Fresh Approach Cooking

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Hee hee.

If by some interesting twist of fate, the Ombudsman and I have a child, we have decided it would be best to name it Rutherford, after our 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes. (Not that we know much about him, only that in 1876, he was elected by a margin of one - yes, one - electoral vote. Talk about controversal!)

We also get a tickle from the name because The Ombudsman's last name is pronounced (though not spelled) something akin to Ball, and we think that Rutherford B. Ball is pretty much the most rockin' name imaginable.

Good thing we aren't having children, right?

But should baby Rutherford ever come in to being, I have to say, one aspect I really and truly look forward to is the exciting challenge of choosing his/her (because Rutherford could be a girl's name too, right?) comfort food. I mean really! Talk about a control-freak foodies dream...choosing another persons comfort food! I tell ya, that lil' desicion right there must make motherhood totally worthwhile. I mean really! (Again.) What if every time your adult child gets a bit down they suddenly CRAVE - um, I dunno - BBQ'd eel like Mother used to make?

Not that I wish my (as now unrealized) offspring to be total oddballs, (that is bound to come naturally...tee hee) but there is just something so cliche about craving mac n'cheese or ice cream when one gets pouty, why not make it more festive?

For instance, I could introduce this recipe...which as an adult I have added to my personal comfort food list. If you have ever spent a prolonged amount of time in the South Pacific, you've seen it too, ya? It's the Polynesian go-to vegetarian afterthought side-dish extraordinaire. Honestly, go anywhere in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea or their neighboring islands and I can promise you, this will be presented. Again, and again, and again. Until you finally get over the fact it is a bit off, and realize you too love it.

It's one of those dishes that is 100% from the cupboard and perhaps not the most gourmet. It is though, ideal for island pantries, boats at sea, and naturally, that makes it a flawless dish for moments when you are in need of comfort...the contents are easy to have on hand and can be put together in a snap.

Noodles wit Olives and Corn. I tell you, the future Rutherford B. Ball will be forever appeased with this whiz-bang delight in his/her repetoire.

It may seem like a strange combo, but it really does taste quite nice. Sweet corn, salty olives, chewy pasta and fragrant olive oil. It is comfort indeed.

So try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

1/2 pound whole wheat fettuccine
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup picholine olives
1/2 cup corn
Green onion for garnish (optional)
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta per the package instructions.

Pit the olives and rough chop.

Meanwhile, saute the onion in the olive oil until just softened. Add the olives, warm through and remove from the heat.

Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the onions-olives. Add corn, toss and serve with additional salt and pepper and green onion as garnish (if desired).

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

First Lady, Lucy Webb Hayes (one of the most popular First Ladies of her era) was also known as 'Lemonade Lucy', due to her strong support of Temperance.

The French Picholine is a green, torpedo-shaped and brine cured olive.

Tokyo, Japan has more Michelin stars than Paris, France.

Labels: Entree, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Oh hai! I'm Rachael. I write this blog that I call Fresh Approach (because I'm fresh n' cheeky of course!) and I have been at it for four years.

The Ombudsman (who wants me to call him Sparkplug from now on. I mean, really. Sparkplug? Ha ha ha. Not gonna happen.) is my good friend. (The kind who takes me to the Dodger game even though it is the hottest day of the year, or the kind who helps me dig in the garden even though I am so obsessed with getting the soil perfect that I actually may never plant anything.) He is that for lots n' lots of reasons, but that he is endlessly tolerant of my antics and indulgent of my whims makes him one of my all time favorite people. (Tied with my mother who is the true saint in that category.)

Do you ever test your friends tolerance? Like say, when you wake up super-duper early and you are in a kinda sorta bouncy mood (is that just me?). So you put on your pink hat, fill up your pink water bottle, slip in to your pink clogs and hop on your fantastical pink beach cruiser. Then, you show up on your friends doorstep. And despite the fact it is 7 am on a Saturday, he opens the (three locks, security gate and) door with a smile.

That my readers, is a friend.

