guac-a-holy-moly!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you think, "There has got to be a simpler way to do this?" I did years ago and it involved a particularly creamy and lovely avocado.

 

I was planning on Mexican for dinner and was going to simply add sliced avocado to the bevy of tasty ingredients we had available. However, I thought, "You know, even though I've never made guacamole before and I think I need to have a lime, I bet I can do this."

I simply scooped out that perfect avocado into a bowl, sprinkled on coarse salt and garlic, and squirted some fresh lemon juice on top. The result looked like a green ice cream sundae.

 

Then, in a moment of divine inspiration, I grabbed the maybe-I've-used-this-once? pastry blender and set to smooshing and whipping. It really is the perfect tool!

 

The end result? Absolutely, the simplest, most delicious guacamole we've ever had! Can it really be this easy?? The answer is a resounding YES! And, best of all, I made it in the time it would take to open one of those packages of pre-made guac (which are actually not bad in a pinch).

So, now this fabulous guac is a staple on our Taco Tico nights when the avocados are cheap and plentiful. Which means NOW. Go out and get yourself some green beauties for your dinner table!

 

And, after improvising for so long, I think I can confidently give you this recipe below. But, as all my recipes, please play with your food and find the taste that you enjoy most.

Meg's Guac-a-Holy-Moly!

2 ripe and ready avocados
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/4 tsp. coarse garlic powder (the brand I buy says this is "California Style")
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Scoop, sprinkle, squeeze, smoosh, and savor!

beautiful

Simply beautiful. This radiant day, this breeze floating through my window, this cheeseburger.


Johnny fired up the grill tonight, and it was a beautiful sight to see. A gorgeous evening, all of us pooped out and sweaty from playing in the yard, and a perfectly grilled burger to end the day. Veggie burgers, Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean to be exact, you make me delightedly happy.

May the beginning of Spring fill your life, and your kitchen, with beauty!

family favorites

It's been a week of comfort food here . . . something we lovingly call family favorites. After one week of cleaning out the fridge followed by a week of traveling, we were ready to get back to cozy food. Easy, simple food - pretty much all of which I've already shared here. When I went to the grocery store this week, I didn't even bring a list. I just pulled off the shelves the things I knew I could easily create to make my sweeties happy:

Pasta topped with pine nuts, parmesan and chopped Roma tomatoes
Chinese dumplings and edamame
Chick patties with mac and cheese (aka the Blue Plate Special)
Bowls of homemade granola
Fresh salads with simple deliciousness dressing

It's one of my great pleasures in life to eat gorgeous, fresh salads. Something I dearly missed after a week on the road.


And, it's also a great pleasure and privilege in my life to connect with women through my work as a nurse practitioner. One of those women, someone I admire so deeply for her zestful joie de vivre, surprised me this week with a treat from her travels to Japan:


Green tea Kit Kat bars! Lightly sweet with wonderful, delicate flavor, these green beauties were a delicious dessert this week. YUM.


I'm so ready for more green to emerge, for Spring to come into full blossom. With the change in the seasons will come a change in my cooking. It's the true beauty of eating fresh - nature-inspired cooking. I look forward to sharing some creative ideas here.

But, for now, with a chill still in the air, Miss M has requested tex-mex soup and cornbread for dinner. I am most happy to oblige with yet another tried-and-true family favorite.

antidote

I've got the antidote to this crazy, isn't it supposed to be the first day of Spring? snow day blues: homemade granola.

 

This is something I was inspired to make after a visit to Shantivanam years ago and eating their delicious "Forest Granola" for breakfast. Every time I eat a bowl, I think of the peace and beauty of that place. And the green, green forest. How I would like to see some green anytime soon . . .

After you try this, you may never go back to box cereal again. Plus, it's so easy. All you need is a big bowl, a 1 Cup measuring cup, a big spoon and a baking sheet. This is especially fun and enjoyable to make with little chefs, too.

Meg's Granola
Adapted from Shantivanam's Forest Granola - "Food for the gods"

3 cups rolled oats (non-instant)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup oat bran
2 cups pecans
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. brown sugar or turbinado sugar (optional)

Dump all the dry ingredients in a really big mixing bowl. Mixing with hands is completely encouraged.

