Iron Chef West Hollywood, Part 3

As promised, here is the best in the recent "Iron Chef West Hollywood" series! The secret ingredients were: portobello mushroom, kale, chopped cucumber, roasted garlic, red grapes and almonds. Yes, these were a lot of items to work with but that don't really go together. Once I had the secret ingredients I did a quick scan of what I had and decided that kale and tomatoes went together. This brought me to Real Simple's Enhanced Recipe Search where I found the great pasta dish below! We made some changes (of course) so rather than write out the entire recipe, I have just noted our changes.

Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale and Tomatoes

1. As we were only making two servings, we adjusted portions of ingredients accordingly.

2. Ingredient substitutions: baby heirloom tomatoes for grape tomatoes, roasted garlic for regular garlic, and parmesan for pecorino cheese.

3. Prep changes: Since the garlic was already roasted, we did not saute this at the beginning of the recipe. Instead it was added towards the end to heat through. Also, we did not combine everything with the pasta but rather place the kale/tomato/red onion/garlic mixture on top of the pasta. We then garnished with parmesan cheese, almonds, salt and pepper.

Cucumber & Grape Salad

Please note that measurements are approximate.

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 cup red grapes

1/3 cup fat free feta

olive oil

2 tablespoons mint, chopped

sea salt

1. Combine cucumber, grapes, feta and mint.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and top with coarse sea salt.

3. Stir and serve.

This salad was so delicious and refreshing! It is a perfect warm weather salad and will keep well in the heat.

Portobello Mushroom with Balsamic Reduction

1 portobello mushroom top

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Place portobello mushroom and balsamic in a saute pan and cook over medium heat.

2. Turn the mushroom regularly to make sure it is cooked through.

3. Watch temperature and balsamic closely as the balsamic may reduce faster that you expect. Add additional balsamic if needed.

4. Once mushroom is cooked through, discard the remaining balsamic reduction or use for another purpose. The mushroom will have soaked up an adequate amount.

The Bachelorette Dinner, Part 3

So there is a pretty good chance I am losing my mind. I SWEAR I posted this entry but apparently only in Gretchenland. I know I had intended to post it prior to the 4th of July weekend because it would have been perfect for all of your outdoor soirees. Alas, you will just have to have more fabulous people over this weekend and give it a whirl. Trust me when I say that the photo does not do these dishes justice. I am still working on my food photography skills. :)

Salmon "Pistou"

Note: This is not a traditional Pistou but is a great compliment to the salmon.

16 oz salmon, approximate

1/3 cup dill, chopped

1/3 cup green onion, chopped

1/3 cup pistachios, toasted & chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients except for the salmon and set aside. Pistou can be made up to 2 hours in advance.

2. Grill salmon to desired temperature.

3. Top salmon with pistou.

4. Slice and serve.

Serves 4 (makes great leftovers!)

Whole Foods Kalameta Olive and Feta Couscous

Note: This is a copycat version of a prepared food item at Whole Foods. The portions of each ingredient were approximated based on taste.

1 cup of whole wheat couscous (use butter or oil per instructions on box)

1/3 cup red (or red and orange) peppers, chopped

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

1/3 cup fat free feta (regular feta can be used too)

1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped and approximate (dried can be used instead but it is not as good and requires a lot more to get the desired flavor)

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil, approximate

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar, approximate

fresh ground sea salt

1. Prepare couscous per package instructions using either butter or oil. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Mix red peppers, onions, feta, kalamata olives, oregano, and parsley with couscous.

3. Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a separate bowl. Pour onto couscous.

4. Combine dry couscous salad and dressing well.

5. Grind (or sprinkle) sea salt on top and mix well.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning or dressing as needed.

Serves 8 sides (at least)

Besides these delightful items, we enjoyed Trader Joe's Tomato and Olive Focaccia Bread (which while not low calorie is extremely delicious and made a great sandwich the next day).

As is par for the course this season, our meal outshined The Bachelorette. When I say outshined, I am referring to how the sun outshines a mud puddle. Will we keep watching? Of course. It is like that proverbial train wreck and we can't look away.

It's Picnic Season!!!! - Part 2

As I mentioned last month, Cinespia was showing one of my favorite films of all time - Heathers!

For this screening, the food was done potluck style (well, organized potluck) with everyone bringing an item to share. Items included a gorgeous salad, many cheeses, fresh fruit, gourmet cupcakes in addition to the items below. We shared a picnic area with another group of friends who also brought a fabulous picnic so really we had more options than we knew what to do with!

Antipasto & Caprese Skewers

(Note: All ingredients are from Trader Joe's but similar items can be found at any market.)

1 8oz container ciliegine mozzarella, each piece cut in half (or fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2 cherry tomato sized pieces)

24 pieces of salami

1/2 roasted red pepper, approximate

24 kalamata olives, pitted

48 sugar plum (grape) tomatoes

4 basil leaves, approximate

balsamic reduction

Antipasto Skewers

1. Cut red pepper in to bite sized pieces large enough for your skewer.

2. Spear kalamata olive, folded piece of salami, red pepper and mozzarella onto skewer. Repeat for all 24 skewers.

Caprese Skewers

1. Tear or cut basil into appropriate sized pieces for skewers.

2. Spear tomato, basil and mozzarella onto skewer. Repeat for all 24 skewers.

Serve with balsamic reduction (click here for instructions).

Makes 48 skewers

Before

After

Lentil Cashew Pate

(Note: This is a recipe created by my friend Katie. She can be quite the culinary wizard and just made this recipe up as she went. Heathers is known for such lines as "Great pate but I've got to motor if I'm going to be ready for that funeral." so pate was a must have for this event. With a lot of vegetarians in the house, this was an ideal option!)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup cashews

1 cup lentils

1 tablespoon lemon juice

rosemary, salt, & pepper, to taste

crackers

apples, sliced

1. Heat olive oil in skillet and saute garlic and onions until lightly browned.

2. Place garlic and onion mixture, cashews, lentils and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse until mixture is smooth yet is still retaining texture.

3. Add rosemary, salt & pepper to taste and lightly pulse to mix.

4. Serve with crackers and apple slices.

This event was perfect to use the Steady Sticks! Here is a (slightly overblown) action shot.

We still don't have the Table in a Bag but I am hoping to acquire one soon since they are currently on sale! This is the perfect picnic item for cemetery screenings.