Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Summer Peach & Tomato Salad


This is the perfect summer salad. Refreshing, healthy, delicious and chock full of the freshest, ripest summer produce imaginable. Peaches, tomatoes, fresh mint and toasted almonds. The splash of vinegar adds a touch of sweetness, the freshly cracked black pepper a bit of spice. I usually prepare the dish early in the afternoon and allow to chill in the fridge until dinner.


I like serving alongside grilled fish or chicken. Or with BBQ ribs. Perfect with Mexican food or as part of a salad bar supper. Finely chop the ingredients and add tortilla chips for a tasty and different salsa. Taste and tell me what you think.


Summer Peach & Tomato Salad
(serves 6-8)

 1 lb fresh ripe peaches, cut into pieces 1 inch in diameter (I do not peel)
1 lb heirloom tomatoes, cut into pieces 1 inch in diameter
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons best quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

 Combine all ingredients except almonds in a medium sized bowl. Stir to combine and refrigerate a minimum of two hours. Just prior to serving, stir in almonds. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.




Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating Summer Peaches. Do you have a favorite peach recipe? Please share in the comments section of this post. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

 Virtually Homemade: Mixed Summer Fruit Baked Oatmeal
Homemade Delish: Bite-Sized Peach Panini
The Heritage Cook: Grilled Chicken with Peach Chimichurri Sauce (Gluten-Free)
Weelicious: Peach and Ricotta Crostini
Creative Culinary: Fresh Peach and Bourbon Upside Down Cake
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chocolate Dipped Peaches with Sea Salt
Red or Green: Summer Peach & Tomato Salad
The Mom 100: Sour Cream Peach Cobbler
Domesticate Me: Peach Crumble Smoothie
Daisy at Home: Creamy Peach Popsicles
In Jennie's Kitchen: Six Ways to Savor Peaches
Healthy Eats: 7 Healthy Ways to Use Peaches in Their Prime
Taste with the Eyes: Grilled Peach Salad, Over-The-Top Maple Bourbon Dressing
Swing Eats: Grilled Peaches with Greek Yogurt, Honey, Lime Zest, and Vanilla
Dishin and Dishes: Bacon Wrapped Grilled Peaches with Goat Cheese and Aged Balsamic
FN Dish: 8 Juicy Ways to Eat Peaches Before They're Gone

best,
diane

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.
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Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Ice Cream Sandwiches With Frozen Yogurt.


I first posted this recipe on my Napa Farmhouse 1885 blog back in 2011. The frozen dessert was featured in a special issue of the now defunct magazine Everyday Food. Back then, gluten free recipes were just starting to become popular. Since then, I have made the delicious almond flour cookies numerous times and served then with everything from fresh fruit and caramel dipping sauce to a side for pudding. But my favorite way is filled with frozen yogurt. Of course, you can use the more traditional ice-cream, but the frozen yogurt just sounds healthier, right?



Ice Cream Sandwiches scream summer to me. Honestly, they can be made year round but when the weather is hot, and the sun is shining, nothing is more cooling and refreshing than this dessert. Even better, the cookies are a snap to make and, once they are baked, the recipe is as simple as spooning best quality frozen yogurt between two cookies, sandwiching them together and eating. For a more indulgent dessert, dip half the cookie into caramel or chocolate sauce and serve. Enjoy!


Ice Cream Sandwiches With Frozen Yogurt
(From Everyday Food)
(makes 12 sandwiches)

For the almond shortbread cookies:
1/2 cup almond meal flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown rice flour. plus more for rolling
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (**I used vegan butter, earth balance brand)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/3 cup organic coconut sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk

For the yogurt:
Purchase a best-quality frozen yogurt in the flavor(s) of your choice.  I made 1/2 of this recipe with chocolate frozen yogurt and 1/2 with black cherry.
chocolate or caramel sauce if desired.

