What To Do With Purple Hull Peas:

Remember how I asked for purple hull pea recipes in my last post? Well, I didn't get any responses (it's ok... I doubt anyone knew what to do with them)... so I made one up! (as a side note, I did find one recipe on the world wide interweb that called for "fat back." I did NOT make that recipe.) I hulled the little buggers and they looked a lot like black eyed peas... so I made a three- bean salsa that came out pretty dang good, I must say! You'd like to know how to make it, you say? Wish granted:

Three Bean Salsa

1.5 cups cooked purple hull peas or black eyed peas (to cook, just boil in salted water until tender)

1 can black beans

1 can white beans

1 large red bell pepper, cored and diced

1.5 cups frozen corn, cooked (according to package directions)

1 container salsa

3 tomatoes, diced

juice (and zest) of one lime

1 small handful of cilantro

Salt, to taste

Smoked paprika, to taste

Ground red pepper, to taste

Chili Powder, to taste

Onion powder, to taste (you can use a fresh onion, but raw onions are rough on my tummy... so I stay away)

Drain the canned beans and combine everything in a large bowl until it tastes how you want it to! It doesn't get much more simple than that! (Note: use half of the lime zest first and then taste it. If it's perfect, don't add the rest of the zest - it might be too overpowering, depending on the size of your lime)

Purple Hull Peas
(no longer in the shell)



Those are my preferred bean brands.



Spices!

Mix it all up and enjoy!

Ryan and I ate the heck out of this stuff! I used it as a side dish with some baked grouper and we also ate it with some blue corn chips (Frito-Lay brand, of course). But, I think it would be great with tacos or quesadillas or... well... in a spoon!

Hope you enjoy it!

~ Mari

New Project...

I could barely contain my excitement when I picked up my very first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) bag yesterday evening... and can you blame me? Look at all the goodies I got for just $20!

(Clockwise from left)
Purple Hull Peas
White Hakurei Turnips
Bag of asian greens
Cucumbers
Baby Summer Squash
Yellow Peppers
Purple Eggplant
White Eggplant

To be honest, I've never worked with peas, turnips, or asian greens, so this will be an adventure! I will be getting one of these each week for the next 9 weeks and I plan to make some exciting new dishes with these exciting new ingredients! And please... if you have any suggestions, let me know! (Purple Hull Pea recipes anyone??)

Last night I did use those precious little summer squash on a yummy pasta dish. I just sauteed them with some shallots and added some (homemade) frozen pesto. Then I boiled some penne pasta and tossed it all together. I knew I could get Mr. Smith to eat squash! All I had to do was disguise it in pesto and pasta... two of his favorites!

So- keep checking back for the next 9 weeks for recipes (and, I'm sure, some epic recipe failures)!

~ Mari

P.S. If you're in the Macon/Warner Robins area, here is the website for the CSA baskets.

No Campfire Required

Smore's are the quintessential summer dessert. Images of campfires and flaming marshmallows come to mind... and then that yummy flavor of crispy and sweet graham crackers with gooey warm chocolate and crunchy/fluffy marshmallows... it's pretty delicious. So, when my mom emailed me this recipe, I got quite excited: Smore's... no campfire required!

Individual Smore's Cups and Bars

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

16 snack size Hershey bars

4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Press the dough into the bottom of each slot (should be 1/8 or ¼ inch thick). Take the rest of the dough and press into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8” pan.

Bake muffin tin for 10-15 minutes and the 8x8” pan 18-20 minutes or until set. Break the hershey’s bars in half and immediately put one in each of the cupcake liners. Once the 8x8” pan is out of the oven, do the same. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. (You can stick them back in the oven for 1-2 minutes if it isn’t melting)

Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 4 to 5 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.) Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm. Store any remaining bars/cups tightly covered.

Mise en Place

You can take out your frustration on the
graham crackers by pounding them
into oblivion...

After you add the butter to the dry mixture

Press the dough into the bottom of the cupcake liners

Press the dough into the baking pan

All baked!

Add the chocolate...

Nice and melty!

Do the same with the large pan

Add the marshmallows!

Ta-dah! :)

So, there you have it! The most yummy of smore's... and you don't have to be outside in the woods to eat them! Now, as a VERY IMPORTANT side note, do NOT stop watching them when they're under the broiler. I repeat: DO NOT take your eyes off of them. Why? This, my friends, is why:

Is it the surface of the moon? Nope. It's a lovely lava field of flame-broiled mini marshmallows. Don't do this. You'll be sad. Remember: only YOU can prevent marshmallow fires. :)
 
~ Mari

Thai Noodle Salad

According to the radio, today we have a heat advisory here in Middle Georgia. The high is going to be 102 degrees, but it will feel like 110 degrees. Awesome. So, I wanted to share with you a very refreshing and cooling salad that can make that heat a bit more bearable.

