Frozen Tomato Pasta

Fast, Easy and Vegan

Sun-ripe tomatoes are flavorful and are great for snacking almost daily…I wish I could say that we grew them but these beautiful tomatoes are from a friend’s backyard…I’m a bit envious!

I had a planned to make Angie’s ‘Oven Baked Chicken with Italian Seasoned Tomato Sauce’ (looks fabulous, right?)…wait, no chicken?  We’re planning a trip very soon so we are limiting the number of grocery shopping trips lately…just buy the bare necessities…
Look for the bare necessities…
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities…
Old mother Nature’s recipes that brings the bare necessities of life!

What?…no song necessary?… I was about to dance….Anyway, I would like to introduce you to this very minimalistic dish so let’s put the candle…I mean tomato in the freezer!

Ingredients and Instruction for two servings (Print Recipe Here) Modified recipe from cookpad.com (recipe #3328313)

• 1 large ripe frozen tomato (put in the freezer overnight)
• 2 –3 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Spaghetti noodle or angel hair pasta (I used about 200g/8oz)
• 5-6 basil leaves tear by hand plus 3-4 whole leaves for garnish
• Salt and pepper

1. Put the minced garlic in a microwave proof bowl along with the olive oil. Microwave for 2 minutes at 60% power. Let it cool. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta 2 minutes longer than the package direction. Drain and soak in icy cold water until pasta is cold. This is my way of cooking pasta – put pasta in a skillet, cover with water then cook at medium heat.
3. Grate the tomato, skin and all ( I advise to wrap the tomato with paper towel… it is very cold).
   
4. Mix the cooled garlic with olive oil, grated tomato and basil well in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Drain the noodles and shake off the excess water. Combine well with tomato sauce (#4). Garnish with basil. Add more salt and pepper if you like.

A not-vegan arrangement: Add cooked bacon and grated cheese

My favorite way to eat tomato is actually oven-baked tomato…yum!

We have seedless grape vines in our back yard which wild birds love…Hey, leave some for us!I made grape clafoutis and posted the pic on Instagram (#todaystapas). It’s French but resembles Dutch Baby pancake.

I saw a Watermelon Shark on the internet and I wanted re-create but my watermelon was round not oblong…I had to improvise…right?

The haze (from the wildfires) is gone for now… we’re grateful that we had some rain in the last few days.
This photo was taken two weeks ago when it was still hazy. My husband and I are leaving for Japan to see our newest grandchild. I hope I’m able to resume my blog when I get back though I just would like to say to all my readers ‘Thank you’ You’re truly my inspiration.

Angel Hair Pasta Salad

Quick Main Pasta Dish for warmer weather

Hello Microsoft and Google people, please fix the ‘Live Writer’ program fast! Unable to post my blog since last week,  ‘Copy and Paste’ approach is not so cool! I thought the smart people who work there can all straighten up the problem in the matter of couple hours but….really?

The temperature was pushing upper-80’s last weekend, we turn on the air-conditioning rather than endure…The month of May’s hasty departure, I wasn’t ready for…a basket full of clean clothing ready to be folded…three days ago…in my defense, visiting sick friends take priority. I hope they like this weather appropriate light meal…even though it doesn’t look pretty in a plastic container.

Ingredients and Instruction for 3-4 servings (Print Recipe Here)

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, white balsamic preferred if you have it.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 10-12 cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 peppers, I used yellow, thinly sliced…to bring bright color in!
• 10 or more basil leaves thinly sliced
• 4 slices of thick cut bacon roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
• Angel hair pasta, about 3 oz. per person
• Parmigiano reggiano cheese thinly shaved

1. Make dressing - In a medium bowl vigorously whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
   
2. Add tomato, pepper, basil (leave a little bit for garnish) and toss to coat. Chill it in the refrigerator until needed.
   
3. Cook pasta my way - Lay the pasta (break in half if the pasta is too long) in large skillet and barely cover with cold water. Cook the pasta on medium heat, stirring occasionally so that pasta won’t stick together until al dente. Drain water through colander.Set aside.
4. Heat the same pan on medium heat; sauté bacon until it renders the fat and begins to brown, add garlic and cook for a few minutes longer. Note: do not brown garlic. Turn off the heat.
   
5. Bring the drained pasta back in the pan and combine with bacon and garlic.
   .
6. Divide pasta in 4 bowls. Top with chilled vegetables. Don’t forget to spoon over the dressing. Garnish with shaved cheese and basil. Salt and pepper to adjust flavor.
   

Arrangement #1: Add red pepper flakes (about 1/4 teaspoon) in the dressing for accent.

Arrangement #2 If you like lot more green then use salad green mix that comes in a bag.

From the TAPAS (#todaystapas) – Incredibly soft, light yogurt bread dough recipe from a Australian blogger Bake for Happy Kids…my husband made into cinnamon rolls…Fabulous! He took some to his office and got nice reviews…he will make more for the other critics/ foodies.

