Raspberry Kiwi Gazpacho

Greetings from the road! After 12 hours of driving north, watching state signs and miles fly past, we arrived at my parents house in Maryland! Our drive was amazingly peaceful, especially given that we were traveling on a holiday weekend - indeed, the only traffic we met en route was a family of geese along the roadside...

Yesterday, we relaxed a bit, as demonstrated perfectly by Marigold the puppy...

Then Kathleen arrived, and a glorious reunion and vegetarian cookout began!

Tempeh kabobs, complete with marinated tempeh, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and red pepper...

and then, for dessert...

Light, refreshing, summery fruit Gazpacho!

Raspberry Kiwi Gazpacho

4 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

5 T raw turbinado sugar
16 oz lime-flavored sparkling water
6 fresh mint leaves, finely minced
5 kiwi fruits, peeled
2 T lime juice
1 cup finely diced honeydew melon
1 cup finely diced cantaloupe

~ Puree the raspberries and turbinado sugar in a food processor until smooth.
~ Strain the raspberry puree through a sieve to remove the seeds.
~ Stir the sparkling water and mint into the raspberry puree.
~ Puree the kiwis and lime juice in the food processor until smooth.
~ Chill the raspberry puree and kiwi puree in the fridge until cold.
~ To serve, divide the raspberry puree between 6 chilled bowls. Divide the kiwi puree between the 6 bowls, pouring it into the center of the raspberry puree. Sprinkle the honeydew melon and cantaloupe into each bowl. Serve immediately, fresh and cold!

Happy Memorial Day! Let us sound forth our gratitude to those who have risked their lives to help build our country, strong and free...

Road Trip!

We're on the road... Driving north for a week in Maryland and Pennsylvania!! Updates of our adventures are sure to follow! :-)

Grilled Romaine Lettuce

You know you're a food blogger when you feel the need to take a picture of every single item on your plate before sampling a taste...

and you know you have wonderful foodie friends when they come to visit you and surprise you by fixing a stellar gourmet meal (how lucky am I? :-), and then, while you're distracted by the magical transformative process taking place on the grill, they remind you to take pictures for the blog!

I'm talking, of course, about our wonderful friend Donald the chef, who, along with my wonderful Zach, planned a dinner last night specifically in honor of the blog... I was simply floored - I feel so blessed simply to be able to maintain this blog, thanks to all of my wonderful blog-friends and Zach's endless patience with my "oh wait, I have to take one more picture from this angle!", but to have the blog become a communal event within our kitchen is even more wonderful...

Donald's Grilled Romaine Lettuce

4 hearts of romaine lettuce, each sliced in half lengthwise
Olive oil
8 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

~ Brush both sides of each romaine half with olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
~ Place the romaine halves cut-side down on the grill, just until nice char marks form.
~ Turn each romaine half over, sprinkle each with 2 tsp Parmesan, and continue to grill until the lettuce leaves are wilted and the stalks are still crisp-tender.
~ Serve immediately!

Skillet Flatbread with Zaatar

Another explanation for all these dessert recipes of late is that I must simply be in a baking mode. A bit uncharacteristic, admittedly, with the spring sun pouring down its full warmth such that steamed asparagus or new peas are the logical accompaniment, but when I'm suddenly drawn to the intricacies of rising flour and smooth batters I've learned not to question the impulse. This time, though, I was enchanted by a savory flatbread I spotted on Johanna's gorgeous blog, Green Gourmet Giraffe (where I seem to bookmark every recipe Johanna posts because they are so tantalizing!) Toasted in a skillet and sprinkled with smoked paprika and crunchy cornmeal, this particular flatbread seemed the perfect fusion between the skillet cornbreads of my southern heritage and the pita breads of of my Israeli roots.

I had further inspiration for adapting this recipe during this particular moment, for two of Zach's friends, Hampton and Donald (the chef of Black Bean Panini fame :-) are visiting with us for a week, and Hampton happened to mention yesterday in a casual way how much he enjoys the zaatar spice blend he finds at the Halal groceries he frequents in New Orleans. I don't believe he was quite anticipating the enthusiastic magnitude of my response, nor my immediate reaction, which was to start rummaging in cupboards for ingredients and the large iron skillet, but no one seemed to mind the end result...

