Kel’s Colorful Caprese Salad

Posted on August 23, 2012 by kelleychisholm

Summertime = homegrown tomatoes = love. If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m a tomato aficionado — it’s one of my favorite foods. Back in June I had a great Insalata Caprese at the Blue Moon Bistro in Beaufort, N.C., and it’s been my go-to salad ever since. Not only is this salad simple to make, with just a few ingredients, it tastes as good as it looks. Rumored to have originated on the Isle of Capri, Insalata Caprese picks up the colors of the Italian flag with its red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil. Vero amore!

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Food of the Month, August 2012: Peaches

Posted on August 20, 2012 by kelleychisholm

One of the best things about living in the North Carolina is all of the wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables that are available from spring to late fall. One of my favorites is peaches – I get so excited when the locally grown ones start arriving at the Farmer’s Market.

I love to have fresh peaches on cereal, mixed in vanilla yogurt or just by themselves as a late afternoon snack. And it’s hard to beat a sweet peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – yum! August is national peach month so to celebrate I decided to make a cool and refreshing peach and tomato gazpacho.

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Kel’s Blissful Black Bean, Rice and Corn Burritos

Posted on August 16, 2012 by kelleychisholm

I’m keeping with my recent theme of vegan dishes with this recipe for a delicious and satisfying meatless burrito. While I can live without the meat, it was hard for me to imagine a burrito without my usual sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream. But after the first bite, I actually did not miss these ingredients a bit – this burrito is muy excelente! Plus it’s easy on the wallet without the additional cost of the meat and dairy ingredients. ¡Olé!

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Kel’s Pasta Puttanesca, Vegan Version

Posted on August 13, 2012 by kelleychisholm

My love for olives began when I was less than a year old. When I started teething, I loved to suck on lemons. My parents and grandparents were amazed and started giving me other foods that you would not expect someone so young to like, such as dill pickles, shrimp and yes, olives – I loved them all and still do. Back then, my dad and grandparents would give me the green olives stuffed with pimentos, but since then I’ve branched out and really haven’t met an olive I didn’t like.

The other night I was craving spaghetti with some sort of tomato sauce and decided to make pasta puttanesca, which is full of olives. According to the online version of Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the origin of the word puttanesca is Italian and is short for alla puttanesca, or “in the style of a prostitute.”This sauce, with its olives, capers, garlic and tomatoes, will certainly seduce you, making you happy to go for another round. Since I’m not eating meat right now, I opted to make the Neopolitan version, which does not include anchovies. But feel free to add them to the sauce – it gives it another lusty layer of flavor. Continue reading →

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Creamy Mushroom and Lemon-Spinach Vegan Risotto

Posted on August 9, 2012 by kelleychisholm

I just started a brief vegan diet (more about that in an upcoming post) and decided to make some mushroom risotto, hoping to create something where I would not miss the cheese. I found several recipes online that I thought might work (but was still skeptical – risotto without cheese???) and combined ingredients from a few of them to come up with this delightful mushroom and lemon-spinach risotto. The lemon gives it a Mediterranean feel and makes the dish light and refreshing. And believe it or not, it is creamy, without the cheese!

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Root Beer Floats, Kid and Adult Versions

Posted on August 6, 2012 by kelleychisholm

When was the last time you enjoyed a yummy root beer float? For me, it had been quite a while, so I was so happy to learn that August 6th is National Root Beer Float Day. So were the kids – what a perfect treat on a hot summer day!

These are so easy to make – vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and root beer are all you really need (of course you can add caramel syrup, whipped cream and a cherry if you want.) Or, you can also make an adult version, like I did.  Smiles all around!

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Chilled Cucumber Melon Soup with Radish Celery Salsa

Posted on August 2, 2012 by kelleychisholm

I love chilled soups, especially in the heat of the summer. Usually, gazpachos come immediately to mind and that’s what I tend to order or make at home (click here for a tasty recipe I posted last summer.) However, several years ago Brad and I were at this great little French restaurant in Charleston, S.C., Gaulart & Maliclet French Café (98 Broad St, Charleston, S.C. 29401), and I had a wonderful and refreshing cucumber and melon soup that was one of the lunch specials. It was a humid and hot day in Charleston, and that soup hit the spot. Unfortunately, on subsequent visits the soup has not been available – I wish it was a permanent fixture on the menu!

I’ve been trying to replicate this soup each summer, especially when it is so hot like it is now, and have finally come up with a recipe that is pretty darn good. One thing I’ve added is a radish and celery salsa that also has Granny Smith apples in it. The zesty radishes, crisp and crunchy celery, and sweet and tart apples make a great salsa, which pairs excellently with the cucumber and melon soup.

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Posted in Low fat, Recipes, Soups and Such, Tools of the Trade, Vegetables/Vegetarian/Vegan | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tip of the Month, July 2012: This One’s for the Dogs

Posted on July 30, 2012 by kelleychisholm

July 30, 2011. One of the best days of my life, ever. That’s when my sweet little Lille doggie chose us to be her forever family.

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Stuffed Bell Peppers with Mushrooms, Wild Rice and Habañero Cheese

Posted on July 26, 2012 by kelleychisholm

 

Bell peppers are starting to ripen and roll in to the Farmer’s Market, vegetable/fruit stands and local grocery stores. Yaaay! I’ve been experimenting with some recipes that call for a stuffing without meat but don’t sacrifice flavor – perfect for “Meatless Mondays” (more about that in an upcoming post.) Here’s one version I adore with various mushrooms, wild rice and some sort of pepper-flavored cheese. I used Habañero cheddar for this batch, but pepperjack will work just as well. I’m also perfecting a recipe with stuffed red bell peppers with black beans, sweet corn and cheese and will blog about that soon (click on this link for the recipe: http://wp.me/p1m2u9-12r)

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Drink of the Month, July 2012: Tequila

Posted on July 23, 2012 by kelleychisholm

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor – George Carlin

Happy National Tequila Day, y’all! That’s right, July 24 is National Tequila Day, so break out those shot glasses, blenders and/or shakers and mix up a cocktail or shooter to celebrate.

I have to admit that until recently I really didn’t know much about the various types of tequila, but luckily Brad was able to explain the differences to me and how you want to drink them.

  • Blanco is the white or silver tequila and is bottled or right after it’s after distilled, or aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels. It the tequila you want to shoot due to its spiciness.
  • Reposado tequila has been aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year, in oak barrels of any size. It’s what you want to use with mixers and in margaritas, etc.
  • Añejo is aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels. This is your sipping tequila, and usually the most expensive.

You also can purchase flavored tequila, such as Café Patron XO, which has a coffee taste.

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