Meyer Lemon Custard French Toast with Blackberries and Maple scented Greek Yogurt

Ingredients:

6 slices challah or brioche ( cut about 1in thick)

 3 eggs

1/2 cup (whole milk, half and half, or cream)

Zest from one meyer lemon

Pinch of salt

Blackberries

Cinnamon Sugar

Maple scented Greek yogurt (Recipe below)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

In a medium sized bowl whip eggs, (milk, half/half, or cream), lemon zest, and salt.

Pour ingredients into pan large enough to size the flat slices of challah.

Flip the challah over in custard insuring both sides are generously coated

Let sit until all the custard has been soaked up by challah.

While the bread is soaking line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

Brush paper with oil to prevent the bread from sticking

Before removing bread from your pan sprinkle top side generously with cinnamon sugar

Place challah to baking sheet cinnamon sugar side down

Top the remaining side with an additional layer of cinnamon sugar

Bake approximately 20 min~Until the toast is puffy and crunchy

Assemble:

Allow two pieces per plate 

Top with blackberries or fruit of your choice, and *maple scented Fage yogurt.

* 1 cup Fage yogurt , 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (mix well)

Enjoy :)

Breakfast of Champions...Pizza!

Not your college days left out on the counter from the night before breakfast pizza.  Putting a new spin on an old classic.  My boys loved it.

Bacon and Egg Pizza

 

Butternut Squash, Leek, Pepper Bacon Pizza

Recipes

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)

1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups (or more) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

Preperation

Pour 3/4 cup warm water into small bowl; stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. KNEAD dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. PUNCH down dough. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. ROLL out dough according to recipe instructions. (Start in center of dough, working outward toward edges but not rolling over them.)

Toppings

Bacon and Egg Pizza

Nitrate Free, Hormone Free Organic Black Pepper Bacon

Free Range Egg

Fresh Thyme

Tomato Sauce

Olive Oil

Shredded Raw Cheese (I used goat Cheese)



Preheat oven to 450.  Saute bacon until crispy.  Brush rolled pizza dough with a tomato sauce and olive oil.  Add all your toppings and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese and bubbling and crust is a golden brown. 

Walnut and Candied Jalepeno Sauce

Walnut and Candied Jalepeno Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup toasted walnuts

1 tablespoon or more of fresh thyme

2 green onion white part only chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

juice and zest of one lemon

1 tablespoon  sliced candied jalepenos

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse until ingredients are mixed and walnuts are coarsely chopped. Do not over process. Season with Salt and Pepper

Serve with grilled vegetables and cheese or mix with grilled vegetables and pasta

. 

Pink Love Dip

October is breast cancer awareness month and a host to many birthdays in my family.  Today's birthday is very special.  Happy Birthday to my sister Diane! She is a two time breast cancer winner and  survivor. She is also many things to so many, a devoted daughter, loving wife, proud mother, grandmother that is adored, sister and best friend, friend to so many and a hero to all. 

Happy Birthday Diane!  You fought the battle and won the fight. You keep inspiring me with your strength and beautiful smile. You are my story behind the Pink Love Dip.

Pink Love Dip

If you are from Texas and visited HEB Central Market then you are  familiar with Love Dip.  It is addictive and fattening (Isn't everything).  I can sit down and woof  the entire bowl with a loaf of  french bread in one sitting . I wanted to copy the recipe (which calls for a  whole package of cream cheese) but make a healthier version.  I found a recipe for Pink Hummus on one of my favorite blogs Garlic and Sea Salt http://garlicandseasalt.blogspot.com/2010/03/pink-hummus.html that inspired the changes.  So I put two and two together and came up with this.

Ingredients

1 15 oz can Cannellini Beans (drained)

1 roasted medium size beet (pickled beet would work to)

1/2  cup chipolte salsa

1 clove of peeled garlic

1/2 cup Tahini Paste

Juice of 3 Lemons (my lucky day I had Myer Lemons in the fridge)

zest from one of the lemons

1 tablespoon Onion Creek Kitchen Chimayo Spice Mix* (or teaspoon cumin)

 1 sprig chopped mexican marigold leaves (fresh or dried tarragon will work)

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth

Serve with fresh vegetables or grilled bread. This would also be good on grilled vegetables or fish. 



