Lori, Author at Fake Food Free

Country Living Blue Ribbon Blogger Awards

August 31, 2012

Every month I hope that my issue of Country Living arrives on a day that coincides with an eventless evening so I can sit down and dig in. First, I turn right to the Letters section to see the Reader Pet Profile. This month it was Sir William the sheep who’s favorite snack happens to be raw pumpkin. I like mine cooked, but Sir William and I have a lot in common.

After a good laugh, I start the search for rustic, homey decorating ideas, and then on to the recipes. By the time I’m through, the corner of almost every page is neatly folded over.

From there, it’s straight to my laptop where I start searching the Country Living site for all those favorites in the magazine so I can put them on Pinterest. It’s my way of sharing these favorite things with others, and bookmarking them for myself.

I like this magazine…a lot.

Considering how much I look forward to receiving Country Living each month, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that Fake Food Free has been selected as a finalist in the cooking category for the 2012 Country Living Blue Ribbon Blogger Awards!

As a finalist, the blog is also in the running for the Reader’s Choice award, where you, the reader, get to pick your favorite blog. Voting opened August 31st and you can vote every day until September 17.

Click on the link below to vote! There is no account registration, or log in necessary to vote. You can simply click, check your favorite blog (I hope it’s Fake Food Free!), and submit. I appreciate each and every vote you might send my way.

Cast your vote here!

Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

August 25, 2012

Don’t worry. I’m not going to make myself sound crazy by telling you that I’ve already started holiday baking. But I’m not going to lie either. I may have started thinking about holiday cookies, and I may have already browsed my baking list from last year to see what I want to repeat. Maybe.

Okay, I’m not ready for the holidays, but I am ready for fall. Instead of going straight into the pumpkin and sweet potatoes, I thought I’d ease in, at least in terms of recipes. A little comforting oatmeal, nuts, and something to satisfy a chocolate craving.

This was my first time using almond butter in cookies and I loved the result. My husband described these as having the flavor of a no-bake cookie, yet lighter, and of course, baked. Despite it still being summer, these were worth firing up the oven.

Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup mascavo (or muscovado) sugar
3/4 cup Demerara (or raw) sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup raw, unsalted almond butter
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a mixer add the butter and sugars. Mix on medium to medium high and cream well; about 2 minutes. Mix in the eggs, and add the almond butter and almond extract. Mix for one minute more.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, oats, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients, mixing on low. Mix just until all ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the almonds.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon, place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and place on a cooling rack. Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Pesto Pizza with Red Grapes and Bacon Recipe

August 20, 2012

Grapes on pizza. Have you tried it yet?

I love fruit on pizza – pineapple, even mango – but I have to admit I wasn’t sure about grapes. Aside from picking a bunch off the vine, warm from the summer sun, I’d never had hot grapes before.

Although, after seeing it on several food blogs, I figured there had to be something I was missing. And there was. I’m sold! I love the burst of sweet, juicy flavor from the grapes.

For this pizza, I used pesto as the sauce and cooked up some pastured pork bacon for a little extra smoky, salty flavor. Red onions worked great, both in flavor and color. I can see all kinds of cheeses working for this, but I used a basic whole milk mozzarella.

Pesto Pizza with Red Grapes and Bacon

Makes: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients
Dough for a 14 inch pizza
1/4 cup basil pesto
1/2 red onion, sliced into rings
3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
1 cup red grapes, halved
1/2 cup whole milk mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll the pizza dough out to 14 inches and place on a pizza pan. Spread the dough with pesto.

Top the dough with the onion, bacon, and grapes. Top the pizza evenly with the cheese.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Okay, I want to know – what’s the most unique pizza topping you’ve had before? For me, it would be canned tuna. It was a pizza topping when we dined on rodizio pizza (kind of like a buffet brought to you) in Brazil.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones Recipe

August 15, 2012

I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.

I hope to see you there.

Cheddar, Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones Recipe | Fake Food Free

I’m no stranger to scones. I’ve written about my favorite breakfast pastry a few times in the past. But I rarely make savory scones.

Our zucchini plant just stopped producing this week, so I’ve had plenty to work with this year. When I was trying to use it up, scones seemed a logical choice. I stepped out of my sweet comfort zone, though, and decided to do something a little cheesy and spicy.

These scones are great by themselves, but they also make a good base for a breakfast egg sandwich. If you happen to have a tomato jam, that would dress them up nicely, too.

