Category: Recipes

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Goat Cheese and Apricot-Jalapeno Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

One of the greatest things about SLO is the farmers’ market. And one of the best things at the farmers market is apricot jalapeno jam. As if we weren’t titillated enough, once we took it home and tried it with goat cheese, we were addicted. We started going through a jar, a week. I’d been wanting to try a cauliflower pizza crust and we had a giant cauliflower sitting around in the fridge looking for a purpose. Then, last week on our first farmers market outing, we were reunited with the prized jam, then on our first Costco outing we stocked up on goat cheese (obviously). This pizza was the result.

  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 1/4 cup apricot-jalapeno jam (you can sub another kind of jam i suppose)
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • pepper and salt
  1. cut cauliflower into smaller pieces, then blend in food processor into a rice-like consistency
  2. spread on a baking sheet and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes
  3. let cool for a bit then move cauliflower into cheese cloth or a thin dish cloth
  4. squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible, it should be about 1 cup
  5. then add the eggs, chopped rosemary, pepper and salt and mix with hands
  6. spread on the baking sheet again and bake for 20 more minutes until starting to turn brown
  7. spread jam over (leaving a 2 cm border around the edges) and sprinkle goat cheese as evenly as possible on top

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Beet Root, Goat Cheese Spread

My dad has a few favorite vendors at the farmers market that he loyally returns to. I suspect it has something to do with their levels of generosity with samples. One of them sells Middle Eastern style dips and salads. One of our favorites is a beet-goat cheese dip. I attempted to recreate it tonight and it came out pretty tasty. His is usually a smooth spread but I left mine a little more on the chunky side. It was great on some toasted hearty bread.

  • 2 lg beets
  • 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup goat cheese
  • 1/2 tsp parsley
  • 1 slice of orange
  1. Scrub beets then wrap in 2 layers of foil and bake for an hour
  2. Unwrap them and let cool, then peel off skins
  3. Cut in chunks and throw in the food processor with yogurt, goat cheese, parsley and the juice of the orang
  4. Blend until desired consistency is reached

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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White Wine Mushroom Sauce smothered Polenta

POLENTA! So easy and comforting. Mix in some sharp cheese and slow-cooked, white-wine mushrooms and you’ve got quite a meal.

  • 8 oz crimini mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 5  sage leaves, chopped
  • 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
  • 1/2 lb polenta
  • 1 squirt mustard
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • salt
  • pepper

  1. bring 1 quart water to boil, add polenta, follow directions (varies)
  2. concurrently heat garlic and olive oil over low heat in a non-stick skillet
  3. slice mushrooms and add after 1 minute, add a bit of water then the white wine and let it cook down until mushrooms soften
  4. small sage, chopped in small pieces
  5. once the polenta is cooked, add goat cheese and rosemary and stir until melty and incorporated
  6. add mustard, salt and pepper to mushrooms and cook until desired consistency
  7. ladle mushrooms and sauce over polenta

if there happens to be any polenta leftover the next morning here’s an idea:Leftover Polenta Brekky

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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œufs en Avocat

This is one of my favorite breakfasts and fairly fast and easy. Lots of protein, good fats and verrry tasty. At this time of year when avocados are plentiful, it’s especially appealing.

  • 1/2 of an avocado (preferably a large one)
  • 1 egg
  • pepper
  • salt
  • 1 sprig basil
  • 2 tsp feta cheese
  1. cut avocado in half, using the half without the seed, hollow out hole to fit an egg (depends on size of avocado and pit)
  2. fill with egg and sprinkle salt, pepper and whatever spices you feel like on top
  3. bake at 350° F for 15 minutes
  4. remove and add feta then return to oven and put under broil for 10 more minutes or until egg turns white and looks set (cooked to your liking)
  5. serve with basil, great with a good piece of bread or roasted potatoes (pictured)

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Salmon with Roasted Mustard Potatoes

Tonight marks the first night of being upperclassmen in college. Yoykes. In honor of this right of passage we are making salmon, that my roommates’ dad caught, for dinner. Just like freshman year when we were the weirdos dressing salmon with olive oil and garlic at our dorm desks and gingerly carrying it over to the communal kitchen to hopefully find a clean pan or tray and not be bothered while we cooked and enjoyed our feast… Except for now we have a super cute and completely equipped kitchen. It’s going to be a good year.

