Catch up...

Hi All, 

Hope everyone's week is going smoothly. George and I are headed off to Hawaii next week for our honeymoon and getting VERY excited. We are staying on Kauai and it's our first time, so any recommendations are appreciated!

Check out this post from Robin at Everymom to Ironmom. Her story gave me chills. What an empowering post! I can't imagine being in that situation, nor being able to handle it as well as she did. I hope that I would.

Moving on, here are a few catch up photos from my phone I've taken in my recent travels...

becoming an expensive habit... would love to try and make my own someday.

getting more and more into beekeeping with my dad.

necessary quality check while we were spinning the honey :)

pretty successful day... 50+ pounds

wedding pig roast!

grilled chicken fajita salads! since we got our grill last year, we grill everything!

one of our many tomato plants

delicious marinated steak from Trader Joe's

tomato, mozzarella and basil salad from the garden. well not the mozzarella...

late night snack of apple and almond butter

strawberry salad with an ass ton of chicken from a local place near my work. so damn good.

90% of the time I pack a lunch for work, but occasionally I run out of time or just don't feel like throwing something together. Do you buy or bring your lunch to work?

roasted tomato soup--only 4 ingredients!

hey folks!

we've been super busy lately... you know getting married and all. back to business in the kitchen and with lots of new toys i may add. my favorite? a CIA Professional Series Vitamix! it is truly an amazing machine. i'm certain that i have plenty more to learn about what it is truly capable of. any suggestions are appreciated for those of you who already own this or another Vitamix.

i was in the mood for a hot soup with the changing weather, and definitely wanted to try it in the new Vitamix. a very simple recipe, using a few fresh ingredients with a delicious result.

-couple pounds of fresh tomatoes (we used a combination of different varieties that were ripe from our garden)

-olive oil

-salt & pepper

-quarter of a yellow onion

-knob of butter for finishing (optional)

half or quarter those tomatoes so that they are similar in size. same goes for that onion. throw them onto a sheet pan or roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. roast for 35-40 minutes at 375* or until they have released their juices and have started to shrink in size a bit.

before roasting

i don't have a picture of the tomatoes after roasting because i'm a dweeb. next, pull your tomatoes and plop everything into your Vitamix. if you are using a regular blender, i'm not sure that i would leave the skins on. the Vitamix absolutely LIQUEFIES everything it comes in contact with, so i'm not one bit worried about the skin and seeds here. turn that baby on variable 1 and quickly raise to 10. drop in a knob of butter if you'd like for a nice glossy finish. let her run for 3-4 minutes.

this was so yummy... perfect way to get into the fall mood. i can definitely see more soups in the future! 

do you own a Vitamix? what's your favorite kitchen appliance? what's your favorite fall food?

quickest red sauce you'll ever make

i've always been a fan of light and fresh red sauces over the heavy, thick greasy sauces you sometimes see. this sauce is on the thin side but it's just how i like it. if you prefer a thicker sauce, a small can of tomato paste would do the trick.

a tasty red sauce doesn't need to simmer for 8 hours to be delicious. the use of the San Marnzano tomatoes give this quick sauce a fresh flavor that will rival any other!

1 28 oz. can of whole, peeled San Marnzano tomatoes (these tomatoes are KEY)  
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried basil (you can use fresh here)
olive oil (or your choice of fat)
salt & pepper
pinch of hot pepper flake

saute the onion over medium heat in the olive oil. cook for 5-7 minutes until the onions get translucent. while they are cooking, season with salt, pepper, bay leaf, basil and hot pepper flake. **if you are using fresh basil, add this as the final ingredient, only minutes before serving. next, add the garlic and cook for just a minute.

next add the tomatoes. using a potato masher, mash each tomato once or twice. i like a chunky sauce, so mash more if you like it less chunky. let this cook for 10 minutes or until you are ready to serve!

at this point, i added a pound of sausages that i had browned.

i served it over a roasted spaghetti squash. it was quite a hit with George!

enjoy!

balsamic marinated flank steak

oh boy was this good. a little prep went a long way.

flank steak (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon of worchestershire sauce OR coconut aminos
1 tablespoon of honey
salt & pepper

in a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar, garlic, worchestshire sauce or coconut aminos, salt, pepper and honey. i had to microwave the honey for 15 seconds so it would mix together nicely instead of lying in a clump at the bottom of the bowl.

place the flank steak into a gallon size freezer bag (or just a regular ziplock) then pour the marinade over. i marinated this for 24 hours, but anywhere from 11-24 hours would work. i wouldn't go anymore than 24 hours though.

when you're ready, grill or broil the flank steak 5-7 minutes per side. tent the meat and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. make sure to slice the meat against the grain or it will be too tough to eat.

i think we ate half of it right off the board.... couldn't wait for it to hit the plate!

EASY hollandaise sauce

hollandaise sauce can be one of those intimidating recipes. this version is easy and requires nothing more than a blender. that's right, no double boiler or constant whisking like maniac! i saw Ina Garten use this technique and knew i had to try it.


6 tablespoons of butter
3 large egg yolks
1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl or in a small saucepan. put the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne into a blender and blend of 15-20 seconds.

next, with the blender running, slowly pour the hot butter into the blender and blend for an additional 30 seconds, until the sauce is thick.

it's perfectly salty, buttery and has a nice zip from the lemon juice. drizzle over asparagus, poached eggs or whatever your heart desires. i roasted some drumsticks and drizzled the hollandaise over some roasted asparagus. YUM.

some articles that may be worth your while...

