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Monday, August 15, 2011

Grilled Eggplant Appetizer


This is one of Giada's recipes on the Food Network, and it is delicious way to use up some of the eggplant from our CSA. Grilled eggplant has a great flavor and hearty texture. Combine that with the flavors of goat cheese, pine nuts , balsamic vinegar and this appetizer will really satisfy! There seems to be a pine nut shortage in my area so I've been substituting toasted almonds which are just as good. The eggplant can also be broiled in the oven for the same texture, but the grilling adds better flavor. I listed the ingredients below, but portion appropriately to how many being served, or how hungry you are!

RECIPE:
2-3 eggplants, sliced 1/4" thin
goat cheese, crumbled
pine nuts or slivered almonds, toasted
basil, coarsely chopped
mint, coaresly chopped
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

Heat grill to medium heat. Slice eggplant into 1/4" slices, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Grill eggplant a few minutes on each side until golden brown and soft. Lay slices flat on a serving tray. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese, nuts, basil, and mint. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
UPDATE: To change it up, I topped this appetizer with juicy cherry tomatos halved, and tried an herbed goat cheese variety and it was delicious!
 

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Baked Crab Rangoons



Another recipe from Steamy Kitchen's blog... she has some really great ones! I really like the restaurant style rangoons that are deep fried but as a healthier version I think these were just as good. Won ton skins can be found at most grocery stores and at asian groceries of course. I spent a looong time staring at the different types of crab debating whether to spend the money on the jumbo lump crab ($15/8oz!) and finally I heeded the advice from the sympathetic butcher and went on the cheap and got the claw meet ($8/8oz). I also saw imitation crab meat for $2 and decided to give that a trial run just in case (BAD BAD MISTAKE). The claw meat tends to be sweeter so I think it worked for this dish, but obviously the meaty texture and quality just isn't the same as the jumbo.

Watch the won ton skins baking because theyi go from raw to crispy and dark fairly quickly! I topped with thinly sliced green onion.

Overall, this was an easy recipe that would be tasty with an impressive presentation at a party. I served it with the thai tomato soup which paired perfectly.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Udon Vegetable Miso Soup



I can take no credit for "doctoring" this recipe in any way, it was straight up from Steam Kitchen's blog - see link here. And it was delicious! It was everything I want in a lunch - tasty, hearty, light. Make sure to watch the video for the tip on how to add the miso paste. My ingredients of choice were: dried udon noodles, corn, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, scallions, bean sprouts, and boiled egg. Pretty much any leftover veggies would be good in this. I'll definitely try tofu cubes too for some extra protein. Enjoy!

Crispy Stuffed Squash Blossoms


Another summer of the farm CSA deliveries where I get creative every week trying to cook all the different varieties of produce that we receive! This week's box contained a bag of squash blossoms. Last year per the farm's recommendation, I chopped some up into a green salad with a very underwhelming result. These really do not have much flavor, so drastic measures must be taken, such as stuffing the thing full of cheese and herbs, dredging in a beer batter, and deep frying in vegetable oil. Transformation!

REVIEW:
This is the first time I have deep-fried anything, but it was so easy and fast! I did three iterations of this recipe. At first I tried not stuffing the blossoms, but they are WAY better with stuffing. Then I added cajun seasoning to the batter to give it more kick. I would recommend doing it this way to get the exact taste desired. I thought these were a unique appetizer; tasty and light despite being fried. This will probably be the only way I eat squash blossoms. I'm hooked!

RECIPE:
vegetable oil for frying


Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 can/bottle beer
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
hot sauce/cayenne/cajun seasoning

Stuffing:
8 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
1 tbsp mint, chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
salt & pepper

Heat 2" of oil in a sauce pan or deep fryer to 350F. Prep the squash blossoms by giving them a quick rinse, removing any stamens, and pat dry. Mix flour with salt, pepper, and seasoning. Add beer, whisking until just combined (lumps are ok). Mix ricotta with mint, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Use a small spoon to scoop some of the ricotta mixture and pack into each squash blossom. Fold the petals together around the cheese to make a pod of sorts. Dredge each stuffed blossom into the batter and gently drop into the hot oil. Cook blossoms until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and lay on paper towel to cool. Serve as soon as they are cool enough to eat!