Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

adapted from Martha Stewart's Rhubarb Raspberry Recipe

Round two of Rhubarb! I decided to make a quick and simple compote which can be served warm or cold, over ice cream, yogurt, toast, oatmeal, or by itself with a spoon... :) It's perfect and VERY easy!

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar (could have used even less; original recipe called for 1 cup)
1/2 pound fresh rhubarb (sliced in 1 inch thick pieces)
1 pint strawberries (halved or quartered, depending on size)

Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar and the rhubarb to a simmer. Cook until rhubarb is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Fold in strawberries. Let stand until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Yum!

Fish Tacos!

For Family Dinner this past Sunday we decided to make fish tacos! We were inspired by this new restaurant near out house called Surfside, that has the most amazing fish tacos! Everything came together really well considering we didn't follow any particular recipe.


First, we marinaded fresh tilapia fillets in lime juice, orange juice, lime zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. We grilled the tilapia and then divided the fish into soft corn tortillas. Each plate was accompanied by a grilled lime (a trick we learned from Surfside!).

Then we set out two different homemade salsas: corn/black bean and pineapple/mango, plus shredded green cabbage (tossed in red wine vinegar, salt and pepper) and sour cream. Then everyone was encouraged to build their own tacos! We also made a giant bowl of coconut rice on the side (which was quite a hit!).

Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

2 large, ripe mangoes (diced)
2 cups pineapple (diced)
4-5 tomatillos (quartered)
4 scallions (finely chopped)
1 small red onion (diced)
Fresh cilantro (chopped)
Juice of two limes
Zest of one lime
1/2 cup pineapple juice
salt and pepper

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients
4 ears of corn (grilled and shaved)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 medium tomatoes (diced)
Juice of two limes
Zest of one lime
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
Salt and pepper

Coconut Rice
adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients
3 cups long-grain white rice
2tablespoons unsalted butter
2 (13- to 14-oz) cans unsweetened coconut milk
1.5 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan over moderately high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, waterand salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Chickpea, Tomato and Feta Salad

I was looking for a way to spice up my boring salad lunches, so I decided to make this easy salad after seeing something similar on Martha Stewart's website. This was super easy and I was actually excited for lunch today! I filled Tupperware with some leafy greens and baby carrots. Then I added about 3/4 cup of the Chickpea salad and enjoyed it with a whole wheat pita. Yum!

Ha ha, so much so that I finished it off before I remembered to take a photo! Use your imagination....

Ingredients
1 can chickpeas
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion (finely chopped)
2 oz. crumbled feta (approximately)
1 lemon (juice + zest)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions
Combine chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion and feta in a medium bowl. Add olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Voila! Lunch is served!

Kale Chips

I know, I know, these sound crazy. But trust me they are AWESOME. I bought a huge bunch of kale for the Minestrone soup last week. I had a lot left over and wasn't sure what to do with it. I saw these on Kath Eats Real Food, a blog I currently love to read, and was intrigued... I figured they were simple enough that if it didn't work out, no big deal. Well Tony and I were both pleasantly surprised. Although you can't tell from the pictures, the kale goes from a bouncy leafy green to a crisp chip in a matter of 15 minutes! They are crunchy and salty and a delicious side dish. Who would have thought?!?....

Ingredients
1 bunch Kale
2 tsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Parmesan Cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheet with tin foil. Tear kale leaves off stems and tear into bite size pieces. Spread kale onto cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with grated parm. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are brown and kale is crispy. Enjoy!

It's the Great Pumpkin!

We picked these pumpkins from a pumpkin patch in Virgina last weekend:

And delicious Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread seeds out on a baking sheet. We seasoned them with half salt (me) and half Old Bay (Tony). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Make sure not over-bake- they burn very easy!

Happy Halloween!!

Roasted Winter Vegetables

adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

Serves 6

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
4 small turnips, peeled and cut in half
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 pound butternut or acorn squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
12 ounces brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Olive-oil, cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray two 12-by-14-inch roasting or jelly-roll pans with cooking spray. Arrange onions, turnips, carrots, squash, and brussels sprouts evenly in the two pans. Drizzle all with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and toss lightly to coat vegetables. Sprinkle each pan with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle rosemary and thyme evenly over each pan.

Roast for 25 minutes. Turn vegetables with a spatula for even browning. Cook until vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, 15 to 25 minutes more (brussels sprouts may cook faster than other vegetables; if so, transfer to a serving platter, and keep warm until remaining vegetables are tender).