Spinach, Bell Pepper & Potato Frittata with Feta Cheese

Spinach, Bell Pepper & Potato Frittata with Feta Cheese

So...I know it's been a little while since I've posted here. But I have a good reason—I've been busy working on my forthcoming trilogy. The first book—The 13th Continuum—publishes on April 19, 2016. Lots of awesome marketing stuff in the pipeline. So many exciting things are happening!

But I thought I would take a short break from writing fiction to post a quick recipe. It's no secret that I love making frittatas. They're simple to whip up for breakfast, keep in the fridge, and also great for lunch or snacking. I load mine up with fresh vegetables from my local farmers market. I use farm fresh eggs (yes, I believe you can taste the difference). Finally, I crumble Tunisian feta cheese on top. Maybe a little big of parmesan if I'm feeling extra fancy.

I also go light on the eggs, heavy on the veggies! This frittata combines red potatoes, spinach, and yellow bell pepper. But any mix of vegetables should work fine. As a rule, I always put greens in...well...everything. Enjoy!

Spinach, Bell Pepper & Potato Frittata with Feta Cheese

Spinach, Bell Pepper & Potato Frittata with Feta Cheese

Serves 4-6 people

Cooking time: about 20 minutes

Vegetarian; Gluten Free

Ingredients

4 eggs, whisked until smooth

3 cups fresh spinach

1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 small red potatoes, poked with holes and cooked in the microwave for 3 minutes until tender

3 leaves fresh basil, chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1.  Preheat the broiler.

2. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and saute for a few minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spray the bottom of the skillet with nonstick spray if needed. 

3. After cooking the potatoes in the microwave, chop them and add them to the vegetable mixture. Pour the whisked eggs evenly over the top. Crumble the feta cheese over it and sprinkle with basil. Season with salt and pepper and a quick drizzle of olive oil.

4. Continue cooking stove top until the frittata begins to set. Finish the frittata under the broiler until the top is beginning to brown. Enjoy!

Summer Gazpacho with Feta (Gluten Free)

Summer is in full swing... and tomatoes are coming on strong.

(So is corn by the way... check out my corn on the cob recipe in Parade Magazine)

I just celebrated my birthday over the weekend (the big 34) with a low key celebration. My hubby got me some fantastic gifts. Caught the horror film The Conjuring (I'm a sucker for a scary movie) and dinner at a little place called Rascal (I'm obsessed with their curry flavored tater tots). I can't believe it's already August—this year has flown by!

When the temperatures soars, I love to make chilled gazpacho. Traditionally prepared with bread, this recipe forgoes that glutenous ingredient. I just blend fresh vegetables with a little balsamic vinegar and serve it with extra virgin olive oil and feta cheese for the perfect summer treat.

Summer Gazpacho with Feta (Gluten Free)
Serves 4 people
Prep time: 10 minutes (plus about one hour chilling time)
Vegetarian; gluten-free

Ingredients
4 cups tomatoes, quartered
1 cup cucumbers, roughly chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
1 medium red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled

1 jalapeño, halved and seeded (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

for garnishing:
extra virgin olive oil
feta cheese (I prefer goat's milk feta)
fresh cracked pepper

Directions
1. Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, jalapeño, red onion, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil in a blender and puree until combined but still a little chunky. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

2. Chill the soup for at least an hour in the refrigerator (may be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge).

3. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Crumble some feta cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil. Finish with a little fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!

My Chopped Chef Salad

Fall has finally arrived in Los Angeles... and I sure hope it sticks around!

This month should also be officially renamed "Rocktober." It feels like every major artist and band has been playing the southland this month. In the last two weeks alone I've seen—Florence + The Machine (amazing!), David Byrne & St. Vincent (also amazing), Neil Young and Crazy Horse (words cannot describe the amazingness), a tiny private Deadmau5 show (set to air on KCRW in November), and Peaches (love her). And I only had to pay for tickets to two of them!

