Vanilla Yogurt with Nectarines and Balsamic

I was pretty hungry today. So about an hour ago I tossed this together. It's healthy, it's sweet, it's full of good things that will keep me full until dinner or longer. And it's tasty!

Vanilla Yogurt Balsamic Snack

1 container Vanilla Yogurt

1 chopped nectarine

1 tsp (a drizzle) Chocolate Balsamic

Stir together.

If you have any nuts on hand, or granola.... go for it!

Toasted Sesame and Coconut Almonds

This is just a snack I threw together today. I will make it at home even better one of these days....

Toasted Sesame and Coconut Almonds

handful of almonds

a little Toasted Sesame Oil

a little White Coconut Balsamic

Stir it all together and enjoy!

I intend to toast the almonds at home and maybe sprinkle some sesame seeds on them too. But that's really the only differences. I think this is just abut perfect as is. Maybe next time they can spend 20 seconds in the microwave....

Zippy Pasta Salad

I was been intending to make this salad for awhile now. Finally got to it. Whoo! And it is soooo good. Very sad I waited this long.

Think I'm making this for the next BBQ.

Zippy Pasta Salad

1 lb tri color rotini

1/4 - 1/3 lb sliced pepperoni

1/4 - 1/3 lb sliced salami

1/3 - 1/2 lb pepperjack cheese

2 tbsp White Kiwi Balsamic

2 tbsp Sundried-Tomato Parm and Garlic Olive Oil

--Extra 1 tbsp Olive Oil

Cook the rotini. Run cold water over it and put in the fridge to cool completely. 

Dice the meats and cheese and toss with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. I do this to try and break up the meat slices. You could also get them unsliced and make cubes. 

Toss the meats with the chilled noodles and the remainder of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.

Mushroom Teriyaki with Balsamic Vinegar

I am so so so excited. I love our Toasted Sesame Oil! I love Asian foods, so it's perfect for so many things I like to cook. And sesame is a very hard flavor to get in an olive oil, I know, we've tried.

Mushroom Teriyaki with Balsamic

1/2 pkg of fettuccine noodles

2 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 pint sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp Traditional Balsamic

1 onion, sliced thinly

2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil with Garlic and Ginger

Salt

Cook the fettuccine a minute less than al dente. Set it aside.

Heat the Sesame Oil in a large saute pan to medium high heat. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt. Saute for 5 minutes or so. The onions should be soft and starting to caramelize. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the noodles to the pan and the teriyaki sauce and Balsamic. Toss everything to coat. Cover and let cook for another 2-4 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!

Caprese Bread Pudding

Mmmmmm.... This is what I had for breakfast this morning!

And dinner last night.

And what I may be making again tomorrow.

Don't judge. You know you do the same thing!

Caprese Bread Pudding

1/2 loaf day old french bread, torn into small pieces

1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

10-20 basil leaves, chopped or torn

3-4 tbsp Italian Herb Olive Oil, divided

3/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

 4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Salt and Pepper

Use some Olive Oil to grease a small casserole pan or 9x9 square pan. Arrange the bread evenly.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a small saute pan to medium heat. Put in the tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes. The skins of the tomatoes should start to get wrinkly. Stir in the basil and remove from the heat immediately. Pour over the bread and sprinkle with the cheese.

Whisk the egg and milk together with a little salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the egg and milk mixture evenly over the bread and tomatoes. Let sit for about 20 minutes.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check it at about 20 minutes, the egg should be nice and fluffy and the bread should be browned and starting to get a little crispy. 

Toasted Sesame Omelette

This spicy little thing came about because I was hungry, but didn't really want to cook. That means it's time for eggs. Cooking an omelette isn't really cooking to me. If it only takes 2 minutes, it's not cooking.

So egg! Half the time with this comes from beating the eggs beforehand.

Spicy Toasted Sesame Omelette

2 eggs
1 tbsp Spicy Condiment with Mushrooms*
2 tbsp shredded cheddar
1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
a pinch of sesame seeds


Spread the Toasted Sesame Oil around the pan and heat to medium. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat, stirring in the mushrooms and the cheddar. When it is well combined, pour into the heated pan.

Now wait until it starts to appear dry on top. Flip and cook for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, fold and serve.

*available by phone or in store

Zucchini Lemon Cake

Once more, Zucchini!

I never did get around to making the zucchini bread over again. But this works out as a good substitute.

