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through and some of the corn looks lightly browned.  You can put the onion in the pan at the same time as the corn and flip using a spatula, cooking until onion is tender all the way the through and lightly browned.

Chop the grilled onion into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces and add to the corn.  Add the tablespoon of melted (still warm) butter and stir to evenly distribute.  Add chopped green onions, basil, tomatoes and lime juice and stir.  Season with salt and pepper to your taste.  Add additional lime juice if you like a little more acidity. 

Serve at room temperature.

Shaved Zucchini Summer Salad

Hubby and I are lucky enough to have a fabulous small farmer's market just a few miles from our home.   We went for the first time this season last weekend and the market was in full swing with the delicious fruits of summer.  And veggies of course.  Zucchini and other squash was available in abundance and we brought home an armful!

Zucchini usually gets prepared just a handful of ways at our house.  Grilled.  Baked with Parmesan cheese.  Stuffed.  Cut into discs and coated with crispy panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and baked (hopefully a future blog post).  And now I have a new preparation to add to the rotation.  Shaved (raw) zucchini salad with fresh Parmesan, almonds and lemon dressing.  I shared a preview on Thursday with the Trio of Summer Salads.

I first saw this salad on Paige's blog, A Cooking Life and I was immediately intrigued.  Paige is a professional chef and cooking teacher and provides wonderful posts chalked full of detailed instructions on how to prepare her recipes along with a wealth of food knowledge weaved in.  Her dishes often focus on what is in season, making her zucchini post very timely!  (She has several other zucchini recipes too if you are looking for ways to use up your zucchini and squash...but I have my eye on Summer Squash Gratin to try next).

What I love about this salad is the zucchini is raw, yet is so tender it is as if it were cooked.  The key to this salad is choosing squash on the small side as well as getting a very thin shave on your zucchini, 1/16 of inch thick.  I think the only way to really achieve this with any consistency is by using a mandoline slicer.  A basic mandoline can be purchased for between $20 - $40.  I acquired a mandoline from my pal Amy for Christmas this past year and I haven't had a chance to really break it in yet, so I was thrilled to use it for this salad.  It worked like a charm.  Though it took me a good solid 10 minutes to figure out how to disassemble it to wash it and just as long to put it back together again! 

Paige's post talks about 2 different approaches to dressing the salad.  The recipe featured on Paige's blog comes from the cookbook The Vineyard Kitchen by Maria Helm and uses the method of squeezing fresh lemon juice straight onto the salad and then finishing the salad with olive oil.  The other method is to prepare a lemon vinaigrette and then dressing the salad.  I followed Paige's recommendation to go with the method from The Vineyard Kitchen.  It allows the lemon to really soak into the squash without the oil being a barrier.  It was delicious and the lemon brings a wonderful bright flavor to the salad without being overly lemony. 

I made only 2 minor modifications.  I used fresh basil rather than flat leaf parsley.  And I added yellow summer squash in addition to the zucchini.  I love the sunny yellow splash the squash brings to the salad.  The ingredients are simple and really sing when brought together--the tender zucchini softened by the lemon, with a nice crunch from the toasted almonds and saltiness of fresh shaved Parmesan cheese tied up with sweet ribbons of basil.  I absolutely loved this salad.  It's light and refreshing and perfect for a summer day. 

A couple of notes.  The zucchini releases quite a bit of water as it marinates in the lemon juice and olive oil.   That being said, you can really be generous with the lemon juice so that it retains it's flavor.  Leftovers don't do so well the next day.  This salad is best eaten shortly after it's made.

Thanks for sharing such a great recipe Paige!

Shaved Zucchini with Toasted Almonds, Parmesan and Basil
Adapted from The Vineyard Kitchen via A Cooking Life

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds small (3 to 4 oz. each) zucchini and or yellow squash, washed and ends trimmed
3 ounces of fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
1/2 cup sliced or slivered toasted almonds (toast lightly in a pan on the stove over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally)
2 - 4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 - 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Slice zucchini/squash lengthwise 1/16th inch thick using a mandoline slicer.  Place shaved zucchini in a medium/large bowl.  Add 2/3 of the shaved Parmesan, the toasted almonds, basil and season (generously) with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and toss gently and taste for seasoning. Add more lemon juice and salt as needed.  The salad should be a bit tangy.  Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss again and taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.  Serve salad and finish with a drizzle of olive oil remaining Parmesan.

Trio of Summer Salads

I heart farmer's markets.  Hubby and I made a trip to our local farmer's market this past Sunday morning.  The market was bustling with people and bursting with abundant colorful harvests of summer.  We picked up a few things, with no particular recipes or meals in mind.  We selected our small bounty based on what looked most ripe and delicious!  They had stunning large red tomatoes, a mountain of zucchini and yellow squash, fresh herbs, corn on the cob and perfectly sweet white nectarines that all made it into our bags along with small container of fresh made goats cheese seasoned with basil. 

