Archive | July, 2013

Party Snacks: Garlic Scape and Garbanzo Spread

8 Jul

NOTE TO READERS: It is garlic scape season (the long elegant curling tops of garlic plants, that must be cut off to keep the energy in the bulb)…so here is a terrific suggestion for making a dip with it…!

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This is the last of the recipes I used to make a recent Mediterranean Summer Buffet of appetizers and party snacks.

But I am only half as maniacal about DIY as you think I am — I also opened jars:  of artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers and I purchased good mixed olives which I arranged on a platter for grazing. My dad grilled asparagus, eggplant, red and green peppers and hunks of red onions a couple of hours ahead of time with a brushing of olive oil and we arranged those on a platter, finished with flaky sea salt for delicious crunch. Some crunchy bread toasts and we were good to go! You could also use a hummus and cubes of feta to round things off.

So try this spread if you’ve still got garlic scapes that need using. It has my favorite chick peas as well and the…

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Ten Signs that You’ve Crossed the Line from Enviro-Foodie to Enviro-Foodie-Maniac

4 Jul

Have you gone over the edge with the food thing? Are you no longer fun to eat with? Are you missing the point?

In a world of fast food, GMOs, pesticides, and horrific school lunches it is hard for the foodie not to be constantly on edge about what he or she or their children are eating. But that doesn’t mean that we have to be unhappy all the time or insufferable to others. That is not what eating is about! So, I have compiled a list of signs that you (or I) may be one exit from lunacy….

Disclaimer: I had no one but myself in mind when I wrote this, so don’t get paranoid if you recognize yourself! You are not under surveillance, at least not by me. All resemblance to characters fictional or real is merely coincidence.

Ten Signs that You’ve Crossed the Line from Enviro-Foodie to Enviro-Foodie-Maniac

  1. You are genuinely anguished when you forget to bring reusable bags to the store and run back out to the car to get them (if you can). You consider leaving the shopping cart to go home and come back. You reject the idea because driving home would increase your carbon footprint. You become distressed. Buy yet another reusable bag? Get a box? More distress.
  2. If you don’t have any other option than plastic bags, you slink your way home down side streets in case one of your enviro-foodie-maniac friends sees you committing the cardinal sin of using disposables.
  3. You bring your reading glasses to the store so you can read the labels of anything you buy that actually has a label. If you don’t bring the reading glasses, you don’t buy anything with a label.
  4. You stand in the aisles of the supermarket paralyzed, because you really need to buy something convenient to eat, but your conscience won’t let you take any shortcuts. You contemplate skipping the meal altogether. You put the package back on the shelf. You take it down again. You read the label. You put it back. You walk away. You come back. Repeat. This takes a long time. When it says organic, you buy it, although you know damn well that ketchup, organic or not, is still a sugary mess. Mini-cheese and cracker sandwich snack packs are still processed cheese and  buttery carbs, regardless whether it says organic on the label. But you can’t help it. And it makes your head explode. Continue reading →

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Easy Summer-Squash Slaw (remoulade of zucchini and yellow squash)

3 Jul

Summer squashes are starting to appear in farmer’s markets (and, in the case of zucchini/courgettes, in my garden!) …so…since they tend to be very prolific and an integral part of weekly farm shares all summer long and are also cheap in supermarkets at this time of year — it is time to start getting good recipes together!

Summer squashes — which include yellow squash, also called marrow; yellow crookneck squash; and zucchini, also called courgettes — are pretty good for you according to Self.com, are delicious, and lend themselves to many great dishes, So there is no reason to be sick of them by August or to refuse your neighbors’ offers of extra bounty when they get overwhelmed with what they’ve grown.

Don't peel the squashes; part of the appeel (sic) of this salad is the hint of color!

Don’t peel the squashes; part of the appeel (sic) of this salad is the hint of color!

Mind you, I may have fewer than anticipated…some critter, which may or may not be the cutworm, sliced off several of my zucchini flowers before they could produce the magic green wands….grrrrrrr.

Some of the recipes I have offered before for these garden giants are Zucchini Corn Fritters, Zucchini Fritters with Manchego and Rosemary, and Sauteed Summer Squash with Oregano and Lemon,

Today I went for something different – a quickie slaw alternative called remoulade, like the French classic Celeriac remoulade. This one integrates the garden vegetables that most lend themselves to grating. You can mix and match them however you like!

The Perfect Summer Side

The Perfect Summer Side

Easy Summer Squash Remoulade

(makes side salad for 2; multiply recipe for a crowd!)

2 Cups mix and match: zucchini/yellow squash/hakurai turnip/mild radish, grated with a large hole grater.

Squeeze of lemon*

1 Tbs grated red onion

1-2 Tbs prepared mayonnaise

1 tsp your preferred smooth mustard

Generous pinch salt

Pinch of freshly grated black pepper, if desired

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve as an alternative to cole slaw.

*If there will be a lag between grating the vegetables and making the remoulade, add lemon juice to the waiting vegetables to prevent browning.

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Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions (Burger Topping Extraordinaire)

1 Jul

NOTE TO READERS: THIS IS Hot, Cheap & Easy’s all-time most searched-for post….you NEED THIS RECIPE for your next grill-up!

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Now that I have recuperated from the trauma of car buying and am tooling around happily in my beautiful new (for me) automobile and impressing the neighbors — a bit like Toad, only better-behaved (extra points if you get the reference)  — a host of other little things are making life challenging.

You know, unexpected meetings (note the use of the plural – not one, not two, but many!); unexpected need to write recommendations; unexpected oily messes from poorly shut jars of sun-dried tomatoes that somehow tipped over in the fridge at 11 p.m. after one of those unexpected meetings; unexpected armies of black ants marching through the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen; just unexpected stuff that keeps popping up in the middle of attempting to actually finish something, just one thing, for the love of God!

So I am swamped and overwhelmed, but none of it is bad or life-threatening…

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