Crispy Corn Fritters

I am not one to make recipes at home that require me to fry the food item, however, for some reason this recipe was calling to me. It was easy to make and I had most of the ingredients at home. We fried these puppies up last night and they did not disappoint--so delicious! 


Crispy Corn Fritters

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup (packed) grated zucchini
• 3/4 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) corn kernels
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packaged corn muffin mix
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg, whisked to blend
• Vegetable oil (for frying)
• Spicy Rèmoulade

• Special equipment:

  A deep-fry thermometer

Preparation

• Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, corn, onion, and thyme and sauté until corn is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro and let cool.
• Whisk flour, corn muffin mix, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk milk and egg in a small bowl to blend; whisk into dry ingredients. Add zucchini mixture; fold just to blend. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Pour vegetable oil into a large pot to a depth of 2". Attach a deep-fry thermometer to side of pot. Heat oil over medium heat to 325°. Working in batches, spoon batter into oil by heaping tablespoonfuls. Fry until golden brown, turning once. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fritters to paper towels to drain. Serve with Spicy Rémoulade.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/10/corn-fritters-with-spicy-remoulade#ixzz1cGoL3qyw


Remoulade

Feel free to cut back on the cayenne to tame this tangy sauce.

Makes about 2/3 cup

Recipe by Maxcel Hardy

October 2011

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons coarse-grained mustard
• 2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Whisk first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/10/spicy-remoulade#ixzz1cGoj9Ey9

Curry Honey Hummus

If you know me well, you know that I LOVE hummus of all kinds. What's not to like--so may flavors, packed with protein and good fats and you can dip your foods into it! LOVE it! This one is from a food blog (http://edibleperspective.com/) that I follow and it was so good that I even licked the food processor bowl after making it... at 10:30 in the morning. What, you don't have a food processor (you know who you are:)? You must get one. I use this appliance more than any other appliance in my kitchen. I have the Cuisinart 14 cup (I definitely need the 14 cup size for the foods I prepare) and it works marvelously.

Curry Honey Hummus yields appx 2c

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 can cooked chickpeas, drained + rinsed (or you can use one cup of dried chickpeas soaked overnight in at least 3 inches of water, drained and then boiled in three inches of water for about an hour until tender. This way is cheaper and you can avoid the BPA that lines almost all of our cans of food (Eden Organic is the one exception that I have found so far with BPA free cans).
• 3T olive oil
• juice from 1/2 a lemon ~2T
• 1T curry
• 1/2t turmeric
• 1/2t thai red curry paste [or you can sprinkle cayenne pepper]
• 1.5T tahini
• 1T honey
• ~3T water
• 1/2t ground cumin
• s+p [to taste]

1. In a food processor grind garlic clove[s] and scrape side of bowl.
2. Add chickpeas, oil, juice, curry, turmeric, curry paste or cayenee, tahini, cumin and honey.  Process until smooth.  Scrape down bowl once or twice.  Add water until it’s to the consistency you’re looking for. 
3. Add ~1/4-1/2t salt + 1/4t pepper [or to taste] and process for a few intervals of 30sec to really get it whipped and fluffy.

http://edibleperspective.com/2010/02/recipe-time-2/

Roasted Vegetable Dip

Yum! My in-laws were visiting last week and I wanted to make an appetizer that was did not involve cheese. this was delicious and will be made again in the near future!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place veggies on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 35 minutes until browned. Cool and transfer to a food processor with basil and parsley. Pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl, stir and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with veggies or pita bread.

1 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
small eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 small zucchini, cut into thick half moons
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
20 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup flat parsley, chopped

Courtesy of Rachel Ray

Herring Pate

We have been trying to eat more fish lately in addition to our weekly salmon dinner (now that Baby O is here!) and one of my more recent creations can either be served as an appetizer or as a main dish for a casual meal. Yes, I know that smoked herring does not sound appetizing at all but it is oh so good for you.

