Larch Mountain

This weekend, Zephyr and I went on a hike to Larch Mountain.  It's an old extinct volcano just about an hour from downtown Portland.  It was gorgeous!  The hike is a 6 mile loop, with a quad-busting portion at the end.  The first part (trail #441) is all a steep downgrade where you pass through an abandoned camp site and stone wall left from an old logging railroad grade.

The stone wall. Pleasantly downhill at this point.

After trekking downhill, we turned right on trail #444.  There we crossed a cool bridge made from a fallen tree.

Once across the bridge, we veered right onto the crater portion of the hike.  We went around the perimeter of a meadow field filled with wildflowers.  Our guidebook states it was once an old lake, but centuries of natural sediments have filled it.

Gigantic mushroom

Then we trekked straight vertical for about an hour.  At this point, a bee with a vengeance circled us for over a mile.  We freaked.  We're both terrified of bees. And to think I felt bad for those suckers after watching a documentary the night before our hike titled "Colony" about how bees are mysteriously disappearing.  This bee was PISSED.  We BOOKED IT.  We ran for about a half a mile until I realized the bee had abandoned me and moved on to Zephyr.  At this point, he took my pepper spray (intended for bears), and tried to kill off the attack bee while I watched, secretly laughing, from a distance.  It finally abandoned us when two other hikers passed by and it decided to latch on to them instead of us.  We were relieved, and felt the tinniest bit guilty for passing on the pissed-off stinging insect to nice strangers.  But not really.
After the bee incident, we decided the pick up our pace and get out of the attack forest.  After a major uphill portion, the trail somewhat flattened out for the last mile or so.  We passed lots of wild flowers and wild huckleberries.  The end of the hike drops you off about 1/2 mile from where the trailhead began.  I'd like to try this hike again in the spring.  Apparently the crater at the bottom fills up with water when the rains arrive, creating a serene lake in the middle of the forest. 

Directions:

From Portland take I-84 East and exit at Corbett (aka US 30).  At the junction, turn left to go east on the Historic Columbia River Highway.  At mile 22.9 turn right on Larch Mountain Road (just past the Women's Forum Overlook), and drive 14 miles to the trailhead at the end of the road. 

Note: Parking is $5 cash unless you have a forest pass (you can use the same one used for skiing/snowboarding on Mt Hood)

So long sweet summer

Wow it's been a little over a month since I posted!  You can't blame me, I was soaking up as much sun as I could in preparation for another 8 months of rain.  Let's catch up...
My brother Geoff paid me a visit in August.  I think the highlight for him was spending a day at the coast hiking and exploring.

Quads were burning at this point.

Finally made it down to the beach.  These rocks provided lots of little spaces for tide pools filled with starfish, crabs, and sea anemones. 

Last weekend I paid my good friend from college, Ana a visit in Boise.  She recently moved there for work, and I'd never been to Idaho before.  I was pleasantly surprised by what a cute little city it was.  We spent Saturday at the farmer's market, zoo, rose garden, and biking all day around the greenbelt and Boise river.  We had the most amazing sushi at Fujiyama, and afterwards toasted in her late birthday celebration with champagne.

 Salmon and tuna dragon roll- mouthwatering.

Beautiful Ana and I.  It was so nice to spend quality time with such a good friend!

Zephyr and I spent a weekend in Seattle recently, as we often do since as he has many relatives in the area.  We did the Seattle underground tour, which Zeph hadn't done since he was a kid.  Claustrophobic to say the least, but interesting nonetheless.  We ate at our favorite spot- Honeyhole Sandwiches.  If you're ever in Seattle, you MUST visit this funky sandwich joint.  As per tradition, we picked up the most amazing cheddar cheese from Beechers, and fresh salmon from Pike Place, which we placed on ice and took back to Portland. I love to kayak, and we spent a sunny day on Fox Island paddling around the reefs.  Then we walked around Gig Harbor browsing antique stores and gift shops, such a quaint little town!

I've also been cooking a ton, something you can't really help when EVERYTHING is in season at once at the farmers market!  Our tomato plant has been abundantly presenting us with rip red goodness every day.  Not only that, but Zephyr brought home over 20lbs of tomatoes from the farmers market while I was in Boise. Over TWENTY POUNDS!  Typical guys would buy a Xbox while their girlfriend is out of town, not when you're dating an aspiring chef!  We've spent the last few days roasting and roasting and stewing and stewing.  We'll have lots of tomato sauce in the freezer when this is all through!

