Watermelon Salsa

Watermelon season is here! In my house we go through at least one watermelon a week in the summertime. I love eating it plain or with feta cheese in a salad, but this salsa recipe might be my new favorite way to eat watermelon. My husband loved it so much he didn’t want me to share the recipe with all of you. But I love sharing recipes, so here you go!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups watermelon chopped into small pieces

3/4 cup roma tomatoes chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup white onion chopped into small pieces

1/4 jalapeno chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of pepper

the juice if one lime

Chop your watermelon, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and cilantro and add to a bowl Sprinkle over salt and pepper. Drizzle over lime juice and mix together. (I found that letting the salsa sit for about an hour in the refrigerator before serving made it taste even better.) Then it is ready to serve.

Yields about 2 1/2 cups of salsa

Gazpacho

Cold refreshing soup made from blended or roughly chopped vegetables is not only super healthy but it is also one of the cleanest meals out there. There are several variations of this soup made by other chef's and that is because it is so versatile. You can add or substitute almost any kind of vegetable or fruit that suits you. This recipe is my tried and true favorite. I crave it every summer and it always amazing me how delicious it is. Here you go:

Ingredients:

1/2 english cucumber peeled and roughly chopped 

1 red or orange bell pepper seeded and roughly chopped

2 tomatoes roughly chopped

1/2 cup red onion roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped in half

1/2 of a jalapeno seeded 

1/2 cup cilantro

1 1/2 cups organic tomato juice

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3 tbs red wine vinegar

2 tbs olive oil

Use a blender or food processor to make this soup. Start by blended the cucumber and bell pepper. (Don’t over blend, it is good to have chucks of vegetables). Pour this into a bowl and add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to the blender. Blend to the same size as the cucumber and pepper. Then pour into the bowl. Add tomato juice, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Mix all ingredients together with a spoon and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours. The longer it site the better it tastes. Then it is ready to serve.

Yields: 4-6 servings

Grilled Peaches, Kale and Goat Cheese Toast

I have been patiently scoping out the local farmers market waiting for the peaches to come into season and they are finally here.  I love peaches for their obvious sweetness but they are also a potassium and vitamin rich fruit. This recipe has some amazing flavors working with these peaches. The sourdough bread and goat cheese provide a tang while the kale adds a freshness and finally the honey drizzled on top works wonderfully with the sweet grilled peaches. If you want an even lower calorie recipe you can swap goat cheese for cottage cheese. I have a picture below.

Ingredients:

1 large slice of sourdough bread

1 peach peeled and chopped into quarters

1/4 cup of chopped kale (stems removed)

2-3 tbs of goat cheese or cottage cheese

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2-1 tbs honey

Start by heating your grill to about medium heat. Brush both side of the bread with olive oil and lay on the heat for about 2 minutes. Then place the peeled peach quarters on the grill and let cook for about 1 minute on each side. Once peaches are ready remove the heat and chop into smaller pieces. Turn over your bread and lay some kale down, followed by your peaches and top with goat cheese. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the toast grill up for about 5 minute or until cheese starts to melt. Then remove from the heat and plate. Drizzle over desired amount of honey and it is ready to serve.

Yield 1 serving

Lighter Cottage Cheese Version

Baked Broccoli Cheese Quinoa Cakes (Eggless and Gluten free)

If you have anyone in your family on a special diet this recipe is a great one especially for those allergic to eggs or gluten. It can also be made vegan by using a vegan cheese substitute. These kid friendly little cake patties are so yummy by themselves but would be great with some homemade hummus or as a burger substitute. 

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked quinoa (follow instructions on the box)

2 cups of steamed chopped broccoli

1/4 cup tahini sauce

1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated

1/2 cup gruyere cheese grated

1 cup monterey jack cheese grated

3-4 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven at 450 degrees

Combine warm cooked quinoa with steamed broccoli in a bowl. Add the cheeses and tahini sauce. Mix together well and sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste. Cover your baking sheet with olive oil. Take a 1/4 cup of quinoa cake mixture and ball it up in your hand and place it on the baking sheet. Continue this until all the cakes are ready to be baked. Place in the oven at 450 degrees. Cook for 12-14 minutes on each side until golden brown. For a total of about 24-28 minutes. 