Skillet Flatbread with Zaatar

*Adapted from the gorgeous recipe on Johanna's Green Gourmet Giraffe

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp zaatar (or oregano)
2 T cornmeal
2 cups water
2 T olive oil oil, divided

~ Stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, smoked paprika, zaatar, and cornmeal.
~ Stir in the water to make a thin batter.
~ Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a large skillet set on medium-high. Pour in half of the batter, and cook until golden brown on each side, flipping once. Repeat with the remaining 1 T of olive oil and the remaining half of the batter. Serve warm, with hummus for dipping!

Mocha Cheesecake with Greek Yogurt

Rarely do I post two desserts in succession, but then again, never before have I made a cheesecake with Greek yogurt. Such a cheesecake it was, as well... Fluffy, decadent, and even richer tasting than the classic sour cream cheesecake, with the augmented dividend of being even lighter than a sour cream cheesecake...

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot occurred earlier this week, hence my cheesecake baking - dairy foods such as cheesecakes and cheese crepes are traditional desserts served on Shavuot, a holiday that celebrates the day God gave the 10 Commandments. Like many traditions, the association between cheesecake and Shavuot has become somewhat fuzzy across the years, but one possible explanation is King Solomon's portrayal, in Song of Songs, of the word of God as "honey and milk are under your tongue." I love the poetry of the metaphor, and I'm delighted with any occasion that centers around cheesecake!

Naturally, though, as cheesecakes are so decadent, I wanted to create a lighter version still exploding with creaminess and luxurious texture, so I decided to build on the prototypical cream theme and use fat free Greek yogurt instead! I likely could have used fat free cream cheese as well, but I decided to compromise and selected reduced fat cream cheese for some decadence. I also had a pot of freshly brewed coffee handy, tantalizing me with its animating aroma, so I decided upon a mocha cheesecake...

This was a double celebratory cheesecake, as yesterday marked the official start of Zach's fourth and final year in medical school!! I'm SO proud of my Darlin'! Naturally, he deserved the grandest celebratory dinner possible, consisting of his favorite Eggplant Shepherd's Pie along with this sumptuous cheesecake...

Mocha Cheesecake with Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup light, nonhydrogenated vegan margarine, at room temperature
1/4 cup raw turbinado sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 T cocoa powder

16oz reduced fat cream cheese
2/3 cup raw turbinado sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 T strong brewed coffee
3 eggs
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
6 oz cocoa powder
3 T olive oil
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cacao)

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~ To make the crust, cream together the vegan marg and turbinado sugar. Cut in the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and cocoa powder until mixture is sandy and well-combined. Pour into a 9-inch pie pan, and press along the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
~ Meanwhile, the filling! Cream together the cream cheese and turbinado sugar until fluffy. Stir in the vanilla and coffee, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the Greek yogurt, followed by the cocoa powder and the olive oil. Finally, fold in the dark chocolate chips.
~ Pour the cheesecake filling into the pre-baked crust. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees, and bake for approx 1 hour - until the filling is set and only jiggles slightly upon movement. Cool on a wire rack until the cheesecake reaches room temp, then chill and serve with whipped cream!

Here's to you, my love. You are amazing!

Extraordinarily Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

I always find myself being very kind to telemarketers, because I have a certain amount of respect - sometimes grudging, sometimes freely given, but respect nonetheless - for people with the gumption to work in commission-based sales. Yesterday, for example, I stopped at Wal-Mart on my way home from work in search of cat-litter, and found myself halted by an unusually hyper greeting from a stranger poised somewhere halfway between juniors clothing and the pet food isle. All in a rush, she informed me that she was "simply struck" by my "fabulous style," and "just had to come over and introduce herself." Now, as flattering as this comment may seem, I was dressed in scrubs, and while I try to wear the cutest, most stylish scrubs I can find they are still a long way from Oscar de la Renta, I was on my way home from work at the end of the day, and thus my hair was escaping frizzly from its ponytail, and to add to all of this I seemed to have developed a reaction to the same moisturizer I've been using for months and thus was graced that day with a large red spot in the middle of my forehead. This stranger may have stopped me for any multitude of reasons, but I am quite certain it was not because she was "struck by my style" at that particular moment.