I got the idea from this month's issue of Fine Cooking magazine (my favorite cooking mag). In it, there was a section on limes and what to do with them. (Just buy a big bag and make the agua fresca from my last post... and this salad. Yum!) One recipe that really stood out to me was the Vietnamese-Style Rice Noodle Salad. And so, I did what I do... and adapted. Here's what I came up with:

Thai Noodle Salad

1 bunch Japanese buckwheat noodles (I found them at Kroger)
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 cups shredded chinese cabbage (if you can't find this, use iceburg lettuce)
2.5 large handfuls of broccoli slaw mix
1 small cucumber, diced
3-4 medium radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and let sit. When the water is boiling, add the noodles and stir. Cook according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and toss with the sesame oil (if it isn't enough to coat the noodles, add a little canola or olive oil).

While the noodles cool, prep the other veggies. Combine everything (except the peanuts) in the bowl and toss. Serve cool and sprinkle peanuts on top (so they don't get soggy).

Cooked buckwheat noodles
(They look just like what's on the package!)

Chinese Cabbage

Mmmm...

I served the salad with Chicken Satay
and Peanut Sauce
(Courtesy of Tyler Florence)

Stay cool and enjoy! ;)

~ Mari

A Tall Drink of Agua Fresca

Chances are, wherever you are right now, it's hot outside. And heat brings thirst... and I've honestly never had a more thirst-quenching and refreshing beverage than this one: Cucumber Lime Mint Agua Fresca. I realize it's a mouthfull (hah... I'm so punny), but it's so freaking fantastic! I don't usually post about beverages on this blog... in fact I don't think I ever have. But, this beverage deserved a post. It's from the site, Simply Recipes, and it is definitely simple to make and delicious to drink. Just make it. You'll be oh so glad and oh so cool.

Photo from Simply Recipes

Cucumber Lime Mint Agua Fresca
1 lb of cucumbers (about 2 good sized cucumbers), ends trimmed, but peel still on, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup lime juice from fresh limes (from about 1 pound of limes, or 5 to 10 limes, depending on how juicy they are)

1 1/4 cup packed mint leaves (about a large handful), woody stems removed

1/2 cup sugar (I used agave nectar to taste)

Approximately 1 1/4 cup of water

Put ingredients in blender, add enough water to fill 3/4 of blender. Hold the lid on the blender and purée until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the purée through it, pressing against the sieve with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid out as possible. Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice cubes. Add the juice. Serve with sprigs of mint and slices of lime.

Easy peasy! Please make it... and tell me if you like it!
 
~ Mari

Eggplant & Zucchini Gratin

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, and I apologize. My job has gotten more intense (which is a good thing), and I've had less free time. But, that's really no excuse since we've still been eating meals every day... and I've been cooking them.

For instance, two nights ago I made this not-so-healthy-but-OMG-delicious gratin inspired by Ina Garten's Eggplant Gratin. (Though, her recipe makes It's a teensy bit time-consuming, but worth it in the end (and can be enjoyed for 3 nights...)! It tastes like eggplant Parmesan bought sexy lingerie to impress its significant other.

Eggplant & Zucchini Gratin

Olive oil, for frying

All purpose flour

Garlic Salt

3 small eggplant, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 large zucchini, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick

15 oz. container low fat ricotta cheese

2 extra-large eggs

1 cup half-and-half

Grated Parmesan

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 jar tomato sauce

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put some all purpose flour into a bag with a few pinches of garlic salt. Add a few pieces of eggplant & zucchini and toss to coat.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant/zucchini and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant & zucchini slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant & zucchini until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, half-and-half, teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Note: When using the lowfat ricotta, it will be harder to mix because it doesn't have as much moisture or fat in it. Just be patient and keep whisking! It will get there!

In a 9x13" baking pan, place a layer of eggplant & zucchini slices in the bottom, sprinkle with Parmesan, and spoon 1/2 of the tomato sauce over it evenly. Next, add a half of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Repeat the process by adding a second layer of eggplant & zucchini, more Parmesan, the other half the ricotta mixture, and finally grated Parmesan on top. As a finishing touch, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the entire top of the gratin.

Place the gratin in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Let cool 8-10 minutes. Serve!
And here are some photos to help you get through the process...

An eggplant still life

It's in the bag, yo.

Fryin' em' up!

Mmmm... crispy

Layered in the pan

Covered in sauce and cheese = how I want to die.

More cheese :)

Ta dah! Bellissimo!

Good grief this tastes good...

I hope you make this and enjoy it as much as I did! :)

Happy summer!

~ Mari