healthy recipe: glazed beat and carrot salad

Normally, on the weekends, I seldom crave wholesome foods. By that I mean, pastas, meats, potatoes, rice, even peanut butter and in all reality a good cup of coffee will do just fine, except when I come across an amazing salad from my favorite site here. Then I just can’t stop craving.

GLAZED BEET + CARROT SALAD // Serves 4

• 1/2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow beets, roasted and peeled, cut into 1/2” wedges
• 3 carrots, halved, large halves quartered if needed
• sea salt + pepper
• 2 tsp. honey
• 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. tahini
• 1 Tbsp. orange or lemon juice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 12 cups mixed baby lettuces
• 1/3 cup cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, white or black or mixed

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the carrots and beets and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring once or twice, until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the honey and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly glazed, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl to cool.

Whisk the remaining tablespoon of vinegar, tahini and citrus into the skillet along with the cumin and a generous pinch of the chopped parsley.

Toss the baby lettuces, remaining parsley and garbanzos with a light coating of the tahini dressing. Plate the greens and top with the carrots, beets and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

* You can prepare the salad a day in advance by making the carrots and beets as directed, and keeping them covered in the fridge overnight. The dressing can also be kept covered in the fridge for up to a week. Toss everything and assemble just before serving.

{please click here for photo and recipe credit}

san francisco gem: the ferry building

I love it when friends show up in town unannounced and beg to spend a day with you.  I really mean it, I do love it, even though it throws me pleasantly off schedule (If that makes sense).

Anyway, I got the word my friends were in town at ten in the morning and asked them to meet me at the end of Market Street at noon for lunch.  When I asked, what they wanted to eat, they mentioned Sandwich shops and fast food and I basically rolled my eyes.

I pointed to the Ferry Building and asked if they had been there and they both shook their heads NO and so we ventured into one of our proudest conversion of a historic building into an amazing waterfront hangout.

new years eve party hors d’oeuvres

I found an array of calorie conscious hors d’oeuvres to consider from here, for the small party I am having at my home on New Year’s Eve.  Let me know what you think?

healthy eating: israeli or mediterranean salad – a twist to salsa and chips

I took a couple of days off to run inland just to see sun and visit with a  very special person in my life. The only trouble going from 50degree foggy weather to a 102degree muggy hot dry weather is that I, not only don’t want to do anything, but I also don’t want to eat.

So to solve the eating dilemma, the first thing we do was go to the market and buy fruits and vegetables to make salads , which would last us throughout my visit plus a couple of days more.  Before the market and while I waited for her to wake up in the morning,  I scrolled through my favorite recipes to see what I want to try next. I came across this recipe and decided to try it. It reminds me of fresh salsa, which I love to eat with tortilla chips. So what I plan to do is, instead of tortilla chips,  eat them with toasted pita chips to stay in tune with the mediterranean theme.

Israeli Salad 

Try to find small Persian cucumbers, as they are juicier and have a more concentrated flavor than the common “jet-puffed” supermarket cucumbers.

David’s Note: Maya calls for either cilantro or parsley, you could take it in a different direction perhaps with some fresh mint, chives, or a bit of tarragon. I’ve had salads like this in Greece, and other Middle Eastern countries (and even in America) where the locals adopt the idea and name it after their own country. Of course, this salad can be scaled up accordingly, to feed a larger group.

1 ripe tomato

1 medium cucumber, or 3 small ones
1 medium carrot, peeled
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
5 red globe radishes
half a small beet, peeled
half a small kohlrabi, peeled
large handful of arugula (lettuce can be substituted)
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

2/3 cup mixed nuts and seeds (such as walnuts, sliced almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds – coarsely chopped)

1/3 cup crumbled Feta or firm goat cheese

2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (or more)
2-3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil (or more)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Chop all of the vegetables into the tiniest cubes you can manage. Preferably 1/4 inch thick (or Brunoise, as the French call it). Gather the arugula into a tight bunch and slice into thin shards. This makes the salad fluffier and easier to chew.

2. Toast the nuts in an empty skillet (no oil required) over medium heat, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, taking care not to burn them (watch out for pumpkin seeds, as they tend to ‘pop’ while toasting). Toast until the aroma is released and the nuts take on the slightest bit of color. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. In a medium bowl, mix all of the chopped vegetables with sliced arugula, toasted nuts, and dress with the lemon juice, olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste (don’t forget that the cheese is salty).

