Cucumber Watermelon Gazpacho

We celebrated America's birthday this year with soaring temperatures and fireworks; luckily in NYC our fireworks consisted of more than one marvel of an explosion (whoopsie, San Diego). As I sat on my rooftop, enjoying the random middle-of-the-week break from work, I was soon  greeted by my neighbor carrying a large speaker that easily surpassed him in girth, almost in height. After our brief exchange about his soon to begin party, I decided this would be my queue to relocate my sunbathing to the West Side Highway. 

As the day progressed, my previously non-existent evening plans evolved and before I knew it, I had a last minute 4th of July potluck dinner to attend. This sure beat my original plan of hoping I could see the fireworks from my roof, hah. So, potluck, what to bring? On days when it's a challenge to even stand idle outside without breaking a sweat, it's sometimes hard to be motivated to crank up the oven and test out new recipes. With several of the good old classics already covered for the evening, I knew I wanted to bring something light and refreshing to the table (sorry, I love puns). The solution: a refreshing new take on gazpacho. Cucumber Watermelon Gazpacho to be exact.

I adapted the recipe from epicurious, so a few things to point out that I changed: used only 1 orange pepper in place of the 2 peppers originally called for; substituted basil for the mint; did not use jalapeno (mostly because I didn't have one); left off the vinegar. I also blended everything instead of leaving large chunks in the soup. Despite the changes, I still loved the outcome, though I think the jalapeno would have added a nice kick...next time.

The recipe:

5 cups (approx) seedless watermelon, diced

1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced

1 cup red bell pepper, seeded, diced (I used orange because Trader Joes was out of red, but red will better preserve the color)

3 pale green inner celery stalks, diced (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup chopped basil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup greek yogurt

Puree 4 cups watermelon in blender until smooth. Transfer puree to large bowl. Blend remaining 1 cup diced watermelon and all ingredients (except yogurt) to desired consistency. Then stir with previously blended watermelon to combine. (Or if you have room in the blender, puree the first batch of watermelon then add in other ingredients into the blender and pulse to desired consistency).

Cover gazpacho and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Dollop greek yogurt on top before serving. 

Sip, slurp, or spoon and be refreshed!

Mini Zucchini Pizzas

There are few things as enjoyable as a (2 years overdue) weekend reunion with your college roommates and best friends. Said another way, there are few things as gluttonous as a reversion to one's college habits...

After an amazing time spent with friends, it was back to reality and time for some clean eating. Riding back on the train, I thought to myself, what can I eat that might at least somewhat make up for those potato chips and kit kat bars (don't ask) consumed in the wee hours of the morning. Answer: vegetables.

This was a quick and easy one. I also decided to make the pizzas a bit more exciting by making a quick stop at the whole foods antipasto bar for some artichokes, olives and gigante beans (all optional).

The recipe:

1 large zucchini, sliced

2 tbsp. pasta sauce

1 tbsp. unsalted tomato paste

1/4 tsp. oregano

Dash of garlic powder

2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup reduced-fat parmesan cheese, shredded

Suggested additional toppings:

Roasted Peppers

Gigante Beans

Artichokes

Olives, pitted and chopped

Preheat your broiler on high (toaster oven works well for this quantity).  Slice your zucchinis at a slight diagonal and place zucchini slices on a baking sheet. Place in broiler for 2 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, mix together pasta sauce, tomato paste, oregano and garlic powder. Remove zucchini from broiler and spread sauce over each slice of zucchini.  Top with chopped basil. Add any desired extra toppings on each zucchini slice then sprinkle cheese on each slide.  

Place baking sheet in the oven to broil for about 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Summer Salad: Kale, Avocado & Grapefruit with Ginger Dressing

Well, I think it's safe to say that although summer is still officially a day away, the dog days have arrived. When temperatures are flirting with 100 degrees there isn't much that comes to mind besides frozen yogurt (fro-yo), which since moving to NYC has earned a special place in my heart. I am especially fond of the serve yourself venues where it is perfectly OK to mix 3 flavors in my dish so I can try them all! Despite the love affair, a certain level of practicality sets when when I also realize that I still need to get some nutrients. (Don't tell my mom, but I actually crave greens and veggies these days).

Summer is a great time to take advantage of using light and fresh ingredients in dishes that leave you feeling satisfied. So when the flavor combination of kale, grapefruit and avocado dawned on me, I was actually pleasantly surprised to discover that another food blogger was one step ahead of me. I was especially fond of the ginger dressing idea, which offers a wonderful contrast, especially with its citrusy notes.

