BLT Pizza

This weekend we started harvesting lettuce from our victory garden!  How exciting!  Soon we will be picking heirloom tomatoes and okra, zucchini and squash and herbs and... you get the picture.

Lettuce and basil and radishes ready for harvest!

Tomatoes and zucchini and okra coming on strong!

To celebrate our first harvest we decided to prepare this simple BLT pizza.  By using prepared pizza dough we saved a huge amount of time, but if you like, you can always prepare your own favorite pizza dough recipe and substitute it.  I like to use bottled ranch dressing on the pizza to avoid making this pizza too tomato-ey (is that a word?).

This makes a terrific light supper, but would be perfect for brunch too!

The Tiki in June!

BLT Pizza
serves 6-8

2 packages prepared pizza dough (I like Trader Joe's)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cornmeal
freshly cracked black pepper
 3/4 cup bottled ranch dressing (I like peppercorn ranch)
1/4 tsp ground dry thyme
1 small onion, finely sliced
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 grated parmesan
6 slices of thick bacon
2 medium tomatoes sliced

1 cup chopped lettuce
6 fresh basil leaves chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450F.  Grease a 9x13 jelly roll pan with olive oil, then dust with cornmeal and sprinkle generously with cracked black pepper.  Pat dough into prepared pan.

Spread ranch dressing over crust, sprinkle with thyme and then layer with onions.  Top onions with mozzarella cheese and parmesan.

Cook bacon in microwave (on a paper plate with paper towels) for 4-5 minutes until partially cooked.  Chop bacon coarsely and sprinkle over pizza.  Top with fresh tomato slices.

Bake pizza for 20 minutes until just golden and cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.

Toss chopped lettuce and basil with oil and vinegar, then put on top of pizza immediately before serving.

Vegan Pasta Primavera

So... before you go all veganazi on me, I know you are looking at the picture of this dish and saying:  " Hey, isn't that ham mixed with pasta and vegetables?  I didn't think ham was vegan."

Yes.  It is ham.
No, ham is not vegan.

Listen smartie pants, if you want a purely vegan dish, leave out the ham, OK?  :)

Seriously, this dish is terrific with or without the ham.  I was preparing dinner for a friend and her son, and they are both lactose intolerant, so I decided to whip up this pasta primavera loaded with fresh vegetables and tossed in Alfredo sauce.  The problem is Alfredo sauce is made with butter and milk, and consequently is not very friendly for lactose intolerant folks.

The answer?  I used vegan margarine and almond milk.  The result is a completely delicious Alfredo sauce that tastes every bit as good as the classic Alfredo sauce, and perhaps even better.  I may prepare all my Alfredo sauces this way in the future.

Then I realized that if I left out the ham, this dish is vegan!  Wow!  Who knew I could cook vegan?

What I found most amazing about this dish is that using almond milk the pasta sauce did not completely congeal into a block once the leftovers were refrigerated.  Almond milk helped keep the dish silky and smooth, and it reheated beautifully.

This makes a LOT of pasta primavera so prepare it for a hungry crowd.  But remember the leftovers keep beautifully and this is a wonderful dish to bring to work as the next day's lunch.

I am posting this as a vegan recipe (with non-vegan substitutions in parentheses).  And, yes, the ham is optional!

Vegan Pasta Primavera
serves 10

1 lb Asparagus, woody ends removed
1 lb broccoli florets
2 small zucchini
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces.
1 bunch (about 8 or 9) scallions, chopped (both green and white parts)

1 lb pasta (make sure it does not include eggs for a vegan dish)
1/4 cup (4 oz.) vegetable margarine (or butter for non-vegans)

1 lb diced ham (optional)

Vegan Alfredo sauce (recipe follows)

minced fresh basil
grated parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Drop asparagus into the water and let blanch for 1 minute before transferring to a large bowl of ice water (to stop them from cooking further).  Repeat with broccoli, and un-sliced zucchini.  Reserve water.

In the same water used for blanching the vegetables, cook the pasta according to cooking instructions.  Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Toss hot pasta with margarine (or butter) to keep pasta from sticking together.

Chop blanched asparagus into 1-inch lengths.  Cut blanched zucchini into coins.  Add all vegetables to pasta and toss.  (If using ham, add it now).

Pour Alfredo sauce over pasta and vegetables and toss to coat evenly.  Add basil and toss.  Serve hot or cold with grated parmesan cheese.


Vegan Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup (8 oz) vegetable margarine (or butter for non vegans)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cloves garlic minced
4 cups almond milk (non-flavored); (or milk for non vegans)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground white pepper


In a large, heavy pot, melt margarine (or butter) over medium high heat.  Add flour and stir to make a roux. Allow roux to cook for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and stir, cook for 1 minute.  Add almond milk (or milk) and whisk into sauce over medium high heat.

Continue to gently whisk sauce over medium high heat until it thickens to desired consistency ( about 8-10 minutes).  At no point should you stop whisking or sauce form a gelatinous paste on the bottom of the pan which will burn.

