The Flavor of Summer

I am loving how the sun is out longer, the weather is getting warmer and everything is turning green. Flowers are blossoming and farmer's market are back open. In celebration of the changing of seasons, I prepared a recipe that epitomizes spring and summer.

Mango Salsa!

I created chicken pita stuffed with mango salsa and fresh greens. Combining sweet and savory flavors is always one of my favorite combinations. The entire dish was simple and fresh. This was my toast to warmer months!

Mango Salsa with Fresh Mint and Cilantro

The chicken was sauteed in a lemon, garlic and ginger vinaigrette

The side dish: Mushroom couscous with lemon zest

In addition to toasting to summer, I surprised my husband with champaign to toast to his hard work! The dinner and champaign received a A+!

Happy Toasting!

Little Chef-titian

Spring Harvest

This year I started planting early. I researched what could be planted starting in February for our region and learned that lettuce, broccoli and various types of cabbage love the lower temperatures. My pots were soon filled with red leaf lettuce, broccoli and bok choy. I had never planted these vegetables so I was crossing my fingers they would survive the ranging temperatures. With all the recent rain and sunshine, my plants have began growing quickly and will soon be ready for harvesting!

RED LEAF LETTUCE

(BEFORE)

.

(AFTER)

BROCCOLI AND BOK CHOY

(BEFORE)

(BEFORE)

(AFTER)

HERB GARDEN: FLAT LEAF PARSLEY, CILANTRO & DILL

ROSEMARY, MINT & SAGE

ROSEMARY

I have already began using my herbs. Soon, I will harvest the lettuce and bok choy. The broccoli has not produced any florets yet but I am hoping to see something in the future! I will be sure to document the recipes made with the fresh produce!

Happy Harvesting!

Little Chef-titian

What I've Been Cooking?

Since there's been a decrease in posts over the last month, I thought I would show you what's been cooking in my kitchen. Below are three delicious dinners. I hope you enjoy all the photos and explore these simple and fresh meals.

CALIFORNIA CHICKEN SANDWICH

BLACK BEAN AND QUINOA STUFFED RED PEPPER

PEANUT SATAY WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT AND CHICKEN

Using fresh vegetables allows for speedy meals that serve up a healthy dose of nutrients. Creating colorful, balanced meals that include a whole grain, protein, and fiber do not have to be boring or bland. Keep your senses delighted by feasting on fresh foods!

Happy Cooking!

Little Chef-titian

A Fine Piece of Meat!

Last summer was the beginning of my "whole foods" craze. I began to eat more strictly and was mindful of chemicals and preservatives added to foods, farming practices and gained an appreciation for local foods. At the farmers market, my husband picked out a sirloin steak that was pricey. He is an avid meat and potatoes man so I was happy to spend a little extra cash on higher quality meats. Also, supporting the local growers is important to me. Being curious of grass and grain fed beef, we only purchased one steak. It took us 6 months to finally cook our 13 dollar grass fed, bone in, sirloin steak (1.28 lbs). We purchased this fine piece of meat from Nooherooka Natural farms.

Website: http://www.nooherooka.com/

One Sunday night, we whipped out our grill, created a flavorful marinade (soy sauce, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and zest, garlic, basil, parsley, salt and pepper), and enjoyed the aromas of the steak sizzling away.

Here is a photo of our sirloin fresh on the grill.

As our steak was cooking, we popped open a bottle of Chianti, enjoyed some fresh La Brea whole wheat bread along with some garlic infused olive oil. This was the perfect appetizer to prepare our taste buds for this succulent meal.

Even though the sirloin steak was the star of the show, we had to have some vegetables to go with our hearty entree. I sauteed some fresh spinach in garlic and olive and served up a healthy portion of creamy mashed potatoes.

Here was our spread as we sat down.

Our Sunday evening was a sweet time of enjoying delicious food together. Also, the beef was fabulous and we WILL be purchasing more from Nooherhooka Natural.

Happy Cooking!

Little Chef-titian

Newest Kitchen Tool: Boos Block

Recently I went to Williams and Sonoma to use a gift card from Christmas. I couldn't decide what to purchase because I LOVE everything in the store. After browsing everything in the store, a cutting board caught my eye. I had never researched the different cutting boards and their benefits, so I was a curious customer and began to ask a million questions. After going through one sales ladies brain, she recruited the store manager to help answer my questions.

Why did I have so many questions? The cutting boards that were for sale ranged from $30 to $180. They were all a little unique depending on the type of wood, thickness and structure. Some were round, rectangular or square. I had no clue where to begin and wanted to learn more.