Cheddar Sun-dried Tomato and Zucchini Scones

2015-06-29 21:55:47

Makes 8 to 10 scones

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Ingredients

2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
½ cup shredded zucchini
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped fine
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
1 tablespoon hot sauce
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon 2% or whole milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter cubes and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until it is in pea-sized pieces.
Stir in the zucchini, sundried tomatoes and cheese. Add the hot sauce and milk, and mix ingredients until a dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently for 1 to 2 minutes.
Shape the dough into a rectangle, about ¾ of an inch thick. Cut into 8 to 10 squares.
Place the squares on a baking sheet. Top each with a small amount of shredded cheese and press it gently into the dough.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese and edges are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the scones comes out clean.

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Grilled Marinara Pasta Recipe

August 12, 2012

This recipe is one of the most creative things we’ve made on the grill. Grilling tomatoes in packets and then turning those tomatoes into marinara results in a unforgettable smoky sauce.

Grilled Tomato Marinara Sauce | Fake Food Free

We’ve been making grill packets all summer so when I was thinking of how I could put a twist on a classic tomato sauce, they were the first thing to come to mind. Packets of potatoes, onions, peppers and summer squash work on the grill, so why wouldn’t tomatoes, right?

I have to admit when I got all the grilled veggies pureed and took a taste, I was disappointed. The flavor I wanted just wasn’t there.

But then I added salt.

The next bite popped in my mouth! The salt brought out the smoky flavor from the grill which is exactly what I was hoping for.

A few packets of tomato may not be enough for heating up a large grill, but this marinara is the perfect thing to make when you have the grill up and running for other things. (We grilled ours while making a chicken this weekend.) Then you can quickly throw the sauce together and freeze it for another day, if it doesn’t fit on your current menu.

Grill packets with tomatoes for marinara.

This ends up being a basic marinara for any type of pasta. I am a huge fan of homemade, but I went for a quick meal this weekend and used a whole wheat penne.

The veggies only need to be roughly chopped for the grill packets. They’ll be going straight to the blender to puree so there is no reason to spend a lot of time on the prep.

I’ll be doing this with our tomatoes for the rest of the season! The flavor is so much more interesting than when I roast the veggies in the oven.

Grilled Tomato Marinara Pasta Recipe

2015-07-22 23:01:38

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

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Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
~2.75 lbs. tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, cored and chopped
~15 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
1 lb. pasta, cooked
Extra basil and shaved parmesan for serving

Instructions

Preheat the grill to 325 degrees F.
You will need 3 large pieces of aluminum foil, about 14 to 16 inches long. You want the veggies wrapped well, so be generous.
Divide the onion, garlic cloves, tomatoes, bell pepper and basil evenly on each of the three pieces of foil. Drizzle some of the olive oil over the vegetables in each packet and move the veggies around a bit to coat them.
You can use any packet making techniques, but I fold the long sides in first. Then I pull the two ends together in the center to meet and roll them down, smashing things together as I go. As long as you have a sealed packet, you'll be fine. Need help? Here's a post with instructions.
Place the packets on the grill, and close the lid. Let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the veggies are tender. Remove them from the grill and transport them into the kitchen.
Once they are cool enough to touch, place the veggies in the blender in batches. Puree until smooth and pour the puree in a soup pot on the stove. Turn on low heat, and add the balsamic vinegar and the salt. Stir occasionally. You are only warming the sauce again until you are ready to eat it. (If you plan to freeze it, you can skip the heating, mix in the vinegar and salt and portion it for freezing.)
Place the pasta in a serving bowl. Pour the sauce over pasta, and garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash Recipe

August 8, 2012

I was so happy when we were finally able to grow squash in our own garden. I love stuffed patty pan squash! This squash filled with zesty sausage and nutty black rice has been a favorite since I first made it in 2012.

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash Recipe | Fake Food Free

I love that I made the decision to start a food blog a little over four years ago. But I’m not the only one that will tell you – the fun has a way of fading to stress from time to time. Pressures of creativity, uniqueness, pretty pictures, and “what if they don’t like me?” can rear their ugly heads.

These are the times when you have to remember that, while we would all like to be wildly successful, it’s important not to lose yourself along the way. This is supposed to be a happy place!

When I stop worrying about numbers and return to why I started blogging, I realize that these are the posts that are visited the most often on my site. I love how this changes from season to season. It reminds me that, yeah, the post I did two years ago does have some value.