The only problem I had, was I ran out of confectioner's sugar when it came time to make the frosting! I love the rustic texture of the brown sugar though, so it's not a problem for me, but make sure you check that you have all your ingredients before hand!

Zucchini Lemon Cake

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Lemon Twist Sea Salt
1 cup pureed zucchini, about 1 1/2 zucchinis
chopped zucchini skin
1/4 cup Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
juice of 1 lemon
zest of one lemon, chopped

Preheat your oven to 375. Spray a 9 inch round pan or rub it down with olive oil.

Prepare your zucchini! Wash and peel them, but don't discard the skins. Dice about 1 1/2 zucchini's and put them in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. You may need to add a little of the olive oil to make it smooth, but I wouldn't say more than 3 tbsp all together. You could also use a little water. Chop the skins and set aside.

Sift together all the dry ingredients, except the skins in one bowl and set aside. Stir all the wet ingredients, including the lemon juice together in another larger bowl until they combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once everything is thoroughly combined, fold in the walnuts and the zucchini and lemon skins.

Pour into the pan and smooth down. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool on a wire rack before frosting. Try a cream cheese or sour cream frosting, or my brown sugar frosting is after the pictures.

Rustic Brown Sugar Sour Cream Frosting

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/2 c sour cream
1 tsp lemon extract

Whip everything together and chill before serving. You could heat the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves before whipping everything together, but I think it tastes wonderful as is. I just call it rustic.

Zucchini Noodle Stir-fry

More zucchini!!!

I just got a julienne peeler. This thing is so cool! And sharp. It makes little ribbon-y noodle shapes out of your veggies...and your fingers...

No blood in this dish. Just watch out!

Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry

2-3 zucchini

1 tsp minced garlic

1 bag Asian mix stir fry veggies

2 tbsp Blood Orange Olive Oil

1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil with Ginger and Garlic

Use your julienne peeler to make noodles from your zucchini. Pat dry and set aside.  If your veggie mix is frozen, heat the Blood Orange Olive Oil in a large saute pan to medium high heat. Pour the veggies and the garlic into the pan and cover. Let steam 1-2 minutes until they are softened. If they are thawed, turn the heat up to high and saute them and the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini noodles and the Sesame Oil.

Turn the heat to medium high and toss everything to coat. Let cook until the 'noodles' are softened, about 1 more minute.

Braised Zucchini with Tomatoes

This is a very simple dish. And while I am usually a big flavor person, I love this dish because it's flavors are simple as well.

Sometimes you just need something more delicate!

Braised Zucchini with Tomatoes

2-4 Zucchini
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
        or 5-7 small Campari tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp White Grapefruit Balsamic
3 tbsp Basil Olive Oil, divided

Wash your zucchini and slice into long wedges. I like them sliced in half and then longways about 3 or four times. Halve or quarter your tomatoes.

Heat 2 tbsp of the Olive Oil in a large flat saute pan to medium high heat. Brown the zucchini on all sides. Takes about 3-4 minutes per side, don't forget to do the skin side too! Remove them to a plate and get your tomatoes.

With the heat still at medium, slide the tomatoes into the pan. You may need the extra tablespoon of oil now. Brown them as well, about 4 minutes. The skin should be a little wrinkly. Before the tomatoes get to the gooey stage, but just after they reach the juicy stage, stir the zucchini back in.

Cover and cook 1-2 minutes more. Toss with the Grapefruit Balsamic and a little fresh pepper and salt to taste. I like the Black Hawaiian with zucchini!

Enjoy!

Walnut Zucchini Bread

This zucchini bread was first posted back in January. Later this week, I hope to make a new version of it! But this recipe is still delicious.

Walnut Zucchini Bread

1 cup walnuts, chopped
3 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup Butter Olive Oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 or 3)

Preheat the oven to 375degrees. Lightly grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Use the 8x4 size.

Mix the oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl.

Sift all the dry ingredients together in another bowl. Mix in the zucchini and nuts. Stir in the dry ingredients slowly.  When everything is well combined, pour into the prepared pans.

Bake about 50 minutes. Mine took more like 55. A testing stick should come out clean.

Cool slightly before removing it from the pan.

Please note that this poor zucchini loaf has been squashed in plastic wrap 

and dropped. I am sorry poor little zucchini loaf!

*Additions: 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup grated zucchini, 1 cup grated carrot or apple
Sub in Vanilla Olive Oil, and don't use vanilla extract
Use Blood Orange Olive Oil and 1/2cup candied orange peel

Coupon!