Recipes: Pâtés & Spreads

I’ve had a carb-loaded weekend! Breads and 2-for-1 crackers & grissini. Same dough for the crackers and breadsticks, just flavored (and shaped) differently. I love putting together baskets like this, as they’re so quick — the more rustic and imperfect it looks, the better (IMO). People will know you made it with love, anyway 🙂 . 

After making pâtés last week, I decided to keep the spread loving going. This time, all about the veggies. My spreads pic’d here are: Asparagus-Avocado-Mint & Roasted Eggplant w/ Citrus & Mirin. I intended the eggplant to be the Miso and Citrus Glazed Eggplant I posted. If you could tell from previous posts, eggplant is one of my absolute favorite things in the world. So, my eyes always zone in when I see a recipe for it. At the last minute, I decided to take the concept and make it a spread (since I had all these carbs waiting for me!). Eggplant, garlic, onion, fresh orange juice, orange zest, homemade mirin, s&p. The zest really gave it a zippiness. The other was just steamed asparagus, avocado, roasted garlic, s&p, and mint. My mint has really taken off, so that was my starting inspiration for the combo. I wanted to find a few ways to use it (beyond juleps, say, haha). 

As I enjoyed these spreads and pâtés so much, I decided to look up a few more to share with you all. They can be such an easy go-to for guests, or those times when you just don’t feel like a big meal prep. Add a bit of crudite, fruit, or wine perhaps, if you like. And, if you don’t feel like making your own bread, etc., your local bakeries always come in handy. We have several fabulous bakeries here in Tucson. Or, forget the bread/crackers & just slather them on your raw veg. 

Terrine de Legumes – Vegetable Pate | phamfatale.com.

Two Salmon Pate Recipe | dairygoodness.ca.

Sweet Almond Pate | healthfulpursuit.com.

PÂTÉ DE CAMPAGNE | whats4eats.com.

Make sure to check out this classic recipe’s variations at the bottom.

Mock Salmon Pate | renewedlivinginc.com.

Rosemary Cranberry Spread | lifesambrosia.com.

Terrine de crabe exotique | cuisineactuelle.fr.

Vegetable Pate | Kirsten’s Kitchen.

Chicken Liver Pâté w/Balsamic Shallots | healthyfellow.com.

Mushroom Pate | natureandhealth.com.au.

Take care!

Healthy Appetizer Recipes

24 Healthy Appetizer Recipes | FaveHealthyRecipes.com.

“When go-to appetizers consist of loaded nachos to deep-fried onion rings, healthy appetizer choices seem to be few and far between. For those watching their weight, appetizers can be a serious diet destroyer. Often, party appetizers are not very filling, so we tend to eat a lot. When a table is full of finger-licking-good food, it is hard to resist. Before know it, we just consumed hundreds of empty calories. A few seemingly harmless nachos could add up to 500 calories to your meal – and that’s before the main meal! However, there is a way that you can enjoy appetizers without all the excess calories. Slim down your starters by following these healthy appetizer recipes.”

My week started with a no-frills dish of sautéed zucchini. The next day, I started craving fried zuc, but you know I rarely pan or deep-fry foods. So, I knew a bit of panko, a Misto of oil, then a bake-fry was in order. I first started using panko (back in the day) after seeing a television cooking program. I don’t recall what the preparation was. The main reason for watching the show was that the chef was attractive, haha. Panko preps come out so nice and crunchy. I had just uncovered my slow cooker full of homemade non-fat yogurt, so I thought perhaps I could use it to replace an egg/flour coating. I have been using the yogurt a lot lately to replace oil and eggs in a variety of dishes (and baked goods). I just mixed in a little s&p and garlic, then coated with the yogurt. I love a little dust of cheese (like parm or romano), herbs, and garlic after they come out of the oven. The following day, I was still in a fried zuc mood, but had to sub yellow squash. I took a pic this time. I adore creamy horseradish dip (as they serve at many restaurants), so I made a low cal dip with fresh horseradish, mustard, light mayo, and a pinch of sweetener. I love to put “stick” dips in a shot glass — makes for easy dunking.

The fried zuc got me in a pub food mood, so I made a few batches of baked sweet cinnamon sweet potato chips, then baked Italian red potato chips. Then, I decided I wanted fried mushrooms. I was out of panko by this time, though, and didn’t feel like preparing a batter. So, I moved on to sesame seeds. Why not? I used portobellos this batch. (I made chalkboards this week, so that’s what’s in the background.)

The dip was a blackberry mustard. I actually mixed in way more blackberry after I snapped the pic, so it was more purplish. I used the same yogurt coating method, only I added a bit of dried rosemary to the yogurt. I haven’t been using my rosemary too frequently, so I may have to dry a fresh batch. I can’t seem to keep up with my dried cilantro! Anyway…making these lightened up apps had me searching for a few more recipes. So, I thought I would share this post. I love standard fare of things like the fried zuc, mozz sticks, nachos, onion rings, quesadillas, stuffed mushrooms, wings, etc., that have found their way onto so many menus. Sometimes, I just want something similar, but lighter, though.

Hope you enjoy these recipes. Have a great rest of the weekend!

Recipes: Passover

Vegetable Kugel with Caramelized Leeks | whatjewwannaeat.com.

I am trying to keep up with all of the Holidays! César Chávez Day was yesterday, there’s Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday coming up, and, of course, Passover begins soon. Today, I wanted to post a Passover dish that recently caught my attention. Really, this looked so good to me, I am certain I would prepare it for any occasion.