Right now the top post on my blog is Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo. I made it a few years ago after first discovering this veggie. Everyone seems to want advice for how to tackle patty pan’s pretty, yet hard to handle, shape in the kitchen.

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash via @Lori_Rice

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I’ve felt challenged to come up with a new stuffing since I made that first patty pan, but here we finally have it. A bonus this time is that the squash came straight from the garden!

I’m continuing the recent trend of using black rice, but with pastured heritage breed sausage, this recipe doesn’t leave out the meat-lovers.

It’s tasty on it’s own, but if you have some warm marinara on hand to spoon on top, it’s even better!

Black Rice and Sausage Stuffed Patty Pan Squash Recipe

2015-08-27 11:29:00

Serves: 4 to 6

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Ingredients

4 to 6 patty pan squash
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. ground pastured pork sausage
2 yellow bell peppers, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked black rice
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
Marinara for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish lightly with olive oil.
The recipe will fill 6 small squash or 4 larger squash. Wash the squash. Slice off the top on the stem side, and using a spoon, gently scoop out the insides. Don't scoop all the way through the bottom. You want to create a cup to hold the filling. Chop up the squash you scooped out and set it aside.
Lightly coat the squash cups in olive oil and pierce with a fork in a few spots. Bake the squash for about 15 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, onion and the chopped squash you scooped out. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink, 3 to 5 more minutes.
Stir in the rice, bread crumbs and ricotta into the sausage. Add the salt and pepper. You can taste the filling at this point and add more salt and pepper, if you'd like.
Once the filling is cool enough to handle, divide it evenly into each squash. Pile it high and press gently with a spoon so that it is packed in.
Bake for 20 more minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Top with marinara before serving, if desired.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Beer Cheese Tomato Soup Recipe

August 2, 2012

When it comes to soup, tomato is my favorite. Before your mind jumps to visions of cans and concentrates, allow me to explain. Homemade tomato soup with fresh spices, splashes of balsamic vinegar and wines, and olive oil is what I’m talking about. I love it straight with basil, but sometimes I like to get fancy.

Enter beer cheese.

Okay, so maybe it’s not fancy, but it is a Kentucky staple. There is even a festival at which I had the opportunity to judge the competition last year. If you are unfamiliar, there are as many recipes as people who love it. But to simplify, it is cheddar and beer turned cheese spread. I’ve grown to love it, and I can no longer imagine a tailgate at a football game or at the horse track without it.

So when I was thinking about tomato soup for this round of the Tomato Love Recipe Exchange, I first considered beer. Then I considered cheddar. Then, well, why not?

This recipe experiment is a winner. The mild tang of beer and the sharpness of cheddar pop with the sweet tomatoes. I may no longer be able to have tomato soup without beer cheese!

Beer Cheese Tomato Soup Recipe

2015-06-30 09:00:37

Makes: 4-6 servings

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Basic Beer Cheese

4 oz. block of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used sriracha)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup beer (any variety, I like to use lagers)

Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 lbs. tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

To make the beer cheese, to a small food processor add the cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons of onion, 1 clove garlic, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Pulse for 10 to 15 second intervals until the ingredients are blended. Pour in the beer and continue to pulse until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Set aside.
To make the soup, in a 4 to 5-quart soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the 1/4 cup of onion and 3 garlic cloves. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions soften. Add the tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.
Once the tomatoes begin to break down, remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a blender) to puree until smooth.
Stir in the basil, sugar, salt, red pepper and black pepper. Return to the heat and simmer 2-3 minutes. Stir in the beer cheese. Serve warm.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad Recipe

July 31, 2012

Don’t let this combination of ingredients scare you! This black rice salad is full of sweet and savory flavors that uses some of my favorite produce of the summer season!

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad Recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

If I had to pick my favorite kind of rice it would be sticky rice. Although, black rice, also known as Forbidden rice, comes in a close second.

The idea of even having a favorite variety seems a bit crazy to me considering that five years ago I only knew of two kinds – white and brown. That’s what a little travel and food blogging will do for you. If nothing else, it opens you up to the world of rice.

Rice at a market in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Jasmine, basmati, glutinous, purple glutinous – and those are just a handful of the varieties I’ve been exposed to the past few years. Black rice really stands out among the crowd because of its purple color, and aromatic, nutty flavor.

A sweet and savory snack or side recipe with black rice, peaches, and tomatoes in a honey dressing!

I’ve had some sitting in the pantry for a while, and I finally cooked it up this past weekend. Since, for me, summer is the season for cold grain salads I thought I’d give it a try with some local fruits.