I used to hesitate when it came to the lemonhead-face-inducing fruit better known as grapefruit, but I have actually come to enjoy it and when paired with the kale, avocado and ginger dressing, the potentially overpowering flavor is somewhat toned down. Still not convinced? Go for a sweeter variety of grapefruit.

I did slightly tweak some of the proportions, but of course, feel free to try the original recipe as well.

The recipe:

3 C. Raw Chopped Kale, stems removed

1 Grapefruit

1 Small Avocado

Ginger Dressing:

1 tsp. Freshly Grated Ginger

1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/2 tbsp. Agave 

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a whisk.

Add the kale to a large bowl and mix in the dressing for 1-2 minutes until the kale is tender and the dressing has absorbed. Set the kale aside.

Prepare the grapefruit by removing the skin. (Depending how clean of a look you are going for, you can either just peel the skin off or cut away all the skin and whites). Next, cut the grapefruit segments apart (these are called supremes) and cut each supreme in half. Slice the avocado into small, bite-sized pieces and then add the grapefruit and avocado to the large bowl of kale.

Mix it all together and serve. Season with pepper and (some) salt as desired. Side note: feta cheese makes for a nice garnish.

Quick Caramel Popcorn

 

What happens when Orville Redenbacher and Mrs. Richardon get together? Instant gratification. For some reason it never occurred to me that caramel corn would be so easy to make at home...this could prove to be a very dangerous discovery. I guess the good news is that for now I am out of both popcorn and caramel sauce.

  Shockingly this recipe weighs in at less than 250 calories. Stop drooling and go make some!

The recipe:

100 calorie size bag of popcorn
2 tbsp caramel sauce (I used Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel)

Preheat toaster oven to 250 degrees. Prepare popcorn as you normally would in the microwave. Transfer popcorn to a foil lined try and drizzle half of the caramel sauce on top, mix up with a wooden spoon, drizzle remaining sauce over the popcorn and mix again. Place the tray in the toaster oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for as long as you can stand (1-2 minutes) and enjoy!

Zucchini & Carrot Ribbon Salad with Heirlooms and Thyme Oil

Well the good news is that I'm back to the blog. The bad news...battling chronic writers block...

When I think of zucchini, the first thing that comes to mind is my grandmother's garden in the summertime. Inevitably there would come a point when the overgrowth of zucchini caused my aunts and uncles to compare notes on who had received more and who could still stand to have a few pounds pawned off on them. 

The good news about the excess is that there are a multitude of zuchinni recipes worth trying. On the deceptively unhealthy, but delicious end of the spectrum we have zucchini bread (myth busters here). On the other hand we have raw salads, which although lower in calories, require a bit of a flavor boost. I was pleasantly surprised by the savory touch provided by the thyme oil. In just 20 minutes, everyday olive oil was transformed into an herb infused delicacy!

On the road to exploring new cooking techniques, I decided to purchase a mandolin to help with the ribbon creation. An everyday vegetable peeler proved to be easiest for the carrots, but after a few practice runs with the zucchini, I was able to get the rhythm of cutting on the mandolin. Mission accomplished! With that said, a vegetable peeler will work just fine for the zucchini too.

Thyme sprig carcasses (I decided to work some of the remaining leaves off the sprigs and keep in the oil).

The recipe:
(Adapted from Martha)
1 generous handful fresh thyme sprigs (about 1/2 ounce)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 baby zucchini (or 1 large), thinly shaved
3 carrots, thinly shaved
1 cup mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut in half crosswise (1 cup)

1/4 c spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Coarsely ground pepper
3 ounces fresh ricotta (1/3 cup)
Balsamic Glaze (now sold at Trader Joes!, also found at whole foods)

Place thyme on a cutting board, and bruise with the dull edge of a knife. Place thyme and oil in a small saucepan. Cover, and heat over medium heat until small bubbles appear. Turn off heat, and steep thyme, covered, 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, slice the remaining ingredients and add into a separate bowl. 

After the 20 minutes, discard thyme sprigs, leaving loose thyme leaves in oil. Whisk together lemon zest and juice and 3 tablespoons thyme oil (reserve remaining oil for another use; it can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks).

Combine the dressing with the zucchini, carrot, tomatoes, spinach, basil, red-pepper flakes, and salt. Season with pepper, and toss. Divide half the salad between 2 plates, and dot with half the ricotta. Top with remaining salad and remaining ricotta. Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Poached Egg Over Spinach-Basil-Walnut Pesto

Ok, YUM. Honestly, I don't even know where to start because this was just such a delightful culinary experience. If there were some miraculous way to rewind and re-savor those first bites I totally would, but instead I just had to settle for using the pesto remains to recreate the dish for my next two meals! The idea for this recipe came to me while getting lost in thought about ways to get creative with my overzealous egg consumption. I've always wanted to make my own pesto...and perfect the art of egg poaching (after minimal success with poach pods). Finally, an outlet for both!