I love music and find it great inspiration for cooking and writing. I almost always have it on when I'm making a meal, or sitting at my computer (I'm listening to Yeasayer right now). Today's recipe is one of my favorite dishes to throw together for a healthy, protein-packed lunch.

It's my take on a Chef Salad. I like my salads chopped—more yumminess in every bite. This salad combines high protein ingredients, such as salami, turkey, feta cheese, and quinoa. And lots of great vegetables, like cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and arugula. The secret ingredients? Fresh chopped dill and hearts of palm (though artichoke hearts would be great, too). As a note, I love using leftover quinoa (or other grains) by throwing them into salads the next day.

As for dressing, I love Annie's Naturals Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette, but any sort of vinaigrette would taste great. You can also just whip up your own dressing (this is my fast lunch recipe, so occasionally shortcuts can really make a difference).

Chopped Chef Salad

Serves 2 people
Prep time: less than 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup sliced deli turkey, chopped
1/4 cup salami, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup hearts of palm, chopped
vinaigrette of your choosing (such as Annie's Natural Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette)

Directions

1. Place ingredients in a salad bowl and add the vinaigrette. Toss the salad well.

2. To serve, distribute the salad evenly between two bowls. Garnish with a little fresh chopped dill and freshly ground pepper, if desired. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Greek Salad

Some of the best recipes are the simplest. 

As I have mentioned, this is also true for many of the best things in life.

There are few things I love more than a great Greek Salad. In fact, this is what I'm planning to make for lunch today. The combination of heirloom cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, crisp red bell peppers, grassy dill, and tangy feta just works.

I toss these great veggies and cheese with mixed greens (or occasionally arugula). The dressing—just fresh squeezed lemon juice and good extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper. That's it. Really.

It takes only minutes to make, but you'll want savor it for even longer.

Quick & Easy Greek Salad
Serves 2 people
Prep time: 10 minutes
Vegetarian; gluten-free

Ingredients

• 4 cups mixed baby greens 
• 1/2 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, dill, and feta into a salad bowl or mixing bowl. Add the lemon and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well.
2. Add the mixed greens and toss again.
3. Transfer the mixture to bowls. Top with a little fresh ground pepper if desired. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Olive Chicken Stew

Stew.

I love stews.

Comforting. Warm. Healthy. Great leftovers.

That's what I think when I think of stews. I got the idea for this Greek-inspired iteration of chicken stew from the fabulous New York Times column Recipes for Health: Chicken Stews to Savor, or Store Away. In it, Martha Rose Shulman writes about how her niece is about to give birth. She provides several chicken stew recipes that work great frozen (the article is worth checking out for all of them). My good friend just gave birth to twin girls.

This made me want to try out a stew recipe.

What made me choose this one over the others offered was the interesting combination of cauliflower, chicken, and cinnamon. I also loved that she finished it with crumbled feta, though it's great without it, too. She also uses chicken legs and thighs (which I always do), as they don't try out like breasts when braised. Also, they tend to be less expensive.

The resulting dish was everything that you wanted a stew to be (see my list above), yet it was also imbued with a touch of the exotic (this came from the cinnamon). It kept great in the fridge and tasted even better the next night for dinner. I would like to try freezing a portion in the future, too.

The next time I make it, I may try doing a version in my slow-cooker. I love my slow-cooker. And I have a feeling that this stew would taste even better after simmering away all day long.

