Goat Cheese with Plum & Jalapeño Jam

My dear client Phoebe dropped off a few jars of her famous homemade plum jam, straight from her own tree. I was looking forward to getting my precious jar from her this year and ended up with three! Oh the possibilities are endless with these jars of goodness. I’ve been attempting to put it on everything: oatmeal, rice cakes & almond butter, cottage cheese, ice cream, etc. So when I received an invite to a potluck event this evening I knew I had to incorporate it into something.

This dish quickly became a lot simpler than I had planned it to be. My original thought was rolling the goat cheese in crushed macadamia nuts. But with my luck, they ended up spilling on the ground during the photo shoot (a bit camera shy I suppose). After standing over them in shock for a few seconds, I decided to move on.

 

I realized today how unwilling I am to except the fact that summer is over. I was a bit disturbed while walking through Target, with the already filled isles of Thanksgiving and Christmas paraphernalia. I couldn’t even get away from it in my own kitchen! I suppose I hadn’t thought enough about my color scheme before planning for this recipe. It went from summer appetizer to Christmas log, a red and green neon mess. So there you have it, I’m a sell out just like the rest of ‘em. Of course, the important thing here is that it tasted fabulous and it was very easy to prepare. So I have no idea how it would have tasted with the macadamia nuts but I’ll add it into the recipe anyway, to show my respects.

So enjoy, any time of the year.

1 12oz Goat Cheese Roll

¼ C Macadamia Nuts, Chopped (or placed in a plastic bag and beat to a bloody pulp)

3 tbsp. Plum or other fruit Jam

2 tbsp. Jalapeño jam

Roll goat cheese in the chopped nuts and top with jam. Yep, it’s that easy.

Serve with crackers and fruit (plums, grapes, strawberries)

No Butter, Vegetarian

Cucumber Pear Salad

I woke up this morning to the sun shining through my window (sky lights) and the birds chirping (well I couldn’t exactly hear them, but I’m sure they were). The new day called for a new summer recipe. I didn’t have much time before work so this had to be a quick one. I spotted my victims and came up this this lil ditty. Simple, fresh and cool (that should be the name of my next hip hop trio). This served me well as a snack but it would also be good as a salad before a main course or along side some chilled salmon.

Cucumber Pear Salad

 

2 Cucumbers, pealed & thinly sliced

2 Pears, pealed & thinly sliced

1 Lime, juice

½ Mint, chopped

Mix all of the ingredients together and serve chilled.

Serves 5

Gluten Free, Raw, No Refined Sugar, No Butter, Vegan, FLT

Texas Turkey Chili

Although today actually felt like summer, I decided to make soup, my Texas Chili to be exact. I knew the week ahead was going to be a busy one so I wanted to be prepared. I always make a large portion of this and separate it into containers to freeze. It tastes just as good if not better the next time I heat it up. Of course it’s also great to serve guests with warm corn bread right out of the oven.

1 lb. Turkey, ground

1 Red Onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3 Zucchini or Yellow Squash, chopped

1 can (16 oz) Pinto Beans, drained

1 can (16 oz) Red Kidney Beans, drained

1 can (16oz) White Kidney Beans, drained

1 can (16 oz) Corn

1 can (32 oz) Crushed tomatoes

2 c. Water

2 tbs.  Cilantro, chopped

2 1/2 tbs. Mexican Chili Powder

2 tbs Cumin

½ tea Oregano

1 tea Paprika

1/4 tea Black Pepper, ground

½ tea Sea Salt

• In large pot, brown turkey and drain.
• Add onions and garlic and cook 5 mins on med heat.
• Add remaining ingredients, cover and bring to boil.
• Turn heat to low and cook 45 mins.
• Top with Avocado, Cilantro and Sour Cream if you so desire.

Serves 8

Gluten Free, No Refined Sugar, No Butter, Can be Vegetarian

Rum Banana Pear & Ginger Berry Lime Topping

Cold, creamy,  rich ice cream on a warm summer evening. Ok well I can dream can’t I? We haven’t seen much sun at all this summer, they say it’s been the worst summer in years. I’ll admit to being spoiled but that doesn’t make it better. With good friends around I quickly forget about my summertime blues.

