The End

Hi All! I have decided to start a new blog, along with my two sisters, so this will be my last post on A Little Bite of Everything. Please check out our new blog at http://familytableblog.wordpress.com/ 

Raw Pistachio Pesto with Zucchini Pasta

If you are looking for a delicious, satisfying, and healthy dinner this is it!! All healthy, vegan, gluten- free, and happens to be raw ingredients. This meal is packed with fiber, healthy fats from the pistachios and extra virgin olive oil, and many vitamins and minerals from both the zucchini and spinach. But do not worry it, tastes so good. This might sound a little weird the "noodles" made out of zucchini but gives a very nice, almost crunchy texture. This is super quick and easy and can be eaten as leftovers for days:) 

The Recipe: 

4 zucchinis

Pesto Sauce: 

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups pistachios

4 cups basil leaves, lightly packed

Juice of 2 limes, about 4 tablespoons

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Process garlic, salt, and pistachios into powder in food processor. Set Aside.

Pulse lime and basil in food processor. Add pistachio meal back into processor with olive oil. Process until mixed well. This pesto will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

To make the noodles, cut off the tops and bottoms of each squash. I used a cheese grater function on my food processor but if you have a spiralizer that will work as well. 

Put noodles in a large bowl. Mix pesto and zucchini very well. The squash will release water and your pesto will mix become less thick and mix well with the noodles. Mix spinach with olive oil, and any citrus juice to taste. 

The Recipe:

Process garlic, salt, and pistachios into powder in food processor. Set Aside.

Pulse lime and basil in food processor. Add pistachio meal back into processor with olive oil. Process until mixed well. This pesto will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

To make the noodles, cut off the tops and bottoms of each squash. I used a cheese grater function on my food processor but if you have a spiralizer that will work as well.
Put noodles in a large bowl. Mix pesto and zucchini very well. The squash will release water and your pesto will mix become less thick and mix well with the noodles. Mix spinach with olive oil, and any citrus juice to taste. Recipe adapted from Ani's Raw food kitchen cookbook (which has many good raw food recipes!)

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caesar Pizza

In Seattle we are lucky to get sunny, "summer" days this time of year. So when the sun is out and it is nice enough to grill and eat outside we have to take advantage. We had to take advantage of this 70 degree day but wanted a light refreshing meal. This recipe is very simple and you can change the toppings to your liking, or if your having a party for everyone individually.  

I put tomatoes on one and chicken on the other. The pizza dough recipe was adapted from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. They tasted excellent and we used the leftover crusts the next day as a type pita bread and dipped it in hummus.

The Recipe:

Dough

1 cup water, room temperature 

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for oiling the bowl

2 cups (11oz) bread flour, plus extra for the work surface- (I used all purpose but the bread flour has a higher gluten content so your dough will stretch better, which is what I recommend if you have it) 

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (optional)

1 1/4 teaspoons table salt

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

Toppings

(Like I said this is very very flexible depending on what you prefer) 

4 cups Romaine lettuce 

1 tomato 

1/2 red onion

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons caesar dressing (I use a yogurt based dressing- much better for you with less fat and calories but tastes the same!) 

1. For the dough: Combine the water and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a liquid measuring cup. Process      1 3/4 cup of the bread flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and yeast in food processor (fitted with dough blade if possible) until combined, about 5 seconds. With the machine running, pour the oil and water mixture through the feed tube and process until the dough forms a ball, about 1 1/2 minutes. If after 1 1/2 minutes the dough is sticky and clings to the blade, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Lightly coat a medium bowl with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot until doubled in volume, 1 1/2-2 hours. 

2. When the dough has doubled, press down gently to deflate, turn the dough out into a work surface and divide into four equal pieces. With cupped palms, form each piece into a smooth, tight ball. Set the dough balls on a well-floured work surface. Press the dough rounds by hand to flatten; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.  

3. Gently stretch the dough rounds into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Working with one piece at a time and keeping the rest covered, roll out each disk to a 1/8-inch thickness, 9 to 10 inches in diameter, on a well-floured sheet of parchment paper, dusting with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. (If the dough shrinks when rolled out, cover with plastic wrap and let rest until relaxed, 10 to 15 minutes.) Dust the surface of the rolled dough with flour and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough, stacking the sheets of rolled dough on top of each other (with parchment in between) and covering the stack with plastic wrap; set aside until the grill is ready. 

4. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Dip a wad a paper towel into vegetable oil; holding the paper towel with tongs, oil the grill grates. Lightly flour a pizza peel; invert one dough round onto the peel, gently stretching is as needed to retain its shape (do not stretch too thin; thin spots will burn quickly). I did not have a pizza peel so I just inverted the pizza straight to the grill, hence the not perfectly round shape. Peel off and discard the parchment; carefully slide the round onto the hotter side of the grill. Immediately repeat with another dough round. Cook until the tops are covered with bubbles (pierce larger bubbles with a knife) and the bottoms have grill marks and charred spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the crusts to a cutting board, browned sides up. Repeat with the other two rounds. 

5. Brush the two crusts generously with the garlic oil. Return to the grill and cook until the bottoms are browned on the other side. 

6. The toppings: Chop the lettuce, tomatoes, red onion. Add vegetables, parmesan cheese and dressing to a bowl and mix well. Top each pizza with the salad and enjoy! 

Roasted Tomato Bisque

I know it has been way to long since my last post. Hopefully this will be the start of many more posts to come in the near future. I know it is becoming summer and soup may not be the first thing that comes to mind. I made this on a chilly, stormy afternoon so it warmed me up but at the same time is very light, fresh and healthy. The recipe originally called for 2- 14 oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes. I decided to roast some of my own tomatoes instead. This cut down on the sodium as well as made the soup taste more fresh... because it is:) This recipe is very simple to make and was slightly adapted from The Family Kitchen, Babble Blog.

Ingredients

1 – 28 oz can tomato sauce
1 – 14 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes                                                                                                          6 roma tomatoes
1 large bunch fresh basil, torn
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk (I used non-fat)
3 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
olive oil

Method

1. To roast the roma tomatoes- preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Slice tomatoes in half and brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can also roast the garlic along with the tomatoes; to do this simply wrap the un-peeled garlic in aluminum foil and place on the same baking tray as the tomatoes.
Bake for 45minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven when the top of the tomatoes are browned. Place garlic and tomato in food processor and process as smooth as you desire your soup to be.

2. Preheat large soup pot. Drizzle with olive oil. Add onions. Saute over medium heat until translucent.  Add tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, vegetables stock, sugar to pot. Salt and pepper soup to taste.

3. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. Mix to combine. Add to soup and bring to a simmer. Soup will thicken. Add milk and basil. Heat through, but don’t boil again. Turn heat off and serve garnished with parmesan and fresh chopped basil.

Grilled Shrimp with Black Bean Cakes

Thanks to Living Social deals I was able to make a full seafood dinner for two at half the price, but trust me it didn't taste that way! It was so good. And it was great to be able to really take advantage of living in Seattle where the seafood is as fresh as it gets. I used Chef Craig Common's cookbook; The Common Grill Cookbook for my recipes. I think I have mentioned this restaurant before but he has a wonderful place in Chelsea Michigan and two amazing cookbooks. So this recipe is a little labor intense but it is worth it, trust me. I made scallops for the same meal but I will post that recipe later. They are technically two appetizers but together it is one great meal. The full name of the recipe is Grilled Shrimp with Black Bean Cakes, Santa Fe Chili Butter, Two Tomato Salsa, & Jalapeno Cream.

Also, Thanks to Katie Barnes for making my photos look amazing and adding my blog name to a few of them:) 

The Recipe: 

16 jumbo shrimp, tails on, peeled & divided

Santa Fe Chili Butter (recipe below)

4 black bean cakes (recipe below)

Two Tomato Salsa (recipe below)

Jalapeno Cream (recipe below)

4 tsp parsley, chopped

4 bamboo skewers

Black Bean Cakes

First of all these would be good even on their own or as a burger. And they are pretty simple to make. 