Summer means heirlooms, and heirlooms mean delicious caprese with fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar. 

Summer has been good to us.  But I am SO ready for fall.  Bring on the pumpkin lattes, butternut squash, and crisp air perfect for hikes in Forest Park and runs on the waterfront!

Greek Feast!

I made this Greek feast the other night and it was a big hit.  Bonus: eggplant and zucchini are in season right now!  Opa!

Eggplant stuffed with Lamb and Rice (serves 4)

1 onion, chopped
3/4 lb ground lamb
1 14 oz can of chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
2 eggplants
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon

1. Caramelize onion in an oven-proof pot with a little olive oil.  Add lamb.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook lamb until no longer pink.  Add broth and rice, bring to a simmer.  Move pot into a 400 degree oven, cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
2. Slice eggplants in half lengthwise.  Brush each cut side with a little olive oil. Place in baking pan, cut sides up, and roast for 40 minutes. Cool.
3. Scoop out the flesh from the eggplants and roughly chop. Add to a bowl with the mint and lemon zest.  Add lamb-rice mixture and stir to combine.
4. Divide the mixture amongst the eggplant skins (1 per person). Garnish with chopped mint.


Zucchini with feta and dill

1 medium sized zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup feta
2 Tbs fresh dill
3 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  If you're afraid of raw zucchini, you won't be after trying this dish.  So simple, fresh, and easy.

Halibut with Avocado and Mango Salsa

This recipe screams "summer" to me.  Eating it outdoors on a gorgeous evening overlooking the Willamette doesn't hurt its association with the warmer months either.  Halibut is one of my favorite fish.  But, to be honest, I haven't met a fish I didn't like.
Bonus: You get heart healthy omega-3s from the avocado and EVOO, protein from the halibut, beta-carotene from the mango, and lycopene from the tomatoes. A nutritional powerhouse!

Halibut with mango-avocado salsa (serves 4)
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, diced
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
6 leaves of basil, chiffonad-ed (my made up verb)
Basil olive oil (or regular EVOO)
One lime, juiced.
1 tsp lime zest
2 lbs halibut

1. Place halibut in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, juice of 1/2 the lime, lime zest, and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. Combine avocado, mango, tomatoes, basil, juice of 1/2 the lime, and 1Tbs olive oil.  Set aside.
3. Bake fish at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with a generous spoonful of salsa  on each filet.

The salsa on top of the flaky filet is amazing.  You get a little bit of sweet from the mango, creaminess from the avocado, acidity from the tomatoes and lime, and the herbaceous basil to round everything out.  Delicious!

Life update, and... peppers!

I realize i've been MIA for a while.  I've been so busy enjoying summer that i've neglected my little spot in cyberspace- my blog.  A few weeks ago, Zephyr and I took a little road trip down to California.  We stopped in Stockton to stay with a friend, then headed to Lake Tahoe.  Zephyr has been frequenting Tahoe since he was a baby (he says he's visited between 50-100 times!), and brought me there for the first time a few years ago.  I've been obsessed with the lake since, and we try to go back often. We had an amazing time kayaking in the crystal clear water, capsizing our kayak, and swimming to shore (embarrassing). We had a picture perfect dinner at the Loan Eagle Grill at Incline Village, where I devoured filet mignon with LOBSTER BÉARNAISE!!! Heaven.

After Tahoe we stopped in Chico, home to our alma mater, and I got to see some of my closest girlfriends from college, the beautiful Ana and Frances! We also visited our favorite brewery, Sierra Nevada.  That place never lets me down.

After returning from our trip, I received the unfortunate news that my grandma had passed away.  I just returned from the funeral in Washington DC yesterday.  It was a beautiful celebration of the joyous woman that she was.  My grandma was the epitome of a classy lady!  It was great to have all the family in one place, despite the sad occasion.

