Lori, Author at Fake Food Free

Cherry Margarita

July 14, 2010

For a person who loves a good cocktail, I tend to do very few posts on the subject. I think perhaps it is time to change that.

I have cherries in mind and I’m not alone. It seems they are all the rage around the food blogging world and for good reason. Although they are popular in other countries, after being in South America I’ve come to strongly identify cherries with the US. Yes, all you lucky people who live in the Michigan and Rainier growing regions of the northwest.

Fortunately cherry trees do grow around Kentucky and Indiana, they are just in limited supply and they tend to be done bearing by early summer. I did pick up a bag from the Farmer’s Market back in May, but now I have to resort to the Bing cherries in the supermarket if I want them. Otherwise, I can go for cherry juice.

A few months ago Cheribundi sent me some samples of tart cherry juice to try. Its arrival motivated me to do some more research about the benefits of tart cherries. My Dad swears by it for reducing inflammation and arthritis. Well, okay, he rarely swears, but you know what I mean.

For tart cherries and health it is all about the anthocyanins, those plant substances that give cherries their deep, dark red color. Tart cherries are linked to a reduction in the inflammation that is related to heart disease and diabetes. These anti-inflammatory properties may also be why many people claim that cherry juice eases their arthritis pain.

For all my runners out there, a study in 2009 found that drinking tart cherry juice resulted in faster recovery after marathon running. (I sent my husband this study back in April during our training and after two days the bottle of cherry juice which I had been rationing in our fridge for about a week was gone.)

Tart cherries are beneficial in just about any form – fresh, dried, juice. Just make sure that the dried variety isn’t loaded with sugar or other sweeteners.

The sweet cherries such as Bings which are so plentiful here right now don’t appear to have as much of the antioxidant anthocyanins. However, they still deserve plenty of attention for their health benefits.

After drinking the first bottle of TruCherry, which was very good by the way, I knew I wanted to create something with the second. No rack of lamb with a cherry reduction here, I was thinking cocktail! I decided to combine fresh lime, fresh Bing cherries, tart cherry juice and tequila.

I rimmed the glass with ground Pink Himalayan sea salt which is a new favorite ingredient of mine. Just go easy because a little goes a long way!

Now, I’m not advocating you drink all your cherry juice as a cocktail, but this was one good margarita!

Cherry Margarita

¼ of a fresh lime
3 Bing cherries, pitted
1 oz tequila
2 to 3 oz tart cherry juice

In a cocktail shaker or glass mull the lime and cherries together, extracting as much juice as possible. Pour in the tequila and cherry juice. Add some ice cubes and shake or stir until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass of your choice. Rim the glass with salt if desired. Makes one drink.

References:

University of Michigan Health System (2008, April 10). Tart Cherries May Reduce Factors Associated With Heart Disease And Diabetes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 14, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2008/04/080407114647.htm
Howatson et al. Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 2009

Disclosure: Cheribundi Tart Cherry Juice was sent to me free of charge. I was not under any obligation to write about it and I did not receive any compensation for doing so nor did any factors influence my opinion.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Candied Walnuts

July 12, 2010

Let’s give a round of applause to the first person who decided to add vegetables to desserts, breads and muffins. There is the carrot cake, sweet potato pie, beets in cakes, and of course, zucchini bread. Perhaps vegetables surrounded by sugar aren’t always the best way to go, but it is certainly nice to throw a veggie dessert in the rotation every now and then.

Summer squash doesn’t always stand out as a nutritional superstar, but it definitely has some appealing characteristics. It is rich manganese which activates enzymes that play a role in energy metabolism. It also plays a role in the formation of healthy cartilage and bone. Zucchini also offers vitamin C, vitamin A and dietary fiber in addition to several other vitamins and minerals.

I showed you our zucchini in my last post. We have three plants bearing right now which means we have at least one or two zucchini every day.

