Steak & Veggies a la Chickpea Crêpe

Well three nights in a row of sauteed zucchini and onions probably warrants some real estate on the blog. I must say, multiple bouts of food envy collided to produce this wonderful concoction of a dish.

Envy #1 - Mom's grilled zucchini and onions. Yum! Nothing quite compares to the nostalgia of being at home and eating dinner (fresh off the grill) outside on the screen porch with mom and dad.

Envy #2 - Bar Suzette Crêperie. A Sunday stroll through Chelsea Market wouldn't be complete without visiting the sample sale of the weekend or more importantly some of the market mainstays - for example Bar Suzette . However, when the crêperie closes early for a special event...food envy ensues.

Envy #3 - Carnivorous cravings. Every now and then who doesn't love a good steak, even if it is in the form of thinly sliced strips!

Ultimately the crepe provided a bit of a smoky spice, while the veggies and steak offered a savory balance, reminiscent of an herbes de provence blend. All in all providing a full range of tasting experience for an eager palate.

The recipe:
Crepe (makes 2):
1/4 c. chickpea flour
1/4 c. almond milk
2 tbsp. water (maybe a little more)
dash of cayenne
dash of cumin
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 large zucchini (or 1 medium), cut in match sticks
1 ear medium sweet corn, kernels sliced off
1 tbsp basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, fine chop
1/3 lb. top sirloin (or another lean cut of beef)
2 tsp rosemary, fine chop
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Plain greek yogurt for garnish

Begin by slicing up the vegetables/herbs. Add ~1/2 tsp olive oil to a saute pan and add onions. After about 3 minutes add in zucchini, corn and garlic (using additional oil/cooking spray as necessary to prevent burning). Cook for another 3 minutes, add desired amount of salt and pepper along with fresh basil.

Meanwhile mix together ingredients for crepes until a liquid consistency is achieved. Pour batter into a 9 inch pan and spread to cover the full pan. Cook over low-med heat. Flip once the edges start to curl.

Moving on to the steak, season with salt and pepper and press chopped rosemary into the meat. If using thin sliced meat, you will only need to cook for about 30-60 seconds on either side.

Transfer the crepe to a plate and top with all the ingredients + a dollop of plain greek yogurt. 

Purely Granola

As far as summer discoveries go, here's one for the books; Purely Elizabeth = Pure Bliss. Allow me to explain. Having two close friends with celiac has turned me on to many things gluten-free. So when I noticed Purely Elizabeth Original Ancient  Grain granola on the shelf at Whole Foods (of course) I couldn't resist picking up a bag for one of my favorite glutards...and later I returned to get one for myself. 

This amazing product is not only gluten-free, but also made with coconut oil, which gives it standout flavor; quinoa; and chia seeds - a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants. 

Chia seeds may sound familiar - and even cause you to subconsciously sing the "ch-ch-ch-chia pet" jingle. After some quick googling to get to the bottom of the similarities, hit #2 revealed, "Don't eat your chia pet, but chia seeds are proving healthy." Bottom line, chia seeds are used to make chia pets, sans FDA standards. In addition to the benefits above, chia seeds actually prove to be energy and endurance enhancing - great news for a wannabe runner such as myself.

As I eyed up the final few grains in my first bag of Purely Elizabeth, on sale  for a not so budget friendly $6, I was determined to get my hands on a cheaper version. With this in mind, I made another important discovery - granola is incredibly straightforward to make at home. One quick trip to the grocery store and I was ready to tackle a new food project.

I offered the first test run of granola to one of my coworkers, a fellow Purely Elizabeth enthusiast. She keenly picked out that mine contained more cinnamon flavor and moisture than the original. I tried a few different variations and encourage you to dial ingredient amounts up and down to your liking. For a more cluster-y granola, try using some additional honey - drizzle on the granola once it is spread on the pan.

The recipe:
2 cups multi grain oats (for the gluten free version use gluten free oats)
3 tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp uncooked quinoa
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp Sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, stir together coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, salt, oats, quinoa, chia, and sunflower seeds . Mix until evenly coated.

Spread in an even layer on a foil or parchment-paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Note: cooking times may vary by oven so be sure to keep an eye (and nose) on the granola.

Tomato Layer Salad

Living up to its name as the Garden State, Jersey certainly doesn't disappoint with its tomatoes. During the several weekends this summer that I have spent at the Jersey shore, I have made a point to land the juicy red ripe tomatoes on my plate - breakfast, lunch and dinner - I don't discriminate.

 This past weekend was no different.  In between water activities, episodes of TLC's Honey Boo Boo and eating enough to grow a food baby, I managed to sneak to Jerry's Farm Market situated one long block away from the ocean in Ortley Beach to pick up my own supply of tomatoes. Jerry's is a cute little stand that is a great one stop shop for produce - as GlutenFreeBlondie's family can attest to.

With tomatoes in hand, it was a no brainer to take full advantage and make this Cooking Light recipe. With the icing on the cake being that the recipe also incorporates sweet summer corn and avocado. Oh and did I mention the buttermilk dressing bursting with fresh herb flavor adds an amazing element of contrast that is melt in your mouth good!!

In the absence of a grill, my brand new pots and pans (woo!!!) were a perfect way to apply a little pseudo-grill to the corn.

The recipe:
(Adapted and slightly modified from Cooking Light)

2 ears shucked corn
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

Actual tomato quantity and variety is up to you, but here is the recommendation:
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices total
2 globe tomatoes, cut into 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices total

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Slice kernels off the corn and add to a pan with 1 tsp olive oil.Saute over medium heat until browned.