My grandma loved to cook.  I guess it skipped a generation, as my mom can barely work the stove (I still love you!), but I like to think I inherited my love for cooking from Grandma.
Speaking of cooking, I discovered a new addiction- padron peppers!  I found them at my farmers market and am obsessed with these little green gems. They're mild, but once in a while you get a really spicy one.  To cook them all you have to do is sautee them in a little olive oil until they start to blacken, and then sprinkle generously in sea salt and gobble them up.  I know, it sounds weird.  I wouldn't crave a green pepper or jalapeno prepared in this fashion, but trust me, this veggie's cult following is well deserved.

Stay tuned for summer recipes!

Lamb- least sustinable food!?

Here's an interesting article I read on yahoo today about sustainable foods.  I always thought that beef was the least sustainable meat, and eat it only sparingly, but it turns out lamb is even worse for the environment!  It also says cheese is a bad choice when practicing sustainability.  Well shoot me, I could never give up a good shaving of parm or extra sharp cheddar.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/the-1-best-protein-for-your-health-and-the-worst-to-avoid-2512800/

Bamboo Sushi

Bamboo sushi is definitely my favorite sushi spot in Portland. Not only is the food amazing, but you feel like a better person for having eaten there.  I'll explain: Bamboo is the first certified sustainable sushi restaurant in the WORLD, and they work along with leading marine stewardship organizations to hold the trophy. 

When I first dined at Bamboo and heard of their prestigious title, I wondered how diverse of a menu they'd actually have considering all the news reports about how seemingly all modern fishing practices are unsustainable. I was pleasantly surprised by a large and diverse menu. Not only do they have sushi, but they have a variety of cooked dishes as well, including black cod miso, a dish GQ recently named one of the top 5 plates of the year.  Lots of people love sushi because they deem it a healthy option, but it's not when the fish is full of mercury and fattened on fish farms with grain and corn.  At Bamboo you can taste the difference.  The albacore melts in your mouth, the salmon is perfectly creamy, and the sea eel is unlike any anago I've ever tasted.

Not only does Bamboo use all sustainable ingredients, but their entire restaurant uses renewable energy to power itself.  They compost waste and offer biodegradable take out boxes (which you won't need, because you'll stuff yourself silly here).

Spicy salmon with jalapeno rolled in habanero smelt roe.

Recommendations:
1. Make a reservation, I've waited over an hour for a table before (and that was on a Tuesday!)
2. Try to sit at the sushi bar, it's fun to watch the chefs making your food.  Plus, I love to ask them questions about their technique and ingredient sources. They give you little samples of things if you're friendly!
3. Order the "Gin henson" cocktail to start (gin muddled with cucumber and basil with a dash of lemon-lime ginger infused syrup).  The "Hoki Poke" box is delicious- rice pressed with red crab salad, layered with tuna, avocado, green onion, togarashi, and poke sauce.  Bamboo is one of the few restaurants using this old technique of making sushi with a "press box".


Bamboo Sushi
301 SE 28th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214

Spicy black bean & corn salad

Ahhh summer.  I just can't get enough of you.  I make black bean and corn salad often.  I usually always have the ingredients for it on hand, and it's so simple yet flavorful.  This side works wonderfully with Mexican, or as I served it last night, with orange-marinated grilled salmon and grilled pineapple.  I heat this mixture in jalapeno olive oil, a delicious alternative to standard EVOO.  You can find specialty flavored oils at gourmet food stores.

Black bean and corn salad (serves 3-4)
1 large ear or corn, grilled or boiled (or sub 1 15 oz can corn, drained)
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 of one jalapeno, diced (more of less depending on your sensitivity to heat)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chili powder
Juice of 1 lemon
3 strips of jarred roasted red peppers, diced
1 tsp jalapeno olive oil (or regular EVOO)
1  15 oz can black beans

Combine first 8 ingredients. Heat olive oil in sautee pan over medium heat.  Add corn mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  Drain the water from the canned black beans.  Add to corn mixture in the sautee pan, and cook just until warm (about 1-2 minutes).

Chicken and Soy Chorizo Paella

Paella (prounced pah-ey-uh), is one of the most traditional Spanish dishes.  There are many variations to this classic Mediterranean specialty, so here's my take.
Notes: Saffron is expensive, in fact, it's known as the world's most expensive spice.  It sells for about $6 a gram, but a little goes a long way.  Leaving it out of this paella would change the flavor entirely.
Also, this could easily be made pescatarian by substituting the chicken for shrimp, or vegetarian by omitting the chicken all together and using vegetable broth.  Regular dried chorizo is a good substitute for the soy, I was just working with what I had in my kitchen! I served this with a simple salad and crusty bread.