Both of us were recovering from a completely glutenous and indulgent meal from the previous day.  See, we had gone to a new gourmet burger restaurant and started off with a truly evil appetizer called "Vampire Dip" which is served in a toasted bread bowl alongside hunks of fresh crusty bread and fried pita wedges.  The vampire dip is a super cheesy, creamy concoction laced with an obscene mount of garlic (which we love) and diced artichoke hearts.  It was insanely delicious.  We devoured it and only a couple of hunks of bread and 1/3 of the bread bowl remained on the plate. 

Then....let's just say I ate (half of) their famous 50/50 burger (50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon).  Yes, ground bacon!  That was a first for me.  The burger was topped with avocado mash, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo all nestled between a warm, soft brioche bun.  Wow.  It was pretty tasty, but was almost too decadent.  I think my tummy went into shock after all that crazy rich food.  I shudder to think about the number of calories we consumed!  I am certain we set some type of record!

Needless to say, we had been detoxing from that ridiculous meal for the next 24 hours and a light farmers market meal seemed like the right thing to do for the following night's dinner.  As I inspected our farmers market haul I started thinking about fresh summer salads.  And the trio of salads was born... 

1. Grilled corn salad with grilled onions, basil, tomatoes and lime

2. Shaved zucchini salad with toasted almonds and parmesan in a lemon dressing

3. Tomato salad with basil, goat cheese and balsamic reduction

  
It was a delicious meal.  Light.  Refreshing.  Yet satisfying (despite the absence of meat/protein).  And healthy to boot!  A chiffonade of basil tied all three salads together beautifully.  Hubs didn't care for the shaved zucchini salad for reasons he can't quite put his finger on.  Not to worry, I ate his portion.  He did, however like the others.  I really enjoyed all the salads and would make them all again.  Though they all ranked highly in my book, my favorite salad by a hair was the shaved zucchini (went back for thirds), followed by the tomato salad (went back for seconds) and then the corn salad (also went back for seconds).  Good stuff!  And my conscience was magically cleared (after the dip and burger induced food coma), so I finished off my meal with a generous scoop of homemade strawberry ice cream. What's a meal without dessert?

Check back over the next several days to see individual posts featuring each salad and the recipes.

Have you been to your local farmer's market this summer?  Let the market tell you what yummy dishes to create in your kitchen.  :)

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

I'm all about appetizers.  Appetizers can make up a meal as far I'm concerned. The more flavors I can sample, the happier I am.  We had an appetizer lunch on Sunday.  Our lunch consisted of Boursin cheese and multi-grain crackers, crudite plate (a fancy word for veggie tray) with ranch dressing and tomato basil bruschetta with freshly baked roasted garlic Italian bread from La Brea Bakery.

Bruschetta is a roasted, toasted or grilled bread, typically rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I didn't realize it was that simple.  For most of my life I thought bruschetta was grilled or toasted bread topped with a delicious tomato, basil, balsamic mixture.  That's the way my family always made it. 

Tomato basil bruschetta is an incredibly simple dish to make, yet the flavors make your mouth sing.  It's key to use ripe tomatoes.  Cherry or grape tomatoes are my go to tomatoes.  They have a ton of flavor, right up there with a home grown tomato.  Cherry tomatoes can be a bit tedious to cut up, but the effort is worth it based on the amazing flavor packed into these petite little tomatoes. 

Sea salt, pepper, aged balsamic vinegar, a bit of sugar, a splash of olive oil and freshly chopped basil bring these tomatoes to life.  Freshly toasted bread is the perfect vehicle to soak up the balsamic goodness.  Freshly grated parmesan cheese is the ultimate finishing touch.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

2 cups diced grape or cherry tomatoes
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons of good quality aged balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of good fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil
1/4 cup finely grated parmigano regiano cheese
Freshly baked baguette or bread of your choice
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half (optional)

Squeeze excess juice and seeds out of the diced tomatoes and discard.  Place tomatoes in a medium bowl and season lightly with sea salt and pepper and stir.  Add sugar and stir.  Stir in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Let the tomatoes marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour.  Just before serving stir in basil.

This recipe is very flexible.  If you like more balsamic, by all means, use more. 
While the tomato mixture is marinating, prepare your bread.  Pre-heat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil.  Slice baguette at an angle in 1/4 inch thickness.  If you like, you can brush the slices lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place bread in the oven and bake for 6-7 minutes.  Turn bread over and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes until lightly toasted.  I prefer my bread just slightly toasted, not crunchy.  But you can adjust your baking time according to your preference of toastiness.
When bread comes out of the oven, take the cut side of one half of the garlic and rub it over the warm bread. 