We have eaten plenty of sautéed summer squash around here topped with fresh herbs and olive oil. So about two weeks ago I was ready for some zucchini bread. At least bread is what I started with. Then I started thinking about cake.

After adapting the zucchini bread recipe from the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Joy of Cooking by adding my favorite sugars and flour along with some additional spice. I had the cake recipe set. With the chocolate chips and the walnuts this definitely falls in the dessert category, but just between you and me we did have some for breakfast.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Candied Walnuts
Cake adapted from Joy of Cooking, Sweet Zucchini Bread

1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
¾ cup demerara sugar
2 eggs
½ cup butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla
2 cups fresh zucchini, shredded
½ cup dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp butter melted
1/8 cup mascavo sugar
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch brownie pan.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the demerara sugar and eggs. Slowly whisk in the ½ cup cooled, melted butter. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar as much as possible. Stir in the vanilla.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Add in the zucchini and the chocolate chips and stir just until incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.

In a small dish, stir together the butter, mascavo sugar and walnuts until the walnuts are coated. Sprinkle the walnuts over the batter and press in gently.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 9 servings.

Nutritional Resources
WHFoods: Summer Squash (my favorite resource on the web for nutritional info)
Oregon State University: Manganese

Links to a Healthy Weekend

July 10, 2010

Happy Weekend! I’m not sure about you, but I am loving summer right now. After July 4th passes it seems that everyone starts to get in the mindset that summer is ending, but for me it feels like it just began.

We had a wonderful morning at our Farmer’s Market today. Our community will be showing FRESH next week so I got hit up for a couple radio spots about that and our market products since our local station was out broadcasting with the vendors this morning.

I always feel so strange hearing myself! It was even worse today because I’m fighting a major head cold that has me down and out a bit. I’m hoping to kick it soon.

Back to it still being summer, I think one of the reasons I feel like celebrating it longer this year is our garden. I had some requests for a garden update so here you go. Then, finally I’m back with a few links for your healthy weekend!

These photos were taken in mid-June.

Corn and strawberry plants. A few tomato plants in the background.

Jalapenos, yellow squash blooms, cherry tomatoes and bell peppers

Brandywine tomato

The following photos were taken last week.

Spaghetti squash bloom and a curious pug

Maybe a few raspberries this year

Plenty of Rainbow Chard

Japanese Eggplant

Cucumber plant

Massive zucchini plant and our first zucchini

Still waiting for the tomatoes to turn red

Hope you enjoyed the garden tour, now for the links!

Encyclopedia of Oats from The Edible Perspective will tell you everything you need to know about varieties of oats and how to prepare them. I know I have some oats lovers out there! You will enjoy this.

Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake from A Spoon Full of Sugah looks amazing. My husband is a big fan of light and airy cheesecakes so I can’t wait to make this one for him. I’ll let you know how it turns out when I do!

Nut Milk Troubleshooting from Choosing Raw is a great post about some common mistakes with making your own nut milk. Have you tried making it before? I haven’t, but it is definitely something I plan to at some point.

Chevre Cheesecake With Rhubarb Compote and Candied Pistachios was featured on Foodista a little while back. Such a unique combination to me. I do have some frozen rhubarb from this season…

Mexican Tapas in Geneva, IL

July 9, 2010

It wasn’t until this past weekend that I realized there are some really enticing small towns that reside along the river outside Chicago. With their boutique shops and attractive landscaping, the main streets are overflowing with restaurants. It was on one of these streets in the small city of Geneva, IL that we had the pleasure of experiencing Bien Trucha.

My brother-in-law and his wife had told us about the place prior to our arrival so the anticipation had been building for a while. This little restaurant and its Mexican tapas are in high demand. Apparently the restaurant began with about six tables and has since expanded to twelve or so.

Lunch service began at noon and we arrived early to avoid a line which we’ve heard is the norm. Surprised to be the first ones at the door at 11:45 am, it took a mere 30 seconds before others started filing in. By the time the restaurant opened the line was long enough to fill every table inside.