She was, as you may have already guessed from a similar experience, part of some pyramid sales company, but while most of my energy was occupied with escaping the conversation as rapidly as possible I did have to admire her bravery for being able to thus accost a complete non-acquaintance in the middle of a shopping market with such confidence.

Needless to say, there is a reason why I'm a nurse and not a salesperson. I'd much rather quietly patch up boo-boos, and then come home and bake cookies!

These particular cookies are akin to my beloved oatmeal breakfast cookies from my childhood... Extraordinarily healthy, packed with goodness, and barely sweet, with just a hint of dark chocolate for luxury. Perfectly appropriate for a special occasion breakfast, in my opinion, or for dessert after dinner any night of the week, or for when one has been startled by a surprise encounter at the shopping center and feels the need for a cookie in order to recover...

Extraordinarily Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup blueberry applesauce or any other sort of berry-applesauce without added sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 egg whites, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cacao)

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
~ Whip together the Greek yogurt, berry-applesauce, and honey until creamy.
~ Beat in the egg whites and vanilla
~ Stir together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
~ Stir in the rolled oats.
~ Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
~ Drop the batter by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, and bake for around 14 minutes - until the cookies are lightly golden brown. Of course, they're oh so very good warm...

Tofu Pad Thai

Ever since I completed my quest for ideal meatball and tofu-ball recipes, thanks to the patient instruction of my wonderful friend Kathleen, Pad Thai has become my new culinary nemesis. I've fixed countless different recipes, read innumerable pages on the theories of Thai cooking, and even had a professional chef give me a step-wise explanation of the process while I took notes, and still, every time, my Pad Thai came out lackluster, mushy, or just simply wrong. Never before have I encountered a recipe so capable of confounding me. I've even fixed other Thai dishes with gleeful success, but Pad Thai itself has stubbornly remained the lone dish in our slim, "Restaurant Only" file.

Until, that is, I read the post written by wonderful, inventive Steph of Steph Chows, detailing her triumphant victory with Pad Thai. Suddenly, I had new hope. I reread Steph's recipe with reverence and growing optimism, and was immediately arrested by its pure, unflustered qualities. Perhaps, I wondered, with sudden dawning realization, my troubles all along lay in over-complicating... I promptly decided to attempt a vegan Pad Thai of the very simplest, subtlest nature. Naturally, the vegan component excluded fish sauce and dried shrimp, thus conceding some authenticity, but I was searching instead for a recipe encapsulating simply the essence of Pad Thai, in all its subtleties of the perfect balance between sweet and sour, salty and spicy.

The results were magical. Each flavorful note sang out in perfect harmony, transported by the myriad of textures found in the tender tofu, silky rice noodles, crisp bean sprouts, and crunchy peanuts.

Pad Thai, it seems I was simply looking too hard for you, when you were actually hiding in my own cupboards all along, waiting to come home.

Tofu Pad Thai

*Adapted from Steph Chows' gorgeous, life changing recipe!

3 T soy sauce
1 tsp potato starch
1 lb tofu, pressed dry and cut into 1" x 2" pieces
10 oz rice noodles
1/4 cup tamarind sauce (basically tamarind paste already dissolved in water for you, so you don't have to worry with dissolving the sticky paste in hot water... I've found this at Asian grocery stores and sometimes even at Whole Foods)
1 rounded T chili sauce
3 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 cup bean sprouts
1 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
Sriracha hot sauce
Minced green onion
Roasted peanuts