Chicken and Soy Chorizo Paella (feeds 4)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp saffron
1.5 lbs chicken thighs, halved (I used boneless skinless to be healthier, but skin-on adds tons of flavor)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 link Trader Joe's soy chorizo.  (TJ's soy chorizo is AMAZING! I promise you won't even know it's vegetarian!)
1 white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1.75 cups Arborio rice (aka the same stuff you make risotto from)
1/2 cup english peas
1 lemon, quartered.

1. Warm chicken broth and saffron in a sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, season chicken with paprika, 1tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper.  Add to paella pan (or any oven-safe pan with high sides), cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate.
3.  In paella pan, add onion, garlic, chorizo.  Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add tomato, cook down for another 5 minutes.
5. Stir in rice and add broth to mixture.  Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, then add peas and chicken to mixture. Transfer pan to oven and cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
6.  Let rest for at least 10 minutes (HOT!)
7.  As you dish out portions, squeeze 1/4 lemon over each plate.  It adds a ton of flavor to the paella.

Hot in the pan

Ready to eat! 

Lemon-lime basil cookies

Happy belated 4th of July! Zeph and I spent the holiday in Ocean Shores, WA at the beach with his parents and grandparents.  The firework situation was unlike any i've ever experienced before.  Mini fireworks are legal, but to get the big ones that shoot up you have to go to Indian Reservations.  Then, in order to legally use them, you have to set them off from Reservation property.  The beach where we stayed was technically a reservation, so hundreds of people drove right onto the beach, trucks loaded with huge fireworks and set them off all day and night long!  We bought a few ourselves on the drive up, a had a ton of fun lighting up the sky while sipping beers and chatting with the locals.

I brought some cookies along to share while sitting around the fire.  This recipe is perfect because it makes exactly one dozen, while some cookie recipes yield way too many to handle (and if you're anything like me, you don't need extra cookies laying around begging to be eaten!) I used the basil we're growing on our balcony, and I love the herbal flavor of these not overly-sweet treats. Using herbs in desserts always gives a little unexpected flavor to the after-dinner course!

Lemon-lime basil cookies
1 cup flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar (and a little extra for pressing cookies)
12 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 Tbs sliced basil leaves
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Place all ingredients into a food processor.  Pulse until large clumps form.  Roll 12 balls out of the dough and place on baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Lightly dust the bottom of a flat measuring cup with powdered sugar and press cookies into 2 inch rounds, dusting the cup bottom with powdered sugar between each press.  Bake about 20 minutes.

Before baking.  Looking a little green! The green color ended up fading after they baked.

Packed and ready to take to the beach.  I love the little flecks of basil in the dough.  They look plain, but the zest adds a ton of flavor to these yummy cookies!

Secret Steak Sauce

I got an email yesterday from my mom including a recipe with the below message attached:

"My siblings have been sending emails back and forth about steak sauce they and Gramps especially loved in a restaurant we used to frequent while living in Geneva. It seems the chef took the recipe with him to the grave. They have been searching for similar ones that are served in other French restaurants in Europe and the USA and have come up with a recipe close to the original" 

Immediately after I received the recipe I knew I just had to make it for dinner.  My mom has a special place in her heart for Swiss/French cuisine after living throughout Europe growing up.  She is always the first to school me on whether a fondue at a restaurant is made the Swiss way or the American way.  She's particular about the gooey chocolate sauce that they serve over waffles for desserts at Swiss restaurants, it has to be just as she remembers it from when she was a girl or she writes the place off as not authentically Swiss.  My mom remembers the flavors of her childhood much more vividly than I can recall mine.  So I knew I had to make this secret french sauce that was a favorite of my Grandpa's and the rest of my mom's siblings years ago in Geneva!

Secret French Steak Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 large shallots

3 cloves garlic

2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon white pepper

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 bunch tarragon

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Peel and slice the shallots.  Peel and roughly chop the garlic.  Add the olive oil to a small pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook until slightly colored.  Add the chicken stock and simmer for three minutes.