The atmosphere was an inviting mix of quaint, cute, rustic and authentic. The dining room gave hints of a romantic evening ambiance, but at the lunch hour it was bustling with couples, friends and families, loud conversation and few cocktails round the tables.

I was still trying to soak everything in, with my camera in hand of course, as we were quickly asked for our drink order. I barely had time to look at the menu as the waiter rattled off several margarita selections. A quick glance and three were ordered at our table – Pinasada with grilled pineapple, Pepino or cucumber, and the Flor de Jamaica with hibiscus flower extract. The water of the day was also ordered which was mango.

My drink was the Pepino and the rim came adorned with a chili-type salt that melded the flavors together. It was refreshing with that familiar tequila kick. Yes, cucumber is a wonderful ingredient in a summer cocktail.

The menu boasts a creative list of appetizers, soups, salads and tortas, but the real draw are the tacos. Each order comes with four, tapas-style, served on a wooden platter.

Before we took on the tacos, we began with the guacamole of the day. What distinguishes the guacamole of the day from the traditional guacamole is that it is topped with fresh fruit. Ours had grapes and apparently watermelon has been the fruit of choice on other visits. For me, the texture was perfect as far as guac goes. Creamy, but still slightly chunky and the sweet grapes added a nice contrast with the slight heat of peppers and tart lime.

Still not done with starters we continued to look over the menu. My husband immediately noticed the ceviche. We weren’t sure how our hosts would feel about it, but fortunately they were game. I say fortunately because the ceviche was delicious, not to mention beautifully plated.

While the standard selection on the menu was with tilapia there was a special the day we were there. Our choice was the ceviche with shrimp, strawberry and melon with an avocado mousse. I’m not extremely experienced in ceviche, but this creation was outstanding.

We chose three different varieties of tacos, and with four people at our table this meant that we all got one of each. The Pescado came highly recommended by our family and included beer battered, fried tilapia topped with a red cabbage slaw made with chipotle-morita aioli. Crispy, crunchy, spicy, creamy – these tacos had it all. The red cabbage really added to the presentation as well.

As a side note, I was unfamiliar with morita. It turns out that Chile Morita is a small reddish-purple chile. It can literally be translated too small blackberry pepper.

Next up were the Pastor tacos with ancho-guajillo marinated pork, morita salsa and a piece of grilled pineapple. As you can imagine the sweet pineapple tasted wonderful with the mildly spicy flavor of the meat and salsa.

The grand finale was the Bien Trucha taco. These had both grilled skirt steak and homemade chorizo. The salsa was roasted tomatillo-serrano. What a way to end our meal! The chorizo really made this one for me. There was just a little bit added, but the flavor took over in a very good way.

To be honest, there is no way I could pick a favorite. Each item we sampled had its own appealing characteristics and individual flavors. Visiting Bien Trucha reminded me how much I crave authentic food which we tend to have very little of where we live unless you want a southern favorite.

There is little if anything on the menu that has been altered to appeal to the US American palate. Even the style of service from the refilling of water to serving sodas in a can was incredibly Latin American.

Bien Trucha is the type of place where you adapt to the food, the food doesn’t adapt to you. The type of place that makes this former expat think – perhaps this whole repatriation thing isn’t so bad after all.

Bien Trucha
410 West State Street
Geneva, IL 60134-2104
(630) 232-2665

Taste of Chicago

July 7, 2010

Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities. When I was in high school our art and chemistry teachers used to organize a trip each year. We’d head up from southern Indiana for a weekend that always included Chicago-style pizza, a show, shopping Michigan Avenue and a stop at some other attraction such as Shedd Aquarium.

Chicago was really my favorite city until I discovered the public transportation system in DC and the rustic outdoor feel of Seattle. It may have dropped a few slots, but it still remains in my top 10 in the US. These days my brother-in-law lives there along with his wife who is native to the area. So visiting now also includes an insider’s view and local tips. Not a bad situation to be in.