*  Onion Creek Kitchen at Juniper Hill Farms is located in the heart of Texas Hill country. Visit her site for recipes and information on upcoming cooking classes and overnight stays.  Her products can be purchased on her site.  With lots of great recipe ideas.

http://www.juniperhillsfarm.com/

White Bean and Eggplant Gratin

I had so much fun planning recipes with Saturday's fresh market finds.   I believe energy passes into food when you can touch the hand that produces it.  With all this in mind, there was only one cookbook that  could turn this energy into gold.  I turned to the pioneer of natural cooking, Deborah Madison.  After decades of following her flawless recipes from The Greens Cookbook. I had a pleasure of eating at Greens in San Francisco, this summer.  I feel I have come full circle.

Ingredients

3/4 cup of navy beans

•1 teaspoon dried sage or 2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

•2 bay leaves

•2 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole

•7 tablespoons virgin olive oil

•Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

few sprigs epazote fresh or dried (optional) Thank You Herb Lady!

•½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

•2 large yellow onions, sliced ¼ inch thick (I used one red and one yellow and I loved the flavors)

•3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

•1 can Italian plum tomatoes (1 pound, 12 ounces), with their juice

• 1 large globe or (equal to the size in japanese) eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes

•1 cup bread crumbs (I used sprouted grain, but any fresh bread will do)

Directions

Sort through and rinse dry beans. Cover generously with water and soak 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, cover them with boiling water and let them soak for 1 hour.)

After the beans have soaked, drain them; cover with 4 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil with bay leaf, sage, epazote (natures Beano) garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil. Simmer for 1/2 hour add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and continue to cook until the beans are firm but still hold their shape. 45 minutes or longer as needed. Drain the liquid and set it aside to use in the gratin or in a soup. Discard herbs and garlic.

I used fresh breadcrumbs made from 3 slices of sprouted grain bread.  Process bread slices in food processor to a fine crumb.  Sprouted Grains are going to give you a fuller nutter crumbs (which I love).  Toast for 15 minutes in a 350 oven.  I added a handful of fresh herbs (lemon thyme, rosemary, sage), fresh cracked pepper and enough olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) to lightly coat all the crumbs.

Warm 4 tablespoons of the oil in a wide skillet with the rest of the sage and the thyme, then add the onions, the chopped garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook slowly until the onions are completely soft. While they are cooking, seed and chop the tomatoes; then strain the juice to remove the seeds. Once the onions are soft, add the eggplant, stirring well to combine; then cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, and continue cooking until the eggplant is tender.

Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and add the cooked beans. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and more salt if necessary. If a stronger flavor of sage and thyme is desired, add more, rubbing the dried herbs first between your fingers. The mixture needs to be well seasoned.





Recipe adapted from Deborah Madison The Greens Book.

Always remember

 To take time out for yourself and enjoy the things that make you happy. Loving on my new origami turtle necklace from Windtwirler Paper Performances at the Southside Farmers Market.

From Market to Table. Visit The Growers and Artisans At The Southside Farmers Market.

With some of the bad press Corpus Christi has been given for making the list as one of the fattest city in America. We have to give a big Thank You to the Artisans and growers at the Farmers Market .  These are the faces changing the way we eat and live one Saturday at a time, rain or shine.  I had the pleasure of visiting and sharing  stories with these extraordinary growers and artists who are devoted to keeping our city healthy and environmentally green.  Go show your support and visit the Southside Farmers Market on the 5800 block of Everhart in the Market Plaza. Booths open every Saturday at 9:00.  Get there on time because they sell out early. Kid and dog friendly.  For the latest updates check them out on Facebook or at www.farmersmarketcc.org 

 

Shari The Herb Lady

The herb lady has a large selection of fresh seasonal and dried herbs that she grows and tends from her private garden. All her herbs are chemical free and picked not less then 24 hours before market and stored in water until you take them home.  Shari is always ready to share great recipe ideas for the use and healing properties of her herbs. Visit her at www.farmersmarketcc.org for her harvest of the week.