 

  • 1 lb baby potatoes
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 3 tbsp dijon mustard
  • few grinds black pepper
  • sea salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic
  • 1 thick, 8 in slice of salmon
  1. cut lemon into slices then into half-moons
  2. lay lemons flat in the pan then pour potatoes over
  3. keep garlic in skin and wedge in between potatoes, place rosemary in as well
  4. drizzle olive oil, balsamic, mustard, pepper and salt over the top
  5. bake at 300° F  for 20 minutes then remove and stir around, poke potatoes with a knife of fork
  6. bake for 20 more minutes then remove and cut potatoes in half, turn heat up to 350° F
  7. cut salmon in half and place it in the middle of the potatoes and bake 25-30 minutes or until salmon is cooked

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Eggplant Caponata

  • 3 small eggplants or 1 large
  • 3 tbsp evoo
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup capers
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
  • a few grinds black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 tbsp basil

  1. heat olive oil over medium heat on the stove in a fairly large pan
  2. add the minced garlic and diced onion
  3. dice eggplants into 1 cm cubes and add to pan once onion starts turning opaque
  4. add red wine vinegar
  5. once eggplant starts to soften, add whole tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar
  6. chop rosemary and add to pan
  7. once tomatoes start to split and eggplant is softened, take pan off heat and stir in capers
  8. season with salt and pepper to taste
  9. sprinkle with basil to serve

great on Sunflower Seed Rosemary Crackers, if I do say so myself

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Peach, Amaretto, Whey Summer Smoothie

After making Ricotta we had a lot of leftover whey and this was one of my experiments. Whey is full of protein so it’s a great post-workout snack.

  • 1 lg ripe peach
  • 2 shots amaretto
  • 1 cup whey water (or if you don’t have whey, sub 1 cup water and 2 tsp whey powder
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  1. blend all ingredients in a blender. done

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Pickled Onions

I am a firm believer that pickled onions can make almost any salad or sandwich better. They’re a great, easy DIY pantry staple to have on hand in the fridge. Using this basic vinegar-sugar-salt-veg ratio, you can play around with different kinds of veggies and or seeds and seasonings for flavoring, to perfect your pickled goods.

 

our salad line-up

 

  • 1/2 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp black pepper corns
  • 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
  1. whisk vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved
  2. place sliced onions and seeds in a jar
  3. pour vinegar over and let sit at room temp for 1 hour
  4. they’ll last for 2 weeks in the fridge

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Green Tea Ice Cream in Oatmeal-Nut Cookie Bowls

It was really hot for a few days and I made an executive decision that we would need a cool dessert.
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

For Ice Cream:

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup whey/milk
  • 2 green tea bags
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp powdered cardamom
  • 1 tsp powdered ginger
  1. In a large bowl beat egg yolks and sugar
  2. scald the milk/or whey whatever you’re using, then remove from heat
  3. cut open tea bags and steep for four minutes
  4. strain through a find mesh sieve into a clean pot
  5. add heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium high heat
  6. ladle 1/3 of the cream mix into the eggs and whisk well to combine
  7. add all of the egg mixture to the cream and cook over low heat, stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon or somewhat close, about five minutes
  8. let cool in the fridge for about two hours
  9. put in ice cream maker and follow instructions

summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad
For Oatmeal-Nut Cookie Bowls:

  • 1 1/2 cups oats
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/3 cup ground walnuts
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 3/4 cup hazelnuts + 1/4 cup almonds and  a little water ground into paste OR 1 cup almond or hazelnut butter/spread
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup honey
  1. mix all dry ingredients (oats, raisins, nuts and seeds) in a large bowl
  2. then mix in all wet ingredients (nut butter, applesauce, vanilla, honey) until gooey
  3. mold into whatever form you wish. i did some into cookie bowls and the rest into a loaf pan for protein-energy bars for my dad’s surf trip

 

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Ricotta

I was shocked by how easy it was to make this delicious cheese at home in less that 24 hours. Ricotta is great because of its versatility; we used it for a great dinner on fresh pasta and also had it for dessert on top of cake. We got inspiration and the recipe from Bon Appétit.
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice or distilled white vinegar
  1. Bring milk, cream, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice; stir gently until mixture starts to curdle. Let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Pour mixture into a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth set over a medium bowl. Chill until cheese is spreadable, at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours (the longer it strains, the thicker it will be).

Original recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fresh-ricotta
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

After making the cheese, you’ll have quite a bit of whey leftover but don’t toss it! There are lots of interesting and useful ways to utilize it. This article explains all you ever wanted to know about curds versus whey: http://www.farmcurious.com/cheesemaking-what-to-do-with-all-that-whey/

 

 

 

 

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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