It has been a long time since our last visit so we decided to make the trip up over the holiday weekend. My husband had wanted to see a Cub’s game and it didn’t hurt that our trip fell the same weekend as the Taste of Chicago! So this week, Chicago is the part of the world we’ll be covering here on the blog. I’ve got a few posts for you that cover some incredible eats from our weekend.

We arrived on Friday, mid-afternoon and headed downtown to the Taste of. I had been warned it would be crowded and hot and tiring so I was prepared. To be honest with you, all three of those things seem to have much less of an effect on us since living in Brazil. It is like our crowd and heat tolerance has increased quite a bit.

Fortunately we got there fairly early in the day so there was still plenty of room to move around. By the time we left, however, it looked like this. Yeah, I was glad we went early.

We wanted to focus on more of the ethnic foods for this event. A lot of them we can’t get around central Kentucky, or if they are available, they aren’t quite as authentic as they tend to be in city like Chicago.

This was my first time going to this type of Taste Of. There was no entry fee; guests could buy tickets for 50 cents each before the event. Then tickets could be used to purchase food. All the booths had full meals that were about 6 to 11 tickets each and two options on their tasting menu that were 2 to 4 tickets each. We stuck with the tastings so we could try more things.

Okay now you know how it worked. Enough talk. Let’s go on a tour of the Taste of Chicago.

The first stop was for the Bobak’s All Natural Chicken Apple Gouda Sausage served with honey mustard. I should have tried it without the honey mustard first to get the full flavor of the sausage. Even so, this was really good. Not as much apple sweetness or gouda flavor as I would expect, but a great chicken sausage.

I never thought I would say this, but I really miss mandioca (cassava, yuca) from Brazil. They version I miss the most – fried. Fortunately Las Tablas was serving yuca fries with a delicious salsa verde on the side. It hit the spot.

If you know Chicago, then you know Garrett Popcorn. It is such good stuff. The biggest kernels you have seen with the best caramel flavor. And as fake as it may be, I have to admit I love the doesn’t-occur-in-nature neon orange cheddar thrown in with my caramel.

At the taste they served Caramel Popcornsicles, a popcorn ball freeze dried on a stick. It was as tasty as their original caramel and actually kind of refreshing with the cold which you typically don’t expect from popcorn.

Next came the one thing I had been anxiously awaiting. Mango Sticky Rice! Oh, how I have missed this from Thailand. It was so good even though the mango was canned. I got over that quickly because the rice was so close to what I remember from our trip. Even better, I was taken to an Asian market in town and finally came back with a bag of sticky rice! I’ll be making my own version soon!

The Varenyky from the Shokolad Café caught my attention because the eggplant and potato variety came with an Indian spiced sauce. I have since learned that varenyky is a Ukrainian dumpling similar to perogies. I typically love this type of dumpling, but this one was just okay. The sauce needed a lot more spice to it. I’m not sorry I tried it though because I actually think it may have been my first Ukrainian dish.

There were lots of sodas and energy drinks being sampled, and while we aren’t fans of soda anymore, this Manzanita Sol from Pepsi did catch our attention. We were hooked on apple spritzer while in Austria which is kind of like an apple soda, but a lot lighter. More like a sparkling apple flavored water. The Manzanita is nothing like that by the way. A sugary apple soda. Guess I’ll have to go back to Vienna.

Another new cuisine for me – Puerto Rican. We tried the mini Jibarito Sandwich from Sabor Latino Restaurant. The name comes from Jibaro which is a term used for those in agriculture working in the sugarcane and coffee fields, basically farmer’s from what I understand. It is traditionally a plantain and steak sandwich. This was so good! I absolutely loved the fried plantain version of a bun! I found a recipe if you’d like to try it yourself.