Directions for the cookies:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, starches, and salt.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add vanilla and egg yolk and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed, 1 minute.  With the mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until dough comes together (dough will be sticky).  Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 1/4-inch-thick round.  With a 2 1/2 inch fluted cookie cutter (or any shape you like) cut dough into 24 rounds and place on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets (reroll scraps if necessary).  Freeze 15 minutes, and then bake until cookies are lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes.  Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks, 20 minutes. (to store, transfer to an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days)  To serve, transfer frozen yogurt to the refrigerator to soften, 20 minutes. Scoop 1/4 cup of the frozen yogurt onto flat sides of 12 cookies and sandwich with remaining cookies. Serve immediately.  If desired, dip into chocolate or caramel sauce, set on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet for 2 minutes in the refrigerator to harden and then serve.
Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating Frozen Desserts. Do you have a favorite frozen dessert recipe? Please share in the comments section of this post. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

 The Hungry Traveler Blog: Banana Coconut Paletas
The Lemon Bowl: Chocolate Peanut Butter Magic Shell
Creative Culinary: Strawberry, Lemon and Basil Sherbet
The Heritage Cook: Grilled Plums and Port Parfaits (Gluten-Free)
TasteBook: Triple Chocolate Mousse Pie
Dishin & Dishes: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
Homemade Delish: Jalapeno and Peach Gelato
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Healthy Chocolate & Greens Fudgsicles
Red or Green: Ice Cream Sandwiches with Frozen Yogurt
The Mom 100: Easy Chocolate Mousse
Weelicious: Fruity Lemonade Ice Pops
Taste with the Eyes: Figs and Sabayon à la Julia Child
Healthy Eats: Puddings, Pops and Pies: 7 Desserts Best Served Cold
In Jennie's Kitchen: Seven Sensational Frozen Treats
FN Dish: 8 Desserts to Check Off Your Frozen-Treat Bucket List

best,
diane

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Summer Pasta With No-Cook Tomato Sauce


When fresh produce is perfectly ripe, I do not like to mess around with overly complicated recipes. This pasta dish is a perfect example. Just picked-from-the-garden tomatoes combined with fresh garlic, sweet onion and a handful of herbs. Of course I add dried red pepper flakes for some heat...this is the Red or Green? Blog after all.



I don't even cook this sauce. The heat from the hot pasta warms the vegetables and melts the cheese. Easy, quick, no-cook, delicious. Wonderful on scorching summer nights. Just do me a favor, do not even attempt this dish without sustainably grown, in-season produce and the best-quality-you-can-afford ingredients. A recipe this simple requires excellence from each item.  Enjoy!



Summer Pasta With No-Cook Tomato Sauce
(serves 6 as a main course)

 2 lbs heirloom tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sweet onions, chopped
1/4 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
pinch dried red pepper flakes
1/4 cup basil leaves (julienned)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
sea salt
black pepper
8 oz fresh buffalo mozzarella, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb dried pasta (any shape you like)

 Place first 7 ingredients in a large, non-metal, bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

 Cook pasta according to package directions. When cooked, drain and add hot pasta to tomato mixture. Immediately stir in herbs and cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating Summer Tomatoes. Do you have a favorite tomatoes recipe? Please share in the comments section of this post. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

 The Heritage Cook: Rice and Cheese Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes (Gluten-Free)
The Lemon Bowl: 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef & Eggplant
Homemade Delish: Sweet Tomato Jam
Healthy Eats: 7 Seasonal Uses for Fresh Tomatoes
Creative Culinary: Warm Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta 
Weelicious: Heirloom Tomato Salad
Dishin & Dishes: Cobb Salad with Homemade Roasted Onion Vinaigrette
Domesticate Me: 10 Totally Awesome Tomato Recipes
Swing Eats: Tiny Insalata Caprese
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Tomato and Swiss Tart
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Tomato Pickle
Taste with the Eyes: Quiche with a Black Quinoa Crust, Heirloom Tomatoes, Spinach, Goat Cheese
Red or Green: Summer Pasta With No-Cook Tomato Sauce
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Heirloom Tomato & Crouton Casserole (Scalloped Tomatoes)
The Mom 100: Chopped Salad with Chicken, Tomatoes and Lemon Thyme Dressing
FN Dish: 10 Ways to Be a Tomato Whisperer

best,
diane

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Gott's Gazpacho

all photos from this story courtesy Ashley Teplin
I posted this recipe a few years ago on my Napa Farmhouse 1885 blog. This gazpacho is so delicious that it needs to be shared once again. The recipe is from Gott's Roadside Restaurant. Gott's, formally known as Taylor's Refresher, is a Napa institution, serving the best burgers, fries, sandwiches and salads possible. Gott's has three locations, two in Napa and one at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. This is their story:


"Since 1999, Joel and Duncan Gott have kept alive a tradition of classic handmade American food. Born on a roadside, raised in a ferry building, our family-run kitchen serves up mighty fine eats that draw people from all over. Artisanal ingredients in traditional recipes combine for a refreshing take on old favorites. Surprising menu special keep hungry customers coming back to see what's next. And carefully chosen beers and wines make eating this good even better. Bring your family, friends, or just your big appetite. Whether there's two people or twenty ahead of you in line, we'll make it worth your while". From Gott's website

As someone who has stood in line there many, many times...I was thrilled to be given this recipe. Gott's is known for using fresh, organic ingredients in their food. They took two acres of their St Helena property and planted, as garden manager Christopher Landercasper (Landy) told me "Over two miles of vegetables if you lined them up in a row." Their objective is to use their organically farmed produce exclusively in their food. Each summer they feature daily specials with fresh-from-their-garden produce. Offerings such as fried zucchini with ranch dip (all herbs from the garden), pesto potato fries, fried green tomatoes and, of course, the gazpacho are customer favorites.

The gazpacho is so amazingly good that I urge each of you to gather the ingredients and begin making a batch today. I am a gazpacho fan but, as chef Rick says "There are a lot of insipid gazpachos out there." This one is perfect and...if I may be so bold...the best gazpacho in the world.


 Gott's Gazpacho 
Chef Rick reports that this "Classic cold soup of Andalusia features tomatoes and cucumbers from Gott's garden and is thickened with bread in the classic style".
yield- approx 1 gallon

7 lbs ripe, in-season tomatoes
1 lb red onion, peeled & chopped
1 lb green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 lb cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1.5 lbs ripe, in-season tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 t cayenne
1/8 c + 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/8 cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 good quality baguette, two days old, crusts removed and cut into 1" cubes

Method-prep work day before: 
1. Finely chop 7 lbs of tomatoes in Cuisinart, mix with 1 tbsp salt and refrigerate overnight in non reactive container (do not use a metal bowl).
2. Mix remaining ingredients and refrigerate overnight in a non-reactive container.
Serving Day
3. The next day, strain all liquid out of the reserved tomatoes with a sieve or china cap (a conical sieve with an extremely fine mesh) that will allow some pulp, but no seeds and skins through. Work to get all juice, and then discard pulp, skins and seeds. 
4. Combine strained tomato liquid with other vegetables and seasonings and blend. (a blender will give better texture than a Cuisinart, but either is acceptable.) 
5. Garnish with some sliced green onions, if you like, or taking it a step further, a little chopped salsa of tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, bell pepper garnished with croutons. 

 Other No-Cook recipes you may enjoy when you want to beat the heat:
Summer means easy, breezy dishes made from fresh, just-picked produce and this week at Food Network's Summer Soiree we are celebrating No Cook recipes. Do you have a favorite no cook recipe? Please share in the comments section of this post. And be sure to check out the delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network. 

 Feed Me Phoebe: 5 Farmer's Market Summer Salad Recipes
Healthy Eats: Ovenless Entertaining
Dishin & Dishes: Coral Snake Salsa (Apricot Tomatillo)
The Mom 100: Simple Raspberry Fool
Domesticate Me: Arugula Salad with Shaved Zucchini, Pistachios and Parmesan
Taste with the Eyes: Santa Barbara Sea Urchin à la Jean-Georges
Homemade Delish: Delicious Ceviche
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwich with Basil-Garlic Scape Pesto
Red or Green: Gott's Gazpacho
Swing Eats: Green Grapes, Drunken Goat Cheese, and Jalapenos on a Toothpick
Bacon and Souffle: Scallop Ceviche
FN Dish: A Complete Menu of No-Cook Recipes for the Whole Day

best,
diane

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos."  Please visit and let me know what you think.
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