I found this recipe in the Tribecca Grill Cookbook. Of course, I changed most of it… lol!  What I like most about the recipe, other than it being very healthy and low fat is the simple preparation, but totally fancy presentation.  Just up my alley.

I also used this opportunity to use my new knife from New West Knife Works.  I’m in love with this knife… not only is it gorgeous with the multicolored wooden handle, but boy is it sharp.  Just a great knife.

Squash and Zucchini Tart

1 large zucchini
1 large yellow squash
2-3 roma tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp rosemary, fresh, minced
salt
pepper
1/4 c panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp parsley, minced
1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes into thin rounds of the same thickness.  Combine the zucchini and squash into a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Mix with your hands to incorporate everything.

2. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and rub the foil with butter.  Starting with the zucchini, make a three inch round circle of slightly overlapping vegetable slices, filling in until a complete circle of zucchini has been made.  If you have a three inch round cutter use this as a guide.  This makes it very easy to make perfect circles.  Repeat with the squash, then another layer of zucchini and then another layer of squash.  Lastly, top with a layer of tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Then gently top with a pinch of parsley, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

3. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and turn your oven on broil.  Let the oven heat up for a few minutes and put the tarts back in (on the highest rack) and broil for 2-3 minutes, until nice and brown on top.  Do not walk away or the tarts will burn!

4. Gently remove from the pan with a spatula to keep the layers together.  Serve hot.

Makes 3-4 servings

Anyway, onto the salad… I’ve had a few tasty garbanzo bean salads recently, one from The Kosher Kingdom (where we did a photo shoot of their amazing store and YUMMY prepared foods) and another one at a day after brunch for a wedding we photographed.  Although the two salads were as different as they could be… they both starred the garbanzo.  I made my own version with what I had on hand, including peppers and herbs from my garden.  This recipe surely can be added to your very tasty AND healthy list.

Garbanzo Bean Salad Recipe

2-4 tbsp olive oil
1 small sweet onion, small dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can garbanzo beans (or about 2 c cooked beans)
1 small green pepper, charred, peeled and chopped
1 small red pepper, charred, peeled and chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
salt
pepper

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a small saute pan.  Saute the onions, for about 5 minutes, until softened.  Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring constantly for another minute.

2. Add the sauteed onions to a large bowl with the remaining ingredients.  Test for seasonings and add more salt, pepper and spices to your preference.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors meld together.  This is really good the next day.

Note: I also added about a 1/2 tsp of minced fresh cayenne pepper from my garden and it was REALLY hot, but still yummy.

This salad is an attempt to recreate a lentil salad I had while on a friend’s sailboat recently.  It was so good that I kept eating it.  And eating it. And eating it.  You get the point, right?  The best part is that the salad was definitely healthy.  All I remembered were lentils, caramelized onions and herbs.  I’ve made something similar, but I’m pretty sure it’s totally different.  Either way… its yummy and great for my new healthy eating regime!

Lentil Salad Recipe
1 c dried lentils
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt
black pepper
3-4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, sliced (not too thin)
1 roasted red pepper, cut into small strips
10 kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1. Rinse the lentils in cold water and place into a small pan with the garlic, dried thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Cover with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes until just starting to soften.  I prefer my lentils with a little bit of a bite so I slightly under cook them.  Strain, discard the garlic and add lentils to a large bowl.

2. While the lentils are cooking, Heat a saute pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.  Add the onions, salt and pepper and saute for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.  Stir often to avoid burning.  Add to the bowl with lentils.

3. Add the roasted red pepper, olives, fresh herbs, vinegar and remainder of olive oil to the bowl.  Gently toss the ingredients together to combine.  If it seems to dry, add a little water or you could add more olive oil.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Makes 4 servings

Anyway, I had some free time last week and decided I was in the mood the bake.  After thumbing through my cookbooks,  came across this recipe for pita bread.  Since I had all of the ingredients on hand, pita it was!  This was my first time making it, and I even impressed myself.  Who know pitas were so easy to make and yet SO complicated looking!  It really is fascinating how you can put a thin,  flat piece of dough on a hot surface and it will balloon and turn into a beautiful pita.  The best part is the dough is good in the fridge for up to a week.  This means you can have fresh pita at your whimsy… Now THAT is good stuff, my friends!