Ingredients:

7.5 can smoked herring
3 oz. lite cream cheese
1/2 lemon, squeezed
a few dashes of hot sauce
1 T of tomato paste (buy the tube of TP... it is much more economical than the cans)

Mix in a foot processor until it reaches a smooth consistency, about 30 seconds. Serve on toasted baguette rounds. We had a meal using leftover ingredients last night so I served this with roasted sweet potatoes and a salad.

Pumpkin Hummus--attempt #2

While the last batch of pumpkin hummus was good, it was not quite the same hummus I had enjoyed at Buckley's Tavern back in December. This weekend I gave it another try and while it came closer to the taste of what I am calling "the original" it was not quite exactly what I was looking for. Perhaps they cheated and added some heavy cream or half and half as their version tasted creamier than mine... My mission will continue!

Oh, and I used canned garbanzo beans which allowed me to skip the time consuming steps 1 and 2!


Ingredients

* 1 3/4 cups dry garbanzo beans
* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 5 fluid ounces lemon juice
* 1/6 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup tahini paste
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
* salt to taste

Directions

1. Place the garbanzo beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight. Or, bring the beans and water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse before using.
2. Place the soaked garbanzo beans into a large saucepan and cover with several inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the garbanzo beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once cooked, refrigerate the beans and liquid until cold.
3. Drain the garbanzo beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Place the beans and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid into a blender, and puree until a smooth paste forms. Add the pumpkin puree, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Cover and puree again until smooth. Use additional cooking liquid as needed to achieve a smooth consistency. Season to taste with salt.

Pumpkin Hummus

Over the holidays, we attended a surprise birthday party for my mother-in-law at her favorite local haunt. One of the appetizers served at the party was this amazing pumpkin hummus--it was so addictive and unlike anything I had ever eaten before. Mr. E. and I are big fans of hummus and eat it frequently throughout the summer because it is easy to make and a very healthy vegetarian dish. After the party, I emailed the restaurant to flatter them with praise and beg for the recipe.... unfortunately they never returned my message so it was left to me to experiment with other recipes on the internet. This was the first one I found and decided to give it a try--although it is not the taste I had hoped to achieve as it really just tasted like regular hummus, I think this might be m new standby because of the added superfood of pumpkin!

PUMPKIN HUMMUS
Ingredients

15oz. can of garbanzo beans
15oz. can of pureed pumpkin
1 T oil
1 smashed garlic clove
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 T tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
3-4 T water

Mix in a food processor until smooth. The amount of water you will need to add will depend on the pumpkin.... more for canned pumpkin and less for the fresh stuff. Serve with whole wheat pita and carrots.

Homegrown Salsa

My good friend in town had me over for chili this week at her urban sophisticate apartment and she happened to have some homemade salsa leftover from dinner the night before. She had used the bounty from that weeks farm share. Mr. E and I also had a bounty of veggies from our farm share and from our garden so I decided to make a catch for our beach weekend. Delicious!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (any color)
2 cups cilantro
1 yellow onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapenos (seeded) and minced
juice of 1 lime
salt and peper to taste

Mix together and enjoy immediately!

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs and Bleu Cheese

Friday Night after a busy work week--time to kick back and relax! I bought prosciutto a very long time ago and it has been taunting us from the refrigerator for quite a few months now. As Mr. E. and I are trying to make use of the many foods and ingredients stocked in our freezer and cabinet I decided to try to find a recipe that involved 8 dried Mission figs leftover from a holiday appetizer, and the prosciutto. Luckily, I stumbled across this gem below... I wasn't quite sure if the recipe was for dried figs or not... but that was what I had on hand they were delicious. And yes mom... they were high in sodium so I only had a few and left the majority of them for Mr. E.


Ingredients

* 8 Black Mission figs
* 1/2 cup blue cheese, cut into cubes
* 8 prosciutto (thinly sliced, cut in half lengthwise)
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat grill. You will need medium to high heat for grilling. The key is to crisp the prosciutto quickly and leave the blue cheese just melted with the inner part of the fig cool in temperature.