Once sauce is thickened, remove from heat and season with salt, nutmeg and white pepper.

Potatoes, Cauliflower and Peas with Indian Spices (Aloo Gobi)

I had a craving for Indian food last night, but didn't want to spend a lot of time or money preparing it.  A quick look around the kitchen revealed that I had all the ingredients for this delicious vegetarian dish, one of my all time favorites!

Known as Aloo Gobi (which literally means potatoes [aloo] and cauliflower [gobi]) this dish is ubiquitous on buffet tables at Indian restaurants. This dish is fragrant and mildly spicy and the combination of potatoes and cauliflower is fantastic.

I have seen this dish prepared many ways, sometimes with tomatoes, sometimes with peas, but always delicious.  This is Mama Ozzy's variation on the classic Indian dish.  I make no claims as to its authenticity since I am certainly no expert on Indian cuisine, but it rings all my flavor bells and whistles, and that's all that matters.  Some of the spices are unusual, but once you have them in your pantry they will last a very long time.  Consider purchasing them as an investment in good eating.

In contrast to Chinese cooking where vegetables are stir fried over high heat for a short period of time, I like to slow cook this dish in butter to coax the natural sweetness out of each ingredient.  Yes it takes longer, but the result is well worth it because each ingredient retains its individual flavor and has time to mingle with the exotic spice mix.

I like to use prepared tomato salsa in place of tomatoes in my aloo gobi.  I find that Mexican spices and Indian go really well together.  When you think about it, they are not really that different; tomato, jalapeno, onion, cumin, coriander... pretty similar.  Since I always have plenty of salsa around the house, this saves a lot of time in peeling and and seeding tomatoes!

You can make this dish as spicy hot as you like.  If you like it really hot, don't remove any seeds from the jalapeno pepper.  If you like it medium hot use only half the seeds, and if you like it mild, remove all the seeds.  Pretty easy!

I like this dish on it's own, with or without basmati rice, but it makes an excellent side dish to any grilled meat.  Best of all, except for the butter, this is an incredibly healthy dish!

Potatoes, Cauliflower and Peas with Indian Spices (Aloo Gobi)
serves 8-10

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (seeds retained for HOT, removed for mild)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 lbs red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 lbs cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa
1 cup fresh or frozen peas

steamed basmati rice (optional)
Greek yogurt(optional)

In a large heavy skillet with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeno and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently until onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.  DO NOT ALLOW TO BROWN!

Slowly saute the onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno

Add garam masala, coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric and salt to onions and cook for 1 minute to infuse the butter.  Add potatoes, cauliflower and salsa to pan and toss to coat evenly with spice mixture.

Stir potatoes and cauliflower into the spice mix to coat evenly 

Cover the pan and slow cook the mixture on medium heat for 10 minutes.  Stir the mixture, scraping any brown bits from the pan.  Cover again and cook, covered, for ten minute intervals, stirring and scraping every 10 minutes until potatoes a very tender (40-50 minutes).  If mixture appears to be sticking to pan, add 2 Tbsp water to pan to assist scraping browned bits from bottom of pan.

Once potatoes are very tender, remove from heat, and add peas, and stir.  Cover and allow residual heat to cook peas for 5-10 minutes.   Serve hot with basmati rice and a dollop Greek yogurt (if desired).

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Garlic Aioli

Yesterday we had a lovely mothers day lunch at the Tiki and invited many of the mother's in our life.  Mothers of young children, mothers of grown children, mothers of dogs and cats and food blogs!  We had a great time despite the fact that the skies threatened to rain on us (but never got much past a heavy drizzle).

Our menu was:

Shrimp cocktail
Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Garlic Aioli
Grilled Filet Mignon with Cracked Black Pepper
Jess Potatoes
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Bourbon Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Blueberry Vodka Lemonade

You can find most of these recipes on this blog by following the links.  But I wanted to take the time to post my Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Garlic Ailoi.

This is one of my go to recipes whenever asparagus is in season, and especially with locally grown organic asparagus from Vollmer Farms in Bunn NC.  I love grilled asparagus, but I find that just tossing raw asparagus on the grill tends to dry them out and can make them a little tough.  My answer to this problem is to blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water, then flash chill them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.  This results in vibrantly emerald green asparagus that are still crispy, but tender and juicy.  Then I marinate them in olive oil , garlic and balsamic vinegar before charring them on the grill.

The result is a vibrantly green juicy asparagus spear, loaded with flavor and not at all dry or tough.  They are fantastic on their own, but even better with a quick homemade aioli.

Aioli is basically nothing more than an Italian garlic mayonnaise.  It is ridiculously easy to prepare in the food processor and is great on grilled meat, fish vegetables or even a panini or bruschetta!  Even those who hate mayonnaise like aioli.  Must be the garlic and lemon!

