Baked Eggs... in a Pepper!

How does that look? Pretty delicious, right?

It definitely looks 100x better than my first baked eggs attempt which involved very flat, dry eggs in ramekins, one of which had a sort of bizarre bubble like growth on it; I was saving that whole debacle for one of my kitchen disasters posts except that I never got around to it, so here you go:

Since a year or so has elapsed, I thought I'd get right back in there. I was partly inspired by my previously made Fancy Schmancy Springtime Eggs, a rare Pinterest attempt that worked pretty much like they said it would:

ANYWAYS... back to this weekend's brunch. I started with half a pepper, this sort of strange looking white bell pepper is some kind of Long Island pepper that I am entirely unable to find on the internet, but which exists in large piles at my produce stand. It is not quite as sweet as a red or yellow pepper but not as tart as green- you could use basically any pepper of your choice but colored yellow/orange/red would taste better.

As you can see, I lined the bottom with very thin slices of cheddar, which is optional. You could put almost anything in here- other cheese, (cooked) bacon, green onions, whatever!

I then carefully cracked 2 eggs into the pepper- from my disappointing ramekin experience, I learned that the eggs do puff very slightly, but not as much as you might expect. These eggs went basically to the very top, and it was fine.

You might notice that there is suddenly tinfoil in the picture- I used that to brace the pepper so it didn't roll and dump egg everywhere. I sprinkled the top with sea salt, pepper, rosemary, and parmesan cheese.

I cooked the eggs in a 400 degree oven- it really took a lot longer than I would have expected- about 35 minutes for the eggs to cook through. I would recommend checking the eggs frequently (just poke them- you want to be sure the white is set all the way through so that should be pretty firm). I don't like extremely runny yolks, so mine were a bit more on the done side.

Although it took a while to bake, this looked great- definitely brunch-worthy. In addition, it makes almost everyone happy- the vegetarians, the low carbers,  the paleos, the gluten frees- this, my friends, is a people pleaser. I think the vegans are out of luck, but that's about it. Give it a try!

I had it with some avocado, and a side of mango with lime (mmmmmmmmmm).

Freezer Sangria

As we've discussed, it was very very hot for a while, lately it has been perfect and not too hot, but this freezer sangria is still an awesome discovery anyways. I found a version of this over at NoRecipes, and went from there.

I don't think I need to explain why sangria is the best summer drink ever- it's cold, you can take advantage of delicious seasonal fruit, it's super flexible so you can make it however you like it, and it is really easy to pretend like you're in some kind of exotic location instead of in the middle of a hot city. The genius behind the freezer idea is that it makes it possible to have sangria on hand whenever you want it- this could actually get kind of dangerous.

What do you need?
- a good sized tupperware (mine was the same one I use to take brownies places, if that helps)
- a bottle of white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
- some variety of hard alcohol- all I ever have is gin, so I used that, but vodka, triple sec or something else clear would also have worked and maybe been better
- lots of fruit- I used a quarter cantelope, a sweet red grapefruit, and a peach or two. chop it all up.
- a little bit of juice to add sweetness, all I could find was mango so I used that! you could also put in a little sugar if it is too bitter
- soda water and ice for serving

Basically, dump it all into the tupperware, taste it and add the alcohol/juice until you like it and stick it in the freezer, how's THAT for simple.

The good thing about the freezer system is: 1, it's super cold and the fruit acts a little like ice; 2, the ice crystals in the fruit break it down and release more juice; 3, if you don't want to drink it all at once, days later you can hack off a chunk and make a drink!

To serve it, put an ice cube or two in a glass with some soda water, and dump chunks of frozen sangria in- stir it around, it'll be almost like a slushy, a delicious refreshing, alcoholic slushy. Enjoy!

Quick Summer Dinner- Grilled Peach Salad

This is barely a recipe, but it was so tasty and quick I figure I'll throw it out there. Last summer I fell in love with grilled peaches. So, the first time I saw some nice peaches in the store, of course that's what I immediately thought of.

This is as easy as it gets... I grilled a Trader Joes Kobe-style burger I had around, threw a peach on at the same time, and served the whole thing with arugula, gorgonzola, and a few toasted walnuts, all drizzled with balsamic vinegar. For a 10 minute meal it absolutely hit the spot!

A Sweet Side Dish- Banana Curry

Sometimes I run across a recipe for something and I just know that I have to make it immediately... banana curry was one of those things. It just sounds so WEIRD, you know? 

Well, it was a little bit weird, but it was also a really unique side dish, and I think the sweetness makes it an especially great side for something spicy. 

(You may note I'm not giving you the recipe for the chicken, and that's 

because basically it was ok but nothing particularly special).

This recipe came from Manjula's Kitchen, my go-to source for Indian food. 

