Green... Breakfast Tortillas

Verde Que Te Quiero Verde.  The translation of this line so famously written by Federico Garcia Lorca:  
Green How I Desire You, Green.  For whatever reason this phrase has stuck with me from my college days of being a Spanish Lit major.  Every time I see an abundance of green I recite those words with gusto.  So it seemed appropriate that when I created these very green breakfast tortillas during a Miami trip last year that they be announced with the same zeal.  

A little back story on Miami. Since my husband and I met in Miami, got engaged in Miami and then had part of our honeymoon in Miami, it was only fitting that after we got married we should buy a little apartment there so we could continue our to nurture our beginnings. 

The morning sunrise view from our balcony.  Who wouldn't be inspired to create, get up and take a long walk.

We try to go once or twice a year, but Juan Carlos usually has more opportunities to visit then I have in the past.  I think that trend might flip in the near future.  Hurray for me!

Morning  Glory

When we are down there we tend to eat a bit differently.  We definitely eat lighter, making BIG salads for lunch and big fruit salads throughout the day.  But since we always head to the beach in the mornings for long walks, we need a bit more energy provided by breakfast. So I found myself looking through the ingredients I bought and to see what might give us that extra ummph.  Fortunately, our supply didn't disappoint.

The main GREENS to build our breakfast tortillas.

On that day,  I grilled up corn tortillas,  cut up baby spinach, thinly sliced cucumbers, scallions and avocado squeezed and layered them with smoked trout and some lime for JC.  (He is allergic to dairy.)  

Corn tortillas grilled in a cast iron pan for maximum crispiness.

Start layering your ingredients

You can keep the spinach fresh or sauté it. 

Both versions, raw spinach on the left, sautéed on the right. 

For me, I use all the same but replaced the smoked trout with feta cheese.  I love smoked trout but was in the mood to have a warm, slightly melted element to contrast with all the crisp fresh greens.  It was delightful and we were ready with energy as we headed off to the beach for our 4 mile walk. 

The best part about these opened faced tortillas is that you can fill them with whatever you have in the fridge.  Hummus, red onion, cucumber.  Or scrambled egg, bacon, tomato.  Or Ham, cheese. Or leftover pulled pork.

Of course those might not qualify for the original chant, Verde Que Te Quiero Verde but they certainly qualify for a Something from Nothing creation.   Start your morning with something green and enjoy the sunshine whatever state you are in.

Plentiful Platters

"Summer breeze makes me feel fine...Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune."  You have to sing that last part to yourself.  And be grateful that I've only written the lyrics and you can't actual hear me butchering that beautiful Seals & Croft song. I've been told my singing voice is for internal use only.  But the sweet days of summer have arrived and for JC and me it signals a time for entertaining and calling on friends and family to join for BBQ, drinks and chilling.  One way to easily serve and satisfy a big crowd is present everything on a big platter and let your guests pick and choose what they like.  The combinations are infinite. The preparation usually pretty simple. The best part, it looks amazing and feeds the masses happily. 

Here are a few of my favorites from the past. For the most part the veggies are either grilled or oven roasted.  I have posted several recipes with oven roasted veggies before, so no need to photo walk you through all that again. (But for a reminder, check out  Roasted Vegetables - Lunch 3 Ways)  Remember, there is no step by step recipe for this.  Buy, prepare and assemble what moves you. 

Grilled veggies, roasted potatoes and grilled tomatoes

This big platter of chick peas/celery/scallions, sautéd string beans, grape tomatoes and cucumbers served as the side dish to an abundance of pizzas.  It made the ideal accompaniment to those crispy, yeasty delights. 

Here it is on the table.  I think I also added roasted potatoes.

A simple Boston salad with fresh tomatoes and grilled asparagus.

The combinations are whatever you like, really.  I usually try to complement the main protein and use vegetables and herbs that will enhance and brighten the meaI. I also love combining roasted veggies into a salad, if you will.   Chopped up and tossed into something starchy and hearty like Israeli Couscous. When I was able to eat wheat this was one of my favorites.  It's not a full pasta but plump little pearls that won't overfill your guests but have just enough heartiness to round out a meal. 

Israeli Couscous with grilled zucchini, summer squash, roasted red pepper, hearts of palm and a basil dressing.

For this dish, cook the couscous as you would any other type of pasta.  Simply grill or roast your veggies of choice and chop them into bite size pieces.  Toss them together.  Then I usually make some dressing for additional flavor and moistness.  You can smash some garlic, salt, pepper and basil and add olive oil for a super fast full of flavor dressing. You can serve this on its own or take that simple Boston salad and turn it up a notch by adding the couscous atop the lettuce.

The Boston lettuce platter making room for the fluffy couscous mixture.

Another great feature of the big platter, you can easily make some of these the morning of or even the day before with the extra bonus of room temperature serving.

Greens and Whites platter is made up of arugula simply dressed with lemon juice, salt and olive oil, next to hearts of palm, sautéd string beans, 2 bean salad and roasted broccoli.

Various grilled vegetables atop Aborio rice.

So choose what you like and whatever is available at the farmer's market, or at the grocery store. Start grilling, roasting and assembling your platter.  Your guests will love the abundant choices and you will love the abundant time you have to share with them during your party.  Plentiful platters, plentiful in so many ways, just like a summer's breeze.  

Clams, Clams and more Clams

Ok, linguine with clam sauce may not be such new recipe but I would venture to say that everyone has their own little twist to making it.  Back in the day when I didn't have a lot of extra cash, or time to buy fresh clams, I used to buy canned clams.  I bought whole, chopped and minced and used all three types to make a clam sauce.   Yeah, yeah, I know what you are thinking, "she used CANNED clams".  The girl who touts 'buy what is fresh.'  Sometimes, a girl had to do what a girl had to do when fresh wasn't available, when $$$ were not available and when that was what was in the cupboard. (And if memory serves, shhhh, the canned version was quite tasty.) But I've grown up since then and realized that if you can't get fresh just wait till you can.  And such a day arose. With the beautiful summer breeze, the unlimited sunshine, and a glorious Sunday with no plans, I embarked on RE-creating the 3 clam recipe but with fresh clams.  