Pull the tarragon leaves off the stem and put them in the blender or food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients to the blender.  Carefully pour the chicken stock mixture into the blender.  Puree until completely smooth.  Pour back into the pan and bring to a boil.  Cook for one minute.  If the sauced is too thin, simmer for a few more minutes.  Pour over slices of medium rare (or as you like it) strip steak or your choice of steak.  

Serves 8.

 It turned out delicious.  I actually think this sauce would work just as nicely over flaky white fish.  The only mistake I made was using honey mustard instead of dijon (it's all I had in the kitchen, and after searching THREE grocery stores for tarragon I wasn't about to go out again just for mustard.  Why was all of Portland buying out the tarragon reserves yesterday?)  I think dijon would have added that horseradish taste this sauce needed.  But otherwise it was very tasty!  
This sauce has a nice green herbal taste from the tarragon, a little bit of a bite from the vinegar, and rounds out nice and salty from the anchovy paste.  I served it with a zucchini casserole and crusty bread to sop up any extra sauce!  I'm told it's authentically served with pommes frites, but until the day I install a deep fryer in my kitchen (read: never) I'll settle with crusty bread. Bon appetit!

Grüner... and other burger ramblings

My boyfriend and I have an unhealthy obsession with finding the best burger in Portland.  We have our favorite hole in the wall burger joint- Foster Burger:

and our favorite fancy burger- Le Pigeon (I warn you, they only make 5 per night, so go early!):

but I think we found some middle ground the other day.  I'm talking about the burger at Grüner, that is.
We'd first dined at this German restaurant that describes its cuisine as "alpine cozy" a few weeks ago with Zephyr's parents.  Gruner means "greener" in German, and celebrates the "green" bounty of food that is available in the Northwest.  We had a fabulous dinner there and swore to return for the deviled eggs alone.

I've never been a huge deviled eggs fan.  To me they belong in the same category as the jello salads that every 60's housewife made and have since gone out of style.  But once I sampled one of these purple beauties I was hooked! You've just got to try these delicious finger foods.

But back to the burger...
After stumbling across an article about best burgers in Portland that listed Grüner, I insisted we return for lunch.  And that's when this baby showed up at the table...

It's delicious.  I actually ordered the reuben, appropriately dubbed the "grü-ben," but ended up trading half of my sandwich for Zeph's burger.  They bake the poppy seed bun in-house, and use the creamiest white cheddar to top off the meaty dish.  It's finished off with bacon, pickled onions, bread and butter pickles, and peppery arugula.  Best of all is the house made cinnamon ketchup!  Who would have thought to use cinnamon in a ketchup recipe? Delicious!  On the side were a crispy, albeit skimpy, portion of three smashed fried potato rounds.
Although we loved this spot for dinner, it can be quite pricy.  I recommend going for lunch and ordering this awesome new favorite burger!

Foster Burger
5339 SE Foster Rd
Portland, OR 97206


Le Pigeon
738 E Burnside St
Portland, OR 97214


Grüner
527 SW 12th Ave
Portland, OR 97205

Sin City

It was actually hard to convince me to go to Vegas.  My last trip there was in college for a friend's 21st birthday.  Needless to say, all our group wanted to do was spend the whole time at the bar, and I didn't have the most memorable experience because we ended up not experiencing much of the city.  Second time's a charm because this weekend I had a FABULOUS time in Las Vegas!  We stayed at the MGM Grand, saw Cirque de Solei's Mystere, ate like kings and queens, got to visit with a good friend, and ended up winning a few hundred on roulette and craps!

The food:
We've all heard that Vegas has some of the world's greatest restaurants.  But I live in a city where we pride ourselves on eating locally; a true marker of a good restaurant to me is a sustainable restaurant.  I can't imagine how far Vegas restaurants have to ship their food in from daily.  Although it's the most environmentally sound city, we decided to let go and take part in a little sin ourselves by indulging a several fine dining establishments.

