Cactus Pears: Exotic Fruit

 My fave show right now is Chopped. Last night I saw an episode where one of the ingredients were Cactus Pears.. aka Prickly Pears. I wish the contestants would have done soething more creative with them--they just sliced them and served them as is, but what about a puree...a sorbetto....a drink?

I have an intimate relationship with these guys. My Nani was from Sicily, where cactus pears are an abundant and common fruit. We used to get them (from somewhere-- I guess you can find anything in New York) when I was growing up occassionally, and it was always a treat. Nani would carefully peel them just so, to expose the beautiful, albeit seedy, pulpy fuscia-colored fruit. We kids would reverently watch and then she would dole out the slices. I always remember eating it ice cold, and it was very sweet and juicy with a refreshing watery taste reminicent of watermelon. The numerous seeds are just consumed along with the fruit.

They grow here in California and the Southwest, the fruit of the, yeah, Prickly Pear cactus. Since they are common in Latin-American cuisine as well, they are easy to find. I found mine 7 for 99 cents at my favorite latino grocery, King Ranch (more about that here). They also come in the green variety, and they are good too. But I'm a sucker for any weirdly colored fruit, and that amazing bright pink color gets me every time!

I made a fruit salad, and here's what I did. You have to be careful peeling this fruit--most of the time when you get them in a grocery store, the prickly spines are already taken out. But just to be on the safe side, wear gloves when handling them. Trust me, one little wayward cactus spine in your hand will have you going nuts for a few days. They burrow into your skin and its hard to get the lil suckers out.

I take a sharp knife and cut iff both ends.

Then I slice about 1/4 inch into the skin right along the cuts from end to end.

Then the skin is easily peels off, leaving just the fruity inside.

Slice into medalions, or process whole, as you wish, depending on your recipe.

Here's 2 recipes:

Prickly Pear Fruit Salad with Lime and Chili:

4-5 Prickly Pears, peeled and sliced
1 medium pineapple, in chuncks
1/2 small watermelon, cubed
1 medium cucumber, sliced
2 mangoes, chunked or sliced
jicama, sliced into matchsticks (optional)
juice of 2 limes
red chili powder ( I like ancho or pasilla)
sea salt

Arrange the fruit on a platter or in a pretty bowl. Chill well. Just before serving, sprinkle with the lime juice, then the chili powder and a little sea salt. Serve with chili and salt on the side of your guests want to add more... this can be served in lieu of a salad. Its delicious and refreshing.

Prickly Pear Lemonade

3-4 lemons, juiced

3-4 prickly pears, peeled

2 quarts cold water

sweetner to taste (about 1 cup sugar, or 7-8 Splendas

Ice

Mint, for garnish

Press the prickly pears through a strainer or sieve to extract the juice and remove the seeds, set aside. Add the lemon juice and the sweetner in a large pitcher. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the prickly pear juice and the water, and stir. Add ice to fill pitcher. Serve with a sprig of fresh mint and more ice. YUM!

Make it a Great Day!

Ann
See you at these parties: Make It Yours , Whatever Goes Wednesday, Frugalicious Friday

Greek Chicken Skewers

This is a great lowfat easy meal. I served it with quinoa and rice for my kids. It was very lemony and good. Marinate the chicken up to 3 hours. I did for about 1 hour and it was fine.

(dont you love the elegance that the dixie plate imparts..haha!)

Greek Chicken Skewers


1 (8 ounce) container fat-free plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed dried dill (optional)

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces

1 large red onion, cut into wedges

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

2 medium zucchini, cut into 2" thick circles

1 cup cherry tomatoes


1.In a large shallow baking dish, mix the yogurt,lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and dill if using. Place the chicken in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator.

2.Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

3.Thread the chicken, onion wedges, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and red bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Discard remaining yogurt mixture.

4.Grill skewers, turning as browned, on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, about 25-40 minutes depending on the heat of the grill.

The red pepper and yellow tomatoes is from my garden...wish I had zucchini growing our of my garden too!

I served this with an arugula, sundried tomato, and feta salad. I make a dressing out of lemon juice, olive oil and salt. You can also serve these over rice or any other grain.

Soup in July

Yup.. here it was today it was nearing 100 degrees and I made chicken soup. Is there anything that motivates a Mom faster than a sick kid asking for a certain food? My lil' guy wasn't feeling well last night, had a slight temp, then this morning awoke with a scratchy throat. And he asked for chicken soup.
DONE!

I ran to Fresh and Easy, bought a whole young chicken, and some celery. All the other ingredients were in my larder . (I love using that word)

Here's the recipe, adapted from my Grandma's Chicken Soup recipe. The keys to my nice clear broth are: I cook the chicken and whole veg, then a strain the broth twice before I make the actual soup. Then chopped veggies, cleaned chicken, and clear broth are simmered with fideo noodles (very thin strand like egg noodles) The other thing is a lemon peel boiled in with the soup. Somehow it adds a freshness, a clearness of flavor to the broth.