Check for seasoning and add more lemon juice and olive oil to your liking. Top with the crumbled cheese and serve immediately

san francisco weekend social calendar – june 29 to july 1

I have decided to include a new entry on my blog called San Francisco Weekend Social Calendar.  The purpose of this entry is to loop you in on what I recommend  to do over the weekend in San Francisco. Tourists are welcome of course.

So for this weekend, being June 29 thru July 1, I recommend the following  {click on photo for details}:

Friday, June 29, 2012 – AT&T Park For The Garlic Festival. Need I say more, Garlic, The Giants, good times

Saturday, June 30, 2012 – Private Garden Dinner for 10 at Regazza. This is a special offer which in my opinion is amazing if you have a group of friends on a budget (or not)

Sunday, July 30,2012 – Eurocup Final Italy vs Spain (Go Italy!!!) at Lalola Bar De Tapas . Whether you are a fan of soccer (a.k.a. football) or not doesn’t matter. It’s a fun filled experience for sure.

pizza with potato and blue cheese or greek cheese – you pick

I love pizza and although I watch everything I eat, I do occasionally cheat by going to my favorite pizza place here, in San Francisco and order a slice of their pesto, red skin potato and whole garlic pizza.  It is truly delicious.

Lately I have been on a mission to recreate some of my favorite eats at home, so I found a recipe here somewhat similar  to my favorite pizza. The only problem is I hate blue cheese, so I used Greek cheese instead.  Now if I could only learn to  eat just one slice, then I will be  just fine.

For the pizza dough:

4 cups (560g) bread flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (see Notes)
1 1/2 cup (375ml) water, at room temperature
For the topping:

2 medium onions, peeled
1 pound (450g) small, firm potatoes, such as Yukon golds or fingerling
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, plus a handful of thyme branches
6 to 8 ounces (170g-225g) blue cheese

Garlic oil:

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil
Additional ingredients you’ll need:

Olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
To make the dough:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and yeast.

2. Stir in the water until well-blended, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dishtowel and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
To make the pizza toppings:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

2. Sauté the onions in a large skillet, stirring frequently over moderate heat, seasoned with salt and pepper, until soft and translucent. They will take about eight minutes. During the last few minutes of cooking, add the fresh thyme leaves. Let stand at room temperature until ready to use.

3. Slice the potatoes in a little larger than 1/8-inch (.30cm) slices and toss them with a just enough olive oil to lightly cover them, a few teaspoons, along with salt and pepper and sprigs of fresh thyme.

4. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
To bake the pizzas:

1. Heat the broiler in the oven and set the oven rack so it’s 5-inches (12cm) from the heating element.

2. Set a cast iron skillet on the stove top over high heat and let it get very hot.

3. Shape the dough into 8-inch (20cm) rounds on a lightly floured surface, then working one-by-one, overturn the cast-iron skillet and carefully put a round of dough on the upturned bottom of the skillet, using your fingers to nudge the dough to the edges and being careful to avoid touching the very hot skillet.

4. Bake each round of dough individually under the broiler until each is lightly browned and “set” – they will only take a minute or two, so watch them carefully. As they come out of the oven, pry the dough off the pan (you may need to use a spatula if they stick a bit) and set each one on a wire cooling rack.

(You can also put the toppings on the raw dough, right before step #4, and bake the pizzas off to finish them.)

5. Brush each round of dough in the center with garlic oil, making sure to get some of the minced garlic on each round. Divide the onions over each round of dough, leaving a border, then top with potatoes and crumble blue cheese in large pieces over each pizza.

6. Run each pizza one-by-one under the broiler, on the overturned cast-iron skillet, then serve immediately.

healthy recipe: beet salad

I love beets and will eat anything made with beets, which means mostly all salads. I actually think I have turned everyone around me into appreciating the vegetable. There are of course health benefits to them and although I was forced to eat them as a child because of the fact and of course because my father loved them,  I now make a conscious effort to include them in my weekly diet plan without any parental threats .

Here is yet another recipe I found and have tried t and love it as usual, so I wanted to share it with you ladies and hopefully some gents. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think?

