Summertime, and the Feelin' is Easy (Summer 2009)

By Yvonne Tally

Kabobs, burgers, marshmallows and watermelon are lining up at the grocery checkout, ready to accompany us home. Fire up the grill, put the cushions on the chaise lounge, pour yourself a cool one and relax – the air just got a little calmer, and the cooking just got a little bit easier.

Legs dangling from a swing and barbeque sauce dripping down our arm chased by the family dog’s tongue somehow pass the Emily Post checklist as acceptable backyard etiquette. A ‘we are fam-i-ly’ vibe welcomes the picnic season, ants and all.

A friend called me the other day and said, “I’m having a Fourth of July party. I need the food to sit out all day… what can I make?” “NOTHING!” I shrieked. Then I did a little research… Still nothing.
Food is a living organism, and nothing that wants to stay alive should be sitting in the sun all day, including food.  Unless it’s sun tea or beef jerky, nothing can hurt those! So with the picnic, beach, and backyard soirée season here, what can we bring to the party besides potato chips and store bought cookies that is sun-safe and tasty? Plenty.

First, keep it safe. Insulated bags are a no brainer for keeping the temperature down. But backyard entertaining would look more like a backroom storeroom if you left all the food in insulated bags. Instead, keep your food out of the sun, and placed in decorative bowls of ice. Prepare foods in small amounts and exchange them for fresh batches throughout the day. Put someone in charge of replenishing the ice, kids love this job. Mustard and catsup spoil just as mayonnaise does, so be sure to keep them iced also.

Now, to the food and drink. My all time easy-elegant favorite is a kabob, roasted veggies, a simple salad, and watermelon lemonade. I most often grill my protein on a separate skewer from my vegetables – except for onions. Sweet Maui onions are magnificent raw or slowly cooked and caramelized. This makes them a perfect accompaniment to the kabob protein. When the fish or meat is done, the onion will taste delicious no matter how long they have cooked.

Keep the vibe going all throughout the summer, and don’t forget the sunscreen - for you and the food!

Mahi Mahi Kabob with Spinach Papaya Salad
Serves 4
Mahi mahi is a Hawaiian fish that is on the ‘safe fish’ list: it is low in mercury. Its firm texture makes it great for grilling and skewering.
20oz mahi mahi fillets – cut in 1” cubes
4 - 6 bamboo skewers
1 Maui onion – 1’ cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Season with coarse sea salt and pepper
Skewer and grill on medium – turning on each side until desired doneness
Salad:
2 cups papaya - peeled and cubed
6 big handfuls of baby spinach
12 small sugar or cherry tomatoes
1/2 of a small red onion - sliced thin
2 tablespoons cashew halves
Dressing:
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup sweet rice wine vinegar
1/4 bunch fresh mint - chopped
1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of coarse sea salt
Mix and serve with the mahi mahi skewer on top

Watermelon Lemonade
Equal parts lemonade and watermelon juice (macerate in blender or food processor. Strain if desired or add to lemonade with pulp.
1 cup frozen watermelon cubes to 2 cups watermelon lemonade
Splash of chilled vodka (adult version)

Does the Weekday Breakfast have everyone flying in different directions in your home? Although we know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, most of us are running out the door with a piece of bread lodged between our teeth and coffee spilling over the brim of our to go cup. Not only do we deny ourselves important brain food, we also set ourselves up for other problems such as irritability, inability to focus, sluggish metabolism which can to weight gain; and instead of using our food for fuel, our body now digs into the precious protein (muscle) stored and uses our lean mass instead of our food as energy. Stop the madness, help has arrived! Try my time buster, the Wafflewich. It is a whole meal deal in less than 5 minutes. And as most often with The Fit Gourmet recipes, it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge and heated just minutes before you are ready to eat.

Wafflewich

Dust off that waffle iron and start using it to make hot breakfasts in a hurry. If you have a flat iron, that works also. Coat the iron with spray on olive oil. This is a great way to evenly coat the iron and minimize the amount of oil on the iron.

Tips

• Make your favorite sandwich the night before. Store it in the refrigerator in a waxed or paper bag. It will be hot when you put it in your Grab and Go bag, so don’t use plastic.
• Optional: coat the outside of the bread with butter to get a grilled crisp texture and flavor.
• If you don’t want to make a dip, use any favorite yogurt, organic is always better if you can and watch out for the sugar content of presweetened yogurts. They can be as high in sugar as a can of soda!
• Experiment with your favorite ingredients and create your own. Let me know what you come up with by e-mailing me at

Making your Wafflewich

1. Make sure your grill is hot. Your Wafflewich cooks fast and should be crispy.
2. Coat the outside of your bread, pita or tortilla with butter or olive oil spray (optional) for a crispy texture.
3. Fill with your ingredients.
4. Place on hot grill and close. A Wafflewich cooks in about 3 minutes. Peeking at it while it cooks won’t hurt, but not too much, otherwise it will get too cool and will be soggy.

