black bean & corn pico de gallo

I make this every single summer. Sometimes multiple times. It is such a fresh, summery favorite and a perfect snack to have ready when a friend stops by for a visit! I serve it with tortilla chips usually, but this time I served it with romaine "chips" for a healthier alternative. You can add a little sour cream as a topper or feta cheese is so yummy on this as well. I try to use homegrown cherry tomatoes, but any good homegrown tomatoes will do.

Start with one can of black beans, drained and rinsed well.

Add a couple of handfuls of fresh or frozen yellow corn kernels.

Remove the seeds and stems from a large jalapeño. If you like it super hot, leave them in, but be forwarned.

Slice the pepper into long slices then bunch them together and dice them as small as you can get them.

Toss the jalapeño peppers into your bowl.

Add the zest of one fragrant lime.

Add as much of the zest as you can get from the lime. It adds so much flavor and aroma. It's really an important step.

And of course, you must use all of that yummy juice as well. Squeeze all of it into your bowl.

Next, dice up a good handful of fresh cilantro and toss it in as well.

Garlic. mmmm. I like to add 3 cloves. You might like less. I love garlic.

Smash them with the side of the knife and dice them up really small.

Toss them into the pool.

Then add your diced cherry tomatoes. Good tomatoes are the key to this dish. Whatever type you use, make sure they are red and juicy!

Next add about a 1/4 of a large red onion. Diced up small.

Add that to the bowl.

Stir all these ingredients together and taste. I added a little salt since I was serving mine with romaine "chips." If you are serving it with tortilla chips, you might not want to add salt.

Ta dah! Fresh and yummy feast!

Fix a good bite and enjoy!

worldly ingredients, right down the road

My mother has been telling me for a while now to visit K & S World Market on Charlotte Avenue here in Nashville. I finally went the other day and was so pleasantly surprised at what I found. That place is really cool! Not only can you see things that you've never seen before, but they have great fresh produce, and very affordable. It is a bit disheartening at first, due to the immediate burst of overwhelming fish aroma as soon as you walk through the door. But there is a good reason for that... they carry a lot of fresh fish. Any by a lot I mean the entire back wall of the place is loaded with seafood varieties, some even swimming in tanks. How fresh is that?! I was able to get avocados for $1.29, where they are $2.25 most everywhere else. Now, some of you may not have time to run all over town just to save a buck. I say go for the adventure of it. I just got produce this time, but next time... I'm trying one of the fish! I just have to check with Julia and see which one she recommends I try first.

Southern Summer Staples

Tomatoes, corn, squash, okra, green beans... ahhhh. This time of year in the South, there is just nothing better than homegrown veggies. And most of us who do not have a garden of our own, have someone, somewhere with more than enough that is willing to share. If not, then these succulent summer veggies are widely available at roadside stands all over the place.

I made a couple of my favorites a few nights ago. Squash and zucchini sauteed with a little purple onion, salt, pepper, and olive oil. And fresh cabbage sauteed as opposed to boiled. I char the edges and then top it with my favorite vinaigrette dressing. Serve with a few homegrown sliced tomatoes and you have a perfect little vegetarian meal.

my vinaigrette recipe:

tbsp soy sauce
tbsp red wine vinegar
tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Add chopped fresh herbs for a little added color. Or substitute lemon juice instead of the soy sauce for something a little different.

I LOVE Julia!

Last night the women of my family went to see the new movie Julie & Julia. I absolutely loved it! The inspirational tale of 2 women trying to make something happen in their lives through food and cooking. It was right up my alley. I couldn't wait to get home and start thinking of my ideas. How can I improve what I'm doing here? I love my blog and I think I had a pretty good idea at first, but I can only show you what I eat for so long before it gets boring. I think I'm going to try some new directions.

One idea, in similar form to my new friend Julie, would be to try out new recipes from my existing cobweb coated collection at home. When my maternal grandmother passed away 8 years ago, I wanted to keep every single thing that belonged to her. I have boxes of old costume jewelry, hats, scarves, and many other things. But one of my most treasured things is my collection of her cookbooks. They all still have multi-colored post-it notes throughout them so she could remember which recipes she enjoyed or had made, or wanted to make again. I open them to these pages often and think about her and why she picked that particular recipe. Why did she want to make a French Cassoulet? Was she having a dinner party? I've looked at these books time and time again, but I have never actually worked through any of the recipes. In fact, I abhor following recipes. I always tell myself that I am a way better cook than anyone else and using a recipe would be ridiculous and unnecessary. After seeing this movie, I am starting to think that maybe I don't have the patience necessary to follow a recipe. I think I might give it a try.