The Best Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken, giblets removed
1 gallon water
2-3 bay leaves
1 medium white onion
6 carrots, small size
3-4 celery stalks (use the leafy parts if you have them)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 medium size zucchini
good olive oil
rind from one lemon, peeled off with a knife, white part removed
3 chicken bullion cubes (I like Knorr)
1 8 oz package fideo noodles (or any tiny small egg pasta)

Place 1/2 the onion, the bay leaves, 2 carrots, and 2 celery stalks(the leafy ones if you have them), and the chicken and water in a large stockpot. Let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook slowly, with a lid just askew on top, for 2 hours. Meanwhile, chop the remainder of the veg (onion, carrots, celery and zucchini) into similar size pieces, I like a 1/2 inch or smaller dice). Set aside.

When the 2 hours is up, remove the chicken carefully into a colander set over a large bowl. Let it cool here while you do the next steps: In a smaller pot (I use my Lodge/ Le Crueset 5 1./2 quart) heat the olive oil, then add all the chopped veg plus the garlic. Let these sweat (do not brown--lower the heat if you have to) stirring frequently. Meanwhile, get another big bowl or clean stockpot and place a large metal strainer over it (I have one that fits right over ) Or use a colander lined with a clean tea towel. Now, place it in your sink for safety. Pour the broth from boiling the chicken into the strainer. Press the solids to extract the most broth. Discard the remaining solids. Clean out the strainer and do it again, this time in the stockpot you used for boiling the chicken (I suggest you wipe it out first). Now you have your clear broth.

Add this broth to the vegetables, and stir, add the bullion and the lemon peel. Let it come to a boil. Now add the noodles and turn down the heat to a rolling simmer.

Move on to the chicken, taking out the skin and bones and shredding it with two forks. Set aside.
When the pasta is nearly tender, add the chicken to the pot. Let it cook until the pasta is tender.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon if you like.

July 4th Cupcakes

clickhere

Grilled Pizzas

Its summertime. My goal is : No hot oven.....minimal cooking...make the most of summer's bounty
One recipe that fit the bill is a grilled pizza. Sounds nuts. Hubs has wanted to do this forever, so when he got his Daddy's Day gift early ( a new tricked out Weber grill) it was time to try it.

We have a big Weber with a thermometer. Hubs lights the coals, puts my Pampered Chef baking stone on the grill (I do not recommend ANY OTHER baking stone brand. We tried this once with another brand and it cracked) Let the grill heat up to at least350 degrees with the lid closed (of course)

Get a pre-made dough, or make your own. Trader Joe's, Fresh and Easy and many markets have them, bagged and refrigerated, ready to go. Please don't use Chef Boy R Dee mix or Pillsbury.

Roll it out thinly. Throw it on the heated stone on the grill. Cover and cook 2-3 mins, then flip and cook again. Now take it off the grill, brush with olive oil,  and top w/ your fave toppings. (Its a good idea to do all the crusts ahead of time, then you can just go one after another with the pizzas..they will go fast!)Put it back on the grill, lid closed, and cook till cheese is bubbly, about 5-8 mins. This would be fun for a party!

Some we made:

Goat cheese, Olive oil, Garlic, and kalamata olives

Sundried tomato, mushroom and Gouda

Tomato sauce and mozzerella with fresh basil

Fresh tomato (from our garden!!) olive oil, and garlic with mozzerella

They were really, really good!They had the taste of a wood-fired oven pizza. Very crispy, yet tender and chewy crust. Really yummy!

Take Care,
Ann

Cheating on Joe.......

Yes, I confess. Joe, I am cheating. I'm sorry! It was irresistible: the ease, the incognito aspect, the gourmet touch, ahhh the freshness.....the variety. And, yes, the wine. Blame it on the wine!

I am cheating on Trader Joe with Fresh and Easy.

There, I said it. Shocking. I never, ever thought I'd do it. Trader Joe still will be place I go, but Fresh and Easy, is well, so Fresh...and sooo Easy.

Those of you outside SoCal probably have no idea what I am talking about. No matter.
F&E came on the scene about a year ago. An import, I believe, from Great Britain.
At first, its very industrial-looking...very no frills!

But as I got to know it, I grew to love it. No, lines, hardly ever. Lots of variety I find all my favorite imported cheeses there, get this, even found fresh quince paste (membrillo) last November.They have fresh produce, flowers, very yummy...their kalamata olives are great. Wholesome prepared foods ..the Mac and Cheese is great --

They have great (and cheap) wines from Chile, Australia and Argentina as well as Cali and Washington State. My recent favorite costs $3.99 a bottle. There's a Chardonnay and a Malbec..the name is "Ambas"...its awesome! AND they mail you coupons for 5.00and 10.00 off all the time. I'm telling you...it's just too good.

Fresh and Easy...how do I love thee?