What you need:

3 bananas, sliced into pretty thick slices (you don't want them to just turn into mush)

1 tbsp vegetable oil (coconut oil might have also been good)

1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1/8 tsp asafetida (hing) (if you don't have this, you could add a little bit of garlic)

1 minced jalapeño (if it's a big one, just use half)

1/8 tsp tumeric

1-2 tsp chopped ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp brown sugar (or mango powder if you have it)

a little water (~2 tbsp)

chopped cilantro, 2-4 tbsp

What to do with it:

(Note: this all comes together really quickly so have everything ready)

Heat up the oil, and when it's hot put in the seeds until they start popping, at that point add the asafetida, turmeric, and jalapeño. Stir it around, then put in the banana, ginger, sugar and water and stir really gently. Don't cook too long, just enough to quickly cook the bananas through, then remove from heat, sprinkle with salt, and gently stir in cilantro. And... that's it!

Even if you're not a meat eater, I think this would be pretty sweet and light for a main course (I mean, there is pretty much no protein), but it's great as a side dish and it's so quick together it's definitely worth a try!

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt... A Little Hint of Summer!

Basically, like everyone else these days,  I've become completely addicted to Pinterest. I'm there under *(what else) yellowfish - come check me out, or leave me your name and I'll follow you.

One of the things I pinned recently was this awesome looking strawberry frozen yogurt I found on Pink Parsley

 

Source: pink-parsley.com via Yellowfish on Pinterest

Looks delicious, right?? And when you read the ingredients, it gets better- Greek yogurt, strawberries, lemon and sugar. Couldn't be easier!

Here's what you need:
2c Greek yogurt- I used regular plain, but I think you can also use low fat
1 lb fresh strawberries, diced
2/3c sugar (next time I'll use 1/2c)
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp alcohol (vodka, triplesec)


What to do:
Chop the strawberries up, squeeze the lemon in the bowl, zest the lemon and add to bowl. Let it sit for about half an hour while the juices release.

Put the strawberry mixture in the blender, add alcohol (I used triple sec because it has a citrus flavor- the reason it is in there is really not for flavor so much as to keep everything from becoming a block of ice in the freezer). Blend well, then add yogurt and blend everything together. Pour mixture into the chilled ice-cream maker. Then, let it go until it becomes firm, then put into freezer to chill further.

What is so great about this is, #1 the beautiful color :). But, in addition, with all the fruit, it's almost on the border between an ice-cream and a sorbet. The fruit flavor and the lemon really come through and it's really fresh and light and summery. Plus, with the Greek yogurt, there is protein and while it's not really guilt-free due to the sugar, it's definitely a better choice than ice cream. Plus, it's delicious- give it a try!

Grilled Peaches.... Welcome to my new obsession.

This is it. I found it. It is the ultimate dessert of summer, you can just stop looking now.

It's summer, it's getting hot, and peaches are starting to show up everywhere (like, for instance, in my CSA box!). Now, very few things beat a big bite out of a really ripe juicy peach on a hot hot summer day, but this might be close. This dessert is simple, delicious, and healthy- what more could you possibly ask for! I was introduced to this idea at a barbecue, and have become a little obsessed.

What you need:
-Peaches (1 per person)
-a bit of olive oil

(yes, that's it).

What to do with it:
Slice the peaches in half and just pop out the pit. Gently rub each half with olive oil, to coat so it doesn't stick to the grill. Turn the grill on low (you can just put this on after you grill your dinner!), and put the peaches on the top rack, or away from the actual flame- you want to cook them slowly. Grill face down for 10 minutes, and then flip for 10 minutes more. They should be dripping a little, and the skin may very slightly split. If they're turning black, you're cooking them too hot and you need to move them away from the heat so they don't cook on the outside too fast. Apparently this is also possible in the oven- I have not tried it, but if I were to do that, I would prep the peaches in the same way, put in a glass pan, and roast at 300 for the same amount of time- if you try that, let me know how it works!

When they're done, they should be soft, and very juicy, and almost fall apart under your fork. They would be amaaaazzziiinnnggg over a small amount of really good vanilla ice cream, but I also like them just as they are (a glass of chilled white wine goes perfectly). They also might make a really nice side dish to complement a spicy grilled meat dish.

These are simple and elegant, and would be the perfect thing to use to impress your guests, seriously you should give it a try!

Ahh... summer.

There are some things not to love about Los Angeles in the summer... those are things like sitting in traffic in the blazing sun. But, one of the most awesome things is the increase in street fruit vendors (maybe they're around all year, but it still feels like a summer thing). You can identify them by their rainbow striped umbrellas, and little carts stacked full of fruit and ice. Usually there is an array of options like fresh mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, coconut, jicama, and cucumber. You ask for what you want, they chop it up right in front of you, and toss it in a bag. Then, the magic happens- they ask you what you want on it, and the only correct answer is chile, lime, and salt (con chile, limon, y sal). This results in a hefty dose of chili powder, a sprinkle of salt, and limes squeezed all over it. All this for five bucks!

Tell me you don't want to stick your fork in that. Seriously, try to make it the whole car ride home without nibbling at every stoplight.

I've actually tried to replicate something similar at home with a fresh pineapple. I sliced up the pineapple, sprinkled with chili powder and salt, and squeezed some fresh lime.

Now, this is a classic combination, and it definitely was delicious although maybe slightly lacking in the magic that happens when you stumble upon a fruit guy and chops, squeezes, and sprinkles the whole thing super fast right in front of you. It is definitely a way to make your summer fruit salad more spunky