The only thing I changed was the blue cheese, I am not a fan so I used Greek cheese, it works just as well

French Roasted Beet Salad

Consider serving this as a first course. And if you don’t think you like beets, try them roasted. You may just change your mind.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds beets (4 to 5 medium)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons walnut or olive oil
1 cup arugula, baby greens or small, tender lettuces
1/2 cup thin slices purple onion (optional)
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Snipped fresh chives (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Trim stems and roots from beets; peel beets. Cut beets into 1-inch pieces and place in a 13×9-inch baking pan. Toss with the olive oil; spread in pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Remove foil and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more or until beets are tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a serving bowl, whisk together garlic, salt and pepper, mustard, vinegar, and oil. Add warm beets and, if desired, sliced purple onion; toss to coat. Allow to cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Add baby greens; toss again. Sprinkle with blue cheese and, if you like, snipped fresh chives to serve.

healthy recipe: tarte au citron a.k.a lemon tart

While on this diet, I have a difficult time satisfying my sweet tooth, so since I love lemons and it’s considered an approved fruit to consume while dieting, I decided to search here  for a tart (again my favorite) recipe made with lemons or citron (God, I love the French word for it). Here it goes:

One 9-inch (23 cm) tart

This makes a modest, but very tasty lemony layer. If you want more filling, feel free to double the recipe; any filling that you don’t use can be spread on toast, fresh biscuits, or scones.

You could substitute fresh lime juice for the lemon and if you have Meyer lemons, reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup (65g). You can use a favorite tart dough recipe, or the one I’ve linked to.

1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon, preferably unsprayed
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into bits
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

One pre-baked 9-inch (23 cm) tart shell

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C.)

1. In a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan, heat the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and butter. Have a mesh strainer nearby.

2. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and the yolks.

3. When the butter is melted, whisk some of the warm lemon mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly, to warm them. Scrape the warmed eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and almost begins to bubble around the edges.

4. Pour the lemon curd though a strainer directly into the pre-baked tart shell, scraping with a rubber spatula to press it through.

5. Smooth the top of the tart and pop it in the oven for five minutes, just to set the curd.

6. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving.

{for photo credit please click here}

presentation is everything while playing host

I love playing host and will do it every chance I get, so it’s no wonder I search for inspiration to create my very own event presentation

a french cake recipe from my childhood

When I was little, our extended family had a visiting day once a month, where everyone got together on a specific date and had coffee and dessert. It was the host/housewife’s turn to show off her baking skills and so, she would make a few desserts over a span of a day or two in preparation for the occasion and serve them  in beautiful dishes from her collection of fine china.

Being a child, I never turned down dessert and actually behaved during the visit, per my mother’s request,  just so I could earn  my fair share of the goodies.  I didn’t know it then, but I totally appreciated cakes with dried fruits and when we moved to the United States, those recipes and the tradition all disappeared.

Fast forward to a hundred years later (being today) I was actually, extremely overjoyed  when I came across here, a recipe similar to or perhaps even the same as the one  my mother and aunts used to follow for the best  dried fruit cake ever.

Apricot, Almond and Lemon Cake
One 9-inch (23cm) loaf pan

You can swap out another nut or dried fruit for the ones recommended. Susan recommends if using apricots, find those that are unsulphured if possible. For those who like things a little spicy, add a dusting of cayenne or red pepper powder (about 1/2 teaspoon) into the batter.

1 1/2 cups (200g) flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 rounded teaspoon sea salt
1 rounded teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (110g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
7 ounces (210g) dried apricots, coarsely chopped
6 ounces (180g) Gruyère, Comté, or Emmental cheese, finely grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
grated zest of one lemon
1/3 cup (60g) almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Butter a loaf pan, line it with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. Stir in the black pepper. (If you’re adding chile powder, add that here as well.)

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, whisk the eggs until frothy (about a minute) then stir in the dry ingredients. Mix in the melted butter until thoroughly blended, then fold in the apricots, cheese, fennel seeds, lemon zest, and almonds.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit for about five minutes, then tip it out onto a cooling rack. Wait a few more minutes, then remove the parchment paper and let cool completely before serving.

Serving: To serve, cut the bread into slices with a sharp serrated bread knife, then cut the bread diagonally into triangles. Serve with cocktails or wines for an apéritif.

Storage: The cake will keep well-wrapped for up to three days at room temperature. Do not refrigerate the cake or it will get dry. The cake can be frozen for at least one month.