Herbed Lemon-Pomegranate Mahi Mahi
This week I had a fresh pomegranate for the first time. I know that probably sounds crazy but I had only eaten pomegranate flavored things before, never an actual pomegranate. At first, I struggled with peeling it correctly and getting all the good stuff out. Once I had all the seeds out, I could not stop snacking even though I knew I needed them for this recipe! I found this recipe from Clean Eating magazine on the Kahakai Kitchen blog.
Zucchini Pepper-Jack Cheese Soup
BRR!! I never thought I would see the day that I would want to get away from the cold. This snow in Boulder has dropped the temperature in my house to below 60 and I am freezing! If you are feeling the cold of the winter coming, this is the perfect recipe for you. I saw a recipe for zucchini cheese soup a while back on Cinnamon Girl Recipes and was so excited to find another clever way to use up my zucchini.
Italy Pt. 3- Cooking at the Castle
October 24, 2011
9 comments
Appetizers, Dessert, Fruit, Lunch, Main Course, Meat, Recipes, Salad, Sauces, Seafood, Side Dishes, Travel, Vegetables
Finally, to the cooking part of my cooking trip! We headed to a small town called Spongano the morning after our welcome dinner in Lecce. This is where the castle was located. Some people may call this a manor house, but call it what you want. There were like 20 bedrooms and bathrooms and an awesome pool and a garden filled with all sorts of fruit trees… I’d call that a castle. (Also, thanks to my mom, the host of the trip, for most of these photos! I was too preoccupied to take pictures most of the week. If you think you would like to go on this trip next time she takes people, check out her site here!)
Roasted Peach & Tomato Gazpacho
For those of you who don’t know, I am currently in a small town in Southern Italy called Spongano. I am taking classes at a cooking school in a CASTLE! The weather has been great and the food has been delicious. I will be posting a couple of things about my trip soon, but for now I want to share this delicious gazpacho recipe that I made before I left.
Zucchini & Eggplant Stew
I feel like I need to apologize for this post if you don’t like zucchini or eggplant, but I just can’t seem to use it all up! It is seriously like the magical vegetable combination that just keeps returning after you take it out of your fridge. If you have partial zucchinis and eggplants leftover from other dishes, this is a great way to put them to use and eliminate wasting them. Once again, please bear with me; I have felt like I have eaten zucchini and/or eggplant for every meal (even at work!) for the last month!
Breaded Zucchini & Eggplant Pasta w/ Chive-Basil Pesto
The fall has begun to roll in and the garden veggies just keep on coming. It is kind of nice hardly ever having to go to the grocery store. Instead, I get to walk into my garden and look around for what my next meal is going to be. The spaghetti squash have also begun to grow and there are tons of tomatoes waiting to turn. Of course, the zucchini has been endless as well. I also got a lot of eggplants from my mom’s farm, so I decided to make this dish using my homegrown herbs and veggies. Here is the continuance of my never ending zucchini recipes.
Zucchini Spinach-Artichoke Tart
After my last post I got a message from my mom asking if I really ate spinach artichoke dip for dinner. The answer is yes, sorry Mom I know it’s not healthy but sometimes you just need to indulge your cravings. So apparently spinach artichoke dip is not OK for dinner… unless you turn it into a savory vegetable tart! So here it is, dip for dinner plus another zucchini recipe for all of you drowning in zucchini at the moment; for all of you, there are quite a few zucchini recipes coming up this next week, so grab all those overgrown zucchinis from you garden and get ready.
Salmon w/ Peach & Tomato Compote
One thing I love about summertime is the Farmer’s Market. During my last visit to the farmers market, I got these delicious heirloom tomatoes and Palisade Peaches (some of the best peaches in Colorado!). I knew I had to make something delicious with them. If you have never eaten an heirloom tomato, I highly suggest that you get on it! They are so delicious and not to mention super cool looking! I love just looking at all the different heirloom tomatoes in the bunch.
Steamed Mussels w/ Chickpea Chorizo Butter Broth
Working in a fine dining restaurant has been amazing. In only a month, I have already learned so many things that I never knew before. I have learned how to shuck oysters, how to make an immulsion, seasoning techniques, flavor concepts, how to prepare mussels and much more. After watching all of the mussels that go out to guests at SALT, I really began to crave them. I went home a little bit ago to have dinner with my family and ended up spending the entire day learning about and working on my food photography with my mom (aren’t I lucky to have a mom who can show me that!?).
Grilled Enchilada & Brussels Sprout Pizzas {Giveaway Closed}
Once the sun begins to set and the cool air begins to blow in, I just can’t resist going outside. Grilling may seem miserable on a hot summer day sometimes, but it is perfect for cool summer evenings. I have definitely been noticing the temperature drop little by little in the last week. I think the heat of summer might finally be wearing down (I don’t want to jinx it though!). This week I was also lucky enough to receive a reserve kit of Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes to try out- see below for your chance to win one too! Muir Glen caught my eye when I heard that, unlike other canned tomatoes, their tomatoes are all taken from their vines to their cans within EIGHT hours! That is pretty impressive.