Starting from the base, Whole Foods comes through again for me with their bakery fresh Quinoa Flax bread. If you have a WF nearby I highly recommend - otherwise any loaf of bread will work (I have to do my part to put in a plug for whole grain/ whole wheat varieties).

There are so many different varieties of pesto out there that are incredibly quick and easy to whip up. I was intrigued by using spinach and walnut, hence spinach-walnut-basil pesto, but feel free to get creative and of course dial the amounts of various ingredients up and down to your liking. Mine was strong in the garlic department, not complaining, but of course that's not for everyone. With that said, consider yourself warned.

Now onto the egg poaching portion. Don't be intimidated - you too can create a masterpiece of a poached egg. No need to reinvent the wheel on how to go about the task because Smitten Kitchen has a fantastic explanation. Check out the helpful tutorial.

The recipe:

1 c spinach
1/2 c basil
1 clove of garlic, sliced

1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1 tbsp parmigiano reggiano cheese
4 tsp EVOO (add more as necessary)
Salt and pepper

1 egg
(Vinegar for poaching)
Sliced tomato
Slice of your favorite bread, toasted

Put on water for the egg. Then roughly chop spinach, basil and garlic - add to blender/chopper along with lemon juice, chopped walnuts and parmesan cheese.  Pulse until blended. Add in olive oil until desired consistency is achieved (for me this was ~4 tsp). Then season with salt and pepper. 

Drop egg into simmering water and poach for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile toast your bread and slice the tomato. Remove egg from water with a slotted spoon and allow it to drain over the pot or set on a paper towel. 

Spread desired amount of pesto on toast and top with poached egg and a sprinkling of black pepper. Mangia!

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with Mint-Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce

Well I wasn't expecting a return to the blog at least until I was through my test (1 week!!!), but this Memorial Day Weekend of studying and isolation has left me somewhat craving a creative outlet. So today, I bring to you my gourmet MDW cook-out. 

The latest issue of cooking light features an array of burger recipes and even spills the beans on techniques for a better burger. Flipping through the pages, I knew I had to finally get around to making the mediterranean/greek burgers I have been putting off for quite a while. Some of my favorite restaurants in NYC (Meme Mediterranean, ilili) serve the most amazing mediterranean food  and lamb burgers are always on the menu - I opted for a fusion of the same flavors, using turkey instead. The special twist is that nestled inside is a wonderful mixture of feta cheese, onion and garlic.

I happened to find/use 99% fat-free ground turkey, which is pretty much asking for the burger to be dried out, but fear not, that's where the greek yogurt comes in. When mixed in with the ground meat and spices, it adds a nice amount of moisture to the equation. In terms of the spices, I probably could have been a bit more liberal in the quantities, but I thought the flavors worked nicely regardless. In fact, I decided to save my bread until the end of my meal so I could enjoy the flavors of the burger free of distraction.

While normally, I would have topped these burgers off with some traditional tzatziki, I had an inexplicable case of pomegranates on the brain, so tzatziki had to step aside for its replacement...mint pomegranate yogurt sauce. Don't be surprised if there is another pomegranate post sometime in the near future - I recall reading somewhere that pomegranate seeds don't keep for too long.

Happy Memorial Day from my kitchen to yours!

The recipe:

Burger:
2 tbsp. red onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. feta cheese

1/4 lb. ground turkey (I used 99% fat free)
1 tbsp. plain non-fat greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. of ground cinnamon

Italian bread (or whatever bread you choose)

Mint Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce
Fresh mint leaves, 1-2 tsp chopped
1 tbsp. pomegranates seeds
1 tbsp. plain non-fat greek yogurt

Garnish:
Baby spinach leaves
Cucumber

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes then add garlic and saute for another minute. Remove from heat, add feta cheese and sprinkle with pepper.

Add ground turkey to a bowl, add yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, oregano, rosemary, paprika and cinnamon. Mix together (don't overmix) until combined. Make 2 equal sized patties out of the turkey mixture. Put the onion-feta mixture onto half of the patty. Top with the other patty working the turkey around the edges to seal burger closed.

Spray a nonstick grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Grill the burger until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile chop mint and mix together with pomegranate seeds and greek yogurt.

To serve, slice burger in half and place both halves on top of lightly toasted italian bread. Top with yogurt sauce, then if you so choose add cucumber slices and baby spinach.