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 Eggplant Lasagna
The cool air is finally sweeping across Colorado. Friends in the mountains said it was even snowing at the tops of the mountains! It is kind of a relief after the hot summer we had. Even with the cool weather, my garden is still overflowing with zucchinis. Other gardens are overflowing with eggplants, so of course I am continuing to add to my long list of zucchini recipes; and some eggplant ones as well.
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.
Zucchini Wrapped Mahi Mahi w/ Tomato Aioli
Have you ever had your freezer melt and lose all of your food? Well, this almost just happened to me. I had all of my proteins in the basement freezer, including a bag of salmon, a bag of shrimp, a bag of mahi mahi, a 3 lb tri-tip, 2 strip steaks, 1 pack of bacon and 6 chicken breasts. While cooking dinner last week, my roommate came upstairs with a bag of dripping, melted, rotten bananas in her hand saying, “You might not want to eat anything in that freezer down there….” Of course, I immediately panicked. Luckily, the door hadn’t been open long enough to melt all of the proteins; I only lost the pack of bacon and two strip steaks. Now all of my proteins have a new home in my mini fridge freezer.
Potato Gnocchi w/ Jerk Chicken on Sweet Pea Puree–My Chef Dennis Guest Post!
I am so excited to tell you that I am a part of Chef Dennis’ “guest post Fridays” for September 2nd! Dennis is a great guy in the food world and I am so excited to be guest posting for him! I have had about a month to decide what recipe I would use for my guest post, which might have made it even more difficult, but I finally decided I would share this recipe that was passed onto me by a good friend. She told me that she suffered sweating in the non-air-conditioned lobby of a hotel in South America in order to e-mail me this delicious recipe. I am glad she did because it is delicious!
Please head over to A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis for the full post and say hi!
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!?).
Cuban Mojo Pork Chops
When I first heard “pork chops with mojo”, Austin Powers came to mind. I thought it was just someone trying to talk up their own pork chop recipe. I didn’t realize that “mojo” is actually a culinary term, a pretty great term at that. “Mojo” sauces originated in the Canary Islands, but have evolved and become a part of many different ethnic cuisines. In this recipe, my mojo sauce is a Cuban version. I had some delicious pork chops from the farm that my mom belongs too and wanted to put them to good use.
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.
Mahi Mahi w/ Green Chile-Coconut Broth
When I first heard green chile and coconut in the same recipe, I was immediately intrigued. I couldn’t decide if the combination would be delicious or disgusting. There was only one way to find out. While all of my roommates hung out in the basement eating take-out and some delicious Lemon-Artichoke Hummus to avoid the heat of cooking in our boiling house, I was sweating in the kitchen.