And, if you’re looking for even more menu ideas, check out this eBook with over 50 Passover recipes:

eBook | 4 Bloggers Dish

Food: A Study in Still Lifes 3

Uncommon Nonsense. : Photo.

I found this gorgeous owl fruit carving I wanted to share with you today. I apologize that there are no instructions attached, but I think it will inspire you just the same. The common barn owl is my favorite (one of nature’s most beautiful creatures, IMO), and I was just thrilled when I saw this magnificent piece. I bet there are some reading who could handle a project like this quite easily. I’m not so sure about myself, but I find it a pleasure to look at.

The Many Uses of Food Powders

Adding to my other posts about preserving our foods, I thought the many uses of dehydrated and powered foods might be interesting. As you can see from my pics, I dehydrated red beets, sweet potatoes, and chard, then ground them into powders. I dehydrated golden beets around the same time, but after tasting one…well, they got eaten! Many people are allergic to artificial dyes and colors, so this is a great way to get the food coloring you want and save some cash. I’ve pictured veggies, but fruits (like cherries, black and blue berries, etc.) or herbs are also wonderful.

Colored pasta is the first thing that comes to mind for me (it’s ALWAYS pasta for me!), but there are a plethora of other uses. You can use your powders to enhance color and flavors for broths (you can thicken them a bit with sweet potato, as well), cream, sauces, bread doughs, cakes, truffles, and frosting. You can make powdered drink mixes, use them for garnishes, and they are great for craft projects. Mix them with a little water and use them as an alternative to water colors for little ones. Naturally-dyed Easter egg shells are fun, or you can make marbled eggs like Chinese tea eggs (see my pic. *As a side: In case you’re interested, I made those from an adaptation of this recipe: Chinese Tea Eggs.*). Teas and coffee are fab in that they are already dried. They can be used for food dyes, but also try them for natural and inexpensive wood stains (fruits and veggies, too).

I used a blender for my veggies this time, but you can also use a spice mill. I store my powders in recycled containers with a desiccant to keep out the moisture. There are probably a ton of other options, but those are just a few I’ve thought of for now. I will post more ideas as they come to me.

WhirlwinDISH 23

I needed to eat healthier-type foods after the long holiday weekend, so that’s how I ended up making this veggie “sushi.” I was going to post a different dish, but I thought some might still be trying to “cleanse and detox” after holiday treat meals, lol.

I have never had any formal training in sushi making, so don’t laugh at my pic. Culinary training, for me, didn’t include it. I saw a cooking show years ago with a sushi prep, so that’s the extent of my expertise. I spotted a sushi roll mat at a yard sale several years back, and that’s when I started making sushi. I tried my best to remember what I had seen on the show. One day, I will take the time to actually look up proper techniques and whatnot. In the meantime, I made this for a lightened post-Holiday meal. I was craving raw beets like never before (my body must have known I needed them, haha), so I pureed some, strained out the juice, and mixed it with short-grain brown rice. I only added salt to season it, but I think next time I might add a little allspice or something to boost the beet flavor. I filled it with raw golden beets, carrots, cukes, steamed asparagus, and sprouts. (Have you started your homegrown sprouts yet? If not, read this post: Sprouting 101 & Homemade Sprouting Jars 🙂 ).

As far as the rest of my post-Holiday day went, I kept hydrated by sipping on fruit and veggie water with just cukes, lemons, and raspberries. I learned a tip from one of my co-workers: in the morning, make a big batch of your water in a clear container (so you can see all the colorful fruits and veggies) and set it somewhere you will see it pretty frequently (like in your office, or on your kitchen counter). I need reminders to drink water, so having it right in front of me helps. I used to get stuck drinking coffee or something, then get busy with the day and forget to drink enough water. Arizona is a HOT state, so we have to keep extra hydrated. I also had some delish cantaloupe from the farmers’ market for breakfast, and I added the leftover beet juice to my fave mix of carrot and ginger root juice (see pic). I started drinking this at a vegan cafe called Urban Fresh here in Tucson, and it’s my fave combo. It’s called a ‘Ginger Bunny.’ I also added sprouts this time, and it gave it a fresh, green taste. Later, I wanted a chilled soup, so I started to make one from the cantaloupe. I decided on a pineapple gazpacho, though: pineapple, chile, garlic, shallot, lemon, raw honey, and salt. The red chile gave it that peachy color. So, so, SO good! I could eat that everyday.

Have a great day, and I hope to post some more cooking adventures soon!

My Favorite Places: Heirloom Farmers’ Market, Rillito Park, Tucson, AZ, pt. 1

Pics from Heirloom Farmers’ Market @ Rillito Park in Tucson, Arizona. See a few more pics from my previous post: To Market to Market. As I said in that post, this is a very large market (for Tucson). My last trip, I had the best apples — sweet, tangy, bright, and crisp! Having grown up in New York State, I often miss the ‘apple culture’ we had (picking days, fresh juice, cider, cider donuts, etc.)…so these brought back sweet memories. Arizona is obviously a big state for citrus, though, and we have a wonderful selection. There are so many awesome vendors and farmers who attend this market, so please stop by if you’re in Tucson. I especially love the local produce, but you can find fab local tortillas, tamales, soaps, tea, honey, garden plants, and more.

Even more pics on post, part 2.

 

Non-GMO Project

Non-GMO Project.

I know most people have heard about the non-GMO project, but in case you haven’t…check out this site for the latest info on the SCARY things happening with our food. High risk crops of: alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soy, sugar beets, zucchini and yellow squash.