Yields about 12 cakes

Grilled Mango and Shallot Salad with Goat Cheese and Honey Vinaigrette

The layers of flavor in this salad are amazing. This is by far the best salad I have ever made. With the sweet mango and honey sitting on peppery arugula topped with the tang of goat cheese and grilled shallots it is so good it could almost be a desert. As a plus it is super easy to make. The dressing is is just equal parts honey, white wine vinegar and olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. This salad would also be great served on toasted bread.

Ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs white wine vinegar

2 tbs honey

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups arugula cleaned

1 mango peeled and chopped into strips

1 shallot chopped

2-3 tbs of goat cheese broken up into small pieces

Using a wire wisk mix together the olive oil, vinegar and honey. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside while you prepare your salad.

Heat your grill to medium heat. Brush a small amount of olive oil or cooking spray on the shallots and mango to keep them from sticking to the grill. Place the shallots and mango on the grill to cook on both sides for about 3-5 minutes or until you see brown grill marks. Once they are grilled place them on a cutting board to chop them into smaller pieces. Then place the arugula on a plate and top it with the grilled mango and shallots. Break up the coat cheese into small piece and sprinkle it over the salad. To finish, top the salad with half of the dressing. Set aside the rest of the dressing for those who would like more. Then it is ready to serve.

yields 1-2 servings

Thai Noodle Soup (vegan)

As I have mentioned before, my husband and I love Thailand. We have traveled to “the land of smiles” twice and are planning several more trips. The fresh food of Thailand is just the icing on the cake of beautiful beaches, friendly locals and stunning jungles. One of our favorite things to get for lunch in Thailand is the noodle soup. It is usually sold at the street carts and full of fresh local ingredients. More often than not Thai’s use oyster sauce or fish oil to flavor their soups. After several tries I think I have a recipe for our beloved noodle soup that is animal free. This soup was light, aromatic and very tasty. Our house smelled of Thailand and the flavors were reminiscent as well. Although I loved this particular recipe, I will continue to perfect it and let you know if I come up with new ingredients. 

Broth ingredients:

8 cups vegetable broth

3 shallots peeled and halved

2 leeks cleaned and chopped

8-10 cloves of garlic peeled and left whole

2 inches of ginger peeled and cut into about 6 chunks

4 cups dried Shitake mushrooms

1 cup carrots chopped

3 bay leaves

1 handful of basil, stems included

1 handful of cilantro, stems included

6 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 tsp Hoison sauce

1 tbs sweet chili sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs maple syrup

Topping ingredients:

1 cup basil chopped

1/2 cup cilantro chopped

1 cup beans sprouts

1/4 cup green onion chopped

2 cups cabbage chopped and steamed

3-4 cup of cooked brown rice noodles

In a large pot combine all broth ingredients. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cover the broth and let it simmer for at least 2 hours.

When broth is done cooking strain all vegetables and return the broth to the pot. In another pot cook the noodles. In a third pot steam cabbage for about 5 minutes and set aside.

Once everything is cooked it is time to assemble. Start by putting noodles in your bowl with desired amount of basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, green onion and cabbage. Ladle over your Thai broth and then it is ready to serve.

Yield 4-6 servings

Grilled Cheese with Grilled Cabbage, Red Onion and Tomato

Cabbage is in its peak season right now in California. I usually love to add this green veggie to soups and stews but today I choose to break out the stove top grill. I added some red onion and tomato to the grill along with the cabbage and decided I had the prefect makings for a grilled cheese. I used sourdough bread and gruyere cheese for this sandwich and it paired perfectly with the cabbage. 

Ingredients:

2-3 large leaves of cabbage
1 slice of red onion cut to about 1/4 inch thick
2 sliced of tomato cut to about 1/4 inch thick
1 tbs olive oil
2 slices of sourdough bread
1/2-3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
1 pinch of salt and pepper

 Heat your grill to medium low heat. Lightly brush the cabbage, red onion and tomato with olive oil. Sprinkle over a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the cabbage and red onion on the grill and let cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Place the tomato on the grill and let cook for about 1 minute on each side. Once veggies have cooked brush olive oil over each side of the sour dough bread. To assemble sprinkle a little cheese then add cabbage, a little more cheese, add tomato, a little more cheese and add onion topped with the rest of the cheese and the the last slice of bread. Place the grilled cheese on the grill and cover with a pot lid. Let cook on medium low for about 3-5 minutes on each side. Then it is ready to serve. Yields 1 grilled cheese