Cut the figs in half and place a piece of blue cheese on each fig half. Wrap the prosciutto around each fig half, covering the cheese. The ends of the prosciutto should overlap.

Grill each piece until the prosciutto begins to color and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Girls Weekend

My BF from college, Meredith, drove 6.5 hours to come visit me this weekend for a girls weekend--lucky me! So I decided to try out a few recipes that I consider to be
health(ier) comfort foods... For an appetizer I tried a fig and onion bruschetta recipe on ciabatta bread. Wow, this was easy to make and it smelled so yummy as it cooked--what doesn't smell better than caramelized onions and red wine reducing? For the entree I went with stuffed Portobello mushrooms (we are weekend carnivores!), and baked squash. I also thought about throwing some seasoned tater tots into the mix but that really did not fit with the theme despite the fact that they are an oh-so-delicious comfort food that I KNOW will make a comeback. There is a bar in our little town that serves 8 kids of tater tots with 8 different dipping sauces... oh heaven! Oh course a girls weekend is not complete without some wine so I choose a Ravenswood 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (gift from a friend!)to start...
For dessert we enjoyed a sticky toffee pudding which is really more like a mix between a pudding and a cake. It was sinful and very far from healthy but absolutely hit the spot. Enjoy the recipes below!

FIGS
1/2 c. dried black mission figs, stemmed and cut into quarters
1 c. boiling water
3/4 cup dry red wine (be sure to enjoy a glass yourself as you cook!)
2 T sugar
1 small bay leaf
1/8 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 tsp. red wine vinegar

ONION
1.5 tsp butter
1.5 tsp. EVOO
1 medium red onion, halved through core and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick strips
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
coarse kosher salt

RICOTTA
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese (I used the skim version and it tasted just fine)
1 T EVOO plus additional for drizzling
1 tsp heavy whipping cream
coarse kosher salt

a loaf of French bread or Ciabatta bread, cut in half
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped fresh oregano or 1 T dried

FIGS--place figs in a small bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over; let soak 45 minutes.
drain figs; place in small saucepan and add wine and next three ingredients. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until figs are tender and liquid is syrupy, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar ; cook 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat; cool.

ONION--melt butter and oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until beginning to soften and brown. Stir occasionally for about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add vinegar and sugar then sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Stir until vinegar has almost evaporated about 1 minute. Cool.

RICOTTA--whisk ricotta, 1 T oil and cream in a medium bowl until fluffy. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Drizzle bread with EVOO and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Broil bread on both sides until toasted and transfer to a serving plate.

Spread ricotta cheese across both halves of bread, spoon glazed figs with some of syrup on top of ricotta and top with onion mixtures. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano. Drizzle with EVOO, cut into slices and serve immediately!

I will post the Toffee recipe tomorrow!

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, January 2009

Edamame Hummus

We had a bag of frozen edamame in the freezer and I decided that I wanted to make something tasty and healthy that both Mr. E and I would enjoy. So I took Tim's hummus recipe and instead of adding chickpeas/garbanzo beans-I add 2 cups of shelled edamame. It really did not taste that different from traditional hummus but I did love the color!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of shelled edamame beans
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 T. EVOO
palmful of cumin
1/2 c. FRESH lemon juice (none of that fake stuff in the plastic lemons)
1/3 c. tahini (sesame butter)

Blend in the food processor until and serve with pita bread. We actually took the meal to another level and make pita sandwiches with the edamame hummus, chopped purple onions, romaine lettuce and a schmear of goat cheese.

In addition last night was Mr. E's night to cook... I think he is really getting into this blog thing because he was excited for me to take the perfect photo of the homemade chili he made and then assembled for the photo opportunity. Over the past week he has gotten a few compliments about being a good "husband" because of the fabulously nourishing meals he provides on Sunday evenings.