Shishito and Avocado Breakfast Toast

I have felt compelled to put fried green peppers on just about everything since a dinner earlier this summer at my food blogger friend's house. Linda (of Wild Greens and Sardines) and her husband invited my husband an I over for some delicious pasta, and while we sipped wine and waited for the water to boil, they fried up pan after pan of padrón peppers. Padrón peppers are a staple in Spain, a most-welcome nibble in the late afternoon when you know dinner is still hours away. Sprinkled with crunchy grains of salt, they are mostly mild, but occasionally you get a real hot sucker that makes you reaching for bread, cheese, anything to make the heat go away, even another pepper-just hope that it's a mild one. If you're like me, you somehow manage to grab only the hot ones.

I'll take a minute here and clue you in to a little thing about going to a food blogger's house for dinner. When a bloggers says she's just going to make pasta for dinner, don't believe that she's just going to toss some dried noodles in some water and call it a day. Nope. Linda made the most beautiful homemade pasta in these circular stamp shapes and tossed them with a nutty and herbaceous pesto. Pan fried padrón peppers started off the meal, but roasted maitakes, Green Zebras doused in extra-virgin olive oil and sumac, and specialty chocolate rounded it out. And what in the world did I bring to this feast? I came with a dinky grilled zucchini salad that I swear shrunk even more by the time we got to Linda's. My cup of zucchini and me pretty much wanted to disappear when I saw the spread she had prepared. Yeah, we very much owe she and her husband a dinner. Or wait, a feast.

Back to the peppers. Padrón peppers are deliciously tender and a far cry from rigid (and always hot!) jalapenos and very pungent and vegetal green peppers. Heat makes their thin skin melt, their few sugars just beginning to caramelize. The problem is that they can be a little hard to find. Shishitos, on the other hand, seemed to be everywhere at our farmers' market. While I would be hard-pressed to tell you the exact difference in taste, padrón peppers are a little more petite. I pretty much treat both them the same way. Fry them in a little oil until nice and blistered, sprinkle with some sea salt, and eat, seeds (not stems) included. As much as I love them plain, I thought they could add a little texture and subtle earthy heat to a breakfast favorite of mine, the egg and avocado sandwich.

I feel like I'm cheating calling this a recipe, but I thought the combo was worthy of a share. I tossed on a little fresh basil for a hint of summer freshness. Tomato would be a welcome addition, but as it's breakfast, I didn't want to get too complicated.

Shishito Avocado Breakfast Toast

1 whole wheat English muffin or 2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
Handful of shishito peppers (or Padrón peppers, if you can find them)
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 eggs
1/2 large avocado
A few basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
Sea salt and pepper, for sprinkling (or a little Parmigiano reggiano is delicious!)

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add peppers, and cook for 7-10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Peppers should be blistered and starting to wilt. Remove from heat, remove stems from peppers, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Crack two eggs into pan, and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes or until desired doneness. You can flip the egg for over easy or I sometimes place a lid over the pan to allow the white to cook and just allow the yolk to set.

Mash 1/4 of avocado on each slice of bread. Top with basil, shishitos, and fried eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and a little Parmigiano reggiano), if desired. Serves 1.

Peach and Tomato Gazpacho

We’re in full-swing summer here. If the heat didn’t remind me everyday, the farmer’s market sure does. Peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers..you could make a whole meal out of these alone. So that’s just what I did.

I riffed off my sister’s gazpacho staple- the one she makes every summer with her unending supply of tomato and freezes for easy dinners later in the year. She literally makes gallons of it. While I love appreciating tomatoes in other ways, I did find this gazpacho was perfect for a particularly unbearably hot, humid, and languid weekend. I modified my sister’s recipe slightly, adapting it to what I bought at the market and what tasted balanced. I had purchased too many peaches I could physically eat, so I had sliced the leftovers and frozen them, planning to use them in smoothies. Then I found out they make the perfect addition to this gazpacho, adding a welcome sweetness to acidic tomatoes. Plus, they kept the mixture cooler as it whirled away in the blender. Of course, feel free to use fresh peaches. I recommend cooling the mixture in the fridge for an hour or so for the most refreshing soup.

The cilantro pesto is optional, but delicious. It lends a fresh, spicy flair, but you could forgo it entirely for a sprinkling of chopped herbs or a swirl of basil pesto--whatever you have on hand!