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill
I loathe Bobby Flay.  If you've never heard of this celebrity chef, he has several shows on the Food Network.  One of them is called "Throwdown".  Throwdown follows Flay to different cities to challenge local chefs to a cooking competition.  What do they cook, you ask?  Well they cook the local chef's signature dish.  For example, Bobby will head to New Orleans and challenge the queen of Gumbo to a Gumbo throwdown.  HOW COCKY CAN YOU GET? These poor people have spent their entire career building a reputation as the best of the best and Bobby comes in and humiliates them by defeating them. Then they're supposed to act honored that Bobby showed up in the first place. RUDE.
Well, I had to do some investigating of my own to decide if I even liked the guy's cooking.  I didn't want to love it, but I did.

Cornmeal crusted chile relleno stuffed with roasted eggplant and manchego.  Sitting atop red pepper sauce and balsamic vinegar. Crunchy and cheesy, this was Zeph's favorite. 

Cremini mushroom quesadilla with fontina, ricotta, fried egg and salsa verde. This was my favorite! Absolutely the best quesadilla you will EVER HAVE! This was an explosion of flavors!

Tiger shrimp and roasted garlic corn tamale with cilantro sauce.  I saw this dish featured on the show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and while delicious, it was far from the best thing I've ever eaten. The tamale was a little dry but the shrimp was sweet and cooked perfectly. 

SushiSamba

SushiSamba is a Brazilian/Japanese fusion restaurant.  I sipped a caipirinha (which immediatly brought back fond memeories of imbibing the Brazilian cocktail on the streets of Salvador during Carnaval a few years ago) while noshing on spicy tuna rolls, and yellowtail ceviche.  They had great happy hour food prices, too!

Fiamma Trattoria

I had the best ravioli EVER here! It was stuffed with short rib, then finished with a black truffle creama and Barbera wine reduction.  Zeph ordered the Baked Garganelli with ridged pasta quills, roasted chicken, eggplant, and hot pepper sauce.  Is your mouth watering just looking at this?

STK

We had the most delicious dungeness crab salad served with melon at this steakhouse.  And of course ordered melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon with roasted asparagus afterwords.  Very expensive, but very delicious. 

Besides the amazing food, I got to meet up with my friend and old roommate Sabrina who lives in Vegas now.  It was great to see her and get a local's tour of the casinos!

Vegas= success!

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesar's Palace

3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

SushiSamba at The Palazzo

3325 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Fiamma Trattoria at MGM Grand

3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109

STK at The Cosmopolitan

3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Kitchen Essentials

It doesn't take rocket science to cook up something delicious from a seemingly empty fridge.  Aside from the staples (olive oil, eggs, milk, butter) there are a few key ingredients that I always keep on hand.  Stocked with these items, you can turn any ordinary chicken & rice (or whatever one's late night uninspired Wednesday evening dinner may be) into something delicious.

Greek Yogurt

I always keep this creamy staple in my fridge.  I prefer Fage (pronounced fah-yeh if you want to sound authentically greek!) 0% fat.  Don't be fooled by the 0%, this stuff still tastes sinful.  Instead of eating it plain, I use this yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.  It tastes almost identical and is full of protein and lower in calories than the real Mexican taco-topper.  Also, I use it as a mayonnaise substitute (with a squeeze of lemon to mimic the real mayo) in potato salads or on sandwiches.  Which brings us to our next staple...

Lemons

I can't tell you how many lemons I go through a week.  I use them in everything from homemade salad dressings to marinades to cocktails.  There's nothing like slices of lemon cooked atop fresh fish.  I'd go as far to say I use a lemon in the majority of things I cook.  Like salt and pepper, this citrus helps brighten up food by bringing out flavors and brings a natural acidity to any culinary concoction. 

Chicken Broth

I'd love to be one of those people who makes their own chicken broth, and maybe one day I will be, but for now I stick to the can.  I buy Swanson low sodium broth from Costco, where a 12 pack is much cheaper than your grocery store. I use it as a substitute for water in lots of dishes.  For example, try cooking rice or quinoa in chicken broth next time instead of water, the difference is astounding.

Siracha

In my opinion, there is no substitute for "Tuong ot Siracha" brand chili sauce.  The generic brand is nothing like the real deal found in the Asian section of supermarkets.  I use this very spicy sauce on top of my eggs in the morning, in stir frys, atop pizza, and even in Mac & Cheese.  In fact, I'm embarrassed to admit how many dishes I eat with Siracha.  If you love spicy food, this spicy condiment needs to hop into your grocery cart STAT!

