Dreaming of...Acai Bowls

Have you ever had an acai bowl? I had one for the first time in Hawaii years ago and have been in love with them ever since. I rarely see them on menus in the mainland, but they magically happen to have them at our favorite local coffee shop here in San Luis Obispo, Sally Loo's.

I always assumed the acai bowl was a Hawaiian dish, but I learned that it actually originates from Brazil.  It's basically a smooth-slash-parfait made with a base of frozen and mashed acai, a fruit that grows in the Amazon. I really like this colorful description of the Acai Bowl from the Huffington Post:

Acai bowls are parfaits on tropical, chilled steroids. First, frozen acai pulp is blended with various fruits and coconut, soy, or almond milk. Next, the thick, creamy smoothie is topped with homemade granola and sliced nuts and lovingly adorned with fresh cut strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and, for the truly opulent, coconut shavings. A delicate drizzle of honey adds a certain luster to the whole affair.

Lucky for us, Stuart and I will be traveling to Hawaii in just one month, for his spring break! I can't wait to have these every day for breakfast if possible...

Have you ever had an acai bowl before? I would be interested to know if these are more common than I thought, or if you are lucky enough to have them on a menu near you!

Veggie Macaroni and Cheese

For ages I seem to have been craving macaroni and cheese. Literally for six months or so, I have saved/bookmarked/pinned a dozen or so macaroni recipes but had yet to make it. Something about that classic, creamy and cheesy goodness was calling my name. This past week, I finally decided it was time to get down to business. As usually happens, I had trouble deciding which recipe to make. I had bookmarked a lot of recipes, but none seemed exactly right. So, my solution was to combine a few together and make my own version! The result is a satisfying baked macaroni dish that also incorporates chopped vegetables for both flavor and nutrition.

This recipe makes a lot of macaroni, so feel free to cut the recipe in half if you are cooking for only two people and don't want a lot of leftovers. You can also add a larger variety of chopped vegetables than I have here, or omit them altogether if you are craving traditional, plain macaroni and cheese.

Ingredients:

1 small head of broccoli, chopped into small chunks

1 red bell pepper, diced small

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

2 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar

1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese 

2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish; set aside.

2. Toss broccoli and red pepper on a baking sheet with a bit of olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven heat to 375.

3. Boil water in a large pot and cook macaroni according to package directions, minus 2-3 minutes (pasta will continue to cook when baked in the oven). Once done, immediately rinse pasta with cool water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to drain in a colander.

4.  In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk.

5. Meanwhile, in the same pot used to cook the pasta, cook the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Once the oil begins to bubble, slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

6. Remove milk mixture from heat. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese until melted. Add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add macaroni and vegetables.

7. Pour the mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheese and panko breadcrumbs. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. 

 

 Enjoy the homemade bubbly, cheesy goodness!

White Wine Coq au Vin

Happy weekend! I must say, this past week has been an exciting one. There must have been something in the air lately, because all sorts of exciting, work-related things have been happening!

First off, many of you may know that I am currently self-employed. This means I have a lot of freedom in my work schedule, but work itself has not always been steady. One of the start-up companies I work for, Big Red Marketing, has been looking to grow our client base for some time. For three months...nothing happened. Then this past week...we may have reeled in FOUR new clients in the space of three days! This includes our first winery, an awesome antiques show, a local non-profit, and an interior decor/home design company. We are booked with meetings for the rest of this month! On top of that, our very dear friend Stephen was offered a firefighter job after years of pursuing his chosen career path. Cheers to new business ventures!

 

What better way to celebrate than with a glass of wine? Or perhaps, an entire dish cooked with wine in mind? I recently made this tasty Coq au Vin dish that was featured in Sunset magazine. It turned out great and I am excited to share it with you here. Traditionally coq au vin is made with red wine I believe, but this one is modified and lightened up using white wine. The bacon is a perfect touch. You may be tempted to add more bacon than is called for, but stick with the recommended amount. Too much bacon will overpower the other flavors in the dish.

 Brightened up with some fresh tarragon

And of course, bacon!

I served the stew with a side of homemade rosemary foccocia bread.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 tablespoons flour   

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

4 slices bacon (1/4 lb.), chopped

1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups peeled baby carrots

3 stalks celery

1 medium onion

1 1/3 cups Chardonnay

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley sprigs

1/4 cup lightly packed fresh tarragon sprigs

Preparation:

1. In a plastic bag, shake flour with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and the herbs de Provence; set aside.

2. In a 5- to 6-qt. pan over medium-high heat, brown bacon, stirring occasionally, 6 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, cut chicken into 1-in. chunks, then shake half at a time in flour to coat.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon from pan to paper towels. Brown half the chicken in bacon fat, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding oil to pan. Meanwhile, cut carrots in half lengthwise and cut celery into diagonal slices. Chop onion.

4. Add vegetables to pan with remaining salt and pepper and sauté until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave wine and broth until steaming, about 3 minutes.

5. Add broth mixture, chicken, and bacon to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop parsley and tarragon. Stir them into stew.

Easy Pesto

Guess what, guess what!! It is currently RAINING outside my window! For those who keep tabs on the West coast (or live here) you are surely aware that we are experiencing the worst drought in over 500 years, complete with a state of emergency labeling. This rain is definitely a welcome reprieve.

In other good news, it looks like my Minestrone Soup "rain dance"from last week was a success. If you cook like it's winter, apparently winter will arrive! To follow up on that amazing soup recipe, which contains pesto as a final garnish, I thought I would share a recipe for my recent obsession: fresh, green, beautiful homemade pesto. This is a condiment that I find amazing all year round.

Making pesto is easiest if you have a food processor, although I know a Vitamix or even a regular blender would probably work as well.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

2-3 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Toast the pine nuts on a baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes. Watch closely, as you just want them to get golden, not brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

2. In the bowl of your food processor, combine the cooled pine nuts, basil leaves, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, and lemon juice. Process for about 10 seconds.

3. With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto is thoroughly pureed to your taste. All done! Store in a container with a thin layer of olive oil on top to help prevent discoloration. Makes about 1 cup. 

 

I used this pesto to make an unconventional but mouth-watering pesto pizza. There was plenty for a pizza, plus a bit more left over for sandwiches. Pizza toppings included were as follows:

Peso
Spinach
Mozzerella cheese
Onion, sliced thin and sauteed with red wine until soft
Butternut squash, sliced thin and pan roasted with olive oil
Pancetta, pan roasted along with the squash
Goat cheese
Red pepper flakes

Yummmm. Can't wait to make pesto again!