last minute dessert

Spur of the moment dinner guests make for a fun night. Something easy for dinner like pasta and a salad. Add some bread and wine and there you have it. I really like to have something sweet to end the night. On this night I had strawberries in the house. First thing that came to mind was Strawberry Shortcake. I knew I did not have time to bake so I thought I would check out my local store and see what options were available in the bakery. 

I was really happy to find mini angel food cakes. So cute and perfect for individual desserts. 

I sliced up the strawberries, added some mint from the garden and a little sugar to sweeten. I let them sit throughout dinner so they could get all juicy. 

Then I spooned them over the little angel food cakes and topped them with some fresh whipped cream. 

Really easy and really delicious!

What’s For Lunch - Red Beans and Rice

This week we had a hard time deciding what we wanted to make for our lunches. The weather here in Seattle is pretty dreary with a side of cloudy sun. Not the weather to inspire fresh salads. But not quite soup weather either - I don't want to encourage this weather. I opted for an old easy favorite - Red Beans and Rice. 

This recipe is so easy and so tasty. It remains vegetarian with any tasty vegetarian sausage. I use a locally made vegetarian sausage called Field Roast. They don't have an andouille sausage so I used the Mexican Chipolte version. It is really spicy and flavorful.

Red Beans and Rice

Serves 5

• 1 can red beans - drained, rinsed and partially mashed
• 6 oz vegetarian sausage - andouille flavor preferred chopped
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 3 stalks of celery chopped
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• 2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups cooked long grain brown rice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, celery and onion mix to pan; sauté until soft and translucent.

Add sausage and cook about 4 minutes until brown. Add Cajun seasoning, salt, oregano, and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beans, 1/4 cup water, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice.

I also made a quick tomato, cucumber, red onion salad for more vegetables and a crisp tangy contrast to the spicy main dish. 

Tomato, Red Onion and Cucumber Salad

• 1 cucumber peeled and sliced thin
• 1/2 red onion sliced thin
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Mix all together in a bowl.

 In a seperate bowl whisk - 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 4 tablesppons lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

 Pour over vegetables and toss together. 

I like to serve this meal with cornbread on the side. Enjoy!!

Eat Cake!

Most mornings I fight the urge to eat cake. And by cake I mean any baked pastry from any number of local coffee shops featuring tasty baked goods. Oh I know that this is not the way a grown woman should start her morning. It is so easy to shut down the logical, "I know about proper nutrition" part of my brain that wants me to eat a lean protien source such as eggs or yogurt. And most times I do. But then there are the mornings I need cake. 

I wonder - do thin girls eat cake for breakfast? Probably not. Or if they do they decide to run and burn that cake off. Maybe this is what sets me apart from those people. That I cannot say no to cake and might only run to catch a bus. 

I fancy myself as a bit of a baker. So many times in my brain this cake eating is research. And it kind of is. I like to see what others are baking and be inspired to try baking new things. I also love certain baked goods so much - like the Squash Bread that Macrina Bakery makes and sells though local coffee shops everywhere I go. That thick slab of bread, moist and tender with toasted walnuts. Really if I was musical I would write a song about it. 

This morning found me and Mr. Ramon getting coffee before work. We indulge in this treat a couple of times a week together. "Want to get coffee?" he asks. "Sure - where do you want to go?" We ponder the 4-5 options available near his work on Capitol Hill. This morning we chose Oddfellows. Mr. Ramon is a drip coffee guy and I am currently obsessed with iced coffee or iced americanos.

After much study of the bakery case I decided on French Toast Bundt Cake. This was real cake for breakfast this time. It smelled like butter and maple, all things french toast. It paired really well with my iced americano. It was moist and still warm from the oven. Yum!

What’s For Lunch - Couscous Mediterranean Salad

With our busy schedules it can be easy to make the decision to buy lunch daily. Not only does this add up in cost but can also result in poor food choices. We also don’t have the time or resources to make a new lunch menu each day. What works really well for us is to make a large batch recipe that is tasty as leftovers for lunches all week. In fall and winter we choose soups and casseroles that are hearty and warming. In spring and summer we look to in season produce for fresh salads. 

Putting me in charge of lunches means I can choose vegetarian options that are full of beans, whole grains and nutritious vegetables. I feel feel really good about the choices for our lunches and know that Mr. Ramon is getting something healthy. 

Over Memorial Day we had some friends over and grilled some chicken skewers with tzatziki and naan. Ever since then I have had naan and tzatziki on the brain. So this week I decided a Mediterranean inspired salad with tzatziki and naan on the side would be the way to go. 

This salad is super easy. Chop, mix and serve. It took me about 45 min from start to finish for all components. You can add in other favorite vegetables or even top it with grilled chicken.

Couscous Mediterranean Salad

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• 1 13oz can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
• 1 english cucumber peeled - dice 1/2 for salad and grate other for tzatziki
• 1/4c pitted kalamata olives chopped
• 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
• 4 green onions white part sliced thinly
• 4oz diced feta cheese
• 2 handful flat leaf parsley chopped
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• pepper
• salt 

4 servings of couscous cooked and cooled

Set oven to 400 degrees F. Line a small rimmed cooking sheet with foil or parchment. Place tomatoes and garlic in bowl and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over them. Season with pepper and salt. Mix till coated with the oil and pour onto the prepared sheet. Bake in oven until soft and roasted. About 30 minutes. Let cool. Chop roasted garlic.

Place first 9 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk 1/4c olive oil and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in a small bowl until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over ingredients in bowl and mix until coated. 

Mr. Ramon likes a good dollop of this tzatziki on his salad. It is also great with grilled meats and as a dip for vegetables. 

Basic Tzatziki

• 8oz greek yogurt (low fat or regular)
• 1/2 english cucumber grated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 1 lemon zested
• 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Place all items in a bowl and mix well until combined. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving for flavors to combine. 

To serve this meal top a serving of couscous with the salad mixture and drizzle with tzatziki. Serve toasted pitas on the side. 

Whidbey Island Dog Park

My one day off falls on a Monday every week. This means that Mr. Ramon and I rarely get days off together except for holidays and well planned escapes. 

This Memorial Day was beautiful in Seattle. Warm with some cloud cover. My mom and her dog were in town for a visit and we all had this Monday free to do something. Not one to waste a day off together I thought it would be fun to go somewhere different. 

In my 7 years here in Seattle we have never gone to Whidbey Island. A 25 minute trip up the freeway and a 20 minute ferry crossing we were what seems like worlds away. The draw of this drive is that there is a huge, on the beach dog park. 

If your dogs are anything like mine, they love the beach. Love might not be the right word. I think the beach is the place where my dogs are the happiest. Running free on perfectly packed, cool sand. Drinking ocean water only to puke it back up. Digging holes for who knows what and rolling in stinky stuff. Dog heaven! 

We let them run for a few hours. By that time Mischa was feeling pretty rotten from drinking to much ocean water. They were all sandy and wet. So much fun! 

With four tired dogs in the truck we set out to see what else was on this little island. We drove to the tiny town of Langley and shopped and ate. We had such a great day. I think I found my new little get away.