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Garlic Aioli
serves 12

Asparagus:
2 lb fresh asparagus (try to use thick asparagus rather than thin asparagus)
water
salt
crushed ice

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Trim off the woody ends of the asparagus and discard.  Toss half of the asapragus in the pot of rapidly boiling water.  Blanch for 1 minute.  Immediately remove the asparagus from the boiling water with tongs, and submerge them in a very large bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking.

Return water to a rapid boil before blanching the remaining asparagus.

Once asparagus is blanched and chilled, drain them from the ice bath and place them in a 9x13 baking pan.  Drizzle with olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and toss to coat evenly.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate 1-2 hours at room temperature.

Grill asparagus spears over high heat until lightly charred.  Serve hot or cold with Lemon Garlic Aioli.

Lemon Garlic Aioli

Lemon Garlic Aioli

1 egg yolk
3 cloves garlic
juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup (approximately) extra virgin olive oil

In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, combine egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce and salt.  Process until garlic is finely minced and everything is well mixed.

With processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  The mixture will begin to thicken to the consistency of mayonnaise.  If it is too thin, continue to add olive oil (with processor running) until desired consistency is achieved.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Happy Mothers' Day!  Today we are hosting a lunch for all the mothers in our lives.  Since strawberries are at their peak in NC right now, we decided to finish lunch with a freshly baked strawberry rhubarb pie with Bourbon Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

I love the tanginess of rhubarb with the sweetness of strawberries, especially locally grown organic strawberries from Vollmer Farms in Bunn NC.  This pie is easy as pie, especially if you use pre-made pie crust!  This pie came together in about an hour and a half, including baking time!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Serves 8

1 package pre-made pie crust (2 crusts)

4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg slightly beaten

1 egg slightly beaten with 1 Tbsp water
coarse granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400F.

line a 9-inch pie pan with one of the pie crusts.  In a large bowl combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and egg.  Mix until well-blended.

Fill pie shell with filling.

Cut remaining pie crust into 1/2-inch strips and lay in a lattice pattern over filling.  Crimp edges with fingers.

Brush the top of the pie with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 45- 55 minutes (on foil to catch drips) until pie is golden brown.  Cool on rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Bourbon brown sugar vanilla bean ice cream

Nothing is better than homemade ice cream and this one is incredible. Scented with vanilla beans, sweetened with brown sugar and spiked with bourbon, this great by itself or scooped onto a slice of warm pie

Brown Sugar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
(makes about 1 quart)

1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups half and half
one vanilla bean
7 egg yolks
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup Bourbon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
in a large glass bowl combine cream and half and half. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into bowl with cream, add empty bean pod. Microwave on high power for 3 minutes, then cover and let steep 20 minutes.
Meanwhile in another large bowl combine egg yolks, brown sugar and salt. Whisk until well combine and slightly fluffy.
After steeping, remove bean pod from cream and microwave again for 1 minute on high to reheat cream. While whisking the egg mixture, carefully add about 1 cup of the hot cream to temper the eggs, then return tempered eggs back to bowl of hot cream, constantly whisking until well mixed.
Return cream/egg mixture to microwave and heat on high for 1 minute. Stir mixture with a wooden spoon. Return to microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds, then stir thoroughly with wooden spoon. Repeat this step, microwaving for 30 seconds, then stirring until mixture coats the back of the wooden spoon (and your finger leaves a well-defined path in the mixture when drawn across the back of the spoon). Add Bourbon and vanilla extract and stir. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Process cold mixture in an ice cream maker until set. Transfer to a chilled container and freeze until firm (overnight).

Meatloaf Muffins with Mashed Potato "Frosting"

Last night I came home from work and my partner Doug was fixing  one of his signature recipes for dinner, these whimsical and super delicious meat loaf muffins.  This is one of my favorite things he prepares and I just HAD to blog it.

These savory cupcakes are ridiculously easy to prepare using things you probably already have in the pantry.  They are the perfect three-bite size nuggets of meaty goodness.  I absolutely love the magic that happens to the ketchup glaze after it is baked.  Doug likes to "frost" these cupcakes by piping garlic mashed potatoes on top, but you can use any kind of mashed potato you like.

My partner of 8 years, Doug

Meatloaf Muffins with Mashed Potato "Frosting"
makes 12 muffins


1 lb ground beef
1 lb pork sausage
2 cloves garlic minced
1, 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
ketchup
garlic mashed potatoes

Pre heat oven to 350 F.  Grease a muffin tin well.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except ketchup and garlic mashed potatoes and mix well.  divide into 12 equal-sized balls and place one ball in each cup of muffin pan.

Top each meatloaf ball generously with ketchup.

Doug glazing the muffins with ketchup!

Time to get these bad boys in the oven!

Bake 50- 60 minutes on another baking sheet to catch drippings until meatloaf is cooked all the way through (pan will be messy!).

Allow muffins to cool for 10- 15 minutes before carefully removing from pan and frosting with mashed potatoes.