healthy

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 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.

The Turkish Cuisine is full of healthy, simple and fresh dishes. Zeytinyağlı Pırasa was one of the first “olive oil” dishes I was introduced to by my Mother-in-law, over a decade ago on my first visit to my husband’s homeland. I LOVE leeks and I LOVE olive oil. It was a match made in heaven! This dish is traditionally served cold, so it’s perfect for a picnic on a hot summer day and it’s loaded with nutrition Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Calcium and Omegas!

Leeks in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Pırasa)

Ingredients:

4 Medium-sized Leeks

1 Small Carrot

1/2 Small Onion

1 Teaspoon of Rice

1/2 Teaspoon of Sugar

1/3 Cup of Olive Oil

1/2 Cup of Water

1/2 Lemon

Trim and clean your leeks, then chop them on the bias about 2 inches thick. Peel and cut the carrot on the bias about 1/4 of an inch thick and finely dice your onion.

In a deep pot, saute the onions for a minute, then toss in the carrots for 3 minutes, then add your leeks, rice and sugar and allow them to cook covered, in their own juices, on a medium heat, for about 5 minutes. Add the water and stir. Bring it back up to a boil, then turn the heat down to a slow simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. (Make sure not to stir the pot so the leeks will hold their shape!) When the timer goes off, allow it to cool in the pot so all of the flavors can continue to blend. Once cooled, squeeze some lemon over the top and enjoy! 

Side Note: This dish is good in the fridge for up to 3 days and is definitely tastier by the second day!

It’s been a looooong time since I’ve roasted a whole chicken. We usually buy the value pack of chicken thighs, which I roast and keep in the fridge for easy lunch-making during the week, but this week the large organic chickens were on sale!

Ingredients for Chicken:
1 Whole Chicken
1 small brown Onion
1 Lemon
5 cloves of Garlic
1 bunch of Thyme
1 bunch of Rosemary
1 bunch of Oregano
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1 Tsp of Salt
1 Tsp of Pepper
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Vegetables:
1 pint of Grape Tomatoes
1 bulb of Fennel chopped
5 cloves of Garlic chopped
1 package of baby Carrots
1 cup of Chicken Stock

Roasting a chicken is a fairly easy. Prepare the chicken by emptying out everything they pack inside the cavity (i.e. gizzards, liver, etc), then check to make sure all feathers are removed. Give it a thorough rinse, inside and out, then pat it completely dry. Making sure the bird is dry is an important step, that will ensure that yummy crispy skin!

Once you have prepared your chicken, you can preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Give the onion a very rough chop, smash the 5 cloves of garlic to release their oils and cut the lemon into quarters. These are your aromatics which will be stuffed into the cavity of the chicken. Clean and de-stem all of your herbs, finely chop them up and mix them together in a small bowl with the cumin, salt and pepper, then add the olive oil and make sure the mixture is tossed well.

With the chicken in the roasting pan, slather the entire bird with the herb and olive oil mixture, making sure to get all of the nooks and crannies! Stuff the onion, smashed garlic and lemon into the chicken’s cavity to add a burst of flavor! Place all of the veggies around the chicken in the roasting pan, then pour the chicken stock on top of the veggies (not the chicken!) and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Close the oven, set the timer for an hour and go have a glass of wine!

When the timer goes off, check out your bird. The general rule is if you stick a fork in it and the juices run clear, it’s done, but I cut mine all the way down the middle to be on the safe side (I don’t own a roasting thermometer). Your roasting time will depend on how big your chicken is, so please follow the recommended cooking time on the package. Our chicken was about 3 pounds and it took about 1 1/2 hours. When the bird is done, take it out of the oven and make sure to let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing!

We served ours up with a wild rice blend. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!