I heart Sunday Brunch

I love Sunday brunch so much I want to marry it. I mean, if we're talking about Sunday brunch with truly adorable friends, homemade cornbread, eggs from the farm, my favorite kale salad, pork sausage, homemade apple butter, and maple syrup, well...

Tell me you're not kind of falling in love right now.

If I remember correctly, these eggs were fried in bacon fat. Saving bacon fat has been a new thing for me, and I'm really happy about it. When I ran out of olive oil for a whole week, bacon fat saved the goddamn day, not to mention that it's insanely delicious. If you're gonna eat bacon, you damn well better save your bacon fat.

Have I mentioned that I work at a beautiful organic farm in town? Dang, I love that place so much. At the farm we grow some incredibly delicious kale. In fact, the following recipe, for the kale salad shown above, was given to me by one of our customers when I was a cashier at the farm stand back in 2004.

Kale Salad

• 1 bunch of kale

• 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts*

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins

• 1 lemon, squeezed (you may only need half, depending on the size of your lemon)

• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Allow the cranberries to sit in warm water for approximately 10 minutes. Rinse the kale and remove the stems. Layer and roll kale into easy-to-manage roll-up. Slice into ribbons. Drain the water from the cranberries and add to kale. Add salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Massage the dressing into the kale until it is well coated. Let sit for 10-20 minutes.

Top with pine nuts and drizzle with more olive oil.

*I roast my pine nuts in 350 degree toaster oven, for about 10 minutes.

The cornbread is also worth mentioning... the cornbread was covered in real butter, apple butter, and maple syrup. Out of control. My cornbread recipe came from this book.

Brunch is a leisurely event in my house - in other words, it takes forever for me to get it going. We were halfway starving while my friend gave me a sneak-peak preview of a new book being released by the local Gold Lamé Bandits - absolutely stunning. We needed to have breakfast before brunch: peanut apple butter-tastic oatmeal. I used whole oat groats, which take so much longer to cook compared to rolled oats, but are so worth it. Totally the bees knees.

Peanut Apple Butter-tastic Oatmeal

• Whole oats groats*
• Your favorite peanut butter (to taste)
• Homemade apple butter (to taste)
• Suggested: Organic raisins, sliced fruit, nuts.
• Your favorite milk (I used raw cow's milk, milked 2 days before!)

Combine. Enjoy. Smile.
*I cooked my oats according to the directions on the bulk container at the grocery store. I forgot to write them down. Details to come.

Sunday brunch with neighbors and friends should be an institution, no matter where you are. Viva community Sunday brunch!

Passing Moons

Were you up at 3am on the 20th for the full moon Winter Solstice lunar eclipse? Me too!! So dang out of control. "The light comes from all the sunsets and sunrises, seen from a lunar perspective around the edges of a silhouetted Earth." -apod.nasa.gov

What a gem.

This actually happened.

Happy (belated) Winter Solstice y'all! Hooray for longer days to come! More time for food mavens to cook AND blog. I hope all of you lovely stars are shining bright out there! Shining bright with love, breaking bread and celebrating joyfully with your family, friends, and neighbors. I wish for your 2011 to be more delicious than 2010. Yeah, you heard me. Make it happen!

Lime & Coconut

"She put the lime in the coconut" and what!? She made an avocado key lime coconut pie. Oh yes she did.

One particularly impressive ninja/capoeira master recommended this avocado confection when I had a boatload of avocados on hand. Well, dang. Look what I found, Vegan YumYum - What a find!

If you live in SW Florida, please put this recipe somewhere in your August 2011 calendar. You will be so dang prepared for avocado season, people will think you're some kind of ninja. If you live in some other avocado-producing region and avocados are available to you right now, you are one lucky son of a bitch.

I mean, let's not act like avocados aren't the best ever. Avocados are S.D.D.^10. Good at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

Avocado Key Lime Pie

• 1/4 C of key lime juice
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and shelled
• 2 Tbsp of honey, or to taste
• 1 can of coconut milk, cream only (chill can and scoop off the cream - I use a small measuring cup to do this)

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Fill the crust with the filling and refrigerate.

The crust! Fortunately, I am blessed with an abundance of pecans, and crushed pecans + honey + water = pie crust! Dang, sometimes the good things in life are so easy. The Vegan YumYum recipe uses a pistachio crust, but I say use whatever you have. Although, peanuts might make a weird combo.

Roasted Pecan Crust

• 1.5 C of pecans
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Process the pecans in a food processor, pulsing the blade until the pieces of pecans are no bigger than a grain of rice. If desired, grease the pie plate with a neutral cooking oil, but this is not necessary... at least, I didn't bother. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. With moist fingers, press the pecan mixture down into sides and bottom of the pie plate, forming a crust with a consistent thickness. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely before filling.

Voila!

Oh baby! Garnish with a slice of lime or a sprig of mint, like so:

This will make a great addition to the holiday festivities, one that is relatively low in sugar and wheat-free. Let us celebrate good food along with everything else!

As easy as pie!

So Dang Spoiled

Dang y'all, fortune smiles upon me! After a busy day working at Jessica's fabulous organic farm, I came home with an incredible bounty of produce. New life change: I am an amateur farmer with too much food (not complaining).

Isn't it beautiful? This Saturday was my fourth day at the farm, and I couldn't be happier with my new job. It is very clear to me that this is a step in the right direction.

Soon after arriving home to a very happy puppy, I got word that my badass friend, Dave, finished the latest modifications to my bicycle! No more perpetual motion of the pedals, woohoo! Watch out world! Here comes a safer, sassier cyclist! As if my night wasn't already completely delightful, Dave's badass wife, Missy, delivered dinner right to my table:

• Fish tacos with mango avocado salsa (all-time fave)
• Black bean, jicama, corn salad (sdd)
• Fresh sliced pineapple (fave)
• Pumpkin brioche bread pudding (o.m.gee)

I am notoriously seduced by food, it's no secret. But there are few things that satisfy my belly the way good fish tacos satisfy my belly. Most specifically, this recipe. I have a borderline love affair with these tacos. They are simultaneously simple and tricky, but arguably more simple than tricky.