Peach and Tomato Gazpacho

4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cup sliced peaches, fresh or frozen (about 1 ½ peaches)
1 cucumber, seeded and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices whole grain bread, torn into pieces
½ lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro and Pepita Pesto, optional (or fresh cilantro, chopped, or basil pesto)

In blender of food processor, process tomatoes, peaches, cucumber, and garlic until pureed. Add bread and lime juice and blend again. Slowly stream in oil as motor is running. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Taste to adjust seasoning. Drizzle with pesto, if using, or sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs. Serve immediately, or chill in refrigerator prior to serving. Serves 4 as a light meal.

Nut Butter Freezer Sandwiches

This recipe has been satisfying all of my crunchy, nutty, chocolatey cravings as of late. I had thought of this recipe a while ago, but it wasn’t until last week when the mercury was cruising close to 100 that I actually executed it. It involves a few of my favorite ingredients, packaged neatly in a little sandwich, and stored in the freezer depths. At this point, I don’t blame you for thinking I’m describing an ice cream sandwich because that would be pretty awesome, too, but I’m describing something far more suited for my squirrel-like appetite. A mix of almond butter, tahini, cinnamon, and honey gets wedged between two seeded Mary’s Gone Crackers, dipped in melted chocolate, and sprinkled with sea salt and coconut. They are like a super-fancy, so-much-better-for-you, and heck-of-a-lot-much-more-delicious version of peanut butter Ritz bits. Yes, I compared them to Ritz bits. Superior Ritz bits.  

I’ll warn you that they are addicting-as in, I used a whole box worth of Mary’s Gone Crackers for sandwiches in just one week to keep up with the addiction. Then again, I have a nut and seed problem, so that may just be me. The freezer chill makes the crackers extra crispy, but not break-your-teeth crispy, and the nut butter mix stays just creamy enough to give a soft, gooey inside. The only downside to these is that they don’t travel well--at all. They are not like m&m’s; they will melt in your mouth AND your hand. Nut butter will ooze everywhere, and you’ll find chocolate fingerprints all over the place for days. Don’t say I didn’t tell you.

Nut Butter Freezer Sandwiches

32 Mary’s Gone Crackers (original flavor)
¼ cup almond butter
4 teaspoons tahini
2 teaspoons honey (maple syrup, if vegan)
Generous pinch ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
Toasted coconut, optional (for sprinkling)
Sea salt, optional (for sprinkling)

Mix the almond butter, tahini, honey, and cinnamon in a small bowl until combined. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Assemble the sandwiches. Scoop ½ teaspoon of nut butter filling onto bottom side of 16 crackers. Top with another cracker of similar size, gently pressing down, and set on prepared baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer and freeze for 20 minutes to allow filling to stiffen.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate in double boiler, or in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each set. When the nut butter has set, remove pan from freezer. Working quickly, dip sandwiches halfway into melted chocolate. Return dipped sandwiches to parchment and sprinkle with coconut and sea salt (if using) while chocolate is still warm. Return to freezer and allow for chocolate to set, at least 20 minutes. Store in freezer and enjoy from there! Makes 16 sandwiches.
 

Grilled Peach Bruschetta with Cilantro Pepita Pesto

The other day, my good foodie friend, Grace, came over for dinner. Every few weeks, we get together to talk about what’s rocking our foodie worlds and discuss other bits of life. Our dinner date menus come to fruition when each of us assesses our fridge situation and sees what we have lying around. We text each other our ingredients and come up with a dish. It’s like Chopped, but a whole lot less intense.

This past dinner, she brought over zucchini, corn, and onions, and with my cilantro, jalapeño, goat cheese, and homemade pizza crust, we made some killer grilled pizzas. As far as the pizza goes, I'll leave her to fill you in. She’s an amazing photographer (who just so happened to shoot our wedding), so she took photos of our pizza-making in action. The base of the pizza, however, was this cilantro pepita pesto, a refreshing twist on traditional basil pesto. I used cilantro instead of basil, toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) instead of walnuts, lime instead of lemon, and jalapeño for a little fiery kick. Because we were just throwing things together, I didn’t measure anything, but of course regretted it because it was definitely a keeper. I told Grace (and myself) to make it again, this time measuring for posterity’s sake.

