Granola + Smoked Fish Spread - an unlikely pair!

Low fat Granola made with Honey

I found this recipe in the Bon Appetite Magazine and it comes from 

the beloved Molly Wizenberg, I just changed it around a little bit.

ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds or walnuts
• 1/2 cup coconut chips, unsweetened and crumbled into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil or canola oil
• 1 cup assorted dried fruit (I use mostly cranberries)

preparation

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir honey and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes. Place sheet on rack. Stir granola; cool. Mix in fruit.
  
  
  
  
  And the following worked well for a Memorial Day brunch:
  scrambled eggs
  goat cheese ensconced in Herbes de Provence
  home-baked Nutella brownies
  baguette
  fresh berries
  champagne
  orzo pasta salad with Kalamata olives
  smoked fish spread (recipe from my friend Cathy):
  
  
  1/2 pound smoked trout (I used a combination of black cod and salmon only because our fish monger doesn't carry trout)
  1/2 cup creme fraiche
  2 tablespoons minced shallots
  2 tablespoons minced chives
  Juice of 1/2 lemon
  Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  
  

Cilantro!

My friend Tina turned me onto cooking with cilantro in a different way. I sauté a little bit of thinly sliced onion and half a bunch of chopped cilantro in olive oil. The cilantro takes on a completely different taste, more mellow, kind of intriguing. Then I add a few sliced zucchini and continue to sauté all of it until tender. Seasoned with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a bit of sea salt, it tastes quite delicious!

Spring time Asparagus time

For a small surprise birthday party, I made a wonderful little goat cheese dip inspired by "Delicious Dips by Diane Morgan". Fresh goat cheese with garlic, chopped pistachios, chives, black pepper, very simple! I served it with green asparagus bundles. I blanched asparagus and put it in a ice bath. When cooled, I tied three spears with blanched chives, cute!

On a blue day....

The only thing that helps is cooking. There is so much that can set me off, friends, too high of expectations, lack of children blah blah blah. So I cook. I have been dying to try this Tapioca Coconut Pudding from Sunset Magazine, so it's my first project. Had no fresh vanilla bean, ah well, but used vanilla extract and added a tablespoon of rum instead. I think tasty!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup small pearl tapioca
• 1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk (I use low fat)
• About 1 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Rum (my addition, not needed but very good!)
• chopped fresh fruit such as mango, papaya, kiwi fruit, passion fruit, pineapple

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan, cook tapioca in 1 1/2 qts. boiling water until only slightly chewy to the bite, 5 to 8 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer.

2. Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the coconut milk, 1 cup soy milk, the sugar and vanilla until steaming, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Stir drained tapioca into vanilla mixture. Cook, stirring often, until tapioca pearls are clear and just tender, 3 to 6 minutes.

4. Let pudding cool, then chill, stirring occasionally, at least 1 1/4 hours.

5. Spoon pudding into tall glasses. Top with fresh fruit.

If pudding is too thin, adjust the amount of tapioca (use a little more) and milk (use a little less)

Next on my blues list: Gougere, from a recipe by Molly Wizenberg, she blogs as Orangette. Just the thought is uplifting.

So I made dinner out of my creations. Gougere, 4 to be exact, with a glass of Soave, divine, and for dessert, the pudding with fresh figs and cantaloupe, not so bad!

Cooking for friends on Labor Day

One of my favorite things, cooking for friends. On the menu:

Roasted red bell pepper salad

Fresh figs, wild arugula, ciliegine (small mozzarella balls), Kalamata olives and basil with an orange oil vinaigrette

Pork tenderloin from the grill

olive oil, herbes de province, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, sumac

Grilled zucchini

salt, pepper, olive oil

Teeny, tiny potatoes

steamed, with sour creme tsaitsiki: Persian cucumbers, breakfast radishes, olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, a bit of vinegar

Everyone ate everything!

Humble beginnings

Cooking is my passion, and for the 4th of July I decided to make red, white and blue potato salad! Using Peruvian blues, white and red-skinned potatoes (purchased at Trader Joe's :o)) and mixing them with homemade mayonaise (with olive oil instead of canola oil), a little minced onion, fresh thyme and parlsey, oh and for a little crunch, defrosted but uncooked miniature peas. It sounds good, hope it tastes even better!