You can serve it family style or pre-assemble the bruschetta.
1. Family style: Place tomato basil mixture in a serving bowl and arrange bread on a plate.  Place parmesan cheese in a small bowl and have your guests assemble their bruschetta, topping a piece of bread with the tomato basil mixture and sprinkling with parmesan cheese

2. Pre-assemble:  If you decide to pre-assemble them take into consideration that the tomato mixture will soften the bread.  I don't recommend this approach unless the bruschetta will be eaten immediately.  To pre-assemble top each piece of bread with a generous spoonful of tomato basil mixture and finish with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce

This is one of those recipes that always impresses me. The first time I made it I took the first bite and paused...then I turned to my husband, and said "Wow!". For some reason (that I cannot figure out)I haven't made it for probably a year....and tonight, I said to hubby, "Damn, this is good!". Heavenly really. I'm still reeling in the delight of tonight's dinner. The sauce is luscious and has a wonderful depth of flavor. Garlic and red onion almost melt into the pureed tomatoes. A pinch of red pepper flakes give the sauce just the slightest note of heat deep in the background. This goodness simmers for a bit, marrying all the flavors together. The sauce is finished by stirring in cream and evaporated milk. Then topped with fresh chopped basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese and this dish reaches perfection.

Want to hear the cool part? This is a healthy version of Penne Vodka and comes from the Cook Yourself Thin Ladies over on Lifetime. They call it Penne alla "Not-Ka." If you are interested in tasty lower calorie versions of recipes, I recommend checking out the recipes on Lifetime's website or the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook. One of my other favorite CYT recipes is their absolutely delicious Meatballs. I have even served the meatballs with penne alla not-ka in the past. The meatballs are light and pair nicely with the tomato cream sauce. Of course I think the tomato cream sauce is good enough to drink straight up. Man, this is a good sauce!


A few tips for this very easy recipe. Use red onion. Not yellow, white, sweet or spanish. It's gotta be red. Don't overcook the pasta...it will continue cooking when it gets transferred to the sauce. Remember to set aside some of the pasta water to get just the right consistency of pasta and creamy sauce. And lastly, I almost always double the recipe to ensure lots of tasty leftovers for lunch or another quick dinner.

Enjoy!

Penne Alla "Not-Ka"
from Cook Yourself Thin

Serves 4, Calories per serving: 371

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes in juice, pureed in a food processor
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces penne
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

3. Meanwhile, after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the drained penne to the saucepan and simmer until the penne is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.

4. To serve, divide pasta among 4 serving bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Garlic Basil Shrimp with Orzo Pasta

I'm always looking for new healthy dinner options. I have had lots of success with Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave cookbook. Several months ago I also purchased her newest book, So Easy, but haven't made much out of it to date. I recently honed in on a recipe that I thought both hubby and I would enjoy...Garlic Basil Shrimp.

I have made it twice now and it's official. It will be making regular appearances in our dinner line up. I asked hubby this evening if he liked it again the second time. He said, "I really, really, really like it a lot...very much". Let me translate that for you. He freakin loves it. Hubby is somewhat stingy with praise on food. It's something that I used to take personally, but I realize that it's not personal. He is equally stingy even when we dine out...at some pretty amazing restaurants. It takes a lot for a compliment above "it's ok" to come out of his mouth. There are literally a handful of dishes that hubby truly loves. And I'm super excited to add one to the list because I really enjoy this dish as well.


The shrimp is basked in a white wine sauce with fresh garlic, basil, and grape tomatoes served over orzo pasta. Of course I made a few modifications to the recipe. I added a bit of chicken stock and increased the wine...I'm a sauce girl. I would rather have extra than not enough. The other changes I made were to increase the garlic by a couple of cloves and to season the shrimp with salt and pepper before cooking them rather than adding the salt and pepper to the sauce at the end. Oh, and I also omitted the red pepper flakes. We're pretty wimpy when it comes to spicy stuff. The end result is a luscious sauce that has a wonderful depth of flavor but is light at the same time. Delicious!

A side note about shrimp. Do you ever use frozen shrimp? It's wonderful! We buy frozen uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp from Costco. We buy the 21-25 shrimp. 21-25 is a reference to the size of the shrimp. It means there are approximately 21-25 shrimp per pound. Some charts refer to this as jumbo and others say large. To me, large is a more appropriate description. Frozen shrimp are cinch to thaw and cook up in just minutes. It's one of our go to proteins for dinner!

Anyway, if you want a simple, easy, fresh delicious shrimp in garlic white wine sauce dinner try this recipe out!


Garlic Basil Shrimp
by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp (20 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced (a little extra garlic doesn't hurt!)
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used 1 cup plus 1/2 cup chicken stock)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in skillet and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in basil and tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Return the shrimp to pan and cook just until heated through.