Although that grilled pizza is most definitely in the summertime round-up, I wanted to highlight the versatility of this herbaceous, bright, and wee-bit spicy pesto by drizzling it on something different. Considering it played so well off the sweet corn on the pizza, I paired it with just-ripe local peaches that I drizzled with a little olive oil and popped on the grill. Peaches that are too juicy won’t hold up in the heat, so make sure you’re using firmer peaches. I grilled some bread for the base as the peaches were going, slathered on some crème fraîche (although goat cheese would be fantastic here), and drizzled on the pesto to make a delicious summer bruschetta that rivals the tomato and mozzarella standby. This recipe is super duper easy, and the fact that you don’t even have to turn on your oven (or stove) makes it a summer winner in my book.

Grilled Peach Bruschetta with Cilantro Pepita Pesto

Cilantro Pepita Pesto:
½ jalapeño, seeds removed for less spicy variation
Generous 2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly toasted
2 garlic cloves
1 lime, juiced and zest of ½ lime
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (for a richer pesto, you can add a little pumpkin seed oil instead of olive oil)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add everything to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Makes about ½ cup.

Grilled Peach Bruschetta:
1 large peach, firm but just ripe, sliced into 16 slices or 2 smaller peaches, sliced into 8 slices each
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 large slices whole-grain bread
½ cup crème fraîche
Sea salt, to finish

Grill peaches and bread. Heat grill to medium. Allow to preheat for 10 minutes. Toss peach slices with olive oil. Place peach slices and bread on grill. Grill peaches 1 minute on each side or until just soft. You want to get grill marks on the peaches, indicating caramelization and allowing the sweetness to come out, but you don’t want the peaches to become mushy. Remove from heat when done. Grill bread, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Assemble bruschetta. Spread each slice grilled bread with 2 tablespoons crème fraîche. Add peach slices to cover and drizzle with a tablespoon or two of pesto. Sprinkle with sea salt to finish and serve. Enjoy! Makes 4 slices or 2 servings.

*You can use smaller baguette rounds, reducing the amount of topping on each, for party crostini.

Zucchini and Basil Soup

The heat of the summer has been wearing me down. My skin is sticky, lips are parched. I find myself feeling dehydrated, no matter how much water I drink. You may be wondering why then, I have decided to make soup. When we think of soup, we think of warm, comforting goodness. A bowl that heats us from the inside out while nourishing us from within. Lucky for us, there is a whole other world of soup possibilities out there, especially in these dog days of summer.

Cold soups are a godsend when you can’t eat another salad- even for veggie-loving me, that can happen, but you need something hydrating, something that does just the opposite of those rich winter stews- that cools you from the inside out. This cool soup was loosely inspired by cucumber dill soups I had eaten a few times growing up in sweltering North Carolina. We’re in zucchini season, so my fridge is loaded with them. Basil is my essential summer herb; I always need to have a little bit on hand, just in case I stumble upon a perfect tomato or need a little something to make a summer dish really sing. And sing this soup does.

Many cold soups begin with raw ingredients and end with raw ingredients, only getting a quick puress in a blender- tomato gazapcho, for instance- but I found that a quick cook of the vegetables makes for a softer flavor that allows the lemony basil and earthy avocado to standout rather than play second fiddle to pungent onion, sharp garlic, and grassy zucchini. This makes one serving, two if you're serving it as a starter, made more filing by avocado and edamame. It's perfect for when you come home, hot, ravenous, with no one to feed but yourself. It can be eaten warm, cool, or cold, but I find the flavors are most robust when just cool. It is easily doubled or tripled, so it’s the perfect way to make use of that zucchini surplus.

Zucchini and Basil Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
¼ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup frozen edamame or canned chickpeas
1 pound zucchini, chopped
¼ cup water
1 lemon, juiced and ½ zested
generous handful fresh basil leaves
½ avocado, divided
1 tablespoon chopped toasted walnuts, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add onion, and saute 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, edamame (or chickpeas), zucchini, ¼ cup water, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer and cook for 7 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes.

Transfer mixture to blender and add lemon zest and juice, basil, ¼ avocado, and remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Blend until smooth, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. If mixture is to thick to your liking, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If you would like to cool the mixture down and reduce thickness, add 1-3 ice cubes and blend. Cool in refrigerator prior to enjoying or eat warm. Garnish with remaining ¼ avocado, chopped, walnuts, and basil chiffonade. Enjoy! Serves 1 for main course, 2 for starter.