Mustards

Have you ever wondered why there are dozens of different kinds of mustard and only one type of ketchup?  These are the things a foodie ponders when going to sleep at night.  Mustard is not only a sandwich spread, but can be used in a variety of kitchen creations.  I use it in sauces, marinades, and in dipping sauces.  I'm partial to Sierra Nevada brand (hell, I'm partial to anything Sierra Nevada makes as they're factory is in Chico, CA, the hometown of my alma mater!) but any gourmet mustard works.  I like to keep both stone ground and honey mustard in the fridge at all times, as different recipes call for different types of mustard.  

Well, I'm off to Las Vegas for a few days! I'm excited to try out new restaurants in the amazing food city in the desert (doesn't that seem ironic?)  Hopefully I'll have a little luck on the roulette table as well. Wish me luck and I'll have a Vegas update later this week!

Creamy Stinging Nettle Sauce

I'd never really heard of Nettles until moving to the Northwest. I learned to avoid brushing up against them while hiking in overgrown forests as they provide a famous sting to the skin similar to poison ivy. But unlike poison ivy, nettles are edible! A quick one minute soak in boiling water takes out the sting.
 I get nettles at my farmers market but you can order nettles online as well.  Locals can head to Alberta CoOp to scoop up this weed.  Or, pick them yourselves (with gloves!!) by finding a nettle patch in any local park.  I LOVE the taste of nettles, and promise you will get hooked if you try this recipe! Bonus: nettles are full of vitamin K and A, and have a 40% protein content!

Stinging Nettle Sauce with Mushrooms
You'll need:
1 lb nettles
1 stick unsalted butter
1 shallot, diced
1 cup white wine at room temperature
3/4 cup mushroom of choice (I used shiitake)
1/2 cup half & half
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Pasta of choice (I used fresh whole wheat fehttuchini, but anything works!)

1. Remove stems from nettles (use gloves/tongs) and boil in salted water for one full minute.
2. Drain and squeeze out extra moisture, chop & set aside.
3. Melt butter over medium heat.  Add shallot and cook until soft.
4.  Add wine, half & half.  Cook until reduced and thick, about ten minutes.
5. Meanwhile, sautee mushrooms in 1T olive oil, salt and pepper until mushrooms begin to reduce (about five minutes).
6. Stir Parmigiano, mushrooms, and nettles into cream sauce.  Toss in al dente cooked pasta and cook, stirring over stove for three minutes until everything is combined.

I had a little bit of leftover nettles afterwords and I made a nettle pesto with them!  Use them in any standard basil pesto recipe but substitute the basil for boiled nettles.  For pesto, squeezing out ALL extra moisture from the nettles is key, you want the pesto to be oily, not watery. I spread it on crostini for a quick app when we had friends over the next day.  Alternatively you can use it as a spread on sandwiches, or stirred in eggs.

Steak sandwiches and dill-y potato salad!

I made the spreads for the steak sandwiches a day in advance to save time.  To lighten up this dish I used fat-free mayonnaise and fat free thick greek yogurt (I love Fage brand) mixed with the blue cheese to add creaminess without the fat. 

Flank steak sandwiches with roasted red pepper mayo & blue cheese on grilled ciabatta (makes two)

1 Red pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup blue cheese

3T greek yogurt

1.5 lbs skirt or flank steak

Olive oil

Soy sauce

Red wine

Garlic

Ciabatta buns

-Red pepper mayo:

1. Brush red pepper with EVOO.  Broil until brown. 

2. Place in large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam (around 15 minutes)

3. Peel skin off of pepper. Stem, seed & roughly chop. Cool.

4. Roughly blend in food processor with mayonnaise. 

-Blue cheese sauce

1. Blend blue cheese with salt, pepper, and yogurt in food processor.

-Steak

1. Marinate at least 4 hours in advance in a splash each of olive oil, soy sauce, and red wine.  Rub with salt, pepper, and garlic.  