1. NO lines, ever.
2.EASY self-service checkouts (I can NEVER get the Ralphs one to work for me...whats wrong w/me?)
3. Friendly...sooo friendly! and a great "sample bar" too.
4.VERY fresh, mostly local, bagged produce. Much of it washed already for you. I LOVE their cilantro--it's all neat and cleaned in a nice stay-fresh package.
5.Their 98 cents produce...onions are a great deal ( I hate buying those bazillion-pound bags of onions..they alsway go bad before I can use them all!)
6. The prepared pizza dough is fantastic!
7. Their brand of yogurt, greek yogurt, and other dairy products is great. Butter is only 2.29!
8.Their brand of ice cream and gelato is absolutely the best I've ever had. Roasted banana...ahhhh!!!
9. Their eggs are fresh, local and good.
10.The CLEARANCE shelf is great. I can buy bagettes for 98 cents each, and freeze them. Also cookies (see pic) are such a good deal for less than 2 bucks.

Here's my recipe, all ingredients from, yup, Fresh and Easy!

Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

8 large size Peanut Butter cookies
4 scoops vanilla-bean ice cream

Lay out yer cookies and put a nice scoop of softened but not mushy ice cream on 4 of them. Top 'em with the second cookie. Press gently. Wrap individually in wax paper and freeze till firm (about 1 hour or so) Serve and sigh......

above photo courtesy of bettycrocker, because my photo stunk. I need a new camera!

HomeMade Granola

I am sure I have mentioned somewhere that I am lazy. I hate going out "last minute" to get ingredients if I can avoid it. This has led to some cooking disasters (no, olive oil can NOT be substituted for vegetable oil in a cake mix) but some good "aha" moments (melted butter instead of said vegetable oil makes a decadent cake mix cake).

This granola recipe was the result of whatever I happened to have in the pantry today.

I have been toying with the idea of home-made granola for a few reasons: I have a canister of Quick-Cook Rolled Oats that I never use (I tried, but I hate hot slimy oatmeal, sorry), and I don't like the fat/sugar content of most packaged granola. All of the granola recipes I looked at called for oats, but specified "not the quick-cook" ...I kind of wondered why*...and 3 tablespoons to 1 cup (!!!!) of canola oil... I went for the lesser amount. (*I used "quick cook" and it was fine) Also I am trying to cool it with my sugar consumption (more on my sugar detox here), so I used Splenda and some honey to sweeten it up a little.

granola before putting in the oven to bake

here it is after taking out of oven and mixing in cranberries...yummy!

Here is the result and it is very tasty. You can change it up almost anyway you like, using Agave syrup, brown sugar, honey, or even maple syrup for the sweetener instead of the Splenda would probably work great.

Ann's Pantry Sugar-Free Granola Recipe:

3 cups rolled oats*

3/4 cup nuts (whatever you have; I used cashews)

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 packets of Splenda

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup dried fruits..I used dried cranberries 'cause that's what I had (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with Pam. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except dried fruit; use your hands its easier.

Spread onto the sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, then toss it so the mixture browns evenly. Bake another 10-15 minutes, or until it is golden. Break up large clumps of granola while the mixture is still warm. Cool completely. Now add the fruit. (You will notice that the granola may still be sticky when it is removed from the oven but it will become crisp and dry as it cools.)  Store in an airtight container or plastic bag. It will keep for about 2 weeks.

Makes about 5 cups.

Vegetarian Dinner/Side Dish: Swiss Chard

I am not a vegetarian...but I like to eat vegetarian 1-2 times per week. Now that my garden is going...(I first wrote about starting my garden here) we have strawberries and rainbow (swiss) chard... I can start using chard now. The great thing about it is, it regenerates within 2-3 days so you have a continuous supply. Also it does not bolt in hot weather, so you have all summer to enjoy this versatile veg!

Here are the steps in photos. Note my gorgeous new le-crueset -style cast iron enameled cassarole I bought on Overtsock for $47.00!!! It is to die for, made by Lodge. I LOVE IT!!!Check them out.

I mean, isn't this a gorgeous leaf?

Stack the leaves and cut into 1" ribbons--use the stems too, they are toothsome and delicious

Saute the garlic in the oil.

 Add the chard.

 Add the tomato sauce

Now you are ready to add the cheese-- see how  much it reduced?

Now turn off the heat and cover....

Transfer to serving dish and enjoy with french bread, and a simple tomato salad.


Sauteed Swiss Chard

1 large bunch Swiss Chard, washed well and cut into strips
1 small can ( 4oz) tomato sauce
4 cloves garlic, sliced into slivers
olive oil
 freshly ground black pepper
3-4 oz hard cheese, such as Parmesan, manchego or romano, crumbled

Heat cover-able skillet or le crueset-style casserole pot on high heat... quickly add 3-4 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic. saute until fragrant--do not brown or it will get bitter. now add the chard in handfulls, moving it around so the oil and garlic coats all the leaves. saute like this for a few minutes until the leaves begin to wilt. When reduced to about half their original volume, add the tomatoes sauce and combine...keep cooking till stalks are fork-tender and volume is reduced by 3/4. Now crumble the cheese atop and cover. Take off heat and let set until cheese is melty. Serve right from the pot or transfer to a dish and enjoy with a crusty loaf of bread, and perhaps a garden tomato salad.. Simply deeee-vine.