More of garden jewel – dangling earing like Gumi tree

Although the temperature dropped 20 degrees yesterday, still no complaints here. My sincere prayers are with those affected by terrible weather…

Shrimp Delight

Shrimp Salad

I can’t believe tomorrow is already April…Fool me…March left all of a sudden and I am playing catch up game but never can get ahold of the tail ends.
No fuss rule enforced (not really) for weekly meal and the shrimp salad is super quick to fix and refreshingly delightful. The modified recipe and the edible pot idea from Peter Callahan author of bite by bite. If you want to make potted shrimp salad, go to the edible pot instruction first.
Aren’t they Springy and darling? Perhaps great for Easter Sunday Dinner!

Ingredients and Instruction for two servings (Print Recipe here)

• 10-12 shrimp cooked, peeled, deveined and tail removed  Note: I
• used frozen shrimp, cooked in salted (1 teaspoon ) boiling water for 30 seconds or until shrimp turned to bright orange, drain and cool.
• Mango fresh chopped in chunks
• 3 inch length cucumber thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
  
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
  
• 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt

Put shrimp, mango and cucumber in medium bowl. Toss with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar, chives, lemon zest and salt. Chill for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Making edible pot -  enough to make 6 - 2 inch terra cotta pots
Necessary equipment : terracotta pots (I used 2 inch diameter pot and 1 inch pot), dried beans about 1 cup, parchment paper, rolling pin

• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons sweet paprika
• 6 tablespoons(2/3 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
• Non stick pan spray

1. Using a food processor, pulse the flour and paprika together. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resemble sand.
2. With the motor running, add 3 Tablespoons water until the the dough comes together. The dough may be crumbly and dry.
   
3. Flatten the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap, make a disk and wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Take dough out of refrigerator, leave on counter for about 10 minutes (to make it easier to roll out dough). Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat terra-cotta flower pots with nonstick pan spray.
5. Unwrap the dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll until it is 1/8 inch thick, remove top layer of parchment and slice the dough according to your terracotta pots. Use the scraps to make balls.
   
6. Place 1 strip in each pot so it runs around sides of the pot. use your fingers to press the dough flat around the edges. Drop a ball of dough inside the pot and press down to make the bottom. Line pot with small piece of parchment paper (the picture showed I forgot to line and the beans stuck to the sides of the pot) and fill with dried beans and place the pots on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the dough is set, about 25 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let them cool completely. Take out beans and tap gently on the bottom to release the pastry pot.Cut up salad and fill in pot. Insert edible flower. I used lavender.

This is shrimp salad in 1 inch pot – you need itsy bitsy fingers…just kidding!
I loved this Today’s TAPAS instagram post (#todaystapas) – Agedashi tofu.
My husband and I were on hands and knees to do the weeding on our lawn last Saturday…remembering the quote by Margaret Atwood…
In the Spring, at the end of the day,
you should smell like dirt.

Wishing you a Happy April! (The picture above is our gumi tree)

Salmon Pink

Olive oil and lemon marinated Salmon

Here in Portland, Oregon, the summer is mostly glorious! Although the temperature seldom reaches 100 degrees with minimum humidity, some evenings we opt out to make a no-heat, nice, light, A.K.A.appetizer for our dinner.

Not sure where I got the recipe…the marinated salmon on toasted French baguette we love, however, bread is optional, simply put it on the sliced cucumber for gluten free and less calorie version.

Ingredients and Instruction for marinating salmon (Print Recipe Here)

• Medium size onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons  white wine vinegar 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salmon – sashimi grade thinly sliced (I used about 1/3 pound)
• 1 lemon, washed well, cut lengthwise fist then thinly sliced
• 1-2 fresh dill stems, chopped

1. Put thinly sliced onion in the bowl and sprinkle with salt and mix well, let sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze the juice out. Set aside.
2. Combine olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and sugar well in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Place prepared onion evenly distributed in a shallow glass dish with rim,
4. Single layer the salmon on top of the onion, sliced lemon on top of salmon. Stir the olive oil mixture before pouring over the salmon. Scatter the dill on top. Cover with plastic wrap.Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
5. Serve with sliced baguette, crackers or cucumber.

Gifts from friends – Home grown Kale is sheer beauty!

Then I received handmade cards by Jalna in the mail. I was touched. Too beautiful to let go…can I just keep them in a keepsake box?

The table my husband was working on was finally stained (antique red)!
The painting was done by moi, My son-in-law made the vase.

Miss-happening occurred playing basket ball the other day…seriously? My husband spent a few days in the horizontal position.

He must get better fast! We’re ready to go to Japan soon…  

See you in a few weeks!

PS – I greatly appreciate you all for visiting my blog.