Broiled chèvre and avocado open-face sandwich

Posted on by carrot sticks to your ribs

Summer weather was out in full force this weekend, and I took very advantage to soak up the awesome temps as much as I could. Yesterday I cleaned up the grill and put it to use for the first time this season, and today, after some quality time in the sun that included a snooze, breaking into my newest tome, The New Making of a Cook by Madeleine Kamman and a run, I decided a light dinner was in order.

This recipe was a great match for what I was looking for. Full of flavor and so easy to pull together, you could use this recipe for virtually any meal of the day. Top with a poached egg and serve it for breakfast, downsize the portion for an easy crostini appetizer or serve with a side of grilled vegetables for a light lunch!

Have fun with this one!

broiled-chevre-sammich

Ingredients

  • Any bread of your choice
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • Chèvre cheese
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • Greens of your choice (I used arugula microgreens)
  • Black pepper, salt and balsamic glaze

Instructions

Turn your broiler on to low. Drizzle olive oil over the sliced bread (be generous) and place in the oven on the middle rack.

Broil for 2-4 minutes, keeping an eye out not to let it burn, until light golden and crispy.

While the bread broils, prep your avocado, tomatoes and greens.

To make the balsamic glaze, heat ¼ – ½ cup balsamic vinegar in a pan and reduce until thickened.

To assemble, plate the bread and layer with the chèvre, then avocado, then tomatoes and greens. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle on the balsamic glaze.

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Baked zucchini stacks

Posted on by carrot sticks to your ribs

Hello, new favorite appetizer. This dish makes me crave summer. Also, anything with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and balsamic glaze is pretty much guaranteed to please.

I don’t have a lot to say about this dish, other than holy cow, it’s so simple and easy and tastes SO good. If you’re having people over for dinner and want to impress them with a great appetizer, try this one out. It’s so simple and has big flavor.

Just be careful how thick you slice your zucchini and tomatoes – and how high you stack them. They’re prone to falling over if you move too quickly. (How do I know? Because two of them fell over while I was trying to get a damn picture. Cursing ensued.)

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So if you want tall stacks, slice things thin. If you want small stacks, slice things thick and just use one slice of each ingredient. It will still be a perfect bite to get your appetite going!

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So many layers of delicious.

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Recipe courtesy of Eat.Drink.Love.

Ingredients:

For the balsamic glaze:

  • 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs. brown sugar

For the baked zucchini:

  • 1 zucchini, sliced into about 12 1-inch slices
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

For the stacks:

  • Baked zucchini slices
  • fresh mozarella, sliced
  • 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
  • balsamic glaze
  • fresh basil

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.
  2. To prepare the baked zucchini, beat the egg in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, mix together the flour, panko bread crumbs, and the salt.
  3. Dip each slice of the zucchini into the egg and then into the bread crumb mixture. After all of the slices have been coated, arrange them on the baking sheet and spray the tops with non-stick spray. Bake for about 10 minutes, flip them over and then bake for another 5 minutes or until the slices are golden.
  4. To make the glaze, add the balsamic vinegar and stir in the brown sugar in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Bring to a simmer and heat until the vinegar is reduced by half. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the stove.
  5. To make the stacks, layer with a slice of zucchini, followed by a tomato slice and then the mozzarella. Repeat. Drizzle some of the glaze on top. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve promptly.

Mini frittatas with spinach, mushroom and goat cheese

Posted on by carrot sticks to your ribs

Here’s a simple dish for any weekend breakfast or brunch. I had a ton of ingredients that needed to be used up so I threw together these mini frittatas. The best part is the onions, the flavor really comes out with the caramelization. Happy eating!

frittata1

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Recipe

  • 5 egg whites
  • 3 eggs, whole
  • 1/2 cup milk of choice
  • 1/2 cup spinach, cooked
  • 1/2 cup portobellos, cooked
  • 1/4 cup red onion, glazed (instructions below)
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • 1.5 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1.5 tsp grapeseed oil
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • pinch of kosher salt + black pepper

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 °F
  • Sauté spinach and portobellos with olive oil in pan
  • Chop red onion and place in pan with balsamic vinegar and grapeseed or olive oil. Cook until onions are caramelized with vinegar
  • Whisk egg whites, eggs, and milk together
  • Add in rosemary and goat cheese and stir lightly
  • Combine vegetables in separate bowl
  • Place vegetable mixture in muffin tin, and fill 1/4 of the way up
  • Pour egg mixture over vegetables until tins are 3/4 full
  • Bake for 20 minutes, or until eggs are set

Yields 12 mini frittatas.