Cauliflower Olive Chicken Stew
Adapted from Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman
Serves 4-6 people
Cooking time: about one hour
Gluten-free

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
• 6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes, with juice, pulsed in a food processor
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 small or 1/2 large cauliflower, cored, broken into florets
• 12 pitted kalamata olives (about 45 grams)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 to 2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep, heavy lidded skillet or casserole and brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the pieces to a plate or bowl as they’re browned. Pour off the fat from the pan. Add the vinegar to the pan and scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan, and turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and let the onion cook for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until it is lightly browned and very soft. 
3. Add the garlic and stir together for a minute or two more, until the garlic is fragrant, then add the tomatoes and their juice, the cinnamon, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the mixture is reduced slightly and fragrant.
4. Return the chicken pieces to the pot, along with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl. If necessary, add enough water to barely cover the chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. 
5. Add the cauliflower and kalamata olives and simmer for another 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and the chicken is just about falling off the bone. 
6. Stir in the parsley, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with grains, with the feta sprinkled on top if desired.

Advance preparation: The stew keeps for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator and freezes well. With leftovers, make a delicious rice casserole by spreading cooked rice over the bottom of a baking dish and topping with the chicken and sauce. Heat through for 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

Meatless Monday Features My Recipe for 'Arugula Fig Almond Salad'

Happy Meatless Monday!

Meatless Monday is featuring my recipe for Arugula Fig Almond Salad this week! It's a lovely, light salad that's perfect for the season right now. From MM:

Sweet figs, tangy feta and spicy arugula don’t need much help to shine in this salad celebrating fall’s bounty. A simple balsamic vinaigrette seasons the greens, while almonds add an earthy crunch. 

While you're over there, check out their great articles like how to Savor a Seasonal Meatless Monday.

And as always, one day a week, cut out meat.

Here's the direct link to my article

Meatless Monday: Veggie Frittata with Feta Cheese

What a fun weekend!

Not only did we have amazing weather (lower '80's and gloriously sunny—sorry East Coasters!), but my in-laws came into town for a nice visit. We had indulgent meals at Lou on Vine, Bouchon, Ray's (at LACMA—my new favorite place), and finally Pace. I think we'll all need a detox this week!

I did make us a lovely brunch at my house in the canyon, cooking up a simple feast of Raisin Walnut Spiced Muffins (recipe coming shortly) and a Veggie Frittata with Feta Cheese, using ingredients purchased at my local farmers market. Usually, I just stock up on everything that looks fabulous, and then figure out what to with it once I get home (I'm on my way there shortly...).

This fritatta combined some of my favorite vegetables—lacinato kale (I try to sneak this into any recipe that I can); jumbo asparagus (just materialized last week at the market); sweet cherry tomatoes (still coming in strong in California). The finishing touch was some fresh goat's milk feta cheese, also from one of my vendors at the market. Likewise, the eggs were procured from one of my local farmers.

I cooked the frittata in my cast iron skillet (which was only $20, and is one of my favorite pans). I started it stove top, and then moved it into the oven, before finishing it under the broiler.

I served the frittata with some homemade Raisin Walnut Spiced Muffins (made with whole grains and raisins also from one of my farmers). The resulting feast was simple, yet delicious and satisfying. I served the frittata directly out of my cast iron skillet, which looked lovely and rustic on the table.

Veggie Frittata with Feta Cheese
Serves 4-6 people
Cooking time: about 20 minutes
Vegetarian
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 2 cups kale, thinly chopped
• 2 cups or 1 bunch asparagus, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 
2. Add the garlic, and saute for one minute.
3. Add the asparagus and kale, stirring to combine. Continue to cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften. 
4. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until the yolks and whites are mixed together and the entire mixture is slightly frothy. Season with a little salt and pepper.
5. Pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet over the vegetables. Place the halved cherry tomatoes cut side up on top of the egg mixture, gently pressing them down.
6. Top with the crumbled feta, a little salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Continue cooking stove top until the frittata begins to set. 
8. Finish the frittata under the broiler. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients

• lacinato kale, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, garlic, thyme, eggs, and goat's milk feta cheese from the West Hollywood Farmers Market

Zucchini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Feta

Zucchini with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Feta

How was everybody's weekend?