The store manager was a "guru" of culinary tools. He began to describe the different types of boards and their benefits. He began to tell me about the Boos Block (which was his favorite). He noted that the wood used in the Boos Block was soft enough to provide care for my knives, however, he mentioned it would require a little effort to maintain the quality of the board. Given the boards porous quality, because it's wood, oiling the board to keep the surface intact was required.

NSF certified: National Sanitation Foundation

Never had I heard of "oiling" boards before, AND, I had been using a wooden cutting board for the last year and a half. In my experience, I had noticed that my cutting board at home retained colors and strong odors (onions and garlic especially). I had even started using a separate plastic board for those foods.

All together, I was sold on the Boos Block and he mentioned this was a staple in the Food Network kitchens. I knew that the maintenance would not be an issue for me since I spend most of my time in my kitchen.

I have had the board for 2 weeks now and I have loved it. I purchased the Boos Edge-Grain Maple Medium cutting board (20" x 15" and 1 1/4" thick). It is 10 lbs and provides a very stable surface for chopping anything.

My new Boos Block!

I have and will not use it for meat products (just my food safety side kicking in) but the store manager said it was safe (except fish and poultry).

There is a ritual oiling schedule:

The first week: oil once day for 7 days

The first month: oil once a week for 4 weeks

Life Time: oil once a month forever

The oil is an approved mineral oil for food surfaces ($6/bottle).

I hope this informed you of a great product for your kitchen. There is always more to a kitchen tool than meets the eye. Do not be afraid to ask questions about various products. The Williams and Sonoma staff were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction.

Happy Shopping!

Little Chef-titian

Snacks vs Meals

Cooking Light Photo

I recently came across an article that discussed the increased trend of "snacking". Many restaurants are coming out with snacking menus for the public to choose from. I find this interesting and want to propose the question: Which is better, snacking throughout the day or eating 3 "normal size" meals. Here are my thoughts on the subject:

Many people defend snacking because they say:

- it increases the metabolism

- decrease chances for binge eating

- eat a variety of foods

- learn to enjoy smaller meals

All of the reasons above sound good if you are actually snacking on healthy foods (fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, whole grains and lean protein). Also if what you are consuming provides a balanced diet and is within a healthy calorie and fat range I see no issue with snacking verses eating set meals. However, I would warn people against snacking if you tend to be an overeater. Snacking can prevent overeating at the next meal however, replacing 5 small meals for 3 normal meals increases your chances of overeating greatly. Snacking may work for some people, but I find I tend to eat excessively (especially at night).

Here are my recommendations for controlling your appetite.

- Be active and increase physical activity
- Weight train to build lean muscle
- Sleep 7-8 hours a night (lower or higher has shown to increase appetite)
- Eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains

At the end of the day (snackers or meal eaters), what counts is what you put in your body and how much. Calories in needs to equal calories out for weight maintenance. For weight loss: calories in should be less than calories out.

Hopefully this information will help you to be an informed snacker and give you some food for thought!

Check out this article in Cooking Light which inspired this post.

http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/restaurant-snack-menus-00412000070339/?iid=newsletter-ck-022311&PromKey=XET

Photo: a little house by the big woods blog

I love this photo: Inspiring and thoughtful!

What are your thoughts on this subject?

Happy Eating!

Little Chef-titian

Variety is key!

Making your plate colorful is an important concept to understanding how to consume a balanced meals. Often times we go without purple, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and we never think twice about it. It's easy to remember to include something green but what about the rest of the colors. Below are some meals that I prepared that were colorful and full of nutrients!

Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Sauteed Spinach, Zucchini, Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Mexican Pizza:

The base is refried beans topped with spinach, avocado, tomatoes, black bean, corn and Monterey and cheddar cheese

Mixed Green salad topped with Pickled Beets, Blueberries, Goat Cheese and Green Onions

Variety of Colors = Variety of Nutrients

Green = Lutein and indoles are found in green fruits and vegetables.

Benefits: strong bones, teeth, vision, may be able reduce the risk of cancer.

Red = Lycopene and anthocyanins are found in red fruits and vegetables.

Benefits: Increase hearth health, memory function, and lower the risk of some cancers.

Orange/Yellow = Vitamin C, carotenoids and bioflavonoids are found in orange/yellow fruits and vegetables.

Benefits: Promotes heart health, vision, and boost your immune system.

Purple/Blue = Anthocyanins and phenolics are found in purple/blue fruits and vegetables.

Benefits: Help with urinary tract health, memory and healthy aging.

White = The photochemical allicin is found in white produce.

Benefits: Heart health.

Consuming a colorful diet of fruits and vegetables is an easy approach to maintaining a healthful diet!

Happy Coloring!

Little Chef-titian