Like with any recipe, building up flavor is the key.  Here are the key items.

I love using small bowls for mise en place (which in French means "everything in its place", your set up)  Ron Miller artfully handcrafted these perfectly sized bowls that work just great.  They come in various sizes and depths for all the different items you need for prep.  Check out his site, Miller Pottery HVNY

The Stars!

Ingredients

Littlenecked Clams
Shortnecked Clams
BBQ Clams
2 shallots, minced
6-8 garlic cloves, sliced
1 1/4 c White wine
3 cups grape tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
red pepper flakes, optional
2/3 c parsley, chopped
1 T fresh Thyme

Instructions

Sauté shallots, garlic until softened and red pepper flakes.  Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes breakdown.

Since there are three sizes of clams, it is best to cook in stages, as the little ones don't need as much time and will get tough if you put them all in together.  

Big one first

Next size goes in next

These babies starting to open and release their essence of the sea!

Add the largest clams first and add 1/4 cup wine and cover.  After about 5-8 minutes or until the clams just begin to open.  Add the 2nd batch of clams with 1/2 cup of wine and cover.  After 5 minutes or so add the smallest clams adding the thyme and 1/2 the parsley and the last 1/2 cup of wine. Cover and let cook for another 5-8 minutes until all clams are opened. You shouldn't need to add salt to this dish since the clams emit the nature salt of the sea but taste the sauce to check if seasoning needs adjusting for salt and the red pepper flakes, depending on much heat you like.  Right before serving, top with the remaining chopped parsley.

Of course, this dish is perfect with linguine, but can also be served with polenta or crusty bread.   Do not forget to enjoy this with a crisp white or rose wine.  I would highly recommend a Spanish Albariño or French Rose.  JC and I love having this on a Sunday afternoon where the two of us just sit in front of a big bowl and have at it.  My dad is a huge seafood fan and we try to make this for him when we can.  When he is not around, we torture him by sending photos.  I guess that is kinda mean.  

It's summer time and this dish is a great starter for a BBQ.  Place a big bowl on the table and watch the party take on a new life.  Your guests will love just digging.  What better way to begin a meal than to share gifts from the sea.  Party of 10 or party of 2, clams, clams and more clams!

Lox on a What?

As some of you may know, I have a food sensitivity to wheat and try to be as wheat free as possible.  A few months back on a glorious Sunday morning, my hubby went out early to buy warm, soft, billowy bagels for our houseguests.  He also was thinking of me, as he opened the bag and pulled out scallion cream cheese and luscious lox.  I quickly went through the cupboards in search of my favorite Mary’s Gone Crackers  (gluten free!) only to find the cupboards bare.  What's a girl to do?  I peeked into the bagel bag breathing in their yeasty aromas.  I even starting eyeing the one who would be my wheat free wrecking ball. Oh, my temptation was deep but my WILL was stronger.

As I looked around the kitchen I spied an apple.  At first thought, it seemed like it might be too sweet, but upon realization that this would be my only delivery vehicle for my cream cheese-lox combo, I quickly washed and sliced away.

I knew it wouldn’t taste bad, but I had the bagel in the back of my head.

Much to my surprise the balance of flavors played off each other beautifully.  The crispness of the apple was so fresh against the creaminess of the cheese and the salty bite of the lox. An added bonus for me, since I like different textures in my food, was the apple provided a crunchiness that a bagel fails to give.  

Oh my friends, I dare say I might never be tempted by those soft billows again. The weekend is approaching and Sunday is as good a time as any for this combo.  Give it try. I would go as far to say these would make a great brunch plate or even a light appetizer for a fall party.  You might want to cut the apple with cookie cutters or into smaller bite sized pieces. If you choose to serve these in that way, squeeze some lemon juice over the apple slices to keep them from turning brown.  Heck, do that anyway, it will just enhance the overall flavor. 

Lox on a what? Yes, on an apple.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

With just three main ingredients, this pie could not be simpler.   Its sweet and savory notes do their part to round out a buffet table for a brunch, or a slice can cozy up to a side salad for an ideal pairing for lunch.   This dish first came together for me last year when I had leftover heirloom tomatoes after assembling my Salmon Salad... A Deconstructed Platter.   I had a pie crust in the freezer that thankfully wasn't freezer burned. Stroke of luck. Some goat cheese and a few supporting characters to enhance the flavor and a pie is born.  This time I used vine ripe tomatoes and it was just as lip smacking good.  Our guests each had a second slice.

Oh, the beauty of an heirloom. Sweet wonders

Ingredients

1 pie crust (store bought or homemade. I used a gluten free version so I could enjoy it)
5-7 large tomatoes, (heirloom if you can but any hearty tomato will work)
2/3 c (approx) goat cheese
Basil leaves
Salt, Pepper, Olive oil

Truly, just 3 main ingredients star in this pie party

Instructions

In a 350 degree oven, blind bake the crust until slightly golden brown.  Then arrange first layer of tomatoes in a circular fashion.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dot with goat cheese.  Do the same to create a second layer and repeat until pie crust is filled.  Bake until the cheese melts and tomatoes are bubbly.  Add basil ribbons and drizzle with olive oil right before serving.  For an added touch to enhance all the flavors, sprinkle flake salt on top.

Now that tomatoes are in season, bake 'em up, serve 'em up to your heart's  delight; tomato red.