But I didn't show up empty handed! No, no, I did not. I showed up with this fantasmagorical calorie laden delight. It is rich and nutty and kind of tangy (the artichokes do that), it is dense and cheesy (but not too cheesy). It had just been so good the night before (with pecan crusted fish and garlic-green beans. So awesome.) I had to share (and be earth friendly by riding my bike too.) asap. So, I showed up at first light to share. Because I am a sharing, caring kind of girl.

And in that spirit, I am here to share with you too. Because really my darlings, is that not the point of this site? It's not to ramble on in pithy couplets about my life, or promote anything...it's simply my way of sharing the tasty treats.

So try this my peaches, (with the best ingredients you can get your hands on) and taste the joy.


1 cup marinated artichoke heart quarters, drained
1 cup cooked brown rice, chilled
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper


Preheat your oven to 350F.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and mustard. Add salt stir again. Stir in the artichoke hearts, rice and cheeses.

Pour into a well-buttered eight-inch square baking dish.

Sprinkle the top with paprika, and additional salt and pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. When done, cut in to squares.

Serves nine, hot, warm or cold.


© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Please help support disaster relief in Myanmar (Burma)

California's wild rice industry began in 1972 when white rice farmer Vince Vanderford decided to plant Minnesota wild rice seeds at his Yuba City farm in Northern California. Commercial production of California wild rice began around 1977.

The amount of food Britons throw away unnecessarily is at record levels, costing the economy 10 billion pounds a year. More than half of the 6.7 million tons of food that households throw away annually is still edible, the study from the Waste and Resources Action Programme revealed. About one billion pounds worth of wasted food is still "in date", the report concluded, while about 6 billion pounds of food was bought but left untouched. An average household discards about 420 pounds worth of unused food a year, the study said, while for families with more children that rises to over 600 pounds. - Reuters

Labels: Gluten Free, Luncheon, Side-Dish, Vegetarian

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And now, for another edition of Made in L.A., my quest to find foods made right here in my home town...but available everywhere.

And this time peaches, we have a real treat! No, really...its a treat. Well, if you are the sort of person who considers a cookie a treat...because these are cookies we are talking about. See? A real treat!

So please allow me to introduce to you Heaven Scent Cookies. Made in Santa Monica, California (which is a city on the West side of the urban sprawl that is LA. SM has a fascinating history and is home to Douglas Aircraft, The RAND Corporation, public radio power house KCRW, the world famous Santa Monica Pier and of course, it's most celebrated son, talk show host Carson Daly!) they are available nationwide. I actually picked mine up at a grocery store in New York City. (I wonder if that is bad? I mean, that both me and the cookies travelled so far to meet...)

They are organic and Kosher and come in fourteen different varieties. For scientific (okay, not scientific) purposes, I tried Double Thick Chocolate Fudge, Gingerbread Boy, Old World Chocolate Sandwich and Brown Sugar Cream (which didn't make it in to the picture because they were so darned delicious!) And I have to say, those are some winning treats! Each one was better than the last.

So if really delicious, buttery, crumbly cookies with a lot of flavor and all natural ingredients sounds good to you...run out and find some of these little gems. You will thank me. They are beyond fantastic and absolutely worth seeking out!

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Other things "Made in L.A." - Carl's Jr., Trader Joe's, Dennys, the Monte Cristo sandwich, Hot Dog on a Stick, Fosters Freeze, the French Dip sandwich, Orange Julius, FatBurger, Taco Bell and the Harvey Wallbanger cocktail

The average American eats 35,000 cookies in his/her lifetime.

In England, Schweppes makes a quinine soda called "Indian Tonic Water," which is somewhat less sweet than the American version. The sweetness Indian Tonic Water does have comes from saccharine.

Labels: Made In L.A.

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I don’t know what happened! Honestly…looking at my calendar for the next three months it seems as if I have exactly 28 minutes of unblocked time coming to me – sometime in July I think.

It’s as if I got caught up in a tornado. Wait, sorry, is that the funnel cloud one? Yes, what I meant is I got caught up in a funnel cloud of social engagements and activities and meetings (well, not so many of them thankfully) and all sorts of summer-centric-paloozas.