Combine buttermilk and next 5 ingredients (through garlic), stirring with a whisk. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Sprinkle tomato slices evenly with salt. Alternate layers of tomato and avocado. Scatter corn evenly onto plates. Drizzle each tomato stack with about 1 1/2 tablespoons dressing and a drizzle of oil.

Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper over salads.

Spinach Artichoke & White Bean "Endive Dippers"

As healthy as endive spears are, tortilla chips are fun too... (featured - Trader Joes Veggie & Flax Seed Chips)

Last week while standing in line for salad at one of my favorite grab-and-go lunch spots, I couldn’t help but overhear a woman crafting her own salad packed with vegetables and…cannoli beans. Clearly she had Italian desert and not healthy salad fixings on the brain. While fighting back the giggles, I got to thinking about other ways I could incorporate white beans, or cannellini beans, into recipes.

One thing led to another and here we are with endive dippers in one hand and spinach artichoke and cannellini bean dip in the other.

The artichoke added a nice creaminess to the dip, while the spinach provided the green boost; white beans injected fiber and protein and rosemary the nice flavor. I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but the dip did remind me somewhat of hummus.

This recipe can be as simple as a quick rinse of the beans and a toss of everything in the blender, or it can involve some light sautéing before combining. Either way, it is destined to be a hit. Pita chips, tortilla chips or crackers work for serving too.

The recipe: 

3  large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 c. red onion

4 cups baby spinach

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil + oil for cooking

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 of the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Repeat with the remaining spinach. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.

Place the spinach mixture, a tbsp of olive oil, cannelloni beans, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, parmesan and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve with endive spears.

Nectarine, Prosciutto and Arugula Flatbread

In the age-old battle of battle of toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe, we have some new contenders: pro-shoot and pro-shoo-toe. Today' story is of Fruit and Pro-shoot (rhymes!). A quick google search informs me that some italians have taken it upon themselves to drop the last syllable of the word, but regardless of the pronunciation, this recipe brings together the salty and the sweet in perfect harmony to create a little something savory. 

I will be the first to admit that I constantly find myself brainstorming ways to incorporate fruits into recipes other than desserts, but when we're talking sweet, juicy nectarines it is 100% warranted. Nectarines are the long lost cousin of the peach and in my experience; the pros - no "peach fuzz", the cons - they can be very difficult to cut around the pit. I have often had more luck finding flavor-packed nectarines...there have been one too many times I ended up with a bland peach. But my new rule to live by for peaches is: if you can smell the flavor you'll be able to taste it. So regardless, either variation will work for this recipe. Especially because when paired with the prosciutto (something I always consider a treat) and other ingredients, this flatbread becomes a prime candidate for a dinner party appetizer that won't go unnoticed. 

Another great way to elevate the flatbread is to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top. But whatever you do...

I guarantee this won't last long!

The recipe:

Flatbreads (like Trader Joe's Middle Eastern Whole Wheat Flatbread)

1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese, divided

Prosciutto (about 1.5 thick slices or 3 thin strips per flatbread, enough to mostly cover)

Nectarine, sliced

1 tbsp chopped basil

1/3 c. arugula

Olive oil

Pepper

Oregano

Preheat broiler. Drizzle olive oil over the flatbread and spread around to lightly coat. Sprinkle with

pepper and oregano. Sprinkle half of shaved parmesan over the flatbread. Place in the broiler for 1 minute to melt the cheese.

Remove and drape prosciutto slices over (about 3 thin slices), arrange nectarine slices atop prosciutto.

Return to broiler for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile mix together basil and arugula and drizzle with a tiny bit of

olive oil (<1tsp). Remove pizza from oven and top with arugula mixture.

Top with remaining parmesan (if you wish). Cut into pieces and serve. (Also - try drizzling with balsamic glaze for some additional contrast!)

Another note: After melting the cheese you could skip any return to the broiler for more of a cool and refreshing nectarine/prosciutto combination, while still maintaining the crispy crust.

Speculoos Rice Krispie Treats with White Chocolate Drizzle

Discovering new ingredients can be both a blessing and a curse. Take for example Trader Joe's Cookie Butter - a take on Speculoos spread (which essentially tastes like teddy grahams in spread form). I have officially proved that I am incapable of exercising enough self control to keep a jar of this magical spread around my apartment. 

While I would be perfectly content to just eat spoonfulls of cookie butter (come on, who hasn't eaten a spoonful of straight peanut butter at some point - same thing), I don't think it ranks too high on the scale of socially acceptable actions.

My solution was to instead keep a container at work for both myself and my colleagues to enjoy (I figured judging eyes - within 3 ft on either side of me - would prevent overindulgence). Despite this solution, I still knew I wanted to craft a Speculoos dessert; one fateful day the skies parted and it dawned on me, SPECULOOS RICE KRISPIES! While it turns out I wasn't the first one to come up with this brilliant combination, I was nonethless still excited to try it.

I think these treats received the coworker stamp of approval, as proven by the empty plate sitting on my desk!

The recipe:
4 tablespoons butter
1 bag (10.5 ounces) miniature marshmallows
½ cup cookie butter
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
½ cup white chocolate chips + ¼ cup for drizzle
1 tsp. milk or cream

Line a 9inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray; set aside ( I used about a 6x12 pan which worked fine as well). 

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted - be patient. Stir in the cookie butter until melted. Remove from heat.

Add the Rice Krispies cereal and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. Stir until well coated. Spread the rice krispies into the pan and using a piece of wax paper, evenly press the mixture into the pan. 

Meanwhile, add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and milk/cream to a dish and melt in the microwave. Drizzle over top of the rice krispies. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until set. Cut into squares and serve.

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!