Strawberry Scones for a Royal Wedding Breakfast!

Less than 10 hours and counting until the Royal Wedding of William & Catherine.  I will try to get up at 4:00 a.m. to be among the first to see the dress and any and all other highlights streaming from across the pond.  I must admit, thanks to the media, I am rather curious and excited.

So if I am going to drag myself out of bed, I thought a British inspired breakfast would be appropriate.  Nothing too complicated and well, "Food & Wine Magazine" has come up with a healthy version -  Strawberries (always part of the breakfast at Wimbledon) + Scones (that's British) = Breakfast while watching the Royal Wedding!  

Strawberry Scones

adapted from "Food & Wine Magazine" March 2011

for the scones

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour

1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 stick (4 oz. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes)

1-1/4  cups buttermilk + 3 tablespoons for brushing

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1-1/2 cups sliced strawberries

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

for the topping

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1-1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

3-6 tablespoons buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

pinch of salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  In a large bowl combine both flours, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well with a whisk.  Add the butter and using a pastry cutter blend the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a fine crumble consistency.  With a spatula mix in the buttermilk and almond extract.  Gently fold in the strawberry slices.

3.  With an ice cream scooper, scoop the dough onto the baking sheets.  Brush them with the buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

4.  After the scones are baked, lower the oven temperature to 350 and spread almond slices on a parchment line baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes.

5.  In a small bowl mix confectioners' sugar, buttermilk, salt  and almond extract.  Add more or less buttermilk to get icing consistency of your choice.  Drizzle over cooled scones and then top with almond slices.  

4 Favorite Quick Cook Lunches

Monday through Friday lunch is usually a solo act for me – at least during my daughters' school year. Sometime after my morning routine of internet-ing, exercising, grocery shopping and occasionally cleaning;  I start to get hungry and my mind wanders to lunch. Since I am alone I can create what I want and experiment with no one dictating what I should make or asking how much longer until it’s ready. My lunch prep goes something like this, peek into the refrigerator and whip something up with leftovers or - a food craving takes hold and my lunch evolves around my craving. Sometimes those cravings are highly influenced by watching Martha earlier in the morning or paging through cookbooks while making my grocery list.

A Few of My Recent Quick Cook Lunches~

1. Grilled Asparagus and Cheese Tartine
Leftover grilled asparagus, multi grain bread, shredded Coastal Cheddar cheese
Toast the bread, layer the asparagus spears and top with shredded cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted 5-ish minutes.  Sometimes I drizzle mine with extra virgin olive oil or balsamic glaze.

2. Shitake Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Fennel Sauté over Rice

Microwave left over rice or use a frozen rice package from Trader Joes, sliced shitakes, sugar snap peas and thin slices of fennel. (If you are feeling ambitious mince some garlic and ginger) sauté vegetables with a little olive oil and serve over rice. I drizzle mine with soy sauce or my new favor “Bragg’s Liquid Aminos” – a soy sauce alternative with a lot less sodium.

3. Grilled Tuna, Quinoa, Avocado, Tomato, Cilantro Wrap
Leftover grilled tuna or you can use canned tuna, left over quinoa or rice, chopped avocado, tomato and cilantro rounded into a wrap.  I spread my wrap with a Greek herb yogurt spread before filling.

4. Herb Omelet
Lucky for me I have a friend with chickens so fresh eggs, herbs from the garden and what ever cheese I am craving or have on hand. So simple – but often a forgotten quick lunch.

The key to all my quick cook lunch successes are limiting the  ingredient list AND using fresh herbs from my garden when possible. This year I have devoted a majority of my small garden space to herbs. My favorites; basil, Italian parsley, cilantro, chives, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, sage, spearmint and oregano. If you can, grow some herbs in your garden or in pots, they will make ALL the difference in your quick cook lunch and build healthy food cravings.  Lunch Time!