It was our friend Russell’s birthday last evening. I planned to bring the ice cream, but I needed to come up with something quick and tasty to top it with. Something sweet and rich and another fresh and tangy. I found the bag of frozen mixed berries and knew this was going to be an easy one. I made the two toppings over the stove in about 15 mins from start to finish then picked up the ice cream on my way. The perfect dessert if you’re in a hurry! 

Rum Banana Pear

 

Coconut Spray

2 Pears, peeled & sliced

2 Bananas, sliced

3 tbs. Dark Rum

1 tbs. Agave

¼ tea. Cinnamon

Ginger Berry Lime

1 ½ c. Frozen mixed berries

2 tbs. Agave

½ Lime, juice

½ tea. Ginger powder

Vanilla Ice Cream (Soy if preferred) 

• In smaller saucepan add all of the berry ingredients and cover over medium heat.
• In medium saucepan over medium heat, spray with coconut oil and add pears & bananas.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Cook both for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.
• Serve in separate bowls to top vanilla ice cream.
• Garnish berry topping with mint or a lime wedge. 

Gluten Free, No Refined Sugar, No Butter, Can be Vegan

Spicy Honey Polenta & Brussel Sprout Mint Salad

Polenta. Polenta. Polenta. It has really found its way into my recipes lately. It wasn’t until recently that I gave it a chance. Rheanna once cooked me up one of her fabulous dinners, which of course included polenta and I was sold. You might start to see a pattern in my dishes, sweet & spicy. I’ve been trying to get creative with my recipes since I discovered my allergy to gluten. This recipe is fit for 3 (the amount or mouths I was feeding tonight). A smaller portion but still very filling. And for a light dessert, dark chocolate covered goji berries from Henrys. My sweet tooth is surly satisfied.

Coconut oil cooking spray

10 Brussels Sprouts, halved

1 c. Corn

1 c. Grape Tomatoes

3/4 c Mint or Basil, chopped

2 tbs. Honey

¼ tea. Chili Powder

9 Polenta, thick slices

Salt/Pepper

• Heat saucepan on medium heat and spray with Coconut Oil. 
• Add Brussels sprouts and a pinch of salt/pepper. 
• Cook for 5 mins then add Mint, Tomatoes, Corn and cook until Sprouts are soft. 
• In separate pan, heat coconut oil on med heat. 
• Pour honey in pan and sprinkle with chili powder.  
• Place polenta slices evenly on pan and cook 7 mins on each side.

Serves 3

Gluten Free, No Refined Sugar, No Butter, Vegan

Tropical Mango Avocado Salsa

I was in the mood for salmon last week. I love my salmon a little sweet and a little spicy. I made it with grilled bananas and quinoa this time. I usually have the Mango Papaya Salsa from Trader Joes, but being the hot item that it is, I can’t seem to keep it on the shelf. So I decided I’d create my own, as healthy and easy as possible. I was excited to use a few things from my garden (which, by the way, is thriving thanks to those water spheres).

Salmon with Quinoa
& Grilled Bananas 

I always have a variety of frozen fruits on hand for my Green Smoothies (that just might be the next post). So I grabbed a saucepan and tossed in a few things that sounded right together. It was perfect for the salmon, but I could still have kicked up the spicy. I decided to recreate it before telling the world how it was done. I made it again tonight to top a chicken quesadilla. This can be served on top of a variety of dishes: fish, chicken, toasted baguette, tacos, etc.

1/3  Red Onion, chopped

1 c. Mango frozen chunks, cut into small pieces

Chicken & Mozzerela Quesadilla
 w/ Brown Rice Tortillas

1/2 c. Pineapple frozen chunks, cut into small pieces

1 tea. Agave Nectar

½ Lime, juice

¼ tea. Chili Powder

3 Chives, chopped                                                      

1 tbs. Basil, chopped

1 tbs. Cilantro 

1 Avocado, cubed

• Heat pan on medium/low and spray with Coconut Oil.
• Add Onions, Mango and Pineapple and cook, covered for 5 mins.
• Add Agave, Lime Juice, Chili, Chives, Cilantro, Basil and cook an additional 10 mins.
• Remove from pan and toss with Avocado.

