Tropical Envy

My friend Janice is vacationing in Hawaii this week.  My sister's vacationing in Florida.  I'm stuck here with nothing but rain every single dingle day, dreaming about sunshine and the sand between my toes. So if I can't go to the tropics, I'll bring a little of the tropics here....a sweet Caribbean-inspired chicken and banana dish.  May sound weird, but believe me it is delish!  Made me do the happy dance after the first bite...feeling a little full of myself right now.

First I heated about a teaspoon of coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat and browned four quartered bananas. It takes just a minute or two per side.  Remove them from the skillet, and when they're cool enough to handle, give them a rough chop. And try not to eat all of them while you're preparing the rest of the meal.  That's the tricky part.

Add a bit more coconut oil to the same skillet and saute one pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are seasoned with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cinnamon - give both sides a good rub of the spice mix.  I pound the heck out of the chicken breasts (before I season them, of course) so that they are about 1/4" thick and they cook much faster - just 4-5 minutes per side.  When they're cooked through to 165, remove them from the skillet to cool and then shred into bite-sized pieces.

Add just a smidge more coconut oil to the skillet and saute two diced jalapeno peppers (remove seeds and membrane if you're afraid of the heat), 1 diced red bell pepper, and 6 thinly sliced scallions.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes then add the chopped banana, shredded chicken, 3 cups cooked brown basmati rice, 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, the juice of one lime, and one tablespoon tamari.  Garnish with a little of the scallion greens or chives and call it a day.  \Another one pot wonder - fuit, veg, protein, whole grain...you've got it all.

The smoky chicken, the sweet, gooey carmelized banana, the crunchy peanuts, the fiery jalapeno peppers; suddenly I don't care so much that it's raining... and raining and raining. Well sure, the umbrella drink helps a little. 

It's Appetizer Season!

Well, my blogging "with a vengeance" wasn't so vengeful after all. Things have been a little busy, with the holidays and all, so I thought I should share a little of what I've been up to..

Given the choice of appetizers or dessert, I will always opt for appetizers.  In fact, I would opt for appetizers for dinner, too.  And lately I have been sharing the love.  I've catered two appetizer parties in the past couple weeks,taught a Holiday Appetizer class, and have brought an appetizer to every dinner I've gone to lately.  I'm clearly not alone in my love of the small plates. 

It all started with Thanksgiving, the official start of Appetizer Season.  For the second year in a row I brought a Kahlua Baked Brie (sorry no picture, because it was significantly attacked by the crowd in the time it took me to get my camera out of my purse).  One woman who I had given the recipe to last year told me that she  pulled the recipe out of her coat pocket the next day, staring at it longingly like it was the phone number from a cute guy she met in a bar the night before, complete with that old "oh, what did I do last night?"  Yep, it's that good, folks:

Kahlua Baked Brie

1 6oz wheel of Brie

¼ c chopped toasted pecans or walnuts

2T Kahlua

1T agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350◦.  Cut the rind off top of brie, leaving 1/4” at edges.  In a bowl combine remaining ingredients.  Place brie on an oven-safe dish, preferably one with a lip. Top with Kahlua mixture.  Bake for 5-8 minutes until soft. Serve with baguette, crackers, or apple and pear slices.

Last weekend I prepared 5 appetizers for a wine tasting party...

We had Caprese Kebabs, Wild Salmon Spread with Cucumber Rounds, Proscuitto, Fig & Arugula Roll-ups with Lemon Chevre, Spinach Stuffed Red Bliss Potatoes, and Asian Style Meatballs with Peanut Dipping Sauce.  You're probably saying, "Wow, that sounds delicious."  And you would be right. I made much more than necessary, and the small group ate every single dingle thing, much to the chagrin of the hostess who was hoping for leftovers later in the evening.

After that party I came home and got ready to go to a holiday party of my own.  I never like to come empty handed, and since I was hopped up on appetizer energy I decided to make yet another.  This was completely on the fly, which I think is why I liked it so much.  When I throw something together with ingredients I have on hand and it comes out this delicious, it makes me do the happy dance (no picture of that dance either, sadly).  This Pear, Proscuitto & Gorgonzola Crostini will be making the rounds at a lot of parties in the next couple weeks. 

Start by melting a tablespoon of unsalted butter in a skillet.  Add 1 pear, diced and 3 slices proscuitto, chopped.  Saute for a few minutes until the pear is slightly softened.  Hit it with a pinch of salt and pepper and a little sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.

While the pear is cooking, drizzle olive oil over thinly sliced baguette slices (this recipe will make about 24 crostini) and pop them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes until slightly toasted.

Remove the bread form the oven and top with the pear mixture.  Place a few crumbles of gorgonzola on top of the pears and bake again for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted.  When you pull them out of the oven, think about how many guests there really are going to be at the party and then determine how many of these you can eat in advance and still have enough for everyone else...my count was three.

I'll share more of the other appetizer recipes with you later; writing this and looking at the pictures made me hungry.  Got to pop into the kitchen and see what I can come up with now.....

Try Something New

I went to the farmers' market to get inspired today.  We're moving into that less colorful season around here, the one I call the "101 Things to Do with Kale" season.  Winter markets are less exciting for me, so I was pleased to find something I had never tried before: feijoas, also known as pineapple guava.  And I am in love!

At first I thought they were limes, which I needed to get, but as I got closer I could tell they were something different...the sign poking out of the box that read "Pineapple Guava" helped a bit.  Twin Girls Farm has samples out of all their fruits, so I picked one up as I walked by, and it literally stopped me in my tracks.  The flavor and the scent of the fruit are almost intoxicating - a beautiful blend of pineapple, pear, lemon, guava, kiwi and pinot griggio...seriously, it's THAT good.  And it's so nice to know that there is a "tropical" fruit grown here in California, so I can satisfy my "local and seasonal" sensibilities and  my desire for tropical fruit.  I'm bummed I only bought 5 of them; I only have one left.  I'll be hitting the Civic Center Market on Sunday to scoop up a bunch before they're all gone.  They will only be around for a couple more weeks, so do yourself a favor and get out to your local farmer's market before they disappear (unless your local market is also the Sunday Civic Center one; then stay home, it's supposed to rain Sunday and I'm concerned you'll catch a cold). 

Look for ones that are dark green, give a little (like an avacado), and are free of bruises.  The skin is a little bitter, so I don't eat it, but according to the farmer, you can.  I just cut them in half and scoop out the flesh.  With the next batch I buy I'll get a little more invested:  put them in salads and smoothies and make a tropical salsa (with kiwi, satsuma, shallots and red pepper flakes) to put over a nice piece of fish.  If you are a baker, I think these would be fantastic in muffins...and then bring them on over to my house!

I've got to go eat that last one.....

Tip of the Day

It's always a good idea to wash your knives immediately after cutting something.  That way you avoid eating a piece of kiwi that tastes like onion! You know I looove onions, but that is a flavor combination that's not so tasty...