 

Buddy and Gayle aka The Sprout Lady

Buddy and Gayle carry a seasonal variety of organic produce and a large variety of organic sprouts.  They sell the most amazing sprouts I have ever tasted.  Buddy and Gayle's story made it apparent to me why everything she sells makes your taste buds dance.  After Buddy retired he turned a hobby and passion into a foodie's dream.  His passion and energy remains in each product they sell.  

 

 

greeted with a smile

five varieties of basil

  

The Green Team

J.W. Chrisholm Farm  

J.W. Chrisholm Farm sells a fresh picked chemical free seasonal variety of produce and herbs.  This is always one of the first tables to go.  Can you blame them when they carry five varieties of fresh basil.  

 

 Meet LolaBella and her Mom Lisa K.

 

What Lola wants Lola gets!  Doesn't your dog deserve the best!

LolaBelle's

LolaBelle's sells homemade treats, gifts, and dog food.  When I first met Lola's Mom I was telling her how picky my three little dogs are.  I have wasted so much money on treats and food that my lil babies turn their noses to.  She assured me that will not happen with her treats.  Lola's Mom was right, I have now dubbed her treats Dog Crack.  They just can't get enough!

If you miss Lola at the market you can find her at www.LolaBellesTreats.com Phone 361 230-0631

 

Meet Lisa McCracken

check out the large variety of homemade soaps and lotions 

 EcoSage Company

The EcoSage company sells handmade all natural  soaps, creams and soy candles.  Lisa McCracken makes all her products in her home studio.   One look at Lisa's beautiful glowing skin will keep you coming back for more.  Lisa also provides classes.  Stop by her booth and enjoy the smells.  If you miss Lisa at the market visit her website at www.ecosageco.com

Phone number 361 446-2345

 

Deborah the Bread Lady

Deborah the Bread Lady sells a yummy variety of all natural good for you breads and sweets. Her varieties include Honey Wheat, Whole Wheat, Pumpernickel, Omega3/Flax and Sprouted Grains on request.  I can't leave out the Cinnamon Rolls, Iced Quick Bread and Cookies.  Make sure you make Deborah one of your first stops, she sells out fast.  Any wonder?

 

Meet Heather

 

Windtwirler Paper Performances 

Heather's booth caught my eye with these wonderful jewels shining in the South Texas morning sun. In meeting with the artist she explained to me that her passion for origami started at a very early age and it shows. One look at her work and you will be captured by her intricate pieces.  If you're looking for a unique gift to give or get with a history behind the sculpture, then stop by and visit this unique artist.  Contact Heather at windtwirlerradish@yahoo.com 

Phone Number 361 548-3394

Bea's Market Pottery

recycled fabric aprons and tote bags

Meet Ms. Beatriz Baker from Bea's Market

 Bea takes recycling to an art form.  Bea's Market has a beautiful selection of handmade jewelry, pottery and fabric art made completely from recycled materials.  All her work is one of a kind and unique.  When Bea is not at the Farmers Market she runs a Home School Tutoring service and a pick up/delivery bakeshop.  When does she sleep?  Stop by and visit Bea to shop for that one of kind person in your life.  If you miss her at the market you can contact her at Bea78411@aol.com 

Phone Number 361 249-6822

 

Cool Dude Hot Salsa 

La Familia Salsa Co.

I am addicted to this award winning salsa.  Stop by La Familia Salsa Company and pick

 up a jar or two and I bet you can't eat just one. If you miss La Familia Salsa Co. booth at the Market. You can contact them on their website at www.lafamiliasalsa.com

Phone Number 361 215-9285

 

Meet Mariza Angeles Smith

Iza Publishing Company

Mariza is a tireless community activist opening community gardens all over our city.  She also publishes food, health and community awareness books.  Thank You, Mariza for all your efforts in bringing fresh whole food awareness back to our tables and community.

If you miss Mariza at the Market contact her at

smith-ma@swbell.net

Phone 361 946-2000

 Meet Melissa from Paul's Seafood

Voted the Best of the Best 2008*2009

Pick up some of the freshest seafood available.

If you miss Melissa at the Market.  Visit her at

Paul's Seafood

14454 S.P.I.D

(on the Island)

Phone 361 939-7447 

Photo Friday

                                                 South Texas Fall Bloom