Life and Kitchen

Zucchini Black Bean Tacos

May 17, 2013 By Lindsay 1 Comment

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Can I talk one more time about how I’m ridiculously excited for summer produce? The CSA, the farmers’ markets, and the little plot of land that we are sowing in our back yard are soon going to fill the kitchen. We haven’t actually sowed the garden (I say that as though we are starting with all seeds… we aren’t) out back yet because Jake had to order a deer fence first, and thank heavens for Home Depot not shipping more quickly because we had a frost this week in Pittsburgh. Luckily, I was able to grab my little baby plants from the screened porch and bring them inside for safe keeping. They are resting comfortably on our kitchen and dining room tables. But having them in our face every day also leads to constant questions from the little one about when we get to plant and why they aren’t growing faster and where-oh-where are the strawberries and tomatoes that we promised her?

So, as Lily clearly demonstrates, the best part of growing vegetables is eating them. On to my recipe search! When I first saw these tacos on my friend Nicole’s blog, they spoke to me. 1) tacos. 2) zucchini and corn and black beans. 3) so easy, I could probably have Lily make them. Perfect for a week night, so that’s what we did. We topped them with tomatoes, sour cream, lettuce, and cheese, and they were perfect. Give them a try!

Zucchini Black Bean Tacos

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small (or one large) zucchini, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute longer.

Add the zucchini, beans, corn, and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes or until softened and hot. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve hot in tortillas topped with any taco toppings you like.

Source: slightly adapted from Prevention RD

Filed Under: Beans, Corn, Mexican, zucchini

Macy’s Culinary Council event with Tom Douglas THIS WEEKEND!

May 14, 2013 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

To all my friends in Pittsburgh, I have such a sweet event to tell you about.

Tom Douglas (the three-time James Beard award winner – oh my!) is going to be at the downtown Macy’s on Saturday, May 18th, at 12:30pm to do a cooking demonstration with fresh, local ingredients. I’m sure it will be amazing. And he’s going to be signing copies of new new book, The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.

Unfortunately, I can’t go to it, so I need you to be my eyes and ears. My dear friend, Allie, decided that 2013 is a great year to have a baby, and Jake, Lily, and I will be in New Jersey celebrating his impending arrival. But YOU should go and you tell me all about it!

Oh man, WHY must Allie be having a baby shower this weekend? This is so selfish of her. Her baby doesn’t even have ONE James Beard award yet, much less three. (Just kidding, Allie, I’m going to love him even if his greatest culinary talent is making ramen noodles at 2am on a Saturday night.)

But aaaaanyway, click here for more details about the cooking demo and to RSVP: http://new.pitchengine.com/pitches/b54986a0-1b4e-4e16-b47b-620b418e387a

And for real, if you are able to make it, give me all the details about how it is. I just might hunt Tom down at the next city on his tour so that I don’t have to miss all the fun!

Note: This post is sponsored by Everywhere but, as you would guess, all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Ants on a Log Ice Cream

May 8, 2013 By Lindsay 7 Comments

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Do you remember being a kid? I do. And I remember ants on a log. And I remember how sometimes you would get raisins as the “ants” and sometimes you would get chocolate chips and if you were REALLY lucky, you got both. If you aren’t familiar, it’s a dessert/snack in which you peel a banana, top it with peanut butter, and then top that with your ants of choice (but not actual ants if you a vegetarian like me). The first time I made it at home – because we’re all kids at heart, right? - Jake was dumbfounded. He had never seen anything like it before in his life. I almost called child services to report his parents for neglect! How could someone grow up without such a staple food ? (Don’t get me started on how he hadn’t heard of chicken pot pie.) But besides these obvious indiscretions, his folks provided him with a good childhood, so I guess I’ll let it slide. Just this once

And, really, I should be nice to Jake’s mom because Mother’s Day is this weekend (in the U.S.) and if I’ve learned anything from my own child, it’s that being a mom is a job that you’ll never get 100% right. Or even 75%. Thankfully, we don’t get performance reviews because Lily has ingested a peck of dirt in the last year alone. And she’s watched enough Disney Junior shows that she knows the theme song. Not just to the shows, to the channel. *let the magic begin do do do do doooo do* And, yes, she’s had Pirate’s Booty popcorn for breakfast when it got her to stop screaming on the way to the car (and when it’s not the popcorn, it’s the Nutri-Grain bars that I never knew until recently are actually not nutritious at all!). So, from now on, moms get a break. Especially this weekend. Bring me breakfast in bed, following by a healthy serving of this ants on a log ice cream. Better yet, just bring me the ice cream for breakfast. It’s healthier than what my kid’s been eating!

