Hearty Veggie Soup :)

The other day when there was a torrential downpour outside and it was freezing cold (ok...this is California...maybe it wasn't freezing, but it was COLD), I wanted a nice hearty and healthy soup. Here are some pics since I don't have an exact recipe. It has vegetable broth, tomato paste, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, blue lake green beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and lentil. The spices include cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, oregano, basil, and parsley to taste. Topped with shaved Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Persimmon Cookies

A few weeks ago I made these cookies to take to work and they seemed to be a real success. For those who were asking for the recipe...here it is:

Persimmon Cookies
1 cup Persimmon pulp
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and mix with the persimmon pulp and add it to the butter and sugar mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and spices together and sift into the batter. Add nuts (and optional raisins). Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Fresh Basil and Heirloom Tomatoes!

My mom has been gardening like mad lately and sent me back home with delicious fresh basil she grew. It smells SO good that I had to make something immediately so I could use it. When I was home we made a very tasty bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes, also from her garden, so that inspired me to make a fresh heirloom tomato pasta sauce :)

I don't really have a specific recipe, since I just kinda threw what came to mind at the time in a pot. The basic idea is butter, olive oil, shallots, garlic, crushed chili peppers, salt, pepper, lemon juice, chopped heirloom tomatoes. I topped it with shaved Parmesan cheese. It was quite yummy if I do say so myself.

How to use up bread stat!

So I had 4 sheets of tonir lavash bread left and it needed to be used before it went bad. I was trying to think of a way to use them up quick without making sandwiches everyday. I came up with a quick and very easy layered pizza. I used spicy Calabrese salami for an added kick. I have done this before with a French bread baguette and it is delish.

Natalie's Mediterranean Couscous and a Greek Salad

I am a huge fan of couscous and my mom has a delicious that {recipe} that I love to make. The other day my friend Natalie had made her own version that reminded me of that but had an interesting added ingredient...dried apricots! I decided to give it a try and LOVED it. I highly recommend giving this a try. It is a nice, light, and refreshing dish that would go nicely for a summer get-together. Visit her at {In the Kitchen with Kristie} to view the recipe! I paired this recipe with a Greek salad from {Cooking Light} - recipe as follows:

Makes 6 (dinner salad) servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
3 cups diced tomato
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon capers
1 cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1 (19-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add lettuce and the next 6 ingredients (lettuce through chickpeas); toss well.

Master Chef: Natalie Mathews

You should all be pretty jealous if you don't have a friend who will cook an amazing dinner like this and invite you over on a wonderful Sunday night. I just want to brag a bit about how delicious this meal was and point you all over in the direction of {In the Kitchen with Kristie}, the cooking blog by Natalie Mathews and her twin sister Melanie Marshall. They are both master chefs and always have amazing recipes to share. Check it soon for recipes from tonight's dinner, shown above.

1. Sensational salad with tortellini.
2. Flavorful BBQ fava beans
3. Strawberry and Rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream

Great end to a beautiful the weekend :)

Enchilada Casserole Creation

I seem to get so frustrated every time I make enchiladas because the rolled corn tortillas either crack or unravel in the pan and turn into one big mess. This time I decided to make it in the form of a lasagna-type casserole and it turned out great!

Ingredients are a rough estimate, as I don't usually measure everything when I create something new...everything is to taste...but I did my best to remember!

Ingredients:
18-24 corn tortillas
2 bottles of Trader Joe's Enchilada sauce (AMAZING - not even worth making it from scratch)
2-3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend - usually 4 cheeses from Trader Joe's)
1 1/2 cups corn (more or less)
1 1/2 cups sliced bell peppers (more or less - blend of red, green and yellow)
1 1/2 onions, chopped
2 4oz cans Ortega chili peppers, diced (or one 7 oz can)
1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
1 packet fajita seasoning
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste - add Sriracha for added kick if desired

Directions:
In pan, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onions until slightly wilted. Remove from the head and add the fajita seasoning, jalapeños, ground cumin, salt and pepper and mix well.

In a large bowl combine the shredded chicken, sautéed onions and spice mixture, diced Ortega chili peppers, corn, bell pepper, cilantro and mix well.

