Here is what I love about this recipe. In combination, the grilled polenta, balsamic mushrooms and arugula make a delightful meal. Individually, the methods for preparing the polenta and mushrooms can be used over and over again in a variety of ways. For instance, the balsamic mushrooms are nice sliced over grilled steak. Serve the grilled polenta on its own as a side dish for any grilled vegetables or meats. Make the polenta ahead of time so it has time to chill before grilling. Enjoy!
My summer salad obsession continues. The best part about this recipe is the Mango Sesame Dressing. I’ve been making it for years. I use it on mixed greens, as a dipping sauce for chicken, or as glaze for on the grill. Udon, traditional Japanese noodles, can be found in the most grocery stores or at World Market. They cook in about 4 minutes and are delicious served hot or cold. If you can’t find udon noodles, use whole wheat spaghetti as a substitute. This is a great summer-time meal!
Actually, there are two love affairs at play here. The first is with the humble chickpea. I love chickpeas in soup, salad, curry, hummus, you name it. The second affair, in name only, is with marinated vegetables. I love pickled this and marinated that. I especially love our locally owned and crafted “Carriots of Fire” […]
Summer is here and I find myself asking the same old question – what to do with all this zucchini?!
The answer is simple – almost anything! This week, I searched the FP Recipe Archives for ways to use zucchini and was reminded of this summer staple’s amazing versatility. Zucchini is great baked, roasted, sautéed, or grilled. It makes a great addition to soups, casseroles, and salads. It’s also comfortable playing a starring role.
Granny Jane used to make a world-famous (well, we thought so) Zucchini Relish. I am off to find that recipe now. Read more for links to the recipes!
Santa Barbara Seasons Blog, June 20, 2013 As anyone who has recently walked the corner of Victoria and Chapala Streets can attest, there is certainly a lot of activity happening in the soon-to-open Santa Barbara Public Market and Alma del Pueblo complex. Recently, an updated list of vendors was released, including a bread shop that was just confirmed today! See […]
It’s June. Here in Santa Barbara, that means foggy mornings followed by gloriously sunny afternoons. It also means stone fruit! We wait all year for this. Nothing brightens a gray day like ripe juicy nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots, apricots, cherries – you get the picture. Stone fruit are delicious raw, grilled, roasted or tossed into salads, salsas and all sorts of baked goods. Attached are links to recipes for a delicious stone fruit salad, a savory pluot salad and seasonal fruit tartlets with crumble topping. This week’s recipe for NECTARINE & ARUGULA SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE AND APRICOT VINAIGRETTE goes to show that good cooking (or tossing!) starts (and in this case, ends) with high quality ingredients. It doesn’t take much to dress up summer’s delicious bounty. Savor the simplicity!
Sandwiched between two theaters and flanked by Santa Barbara’s main drag of retail and restaurants, the high-end, mixed-use Alma del Pueblo project on Chapala Street is quickly taking shape. This week, owner/developer Marge Cafarelli announced that the project’s Santa Barbara Public Market — an airy, high-ceiling space to be filled with 15 independent merchants selling artisanal food and wine out of farmers’ market–type stalls — has picked 11 of those vendors who signed five-year leases with five-year options.
Flush with a squash and arugula pesto, I figured I’d put it all together into one delicious, healthy dish. I use whole wheat pasta – do you? Some people say it’s too chewy and don’t like the consistency, but we’ve been using it for so long now, we’ve come to prefer its “hearty” texture and nutty flavor. Roasting is such a simple (and flavorful!) way to prepare seasonal vegetables. A hot oven, a splash of heart-healthy olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt and fresh ground pepper and you’re on your way to yum town.
If you want to skip making the pesto, simply toss your pasta and vegetables with a little olive oil and top with grated Parmesan cheese. No one will suffer.
Blue cheese and seasonal blueberries elevate a summer standard into something special. Tossed with the simplest of red wine vinaigrettes, this coleslaw is crunchy, satisfying and packed with the benefits of cabbage and blueberries. Of course, you eat it with your eyes first – red, “white” and blue! If it’s not blueberry season, black seedless grapes (cut in half, depending on size) would make a great substitute. Be well!
You go to the market how many times a week, including the farmers’ market? And how often do you just pass by heaping mounds of green beans? Not this summer. Here is a reason to stop and pick up a pound. These aren’t the frozen green beans of yesteryear found in TV dinners. These are delightfully crunchy and often sweet fresh beans that make a delightful salad you’ll make over and over again…
