Slow Roasted Tomatoes

I have come close to recreating an all time favorite of mine: marinated slow roasted tomatoes. Specifically the marinated slow roasted tomatoes from Wholefoods in Boston. My friend and I use to purchase these quite frequently for our pizza making dates, and every time it was an absolute struggle to not eat them all before they made their way to the pie pan.

These little yummies are definetly worth the time it takes to make them. They are amazingly tasty on their own but I also like to use these little tomato treats to add a little extra flavor to bruschetta, pasta, pizza and salads.

Marinated Slow Roasted Tomatoes

10 medium sized roma tomatoes

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil spritzer

3 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp.parsely

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat over to 200 degrees.

Slice tomatoes into sixths and lay on baking sheet meaty side up. Sprinkly lighty with salt and pepper and bake at 200 degrees for about 5 hours. When tomatoes have shrunken in size and the water content is noticibly less, remove from oven and let cool.

Place in bowl and mix with vinegar and spritz with evoo. Mix in spices and set in fridge until very cold, preferably overnight.

Enjoy. Yummy yummy!

Krisyp Kale

A tid bit about KALE!

Most people pass by kale at the market and relate it as the unfortunate sibling to lettuce. And at first glance, this may be a logical thought but kale is actually closer cabbage than lettuce. Until recently, my only memory of kale was in my great grandmother's Portuguese kale soup. I'm sure if grandma Elsie was still her today to make her culinary masterpiece, I would eat it, enjoy it and love it down to the last bit, but if you do better with your green leafy veggies crunchy rather than soggy, I think you will really enjoy the following recipe.

Making a crispy baked kale is so simple it hurts and incredibly delicious and nutritious as it is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and calcium. I had found similar store bought products at health food stores such as Wholefoods but when you make this snack at home you can customize it your taste buds as well as your budget.

Krispy Kale

1 head of kale

1 tsp olive oil

chili powder

nutritional yeast

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Rinse Kale in salad spinner and tear medium to large pieces of the kale off the spine of the leaf and lay flat on the cookie sheet.

Using a spritzer bottle, lightly spray kale with olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper and chili powder and nutritional yeast.

Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy.

The beauty about this recipe is that you can season anyway you like it. I also enjoy brewers yeast, garlic powder, cayenne and red pepper flakes. The possibilities are endless. This is a wonderful snack on its own, on top of a salad, in a sandwich and I especially like this paired with marinated tomatoes. Enjoy. Yummy yummy!

A Coconut Creation

Recently, I posses an intense longing for anything coconut. That includes (but is not limited to) the following: anything with coconut on it, in it or flavored like it. Yum. Being surrounded by coconuts might also have something to do with it. Or maybe it's just Maui.

Baker be warned. This is one of those recipes. It is so delicious, it brings out the sweet tooth in just about anyone.

COCONUT MACAROONS DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE

3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup sugar

5 egg whites (about 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or milk chocolate if you prefer)

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil and reduce heat. Place glass bowl on top of pan and mix sugar and egg whites. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Now mix in shredded coconut until well blended and transfer to a small pie plate or cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours or until cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a cookie pan. Using either your hands or spoons (I find my hands work much better), gently scoop about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and form your macaroons and place on pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden.

Remove from cookie sheet and set in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. When ready, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and coat 1/3 of the macaroon.

Yummy yummy!

Brussels Sprouts: A Love Story

I honestly don't remember the fearless moment of my first brussels sprout purchase. I do, however, recall on more than one occasion during my youth, hearing an adult say "brussels sprouts" and "yuck" in the same sentence.

What was it that compelled me to purchase my first mini cabbage impostor? If I had to pin point a certain circumstance, I would have to point blame on Trader Joe's back home in Boston and their sassy packaging. Oh Trader Joe's! I vaguely remember some small print on the back of the bag that mentioned if you've ever cooked brussels sprouts and they smelled like farts, then you have failed this green miserably. Something like that anyway...

Nevertheless, my love of this beautiful veggie has sprouted since my college years. I find them to be so cute sitting in the little baskets at the farmers market and when Wholefoods sells them on the stalk, I can't resist.

When purchasing brussels, I tend to pick the smaller ones as I find them to be slightly less bitter. And as wikipedia states, "overcooking releases the glucosinolate sinigrin, which has a sulphurous odor," so don't do it.

Mixed Greens with Brussels Spouts, Red Beets and Quinoa

Ingredients for salad:

Mixed Greens

5 brussels sprouts

1 small beet (red or golden)

1/4 cup cooked quinoa*

1 tsp honey

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for salad dressing:

1/2 cup white miso paste

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup light soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

5 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp of rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp of toasted sesame oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

(If I'm in the mood, I'll add a clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp grater ginger).

You certainly don't need to make this dressing with this salad but it's delicious, easy to make and keeps up to a week plus in the fridge. Try it! But, feel free to substitute any other light vinaigrette for this recipe to save on time.

Mix 1 tsp miso dressing into 1/4 cup cooked qinoa. Set aside.

Chop beet into small cubes and spray lightly with OO and season with salt and pepper. Pan saute for 6-7 minutes or tender on medium heat. Transfer to plate and let cool.

Quarter each brussels sprout and spray lightly with OO and season with salt and pepper. Pan saute on medium heat for 6-7 minutes (depending on size) until the outside of the brussels starts to brown. Drizzle the honey and stir for one more minute, lowering the heat. Transfer to plate with beets.

Plate greens and top with seasoned quinoa, beets and brussel sprouts and enjoy!

*New to quinoa? This yummy and filling grain-like topping can be made ahead of time and added to any salad when more substance is needed. I enjoy my quinoa a little more "firm" than other recipes out there.

1 cup quinoa to 1 1/3 cup of water. Mmmmm.