Now for the unique award – a Mashed Potato Stuffed Chocolate Cupcake. Yes, you read that correctly. Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all. Not something I’d have to go back for, but a nice sweet and salty combo and the smooth potatoes with black pepper blended nicely with the chocolate. The cupcake itself was excellent. These were served by Polo Café and Catering. I was joking with my husband that I’d love a wedding reception do-over and sneak these onto guest’s dinner plates to see the reaction!

These Pot Stickers from Star of Siam were by far the best deal. Just look at all of them! They were comparable to the full portion at most places. They were also one of my favorites with a delicious Thai chili glaze on top.

My husband was hungry for the Red Beans and Rice with Jerk Chicken. Vee Vee’s African Restaurant also had goat, but although I don’t like eating it for sentimental reasons, I have had goat and I really don’t prefer it. The jerk chicken was great, and although my bite wasn’t all that spicy my husband assured me that the more you ate it, the hotter it got.

The Sweet Potato Hashbrowns from a restaurant by the name of Hashbrowns had been on our list before arrival. These were good, but not what we were expecting. I had the fried, crispy version in mind. These were soft with what tasted like a lot of extra butter and spices. I’d get them again, but I think a Waffle House version might be better.

With a few tickets leftover we stopped at The Grill on the Alley for Mango Rice Pudding with Dried Cranberries. This was completely unexpected as well. (Apparently we had a lot of expectations). It was spiced almost like a traditional pumpkin dessert. There wasn’t the tropical, coconut/mango flavor I thought there would be. Good, but autumn flavors to me, despite the mangos.

Finally we finished off this eating marathon with a food that is as cultural as the sticky rice and yuca – a Chicago-style hot dog (or half of one) from Gold Coast Dogs. There is nothing else like these for me. The more stuff on top the better, especially that nice, spicy pepper you can see there in the photo.

That concluded our Taste of Chicago. After that, we did some major walking and went down to Navy Pier to see this:

This happens to be where we got engaged way back in 2002. Right up there on the observation deck in the middle of February during a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan. We’ve vowed to make it back for a repeat cruise at some point. Maybe anniversary #10.

We settled in at Navy Pier for some beers and to split a bag of Garrett Popcorn. I told you we couldn’t get enough of this stuff, right? We felt we needed to take full advantage while there, so while a bit unbalanced, this was our dinner. Not a bad way to end a wonderful day, overlooking the water.

Cucumber Dill Wheat Berry Salad

July 1, 2010

Ever since my food service class in undergrad I have been crazy about herb gardens. The class involved operating both the department cafeteria and a seated dining room two times a week. I had to take the course over the summer the year before I graduated so the fresh foods we used were at their peak.

On the first day of class Chef walked us outside and showed us the herb garden right behind our building on campus. I had walked by it on my way to classes for nearly 2 years and had never seen it. It was a modest row of basics – basil, thyme, parsley, oregano, dill, cilantro and a few others. The whole garden was only about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide, but the plants were overflowing out onto the side walk and most came to at least knee height.

It was my first introduction to using fresh herbs in cooking. I’m sure that was evident to my instructors when I kept pronouncing thyme as it looks with the “th” and not “time.” Our TA quietly told me the correct pronunciation to help me avoid embarrassment.

Since then I’ve been interested in herb gardens and while I still may mispronounce a name now and then, and I am thrilled to have my own again this year. The only problem is the plants produce A LOT and my cooking can’t keep up with them. I’m always looking for things to use them in, but I have to admit they tend to go a few days at a time without me picking a single leaf.

So last week, armed with some wheat berries, I began thinking about what herbs would go well with the grain. That led me to think about the fresh cucumbers I picked up at the farmer’s market which ended up in thoughts of Greek yogurt.

Finally, all those food thoughts resulted in this:

Cucumber Dill Wheat Berry Salad | Fake Food Free | A hearty cold grain salad with a tangy yogurt dressing and refreshing cucumber.