 

Drizzle the oil, honey and vanilla on top. Stir until everything is beautifully coated. Pour onto an ungreased baking sheet and pop into a 250 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Your entire home will smell like heaven! Take a look at this pan o' beauty:

 

Eat warm from the pan or cooled -- I like mine topped with yogurt and fresh fruit. Store the remaining batch in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Adaptations are absolutely welcome to this recipe. My friend Wendy puts sesame seeds in her granola and also mixes in different combinations of nuts. Shantivanam adds in coconut, raisins or chopped dates. You can find the wheat germ and oat bran in the baking section of the grocery store by Bob's Red Mill brand or I buy it in bulk at Whole Foods.

Stay cozy today!

road trip ~ five

We are home now from a truly fabulous road trip. I had grand intentions of continuing to blog while on the go, but slow poke internet connections in Tennessee kept me from making that happen. Boo. I would move forward with what's cookin' in my own kitchen, but have to share a couple of gems we found along the last leg of our journey. These two out-of-the-way spots, and the delightful people we met at both, made for some very memorable meals.

1. Aretha Frankenstein's, Chattanooga, TN

With this name, you know this is going to be one groovy joint. And, it was. Most delightfully so! We had spent the entire day at the Tennessee Aquarium, a most amazing place, and were totally pooped out by late afternoon. We were in great need of comfort food. A big thank-you to our dear friends Sooz and Mel for telling us about this place from their previous road trip plus the kind, elderly gentleman at the Visitor's Center for giving me directions. You won't find Aretha's in any of the tourist brochures - it's literally off the map.

 

Aretha's is in a funky little blue house set up from the steep road that runs through the artsy North Shore part of town. Marcus, the very cool gent behind the bar, made us feel immediately welcome with his warm smile. While he served us delicious hot coffee and cocoa, someone was working a little magic in the kitchen . . . warm, fluffy, delicious biscuits served with homemade apple butter, fried potatoes and the most amazing chocolate pecan pie we've ever eaten! Holy smokes. This was sooooooo good, for both body and soul. I want to go back for seconds today.

 

2. The Bucatarie, Paducah, Kentucky

Once we got rolling with finding restaurants off the beaten path, we just couldn't stop. All of the roadside fast-food joints just looked completely unpalatable. So, when we decided to stop in Paducah for lunch, we followed the signs into the historic downtown district and started walking. What treasures we found! First, a lovely old bakery on the national register of historic places, with excellent iced butter cookies I must add . . .

 

. . . and then a beautiful cafe completely covered with handcrafted tiles and mosaics. The art, of course, drew me in, but the kind greetings inside from the owners welcomed me to stay. They were more than willing to create vegetarian sandwiches for Miss M and me, just for asking. So, we dined on avocado, tomato and swiss melts made on fresh croissants, fresh fruit salad, and blissful Kentucky Derby tarts, all lovingly created by Rachel, the owner/maitre'd/chef of The Bucatarie. What a treat.

 

On their menu, it states, "Our business is built on our collection of memories." How delightful, as was the pleasure we found dining there. Thank you, downtown Paducah, for some beautiful memories and inspiration for my own kitchen!

road trip ~ four

No diners, no dives today. We went a bit more upscale with a lovely lunch at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville. I love art. I love beautiful cafes. So the mix of art and cafe all in one makes me a very happy girl.

 

A fresh, beautiful strawberry salad with spicy pecans and blue cheese was a welcome treat for this traveler. Plus, the Frist was a jewel of a gallery with a fabulous hands-on art studio for kids. If you are in the Music City, go!

road trip ~ three

Before we left on our journey, I checked out some vegetarian websites to find local flavor along the way. I was guided to this co-operative bakery in St. Louis for a very veggie-friendly experience:

 

Black Bear Bakery is a bit of a dive in a gritty, low-rent part of town, but an area with the inklings of rejuvenation. A pasta maker was right next door, as well as this graffiti.

 

Anywhere you can find vegetables as graffiti, I say go!

Inside, we found an eclectic mix of tables and chairs and hip, tattooed folk baking up all kinds of goodies. On the chalkboard menus, we found not one bit of meat. Poor Daddy. He seemed a bit tense with the amount of seitan available. But, his mood lightened considerably when this plate of gorgeous french toast arrived at our booth.

 

Oh, so amazingly good slabs of wheat bread with powdered sugar and cinnamony pecans. YUM. We also had spicy sauteed sweet potatoes and a chocolate chip scone (my sweeties said that mine are better :). A delicious veggie meal, good coffee and grow-your-own veggies sprouting in the windowsills, too. Life is very good.

 

And, the bathrooms were a fun surprise, too -- total chalkboard walls! We added our own funky graffiti.

 

Thank you, Black Bear, for a memorable brunch!