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Ants on a Log “Ice Cream”

4 very ripe bananas
3 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/3 cup chocolate covered raisins, plus more for topping

Peel the bananas, cut them into chunks, and freeze until they are solid (overnight is probably best).

Put the frozen banana pieces into a food processor and pulse, scraping the sides down occasionally, until the banana becomes creamy. It will happen! Transfer the banana to a storage container.

Microwave the peanut butter for about 10 seconds to soften it just a bit. Pour it over the banana and swirl through. Add the chocolate covered raisins and mix in.

If needed, refreeze until the mixture is set. Serve frozen with additional chocolate covered raisins on top.

Source: L+K Original

Filed Under: Banana, Ice Cream, Peanut Butter

Tomato Tortilla Soup

May 4, 2013 By Lindsay 1 Comment

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Jake and I had our margaritas in hand last night and decided we wanted more than just a burrito from Chipotle for Cinco de Mayo (don’t be confused, I’m sure we will have that this weekend, too). So, I went on a quest to find a recipe that looked light, delicious, and so very Mexican. Tortilla soup was the chosen one. I found a great recipe on 101 Cookbooks and was sold at oven-roasted tomatoes. I mean, come on. Not even restaurant soups garnish with oven-roasted tomatoes! Then I made a couple of changes to intensify the taste, make it more tomato-y, and make it friendlier to my pantry (because, let’s be honest, I use vegetable stock that comes in 4 cup containers and didn’t want an extra half emptied carton sitting in the fridge).

So, now that the soup is made, it’s time to celebrate! This is the most wonderful time of the year. The weather is beautiful, Mexican food is delicious, the Derby is on TV, Pittsburghers in better shape than me are running in the marathon, and Lily is definitely up for any party that includes tortilla chips. Or, as she calls them, chip-chips. Let’s do this!

Of course, this (below) is what my soup actually looked like when I loaded it up with avocado. It was delicious!
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To make the tortilla strips:

6-8 corn tortillas, cut in half and then into matchstick-thin strips a big splash of extra virgin olive oil fine grain sea salt

Toss the tortilla strips with olive oil and salt. Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake in a 350F degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy. Set aside.

To make the roasted tomatoes:

1 pint cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and salt

Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and spread them out on a baking sheet (I just used the same sheet as for my tortilla strips – who likes dishes?). Toss with olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Bake in a 350F degree oven for 40-45 minutes (less time if you use smaller cherry tomatoes), or until the tomatoes are shrunken and starting to brown. (The tomatoes will keep in an air-tight container in the fridge, so you can do this in advance.) Set aside.

To make the soup:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
about 5 slices pickled or fresh sliced jalapeno (optional and to taste)
juice of half a lime
1 28-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
shredded cheddar cheese, cojita cheese, or vegan shredded cheese, for topping

In a big pot over medium-high heat, cook the garlic and onions in the olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt for about 5 minutes (until they are fragrant). Stir in the spices, jalapenos, lime juice, and tomatoes. Cook for about five minutes until it thickens a bit. Add half the broth and puree with a hand blender (or use a traditional blender if you don’t have an immersion). Add the remaining broth and puree until smooth. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Salt to taste.

Serve topped with tortilla strips, the roasted tomatoes, cheese, and avocado.

Source: Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Five (Cinco!) of My Favorite Cinco de Mayo Recipes

May 2, 2013 By Lindsay 1 Comment

When it comes to food holidays, Thanksgiving ain’t got nothin’ on Cinco de Mayo! Here are a few (well, cinco to be exact) of my favorite recipes for you to try this weekend!

Roasted Corn Guacamole