Thursday, September 23, 2010

Grilled Vegetable, Herb and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

That's more like it!!! My good friend Leisha made this sandwich and LOVED it so she put it on her blog and she is an amazing photographer...(and cook for that matter!) Look how much better that looks than mine...it is embarrassing! I need someone to teach me how to use my camera! Leisha, you should just make all my recipes and take pictures and then I will use them on my blog...ha ha!

This is a recipe that I saw Giada De Larentiis do and I thought that it looked delicious and so I tried it...and it is! I changed a few things and added some caramelized onions, but it is really close to what her recipe is. I brought it to the beach for a bonfire with friends and let some of them and their husbands try it and they all agreed that it was definitely "blog-worthy" and that they would make it again and again! And so would I. I really loved it and have thought about it often and made it again since...and I want one right now, so there you go. Don't be afraid of the goat cheese, it is amazing, but if you are not a fan, just choose a different cheese! And if you are not loving the type of vegetables, you can switch those out with your favorites too! Me, I wouldn't change a thing! I loved every bite! It will be your new favorite...it is mine!

P.S. I know the pictures never make it look that great, but it is that great!

INGREDIENTS:


  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1-2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 zucchini, ends trimmed and discarded, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
  • 2 Japanese eggplants, ends trimmed and discarded, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
  • 1 onion, diced and caramelized
  • 1 (12 1/2-ounce) baguette, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise (IMPORTANT: I love the brea one's from costco the day of!!! They have to be fresh, just baked that day...it makes all the difference!!!)
  • 1 cup (6 1/2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cups baby spinach and 3/4 cups arugula
  • 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar (for the caramelized onions)


Directions


Place a grill pan over medium heat, or heat up the grill.

In a pan, begin to caramelize the onions in a little butter. The more caramelized the better!! I like to caramelize my onions beyond recognition, to really make them sweet, but that is just me. When they are a few minutes away from being done, add about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. It is AMAZING! Then let them sit and cool until you need to used them.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a medium bowl. Add the zucchini and eggplant and toss until coated. Place the vegetables on the grill pan or grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until tender.

While the vegetables are cooking, spread the goat cheese on the top and bottom of the baguette halves. Then spread the olive oil mixture over the goat cheese. (I didn't use all the olive oil, I just spooned all the basil and sun-dried tomatoes out of the bowl and onto the baguette.) Place the cooked vegetables on the bottom half of the baguette. (I soaked up some of the oil from off the vegetables with a paper towel). Add the caramelized onions over the top of the vegetables. Arrange the spinach and arugula on top of that. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Close the sandwich and put tooth picks in it to hold it all together.

Serve immediately or wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. You have my permission to devour! I want one right now! Enjoy! Thanks Giada!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Cheesecake Cupcakes

These cheesecake cupcakes are such a fun and easy treat. You may already have this recipe, my family has been using it for years, but I love it so much. It is really simple, but I love the flavor and texture of these little cupcakes! So yummy! And for some reason, I love these even more the next morning for breakfast...is that bad?

Ingredients:

Vanilla Wafers

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

5 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sugar



Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine all cheesecake ingredients (except the vanilla wafers) in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.


Place paper baking cups into muffin tins and place a vanilla wafer on the bottom of each and fill cups 2/3 full with cheesecake batter.


Bake for 35 or 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Right before you serve, fill with the fruit or mixture of your choice. ENJOY!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Açaí Bowls= HEAVEN

This is easily one of the best breakfasts of all time. It is so refreshing and energizing. And it really is unbelievably delicious! It is a fruit smoothie poured over granola, topped with fresh fruit and coconut. The truth is, you don't need to have açaí. If I don't have açaí, I just use other fruits to make the smoothie, anything will do. I could eat this everyday- breakfast, lunch and dinner!
P.S. Yes, that bazaar looking mess in the center of the bowl is my most favorite fruit on the planet, passion fruit! Love!!!!

Also, I just had to add a few new pictures of my newest little munchkin LOVING these açaí bowls!! Obsessed with him!


FRUIT SMOOTHIE:

Anything goes really. Any combination of frozen fruits, juice and ice. My personal favorites are berries, peaches and always a frozen banana. And I love it with orange juice, but apple juice is good too.

I have my favorite granola recipe below, or you can just use store-bought. Either way it is a perfectly beautiful treat! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GRANOLA:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups Rice Krispie cereal

2 cups oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup Craisins

1/2 cup chopped nuts

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. When the butter is melted whisk in sugar, honey, flour, vanilla, almond extract & cinnamon. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients, (except the coconut, nuts and craisins). Mix well.

Transfer the mixture onto a baking pan with wax paper on it. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow the granola to cool for 1 hour in the pan.

*I add the coconut, nuts and dried fruit the last 5 minutes of baking so they don’t get too brown.