Serves 2-4

Gluten Free, No Refined Sugar, No Butter, Vegan

Camping Cuisine

Ahh camping, how I love thee. We took a trip up to Idyllwild this weekend. I was looking forward to a weekend of no phone service, fishing, stars, no showers, hiking, bonfires, s'mores, cold beer and cigars. We left early Saturday morning, after an evening of preparing the food for the trip. Our reservations were made through “Reserve America”, not recommended. Maybe it’s a good idea to see what’s available, but I’d advise you to call the campsite directly. We loaded up the cars and hit the road. In only a little over 2 hours we arrived… to a Boy Scout camp. Luckily we were surrounded by Boy Scouts so they were enthusiastic about putting their skills to work and help us out in anyway they could. I mean they had to, its mandatory right? They pointed us to another site down the street, where the ranger pointed us to another and then another. 

    Finally we found what we were looking for, but it would have been nice if they had given us the right address from the start. So we pull up to check-in and discover that we weren’t at just any old campsite, oh no. This was “resort camping” (Thousand Trails) Cabins, horseback riding, ice cream socials, wine tasting, live music, a pool, bathrooms & showers and no bonfires. With smiles on their faces, they gave us a map and sent us on our way to pick out our own spot. We found a few, surrounded a bunch of resort dwellers, giving us looks as if to say “oh no, you kids better not cause any trouble, we’ll be watching you”. That’s when Andrew, an employee, showed up in his golf cart to find us standing there looking at one another. He told us about another area he thought we might be interested and led the way. It was nearly untouched land, literally no one in sight on all sides of us. We were on the highest point of the mountain with a breathtaking view. He went on his way and reminded us to watch out for the rattlesnakes. So clearly I went exploring, it was amazing. I stood there for a few mins, looking around trying to take it all in, when I glanced down near my right foot to see a snake curled up and waiting to greet me. Now I was camping. 


   Okay about the food, I decided to prepare all that I could before hand at home and it really cut down on prep time and preparation supplies later on. I also wanted to come up with some way to use all of the delicious tomatoes that my boss gave us from her garden. We decided to split things up, so I only had two meals to plan for. Our friends, Scott and Beth Anne, made scrumptious turkey burgers and potato fries for dinner.

 Lunch: Wasabi Turkey Croissant & Caprese Cucumber Salad

Wasabi Turkey Croissant

Croissant

Wasabi Mayo (Trader Joes)

Sliced Goat Cheese (TJ)

Romaine Lettuce

Turkey

Avocado

Caprese Cucumber Salad

5 Med Tomatoes, chopped

1 Cucumber, chopped

8 oz Mozzarella, cherry size cut in half

10 Basil Leaves, chopped

¼ c. Pine Nuts, lightly browned in toaster oven

3 tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbs. Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

To be done at home:

• Combine the Tomatoes, Cucumber, Mozzarella & Basil, put in container.
• In a baggie or small jar (I use baby food jars) add Vinegar, Oil, Salt & Pepper.
• Put Pine Nuts in a baggie
• Combine all the ingredients when you are ready to serve.

Breakfast: Asparagus Scrabble & Apple Chicken Sausage

1 doz. Eggs

2 tbs. Cilantro, diced

2 Tomatoes, chopped

½ c. Fresh Spinach

10 Asparagus

2 Potatoes, chopped

1 Yellow Onion, diced

1 Avocado

½ c. Mozzarella cheese

5 Apple Chicken Sausages

5 Tortillas

To be done at home:

• Prepare Potatoes, Onion, tomatoes Cilantro and separate into baggies

On Site:

• Cook Sausage on grill
• Cook Potatoes and Onions covered for 5 mins and then add Asparagus to pan
• Beat eggs in bowl and add to separate pan. 
• Cook half way and add Cilantro, Tomatoes, Spinach & Asparagus
• Top with Avocado & Cheese
• Serve with Tortilla