I cannot believe that August is here. My birthday is in only two short days, and I've yet to make any plans or prepare myself mentally for turning yet another year older. I mean, this year has literally flown by. Dare I say it? I'm going to be 32. That's right--I didn't mistakenly juxtapose those two numbers.  Gasp.

I just get that feeling that there's still so much I want to do with my life. That I've only touched the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Scratched the surface. A new novel is under construction right now, a daunting and monumentally challenging, but exhilarating task (my first novel is out in the world as we speak, searching for the right agent). This new one is young adult science fiction, and I'm loving creating and living in the world, but it is an all-consuming effort at times.

Often, I have to remind myself to... just breathe. To take it one sentence, and one chapter, and one moment at a time, like with everything else in life. My daily morning yoga routine helps with this. And so does the Adorable Monster and his unwavering love and affection (he really is the best dog ever). And I have to remind myself not to put so much pressure on myself all the time. It's my perfectionist tendencies coming through (hello Type A personality!).

This hot August Monday, I'm pulling out a recipe from the vault to commemorate squash season. It's here people--get on board! Even better, Meatless Monday is featuring this recipe this week on their website, so check it out here.

Sweet, fresh summer squash is overflowing at grocery stores and farmers markets all across this great country. I love roasting squash with nothing more than olive oil, salt, and pepper. This recipe brings a Mediterranean flair to roasted zucchini in the form of sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and fresh mint (it goes great with squash).

Question: is there anything that I don't like to put feta on?

Not many things, that's for sure!

Zucchini With Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Feta
Serves 4 people
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Vegetarian; gluten-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups zucchini, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I prefer goat's milk, but any kind works)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Toss the zucchini with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  
3. Roast the zucchini in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Once it's finished cooking, remove the zucchini from the oven.
4. Then, toss the zucchini with the sun-dried tomatoes and feta. Check seasoning (salt and pepper).  
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the fresh mint. Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients

• organic zucchini and organic mint from the Hollywood Farmers Market
• goat's milk feta from Whole Foods

Chilled Gazpacho Soup with Feta

Chilled Gazpacho with Feta

Summer is here.

How do I know?

It's not because the days are warmer and longer, though they are. And it's not because the Adorable Monster is due for a shorter haircut, though he is. It's not even because school is out for the summer, though it is.

I know because tomatoes have finally hit my local farmers market. Tomatoes are to summer what Punxsutawney Phil is to spring. Terrible out of season, nectar of gods in season, this simple fruit is one of the great joys of summer.

I have many fond memories of feasting on sun-warmed tomatoes from my father's garden in southwest Virginia when I was growing up. I'd eat them like apples. There was always a massive box of them stored in our cellar, ripe for the taking. I even remember the time that my overly ambitious mother decided to make fresh tomato sauce and can it from hundreds of surplus tomatoes. It had been a banner year. We (meaning my two brothers and I) helped her crank them through an old press, the juice slurping out the other end like a geyser. We realized that if you ran them through twice, you could squeeze out twice as much juice.

The kitchen may have looked like something out of Saw IV when we were finished, but it was the best freaking tomato juice that I'd ever tasted.

Food memory is a powerful thing. You carry it with you all of your life, and the smallest whiff can bring it rushing back like a tidal wave. I'm reminded of that as I think about the Chilled Gazpacho Soup that I made yesterday, my thoughts drifting back to the past. What does it bring to mind?

Many things. The first time I made this recipe was with my mother in Floyd a few summers back (here's a great recent New York Times article on Floyd). It's actually her recipe with a few extra flourishes. What else? My youngest brother, now a talented chef, loathed tomatoes growing up. They were his foodie kryptonite. He loved spaghetti and ketchup and all manner of things wrought from tomatoes, but despised the fruit itself. He also failed to see how illogical this was.