In a 9x13 pan (I used a glass Pyrex), pour enough enchilada sauce to simply cover the bottom of the pan, but not too much. Lay corn tortillas over the sauce to cover the bottom, either 6 or 8 should be enough, overlapping each one slightly. Put one layer of the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, top with cheese and about 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. Repeat the layering of tortillas, chicken mixture, cheese and sauce until you run out of chicken (or until you run out of space). The final layer should be tortillas, sauce, and cheese on top.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce appears to be bubbling.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

Enjoy!

Gatnabour a.k.a. Milk/Rice Pudding

This is one of my favorite Armenian desserts! Gatnabour is our version of a milk and rice pudding. It is absolutely delicious and worth a try even if you are unsure...

Ingredients:
4 cups milk
2 cups water
1 cup Calrose, short grain rice
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons orange blossom water

Garnish: Finely chopped or ground pistachios

Directions:
In a pot, combine the milk and water and bring to a boil. Rinse the rice and add it to the milk and water mixture. Reduce the heat, stirring frequently until the rice is thoroughly cooked and the mixture has thickened. It is important to keep stirring in order to prevent the mixture from clumping or sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and orange blossom water. Mix thoroughly, remove from the heat and immediately pour into individual cups or one large bowl.

Sprinkle the surface with ground pistachios.

Tip: Ground cinnamon can be added to the gatnabour for an added kick.

Tomato-Leek Cod

Another family favorite - Cod fish with tomato and leek!

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds fresh Cod
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups leek, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed chili pepper flakes
4 tablespoons lime juice
zest of one lime

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the leeks, red bell pepper, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Add the salt, crushed chili pepper flakes, lime juice, and lime zest. Continue to saute until the vegetables are tender.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread about 1/4 of the sauteed vegetable mixture in the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Lay the cod on top of the vegetables an top with the remaining mixture.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the fish is flaky.

Tip: This dish can be made with any other light white fish.

MMM...Banana-Walnut Bread!

Here is another family favorite - my mom's delicious recipe for banana-walnut bread.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (plus some to top)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, chopped walnuts, baking soda, salt, and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, butter, egg, milk, and mix well.

Add the banana mixture tot he dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on the surface of the batter and bake for 45 minutes or until the tester is inserted into the loaf and comes out clean.

Transfer loaf to a rack and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Tip: This recipe can also make 12 large muffins that are baked for 25 minutes or until the tester is inserted into the muffin and comes out clean.

Roasted Veggies...MMM

Here is another favorite recipe from my (in progress) cookbook. This dish is to die for. It is easy, healthy, has great presentation, and is delicious! Seriously. Try it.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants, sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 jar of red and yellow peppers (or roast fresh)
Salt and Aleppo pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling

Directions:

Start by brushing both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil. Grill them on both sides until they are soft.

Layer the grilled eggplant with the roasted peppers, parsley, and goat cheese. Add salt and Aleppo pepper to taste and drizzle with olive oil.

See, I told you it was easy :)

Enjoy!

Couscous Salad. Delish.

So basically...aside from my grandma...my mom is the best cook I know. This is one of my favorite recipes she has. It is so light and refreshing - healthy and filling! Enjoy :)

Ingredients
Salad
1 cup couscous
3 cups garbanzo beans
²⁄³ cup currants
²⁄³ cup red bell pepper, diced
½ cup scallions, chopped
½ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup parsley, chopped
Dressing:
½ cup extra virgin Olive Oil
½ cup lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic, crushed
½ tsp. ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
Garnish
cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
fresh mint
radish

Directions
Make the dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ground cumin, salt and
pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.

Soak the currents in warm water to plump up, then strain and dry them.

Boil 2 cups of water and add couscous. Remove from the heat and cover for about 10 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Once the couscous has cooled, add garbanzo beans, currants, red bell pepper, scallions, fresh mint, pine nuts, and parsley. Add the dressing mix well.

Cover and leave out in room temperature for 1 hour or cover and refrigerate overnight. Return salad to room temperature before serving.

Garnish with cherry tomatoes, fresh mint, and radish.

This can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or add grilled chicken for a bigger meal.