I’m not complaining though, as a matter of fact, I am quite looking forward to it. I’m a bit of a planning calendar (“diary” if I were British) addict. (Do you use Google calendars? The best! The BEST!) and happy to see all the good times that lay ahead.

And due to that, I have got to dust off my BBQ/Potluck/Cocktail Soiree recipes and get myself in gear. Like a soldier going in to battle I must be prepared!
I have to bust out the good stuff! Bring out the big guns! (My, MY, lots of military references today. How…odd.)

So peaches, if you want to arm yourselves too…try making a big batch of this scorching salsa. It’s sure to put a bit of zip in your step (and tears in your eyes. Seriously.) and get you in the mood for Cinco de Mayo and the long, hot summer.

Try it, and taste the joy.

2 habenero chiles
2 jalapeno chiles
2 serrano chiles
1 large onion, large dice
2 cloves garlic
6 tomatillos
Juice of 3 limes
½ cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt

In a large cast-iron pan, roast the chiles until charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam.

Meanwhile, char the onion and garlic in the same dry skillet.

Next up, (carefully!) rub the charred skin off and pull out the seeds.

Puree everything in a food processor. Taste and add salt as needed.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

My dear friend EB produced some great Office Workout shorts for MSN...try them out and feel the burn!

The Naga Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) is the world's hottest chile pepper.

Burger King Holdings Inc. said Thursday that strong same-store sales in each of its segments and new restaurant growth helped to boost profit 21 percent in its third fiscal quarter.

Labels: Condiment, Gluten Free, Low-Carb, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Food.

It brings us strength and brings us together. It is, in it's way, the one true elixir.

I made this dish for Barbara and the A Taste of Yellow LiveSTRONG event. (See all the photos here.) It is a worthy cause and one I whole-heartedly support.

This dish is complex, as life is, and delicious as life should always be.

Try it my peaches, and taste the joy.

4 yellow tomatoes
1/4 cup minced parsley
grapeseed oil
Zest of one Meyer lemon
salt

2 yellow bell peppers
1 clove garlic
4 each dried apricot
white pepper
white wine vinegar
1 Meyer lemon
2 tablespoons butter
pinch of sugar

1 pound white asparagus
2 tablespoons butter
salt

4 six ounce pieces of halibut
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
black pepper
salt

Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Using a small knife, make an “x” on the bottom of the tomatoes and core the stem from the other end. Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water until the skin is just beginning to curl (about 45 seconds) and remove to the ice water bath to stop the cooking. Drain and peel. Slice in to the tomato vertically and follow around to cut out the seeds and core, then lay the flesh out flat and dice small. Toss this with the minced parsley and grapeseed oil. Do not season with salt until you are ready to plate.

Roast the yellow bell peppers over an open flame until charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam. After five minutes, rub off the charred skin and remove the stem and seeds.

Meanwhile, in a (very) small sauce pan, simmer the garlic and apricots in a small amount of water (just enough to cover the bottom of the pot.) until the apricots are soft and the water evaporates.

Puree the bell pepper, garlic and apricots in a small food processor. Taste and add white pepper, white wine vinegar and lemon juice to taste. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside.

To make the asparagus. Trim the very ends and peel the stems all the way to the tips (leaving the tips in tact.) add to a sauté pan in a single layer and add just enough water to cover half way. Add the butter and salt and simmer until the water has evaporated and the asparagus is cooked through (with white asparagus you want it cooked all the way.)

Meanwhile, season the presentation side of the fish with the curry, pepper and salt. Heat the grapeseed oil in a small skillet and sear the fish, turning once, until cooked through.

To plate. Drizzle some of the yellow pepper coulis onto a large plate. Lay out the asparagus, then top with the fish and the tomato concasse. Season with salt and serve.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking

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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at might be guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright.

Concasse - Applying to raw or cooked tomatoes: Peeled, seeded and diced.

Human epidemiologic studies have suggested that eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli is associated with reduced risk for bladder cancer. - Today's Senior

LiveSTRONG with A Taste Of Yellow has been accepted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation as an official LiveSTRONG Day event.

Labels: Entree, Gluten Free, Seafood