I remember the first time I tried an heirloom tomato from the farmers market. It teleported me back to my childhood, to my father's garden, to that box of tomatoes in my childhood cellar, the one where a giant blacksnake lived under the old freezer, which seemed as old as that very old farmhouse on Lake Drive. Seemed, but probably wasn't. That house dated back to Davy Crokett times, or so I liked to believe when I was a kid. We did discover a baby's tombstone in the basement that dated back to the 1800's. Most likely that infant was buried there during a hard winter, when the ground froze solid and the only soft soil for digging a grave could be found deep in that dark, dank basement, where more spiders lived than people.

All these memories from Chilled Gazpacho with Feta. You should try making a batch, the first of the season. See what glimpses of your past it dredges up for you.

Chilled Gazpacho with Feta
Serves 4 people
Prep time: 10 minutes (plus one hour chilling time)
Vegetarian; gluten-free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup cucumbers, roughly chopped
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 jalapeno, halved and seeded (optional)

for garnishing:

• extra virgin olive oil
• feta cheese
• fresh cracked pepper

Directions

1. Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, jalapeno, red onion and garlic in a blender and puree together until combined but still a little chunky. 
2. Add the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil and mix together. 
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
4. Chill the soup for at least an hour in the refrigerator (may be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge).
5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Crumble some feta cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil. Top with a little fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients

• tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, and goat's milk feta cheese from the West Hollywood Farmers Market
• extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Whole Foods

Meatless Monday: Baby Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Baby Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

For this special edition of Meatless Monday, click on over to West Hollywood Patch to view my recipe for Baby Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette.

This lovely salad combined roasted baby beets with a Greek-style goat's milk feta cheese, organic mixed baby greens, and sunflower seeds. The whole salad is topped with a light citrus vinaigrette. It's a healthy, delicious recipe that's perfect for lunch or a starting appetizer for a dinner party.

Going forward, I'll be writing a regular column called "Farm to the Table" for Patch featuring weekly recipes based on my finds at the West Hollywood Farmers Market. So stay tuned -- I have some great stuff planned!

Here's my recipe for Baby Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Meatless Monday: Greek Frittata

Greek Frittata

I love Greek cuisine, the flavors, the falafel, and oh, the feta!

I also love eating breakfast, the most important meal of the day. So what do you get when you combine my love for Greek food with breakfast?

Greek Fritatta, that's what!

Meatless Monday: Butter Lettuce Salad with Feta and Pomegranates

Butter Lettuce Salad with Feta and Pomegranates

One of the things I love about salads is that they have a thousand different iterations, each one just as fabulous as the last one. This jives with my focus on seasonal eating. Winter salads can rival summer salads.

This salad makes use of the beautiful pomegranates, which are in season right now. This ancient fruit, famous for mentions in Homeric Hymns and The Book of Exodus, typically grows in the Northern Hemisphere between September and February. Even better, pomegranates are chocked full of vitamins (especially C & B), fiber, and antioxidants. Oh, and they taste fabulous, too.

Meatless Monday: Panko-Crusted Squash Blossoms with Feta and Pine Nuts

Panko-Crusted Squash Blossoms with Feta and Pine Nuts

Everything tastes better when it's panko-crusted, don't you think?

Panko are Japanese style breadcrumbs that have a crisper, airier texture than most Western style breadcrumbs. I prefer them to traditional breadcrumbs and always keep my cupboard stocked with a bag. While they used to be available only at specialty Asian grocers, they're become more widely accessible over the last few years. Even Trader Joe's sells them now.

Meatless Monday: Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Goat Feta and Lemon Olive Oil

Tomato season is here!

If you're a Domestic Diva like me, then this is reason to rejoice. Many of us were raised on tasteless, picked when they were green and ripened artificially in transit, grocery store tomatoes. A culinary travesty, if you ask me.

Tomatoes are one of my top five desert island foods, however, I don't eat them out of season. Instead, I go on a self-imposed tomato fast, waiting for the moment, in the peak of summer, when the heirloom tomatoes roll into my farmers market like chubby, cherubic invaders.

