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Rosemary Balsamic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

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Tomato season is here in SoCal and I’m enjoying every minute of it!  Some of the varieties we’re seeing at our local farmer’s markets are new and interesting to me, and I certainly want to try them all.  It’s so wonderful eating ‘real’ tomatoes again after living in Texas for so many years.  Perhaps it’s the soil there, but even homegrown tomatoes tasted, well…let’s just say they left much to be desired.

Roasting tomatoes bring an intensely concentrated flavor and the result is a juicy, succulent, candy-like morsel.  Use your favorite flavor profile; I absolutely love this combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and garlic, with a touch of honey to create a bit of caramelization.  They are so tasty and delicious; you can’t mess these up!  Let us know if you have some tomatoes sitting around your kitchen or garden waiting to be roasted.  We had these in a spinach salad last night, but here are 10 more things you can do with roasted cherry tomatoes:

  1. Add to any pasta dish
  2. Top polenta squares with pesto/cheese
  3. Add to quesadillas or crepes
  4. Add to soups or stews
  5. Put them in your favorite quiche
  6. Topped on pizza, bruschetta, or flat bread
  7. Toss in your favorite curries
  8. Add to risotto, rice, or quinoa dishes
  9. Use them as a base for roasted tomato salsa
  10. Add them to pan roasted potatoes during the last 5 minutes
Roasted Rosemary Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes
 
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Recipe type: Gluten Free Side Dish
Serves: 1 pint
Ingredients
  • 1-pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1 Tbl olive oil
  • 2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
  • 2 rosemary sprigs, coarsely chopped
  • Coarse salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F
  2. Combine and toss all ingredients directly on a baking sheet. Spread them out into one layer and roast for 40-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. If you're using larger tomatoes they'll take a bit longer to cook. Use the taste test and cook to your liking 😉
 

Amazing Artichokes

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Not sure you’ve ever seen the trailer of Chef Nick Stellino on Create TV when he says: “I have no idea how it happened – the first guy that looked at an artichoke and said, hmm, I think I can eat that!”  I laugh so hard every time I see it.  Here’s a clip with him going into more detail about this lovely, sometimes intimidating vegetable.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZK8wMRcx6E

I’ve had a love affair with the artichoke my entire life.  I remember growing up picking each leaf one by one and scraping off the edible part with my teeth. My mom cooked them often and every time we sat down to enjoy them, she took pride to tell us how good they were for our livers.  She liked the smaller ones where she would boil them in a light broth of onion, parsley, garlic, and lemon.  Stuffing them with a breadcrumb mixture was also her specialty.

If you’re not familiar with how to cook artichokes, take a look at the video below and the step by step recipe instructions.  This is one of my favorite ways to prepare them; I prefer the smaller globe variety that you can find at Trader Joe’s for a great price during the summer season.  Nutritionally, my mom was right, they’re great for the liver and digestive tract, and packed with vital antioxidants.  They contain a good amount of fiber and are a great source of iron especially for vegetarians.  While the heart of the artichoke is most often consumed, and so worth the patience it takes to get to,  the leaves are actually where lots of the important nutrients are stored.

You can serve these up as a side dish, appetizer, or as a main course if your hubby is out of town like I do!  Artichokes are a great vegetable to introduce to kids and lots of fun to prepare and eat together.  Give us a shout if you have some artichoke tips and recipes to share!

