Summer Tomato Tart

I seem to be on a tart roll lately..maybe because it tends to be be easy to make, pretty to look at, and delicious to eat ;)

This recipe for the tomato tart I saw over at cannelle vanille (whose blog is beautiful by the way), and I immediately knew that I had to make it.  We recently started getting our produce from the folks over at farm fresh to you, and I have to say that it's been amazing.  It's so nice to wake up to a box full of organic produce once every couple of weeks!  It's kind of exciting to open the box, wondering what kind of veggies and fruits we were going to have to try to cook with that week.

Needless to say, we got a wonderful assortment of heirloom tomatoes in our stash so I knew I had to use them for this tart.

The tart  does have a thin layer of arborio rice in it, as well as some rice flour in the dough,.  I love that the tart is gluten-free, but I definitely serve it to Cy on days I know he's going to be playing basketball so I know that he can take the extra carbs.

Since we also had some avocados and beets in our produce box, served it with a little of this on the side ;)

Chilly Soup for Sunny Days

It's warmed up considerably these last few days here in Los Angeles....perhaps hinting at hot summer days to come?  Keeping my fingers crossed that it won't get too hot - I have no air conditioning!

In either case, this Gazpacho recipe has become a staple for us on hot nights.  We generally make a huge batch and it lasts us the whole week.  It's cold, refreshing, tomato-goodness in a bowl. It's such a great dish to make on hot days - full of vegetables so you can get your nutrients, and no laboring in a hot kitchen to get it.  I realize that there are many different ways to make Gazpacho and everyone has their preferences, but this recipe really hits the spot for me.  All the vegetables are blended into a consistency that's just right, and the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar makes my mouth pucker in happiness :)

If anyone has had the amazing Gazpacho over at the cafe Le Pain Quotidien, I have to say that this recipe will give you something close to that.  I wanted to garnish with some avocado and mango slices but unfortunately I didn't have any on hand this time around.

Umbrian Lentils with Oven-dried Tomatoes and Gorgonzola

This is another one from the beautiful vegetarian cookbook Plenty.  I really love the fact that the recipe asks you to oven-dry the tomatoes. Rather than those jarred sun-dried tomatoes that tends to come packed in oil, this way tends to be less caloric and you can even control the amount of dryness.  I love that semi-dried state of the tomatoes that embraces both the flavor intensity of sun-dried tomatoes and the juiciness of a fresh ripe tomato.

And speaking of tomatoes, my mother continues to store her tomatoes in the fridge even though I've told her that tomatoes lose their flavor when they're stored at cold temperatures.  She refuses to believe me.  So if you are like my mother and prefer to keep your tomatoes in the fridge, then at least try to bring them back to room temperature before you use them.  This will help bring back some of that lost flavor.  

It's a well researched fact that tomatoes don't like to be stored in the cold, and now there is further research saying that the nutritional values of a tomato may be increased when they are cooked. Apparently, the amount of lycopene and antioxidants increase dramatically as the tomatoes are heated.  And it is now common knowledge that lycopene is one of the single most effective "oxygen-quenchers".  Their incredible ability to devour free-radicals in our bodies make them an important part of our diet. You can read more about this research here 

Cy's Broccoli Salad

We often make a big batch of Cy's favorite Broccoli Salad to have during the week.  I think this has pretty much become his trademark salad and he often makes it for potlucks and dinners.  It's simple, healthy, and makes a great lunch during the week...another one of those versatile recipes that can be altered with what you have on hand.

I've always liked broccoli, but I've tended to dismiss it as an "ordinary" vegetable.  Nothing as exciting as say an artichoke?   But did you know that Broccoli has amazing beneficial qualities for your health?  

Like other cruciferous veggies, when you chew broccoli, isothiocyanates are produced.  This byproduct can help eliminate carcinogens in your body before they can cause genetic damage.  Not only this, Broccoli also produces sulforaphane, which has been shown to help repair damage to your blood vessels caused by hypoglycemia...so important for diabetics!  I'm sorry the nerdy science major in me tends to get very excited over information like this...if you want to read more, check out this article.

It's best not to overcook broccoli and lose it's amazing nutritional value, so this salad is the perfect way to get your dose of broccoli. 

Cy's Broccoli Salad

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Broccoli...2-3 small bunches

Grape Tomatoes....1 cup

Basil...a handful

Chopped Nuts...1/2 cup  **I used pecans, but you can use almonds, walnuts, whatever floats your boat!

Dijon Mustard...1 tsp

Honey...1 tbsp

Olive Oil...1/4 cup

White Wine Vinegar...4 tbsp

Lemon Juice...4 tbsp

Salt & Pepper...to taste

Directions:

1.   Toast Nuts.

2.   Mix Mustard, Honey, Vinegar, and Lemon Juice.  Stream in Oil, whisking constantly. 

3.   Add Salt & Pepper to taste.  Set dressing aside.

4.   Wash and chop Broccoli (including stems) into small bite size pieces.

5.  Halve grape or cherry tomatoes.

6.  Chiffonade (fancy way of saying chop) the basil. 

7.  Toss broccoli, basil, nuts, and tomato mix into the bowl with the dressing.  Toss and let sit in the fridge for at least   30min.

Made some Pork Katsu Curry with shredded lettuce - less carbs than rice;)