The Cucumber Dill Wheat Berry Salad ended up a hit. I was able to combine two of my favorite herbs for a refreshing cold grain salad. I used leftover, previously cooked wheat berries so if yours are still warm, wash them well under cold water to cool them off. Also, peel your cucumber before chopping if it is of the waxy skin variety.

I’ve already made this salad once more for lunch and now I have my eye out for a potluck to take it to (it can easily be doubled or tripled).

Cucumber Dill Wheat Berry Salad

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

1 cup cooked wheat berries
½ medium cucumber, chopped
1 T fresh lemon juice
½ T fresh dill, chopped
½ T fresh chives, chopped
1 ½ T plain Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Prep

Place the wheat berries and chopped cucumber in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, dill, chives and yogurt. Pour the dressing over the wheat berries and toss or stir to coat. Sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt which adds great flavor and a little black pepper. Eat right away, or refrigerate for up to a day.

This recipe was submitted to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

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Foodbuzz 24×24: Around the World with Grilled Pizza — A World Cup Celebration!

June 27, 2010

What is one event that brings the world together?

The World Cup!

What is one food that you can find in some form in almost every country of the world?

Pizza!

How do you give pizza summer twist?

Well that is where this comes in.

Yesterday my husband and I hosted our first party in our new house since moving back to the US. Given our adventures the past few years, what better way to celebrate than with an international theme intended to bring friends together through food.

I guess Foodbuzz thought it was a pretty good idea too as we were chosen for the Foodbuzz 24 x 24 event this month!

Around the World with Grilled Pizza: A World Cup Celebration was a hands-on event for our guests. My husband and I brainstormed six different pizza combinations each representing a country in the World Cup. We prepped the dough for the attendees and then let them create their pizzas based on our menu suggestions and their own preferences.

The preparations began on Thursday with many batches of whole wheat pizza dough (a modification of the Spelt Pizza Dough from fellow food blogger, Off Her Cork). These then became 104 mini-pizza crusts. We wanted them large enough to hold a few toppings, but small enough to fit multiple on the grill at once and for our guests to make several different varieties.

Work continued into Friday and Saturday with roasting tomatoes and garlic for the red sauce, and soaking and cooking dried garbanzo beans for the hummus. There were also herbs to be picked and garden fresh vegetables to be pre-grilled.

We managed to represent the US and Kentucky with many of the ingredients. These were then used to create more international flavors to build on the World Cup theme of the party.

We had three main sauces for the pizzas. A Roasted Tomato Sauce that quickly came together after roasting tomatoes, onion and garlic for about an hour and then pureeing it with a little salt, pepper, mascavo sugar and basil. The Mediterranean Hummus sauce was your basic combination of beans, garlic, tahini and fresh lemon juice.

I decided not to tackle making my own barbeque sauce. There is a local producer in the neighboring town that makes a fantastic corn syrup-free sauce by the name of Kentucky’s Smokin’ Grill. We picked up a couple jars of that, transferred it to the squeeze bottle and it was a huge hit.

The smoked pastured chicken which my husband prepared on the grill before the big event, as well as the pastured heritage breed pork sausage, came from Pike Valley Farm. If you’ve read my blog often you know is my favorite farm around.

Most of the vegetables and herbs came from a variety of local sources including jalapenos, yellow squash, green bell pepper and basil from our garden; onions, tomatoes and zucchini from a nearby farmer’s market; and zucchini from my Dad’s garden (not exactly local, but in the family). We threw in a few extra toppings to invite creativity such as button mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, black olives and even some bananas for the dessert pizza.

You simply can’t have a Kentucky party without bourbon. It paired nicely with iced tea and the fresh lemonade sweetened with Demerara sugar. There was also plenty of Kentucky Light to go around, a Kölsch style beer brewed locally.

Now that I’ve told you how it was all prepared. Here’s how it all came together. After topping their partially grilled crusts guests headed out to the grill where my husband finished the cooking process and melted the flavors.