 

Amazing Artichokes
 
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Recipe type: Vegetable Side Dish
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 small to medium artichokes
  • 2-3 Tbl olive oil
  • 4 cloves fresh minced garlic (use 1 clove for dipping sauce)
  • Course salt & pepper
  • 1-2 lemons
  • ½ c melted butter or ghee
Instructions
Choosing Artichokes
  1. When choosing artichokes it's best if they feel heavy and the leaves are tightly closed. Keep in mind that an artichoke is a flower bud, and as it gets older the leaves will start to open and dry out. Another indicator of a fresh artichoke is to press the leaves against themselves, and they'll create a slight squeaking sound.
Cleaning & Cooking Artichokes
  1. Before exposing to water, cut about 1 inch off the tips of the leaves with a sharp knife, trim the stem, then use your kitchen scissors to cut off the little thorns on the lower leaves. Remove any smaller leaves at the base of the stem.
  2. Slice in half, wash and add them to a large bowl of water with lemon slices to keep them from getting brown.
  3. Transfer to a steamer pot and steam for 20-30 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserts through the center heart.
  4. Heat a large skillet with the olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic, and cook 1-2 minutes on medium heat.
  5. Add the halved artichokes, cut side down, and cook for 5-10 minutes until golden, then flip for a few more minutes.
  6. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice.
Dip
  1. Melt butter/ghee and add ½ lemon and 1 clove minced or crushed garlic (optional)
  2. Perfection!
  3. Notes: If you see that the artichokes are turning brown too quickly, you can rub the ends with fresh lemon. This dip is very light because I like to taste the full flavor of the artichokes, and sometimes don't even use a dip. If you're looking for a bigger punch, you can also find 10 simple dips for artichokes on the Kitchen Treaty website.
 

Roasted Pumpkin Puree

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Many years ago, when I lived in Alaska, I loved making my own pumpkin puree. I got out of the habit until recently, but now I may never go back to the can again. The house smells amazing while roasting pumpkin, then you get the added benefit of the wonderful salty pepitas (pumpkin seeds)! You can make a large batch and freeze for your favorite recipes. I made some chestnut flour pumpkin crepes with this batch…recipe coming soon! Have fun with your little pumpkins.

Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Puree
 
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Recipe type: How-To
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 2 lb sugar pie pumpkin (to yield about 2 cups of puree)*
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F
  2. Wash the pumpkin, slice off the stem, then slice in half.
  3. Scoop out the seeds and set aside for roasting. A grapefruit spoon works great for scooping.
  4. Place the pumpkin halves on a parchment lined cookie sheet cut side down.
  5. Roast for 40-45 minutes until they slightly collapse and become soft all the way through.
  6. Remove from oven, flip them over and cool completely.
  7. Once cooled, scoop the cooked pumpkin into a food processor, or blender until smooth.
  8. Line a colander with cheesecloth or use a nut milk bag and squeeze out all the excess water (you can also let the pumpkin drain overnight but I get the same result with squeezing). If you skip this step, your pumpkin may hold too much water and you'll have to adjust your recipes.
  9. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, or freeze in Ziploc bags making sure there's no air in the bag.
  10. Enjoy in your favorite recipes!
  11. Notes: To thaw pumpkin that's been in the freezer, it's best to let it sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Measure before freezing so you know how much you're using in your recipes.
  12. See my how-to video here
Notes
*Make sure you don't use a carving pumpkin - it will be too stringy, bland, and watery.
 

Baked Apple Crisps

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Apple season is here and this is a perfect healthy treat for snacking and school lunch boxes. So simple and only two ingredients. I’ve used Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Pacific Rose, and Gala apples, and they’re all wonderful for this recipe.

Baked Apple Crisps
 
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Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 2 dozen
Ingredients
  • 2 Apples
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar of choice (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200F
  2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Wash and thinly slice the apples with a knife or mandolin.
  4. Spread the apples on the baking sheets in a single layer.
  5. Generously sprinkle with cinnamon.
  6. If you like your apples sweeter, you can sprinkle them with your favorite sugar here (optional).
  7. Bake for 1 hour, then flip and return to oven for another 1-1.5 hours.
  8. Depending on your oven, you can leave them in another 30 minutes, or turn the oven off an let them hang out until they're nice and crisp.
  9. Store in an airtight container but they won't stay crispy. I usually wrap them in the parchment I used to bake them with.
  10. Enjoy!
 

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