Avocado Toast

I feel like I'm moving a million miles an hour these days. Perhaps that's hyperbole, but I am movin', so I'll cut right to the point- A GIRL'S GOTTA EAT and creative cooking and leisurely eating is certainly not in the cards until this here catering season comes to a screeching halt. Until I've got the time, I'll just have to eat fast food. Enter the avocado.













Now this is what I call fast food! It's healthy, tasty, totally satisfying and, well, fast. What you see pictured below is unadorned avocado toast. Go ahead dress her up though... add olive oil and some cayenne pepper for color. Top with a handful of spicy arugula, a spritz of lemon juice and freshly cracked black pepper. Or throw on some diced pickled jalapeno. Yummmy vinegary jalapenos;) Whatever you do, get on the avocado bandwagon. Pick up a couple once a week, give them a day or two to ripen and you'll have a happy breakfast, lunch or dinner at the ready.














Avocado Toast
serves 2

1 ripe avocado
2-4 slices of bread, depending on the size/shape and how hungry you are
salt

• Cut the avocado in half by rotating a sturdy knife around the pit. Rotate the halves to split and remove the pit. Slice avocado (see below).
• Toast bread to desired darkness. Spoon avocado onto toast and spread evenly. Sprinkle with salt.
• Enjoy!

Leek + goat cheese frittata

Supper is served and lunch is in the fridge!! When I'm pinched for time, I often defer to the incredible egg. I always have some in the fridge for moments like these and, because the urge to bake might hit me at any moment and (the idea of) a trip down and back up to my 5th floor walk-up to buy bland eggs from the corner bodega will surely blot out my desire. So, pick up some huevos.... They're an inexpensive (even when you buy them at a farmers market) source of protein and a blank canvas ready for anything that looks good at the market or whatever's past its prime in the fridge.

I like eggs (point taken) and I like to use them to make frittatas. Again, it's that pressed-for-time thing. This omelet, of sorts, comes together in less than 10 minutes. And the leftovers are perfectly flat for a sandwich. For this particular frittata, I used leeks and goat cheese.

Leek + goat cheese frittata
serves 2 with leftovers

2 large leeks, dark green parts discarded; washed and cut into 1/4 inch rounds
6 eggs
splash milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. goat cheese

• In a medium saute pan, heat enough oil to coat bottom of pan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until soft, 10 minutes.
  
• Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Whisk well.
• Preheat broiler
  
• Add leeks to egg mixture and pour into a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, without stirring, for about 4 minutes, or until the bottom has set. Scatter teaspoonfuls the cheese around the top of eggs (it should sit on top of the liquid eggs) and continue to cook for another minute.
  
• Put the saute pan with eggs under the broiler until the eggs have set and the cheese is warm, 3 minutes. Remove from broiler and top with freshly cracked pepper.
• Serve with a green salad and potatoes.

Potato "salad"

1 onion
olive oil
jalapeno, minced
salt
2 large potatoes
vinegar
pepper

• Caramelize onion (look for purple ink), adding jalapeno at end of cooking time. Season to taste.
• Cook potatoes (purple ink), cool slightly under cold water and cut into cubes. Add 1 T vinegar and onions. Season with salt and pepper and add more vinegar, if necessary.
• Enjoy!
  

Gazpacho

Hooray, it's tomato season! For the next month or so I can think outside of the can and use fresh tomatoes to my heart's content (literally). The irresistible sweet and acidic fruit never comes cheap and this summer the prices have been inflated due to devastating "late blight", a fungal disease that has knocked out a huge number of the tomatoes in the Northeast. Our cold and wet spring made for unhappy tomatoes. And, in turn, unhappy farmers, who often rely on tomatoes to turn a profit. So, all the more reason to get out there and buy what's left of this years not-so-bumper crop. Make some gazpacho...no cooking required!

Gazpacho

6 ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 large cucumber--peeled, halved, seeded and cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped or, for added flavor, roasted and cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup water
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
salt to taste

optional garnish:
diced cucumber
sliced onion
hot sauce

• In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, water, oil and vinegar and process until coarsely pureed. Season with salt and adjust amount of vinegar if needed. Refrigerate until chilled.
  
• Serve in chilled bowls with garnish.
• Enjoy!

CSA salad w Sauteed Mackerel

This composed salad requires a bit of time, but it's totally worth it. Boil the eggs and potatoes and roast the pepper the day before and it won't seem like such an arduous meal. While you're at it, make a couple extra eggs for a grab-n-go breakfast, boil a few more potatoes for that potato salad you're taking to the pot luck BBQ this weekend and that second pepper, it'll be perfect for gazpacho. You just took care of like four meals!!