Sliced Strawberries on Raisin Walnut Bread with Vanilla Cinnamon Yogurt Dip

This will appeal to those kids who love pancakes or waffles for breakfast strawberries — sliced
maple syrup — drizzled over fruit
2 slices raisin walnut bread (walnuts provide the protein)

Optional: used honey instead of syrup

Cinnamon Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt and
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Eggs with Cheese on Sourdough
1 egg — (Hard poach, baste, or fry the night before. Will keep in fridge up to 2 days.)
1-2 slices of cheddar cheese
2 slices of sour dough bread

Optional: Sliced turkey bacon

Crispy Chicken Quesadilla Pockets
1/2 cup queso fresco or Monterey jack cheese
leftover chicken breast, sliced or no nitrate sliced chicken
whole wheat or plain pita

Optional: Salsa — 1 cup organic bottled salsa. Add fresh minced cilantro and grated carrots for more fiber.

Turkey & Swiss on Whole Wheat
2 slices of natural turkey — no nitrates
1-2 slices of natural Swiss cheese
2 slices whole wheat bread

Autumn Breeze

By Yvonne Tally

Perched upon my kitchen stool, lingering over a glass of Domenichelli Petit Sirah and nibbling on a bruschetta of toasted Japanese eggplant and sweet red onion, I am struck at how delightfully relaxing autumn makes me feel; it is the close to summer and the lull before the holidays.  Pumpkin patches sprout up in grocery store parking lots, and flip-flops are tossed to the back of our closets (unless you work at Abercrombie and Finch), while comfy sweaters, hot cocoa and hearty cabernets are brought front and center. 

As the autumn breeze begins to bustle outside our windows and leafs silently drift from their tree branches, we say goodbye to the last few good tomatoes and hello to nubby roots and robust onions.  The autumn greeting card is filled with gnarly veggies peeking over the tops of the many boxes of produce at the Sunday morning Menlo Park Farmer’s Market. Autumn vegetables are earthy but light; zucchini, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, and celery are some of my favorites. They are the misunderstood vegetables, often overlooked for their more glamorous cousins such as fennel, French beans, and leeks. However, I say, give the not so popular players a chance.

Soup, risotto, chili, and pasta become the darlings of restaurant menus, as well as my own.  I’ve recently added one more stable to my autumn menu and that is gnocchi (pronounced nyo-kee). These tiny pillows of potato are quick boiled in salted water, drained and dressed with a bit of reggiano parmasano and extra virgin olive oil. Gnocchi is delicious added to soups and is a perfect partner for a myriad of autumn vegetables, and using a food processor or grater is a quick and easy preparation. They may be easily sautéed or oven roasted, then incorporated into sauces with those ‘menu darlings’, as a bruschetta topping, or as an autumn salad.  The possibilities are endless. Just be sure to treat them like those cute and lovely summer vegetables; eat them often, while they are in season, and with good friends and even better wine.

Zucchini & Celery Gnocchi
This is a quick dish and great the next day – a little goes a long way – serve with an apple and butter lettuce salad.

Makes 3-4 Servings
1 - 12oz package of gnocchi (Soporito is available in most markets)
1 large shallot – finely chopped
1 celery stalk – finely chopped
1 zucchini – finely grated
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram (or 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated good parmesan cheese (reggiano parmasano is the best)
10 basil leaves – sliced like ribbons
Sea salt and white pepper to taste

1. Prepare the water for the gnocchi as per the package instructions.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, sauté shallot and celery until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add marjoram and incorporate. Season with a few pinches of sea salt and white pepper.
3. Add chicken stock , cream, and grated zucchini, let reduce for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, Cook gnocchi, drain, and place in serving bowl. Keep warm.
5. Add cheese to reduced sauce and mix well. Add basil and combine. Pour over gnocchi and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

The autumn days are upon us. Break out your woolly sweaters and Ughs. It’s time to get cozy and enjoy a big bowl of homemade chili. This recipe is so simple, keeps up to 5 days in the fridge, freezes well and makes a great hot lunch for the kids, big and small. It is low in fat, high in protein and fiber and if you want to make it vegetarian, skip the turkey!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: At least 1 hour, better if simmer for 3 hours
Servings: 6-8
Total per serving (1 cup): 300 calories / 4 fat grams / 15 protein grams / 15 dietary fiber / 40 carbs

2 cans cannellini beans (Italian white kidney beans)
2 cans garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can red beans
1 can chopped tomatoes, roma
2 carrots chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced, the amount is up to your taste buds.
1/2 lb. organic ground turkey thigh meat
1/2 cup good red wine
1-1/2 cups organic chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
3 tablespoons Gebhardt™ chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for sautéing
Garnish suggestions:Monterey jack cheese or parmesan, chopped scallions, hot sauce

• Throw all the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in a food processor and let chop until the size of almonds for chunky chili.
• Heat a big pot with about 2 Tbsps. olive oil over medium flame.
• Add all the veggies and coat evenly.
• Sauté the veggies just until the color of the carrots deepens, about 3 minutes.
• Add the ground turkey meat. Brown on medium high for 3 or 4 minute.
• Turn heat up and add red wine. Let wine completely evaporate, about 2 minutes.
• Add the seasoning, all or half, it depends on your taste buds.
• Give it another stir and add the tomatoes, beans and chicken stock.
• Cover and let simmer for at least 1 hour but 3 hours if you have time. This is one of those meals that taste even better the next day!
• Garnish with cheese and hot sauce
• This chili goes great with my feta and cucumber salad and a glass of red wine. Enjoy!