1/2 lb black beans, soaked overnight

1 Tb olive oil

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped

1/4 cup red pepper, seeded, finely chopped 

1 Tb honey

1 Tb cider vinegar 

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

yellow corn meal for dusting

2 Tb melted butter

Santa Fe Chili Butter

2 tsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped

1 clove garlic

2 tsp green onion 

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Tabasco Sauce
3 Tbs butter, softened
1/2 tsp oregano, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
pinch paprika
pinch red pepper flakes
pinch cumin


Two Tomato Salsa

1 large beefsteak tomato
1 Tb olive oil
2 tsp sun dried tomatoes, diced into 1/8" pieces
2 tsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded
1/4 tsp kosher salt
pinch of black pepper


Jalapeno Cream

1 Tb heavy cream
1 tsp sour cream
1/2 jalapeno pepper seeded, finely chopped
1 tsp cilantro, finely chopped
pinch white pepper
squeeze of lemon juice

So wow, I know that seems like a long list of ingredients and a lot of work, but many of the ingredients are the same in each recipe. You will have a lot going on in the kitchen but many of the steps can be done ahead of time so take advantage of that and do some prep a day or two before you are going to make the shrimp so it is a bit easier and less hectic. Here are the instructions: 

Black Bean Cakes: 

Cover beans with enough water to cook in a sauce pot. Boil and drain. Heat oil in large skillet. Add red onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, red pepper and saute until tender, approx. 5 min. Add black beans. Stir in honey, vinegar, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer over low heat until beans are very tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 min. 

Puree bean mixture in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir until mixture is thick and dry. Cool. 

Form into patties. Dust lightly with yellow corn meal ( I used all- purpose flour and they turned out fine). Brush with melted butter and broil until crisp and golden, approx. 3-4 min. 

Santa Fe Butter:

Place the melted butter, jalapeno, garlic, green onion, Worcestershire, and Tabasco in blender and process until throughly blended. Add softened butter and process until mixed. Add remaining ingredients and process thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Two Tomato Salsa:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cut tomato in half and seed. Rub each half with olive oil. Place in baking pan and bake in oven for 15 min. or until tomatoes shrivel. 

When cool enough to handle dice into 1/4" pieces. Combine diced tomatoes with remaining ingredients, mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Jalapeno Cream: 

Whip cream until it forms soft peaks. Add remaining ingredients; transfer to blender and puree until smooth. Refrigerate. Prior to serving, remove from refrigerator and allow to reach room temperature.  

Now the best part Shrimpies! 

Thread 4 shrimp on each bamboo skewer. Brush with Santa Fe Chili Butter and place under broiler or on grill. Cook for 8-10 min. 

Heat the black bean cakes under broiler until golden, approx. 3-4. 

To Serve: 

Place a black bean cake in the center of a serving plate. Arrange shrimp around the cake. Drizzle shrimp with Santa Fe Chili Butter. Spoon Two Tomato Salsa over cake. Drizzle with Jalapeno cream over salsa. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. 

Zucchini Fries

What do you do with a fresh Zucchini the size of your arm? So many possibilities.... I made a few things including these quick and healthy baked fries! They came out crispy and warm paired perfectly with Thai Sweet Chili sauce. This recipe is has 3 ingredients, it is super easy, little messy, none the less delicious.

The Recipe: 

Zucchini (as much as you want, I used about 1/2 of a huge Zucchini and had more than enough for a party)

2-3 eggs or egg whites (using egg whites will cut the fat out if you prefer) 

1 cup of bread crumbs (more if you are making more fries) 

1. Whisk the egg in a bowl 

2. Cut your zucchini into medium size strips 

3. Dip the zucchini strips into the egg, making sure each strip is fully covered, this is the messy part. 

4. Place the egg covered strips into a bowl of bread crumbs and place on a baking sheet. 

5. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until the fries are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

Serve with a side of dipping sauce, whatever you prefer but I used sweet chili sauce that was a great combo. 

Serve as an appetizer or a side dish. Enjoy!

Food Day!

Today is National Food Day! It is a day to increase awareness on healthy, sustainable food for healthy lives throughout America. Here is a link to more information regarding what the day is all about, click here to be directed the the washington post article, or go to foodday.org to learn more and get involved.