~ Whisk together the soy sauce and potato starch. Pour the mixture over the tofu cubes, and set aside.
~ Soak the rice noodles in boiling water until they are just tender. Drain the noodles, rinse with cold water, return them to the cooking pot, and toss with a bit of olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together.
~ Whisk together the tamarind sauce and chili sauce, and set aside. Go ahead and taste the sauce, and if it's not quite sweet enough for your tastes, feel free to stir in some honey.
~ In a large wok over high heat, begin stir-frying the garlic and carrots in the canola oil until the garlic is just browned.
~ Add the tofu with the soy sauce marinade, and stir-fry until the tofu is heated through.
~ Reduce the heat to medium-high, and stir in the broth a little at a time, until a nice, thick sauce forms. (This will happen very quickly!)
~ Add the rice noodles, and pour in the tamarind sauce mixture. Toss the noodles frequently until heated through.
~ Add the bean sprouts, and stir-fry for 1 to 2 more minutes.
~ Remove the wok from the heat, stir in the cilantro, and season to taste with Sriracha hot sauce.
~ Serve warm, topped with minced green onion and roasted peanuts!

Whole Wheat Couscous Salad with Eggplant

I'm fascinated by the human propensity for ritual. I've only been working at my new job for 3 weeks now, and I already have a parking lot ritual: Every morning, I park in the same location, facing a forked, ivy-covered tree. It's a strikingly unique tree, and I enjoy being able to start my day by gazing at a bit of nature in the otherwise traffic-filled, chaotic inner-city environment of my new job.

My mornings are equally patterned - up at 5:30, shower (I'm one of those people who prefers working out at the end of the day; in the mornings I'm far too blurry and insensible to make much progress with weights or the stationary bike), dress in scrubs, then hasten downstairs to light the fire under the tea kettle, prepare my lunch for the afternoon (lunch, on the contrary, is not a ritual at all, as I quickly become board with the same lunch every day), and then, the best part of my morning, the simple delights of my favorite breakfast - a cup of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, topped with sliced banana and a handful of cereal (Trader Joe's High Fiber O's is my long standing favorite...)

I suppose you could say I have a rather ritualized relationship with eggplant as well, because it seems as though I cannot allow a week to escape without preparing some form of eggplant. Lightened eggplant Parmesan, babaganoush, Zach's favorite sweet and sour eggplant salad, grilled eggplant, simple roasted eggplant... I have a rather epic fondness for this unusual, purple vegetable extending all the way back to a childhood filled with my father's fried eggplant and little cans of pickled eggplant imported from Israel. I suppose few children would count pickled eggplant among their favorite foods, but I wanted to eat whatever Dad ate, even gamely playing along with spice-tolerance contests, in which each of us would top each bite of our toast and eggs with increasing quantities of fiery hot chili paste. Thus began a life-long infatuation with eggplants and spicy foods.

While we're on the topic of personal traditions, another one of the weekly habits Zach and I created is fixing brunch together every Saturday or Sunday morning (and sometimes both!)

Yesterday morning found me pondering how delighted I am with Trader Joe's whole wheat bagels, which are deliciously chewy, have a terrific nutrition profile that far surpasses any other bagels I've met, and are even vegan, too! How cool is that?



(TJ's whole wheat bagels with smoked salmon, avocado, and capers...)

Returning to the larger subject at hand, though, perhaps I am so fond of the simple pleasures of little rituals because I tend to be so spontaneous about most of life... Indeed, amidst all the "let's go to North Carolina for the weekend for no apparent reason," it is comforting to know there will always be an eggplant.

Whole Wheat Couscous Salad with Eggplant

* Adapted from the May issue of Nutrition Action Newsletter *

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium-sized eggplant, finely chopped
2 T tomato paste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T honey
1 cup vegetable broth

~ Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
~ In a saucepan, bring the 1 cup broth to a boil. Stir in the couscous and chickpeas, cover, and set aside.
~ In the same, now empty, skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the bell pepper, onion, celery, and eggplant until the onion and eggplant are tender.
~ Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir in the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar, and honey.
~ Stir in the broth, and simmer for 10 minutes - until the liquid is reduced by around 1/3.
~ Stir the eggplant mixture into the couscous mixture, and serve warm or cold, topped with the toasted pecans!

On the blog this time last year... Spinach and Tomato Tart!