Our friends took some advice for pizza combinations and then added some creativity. To our surprise, the biggest hit seemed to be the goiabada for Romeu e Julieta dessert pizza like the kind we used to enjoy in Brazil. Many people were new to the guava paste and became fans of the guava and cheese combination.

Below was our World Cup pizza menu!

Greece

Grilled summer squash and onions, feta cheese and Mediterranean hummus

Mexico

(based of off Mexican themed pizzas we’ve had in Brazil and in the Caribbean)

Pastured pork sausage, fresh or pickled jalapenos, cheddar cheese and roasted tomato sauce

USA

Grilled pastured chicken, chopped onions, chopped dill pickles, cheddar cheese and Kentucky Smokin’ Grill barbeque sauce

Italy

Fresh basil, mozzarella cheese and roasted tomato sauce

Brazil

Goiabada, cinnamon sugar and mozzarella cheese

Switzerland

Chocolate fondue and chopped bananas

We were extremely pleased with the overwhelming response and everyone’s creativity, as well as a willingness to try some new flavor combinations. I think we have forgotten what hard work it is to entertain a large crowd, but fortunately as the sun went down the party continued with entertaining lawn games as well as rest and relaxation on our back patio. We were reminded that there is nothing like good food, great friends and summer nights no matter where you are in the world.

Our Greek pizza has also been submitted to the Regional Recipe Greece Round-up hosted by Eats Well with Others!

The Winner of the Peanut Butter Exhibition #9

June 25, 2010

And here they are! Fifteen fabulous entries in the Peanut Butter Exhibition #9, all using some form of summer produce.

We took a long hard look at all these great creations. By we, I mean the lead organizer the Peanut Butter Boy, as well as fellow food bloggers from Spices Bites, and Feerless Food. We decided on the 3 top recipes, including the first place prize winner! While the real prize here is the collection of peanut butter recipes, the first place winner will receive a huge $99 prize package from Peanut Butter & Co!

Congratulations to the winners! We loved all the entries and it’s always a tough decision but here are the undisputed peanut butter and produce masters:

1st Place

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Covered Cherry Panini by Kathy at Healthy Happy Life was the overall favorite. Yeah. Wow! That’s what I thought too. Enjoy your peanut butter prize package Kathy!

2nd Place

Peanut Butter and Banana S’mores Pie by Allison at Veggies and Valentino came in a close second. This recipe combines just about everything you could want into one satisfying pie.

3rd Place

Zakia presented us with an interesting recipe titled North African Peanut Butter Sandwich that sounded fantastic and very creative. This is the only winning recipe that got fruits AND veggies in the same recipe!

Below you will find the rest of the entries from fellow bloggers. I don’t think there is a bad one in the bunch!

Peanut Butter Rhubarb Swirl Bread – from The Amateur Nutritionist

Fluffernutter Sweet Potato – from Feerless Food

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Soup – from Savvy Baker

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes – from The Peanut Butter Boy

Fruit Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing – from Lindsay

Next we have the entries submitted by email. Just as tasty and you can find all of the recipes at The Peanut Butter Boy.

Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream by Lori (not me, of course)

PB Covered Strawberries by Evan

Peanut Butter Carrot Cake Cups w/ PB Frosting by Brooke

Carrot and Peanut Butter Pancakes by Julia

Bananut Toast by Karan

Thai PB Carrot Patties w/ Creamy PB Sauce by Katrina

Thanks so much to all those who entered! It was fun to host this contest once again. A special congratulations to the winners!

Links to a Healthy Weekend

June 19, 2010

How is your weekend going? It has been a beautiful summer day around here. I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with my family and came away with a bundle of fresh blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. I wouldn’t expect to see any recipes using them though. They are way too good to eat fresh! Some zucchini and potatoes were among the bounty as well.