Fortunately, I don't have to wait any longer because the heirloom tomatoes are here. These tomatoes come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, from purple, to yellow, to green and everything in between. For this reason, they weren't chosen for large scale agriculture, but instead have been raised by smaller farmers.

At the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday, I was thrilled to discover that my favorite heirloom tomato vendor was selling imperfect heirloom tomatoes (sunburned, or slightly damaged) for one dollar a pound. Let me repeat that. One dollar a pound. That's an incredible bargain. I scooped up a pound of these castoff beauties and whisked them home, prepared to turn them into gazpacho, a chilled soup made out of fresh vegetables.

I pureed the tomatoes with cucumber, bell pepper, jalapeno and red onion, adding some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt. Then, I served this lovely, golden yellow soup with a drizzle of lemon olive oil and a crumbling of fresh goat feta.

The heirloom tomatoes really added a level of sweetness and freshness to this  gazpacho. It tasted so purely of summer - bold, fresh, ripe, sweet - that I'll be making it every week until the end of tomato season. Gazpacho is great served for lunch with toasted garlic bread or as an appetizer at dinner.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Goat Feta and Lemon Olive Oil
Serves 4 people
Prep time: 10 minutes
Print Recipe

Ingredients
4 cups heirloom tomatoes, quartered
1 cup cucumbers, roughly chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
1 medium red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 jalapeno, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons good olive oil
salt and pepper

for garnishing:
meyer lemon olive oil (regular olive oil works if you can't find lemon)
goat feta cheese
fresh cracked pepper

Directions
Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, jalapeno, red onion and garli in a blender and puree together until combined but still a little chunky. Add the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil and mix together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill the soup for at least an hour in the refrigerator (may be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge).

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Crumble some feta cheese on top and drizzle with the lemon olive oil. Top with a little fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients
heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapeno, red onion and garlic from the Hollywood Farmers Market

Redwood Hill Farm raw milk goat feta and meyer lemon olive oil from Whole Foods

Meatless Monday: Zucchini With Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Mint And Goat's Milk Feta

Divas, what an exciting weekend!

The Eat My Blog charity bake sale was a huge success!  My Bacon Brownies With Bourbon Caramel Sauce sold out quickly and we raised $5,427 for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.  I'll be posting picture later this week.

In the meantime, I've got lots of fun culinary trips planned.  On Tuesday, I'm hitting up Providence for their anniversary five course tasting menu.  And in only ten days, I'm taking off for JAPAN!!!  That's right, Kuzak and I will be vacationing in Tokyo and Kyoto, visiting the fish market, eating ramen, shabu-shabu, tempura and more!  The Chicago Foodie and her esteemed husband will be meeting up with us.  I can't wait!  It should be a fabulous trip!  The only downside is that the Adorable Monster will have to stay in Los Angeles without us.  Poor little guy.  I'll miss the heck out of him.

Now onto more important matters!  For today's Meatless Monday, here's a fabulous little dish I whipped up last week - Zucchini With Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Mint and Goat's Milk Feta.  Summer squash is in season big time, filling up grocery stores and farmers markets, so now is the time to take advantage.  I love this dish for lunch (it's great shoveled onto toasted bread bruschetta-style) or served with a big salad for dinner.  Oh, and did I mention it tastes fabulous?  Zucchini and mint pair wonderfully together, while the sun-dried tomatoes and feta add nice tang to the dish.  I wish I would eat some right now...

Zucchini With Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Mint and Goat's Milk Feta
Serves 4 people
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
4 cups zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/2 cup goat's milk feta, crumbled

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the zucchini with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from the oven.

Then, toss the zucchini with the sun-dried tomatoes and feta.  Check seasoning (salt and pepper).  Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the fresh mint.  Enjoy!

Source For Ingredients
organic zucchini and organic mint from the Hollywood Farmers Market

goat's milk feta from Whole Foods

sun-dried tomatoes from Trader Joe's