BTB Fitness answers the common "i have no time to cook-how do i stay paleo?" question here.


this winter salad from Julie at The Cranking Kitchen looks so delicious! i'm definitely going to have to try this one.

kale with carmelized onions by The Whole Life looks beautiful! it's on my 'must-try soon' list. i'll top it with 2 poached eggs for a perfect breakfast.


finally, to end on a non-food related note, Lake Superior University came out with their 'most overused words list of 2011'. george's use of "man cave" in the past 6 months has DEFINITELY had some part getting it on this list.

enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

meals in between



colorful garden salad



pint of grape tomatoes sauteed until they burst over marinated chicken breast



bacon wrapped asparagus



brussel sprouts and bacon, pre-bake



grilled chicken, brussel sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes and a side salad



buffalo bolognese with spaghetti squash EDIT: directions for this are posted in the comments section

 

grass fed burger topped with peppers, onions and avocado

 

grilled chicken, brussel sprouts and baked sweet potato

 

sesame and ginger grilled tuna steaks

yes, the functional foodie is still alive. we've been very busy! vacations, new babies and an engagement! george and i got engaged on June 16 on Martha's Vineyard... we are very excited, but onto the food!!


my dad caught a decent sized yellow fin tuna a few days ago and i was lucky enough to snag a few steaks off of him. this was super easy and delicious!

2 tuna steaks, 3/4 inch thickness

3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (lime juice would work too)

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 green onions, chopped

dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

prepare your marinade in a 2 inch deep glass dish. place the tuna steaks in the marinade for 15 minutes per side.

once the steaks are finished marinating, preheat a grill pan (or grill) to medium-high. grill them for about 3 minutes per side. i like my tuna on the rare side. obviously, cook to your liking.

this would be served great with grilled vegetables or mango salsa.

big dave's mango salsa



i suppose it would be delicious on marlin too :)
big dave is in the blue hat...


this is my dad's recipe that i have been making a lot lately. it is amazing on a salad and even more amazing over grilled fish; black sea bass being my favorite.




3 large mangos
handful of cilantro, rinsed well and finely chopped
half a jalepeno, minced
1 cup of grape tomatoes, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, minced
juice of 2 limes
salt & pepper










mangoes have a very large flat seed in the middle. as opposed to confusing the hell out of everyone trying to explain how to do it, i found a video that explains it much more clearly and concisely than i ever could...

once your mangoes are all chopped up to relatively the same size, add the rest of your ingredients to the bowl and mix well. taste it to check for seasonings and then refrigerate. i find the longer it sits, the better it gets.

gluten and dairy free pizza crust

3 eggs

1 cup of coconut milk (or whole milk or cream if you do dairy)

1/2 cup of coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of garlic powder OR 1 clove of garlic, finely minced

2 teaspoons of italian seasoning

preheat your oven to 375 degrees. make sure there is a rack smack dab in the middle of the oven. beat the eggs in a medium sized bowl. next add the coconut milk, garlic powder (or fresh), salt, baking powder and italian seasoning. you can play around with the herbs and spices you use here. the mixture will be thin, almost like a pancake batter. if it's too thin add a speck more coconut flour. you want it spreadable but not liquid...

line a jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with parchment. there is no subsitution for parchment paper here. this batter is very sticky. grease the parchment paper with coconut oil, olive oil, lard or butter. pour and spread the batter so it is even. bake for 15-20 minutes, the corners will start to get brown.

when you remove it from the oven, place a larger cookie sheet, lined with parchment, over your crust and flip the it over. gently peel back the parchment paper off the crust.

top with your favorite red sauce and pizza toppings. we used artichoke hearts, mushrooms and onions. add cheese if you do dairy and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes depending on your toppings.



here is george's dinner.... organic mozzarella on his.
served with a side salad...

 yummy toppings to try:

onions
mushrooms
bell peppers
applegate farm pepperoni
black olives
chicken
broccoli
taco seasoned ground beef w/ salsa as the sauce
fresh tomatoes
bacon
artichoke hearts
sausage
eggplant
sundried tomatoes



the texture of the crust was more like a flatbread than a thin crust pizza. you could pick it up but it wasn't crunchy. texture aside, it was delicious!

stuffed portabellas

1 pound sausage (bulk or just remove the casings)
1 box of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large portabella mushrooms
1 egg
fat (coconut oil, olive oil, butter, etc.)
salt & pepper

in a preheated skillet, saute the yellow onion in your choice of fat until it starts to get translucent, about 5-7 minutes. when they are done, remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.

meanwhile, (if you have to) remove the casings from your sausage and place the bulk sausage in a large bowl. next up, spinach. i find the best way to remove all the water from frozen spinach is that after it has been defrosted, place it into a clean kitchen towel and just ring the hell out of it. add the drained spinach, eggs, salt & pepper and cooled onions to the bowl. mix everything together really well with your hands...

preheat your oven to 375 degrees. remove the stems (leave the gills) from the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil (or another fat) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

divide your sausage mixture into 4 equal parts and mound it on top of the mushroom caps. bake them for 25-30 minutes.

 we served it with steam broccoli topped with kerrygold butter.



packed leftovers



4 portabella caps was perfect for dinner for two and leftovers the next day. george said this was in the running for his most favorite meal to date!