So, with my sweet grandmother's collection in hand, I might try and work my way through some of the recipes that she's marked. And of course, I'll keep you posted along the way.

Oh, and by the way, if you have a copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" but haven't ever really looked through it... open it up. Read the forward. I could practically hear Julia's voice reading it to me. And I am officially inspired!

Brasserie Beck, Washington D.C.

My cousin was married this past weekend in beautiful Washington, D.C. It was such a lovely wedding! We all really enjoyed ourselves and the weather was amazing. On Sunday my aunt and uncle took all of us to lunch at Brasserie Beck. When I say this was probably my favorite restaurant I have ever been to ever, I'm not exaggerating. At least in the top 10 for sure. Everything was scrumptious and beautiful, so I thought I'd share a few pics with you.

Onion Soup with fresh and fried onion toppers and bubbly Gruyére cheese. Divine!

Fresh peach juice bellini

Nova Scotian fresh oysters with different dipping sauces

Pomme frites! with mayo trio - curry, garlic and red pepper

Steamy mussels in veal bolognese with fresh herbs & capers - best sauce in my life.

Chelsea's mussels were spicy with fennel & chorizo sausage

I thought these sides looked wonderful.

And interesting starters as well.

This was my aunt's beautiful grouper with lemon caper butter sauce and topped with garlic mashed potatoes.

Eggplant Roll Ups - Healthy Italian

I'm sure that I'm not the first one to do this, but it just came to me when I was thinking about lasagna and not wanting to eat all of those calories. The end result was so delicious, and I think I'll continue to play with this idea and all the possible fillings. For example, when I made it this time, I added gluten-free pasta shells to the filling. I wasn't too hip on that, and it didn't need them at all. You could also add ground turkey to the filling. That would be so yummy! I might have to try that next.

To start you will need the following:
1 large eggplant
2 or 3 large zucchini
1 can of small artichoke hearts
2 cans of diced tomatoes (I like the ones with garlic & basil)
1 cup of good low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup of grated parmesan
1 cup of cooked & drained shells (optional)
1 pkg. of browned turkey meat (optional also, but do one or the other. not both optionals.)
Italian seasoning
handfull of fresh basil
salt & pepper
extra virgin good stuff

Start by slicing 1/4" long strips of both the eggplant and the zucchini. Place the eggplant on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and drizzle with evoo (sorry Ray Ray, but it's so much easier to type), and a little salt and pepper. Roast in a 400º oven for about 15 - 20 minutes, watching carefully. You want the brown edges, but you don't want them falling apart.

Next start pan searing your zucchini in a little bit of olive oil over medium high heat. Try to get brown edges, but not cooked all the way through so that you can still work with them and they don't fall apart. Set them aside to cool as you go.

Once you have your strips of veggies set aside, you can make your filling. Combine your cottage cheese, half of your parmesan, a handful of roughly chopped basil, 1 can of tomatoes - drained, 1 canof baby artichokes - drained and diced, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper to taste. You can also add one of the optionals here too.

Now it's time to start assymbling the rolls!

Place 1 eggplant slice on your work surface.

Add 2 slices of the zucchini on top. If there are any holes in your eggplant, that's okay. Just cover them with the zucchini.

Next, place a little bit of the mixture at one end of the veggies and start rolling them up!

You can start placing them side by side down a casserole dish.

Oh - a good tip to keep the rolls from sticking, is to spread a little bit of tomato sauce along the bottom of the dish. Keep lining them up until your dish is full.

Pour over them the remaining can of tomatoes, with all it's juices. Top with the cheese and bake at 350º for 30 - 45 minutes, or until golden & bubbly.

Let me know what you think. Enjoy!!

more sushi please!

I have been making sushi like crazy lately. I love it! I also get a little thing of saki to have with my sushi and it just sets the mood. Sippin' on a little saki while I try to create beautiful little rolls to share and enjoy surely makes them taste better. I make mine vegetarian, but the possibilities are endless. These have carrots, cabbage, cream cheese, and avocado.

Here are a few tips that I've learned through all of my sushi practice as of late...

1. Use wasabi sauce (sauce, not paste) as the sealer for your roll. Brush the dry part with the sauce before rolling.

2. Use a very sharp knife for cutting and be slow and steady about it.

3. Variety. There's something so exciting about lots of little multi-colored rolls!