Romesco's

So, first things first. Let me just share my sob story. My oven is broke. We had a temporary replacement for a while but that had to go back to it's rightful owner. So I have been without an oven for about 2 weeks now. So cooking has gone to the side and in it's place we have cooked on the grill a couple times, went out to eat lots of times and ate foods that needed no cooking (i.e. raw veggies & hummus, cereal & salads). All those are fine and dandy..but honestly, who wants to live like that. Needless to say, I am ready for a new oven to come my way...and fast.


Ok, now that i've got that off my chest, let's get on to the real reason i'm here.

Food.

There used to be this fabulous little restaurant and wine bar about 15 minutes south of where I lived called Romesco's. I loved the vibe, the decor and, of course, the food. Anytime someone wanted to eat? Let's go to Romesco's! I brought anyone who had an appetite there because I loved it so much. And as unimaginative as this may be, aside from 1 visit, I ordered the same thing everytime. Grilled vegetable panini with romesco sauce. Oh, and a peach tea :)

It was worth every visit.

Romesco sauce, by definition, is a sauce originating in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) that is typically made from almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and nyora peppers, a smaller, sweet, dried variety of red bell pepper. Other common ingredients include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar and onion.

And it's vegan too~something i'm trying to eat a little more of these days.

Unfortunately, the restaurant closed when it's neighbor (a furniture store) caught on fire and burned half of the building down including some of Romesco's. I prayed and prayed that they would reopen but to no avail.

I'm not sure what made me think of it as it's been closed now for about 4 years but I started craving that sandwich it was soon all I could think about.

So, here we are. Tonight's dinner. My way.

Grilled Vegetables with Romesco Sauce
Serves 4

Veg:
1 large Eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 large Zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
2 large Portabella Mushrooms, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

Marinade (for the veggies)
3 T canola oil
2 T lemon juice
2 t dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt & cracked black pepper

Mix marinated ingredients in a large bowl. Add veggies and toss to coat. Let marinate for about 15~20 minutes stirring often. Set aside

Preheat grill. I found I needed no oil to grill my vegetables but lightly oil the grates if you'd like. Cook about 3~5 minutes per side until tender. Time will vary based on the type of grill you use.

Cheater's Romesco Sauce, makes 1 c sauce
1 roasted red pepper (jarred, in water)
1/2 c fire roasted tomatoes (from the can)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T red wine vinegar
3 T whole almonds
3 T whole hazelnuts
1 T ground flax meal Normally, bread is used to thicken. I have no bread in house so there you go.)
2 T water

Blend all ingredients in a food processor on high stopping every so often to scrape down the sides of the processor. Continue to process until it forms a smooth sauce, about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste (I needed no salt~something I am trying to use less of). Refrigerate until ready to use.

This sauce was made for veggies but would be equally delicious over fish if you are so inclined. I would even go so far as to dip raw veggies in this (but i've had my fair share the last 2 weeks thank you very much).

I served mine over brown rice but obviously this would be great on a panini (Duh! Did you read the beginning of this post?) in a wrap, or even over greens. No salad dressing needed :)



Please excuse my sorry excuse of a photo. I was hungry and light was minimal thus flash was used. No bueno. I blame it on the oven.

Better late than never....

I’ve had a busy (3 day!!!) week. I have a friend in town from Canada. Haven’t cooked much since they’ve been here….SLACKER ☺

Anyways, here are my long overdue (Grilled) recipes from 4th of July.

First up is the Grilled Corn with Basil Garlic Compound “Butter”
Serves 2
2 ears of corn-husks still on…just remove the stringy things (don’t know the real name of the fibers)

Compound “Butter”
1/3 c softened earth balance
1 T chopped basil (about 12 leaves)
½ T minced garlic
cracked black pepper
sea salt

This is SO simple. Hardly a recipe.

In a small bowl, mix ingredients for compound “butter”.


Spread 1/3 of mix on each ear of corn.


Cover with husks and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until grill is ready.


Heat grill on high. Oil grates lightly and place ears of corn on grill. Cook for about 20-25 minutes turning corn every few minutes to get even cooking. When finished cooking, remove husks and spread remaining compound butter on corn. Enjoy!

Grill-Baked Italian Sweet Potatoes ala Ashley
1 lg sweet potato, scrubbed & cubed
1 T EVOO
1 T dried basil
1 T dried oregano
¼ t red pepper flakes
Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Mix oil and spices in a medium bowl. Add sweet potato cubes & toss to coat~allow to “marinate” for about 15 min or until grill is hot. Place cubes on foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Crumple up edges to “mirror” a baking sheet.



Once grill is hot place sweet potatoes on and cook 30-40 minutes until tender stirring every few minutes to avoid over/under cooking.



Hope everyone is having a fabulous Wednesday!
Buon Appetito!

Happy Independence Day!

Hope everyone had a fun (safe) 4th of July!

A burger is undeniably one of the best 4th of July eats. So what does one do when they aren’t eating meat? Buy frozen veggie burgers? Nah, make your own! Because the holidays are all about experimentation aren’t they?

Well, mine always are anyways.

Initially I wanted to try making a gluten free burger. However, my local health store had gluten free breadcrumbs at an outrageous price and I decided I’d just use regular breadcrumbs and skip the bun.

Brown Rice & Veggie Burgers, makes 8 patties
3 c cooked brown rice
1 ½ c mixed veggies (I used: 1 med carrot, 2 med portabella mushrooms, 1 green bell pepper, ½ c cooked chopped spinach & 6 sun-dried tomatoes)
3 T soy sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T minced garlic
1 ½ T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 ½ c fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 c golden flaxmeal
1/3 c nutritional yeast

~Pulse veggies (except spinach) in a food processor until finely minced.
~In a small bowl mix soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary & pepper.
~Mix brown rice & veggies in a large bowl until incorporated.
~Add soy sauce mixture & toss to coat.
~Next, add breadcrumbs, flax meal & nooch.
~Form into 8 patties and chill until ready to cook (or pop in freezer for at least 30 minutes).

Preheat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once heated, place patties in 4 at a time (or in 2 different sauté pans) . Cook 8 minutes, flip & cook another 8 minutes.



At this point they are done. Add your fave toppings and eat.

But I took them a bit farther.

Balsamic Onions (recipe to follow) & Gorgonzola Cheese. Oh Yes.



Preheat oven to 400. Place patties on a pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top with balsamic onions & cheese and cook until cheese starts to melt.

Since I had to pan cook these I HAD to grill the side items. The 4th of July is all about grilling!

(oops, didn’t get a chance to photo the sides on the grill).

Here they are all together.

“Burgers” + grilled corn on the cob w/Garlic Basil Compound “Butter” + Italian grilled sweet potatoes (both recipes to follow).



Not bad for my first homemade veggie burger. The BF did not ask “Where’s the meat?” I think he is finally getting it!