Halibut Fish Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Mango Avocado Salsa

Honestly, the tricky part is finding the ingredients. To make mango avocado salsa you have to have a ripe mango and avocado on hand, which is easier said than done (although, I suspect you can use frozen mango). Then, for these tacos to be completely outstanding, you have to go to a tortillería to buy soft corn tortillas, which isn't a big deal, just a little out of the way. I go to a little place, called Bianca's, where 1 lb. of fresh corn tortillas = $1! Bianca's tortillas are amazing.
I would love to be a total foodie and request a steak of pole-caught amberjack from the Gulf every time I make these, but I typically don't have time for all that, so I usually buy a couple of frozen steaks of halibut from WFM. When I say "steak" I mean steak. No tilapia allowed. Seriously, tilapia does not belong in a taco unless it is expertly battered and deep-fried, and even then, it's not my first choice. I know tilapia is hella affordable, but there is a reason for that (if you want to know more, send me an email, sodangdelicious@gmail.com, and I will do my best to explain). On that same note, having these tacos is a rare treat for me, which is why I got all excited and had to write about it on SDD.

I acquired this recipe some years ago, and subsequently shared it with my friend/coworker. It was from a domestic ladies' magazine, but I forgot which one and I forgot to cite it in my recipe collection, so I can't tell you who, specifically, is responsible for this goodness. I can tell you it's not me, although I am definitely responsible for those tacos in the picture above.

Fish Tacos & Mango Avocado Salsa

• 1 mango, peeled, pitted & cut into 1/3" cubes
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/3" cubes
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice + wedges for serving
• 1 3/4 tsp kosher sea salt
• 3 Tbsp cornmeal
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1tsp chili powder
• 1 lb. white fish (halibut, flounder, or amber jack), skinned & bones, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and sliced
• 4 Tbsp canola oil (approximately)
• 16 6" fresh corn tortillas

Place mango, avocado, scallion, cilantro, juice, and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl; toss gently for salsa. Set aside.

Combine cornmeal, cumin, chili powder and remaining 1 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl; add fish and toss until coated well (discard excess coating); set aside.

Using 2 Tbsp (approximate), lightly brush onto one side of each tortilla. Heat a large non-stick skillet (cast iron if you wanna be SDD) over moderately high heat. Add tortillas in pairs with uncoated sides together and cook, turning once, until just golden and starting to crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with a towel.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil on the same skillet. Add jalapeño and fish; toss to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fish is just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Spoon into paired taco shells. Serve with salsa, lime wedges, and hot sauce, if desired.

Please be warned, you will be spoiled after eating these tacos. Fish tacos will never be the same.

The mango avocado salsa is SDD on almost anything spiced with cumin and/or chili powder. If you are opposed to eating fish, replace the fish with tempeh. An especially lovely friend of mine turned me on to the combination of tempeh and quinoa in tacos. SDD without a doubt. Spice up your quinoa with scallions and fresh basil, and add it to the mix!

I would really like to take this opportunity to thank Missy & Dave for being so wonderful!

Sunday Sunshine

sunday sunshine, originally uploaded by stayseeA.

sometimes the light is so dang pretty.

Pizza Night

Hold on to your butts! I was so inspired by pizza night that I started a blog! This pizza is so dang delicious, your friends might think you're trying to seduce them. Seriously. It's like handing out a slice of heaven.
One of my dinner guests said this pizza reminded him of Cinnamon Toast Crunch! with bacon. That may be one of the best compliments ever.

Hand-tossed dough topped with homemade Fuji apple butter, fontina cheese, sliced apples & red onions.

Why is this pizza so dang delicious (SDD)? First of all, the combination of apple butter, bacon, fontina cheese, more apples & red onions is brilliant. Furthermore, when you combine all these flavors on top of a cold-fermented, hand-tossed crust, and cook it in a cast iron skillet, the result truly is a party in your tummy. I should have taken more pictures.

The most important advice I can give when making this pizza is to use homemade apple butter. Even if you're not a fan of apple butter. Until recently, that super smooth brown paste never appealed to me. I would always try to be a good sport about it, but never understood why anyone would choose apple butter over jam or preserves or maple syrup. Last month, during my mom's visit to Florida, I was introduced to the magic that is homemade apple butter. Thank you, Mom! When you make it yourself, you can use your favorite kind of apple and you control how much sugar is added. Woohoo! Here is the recipe I use, from the MCAS Beaufort Federal Credit Union Community Cookbook, with my own modifications:

Apple Butter

• 6 lbs. peeled and cored apples
• 1.5 - 2 cups of demerara sugar
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg

It is best to process the apples into small pieces before adding them to the slow cooker. You can chop them into small pieces (1/4") by hand or you can use a food processor to accomplish the same effect. No big deal if there are a few big pieces here and there. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until apples are completely coated. Transfer mixture into a slow cooker.

Cook at low temperature for 10-12 hours, until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, you can cook the apples on high for 8 hours, but you have to stir more frequently.

When done, place apple butter into hot canning jars and seal with hot seals and lids. Process sealed jars in almost boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Place sealed jars in sink full of room temperature water for 10 minutes. Once the lids pop, let the jars cool completely before storing.

Please refrigerate after opening.

I can't stop making it, and my friends can't stop eating it.

SDD on pizza, toast, english muffins, pancakes, vanilla ice cream, in your oatmeal, in your smoothie, on a spoon, etc. etc.