running with tweezers

holy edamole!

I am a big fan of edamame. I am also a big fan of things that taste great and come together in an easy instant. Work has been nuts...and when things get busy, it's hard to focus on eating right. Edamame is always my go-to snack when I don't feel like cooking something but want a salty-ish snack to munch on. It's also incredibly good for you - as high in protein as most meat and chock full of calcium, iron, and several B vitamins.

So, you can imagine my delight when I ran across this recipe in  the January issue of Cooking Light. A low fat alternative to guacamole, which I seriously love. I was sold. This recipe comes together in about 5 minutes, including time to flash the frozen edamame. The flavors and consistency can be adjusted to your own personal taste. I love guac with lots of heat, garlic, and lemon....so I modified the original recipe a tad when I made it. More lemon juice, more garlic, and a teaspoon of Sriracha sauce. It's delicious on it own on chips (I've used Terra Spiced Taro root chips here) or incorporated into meals. This would be an easy veggie dish to whip up for a party. Super Bowl, anyone?   

Edamole - adapted from the original recipe which appeared in Cooking Light Jan 2008 - yields 6 servings

• 3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 garlic clove, halved

- Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth. Cover and chill.

This is my entry into Weekend Herb Blogging, this time being hosted by Claudia at Fool For Food. This is my second back-to-back entry to WHB - miracles will never cease. As always, a big shout out to Kalyn for establishing this event and for creating such a wonderful blog!

the simple life

Maybe it's my intention (not resolution) to eat a little better this year than I did at the end of last year. It could also be my mild obsession with Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food, which I seem to look at everyday since I got it - more on that in another post. It could also be the unseasonably warm weather we've been having here...until today. As I sit here writing this, the largest snowflakes I've ever seen are falling, which is a rarity in Atlanta. I don't know what the reason is...but I've been craving tomatoes.

Although most tomatoes right now are incredibly dismal, the cherry tomatoes on the vine have been quite tasty - almost reminiscent of a real tomato! Wanting to make something quick that really highlighted their flavor, I quickly sauteed them with some garlic, a teensy bit of olive oil, and an herb I don't normally cook with - tarragon. In some dishes, I find tarragon really overpowering. Here, however, it really highlighted the sweetness of the tomatoes. The olive oil and the juices from the tomatoes mingle to create a really nice sauce...which was perfect served with a piece of crispy grilled Ciabatta bread. Add this to a meal of roasted chicken and it's the ideal side dish.

Sauteed Tomatoes with Tarragon - serves 4 as a side dish or appetizer

• 1 package on-the-vine cherry tomatoes or 2 containers cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 stems tarragon - washed, dried, and roughly chopped
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4" slices and grilled or toasted (optional)

- In a medium saute pan, heat up extra virgin olive oil. Add garlic and saute but not until brown. Add cherry tomato halves until the skin begins to pucker and they are warmed through - about 4 to 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and tarragon and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Served immediately with or atop toasted bread, if you so choose.

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this time by Rinku at Cooking in Westchester. This could easily be included in sections about tomatoes *and* tarragon. Thanks to Rinku for hosting...and to Kalyn, as usual, for this wonderful blog event!

The winner is...

There weren't a lot of votes cast in deciding the winner of the chili cook-off. Maybe everyone got bogged down - like I have been - with getting back into the swing of things after the holidays. Here's the weird thing: out of all of the entries, all of the votes were split between only *two* people. A last minute vote swung the results in favor of Adam from BedHeadBlog and his Bratwurst Chili. Congrats! He is going to get a copy of Chili Nation by Jane and Michael Stern.

I am also going to be sending a cookbook to the runner-up...Michelle from Je Mange le Ville and her Working Person's Green Chili Bowl. She'll be getting a copy of Homegrown Pure and Simple. It's a lovely cookbook with lots of seasonal ingredients and recipes.

Thanks to everyone for taking part in the RWT Chili Cook-off!

The RWT Chili Cookoff - The Roundup!

A new year means a new round-up of recipes! Thanks to everyone who took part in the RWT Chili Cookoff! Despite the hectic holiday season, we had quite a few entries. Despite the hardcore chili purists who insisted that chili = meat, there were also a number of vegetarian options. Way to go, folks! The details on how you can help pick a winner are at the end of this post.

Let's start the show:

Sarah from North Carolina, who blogs at Sweets by Sarah, gets us started with lots of enthusiasm for chili...and a hearty bowl of her delicious-looking Wheat Berry Chili.

Taking part in his second challenge here at RWT is Adam, who blogs from Alabama's BedHeadBlog. He puts a spin on a traditional meat chili with his yummy Bratwurst Chili - nice sour cream dollop there!

Lisa from Lisa's Kitchen takes the chill of her Canadian winter with another vegetarian chili, Black Bean Chili with Toasted Spices.

Dhivya from California's Culinary Bazaar shows us a really interesting twist on chili: a Chili Lima Beans Curry.

Showing us that "almost" doesn't count in just horseshoes and hand grenades, Cris from Brazil's From Our Home To Yours shares her Almost Vegetarian Chili.

Taking us step by step in making his Chili with Homemade Cheddar Biscuits over Rice is Bradley from Boston's Sauces and Stuff.

Getting spicy in Australia is Daphne from her blog More Than Words. She shares her recipe for Spice Medley Chili.

I am a big fan of green chili, so I was excited to see Michelle from Portland's Je Mange le Ville submit her delicious Working Person's Green Chili Bowl.

It's always nice to see fellow Atlantan Chris, who blogs at MeleCotte, take part in the blog events! She shares yet *another* vegetarian chili recipe - this time, a scrumptious Black Bean Chili.

Another Georgian, this time Augusta's Lynne from Cafe Lynnylu, brings the heat - both literally and figuratively with her beautifully photographed Two Steps from Hell Chili Verde.

Danielle from Sweet and Savory Eats took a welcome reprieve from the holiday cookies and cakes to submit her all-American Adaptation of Boilermaker Chili.

Atlanta's Tony Clark gets out from behind the camera (for a brief moment) and into the kitchen with stunning results: hopefully his Chili is as tasty as it is pretty.

Jason Perlow from New Jersey's Off the Broiler shares a really unusual and totally vegan chili recipe: Spicy Portabello Mushroom Chili with Pomegranate.

 

Providing the first white chili of the cookoff is Toronto's Kevin, who blogs at Closet Cooking. His Turkey White Chili looks hearty and healthy!

Suzana takes part all the way from Portugal! She gets up close and personal on her healthy Veggie Chili recipe on her blog Home Gourmets.

That's all, folks! Now...for the fun part: the voting! You do not have to have taken part in the Chili Cook-off to vote. Send your vote for the winner of the challenge - who will receive a lil' foodie prize and bragging rights - to r[email protected]. You must get your votes in by Sunday, January 13th. I'll announce the winner then. Good luck!