food – Page 18 – Mommy Hiker

[Food Series] Cold Cucumber and Yogurt Soup (Cacık)

Posted on May 24, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

This is, hands down, my favorite Turkish soup and a staple in our house, especially in the summer months. Since I have been asked by so many friends for the recipe, I figured you guys might enjoy it too! It takes less than 15 minutes to make, not to mention it’s really low cal and nutritious! My two year old devours this by the gallon. Win, Win, Win!

cold yogurt and cucumber soup turkish cacik

Cold Cucumber and Yogurt Soup (Cacık)

Ingredients:
6 Cups of Plain Yogurt
2 Cloves of Garlic
4 Persian Cucumbers
1 Cup of Water

Into a large bowl, grate the peeled cucumbers and use a zester or microplane to add the garlic. Dump the yogurt and water in and blend until it is smooth. I usually use a fork because it easily breaks up all of the lumps, but doesn’t aerate the yogurt. Chill and serve! That’s it, literally!

In our house, we usually prefer it on the thicker side, but feel free to add more water, in very small increments, to get it to the consistency that works for you. This dish is also delicious with finely chopped mint or dill, a drizzle of olive oil or served as a side dish with any yummy protein!

[Food Series] Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

Posted on May 2, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

Summer is HERE in Southern California and in honor of the fact that it will be 95 degrees today, I made Gazpacho! I had every intention of doing an Asiago cheese crostini on the side, but we were so hungry that I just tore off a piece of rustic bread and called it a day! HA! This recipe is SO easy, there’s no reason you can’t have this staple in a pitcher in your fridge all summer long! Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
4 celery stalks
4 small persian cucumbers, peeled

1/4 red bell pepper

1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp red onion
1 avocado
1/3 cup of olive oil
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Finely dice the first 6 ingredients and toss them into the food processor and top it off with the juice of 1 lime and a bit of salt and pepper. Pulse the processor just a few times while adding olive oil. Chill, then serve with a garnish of sliced avocado (and feel free to add any fresh herbs you have on hand! Cilantro or Basil are two of our favs!) Voila! That is literally it! 10 Minutes, TOPS! Enjoy with a great Sauvignon Blanc!

A few side notes:
I prefer my gazpacho chunky, so I truly only pulse my processor for about 5 – 10 seconds, but if you like a creamier consistency, feel free to puree it, then you can add a variety of chunky garnishes on top!

Also, I know many gazpacho recipes call for some sort of heat, whether it’s jalapenos or tabasco, but my hubby does not do well with spicy food, so we leave that part out. Feel free to add heat to your liking!

A great variation on this recipe that we love is roasting the tomatoes and red bell peppers! It adds a smokier flavor to the soup. If you want to try this way, I would recommend adding a tablespoon or two of sherry vinegar to balance the heightened sugars from roasting.

Finding Beach Bliss in Oxnard, California!

Posted on April 29, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

I must admit that although Oxnard, California is just under an hour north of Los Angeles, in the 17 plus years of SoCal living, we have only been once (about a year and a half ago, we drove up for a 3 day camping excursion at McGrath State Beach). Boy, have we been missing out!

Our visit was very spontaneous, extremely short (about 20 hours), but oh so sweet. Vivi and I had decided to tag along with a friend who had to drive up for a business meeting. As luck would have it, that meeting was a block away from the coast, so we made a beeline for the beach; its sand a pure, fine, white blanket and its waves gentle and lapping, perfect for toddlers!

Hollywood Beach, Oxnard, California

There wasn’t a single tourist in sight (except for us, I guess!), just the occasional friendly local walking their dog or enjoying a midday jog by the shore, so we felt as if we were on our own private beach! For hours we laughed, played in the water, built castles, threw sand at each other, rolled around and laughed some more! We were in heaven!

Hollywood Beach, Oxnard, California

V even made a friend, who’s dad was sweet enough to lend us a towel being that we had no intention of ever ending up on a beach covered head-to-toe with sand!!

Hollywood Beach, Oxnard, California

After a quick shower down, we met back up with our friend and walked into the first restaurant we saw Sea Fresh Market, which just happened to be snugly perched on the Channel Islands Harbor with a plethora of ducks to chase, a gorgeous view of the boats and an even better happy hour (did someone say oysters?!)

Oysters! YUM!

So, short story even shorter: I had no idea that 24 hours in Oxnard, California would be written down in my memory as one of the best days ever, but it has been.