Flextarian Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Olives, Herbs & CHEESE

Curiosity got the best of me.  After tuning in to multiple television features of Kathy Freston and her book, "Veganist," I decided I had to read it!  Me Vegan? I never really considered adopting a vegan diet, because giving up all animal products - no meat, cheese, fish or eggs just wasn't what I wanted to do- or was willing to do.  HOWEVER, food as a means to avoid or even reverse disease will always get my attention. 

Getting older - aging - is a fact of life, sooner or later the aches and pains...and extra pounds just start to BUG ME!  Maybe it was just the "moment" I was in while taking in all this vegan information, but as Freston says, "lean in to it" or try going "vegan-ish" - so, I did...for a few days.  I was eating like a peasant, fruits and vegetables by the cart load, but feeling queen-like.  I did not feel deprived, I felt great and really became aware of what I was eating.  Eating vegan-ish for a few days re-focused my food choices to fresh, quality, local plant foods simply prepared.  I did not miss eating meat, but did realize I probably could be more flextarian then vegan, I love my cheese, fish and eggs too much.  Reading the "Veganist," did motivate a healthier mind set for me to eat animal products of all kinds in moderation. My new diet - flextarian, has my entire family eating more consciously, more plants less meat.

My Flextarian Pasta Salad ~ Cheese Included

adapted from Bon Appetit August 2000

"Food for the Road" by Ina Garten

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1-2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 lb. campanelle shaped pasta

12 oz. tomatoes, seeded and chopped

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, water packed, drained and cut into small pieces

3/4 cup parsley, chopped

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup kalamata olives

1/2 cup fresh basil, torn into pieces

1.  Combine first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, blend until well mixed.  This is the pasta vinaigrette, set aside.

2.  Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente.  Drain and put in a large shallow bowl.  Add vinaigrette to warm pasta and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.

3.  Add the remaining ingredients to the cooled pasta and stir to combine.  Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Can be refrigerated but bring to room temperature before serving. 

2009 Barista Pinotage and Chocolate Espresso Cookies

 It started with the WINE.  A few months ago, I was at a wine tasting and sampled a 2009 Barista, a Pinotage from South Africa.  The wine had a very distinct coffee finish.  The story I was told at the wine tasting goes something like this - in the process of making the wine, the winemaker detected flavor characteristics of coffee and hence called the wine "Barista."  I was intrigued with the wine - completely new to Pinotage and really a novice with wines from South Africa. (http://www.baristawine.co.za/)   The wine left an impression on me and for days afterwards I thought about making something to pair (feast) with this wine.  I did make a batch of BBQ sauce spiked with coffee and chocolate.  Unfortunately, my BBQ loving husband consumed the sauce before I could buy some ribs and the wine to bring it all together.

But then out of the blue - I bought, ate, and fell in love with Whole Food's Chocolate Espresso Cookies. 

Now - Chocolate Espresso Cookies were consuming my food cravings and I went into recipe search overdrive looking for a recipe.  After numerous attempts, I found and created a Chocolate Espresso Cookie worthy of comparison. 

AND then I remembered - 2009 Bartista Pinotage....

Cheers It's Friday ~ and a relaxing Spring evening on the deck with Chocolate Espresso Cookies and 2009 Barista Pinotage.

Chocolate Espresso Cookies
adapted from The Foster's Market Cookbook
My secret - Scharffen Berger 62% cacao semisweet chocolate and ground espresso beans.  (grocery store chocolate chips are too sweet) 

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and softened
1 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons finely ground espresso beans
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
9.7 oz. Scharffen Berger Semisweet 62% cacao chocolate, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F
2.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3.  In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time mixing and scraping down sides in between each addition.  Add vanilla and ground espresso beans.
4.  In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
5.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend just until incorporated.  Stir in chocolate pieces.
6.  Scoop dough on to baking sheets with a 2 oz. ice cream scoop or a heaping tablespoon.
7.  Bake 16-18 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Simply SPRING