A little hummus…

Some Campari tomatoes and a generous slice of feta…

and some uber-fresh tabouleh rounds out this dinner. Find recipes for the side dishes here.

Pita Bread Recipe
(adapted from Baking with Julia)

1 tsp dry yeast
2 1/2 c tepid water (80-90 degrees, F)
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour

1. Stir the yeast and water together in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon and stirring in one direction, add the whole wheat flour, about a cup at a time; then stir 100 times, or until the mixture looks smooth and silky.  This is the sponge that needs to rest covered with plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes, although it is best if it can rest longer, up to 8 hours in a cool place.

2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and then stir in the olive oil, mixing well, again stirring in the same direction. Add the all purpose flour a cup at a time, mixing until the dough is too stiff to mix with the spoon.  Scrape into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. The dough will be moderately firm and have a slight sheen.

3. Rinse the mixing bowl, dry it and coat it lightly with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours or until it doubles in bulk.

4. You can bake in the oven or on the stove top. I tried both ways, and preferred the oven, as you end up with a much more uniformly cooked product.  To bake in the oven, place a baking stone or quarry tiles in the bottom rack of your oven. If you do not have these, you can also use a sheet pan. Preheat to 450 degrees.

5. Deflate the dough by kneading it briefly. Divide it in half and keep one half under plastic or a cloth while you work with the other. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and with the light floured cupped hands, form the pieces into tight balls; keep the balls under plastic while you work on the others. On a well floured surface, flatted the balls of dough into a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Cover, but do not stack the rolled out breads.

6. Place the dough on the preheated stone and bake for 3-5 minutes or until the breads resemble well blown-up balloons. Don’t worry of you get seams or dry spots or less than full balloons (your tiles might not have been hot enough) the breads will still taste good. As the breads come out of the oven, wrap the together in a large kitchen towel. Finish baking this batch of bread, roll out the remaining  dough and continue baking.

Makes 16 pitas

Note: To bake on the stove top, preheat a cast iron or heavy skillet over medium high heat and lightly oil. Bake one rolled out circle at a time, putting the pita top side down on the pan cooking for 20 seconds before turning over. Cook for another minute until big bubbles appear. Turn again and cook until it balloons completely.

The recipe said salt was an optional item , but I think it is really necessary.  I only added a generous pinch of fleur de sel and it was extremely bland before brining.  It was fine after brining, but the exterior is definitely saltier than the interior when you brine.  The texture is similar to Queso Blanco.  It has a nice bite and mild flavor.  Next time I’m going to experiment with some smoked sea salt and maybe even herbs.  It was so easy, I see myself making fresh cheese at home on a regular basis.

Fresh Brined Cheese Recipe
(Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman)

1/2 gallon milk (1%, 2% or whole)
1 quart buttermilk
salt

1. Bring the milk to a boil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat.  Stir often to keep from scorching, until the milk bubbles up the sides of the pot, 10-15 minutes.

2. Line a strainer with 3 layers of cheesecloth.  Have a long piece of twine ready.

3. Add the buttermilk to the boiling milk all at once and stir constantly until the mixture separates into curds and whey.  It will look like cooked egg whites suspended in a slightly thick yellowish liquid.  Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 to 1 tsp salt.

4. Carefully pour the mixture through the cloth and strainer so that the curds collect in the bottom and the whey drains off.  Gather up the corners of the cloth and twist the top to start working the curds into a ball.  Run the bundle under cold water until you can handle it.  Keep twisting and squeezing out the whey until the bundle feels firm and dry.  Don’t worry about handling it roughly, it can take it.

5. Tie the string around the top to hold it tight, then tie the string around a long spoon to suspend the cheese over the sink or a bowl to drain.  Let it rest, undisturbed until cool and set, about 1 1/2 hours. 

6. While the cheese is resting, bring 2 c water to a boil and add 2 tbsp salt.  Stir to dissolve the salt.  Let sit until completely cooled. Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth and submerge in the brine. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.  I prefer to rinse the cheese under cool water before eating as the outer part tends to taste salty.

Makes about 1 pound cheese