A natural, savory and sweet snack recipe made with black black rice, peaches, and tomatoes in a honey dressing. At FakeFoodFree.com

I matched up the peaches from the farmer’s market with some of the yellow tomatoes that are growing like wildfire in our garden. The nutty rice called for something a little tangy and sweet as the dressing so a little lemon juice and honey did the trick.

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad

2018-06-14 11:36:38

Serves 4 to 6

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups chopped peaches
½ cup chopped yellow or orange tomato
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 cups cooked black rice, cooled
2 tablespoons honey
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the peaches, tomato, onion, and black rice. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
Pour the dressing over the black rice salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Honey Peach and Tomato Black Rice Salad Recipe

Coconut Zucchini Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

July 29, 2012

Zucchini in the garden; pumpkin in the freezer.

That’s the current situation at our house.

I went a little crazy with the pumpkin purchases last fall, and now the frozen puree is waiting to be used. With all the tomatoes, peppers and summer squash going wild in the garden, the pumpkin needs to move over so we can create more room in the freezer.

Summer squash and winter squash? It can work, and these pancakes are proved it to me. They are soft and tender with just a hint of that fall flavor that will be in full swing in a few months.

They just happened to end up being vegan if that is your thing, but my husband kindly pointed out that the bacon I served with ours was not. I do like mine with bacon.

And I definitely think these count as having vegetables for breakfast!

Coconut Zucchini Pumpkin Pancakes

2014-10-03 09:24:25

Yields 10

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Ingredients

3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (*very thin)
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp mascavo sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white whole wheat flour
Toasted, unsweetened coconut for serving

Instructions

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the coconut milk and pumpkin. Add the zucchini.
Next stir in the baking powder, salt, sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Fold in the flour just until all ingredients are combined.
Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter onto a heated non-stick griddle for each pancake. Cook pancakes 1-2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Garnish with toasted coconut before serving.

Notes

*I used fresh pumpkin puree from previously frozen so my puree was very thin. If you are using a thicker puree, or a different type of flour, you made need to adjust things to reach the right pancake batter consistency.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Kentucky Road Trip: The Bluebird in Stanford, KY

July 24, 2012

When we moved to rural Kentucky many of our friends thought we were crazy. Why would we move ourselves 40 minutes outside of the city; 40 minutes away from convenience and access?

Lexington is wonderful, but we’d spent our time there. And after moving back from Brazil, honestly, I had changed. I didn’t care so much about things like going to Target once a week, or having easy access to take out.

Fortunately, looking back there is no way I would change our decision. Of course, there is our garden, and the silence of the weekend morning, but more importantly we have explored a side of Kentucky that we never would have otherwise.

And we have found some amazing things along the way.

Our most recent exploration? The Bluebird in Stanford, KY.

A small cafe serving gourmet food made with local ingredients such as pastured eggs and meats? A cozy, modern breakfast and lunch spot on a quaint small-town main street that uses the modern technology of an iPhone to take your order and an iPad to check out?

Yes, and yes.

I was blown away by the Bluebird. I don’t mean to say the food I have enjoyed in smaller towns isn’t tasty, but I wasn’t expecting such an outstanding experience from quality of the food, to creativity of the menu, to friendliness of the staff.

It’s less than an hour drive from where we live, and we set out for breakfast a few weekends ago after our Saturday morning run. I had checked out the menu online so I already knew what I was getting – the Breakfast Fries.

Brilliant, right? I mean, home fries are breakfast food, why not take the potato in the form of a French fry and cover it with all kinds of breakfast goodies. And they did just that with bacon, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, scallions, eggs and smoked Gouda sauce. It tasted every bit as good as it sounds.

We split that, and my husband ordered a biscuit with gravy. It’s standard around here, although this version was anything but, with a light, fluffy homemade biscuit and savory sausage gravy.

Thanks to the Bluebird I also discovered a new (to me) small batch, hand-roasted coffee in Kentucky – Baxter’s Coffee in Somerset, KY. You know I’m a bit of a coffee snob, and I am always surprised how delicious a locally roasted coffee can be. We enjoyed it so much my husband picked up a bag on his most recent visit. (Yes, he’s already been back!)

If you find yourself traveling through the Bluegrass state, put the small town of Stanford and the Bluebird on your agenda. It surpassed our former favorites even among the delicious foods in Lexington. My thanks to Chef Bill Hawkins for bringing wonderful locally sourced food to unexpected places.