Have you come up with your peanut butter and summer produce recipe combination for the Peanut Butter Exhibition? Recipes are due on Monday! I had every intention of participating with my own recipe even though as a host I can’t win.

I got my recipe together Thursday night and it was one of those big idea fails. Does that ever happen to you in the kitchen? I tried some zucchini in brownie cupcakes with alternative flours and peanut butter in a frosting experiment. Not a big hit, but maybe I can perfect it in the future. Regardless, I hope to see your creative recipe in the challenge!

I’ll be helping to judge and announce the winner next week, but other than that I’ll be taking a slight blogger break for the week. I’m hoping you will find my reason a good one. I haven’t let you know yet, but here goes…

I’m writing a book!

I’m under contract to author the Everything Guide to Food Remedies Cookbook for Adams Media. Exciting, right?! I’ve got an initial deadline the end of June, so I need a week of focus with little time for much cooking experiments or related posts. No worries though, I’ll be back next Sunday with a very exciting post I hope you will check out.

Until then, I’ve gathered a few good reads over the past couple weeks to share. I hope you enjoy them. Check in this week for a wonderful roundup of peanut butter recipes and I’ll be back with a post next Sunday!

50 Healthy Foods for Under $1 a Pound from The Daily Green highlights a great list of nutritious foods that won’t break the bank. There is room for disagreement on some items depending on your meat source and organic vs non-organic beliefs, but it is definitely a great start for proving that you don’t have to go broke to be healthy!

Southwest Lentil Patties with Creamy Lime Dressing from Healthy Delicious look so good! I love learning about creative ways to use legumes and this recipe adds a nice summer twist. These will be made in our kitchen soon!

Need a summer cocktail? Here’s 20! You have to check out this roundup of 20 Summer Cocktails with Fresh Herbs from the kitchn.

Food co-op launches mobile health food market from Deseret News is an inspiring story of bringing the food to the people. This mobile market brings healthy food to people at an affordable cost.

Thinkfood Cookbook

June 16, 2010

Don’t you just love it when you’ve been working on a project and the time has finally come to share it with others? That is exactly how I’m feeling today due to the launch of the Thinkfood cookbook and the Recipe of the Week campaign.

A few months ago myself, and 49 other food bloggers, were invited to work with PositScience, a science-based software company that develops products to exercise the brain and improve brain health. The goal of the project was to take an integrated approach to brain health that includes brain training and brain healthy eating. The result is the Thinkfood cookbook which contains recipes from each of us full of foods associated with mental health and wellbeing!

The hard copies of the cookbook will become available in mid-July with part of the sales going to charity, but today we are announcing the Recipe of the Week campaign which gives you the opportunity to see and print the recipes for free.

By signing up for the campaign, you will receive one recipe from the cookbook via email for the next 50 weeks which will arrive in your inbox on Wednesdays. Recipes include snacks, appetizers, sides, salads, main courses and desserts. (I know. You are excited that dessert is considered brain food!)

I am so happy to be a part of this project! It is, of course, focused on real food; real food that maintains the health of one of the most important parts of our bodies. I am thrilled with what they have done with my recipe regarding photography and layout, and I can’t wait to see what everyone else involved has contributed. Be sure you sign up for the campaign so that you can see the recipes too. Then stay tuned because once the books are released in mid-July, I’ll be giving away one to my readers!

If you want to know a little more about PositScience you can follow them on Twitter or check out their Facebook page.

Older Posts

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Archives

Cherry Margarita

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Candied Walnuts

Links to a Healthy Weekend

Mexican Tapas in Geneva, IL

Taste of Chicago

Cucumber Dill Wheat Berry Salad

Foodbuzz 24×24: Around the World with Grilled Pizza — A World Cup Celebration!

The Winner of the Peanut Butter Exhibition #9

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

Links to a Healthy Weekend

Thinkfood Cookbook

Thanks so much for reading!

My New Cookbook published in 2020!

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