foodie wednesday: super easy guac!

guacamole tastes good on just about everything - pita chips, veggie burgers, salad, tacos, scrambled eggs, a spoon.  if you've got a hankering for some guac, this super simple, 3-ingredient recipe will never let you down.

1 avocado, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
sea salt

gently toss the avocado with the lime juice to coat it (and keep it from browning), and then mix in the tomato.  season with salt, and you're all set!

recently, we topped homemade veggie burgers with it, and it was delish!

bon appetit!

foodie wednesday: roasted fennel with parmesan

as a person who loves to cook, i love trying new ingredients.  when i was at the farmer's market the other day, i came across some fennel - thought i've enjoyed it several times, i've never cooked it myself.  i figured i could probably handle it, so i purchased the bulb and headed home.  not sure what to do with it, i watched {this youtube video} about how to clean it and then googled some recipes for inspiration.

this is what i came up with:

1 fennel bulb, cut into 1/3 inch strips horizontally
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1 tbsp fennel fronds, chopped
salt & pepper

preheat oven to 400

1. drizzle baking sheet with 1/2 tbsp of oil and arrange fennel. 

2. drizzle fennel with remaining olive oil and season with parmesan, salt and pepper.

3. bake for approximately 35 minutes until fennel is tender.

4. remove from over and sprinkle with chopped fronds.

this makes a simply delicious side dish for two, or you can use it atop a salad or mixed into pasta or couscous.  yum!

bon appetit!

check out my new mission for lifestyle maven {here}.

foodie wednesday: goat cheese with caramelized onions

this simple and extraordinarily delicious appetizer is always a hit at holiday parties.  the creamy, tanginess of the goat cheese paired with the sweet richness of the onions is culinary perfection.  i have to credit my sister, hannah, for this lovely combo : )

credit {here}

1 log of goat cheese

3 vidalia onions, sliced into ribbons

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

rosemary sprigs for garnish

cracked pepper to taste

(fresh bread, focaccia or crackers)

1) preheat oven to broil and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.  add olive oil.

2) add onions to preheated skillet and cook on medium to medium-high heat until the onions are a rich, dark caramel color and have greatly reduced in size. this can take 30+ minutes, but it's totally worth it, trust me.

they look so delicious, don't they?! credit {here}

3) place goat cheese log in an oven safe dish (that you plan to serve it in) and heat briefly in oven until slightly melted.

4) once onions are completely caramelized, pour them and the oil from the skillet over the goat cheese, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and cracked pepper.

serve with crusty breads or artisan crackers.  this is one of my all-time favorite appetizers ever! 

credit {here}

want to make it into a side dish?  another great option is to turn this into a pasta side dish - add the goat cheese, caramelized onions and the olive oil the onions were cooked in to 1 lb of cooked penne and sprinkle with chopped rosemary and cracked pepper.  delish!

hope your holiday celebrations are as memorable as they are delicious : )

cheers!

rice with plums & feta

in an effort to use some items that definitely needed to be used - over ripe plums & leftover brown rice - i put on my thinking cap and developed this simple recipe.  the dish's mild, fresh flavor with the pungent punch of feta made for a delicious side dish to our pesto chicken last night.

here's what you'll need:

1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 plums (or 4 small sugar plums), sliced
2 cups cooked brown rice (i used "minute rice")
1-2 oz crumbled feta
1/4 cup prunes, chopped
salt & pepper
olive oil

1. in a pan, saute onions in a bit of olive oil until caramelized.
2. add plums and saute a minute longer.  season with salt & pepper.
3. add in rice & prunes and toss (rice will become a lovely blush color).
4. toss in feta and mix rice until feta begins to melt.  season with more salt & pepper.

the subtle flavors of the rice and sweet plums & prunes are beautifully balanced by the feta.  as i mentioned, we enjoyed our rice with chicken, but it would work well with fish or shrimp as well.

no plums?  why not try another stone fruit, like peaches or cherries?  no prunes?  how about raisins or dried cranberries?  no feta?  try another pungent cheese like parmesan or bleu.  get creative and keep it simple.  cooking is supposed to be fun!

carrot ribbon salad

this super simple salad is the perfect summer side.  (you like all the alliteration?  thank you, ap english.)  anyway, if you have 5 min, you can pull it together...and it's so pretty : )

2 large carrots
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp teriyaki
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic

makes 2 side dish servings

1. peel the outer layer off the carrots and toss it
2. keep peeling...and peeling...
3. toss the ribbons with the soy, teriyaki, oil and garlic
4. done!

i didn't have any (unfortunately) but fresh chopped chives would be awesome on this! 

we enjoyed our carrot ribbon salad along with homemade turkey burgers, sweet potato fries with chipotle salsa dipping sauce and sauteed onions & zucchini.

sweet potato fries

the other day at the natural foods market i found local sweet potatoes.  upon seeing them i knew what i wanted to make - baked sweet potato fries.

when i started peeling them, i noticed something peculiar.  the flesh was not bright orange, as i am accustomed to, it was pearly white.  hmmm...intriguing...

don't worry, they tasted amazing - even better than the orange-colored fries i've made before.  i'm not sure if it was the fact that they were fresh & local or perhaps white-fleshed sweet potatoes are just better, but they were seriously the sweetest sweet potatoes i've ever enjoyed.

1 large sweet potato (will make 2 hearty side portions or 4 small servings)
1-2 tsp olive oil
salt & cracked pepper
red curry

preheat oven to 400

1. peel the potato and cut into 1/4 in sticks

2. place on an oiled baking sheet and spray/drizzle with more olive oil

one of my favorite cooking tools -  my olive oil mister

3. season with salt, pepper and curry and give them a light toss

4. make sure fries are laying flat on the baking sheet, and bake for 25-35 min until golden brown, flipping fries 1/2 way through

we enjoyed ours with an easy dipping sauce i whipped up quickly.

1 part bbq sauce
4 parts salsa

i used honey bbq for subtle sweetness and corn & chipotle salsa for a little smoky heat.  yum!

p.s. oh happy day is giving away a 7 day trip to PARIS for 2!  enter {here}