A basic vinaigrette to dress the greens and potatoes and a simple 'salsa' to top the fish (which, by the way, cooks in all of six minutes) quickly bring the salad together. This is a healthy and extremely satisfying meal. Seriously... I had a warm peach tart sittin' pretty on the kitchen counter for dessert and skipped it because I felt just right after the salad. Hello! Peach tart for breakfast...can't beat that!

A note on the fish...Mackerel is a great choice because it's chock full of omega-3 fatty acids which are SO good for us and it's not overfished and, therefore, environmentally friendly (which is rare when it comes to fish these days). That said, if you can't find mackerel, go ahead and use whatever's fresh. Likewise, the rest of the elements of the salad can be substituted.

CSA salad w sauteed mackerel
serves 4

2 hard-boiled eggs
2 large new potatoes, cooked
1 roasted pepper
tomato caper salsa
vinaigrette
1 bunch arugula, washed and torn into bite size pieces
4 5oz fillets mackerel

eggs

• Place eggs in small saucepan and cover with cold water by an inch.
  
• Over high heat, bring water JUST to a boil, cover pot and turn off heat. Let stand 15 minutes.
  
• Pour off cooking water and cool eggs in ice water.

new potatoes

• Place potatoes in small saucepan and cover with cold water by an inch.
  
• Over high heat, bring water to a boil, turn heat down to medium so the water is gently bubbling and cook potatoes until easily pierced with a pairing knife, about 25 minutes.

roasted peppers














salsa

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 T capers, rinsed and chopped

• Combine tomatoes and capers in a small bowl. Make sure to taste before seasoning as capers tend to be salty.

vinaigrette

1 half white onion, diced
1 t Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2 T Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil

• In a cleaned jam jar, combine the onion, mustard and vinegar. Season to taste.
  
• Add the olive oil, tightly put lid on jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. Taste again and adjust any of the ingredients until you like the flavors.

compose salad

• Cut eggs in half lengthwise and the cut each half lengthwise again. You should have 8 pieces total.
• Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Place potatoes on a plate in one layer and pour half of the vinaigrette over them.
• Cook the fish: heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking, add 3 T olive oil, turn heat up to high and, when the oil is shimmering, add fillets skin side down. Cook for 6 minutes. Turn off heat.
• Dress arugula with remaining vinaigrette, divide among four plates and top greens with one fish fillet, skin side up. Top each piece of fish with 1/4 of the salsa and then divide the eggs, potatoes and peppers evenly among the plates.
• Enjoy!

Farmers Market Lunch

Pleasure on a plate!

Frittata with Asiago cheese and caramelized onions +
Roasted Adirondack Blue potatoes and asparagus






























Roasted Adirondack Blue potatoes and asparagus
serves 2 with enough leftovers for a satisfying snack

4 medium potatoes (any will work)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch asparagus

• Preheat oven to 350
  
• Slice washed potatoes lengthwise a little less than 1/2 inch thick. Slice each cross section into 1/2 inch "sticks". Finally, cut into cubes.
  
• Place cubed potatoes on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil and salt and pepper liberally.
• Roast for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.
• Get caramelized onions started for the frittata NOW!!
  
• While potatoes (and onions) are cooking, place asparagus on a baking sheet (tin foil if you don't have another) toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
  
• Turn heat up to 400 and continue to cook potatoes for 15 minutes. With 1o minutes cooking time left, put asparagus into oven. Test for done-ness; potatoes should be soft and asparagus should have some bite.

Frittata with Asiago cheese and caramelized onions
serves 2

1 medium onion, diced
1 T (plus more if necessary) olive oil
4 eggs
splash milk
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup grated asiago cheese

• In a small nonstick saute pan over medium-low heat, heat oil and add onions. Cook until almost soft, 20ish minutes. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook for another 10 minutes or until dark golden brown. Throughout cooking time, stir occasionally and add the occasional tablespoon water, if necessary, to continue softening onions and to prevent sticking or burning. Drain on paper towel and salt to taste.
  
• While onions are cooking, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Whisk well.
• Preheat broiler
  
• Add egg mixture to same nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, without stirring, for about 4 minutes, or until the bottom has set. Sprinkle the cheese onto the eggs (will sink into the liquid eggs) and continue to cook for another minute.
  
• Place saute pan with eggs under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 2 minutes. Remove from broiler and top with freshly cracked pepper and caramelized onions.
• Enjoy!
  
  
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