2. Bring to room temperature before grilling

3.  Grill to preferred doneness (around 4 minutes per side)

4.  Let rest covered in foil for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain.

Ciabatta

1. Brush the inside of ciabatta with olive oil and grill until crisp.

Assemble

1. Spread red pepper mayo on the bottom of each ciabatta

2. Spread blue cheese sauce on the top of each ciabatta.

3. Add steak, NOM NOM NOM!

Dill-y Potato Salad. What makes this summer staple is the pickle and pickle juice!

You'll need

1 lb potatoes (really, whatever kind you have on hand).

1 cup mayo

2T whole grain mustard

1 dill pickle (with JUICE!)

1T red wine vinegar

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/2 a bunch of dill

1/2 lemon, juiced

1. Peel, quarter, and boil potatoes until cooked

2. Drain.  While still hot, mix in red wine vinegar and splash of pickle juice (this helps the potatoes absorb flavor while still warm)

3. Cool.

4. Mix in mustard, mayo, chopped dill pickle, onion, lemon, and dill. Refrigerate until dinner time!

The Sun is Shining

It's finally starting to feel warm here in Portland.  This past winter was brutal, the rain seemed to never end.  But it's sunny gorgeous days like today that remind me why I love the Pacific Northwest so much.  Last night was so nice that Zeph and I ate on our balcony as the sun was setting (around 9:30 PM this time of year, and the summer solstice isn't for a a few weeks!)
Zeph grilled his top secret honey-marinaded chicken.  I made corn and mushroom risotto with crispy bacon, and parmesan-thyme roasted peppers.  I love risotto and make it often.  It requires near constant attention, so make sure to devote a good 45 minutes to the dish.  I don't use any cream or butter in my risottos, albeit I'm known for adding a little cheese.  If you make it right (slow and low), it will taste incredibly creamy.  I don't know how or why, but trust me- this stuff is amazing.

Parmesan-thyme peppers

you'll need

-orange, red, or yellow bell peppers. Or all three!

-olive oil

-fresh thyme

-garlic

-good quality parm

-lemon 

1. Stem, seed, and quarter the bell peppers.

2. Place on a baking sheet and rub with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and diced garlic

3. Bake at 425 for around 25 minutes or until softened
4. Top with parm and a good squeeze of lemon juice.  Return to oven until cheese is bubbly and peppers are starting to brown.
5. Devour.

Corn and mushroom risotto with crispy bacon (serves 2-3)
you'll need:
-2 slices thick bacon
-2 shallots
-olive oil
-fresh thyme
-1 ear of corn
-handful of shiitake mushrooms
-two cans of chicken broth
-two heaping handfuls (do you like how I measure things?!) of arborio rice
-dry white wine
-Pecorino romano cheese

1. Heat chicken broth in a sauce pan over medium heat until just simmering
2. Cook bacon in skillet, set aside to drain on paper towel. Chop.
3. Add chopped shallots, shiitakes, salt, pepper, and thyme to bacon drippings.  Cook over medium heat until soft.  Add olive oil if the mixture is looking dry
4. Add the rice to the shallot/mushroom mixture. Toast.
5. Mix in about 1/3 cup white wine until dissolved.  Add corn.
6. Add one ladle of chicken broth to the mix. Stir until absorbed. Continue, one ladle at a time, until all the broth has been used and the rice looks thick and creamy.
7. Mix in 1/2 the chopped bacon and cheese.
8. Serve topped with the remainder of the bacon.

Bon appetit!

Vegetable Tian

It's getting to be that time of year when fresh fruits and veggies are overflowing from produce stands and supermarkets.  I had several veggies begging to be eaten, so I combined them all in a simple vegetable tian.  What you'll need:

-any combination of zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, and tomatoes.
-onion
-evoo
-thyme
-garlic
-parmigiano reggiano (none of the fake stuff!)

You can probably tell by now that I don't measure ingredients.  Which is why I'm terrible when people ask me for recipes because I don't write anything down!

Sautee diced onion (I used a yellow onion, they're sweeter), fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt in olive oil until translucent. Spread over the bottom of a circular baking dish or ramekin(s).

Next, cut small rounds out of all the vegetables and place in overlapping layers around your baking dish.

Top with S&P, a drizzle of olive oil, fresh thyme, and parm.

Bake covered in foil at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Time will vary depending on the size of your veggies.

EAT! I served my tian with grilled steaks, portobello, and asparagus.  It was a veggie feast!