Grill Thrill

Summer nummin'.

Tofu Tomato Salad

I put this quick tofu salad together last with cherry tomatoes, sweet onion, garlic scapes and a few chopped pea pods. I sauteed the tofu in a little chili oil and then finished the sear with a splash of mirin and tamari. For the dressing I whisked a little more chili oil, tamari, rice vinegar, and a spoonful of white miso. It was topped with sliced nori strips and sesame seeds.

Garlic Scape and Arugula Pesto

Summer is back! And so is NUMMY! Our recent months have seen a real lull in creative kitchen time- work trips, hectic schedules, and the winter that would not die. As we get things cookin'once again, may we present you with an arugula and garlic scape pesto, and light summer salad?

Pavlova

Barefoot Contessa's Ina made this dessert called a pavlova for her husband Jeffery's surprise birthday party on this week's episode. It's layers of merengue, whipped cream, fresh berries and a raspberry sauce. They looked so happy eating it beach side in the Hamptons that we decided to invite a few folks over for dessert last night and give it a try ourselves. It was gooey, fruity, and decadent- a full on sugar attack! And, not so bad for my first merengue! Our pal Sarah also brought over these spicy, snickerdoodly chocolate cookies.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli

Lucky for me, T. was on his homemade pasta crusade this weekend. Our friend S. joined us for a dinner celebrating 40° weather in Wisconsin in February! Along with the ravioli, we had antipasti and bruschetta, and a salad we tried to recreate from a meal we had out the evening before (ingredients were herb greens, mache, brandy poached pear, cranberry, blue cheese, fried parsnip, and a fig vinaigrette).

PB & J, Banana, and Cilantro

For an extra crunch, try adding fresh herbs to your PB&J. I've tried basil, arugula, dill, and spring greens- but cilantro was a first!

Seitan Veggie Chili and Wheat Cornbread

If you haven't heard, seitan is the new non-meat. I'm a big fan of it in stir-frys and sliced for veggie rubens. It also takes to bar-b-que sauce and grilling just fine, thank you.

It held its own in this veggie chili we made a few weeks ago, when the weather was dipping below zero. I sauteed it a bit with the onions and garlic in the beginning and it got nicely browned. There was a lot going in that pot at the end, including: corn, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzos, veggie stock, cilantro, crushed tomato, roasted jalapeno, red and green bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. We were somehow out of white flour, so that's why the cornbread ended up on the healthy side. In fact this who meal sort of looks like it's straight out of the Age of Aquarius, huh?

"Waiter, there's a dream-catcher in my soup." A yuk-yuk.

January '09 Gourmet Stars

The January '09 issue of Gourmet is devoted to all things Italiano, and I have to admit to coming very, very close to licking a few of the pages. These two dishes are just two of the many stand outs in this star-studded cast. The first is a Shaved-Fennel Salad with Orange and Pecorino, topped with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette. The second is Polenta-Crusted Chicken with a Balsamic Caper Pan Sauce. Links to both below:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shaved-Fennel-Salad-with-Oranges-and-Pecorino-351149

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Polenta-Crusted-Chicken-with-Balsamic-Caper-Pan-Sauce-351130

Herb Roast Chicken

Herby. Roasty. Nummy.

Pure Holiday Magic

T and I had a lovely holiday in Florida, at my mom's yearly Xmas extravaganza. You'll notice the dessert photos come first. During these breaks I prefer to get my workout climbing that Xmas cookie tower several times a day. I especially love in the first photo how it looks like one of the three wise men brought the cassata to the party- like "ta heck with the myrrh, I'm brangin' choc'lit cake!"

I also hung out around that antipasto plate a lot. A lot.

Oh, and Happy New Year from NumNumNum! We're officially in our third nummy year!