Fresh Pick of the Week: Summer Squash

Before fall fully hits, get in some of the season's last summer squash! Both yellow squash and zucchini are grouped in this summer squash category. While most of us eat it cooked (like on the grill, pictured), I also love it raw- use a veggie peeler to make ribbons to add to a salad or to this recipe :) Get these squashes before cooler weather and fall flavors come out in full force!

Peanut-Butter Banana Ice "Cream"

No ice cream maker required! This delectable treat is tasty and rich enough for a satisfying dessert...without any fatty cream or added sugar. The super creamy texture makes it hard to believe it's not the real deal. Next time I'll add a few dark chocolate chips :)

Peanut Butter Banana Ice "Cream"

Serves 2

Ingredients
3 frozen ripe bananas, peeled
2-3 Tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter

Puree in food processor until creamy. (Really, that's it!)

The Sycamore Kitchen

Cutting into our "appetizer" :)

Salted Caramel Pecan Bobka Roll
TO DIE FOR.

Looking for a great meal/pastry this weekend? Check out The Sycamore Kitchen (under the same ownership as the upscale dinner restaurant, Hatfield's). I recently enjoyed a delicious lunch there (pictures below!) Standing in line to order in front of the gorgeous pastries makes saying no to a sweet dessert (or appetizer in my case) impossible. I highly recommend all dishes below, but this seems like the kind of place where it is hard to go wrong with any order. Hope you'll have the chance to check it out and pass on your favorites!

Soup of the Day:
Roasted Red Pepper Gazpacho

Mediterranean Chicken Salad
(one of the most popular items according
to our barista) 

Chicken Sandwich-
great bread, fresh tomato!

Honey Apple Cake

Tonight I made Honey Apple Cake for Rosh Hashanah. I love the dates and walnuts that make this LA Times recipe a little different from standard honey cakes.

For my changes, I used a tad less sugar and honey and substituted whole wheat flour for all-purpose. Using Granny Smith apples also helped prevent overbearing sweetness that is characteristic of many honey cake recipes. I'm looking forward to trying out this batter to make muffins later this fall- it would make an excellent breakfast treat :)

L'shana tova!

Summer Vegetable Bruschetta Sandwiches

Last week, with a refrigerator full of farmer's market vegetables and a bit of an itch for ratatouille, I decided to experiment. The result was Summer Vegetable Bruschetta (recipe below!) that were turned into sandwiches (pictured) with the help of some andouille sausage and a hot grill. If you'd like to make these delicious sandwiches, just add about 3 pieces of andouille sausage, cooked and sliced lengthwise, to the recipe below. Instead of serving open faced for bruschetta, form the Ciabatta back into sandwiches and slice each large Ciabatta into 3's (the recipe below makes 12 appetizer portions, but would make about 6 sandwiches with the sausage).

Summer Vegetable Bruschetta

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 Tbs olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 medium zucchinis, diced

1 Japanese eggplant, diced

1 Tbs dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 8 oz can diced tomatoes with juice, or 1-2 medium tomatoes diced

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 large Ciabatta rolls

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. For topping:  In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic, bell pepper and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, eggplant and spices to pan, stir and cover. Remove cover as needed to stir frequently. Cook about 7 minutes, until vegetables browning and softened. Add tomatoes and vinegar. Continue cooking covered another 10 minutes, stirring as needed. Add additional spices to taste. Cook last 2-3 minutes uncovered, allowing juices to evaporate. Cool to room temperature.  Topping can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Store in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before spreading and heating.
2. Slice Ciabatta lengthwise. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Toast in oven or on grill. Spread toasted bread with bruschetta topping. Sprinkle cheese. Heat about 2 more minutes in oven or on grill to warm topping and melt cheese. 

Kabob Dinner Party

I recently hosted a few friends for a relaxing Friday night dinner. With both vegetarians and meat-eaters in attendance, I decided to use a refrigerator full of vegetables, one large pineapple, as well as some shrimp and tofu for kabobs. Because this entree was so easy to assemble and cook- just chop, stack, grill- they were an excellent way to allow for ample time with friends. 

Directions:

1. Marinate cubes of firm, dried tofu and/or large shrimp. 

For tofu, marinade ~10-15 minutes in Sriracha, spices, mustard and garlic. For shrimp, sprinkle just before stacking on kabob with lime juice and chili powder.

2. Chop bell peppers, onions, and pineapple into evenly-sized pieces. Stack fruit, vegetables and tofu/shrimp on skewers. 

3. Once assembled, lightly oil, salt, and pepper kabobs before grilling. 

Hope you enjoy this late-summer dinner treat as much as I did! 

Fresh Pick of the Week: Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes

I've been an absentee blogger recently due to a few amazing weeks off from reality. Those weeks included a trip to Napa Valley where I spent one afternoon at Volker Eisele Family Estate getting a detailed tour and explanation of the grapes they grow and the wines they produce from their crop.


These Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are grown in the warmer areas of the still cool vineyard, and make up the majority of the grapes grown at Volker Eisele. These little red grapes also make up the majority of the winery's complex yet easily drinkable (almost too drinkable!) Cabernet Sauvignon bottles, which also include Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes to round it out. The thought of their wines and the experience at the vineyard makes me wish I was more articulate in the ways of wine-tasting, but alas you may just have to experience the family-run, organic vineyard for yourself by visiting or buying a bottle to enjoy!

Peachy Ice Cream Social

Monday night, we had a back-to-school ice cream social as some friends enter their (hopefully) final year of grad school. The plan: I provided ice cream and it was BYO-topping. I used my ice cream maker and made use of seasonal sweet peaches. The Fresh Peach Ice Cream paired perfectly with one friend's homemade caramel sauce and ginger snaps, and we also feasted on (store-bought) cookies and cream with peanut butter cups, chocolate sauce, and bananas. I can't wait to use the ice cream maker again--a Monday night tradition just might take off here...

Escuela Taqueria

I've recently been very excited about these BYOB restaurant discoveries in my neighborhood. Escuela Taqueria serves inventive tacos in pairs, like those we tried: Branzino, Pork Belly, Baby Back Ribs and their Lobster Special in addition to the remarkable home-made chips with salsa and guacamole. Without exaggeration, I've never had tortilla chips or churros as good as they make them!

My tips if you check it out? Don't miss the Baby Back Ribs, chips and guac, or churros (and make sure you look up at the ceiling). I'm now excited to try out the next-door brother restaurant La Otra Escuela Taqueria, which has some more composed dishes and is also BYOB.  

Digging in to homemade chips and salsa!

Crispy skin-on branzino, cabbage slaw, and chipotle creme fraiche

Baby back ribs, thai  sweet and sour  chili,  cabbage

Almond, Plum and Peach Pie for a BBQ

I found this recipe for Almond, Plum and Peach Pie and decided to use some of this season's best fruits  to test it out! I substituted whole what flour for all purpose and used all butter instead of part vegetable shortening (I also substituted a wine bottle for a rolling pin...but that worked just fine!). The ingredient swaps caused the crust to be much too crumbly for a lattice pattern on top, so I added oats and brown sugar to what was meant to be the top crust and crumbled it over the fruit filling. Despite not achieving the perfectly-woven pie crust look, it turned out delicious and was a hit at last weekend's BBQ!